Tatting for beginners, or how to learn to weave lace

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:47

The tatting technique for beginner needlewomen may seem difficult, not like other types of graceful weaving. And this is no accident, because it is impossible to stop being amazed at how airy masterpieces are created with the help of knots.

Base

In order to master tatting for beginner craftswomen, it will not take much time. The main thing to pay attention to is the materials, technique and the ability to read the diagram correctly.

So, in order to start your acquaintance with this needlework technique, you need to look into the appropriate store and purchase the following items.

1. A special thread that is used to create masterpieces in the technique of crochet or quilting. The thickness of the thread itself depends on the project, which will serve as an example for teaching. But their basis is more based on the personal preferences of the needlewoman. And in this case, both natural (cotton, linen or woolen) and synthetic (for example, nylon) can be successfully used;
2. Special shuttle or needle - you can purchase both to understand which of the techniques of this typehandicrafts will be to your liking;
3. Craft scissors or regular nail scissors.

Here is the whole list of necessary materials that will be required in order to start your acquaintance with this unusual and attractive type of needlework.

Tatting technique

It is worth mentioning right away that this type of lacemaking, unlike many others, assumes that the craftswoman herself will choose the most suitable tool for the job. So, there are only two main techniques: tatting with a needle and tatting with a shuttle. But it’s still worth starting with the most common one - the shuttle.

Shuttle

Start working with the shuttle as follows. A thread should be threaded into it, which, at a distance of 6 cm from the end, is captured with the index and thumb. Next, 4 fingers are wrapped around the thread from the shuttle, except for the thumb, so that it “returns” again to the already clamped end. After that, the thread from the shuttle (it is also the leading one) goes beyond the inside of the formed loop, wrapping it around. This is the beginning of the work. It is worth noting that basically the shuttle in tatting is held in the right hand, and the left acts as a “loom” for lace.

It is worth noting that there are two basic elements in a tatting created using a shuttle: a direct and a reverse knot. Both of them make up halves, with the help of which a full-fledged openwork knot is created.

Needle

Very often needle lace can resemble knitting with one needle. Partly it is. Forin order to start her work with a needle, a novice needlewoman must cut the thread of the required length. It is threaded into the ear and a circle is formed from the larger part so that the tip is at the level of the needle point. Next, the needle is twisted twice with a thread, after which, holding the semicircle with the index finger of the opposite hand, a loop is formed, bending around and pulling the semicircle with a needle. By the way, in tatting performed by a needle, other basic elements are more often used, such as a pico and a double knot.

Reading diagrams correctly

Tatting for beginner needlewomen is difficult because they cannot always read the pattern, despite the fact that they have mastered the technique to perfection.

Basically, tatting schemes are made in the form of original colors from arcs, dots (otherwise called pico) and circles. In order not to get confused in them, for the first experiments it is better to choose those in which serial numbers are placed, as well as those in which there are abbreviations, for example: ds - double knot, ch - arc and others.

This is the basis of tatting for beginners. It is worth trying to perform it at least once in order to make sure that this technique is really simple, but at the same time uniquely beautiful.