useful things.

❃ tangle jar, deconstructed.

Greetings, tanglers! If you wandered onto this page by accident, you should probably first read the original blog post about the tangle jar so we're all on the same page.

The lists on this page contain all of the tangle patterns from Maria's CZT guide and from the 2013 edition of the tanglepatterns.com PDF (you get a free clickable digital copy with a $12+ donation). The patterns are sorted into categories, listed by the color of cardstock I originally used to write them on:
✿ PINK: Patterns that require grids, dots, or other rigid structure in order to work.
✿ YELLOW: Flowy, randomly placed, freeform patterns.
✿ GREEN: Patterns that are good for strings or borders.
I have nixed the green category because any pattern can be used as a border if you're willing to get a little creative, but I listed it here to eliminate confusion because it's in the original blog post. I thought it was interesting that nearly all of the border patterns came from the yellow list.
✿ ORANGE: This list contains around a hundred buzzwords, phrases, or specific directions to apply to the tangles you pick from the jar.


UPDATED 3.2.2013


• ❃ • ❋ • ❁ PINK ✿ • ✽ • ❀ • 
2-N-5
ambler
archer
arckles
arrowheads
asian fans
assunta
bales
bandola
basketweave
bateek
beelight
beeline
bilt
bitten
black box
boomerangs
botie
bowties
bucky
bugles
buttercup
bwiya
c-scape
cadent
camelia
canard
carres
casella
cayke
centrifuge
chard
charlie
chemystery
chillon
chordin
click clack
cockles & mussels
cool beans
copada
corner box
cornrows
cracked
crossroads
cubic
cubine
cvetic
daggerly
dancet
demi
dex
diagonals
diamond panes
diamonds & squares
DL labyrinth
DL sunray
dragonair
drip drop
dutch hourglass
dyzzee
echo
emingle
escalator
equerre
eye-wa
facade
facets
falz
fanz
fife
fishnet
fleuri
florz
flourish
flukes
flutter tile
flying geese
flwrbox
fracas
funls
gewurtz 
gingham
gneiss
gothic
hazen
heartstrings
hekzee 
hi-Cs
hibred
hopscotch
huggins
huggy bear
hugs & kisses
hurry
hypnotic
insydout
ixorus
jalousie
jonqal
juke
kathy’s dilemma
keeko
khirkee
knase
kuzek
lace curtains
lacy
lanie
lantern
leaflet
linked
llilly
lokomotive
longwood
looplopp
man-o-man
maylea
meo
me three
mi2
moving day
munchin
netting
ninja stars
n’zeppel
OoF
oskie
orlique 
palrevo
pane
patena
pegs
pillows
pina
pinch
pinwheels
plaited
postl
pouf
puf
punzel
quiltz
raddox
rain
rick’s paradox
rose
rosewood
rouche
scarabou
screen
scrumble
semaphore
shattuck
slainte
snood
sonnenband
sparkool
spinners
spokes
spoolz
squares
squill
st. john's cross
stacks
stained glass
starbarz
static
striping
sugarcane
summer sitter
sunflower
swarm
swirly dot
tagh
tesali
ticking
tink
tortuca
track lighting
trimonds
tripoli
triral
twile (stoic)
umble
unbatz
up & across
veezley
vega
versa
ving
W2
waft
warangaie
warble
warped eggs 
wigwam
wisket
woven
xenso
XYP
yabbut
yang
y-ful power
yincut
zanella
zazzy
zin 
zuan shi
• ❃ • ❋ • ❁ YELLOW ✿ • ✽ • ❀ • (which I'm leaving black, so you can actually read it)
afterglo
agua
ahh
all about V
allium
amaze
angelfish
antidots
arc flower
auraknot
aura-leah
avreal
barberpole
baton
BB
beadlines
betweed
between
black-eyed peas
blooming butter
bluebonnets
box spirals
brayd
brax
braze
bridgen
bronx cheer
btl joos
bubbles
bulb lantern
bumper
bumps
bundles
bunzo
cack
candleglow
cat-kin
celtic
chainging
chainlea
chainlette
cheers
cirquital
clothesline
co2
coaster
coffer
coil
confettus
connector
courant
crescent moon
croon
cross stitch
cruffle
cyme
d-vine
dekore
diamond drops
divadance
DL nebula
dooleedo
droplets
drupe
dust bunny
dyon
echoism
eddy
efilys
eke
embellish
ennies
enyshou
euca
eyehook
eylet & ribbon
fancy nancy
fang
fans
featherfall
feathers
fengle
fern
fescu
festune
finery
flez
floatfest
floo
florez
flutter pie
flux
fohbraid
footlites
frillee
frircle
frondous
funf
fungees
furrballs
girlande
girdy
golven
grass border
groovy
half onion
heartrope
hearty
hearty-vine
henna drum
hepmee
hollibaugh
hurakan
ibex
inapod
indy-rella
intersection
isochor
itsy twisty
IX
jambalee
japonica
jax
jeewels
jelly roll
jester
jetties
jilli
jitterz
joy
kandysnake
keenees
kinetic
knitting
knyt
krli-Q
kofeforn
la bel
laced
lava juice
lightning bolt
lilypads
linq
limpitz
loave it
loblolly
locar
looby lou
lotsadots
lotus pods
loveline
lukiline
marasu
meer
miander
mooka
moon rocks
msst
mumsy
mysteria
nekton
neuron
nipa
ojo
oke
onomato
opus
organza
pais
paizel
par-tay
paushalov
pavonia
peaks border
pea-nuckle
pendrills
pepper
phicops
pia
plaid
planateen
pokeleaf 
pokeroot
pomegranate
pop-cloud
popsicles
prestwood
printemps
puffle
punch
purk
quabog
quandary
queen's crown
quipple
ragz
raindotty
reticulated
retro
river
river stones
sampson
sand swirl
sanibelle
scallops
scena
scrawlz
scrolled feather
sedgling
sez
shard
shing
shiraz
sh'rock
slalom
snafoozle
snail
snaylz trayl
snookums
snow zags
socc
sooflowers
spaanders
sparkle
sprocket
squid
starawn
stiritup
stishes
strata
stone necklace
strircles
struzzle
sundoo
swirls
tearce
tidings
tipple
tracery
tra la la
trentwith
triangles
tri-po
trumpits
tucked in
tuftid
twing
twisted rope
twistee
unme
unyun
vache1
vanity
vermal
verve
verdigogh
via
vigne
vitrivius
voga
vortex
voxter
warts & wobbles
waves
wavy border
web
wired
wirly bird
wist
worms
yinlinx
ynix
zedbra 
zen bud 
zensplosion folds
zig zag border
zinger



• ❃ • ❋ • ❁ ORANGE ✿ • ✽ • ❀ • 
This is meant to be an artistic/creative exercise. Rick and Maria created and shared the Zentangle method so that we might have a relaxing, distracting way to refocus our minds. This idea is not necessarily in line with their method. This is something I created for myself, meant to challenge me and make me look at the patterns I already knew in new ways. When I first created it I never really thought about sharing it, but the Zentangle method (and the community that embraces it) has enriched my life so much that I feel a strong desire to give back.
This list is my intellectual property. I would be honored if you decided to give it a whirl. I only ask two things: 1) Please do not repost this list anywhere on the internet, in whole or in part (although you can post a link to this page if you want to) and 2) please do not sell it, in any form. 
String your tile, count the sections, choose your tangle patterns, then pick a couple of these out of a jar so that your selection is random. Then try to run with it, no matter what it says. Obviously, you’ll have to be very creative with some of them. Be inspired... have fun... and no cursing my name ;o)
• ❃ • ❋ • ❁ • ✿ • ✽ • ❀ • 
make freeform pattern into grid
make grid pattern into freeform
add a magnifying drop
add an inner aura
add an outer aura
add a double aura
add a triple aura
add an infinite aura
add a checkered aura
add chain links
add beads
add dangles
add pearls 
add tiny bubbles
add some drops
add some curlicues
add sparkle
add spirals
as a background pattern
as a border
as a heavy frame
as a string 
climbing up the sides
color it in
combine two tangle patterns into one
combine with your favorite pattern
double your lines
draped across the top
use dots as shading defying gravity
draw one pattern within another
draw behind
draw bubbles inside
draw inside bubbles
draw indy-rella inside
draw in a straight, narrow line
draw it puffy
draw it tiny
draw using only dots
draw using only dashes
draw using only straight lines
draw using only curved lines
draw with two pens taped together
draw without lifting your pen drawn in a spiral pattern
drawn in an arc drawn oversized
fill in paradox-style
fitted together like a puzzle
flip it sideways
flip it upside down
floating above
floating down
hugging the edges
from the corners
toward the corners
leave the corners blank
invert
use lots of white space
give it texture
give it movement
flowy
blooming out of the middle
hang pearls off the top
hanging from the top
hanging by a thread
hanging off a 'clothesline'
heavily shaded
laced up
lined up neatly
loopy
make a photo frame border
make each one incrementally bigger
make it bumpy
make it dark and heavy make it pointy
mirror-image
multiply
nested patterns
divide
draw it in color
draw it white on black make it wavy
draw as a mandala
polka-dot it
round off the corners
scattered around
skew in opposite directions
split into half
split into sections
stretch it out
stripe it
tie two sides together
twisted
using only variations of the same pattern
warp the grid
with barbed edges
with beaded edges
with frayed edges
with inverted shading
with lacy edges
with scalloped edges
wrapped around a pillar
wrapped around an egg
wrapped around a sphere
with a string of concentric circles
with a string of diamonds draw a scribbly string
draw a loopy string
draw a string with only two sections
with an Y-shaped string
with an X-shaped string
with an 8-shaped string
close your eyes to draw the string
have someone else draw your string
trace your fingers as a string
trace a nearby object as a string

19 comments:

  1. Thank you, Sandy! This will help me--and I am sure many others!--to get started on my on tangle jar. I look forward to your orange list, too, when you are satisfied with the "tweaking."

    Some of these are tangles I have never heard of, so I am excited to look them up and add them to my repertoire.

    It is so kind and helpful of you to share this. Again, THANK YOU!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for sharing. I was a little intimidated about trying to categorize the patterns. You are so awesome to post this.

    ReplyDelete
  3. wow. Just when I thought I couldn't find a new get-ready-to-make-something project. You have warmed my over-organizing lil heart. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. wow! thanks for the organization!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sandy:
    I don't see your update with the orange tangle list --is it on another post?
    Kathy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just posted. :o) Sorry for the delay, had some tweaking to do!

      Delete
  6. Can not imagine the time this took. It is going to be such a help to me in my classes. Can't thank you enough for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wonderful resource!!! Thank you thank you! Great ides for taking tangling further. But I had trouble finding the orange list too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Whoops - I just figured out that you meant the ideas for going further as your orange list - I'm feeling silly now.

      Delete
  8. Absolutely astounding. thank you for sharing your project with us. I will definitely use it in my advanced classes. Sorting the patterns is a question that has come up a number of times. The information shared in this group simply blows me away. Your generosity is amazing and I'm a very grateful CZT.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Where is the green (border) list? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I axed the green category because all but one or two of the patterns were already in the yellow list, which meant most of them were in the jar twice. Since almost any pattern can be used as a border, it was both redundant and too limiting to keep the green list as a separate category. Pull your border patterns from the yellow list and you will have the same effect with less work. Happy tangling-

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow!!!! You are amazing! This is so wonderful that you ate generous enough to share with us! I have recently tried to "sort" tangles into categories, so I had a go to when needing a certain type to fill an area. You've out done yourself. (humbly bowing

    ReplyDelete
  12. That an amazing post, Sandy, and I can't imagine the amount of work that went it to it. It's so kind of you to share. I'm a newbie and this might be a bit beyond me yet (the jar exercise) but I'm very thankful for the organization categories (i have too many and can't find anything). I'm sure, in time, the jar will make a very stimulating activity. Thank you so much!

    ReplyDelete
  13. love the tangle jar!! now if I could find the patterns from your very comprehensive list I would be a very happy camper!I bought the tanglebook only to find I had most of the patterns already and that your list has a great deal more than the book. can you please help me find more from the list??? melmgh@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Melody. A few of them are my personal favorites, plucked from the blogs of fellow CZTs and Zentangle enthusiasts. It's likely that most of the ones you can't find are patterns that (were created by founders Rick and Maria and) are reserved for CZTs to teach in our workshops. Try googling the pattern name with the word 'zentangle' after it to find the ones that are published in blogs.

    Here's a current list of all the 'official' Zentangle patterns:
    http://tanglepatterns.com/zentangles/list-of-official-tangle-patterns
    The names that don't link to anywhere are the ones we save for workshops.
    Hope that helps.

    ReplyDelete
  15. yes, i do like this method,too, sandy!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thank-you for sharing this! It solves the same problem for me where I just draw the same patterns over and over again. I finally finished mine. It was a lot of work, even when you've already done most of the work for me by giving the directions so well! http://meggletangle.blogspot.ca/2013/09/zendala-dare-73-and-finished-tangle-box.html

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi Sandy, thanks for doing this. Unfortunately I'm not seeing the Green *Border tangle list on the page.
    Kathy

    ReplyDelete

• ❃ • ❋ • ❁ • ✿ • ✽ • ❀ •
I have comment moderation turned on to filter out all the spammy flotsam, so submitted comments will not appear until after they squeeze by the spam filter (that would be me). ;o) If you'd like a reply, please email me and I will reply posthaste by pigeon or owl within the month (possibly longer, depending on distance and weather conditions).