Category: needle tatting

Who’s next?


This hasn’t been a good week at all! My mother went to the hospital last Sunday and got out Tuesday, my husband’s mother went to the hospital Tuesday and is still there, and then my dad was admitted to the hospital early this morning. I’m hoping that three is enough and that no-one else has to be hospitalized. Enough already!

None of them has turned out to be serious, which is a good thing in all of this. But it makes life very interesting to try and get to everyone and keep up with how they’re doing. And my husband and I are working nine hours days five days a week and eight hours both Saturday and Sunday. Somewhere in all of this I think I need a nap!

Before all of this came about I did get a little tatting done. I went to a meeting of Hook Yarn and Needle/Fiber Options a week ago. It is through the county extension office and meets once a month. They were doing some needle tatting but I took my shuttles and made “Heart’s Desire” in DMC variegated blue size 8 Pearle. For doing this completely in the midst of several conversations and distractions, I think it turned out very well. I’m counting it as #15 of the 25 Motif Challenge.

They asked me if I’d like to show them how to shuttle tat next month. I agreed, but I’m thinking I will need to give them contact information in case any of them are really interested: the group takes a three month break in the summer! I’m willing to meet with them individually or in a small group elsewhere to help any that want to really learn. I’m planning on making a handout with Internet addresses so they have incentives and support if they want it. I’m also thinking of putting together a DVD of me tatting, both chain and ring. We’ll see if I have time to do this between hospital visits!

I think I remember how to needle tat…

I got a call from my neighbor yesterday. She’s a good friend of mine whom I taught to tat one or two (or ten?) years ago. She hasn’t really kept up with it, being busy with lots of other things, but a group that meets at the extension office, Hook Yarn & Needle, were doing some needle tatting and she was going to do some, too. It had been so long since my neighbor had done it she couldn’t remember how exactly. So she called for a refresher course.
Okay, I have Needle Tatting, Book No. 2 from Handy Hands somewhere, where did I put it??? Oh, there (why was it in the middle of those Workbaskets?). Okay, now where did I put my needles? In this box? No, there they are, in THIS drawer! Now a ball of thread, open book. Hmm. Yes, that looks familiar. No, no, wrong end… that’s better. That’s right, and pull through there… Yippee! A ring and a chain, and another ring! I DO remember!
Yes, as soon as she called I had to see if I remembered anything about needle tatting. I only have the book and needles because I thought it would be good to know how – I already knew how to shuttle tat when I got them. And I never did much with them after understanding how it worked, very much enjoying shuttle tatting and not wanting to change. Back when I taught my neighbor we started with a shuttle, which she learned, but she pulled her stitches so tight she could hardly pull the rings closed, so we switched her to the needle. Now, years later we were learning again.
So this afternoon I went across the street and we laughed through a few rings trying to make a butterfly. We didn’t get it made because I ran out of time, but we had fun. She now has a better grasp of what she needs to practice. We did talk of some of the Internet sites that have videos of needle tatting, which she is planning to check out.
And of course I’ll practice a bit, too, because it was fun. I don’t think I’ll post a picture of it, at least not what I’ve done so far. If I end up with something presentable I might post that later – maybe.