The Workbasket October 1956 issue had a tatting pattern, "Scallop Lace in Tatting", in which a set of nine rings with picots of varying lengths and chains were tatted unjoined and flopping in the breeze. Then a second shuttle created a single ring which joined in turn to each of the original nine rings, was closed only half-way and then (gasp!!) cut free and the end left dangling. Horrors!

I have drawn a set of three diagrams. The first shows the DS count and the half-closed ring as described in the original pattern.

The second set of diagrams indicates a method of working by tatting a strip of split rings first and then turning back to do the ring and chain repeat joining to the picots of the large split ring and each repeat ending between the side by side smaller split rings.

Somewhere along the line, a bit of magic began to happen. It struck first at Erin Holloway who converted the scallop into a heart! In the detail XYZ Erin suggests that perhaps a tiny join on either side would enhance the cleavage of the heart.

Erin's Heart	Detail of Erin's Heart
Then the magic wand sprinkled inspiration at Betsy Evan's house. Betsy Evan's Red Ornament Note how the short picots and tight joins create the impression of a Star of David in the center.	Betsy Evan's White Ornament. Although the picots in the white ornament are a bit too long, when starching and pinning it out great curves could be pinned into shape for a wonderful swirl pattern.
Then Joy Critchfield was inspired to not only twist the long side picots but to BRAID three center picots! And then, and then... Voilą! she added a thorax in black and a butterfly took wing. Many thanks to Joy for our Butterfly of the Month. Joy Critchfield's Braided Picots	Joy's Butterfly of the Month!