Tatting Directions
Tatting is an old art form akin to lace making.Tatting consists of tying knots with either a needle or a shuttle to make fabric or trim similar to lace or macrame. Items made by tatting tend to be more durable than lace items. The roots of this art are thought to be with lace makers and sailors. It has been practiced all over the world for centuries and has recently had a resurgence of interest.
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Instructions
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Gather your basic equipment. Thread dimensions increase as the thread size number decreases. Heavier threads (small size numbers) are easier for beginners to work with, A tatting shuttle is not absolutely necessary, but makes the thread easier to manage. The basic plastic shuttle can be purchased in most fabric and hobby shops.
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Knot one end of the thread to the center of the shuttle and wrap 2 or 3 feet of thread around the shuttle. Hold the shuttle in your dominate hand. Unwind 12 to 20 inches of thread from the shuttle. Wind the thread around your other hand while holding the hands a comfortable distance apart in front of you. This is the basic starting position.
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Make an "OK" gesture with your non-dominate hand (the left if you're right handed). The thread should go from the shuttle to between the thumb and forefinger of the non-dominate hand then wrap around the other fingers of the non-dominate hand. The part of the thread that is wound around the non-dominate hand is called the "hand thread." The part of the thread between the non-dominate hand and the shuttle is called the "shuttle thread." Now you are ready to start tatting.
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Learn to tie a double stitch (tatting symbol "ds"). Tatting largely consists of tying slip knots around a central thread and the double stitch is the simplest and most common of these slip knots. The shuttle is used to reach around the shuttle thread and catch the hand thread to form a simple loop. Doing this a few times produces a chain of loops.
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Learn to tie a picot (Tatting symbol "p"). Leave a space between two double stitch knots and pull up the shuttle thread to make a loop. Picots help give tatting a lace-like appearance. Picots are also used to link together rings and chains of tatting. There is a little device called a picot gauge you can use to help keep the picots all the same size.
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Tips & Warnings
Work with an expert or check out the many fine tutorials on the Internet. Tatting takes time to learn--don't get discouraged. The very best tatters started exactly the same as you.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit ladies batiste handkerchieves with multicolour lace ornaments image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
