Thank you, PattyD!

[Sunny_0ne]

No more floppy bookmarks! And it's because PattyD suggested that I make smaller joining picots.

I redid the bookmark. The one on the right is the one that was floppy. The one on the left is the one with tiny joining picots. It holds its shape beautifully!

I was very surprised at the overall size difference, too, as the only difference is the size of the joining picots.

So thank you, PattyD! I would probably have gone on and on making the same mistake and not understanding what the problem was if you hadn't explained it to me!

I think I could have made the picots a little bigger than I did, but I'd rather have it a bit too compact than a bit too loose.

8125

[PattyD]

You are most welcome. I have been tatting since I was 11 years old and have learned a thing or two. I try to share what I know. It's great fun to see a new piece of information work so well for someone. Keep on tatting!

[crazytatter]

it is curious how picots would affect the overall size. amazing.

[Gondra]

It certainly looks a lot better and I love the colour :-)

[PattyD]

In a join, the picot makes a space. If the thread that joins to the picot does not occupy most of the picot, the piece gets expanded by the unused part of the picot. Picots can act like springs and push surrounding elements apart if they are too big.

[Judy]

What a difference a space makes, twenty-four little stiches... An excellent example of the need for attention to detail to achieve the effect you want. In some ways I like the lacy look of the one on the right best, but it doesn't fit your need. What a team: PattyD and Sunny One. What's your next collaboration?

[jamlover]

You'd think the pattern or thread was a different size. Thanks for showing the comparison. Learn something new every time I come here.

Sunny__One, did you give the source of the pattern in the other thread? I love it and want to try it.

[Sunny_0ne]

I actually like the lacier look of the larger one, too. I also LOVE the way the center is all the same color on the first one. But since it will be held up and handled, the tighter version is better.

Gondra, the ball of thread looked rather muted, so I was surprised and delighted with the way the colors worked up.

Jamlover, yes, I gave the pattern source in the other thread. It's the Camilla bookmark from Tatted Bookmarks - cross-shaped by Lene Bjorn. The thread is Lizbeth #131 in size 20.

[Susan B T]

They are both nice but the "small Picot" one is neater. Patty is full of wonderful knowledge and she is so willing to share it.

Thanks for sharing you cross with different results.

[Lynn]

Oh. That kind of floppy. :embarrassed: Sorry, I thought it was a problem with the thread! Glad Patty got you sorted. And glad you are happy with the new version. They both look good, but the second one does have a better center.

[dsmiddy7]

So, it seems if you (we) love the look of the larger picots, we could make the outer picots larger and the structural or joining picots tiny and get the stiffer feel and the lacier look???

[dsmiddy7]

I have that same book and have a little trouble reading and understanding the way the patterns are written, did you? Maybe it is because I am not experienced enough with patterns?

[Sunny_0ne]

dsmiddy7, yes, that's what I am doing now. Making small joining picots, but making the decorative picots large and lacy.

And yes, I had a terrible time understanding the first pattern I did from that book. But after the first one, the others were very easy to follow. I just had to do it once before I understood how they worked.

[PattyD]

You know, reading patterns is like learning a new language. Actually, it is pretty remarkable that it gets easier after doing it only once. Makes me have a new respect for the abilities of the human mind. Newbies do this all the time! After the first time it gets quite a bit easier. (Makes teachers look really slick, too!)

[Joy]

What a big difference the tiny picots make.... you have done a great job...many thanks to Patty for the help and information
Hugs
Joy

[squeeky]

How pretty!

I've been taking a design course (that I'm a bit behind on :embarrassed: ) and had no idea the size could be affected so much by making the picots smaller. It's interesting to see how it works in practice. Thanks so much for sharing the piccy with us and thanks to PattyD for sharing her wisdom!!

[rsmre]

I have been making small picots, because I thought that they help to make the finished piece "look" better. I didn't know that large picots could cause the finished piece to be floppy. I did read about large picots acting like little springs before, but I didn't understand how until I read your post. Many thanks for the explanation.