Tatting is the craft of making lace with a shuttle.

All you need is a shuttle, a ball of thread and a small crochet hook !

The shuttle is a piece of metal, wood or ivory with a pointed oval shape less than 3 inches long, and is the oldest method of creating tatted lace.

The best thread to use is a ‘hard’ thread that does not untwist readily. Some designs incorporate nylon, ribbons, raffia, crochet and beads.

Tatting History

Some believe that tatting may have developed from netting and decorative rope work as sailors and fishermen would put together motifs for girlfriends and wives at home. Decorative rope work employed on ships includes techniques that show striking similarity with tatting. Others believe its origins lie with the ladies at European Courts who tatted to keep their hands occupied during tedious times in court.

Modern tatting dates from the early 19th century. It spread from Europe to the colonies. Missionaries and settlers took it round the world. The term for tatting in most European languages is derived from French frivolité, which refers to the purely decorative nature of the textiles produced by this technique. The technique was developed to imitate point lace. The Victoria and Albert museum holds a large collection.

The Technique

Tatting is a technique for handcrafting a particularly durable lace constructed by a series of knots and loops. The knot is the most difficult part to learn and once mastered, progress is usually quick, going on to form rings and chains. To make the lace, the tatter wraps the thread around one hand and manipulates the shuttle with the other hand. No tools other than the thread, the hands, and the shuttle are used, though a crochet hook may be necessary if the shuttle does not have a point or hook.

Using Patterns

Older patterns use a long hand notation to describe the stitches needed, while newer patterns tend to make extensive use of abbreviations and an almost mathematical looking notation. The following example gives you an idea of the terms and symbols used: Ring five ds, three picots separated by five ds, five ds, close, turn, space R 5ds, 3 p sep by 5ds, 5ds, cl, turn, sp R 5-5-5-5 cl rw sp. Those of you familiar with the layout of knitting patterns should not find it difficult to follow!
Some tatters prefer a visual pattern where the design is drawn schematically, with annotations indicating the number of ‘ds’ and order of construction. This can either be used on its own or alongside a written pattern.

If you want to learn the art of tatting...

Portsmouth Tatters meet on the 4th Wednesday of every month at Buckland Community Centre. Heather will be there to give you some good advice, encouragement and lots of tips!

 
Contact Heather on 023 92 825458