Make a ring of 4 ds, small picot, 4ds. Pass the thread behind this ring, from the base to the picot at the tip. Draw a loop of thread up through the picot, pass the shuttle through it, and snug down. You will find tightening this knot more difficult than tightening the join that was made with two threads, because you have to get it right the first time. It helps if you pull on one side of the loop to adjust the thread leading from the base of the ring to the join, then pull on the shuttle to tighten the loop. Your first join may have to be done in small steps: pull on the shuttle thread until the join becomes disarranged, then tighten the base-to-picot thread again.
Work another ring and repeat until you get bored or have enough edging to decorate something, whichever comes first. Since you took the precaution of using your tat thread to make the chain, you can glue the string of rings to stationery, draw antennae on it, and call it a caterpillar.
This technique is called "passing the thread behind," and was in constant use before the invention of the chain -- which wasn't a very long heyday, for joining and chaining were invented in the same generation.
When you pass thread behind while making lace, be careful to leave it just slack enough that it springs out to conceal itself behind one side of the ring. If there is a picot on that side, the thread can be further secured by catching it in a join.
A straight passed-behind thread is better for making caterpillars, because it fills in the center of the ring, and tight is best of all, because it makes the body sections short and fat. You can make the last ring larger, to represent a head, and make one or two picots to be antennae. Snip the antenna picots, after stretching them to settle the knots at their bases. You can also put snipped-picot tufts of fuzz along the caterpillar's back, or supply him with picot feet.
Note that the thread can pass behind the ring to any picot on the ring. That makes the technique very flexible for lace-making. Let us make an ear of wheat:
Make a ring of one double, small picot, one double, small picot, two doubles. Close. Pass the thread behind to the first picot.
Make a ring of four doubles, three large picots one double apart, four doubles. (Total of ten doubles.) Close. Pass the thread behind to the small picot at the tip of the first ring.
Make a ring of two doubles, small picot, double, small picot, double. Close. Pass the thread behind to the second picot.
Make another large ring with three ornamental picots. Pass to the tip of the small ring.
Repeat as desired, with grains of wheat springing alternately from the right and left. End by making a large ring at the tip of the last small one.
On to Exercise Four:
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of right, wrong, record-keeping,
and the simple wheel;
of tying off and pressing matters
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Back to Exercise Two
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