Tatting picnic. The wheat circle earrings

My husband and his friends play airsoft and we all go to the forest games every Sunday. I don't play (it's really not my thing), but I am the driver.

If it is cold, I stay in the car, but as soon as the weather warms up enough, I throw a blanket on the ground or over a fallen tree trunk and have a tatting picnic. It is really lovely, with fresh air and birds chirping and the occasional car or shooting noise. I made almost all my snowflakes for the winter coat like this, last year.

The atmosphere is very inspiring and I often try out new ideas or techniques, sometimes by accident. I don't even mind if I have to retat anything, merely tatting outside in the forest is enjoyable enough.

Today I accidentally made a new pair of earrings. I was going to make another wheat bracelet to see if pearl cotton would be strong enough, but I forgot to start the first opposing ring and continued in a row.

Half a bracelet? Nah, earrings!

Since it curved inwards, I went around in a circle and there it is, the wheat circle earring:

I also took the opportunity to take some pretty pictures with a natural background.

 

I will however have to buy crochet cotton for the bracelet (and choker and earrings set, if the lady who wanted it still wants to wait for me), because the pearl cotton is too soft and pliant and I want the bracelet to withstand the adjustable closure and the earrings to keep their shape without much wood glue.

If you would like to make a pair and are ready to try a barely-tested pattern, here it is:

1 shuttle
Use 72 beads for 12 petals (rings)
A * is a bead

r1 2-7***2-7
***
r2 2+(j to p2 of r1)7***2-7
***
Repeat r2 and *** until 12 rings; join the 12th ring to the p1 of r1, then add *** and connect to the base of r1.

I used size 8 pearl cotton thread called Puppets from Coats and 2mm seed beads. I don't own any specialised tatting thread, so I can't estimate the size equivalent, but I assume it will work with size 15 (or 20) crochet cotton. Feel free to adjust the number of "petals" if needed.