intro and request

[queerrocket.livejournal.com]

Hi, all. I picked up tatting this week. I really like how portable it is. I can do rings and picots okay, but I don't really get the concept of chaining. There's not much on youtube that's helpful. Most of the clips either hold the shuttle a totally different way than I do or their hands move to quickly for me to see all of the positioning. I just joined etatters, but can anyone recommend an online video for making chains or an explanation of the concept?

I'm having a lot of fun, and it feels cool to do what my grandmother and great-grandmother did (although I'm a guy). They were Sicilian and made tablecloths this way as well as flourishes for embroidery.

Comments

[azurerose.livejournal.com]

Hi! I've been tatting for about two weeks now. The video that I liked - which is on youtube - is this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuSs1Is-h4A

I felt she went slow enough for me to understand. I don't quite hold the shuttle the same way (heck, I keep dropping it from time to time!), but really, it's more about the end result, right? :)

What really helped me was figuring out this pattern:

http://www.geocities.com/yarnplayer/flower_bookmark.html

[queerrocket.livejournal.com]

thanks. that flower pattern is really easy to follow.

[aspiemama.livejournal.com]

I was going to give an explanation but that video is perfect. I would say, though, that is is not always necessary to tie the two threads together, although it would help the hand thread from slipping. When you are doing projects where the chain will run back to itself, such as a doily, you will need a couple of inches of thread at the beginning of the chain so that you can tie the beginning and ending of the chain together. For that reason, I never tie knots in the threads at the beginning. I like to have the extra thread to work with later. If you tie things together right at the end of a round then it is almost impossible to tell where the beginning of the chain is, a really nice feature when you are doing work for sale or gifts.

[moniqueleigh]

*nods* I never tie the threads together either. If I'm using the same color for both chains & rings, I'll usually just use CTM (continuous thread method), aka "don't cut the thread after winding the shuttle/bobbin." :)

[moniqueleigh]

Yay! More male tatters!! Wow, tablecloths of tatting? That's pretty impressive to me. :) The largest thing I've made was a shrug/shawl sort of thing (about the right size for a 2yo child).

Anyway, welcome! It looks like you've got some great links already, and etatters is a great community too. Please show off your work!

[wosny.livejournal.com]

Hi, and welcome, I saw Gina had left a list of "learn tatting " links on her blog
http://www.ringsurf.com/ring_browser.php?id=1613890
Which might be worth trying out. You might need to scroll down a bit, she updates alot!

[queerrocket.livejournal.com]

good links, thanks!