Monday, March 3, 2008

All Knotted Up

ConnecticutCrochet tats at the Bethel Library. LR: (front row) Avis, Joan our instructor, and Dee. (back row) Marietta, Priscilla and GraceYesterday I joined Avis, Marietta, Grace, and Priscilla -- all of us members of the ConnecticutCrochet Yahoo! group.  We met at the Bethel Library for the Tatting Workshop the library sponsored.  Our instructor was Joan Thomas, who has been tatting for 10 years.  The samples she had on display were amazing!  Some were even beaded!

Learning how to hold the workIn the world of Tatting there are three techniques:
1. Cro-Tatting
2. Needle Tatting
3. Shuttle Tatting

We were learning the third, how to Shuttle Tat.  To make learning easier we used yarn rather than thread.   Our first lesson was on how to "pop" ... to transfer the knot from one string to the other.  A beautiful sample of TattingI did fairly well there. 

Our second lesson was making the half knots.   Again, I did fairly well. 

But combining the two lessons?  Where one makes one half knot, transfers it over, makes the other half knot and then transfer that over to complete the stitch?  LOL, I think Avis and I had more fun laughing.   

But, eventually, I did catch on to combining the two lessons to create the required two half stitches, properly transferring them to the core yarn (it takes two half stitches to create one completed tatting stitch).  All I need to do is practice more.  And that's fine with me!  :)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I am wondering if my husband would mind if I moved to Connecticut? LOL Sounds like you all had a great time and learned a new skill. I have a tatting shuttle and a cro-tat instruction booklet. Have never used either.