July 19 7 Ring butterfly by Ruth

Copyright Rozella Linden 2005

Instructions:

Two shuttles, needles, or finger tatting.
This butterfly looks great with a solid color thread for the body and solid color matching, or contrasting, or two color variegated thread for the wings. Use about a yard for the wings and 20" for the body depending upon the size of your thread.
A larger size thread, 20 or 10, works best to learn a new pattern.

This pattern is really an intermediate level pattern because there are two split rings. The balance and symmetry of this poseable little butterfly give it a authentic look. It would be awesome sewn on a collar. Start with the thread for the body, at about the middle of the piece of thread tat the first ring...

Ring #1
Ring (1 (Add the wing thread to the carrying thread and tat with both threads) 1 - 3 - 3 - 1 (Exclude the wing thread from the next DS) 1)

Close the ring and tighten all the threads snug. If you are using variegated thread slide the wing thread through so that the ends have the color change at the same place on each end. To really be symetrical you must use thread that has an evenly repeating pattern of variegation to the color, or you could use two pieces of thread with the colors matching on the part that will be used to tat the wings.

Follow the order of tatting shown here

Ring #2
Turn it upside down, and tat a split ring with the body thread.
Split Ring (3 - 1 / 3 - 1) This is symmetrical with 3 knots at the bottom.

Ring #3 , 4, 5, & 6
Next tat the wings on one side... then repeat on the other side of the butterfly..
Ring (1 + 7 - 7 - 2) This is the bottom wing. The join is to the picot of the first ring of the body.
Ring (2 + 10 sp mp sp 10 - 3) This is the top ring. Join to the picot of the bottom ring.
Ring #7
The final ring of the body is a split ring. Pull the wing thread through the picot of the second ring of the body. Tat with the body thread and include the wing thread with the carrying thread inside the ring similar to what we did with the first ring.
Split Ring (1 + 3 / 1 + 3) Join on each side to the picot of the top wings.
Pull all the threads snug, and tie a half knot in the wing thread and body thread on each side if necessary to have the body threads at the center. These will be used to tat the antennae on each side.
Chain (8) Pull the carrying thread snug so that there is a bit of an arc in the antennae.
Finish by tying the ends at the end of each antennae in an overhand knot and trim. A bit of glue suitable for the intended use will help hold the ends if desired.

This is a good project to practice "right side - wrong side tatting" because the wings on one side would be tatted normal, and the ones on the other side would be the opposite.
The antennae will easily bend up and back over the head, and the wings can be positioned up or out like a butterfly would naturally sit on a flower.