China Berry Turtle Earrings

Just finished trying to figure out Donna Thompson's cute turtle earrings. I wanted to make some but also use my chinaberry beads, so here it what I came up with.

Turtle Earrings by Pam Freck July 1, 2009
3 yards of size 20 thread (1 1/2 yards on shuttle)
4 beads for feet and 1 large bead for body (I used china berry)

Thread shuttle adding 2 beads for body. Add the 2 beads to the ball thread. Between these 2 beads pull the thread in a loop through the body bead making sure that if the bead tilts you will need to put the tilt so that the head will tilt up (this is at the shuttle/ball thread side). I used a safety pin to hold the loop through the bead.

Head
Ring 8 ds

Body
Put beads on ring when forming around hand
S/R 3 B 4 B 3/ put body bead tightly against first stitch with the slack out of the loop
then do 2nd half of split ring 3 B 4 B 3.
Then do a 2nd half of a split ring join by passing a crochet hook through the hook, pulling up the core thread from around hand to form 2nd loop then passing the thread (or shuttle 2 if you put thread on another shuttle) through this loop. Snap the loop to transfer the loop to the 2nd thread then follow with the 1st stitch then close ring. Form a square knot at base.

Tail
Lock chain 1 ds unflipped, 1 ds flipped, 1 ds unflipped. Make another square knot (I use the surgeon’s knot) then cut ends.

I used a split ring finding through the head so the thread wouldn’t wear and so that the head would remain at an angle with the body.