It is almost Christmastime, and I wanted to share two of my patterns for Christmas ornaments early enough so that perhaps some of you might have time to tat them! Last year, I designed a simple pattern of repeating split rings. This year, I wanted to add a bit of sparkle by using beads. It can be a little challenging with the addition of beads, but it is also fun once you get the hang of it. It is somewhat difficult to explain how to thread the ends together, but I hope the photos will help you see how I did it. Please let me know if you run into any problems!

Split Ring Christmas Ornaments

MATERIALS

2 shuttles

Olympus thread, size 40

3" diameter satin ball

INSTRUCTIONS

Round 1: R 4-4-4-4, Ch 2—2. *R 4+4-4-4, Ch 2—2.* Repeat * * 14 more times. Total 16 Rs and Chs. SLJ.

Round 2: ***Join to any R p on previous round. *SR 8^8,* repeat * * 10 more times, R 8-8. SLJ.***

Repeat *** *** for all other Rs.

Round 3: Same as Round 1.

Note: Use thread to join ends of Round 2 to Round 3.

Beaded Christmas Ornaments

MATERIALS

2 shuttles

Olympus thread, size 40

3" diameter satin ball

960 seed beads, size 11

INSTRUCTIONS

Round 1: R 4-4—4-4, Ch 4—4—4. *R 4+4—4-4, Ch 4—4—4.* Repeat * * 10 more times. Total 12 Rs and Chs. SCh at last 4 ds.

Round 2: SR 4^4, <RW, slide 4 beads from Sh1, R 3—3—3—3, RW, slide 4 beads from Sh1>. *R 4+4 (to next Ch p on previous round), <>.* Slide last 4 beads from Sh2. Last R as SR.

Round 3: SR 5^5, <RW, slide 6 beads from Sh2, R 3—3—3—3—3—3, RW, slide 6 beads from Sh2>. *R 5+5 (to next Ch p on previous round), <>.* SLJ.

Note: String 189 beads onto Sh1 and 291 beads onto Sh2. Make two halves. Join the halves with thread as shown.