Renulek Summer Napkin 2014 Tutorial: Finish Round 2, Start Round 3

Hi, fellow tatters!  It took me a couple of days to get my next round finished, plus having time to blog is tricky too.  I have 30 minutes right now so let's see how far I get.

Pattern by Renulek, renulek.blogspot.com.

We were here on Round 2, ready to make a decision:

Basically your decision is the same as it was before:  cut and tie, or split chain and then split ring to climb into the next ring.  If you successfully did a split chain and ring before, go again!  If you are brand new, maybe you don't want to do that yet.  No big.

I'm using three colors on this doily (above right):  pink pearl, antique rose (the only two I've used so far) and cherry blossom (adding in round 3).  I dubbed them with these names.  If you want the color numbers, ask me in comments and I'll give them to you.  Cherry blossom is a new thread I'm trying which is a Sensations (by Joann stores) brand.  It turned out to be a bit thicker/more full bodied than DMC.

So I'm making a split chain here.  Remember, I'm a lefty, so mirror images.  In the left picture, I've joined the free thread to be the core of the chains.  Right, I'm making my stitches with the help of a size 13 crochet hook.

Remember, Linda Davies/toptattyhead has a great YouTube of split chains.

 Left, I have made the first half of my split ring, the final element in Round 2, using Shuttle 2.  when I get to the halfway point, I turn my hand in an upright position.  (Yeah, I should have put this on post one.  Sorry.  First tutorial.)  This is called the dead spider position.

Don't forget, you may be doing this with your right hand.  Can you see the tension I'm creating, spreading my fingers outward?  The first and ring fingers are keeping the ring taut, and the middle finger is keeping pressure on the existing stitches.  Now you would create the other stitches in the space between your third and ring fingers.  Start with the 2nd half of the hitch (over), but don't flip the stitch.  Make the usual 1st half (under) and don't flip the stitch.  Perfect half hitch, and keep going until the ring is complete.

 Now take it off your fingers (whew, mine get a little stiff when I do this) and close the ring up as usual, pulling Shuttle 2 (blue one).  Shown at right nearly closed.

Since this ring had decorative picots, we need to leave a false picot (wiggle room) between this ring and the next.  Here's one technique:

 All I did was make half a stitch to save the space, so it wouldn't close up when I made the next ring.  This is not absolutely necessary. You can just leave a bit of space between this ring and the next, and you will be fine.

Next I did something you should not do until you have a bit more experience--a single shuttle split ring with a color feed up the side.  That's why my next ring is all one color, which was my goal.  It's also lopsided and pretty ugly, though hard to tell below.  Trust me though, it was a less-than-perfect execution and the only boo boo in the work so far.  Keeps me humble.

This first ring in the new round is the same as the one below it:  R 3-3-3+3-3-3.  If you split the previous ring, do the same here.

Time for my son's concert, so I'll make another post later about stitch count in Round 3.