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Those of us who have been on the internet for some years
will have picked up so many helpful hints and ideas from so
many people. Sometimes the source can be acknowledged, but
usually it is lost in the mists of time! But a big thank
you to everyone who has sent their tips to tatting lists and
helped us all - keep them coming! I am arranging the tips
under headings, alphabetically.
Chains
- When doing a chain after a 3-ring clover, it will snug
up better if you begin with a 2nd half ds (not counted).
- When a new piece starts with a chain, work first ds over
a paper-clip or safety pin to give a firm anchor - remove
it a bit later.
- To make a chain S-shaped, perhaps for a flower stem,
do RW where you want to change the direction and continue
with ds.
- For a change of texture, use:
Spiral Tatting - use 1st half ds or 2nd half ds
all the time, and gently coax the stitches into a
spiral.
Ric-Rac Tatting - do 4 x 1st half ds, 4 x 2nd half
ds. (If you put your work down, finish with 2nd half ds
like finishing an ordinary ds, then you know to begin with
1st half again when you re-start.) Also known as Node
Stitch or Zigzag Tatting.
These work well for flower stems or a loop for a
scissor-finder etc.
Ends
Picots
Picot Gauges
Make your own picot gauges by measuring and cutting up old
credit cards or other plastic to exactly the size of picot
you want. Particularly useful when you want a very long
picot.
The gauge should be the width of the picot before closing
it, that is twice the size of the finished picot. You work
the picot over the gauge, and remove it to close up the
picot. Join
Here-Be-Tatters and you can see some fun examples made
by Sue Hanson and others.
Floral Picots
So-called because they add a ruffled effect like flower
petals. This is because the picots lean alternately forward
and back and overlap.
Do ordinary ds to the point where you want the floral
picots. Then (2 x 1st half ds, picot space, 2 x 2nd half
ds). You need to do several of them to get the effect.
Then finish with ordinary ds.
Dropped Picots
As above, where you want the picot, you do: (2 x 1st half
ds, picot space, 2 x 2nd half ds), but only once to give
you one dropped, or inward-pointing picot. As well as being
decorative, it can be useful for adding a bead to the centre
of a ring.
Dropped Picot Flower
Use 1 shuttle
Pinch the dropped picot downward to encourage it.
R: 6-6 dropped picot 6-6
R: 6+6, dropped picot, 6-6
Make 5 rings.
Finish with a foldover join. |
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Double and Triple Picots
Basically you make a long picot, 1ds or more, then bend
over the picot and join it in to the next ds to make a
decorative double picot. (You can use a ruler as a picot
gauge) If you make a small picot between the start and
finish of the long picot, you have a triple picot.
See
Snowflake Pattern for an example.
Rings
- Count before you Close As beginners soon learn,
that is because it is very difficult to open a closed
ring once you have spotted a mistake. But we all need
reminding even after years of tatting.
- After the last stitch, drop the shuttle through the
ring before closing - that makes it easier to open if
you have to. (Maureen from Brisbane)
- If you need to make, say, just one ring coming off a
chain, you don't have to have a 2nd shuttle but can use
the ball as a shuttle. A rubber band or scrunchy wrapped
round the ball will stop it unwinding while you work.
Thread
How thick is it?
Wrap some of the thread around a pencil in a single layer,
about an inch and a half. Count the wraps, then wrap
different thicknesses in the same way. The one with the
same number of wraps per inch will be the size of your
mystery thread.
Miscellaneous
- Even as a beginner, start a tatting file and make your
own personal album. Buy a ring binder and some plastic
wallets. Then you can collect patterns, pictures,
photocopies, cards and have them all in one place for
happy browsing.
- Wash tatting even when work is in progress if it is a
lengthy project. Even a tiny amount of perspiration if
left can have a chemical reaction with the thread - it's
then impossible to remove the grubby appearance.
- If making a long length of edging, you can keep it
under control by rolling it up into a skein and holding
it with a piece of Velcro, or an elastic band or a
scrunchy.
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