Materials:
5 yds embroidery floss, split into two 3-ply strands (size 20 cotton probably equivalent to 3 ply?)
2 3mm black beads
2 paper clips or safety pins to mark inward facing picots
2 shuttles

Abbreviations:

R ring CH chain SR split ring - picot -- long picot vsp very small picot

LS lock stitch + regular join SJ shuttle thread join RW reverse work DNRW do not reverse work

SECTION I

Begin at toe of middle leg, work down underside of abdomen to tip of tail, work back up the top side of abdomen, come around and complete thigh of leg.

Wind 2 shuttles CTM.

CH: shuttle 1 (SH1): 5 LS RW change shuttles
CH: shuttle 2 (SH2): 10 place clip for inward facing picot 10
DNRW change shuttles
R: SH1: 2 - 2 vsp 2 - 2 RW
CH: 2 - 2 RW
R: 2 + (to previous ring) 2 vsp 2 - 2 RW
CH: 2 - 2 RW
R: 3 + 3 vsp 3 - 3 RW
CH: 3 - 3 RW
R: 3 + 3 vsp 3 - 3 RW
CH: 3 - 3 RW
R: 4 + 4 vsp 4 - 4 RW
CH: 3 - 3 RW
R: 3 + 3 vsp 3 - 3 RW
CH: 6 - 6 + (SJ to vsp of same ring. Continue working CH across back, making SJ to vsp at tops of rings) 3 - 3 + 3 - 3 + 3 - 3 + 2 - 2 + 2 - 2 + 4 - 4 + (SJ to base of 1st ring) RW change shuttles, position thread around leg so that the next chain curves in opposite direction to leg.
CH: shuttle 2: 10 cut threads, tie in space of inward facing picot, and work in ends.

SECTION II

Begin at toe of front leg, make head beginning at side and ending at top, top of thorax, wing, underside of thorax, complete leg.

Beads are placed by bringing bead up next to stitch just made, make next stitch so that bead is like picot between stitches.

Place 2 beads on thread, wind evenly CTM on 2 shuttles. Let one bead “belong” to each shuttle.

CH: SH1: 8 place clip 12 vsp 2 place clip 2 + (to vsp) 10
DNRW change shuttles
SR: SH2: (move bead into ring ready for placement) 3 - 6 BEAD 3 / 3 BEAD 3 DNRW change shuttles
CH: SH1: 12 + (SJ to space above join to vsp of 1st ring of abdomen) RW change shuttles
CH: SH2: (3 -- ) 10 times (first 8 picots grow longer, last 2 shorter) Do not pull this chain too tight. RW
R: 2 - 2 DNRW change shuttles
CH: SH1: work back along wing, making SJs in the long picots: 5 + 4+ 3 + ( 2 + ) 7 times 3 + (SJ to picot at front of abdomen) 8 + ( SJ to base of SR) 12 + ( SJ to inward facing picot) 15 cut threads, tie in space of inward facing picot, work in ends.

SECTION III Rear leg

Using the shuttle from Section II with the most thread remaining, pull out about 1 yd to act as ball thread.

CH: 5 LS 10 place clip 10 + ( to 2nd p on underside of abdomen) 10 cut threads, tie in space of inward facing picot, work in ends.

VARIATIONS:

To make head with rainbow picots instead of beads. Picots must be very long. After joining, gently adjust arc shape.

SR: 3 - 6 -- 2 + (to picot just made) 2 / 3 -- 2 + (to picot just made) 2

To avoid inward facing picots, make leg joints by lock stitch and reverse work (you may need to add a RW where the leg meets the body, do what looks best to you). Omit the vsp on the front leg, or carefully join to it when you make the last part of the leg at the end. When completing the legs, use a crochet hook to pull the thread through near the lock stitches to form joins at the leg joints.