Buttonfly

You will need three buttons. Start with upper wings. jtb=joint to button, SLT=shoe lace trick. The joining picots between rings on the wings around the buttons can be adjusted - use larger picots for a larger button, small picots for a small button, to keep the wing from cupping.

R 3-3jtb3-3, ch 3-3-3, R 3j3-3, ch 3-3-3
*R3j3jtb3-3, ch 3-3-3, R 3j3-3, ch 3-3-3* repeat
R 3j3jtb3-3, ch 3-3-3, R 3j3j3, ch 3-3-3, join to base of 1st ring
CH 3 jtb, ch5-2-9, slt
R 3-3-3, ch 3-3-3
*R 3j3-3, Ch 3j3j3 (joins are to upper wing) *R 3j3-3, Ch 3-3-3* repeat 2 more times.
R 3j3j3 - one half is finished
Ch 5
R 3-3-3, ch 3-3-3
* R 3j3-3, ch 3-3-3* repeat 2 more times.
R 3j3-3, ch 3-3-3, R 3j3j3, SLT
ch 9j2j5jtb3
R 3-3jtb3-3, ch 3-3-3 R 3j3-3, ch 3-3-3
* R 3j3jtb3-3, ch 3-3-3, R 3j3-3, ch 3-3-3* repeat
R 3j3jtb3-3, ch 3j3j3 (to lower wing), R 3j3j3, ch 3-3-3, tie into base of first ring of upper wing, hide ends.

Antenna:
R 8, Ch however long you want the antenna to be :-), jtb3jtb, ch, R 8, hide ends.

Spider!

Tatted spider - mine was tatted with Turkish Simli thread (black with silver metallic). You will need a 4-hole button.


Wind one shuttle and ball using CTM.

Head:
R 9 ds
Body:
//ch2 then make a really, really long picot - about two feet or so (probably don't need quite that long, but better safe than sorry!). Repeat 3 more times (4 really long picots), ch2.//
Shuttle join to any hole on button.

Chain enough ds to fit around 1/4 of button loosely (mine took 12). Shuttle join to next button hole. Repeat all the way around button, shuttle join last chain to first join.
Repeat section between //
Join to base of 1st ring.

Now cut each of the long picots about 1/2 up the right side of the picot, so you have a shorter end on the right and a longer end on the left. These will become your new 'shuttle and ball threads' (the shorter end is the "shuttle"). Fingertat a chain of 20 ds. Knot the ends and cut off, leaving a bit of thread for "claws". Repeat with each picot to make the 8 legs.

Stiffen and arrange the legs to look "spidery".

                                Basic Heart:

Heart with top:

This is a heart with a celtic style top.

Basic Heart:
R 9-3-3-9, ch 3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3 (eleven picots)
R 9j3j3-9, ch 3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3 (10 picots)
R 9j3j3-9, repeat first chain (eleven picots)
R 9j3j3j9.

ch 4-4-4-4, R 3-2j(to second picot)2-3, ch 3-3
***R 3j(to last ring)2j (to next picot)2-3, ch 3-3*** repeat *** 6 more times.
R 3j2j2-3, skip next two picots on chains, R 3j2j2-3, ch 3-3. Repeat *** 2 times.
R 3j2j2-3, ch 3-3-3-3 (tip of heart)
repeat *** 3 times
R 3j2j2-3, skip next two picots on chains, R 3j2j2-3, ch 3-3
repeat *** 7 times
R 3j2j2-3, ch 4-4j(to opposite chain)4-4, tie into base of center ring.



Tatting the top:

clover: R 3-3-3-3-3-3 (five picots), R 3j3-3-3-3-3-3-3 (seven), R 3j3-3-3-3-3
ch 12 R 3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3 (seven picots) ch 12
clover: R 3-3-3-3-3-3 (five picots), R 3j3-3-3-3-3-3-3 (seven), R 3j3-3-3-3-3
ch 7. At this point, thread the 3 ring elements through the three spaces at the top of the heart, back to front (see picture). Keep working chain (7 ds) in the back. Bring the working chain up over the top of the heart, and shuttle join (sj) to the 2nd picot on the clover leaf.
ch 3-3-3, sj to 4th picot on clover leaf. ch 3, sj to next open picot.
ch 3-3-3-3-3, sj to last picot of middle ring of clover.
ch 3, sj to next picot on third ring of clover.
ch 3. sj to 2nd picot of middle ring.
ch 3-3-3-3-3, sj to 6th picot of middle ring.
ch 3, sj to last open picot of next clover ring.
ch 3 sj to next open picot on middle clover ring.
ch 3-3-3-3-3, sj to last open picot on middle clover ring
ch 3, sj to next open picot on last clover ring.
ch 3-3-3, sj to second-to-last picot on clover leaf, ch7, bring chain back over the top to the back of the heart, join to base of clover, do not cut thread
For Stem:
ch 7, sj to joining picot between top center chains of the red heart.
ch 28, sj to same picot, ch 7, tie into base of beginning clover.

Hope you can make sense of the directions!

Ambitatterous did a fabulous version with the top in two colors! Check it out!

Peacock heart

R=ring, - =picot, ch=chain, j=shuttle join, J=regular join


Center Clover: R 6-4-4-6, R6J6-6-6,R 6J4-4-6
ch 6-6-6-6, j middle picot first ring, ch 6-6,
j middle picot 2nd ring, ch 4-4, j to same picot, chain 6-6,
j to middle picot of last ring, chain 6-6-6-6 join to base of clover.
2nd round (can be done without cutting thread if you leave some space to tie into at the end):
ch2-2-2-2 j 2-2-2-2 j 2-2-2-2 j 2-2-2-2-2-2-2 j 2-2-2-2,j to bottom picot,
chain 2J2-2-2-2-2,j to same picot,
ch 2J2-2-2 j 2-2-2-2-2-2-2 j 2-2-2-2 j 2-2-2-2 j 2-2-2-2,
Tie to base of clover.

This was done in Victoria Clayton's hand-dyed silk perle, which sadly isn't available in a lot of colors any more.

Tattingchic  made some beautiful examples of this one!
 Tatskool made a whole bouquet of them!

New Pattern: Quick Heart

This heart tats up really fast. I am not a fast tatter, and I can do this one in well under one hour. The one on the left (two color, peach and tan) was done earlier, and the only difference is the picots on which the tip is joined.The smaller heart is made exactly to the pattern.

Pattern:

Ring 1: 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2 (7 picots) All rings have this basic pattern and only vary in where they are joined.)

Ch: 4-4-4-4-4 (4 picots - center chain)

Ring 2: 2-2-2j2-2-2-2-2 (join 3rd picot to 5th picot of the first ring.)

Ch 4-4

Ring 3: 2j2-2-2-2-2-2-2  (join is to last picot of the previous ring for all rings except the clover)

ch 4

Ring 4 (same as Ring 3) , ch 4, Ring

ch 4j4 (join to last chain.)

Ring, ch 4j4 (join to center chain), Ring, ch 4j4-4

Clover: Ring  2-2-2j2-2-2-2-2 (join to 5th picot on the last ring), Ring 2j2-2-2-2-2-2-2, Ring 2j2-2-2-2-2-2-2
ch 4j4j4
Ring 2-2-2j2-2-2-2-2 (join to 5th picot of last ring)
ch 4j4, Ring, ch 4-4, Ring, ch 4, Ring, ch 4
R 2j2-2-2-2-2-2j2  (last join is to the first picot on the first ring.)
Ch 4j4
Tie ends into base of the first ring, finish off.


My picots are fairly long on this, and if someone makes tiny joins, it might cup.

Clover Earrings

You need for each earring:
10 seeds beads (I used clear)
1 drop bead (I used clear)
1 faceted bead (I used black)
1 sterling silver bead
Sterling silver fish hook earring jewelry finding

Thread the beads onto the shuttle thread in the following order: 5 seed beads, drop bead, 5 seed beads

First Ring:

Slide the first two beads off your shuttle and onto the ring. 6 ds, slide bead into place, 6 ds, slide second bead into place, 3 ds, picot, 3 ds. Close the ring. ( 6 b 6 b 3 - 3 )

Second Ring:

Slide the next 7 beads off the shuttle thread and onto the ring.
3 ds, join to first ring, 3 ds, slide bead into place, 3 ds, slide the next five beads (2 seeds, drop, 2 seeds) into place (they will be part of a long, beaded picot),3 ds, slide the next bead into place, 3 ds, picot, 3 ds. Close the ring. ( 3 j 3 b 3 bbBbb 3 b 3 p 3).
Third Ring:

Slide the last two beads onto the ring. 3 ds, join to last ring, 3ds, slide bead into place, 6 ds, slide bead into place, 6 ds. Close ring. (3 j 3 b 6 b 6)
Cut the thread, leaving about 6 inches of the ball thread, and at least a foot on the shuttle thread. Thread both thread ends through the black bead.

Now thread only the long thread end through the silver bead. Finger tat a small ring: 3 ds, join to fish hook jewelry finding, 3 ds. Close the ring(3 j 3)

Then thread this thread end back through the silver bead. Knot tightly to the ball thread end, between the two beads. Secure knot with clear fingernail polish or glue; snip off the ends as close to the knot as you can. The two beads will hide the knot.

Suncatcher Pattern

 Just for Stephanie! :0)

 This is another easy pattern, basically just clovers and chains. It has the never-ending-outside-chain with mock rings in common with the Kira's Star pattern.

One shuttle, wound CTM, and one charm, bead, or prism.

First Round: Clover: R 3-3-3-3-3-3, R 3j3-3-3-3-3, R 3j3-3-3-3-3
Ch 3-3-3-3-3-3, ***repeat clover, joining 3rd picot of first ring to 3rd picot of last ring of previous clover.
ch 3j3-3-3-3-3 *** Repeat section 5 more times.
Last clover: same pattern, join last ring to first ring of first clover by middle picots.
Ch 3j3-3-3-3j3, tie into base of first clover.
Total of eight clovers and 8 chains.

Second Round: Thread charm or bead onto ball thread, (or you can attach it with a join later), thread through outside picot of any third ring , wind shuttle CTM.
***Ch 4-4, shuttle join (sj) to next available picot, ch 4-4, sj (to top picot of middle ring), ch 4-4 sj
ch 4-4, sj, ch 4-4-4, sj to top picot
mock ring: ch 4-4, sj to same picot
ch4-4-4, sj.***

Repeat *** section 3 more times, tie into starting picot.
On any one mock ring, slide charm or bead onto picot for a "dangle"
I attached a bead ring and a swarowski teardrop crystal bead for the "dangle".
My example is tatted in Liana size 20 in mint.

If you use beads, or attach a tassel or Angel charm at the bottom, this would also make a nice Christmas ornament.

Takes quite a lot of stiffening to keep it's shape. I don't particularly like the charm on this one, but I haven't made it recently, and so I don't have any prettier pictures. Just keep in mind that the heavier the charm/beaded dangle, the easier the suncatcher will pull out of shape from the weight, so I wouldn't suggest really heavy, big glass beads.

Doodles

These doodle are quick to make when you have just a bit of thread left. I like to stick them on gift tags.

 
Angel:
Ring:  6,long picot(halo),6, cl
Ring2: 1,very long picot (wing),9-1-1-1-1-1-1-9, very long picot, 1, close, tie and finish.


Jumpy Guy Doodle:
Ring 1: 6-1-1-1-6, close
Ring 2: 3, long picot for arm, 8, very very long picot for legs, 8, long picot for arm, 3
Tie and finish.
Cut picots on first ring open and fluff for hair.
Twist picots for arms.
Cut open long picot for legs and knot ends.

Caterpillar:
Ring 1: 12, cl
Ring 2: Split Ring 6/3-3
Ring 3: Split Ring 6/3-3
Ring 4: Split Ring 3/3-6
Ring 5: Split Ring 4-2/4-2
Tie ends and knot for antenna.