Bulletin Board
I learned to tat in 1945 and only stopped in 2020. Tatting is performed by using a shuttle and various sizes of thread, the finest being a #10. Doilies, which come in and out of fashion, can be made this way.
I will try to explain how tatting is done. First, fill the centre of the shuttle with the thread. Tatting involves one particular kind of stitch known as the double half hitch. Hold the free end of the thread in your left hand (if you are right-handed). We can call this end the hand-thread. Pinch the thread between your thumb and middle finger so you can wrap the thread around your fingers. You will make a loop using the shuttle-thread end. You then hold your hand-thread so that there is a space between your pinched thumb, middle finger and your index finger. This will create the space where you will be working.
Bring up the shuttle-thread under the hand-thread and make a loop of shuttle-thread. You will then bring the shuttle up over the hand-thread. You will then drop the shuttle down through the loop. Release some of the tension on the hand-thread. Pull the shuttle-thread straight, allowing the hand-thread to wrap itself around the shuttle-thread. The shuttle-thread should stay inside the tunnel that you will be making out of the hand-thread. The second half hitch is the same as the first half hitch. This time, bring the shuttle over the hand-thread. Then bring it up through the loop. Release the tension on the hand-thread and pull the shuttle-thread straight. This will make a sliding type knot. Leave the thread long and continue to make a given number of these sliding type knots. Continue making stitches to the amount needed and then pull the work closed. These little round-shaped crochet stitches are called picots. Multiple picots can be made into a circle according to a specific pattern, to create a flower for example. To make a stem for your tatted flower, wrap the thread around the last fingers on your left hand. Weave the shuttle-thread through the handheld thread and continue making stitches in a line.
To display my work, I glue the finished piece to fabric, which is then glued to the back of a piece of cardboard and placed in a frame.
Tatting can be intimidating. I’d advise you find a good instructor. If one isn’t available, there are many step-by-step instructional videos on the Internet. Florence J. Smith, St. Catharines, Ont.