Mary Maynard challenges the tatters of the online tatting class! Design a celtic style motif and win one of nearly 2 dozen handmade shuttles (kindly provided by Mary!) Although we earlier felt that celtic tatting required three steps ( a motif with holes, a motif with points, and a third round to tat the two separate pieces together, Martha Ess and taught us to do the job in only 2 steps!

For the purposes of the contest, the Celtic tatting must involve at least two separate pieces of tatting intertwined in some way and generally stabilized by additional tatting either on the outer edge or the inside. All designs should start with the foundation round provided here and can be added to by one or more rounds of tatting. Interlace additional tatting in any manner desired.

In the foundtaion round, the arrangement, length or number of picots, except the joining picots, can be changed, if desired. The number of ds in the foundation round and the way the rings and chains are joined should remain consistent with the original instructions.

Once the foundation round is tatted, the additional tatting can be intertwined as it is tatted, or the additional tatting can be completed and then interlaced. Thread of any size can be used. In fact, combining the size of thread could enhance the effect of the finished piece. The use of different colors is encouraged, but if desired, one color can be just as effective.

Tat the foundation piece: R 9 - 5 - 1 - 1 - 5 - 9 RW CH 2 (- 2) x 13 RW * R 9 + (join to last p of last R) 5 - 1 - 1 - 5 - 9 RW CH 2 + 2 (- 2) x 12 RW Repeat from * 8 times, join last p of 10th R to p of first R join last p of last chain to first p of the first ch join at base of first ring, cut and hide ends Or climb out into the next round using split ring, split chain and/or mock picots.

Free counters provided by Andale.