Angel Talk!

I made up this little four-ring angel some time back, and people here and there have asked for the pattern.  I've been told that it's flown around the world!  I've shared the pattern so much, I thought by now that everybody must have a copy...

But - - - I'm still getting requests for it!  So, without further preamble, here 'tis:


This is as written - some fun
variations are below!



Sharren's Angel

1 split ring, 3 true rings.  1 shuttle and some finger tatting.

Pull off about a foot of thread beyond what you need for R1.

R1:    2^10-2-2-2-2-4^2.

R2:    2+10-2-2-2-2-2-2-10^2.

R3:    2+4-2-2-2-2-10^2.

SR3:  2+4-1-1-1 | 2+4-1-1-1.

Cut angel from shuttle; how far from the shuttle depends on how long you want the self-hanger to be.  Double knot the ends together and trim neatly.



I left off two picots from the
skirt - it still looks good!

 Not everyone will need a foot of thread at the beginning; you're finger tatting the split side of the SR, and it's only nine DS and 3 picots.  Personally, I use between six and seven inches of thread for this; it gives the angel a self-hanger of about four inches.  The recipient can re-knot the threads closer to the angel and cut off the excess, if a shorter self-hanger is wanted.

Marie's variation - no skirt
picots, but a pretty little
flower looks great!

Marie Smith, who is herself an angel as well as being a fellow member of the Palmetto Tatters Guild, got the pattern from me some years back and has tatted, to date, several hundred.  By herself.  With no help from the audience, and nothing up her sleeve but her arm.  She has given away every single one. 

The rose-colored angel has sized picots, which I just eyeballed - didn't use a gauge for them.  I was on my lunch break at work and had forgotten to bring any of my gauges, but I think it looks okay anyway.



"No, I don't work out, but
thanks for asking!"



Big blue is last but not least - she (he?) is tatted with double double stitches, discussed and beautifully diagrammed by Jane Eborall.  I actually tatted double-and-a-half stitches; I tatted the first half of the stitch as usual, and did the second half as a double-double stitch.  It doesn't take up quite as much thread and it's not quite as large, but it does a good job of rounding out the stitches and preventing them from puckering up.

     This is where I say goodnight - there is babysitting and chauffering in our future tonight (David's and mine), but I hope you'll enjoy tatting some angels!