tat-tat-tatting aaalong!

[sakurasaku]

Shell and Joy, thanks for your help. It looks better now. However, the clover leaf edging is going to be too wide for my neck (my using size 10 thread doesn't help ), so I'll probably start tatting a different pattern.

[Shell]

Shell and Joy, thanks for your help. It looks better now. However, the clover leaf edging is going to be too wide for my neck (my using size 10 thread doesn't help ), so I'll probably start tatting a different pattern.

oh no!! what a pain. at least you are tatting!! if you can get the hang of split rings there are some really quick n easy necklace patterns on the web, much quicker than the chain and shuttles (well maybe not cos I am rather slow when doing split rings )

[Luvtocro]

I too have an interest in tatting and tried to teach myself shuttle tatting with booklets (the old Coats and Clark) but was unsuccessful. Then, while stationed in Ohio, a local cross stitch store offered a class on needle tatting. Wow! What a difference! It was SO much easier for me to tat with a needle than a shuttle! If you are interested in pursuing tatting and have trouble with the shuttle, definitely try needle tatting before giving up! Tatting with a needle, for me, was quicker and I was able to finish a doily.

[bonnoptonia]

hi its Siya here. Long time no talk XD i'm getting on fine with my projects, accept that i don't have enough time to deal with them because of my exams. but i found this really cute doily from a website : http://www.craftsnlace.net/tatting/main/wreath.html

the steps are down below :

 

 

MATERIALS

 

2 Tatting Shuttles

 

No. 20 Crochet Cotton

SIZE

Width=4.25 cm, height= 4.25 cm

 

Wind 2 tatting shuttles without cutting the thread between them.

 

SH1

R 3 DS, 5 P sep by 3 DS, 3 DS, cl. R, RW.

 

SH2

JK 10 x half stitches, cl. R, do not RW.

 

SH1

C 12 DS, RW.

 

SH1

R 3 DS, P, 3 DS, J to corresponding P of adjacent R, 3 DS, 3 P sep by 3 DS, 3 DS, cl. R, do not RW.

 

Repeat nos 3-5 six times in total.

 

 

SH2

JK 10 x half stitches, cl. R, do not RW.

 

SH1

C 12 DS, RW.

 

SH1

R 3 ds, J to corresponding P of adjacent R, 3 DS, P, 3 DS, J to corresponding P of 1st R, 3 DS, P, 3 DS, cl. R, RW.

 

SH2

JK 10 x half stitches, cl. R, do not RW.

 

SH1

C 12 DS, J to base of 1st R and finish ends.

[Addey]

Ok... my curriosity is captured. I saw some of the beautiful things Shell's been creating and I'd seen some shuttles at the store.... I've got to figure this out.

I found some online instructions specifically for lefties!

I can get about 4 ds and then something goes horribly wrong and my knots aren't flipping right or something because they stop sliding.....

I'm not using very good thread, I can tell you that right now, it just happens to be what I had on hand. (I'm also using a file-folder shuttle.... Hey, I'm at work, gotta improvise...)

I did try and follow the right-hand directions, but was even more miserable at that. (my left hand just doesn't know how to hold onto thread and not loose it...)

I will figure this out... even if I only ever make 1 bookmark, I must at least figure it out.... (I'm stubborn that way...) That and I think this might be another, smaller, take-along for my airplane rides...

[bonnoptonia]

re: Addey and Purrbox

i taught myself to tat.

i tried really hard the first few months but i couldn't do the flip as well, and i actually had the same problem as addey. there are a few tips that you may find handy, i'm not sure if it works well for lefties, but it certainly works well for right-handers.

(1) it is not advisable to start off with thin thread as it makes it hard to see. to see the flip well, i would recommend crochet-tatting thread. this is quite different from normal tatting cotton, as it is a bit waxed and looks rather shiny, so you can see the flip better. although the product may not turn out to be as pretty as those of tatting cotton, but you'll learn the method quicker. {i would recommend using light colored thread, but not white. a lighter color gives more shadows, so the contrast of the knot will be stronger, so the knot will be seen better}

 

(2) the flip is done by holding one thread straight and the other lose.

if the knot is made by tying thread A to thread B, the case is that thread A is the lose thread and thread B is the taught thread. when you let lose the B thread and pull thread A tight, the knot turns from tying A to B to tying B to A. if you don't understand, you can try it out by using a very thick string.

 

(3) if you find the knots very hard to slide, then it is either you've got one knot flipped wrongly (or not flipped at all), or the threads are held too tight.

don't try to force them to slide into a ring. it'll ruin the piece of lace. the method i've tried is using the top of the shuttle to pry loose every doubleknot by a little, and then try and slide them in one by one.

 

 

Siya

[Addey]

I was able to manage enough knots and two small picots into a ring yesterday afternoon. I don't have a car this morning, or else I was going to pick up a real shuttle and go from there. I'll do it when I do the rest of my errands this afternoon or this evening.

[Shell]

great work Addey!! hope the real shuttle helps out! i can tat with bobbins and such but th process is not nearly as smooth

[Addey]

Thanks Shell! I didn't get out yesterday, hopefully today.

(I didn't get to do my 'normal' Saturday routine because the landlady was coming over with her husband to put air conditioners back in long story... see my blog . And I wasn't about to go to the laundrymat in the afternoon in the heat...)

I need to find a simple pattern to practice with. Maybe I'll try your dragonfly, it looks simple enough. I found on Friday, that if I got distracted or had to put it down, my knots would flip on me and I'd have to try again...

[Shell]

my dragonfly is easy, i am sure there are other easy patterns too. i found it almost impossible to put my tatting down mid-anything at first! i can now but sometimes takes me a while to get it back on my hand properly! you can unflip and reflip a knot if it goes wrong. work a fine crochet hook under it and loosen it about an inch, then pull on the right thread and voila! i think you said you're a lefty so for me I'd pull with my right hand, you I assume would need to pull on your left. would be too depressing to need to start over all the time

[sakurasaku]

i found it almost impossible to put my tatting down mid-anything at first!

 

That's true for me, though I have a hard time putting down my crochet or knitting, too. "Just one more ring...".

 

I just ordered Cebelia size 30 thread and a couple of Clover shuttles from an ebay seller. It's really hard to find size 20 and 30 thread in stores, especially anything other than white! I also bought some beads. I will try Alyson's choker maybe.

 

Shell, do you have any links to the split ring necklace patterns you mentioned? I'd be interested to see some of them. I haven't done the split ring yet, but I got the hang of the chains and rings pretty quickly, so I'm game. My picots are still not very consistent in size, though.

[Shell]

this one looks easy, i am of course having a hard time finding what I was looking for so just gonna link you some things for the moment lol

http://www.georgiaseitz.com/classes2/libin2.html

 

this is in Italian but babelfish is great for that, i think I'd do it without the beads but it's nice either way

http://digilander.libero.it/chiacchierino/turchese%20e%20perle.html

 

I'm not really sure what the designer is babbling about here, cos i am sure i could make this without the technique she is talking about, is nice though

http://members.iglou.com/mantia/Tatting/class0927.html

 

this is a gorgeous, beaded, split ring necklace. very simple, NO PICOTS lol

http://www.georgiaseitz.com/eyecandy/phillipo.html

 

this is thick.. i don't like it and i like it less in the rwb colour scheme.. yuck! i guess it's to show the different pieces

http://www.craftsnlace.net/tatting/basic/celticnecklace.html

 

these are listed as bracelts but you could just make them longer

this is woven, might be a bit tricky http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~nickeb/bracelet_1.htm

extremely basic but could look nice http://www.freewebs.com/heathersdesigns2003/tattednecklacesbracelets.html

split rings, use other beads than alpha lol http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/vangogh/235/friends.html

without the big chunky "pendant" i really like this http://www.domesticarts.com/Patterns/biconebracelet.html

http://www.domesticarts.com/Patterns/pearlbracelet.html

again extremely simple

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/peelhome/freepat/flipnot.htm

reminds me of xmas lights

http://www.geocities.com/emmacrew/tatting/bracelet.html

this is really quite modern, or retro, depends which way you look at it. needs FOUR shuttles but is easy enough

http://www.georgiaseitz.com/2002/rings/docbp.html

 

that's probably pretty overwhelming! i really like this one but you find something that works for you of course

[Shell]

ooh i just noticed you'd link Alison's Choker, now that is gorgeous!!!

[Addey]

OK. Last night I was playing around and I finally figured out how to do a ring then a chain. Now I just need to figure out how to actually start another ring on the correct thread! I'm getting there. I'm also trying to figure out how to join at a picot. I found a really nice, easy, bookmark last night that I'm trying. (don't ask for the link, I left it at home...) Basically it's two rows of rings with chains joined at picots and then edged with more chains. I'm using #10 thread (because that's what I found and I can see it...). I did find some instructions for joining, but the pictures and words just make my head spin, I can see what the end looks like, but getting there... hmm.... any simple explinations out there?

[knitncrochet]

I'm also a needle-tatter. From the looks of it, there are only a handful of us. I taught myself from a book, and it was very easy to learn. Now I'm hooked, of course.

 

Do you think we could have our own Tatter's Room, or something? All the information being shared is wonderful!!

 

~Tami

[Shell]

Do you think we could have our own Tatter's Room, or something? All the information being shared is wonderful!!

 

~Tami

nice of you to join us Tammi and perhaps Donna and AmyS might consider a tatting group, much like the knitting ones we have

[Addey]

ooOOOooo Thanks! Those pictures (while backwards for me) do help much more than the drawings I was using! I'll give it another go tonight when I get home. I'm so excited. This is a great fun challenge and just what I needed.

[KPak1984]

quick question. when i make my DS's, my lines always seem to twist. Is there any tips on how to make them straight?

[Shell]

quick question. when i make my DS's, my lines always seem to twist. Is there any tips on how to make them straight?

I agree with Purrox that it sounds like you're repeating the same step, when a DS is made up of 2 steps then repeat those 2 over and over. try one of the video/picture tutorials in the first few posts and see if that helps you recognise where it's going wrong?

[KPak1984]

I agree with Purrox that it sounds like you're repeating the same step, when a DS is made up of 2 steps then repeat those 2 over and over. try one of the video/picture tutorials in the first few posts and see if that helps you recognise where it's going wrong?

 

 

thank you for replying. I figured it out! I was doing the second part wrong=( I have another question.

 

I'm practicing joining 2 rings.

I made one ring using a needle.

I'm assuming I make the other ring with the string attached to the ball of thread, but after i make it, how do i do the part where i slide the chain off the needle and have the thread go through with the eye of the needle so i can close it? confusing?

 

thank you so much! tatting is so much fun.

[Shell]

thank you for replying. I figured it out! I was doing the second part wrong=( I have another question.

 

I'm practicing joining 2 rings.

I made one ring using a needle.

I'm assuming I make the other ring with the string attached to the ball of thread, but after i make it, how do i do the part where i slide the chain off the needle and have the thread go through with the eye of the needle so i can close it? confusing?

 

thank you so much! tatting is so much fun.

I am really sorry but I shuttle tat so what you've said makes no sense to me.. i hope a needle tatter can help you. but this is what I do

 

when I am at the point in the second ring where I need to join I put a hook through the picot where the join needs to be and pull up the working thread (the one I am using to make the ds and picots) and then put the shuttle through that loop. i think that was a it long winded. sorry! I really hope someone can help you

[KPak1984]

I am really sorry but I shuttle tat so what you've said makes no sense to me.. i hope a needle tatter can help you. but this is what I do

 

when I am at the point in the second ring where I need to join I put a hook through the picot where the join needs to be and pull up the working thread (the one I am using to make the ds and picots) and then put the shuttle through that loop. i think that was a it long winded. sorry! I really hope someone can help you

 

Thank you for your reply=) I know how to put the thread through the picot, but I'm unsure of how to close the second ring. When you close the first, the thread is through the needle and when you are done, you pull the chain down over the needle so the thread goes through and then you pull to close, but when i do the second there is thread through the needle eye so i can't pull thread through the chain when im about to close the second ring. i'm so confused.

[Shell]

KPAK see if any of these help?

http://www.hhtatting.com/learn.html

http://www.bellaonline.com/subjects/3889.asp

http://groups.msn.com/needletattingtwo/basicshowtotat.msnw

http://groups.msn.com/needletattingtwo/advancedtechniques.msnw

http://www.georgiaseitz.com/dana/needletat.html

 

sorry but besides finding you links to online sources I am pretty useless to you!

[sakurasaku]

without the big chunky "pendant" i really like this http://www.domesticarts.com/Patterns/biconebracelet.html

http://www.domesticarts.com/Patterns/pearlbracelet.html

 

Oooooh, I like that one, too! Thanks for so many links to pretty patterns. I think I have to go out and get different beads now.

[sakurasaku]

I just received my new Clover shuttles (they ARE quite a bit smaller than my DMC metallic one) and Cebelia size 30 thread. This is so exciting. All I need to get started is to decide which pattern to try.