For Fox....and anyone else curious: Tatting a lanyard picture by picture

Ok...to start off with, I don't know if this is how it's supposed to work,

but this is how it's working for me.  ;)   

This first picture shows how I have a bead on the thread and wrap normally around the hand leaving the bead closest to the closing part of the ring.

Then I start tatting hoping to get the stitches as close to the last ring as possible

(which with these larger beads is a little tricky).

 I tat the 2 double stitches as in the pattern then make the join to the picot from the ring on the same side I am working on(not the last ring....it's every other ring, because every other rings falls on the same side. So you tat a ring, turn the flip that side down and tat the next ring, and then flip that down and tat the next one joining to the first ring, then flip that down and tat the next ring joining to the 2nd ring  ***hope that makes sense).

 Then, after the join tat the 12 ds a picot and 2 more ds, 

still making sure that the bead is at the bottom.

 Then....slowly and carefully close the ring

(I have to be careful because the bead likes to spin and twist the thread which causes trouble).

 Still closing, keeping it from twisting.

 Finally closed(as good as I can get it).

 Ok, to make some people laugh today.  When I started this project I didn't think well.  These beads are wayyyyyyyy  too big to put on a Clover shuttle, and.....I had way too much thread, but I won't even go into details on how that happened!!!  So....to keep from having to figure something else out and to make what I had work....I carefully stuck it all in this plastic bag.....

 then I roll it up and use it like a shuttle.  I have to unroll and take a bead out or bring more thread out from time to time and it's taking me far longer than I am caring for, but it's working and I will continue until I am finished.  I know I have been tatting for 5 years and shouldn't have made such a huge mess, but.....I feel I am still a beginner.  :)

Hope this helps!!!