More Than One Way To Skein A Tat

Day 117: A little over two weeks ago, I showed you how to transfer the knot in shuttle tatting. Since most people think of tatting as being made with a shuttle and the transfer is where the most common error occurs, I thought it was a valuable lesson. Today I'd like to demonstrate an alternate method for producing those rings and chains. In other words, there's more than one way to skein a tat! I'm referring to needle-tatting

Faster, more consistent, almost foolproof, needle-tatting differs from shuttle tatting primarily in the fact that double-stitches and picots, whether in rings or chains, are almost always made with the ball thread. The thread which runs from the needle only provides the core for the knots. In the photo, you'll see a standard shuttle with a ring just made. Just to the left of the ring, you can see a chain in progress on a tatting needle. Some of the picots have been left open so that you can see how a length of thread is left unknotted in order to leave a small loop (the picot). When a sufficient number of stitches has been made, the needle is drawn through and the work is snugged up. An overhand knot is placed at the end of the chain to hold it in place, and then the work is continued, making the next stitches as the pattern requires.

Yes, you, in the back of the room, you have a question? "Why, if needle-tatting is faster, idiot-proof and more uniform, isn't it the preferred way to tat?" I'm glad you asked.

Because needle-tatting stitches are formed over a needle of a given diameter, the knots do not snug down as tightly against the core thread as they do in shuttle-tatting. This makes the work somewhat less stable, particularly when picots are being formed. The knots on either side of the single-strand picot tend to seek a balance, gradually working loose and causing the picot to disappear after several washings. To prevent this, when I close a ring or draw up a chain, I tug each picot a little tighter with a needle or my fingers to help stabilize it. It's rather a pain in the neck, but as a trade-off for being able to complete a doily in just a few days, I actually prefer to tat with a needle.

Laces

Day 112: How many ways are there to manipulate a piece of thread? When it comes to lace-making, there are more than you might think. This photo shows four of the most common lace-making techniques, and within each of these, there are numerous variations. From left to right, top to bottom, you see examples of crochet, bobbin lace, tatting and knit lace. Each is done with different tools, i.e., a hook, bobbins, a shuttle or double-pointed needles. In knitting and crochet, the stitches are made by drawing a loop through another loop. In bobbin lace, threads are simply crossed over one another. In tatting, half-hitches are formed over a base thread and snugged into place. By using different weights of thread, the lace may be made finer or coarser. Bobbin lace is generally done with very fine thread, and crochet uses the heavier materials with knitting and tatting falling somewhere in between. A good needleworker should never be bored, not with so many options available to keep her fingers flying.