Bead in Split Ring With Needle

I received an e-mail from Wanda asking how to add a bead in between split rings.  I misread it and thought it was to place in the centre of a split ring, tatting with needle.   I searched for tatting videos to do this but I cannot find any, or I have not searched enough.  So, my mind started working and I came out with my version of it.

One again, I have to qualify that I am a shuttle-tatter but know a bit of needle-tatting to take up this challenge.  But first, I needed to learn how to make split rings with a needle, and this TotusMel video really helped.

Using that method as the basis, these are the steps that I used to add the bead in the centre of the split ring.

The first ring is a regular ring.  I made the second ring as a split ring following TotusMel's video.

Here, the bead will be added to the second split ring.  To add the bead, I pull the ball thread through a bead and hold it with a pin ( a paper clip will also do), then knot the thread (like what is usually done in needle-tatting after each element) 

Tat the double stitches as usual, enough to cover half of the bead when you close the ring.

Then, tat the other side of the split ring.

To close the ring, first pass the needle through the thread that comes out from the bead,  then the loop at the end and close it. 

A completely closed split ring with a bead in the centre.

Two split rings with beads in the centre

I have to qualify again that I am a shuttle-tatter and I am looking at this through the eyes of a shuttle-tatter but using the needle instead. There may  already be tutorials on this by other needle-tatters which may give better instructions. If other tatters find this useful, then I am happy enough.