Get Creative

Classic

Contemporary

Craft

MarGorsson

Once you have mastered the basics of needle tatting all you need to do now is forget all those rules that shuttle tatters follow.

Yes you can only make a join into a picot, GO and buy the needles that take yarn, and have fun!

Liberate yourself.

Can you really tell people how to engage in a bit of what I would term creative liberation?

It seems to be odd talking about on how not to follow instructions?!!!!!

I thought that if I sow you how I go about creating the pieces you can see in the Needle Tatting Gallery then hopefully it will inspire you to have a go and develop your own creative designs.

Remember in my world of needle tatting there are no rules.........................................................

let your imagination run free.

I usually start with a ring. I do not usually bother about picots to begin with as I join together chains/ rings etc. on an ad hoc basis in places where on the spur of the moment I think the chain/ ring would look best. Occasionally I will make large picots to help fill gaps in the lace.

This is the point where you just need to experiment and learn by trial and error. After completing the ring, I usually make a chain joining it into the ring.

To join: Use a crochet hook to go through the stitches on the ring/ chain where you want to join, pick up the needle thread and pull through to form a loop. Put the needle through the loop, pull the needle thread to get rid of the slack and make another stitch.

I then decide whether I want to:

reverse direction .........make a chain purely through picots............vary the size of the picots on the chain/ ring......change the ‘ball thread’ to add a different texture/ colour........ go three dimensional.

Once you have fun experimenting you can make Christmas decorations, scarves, neckpieces, collars and even shawls using needle tatting. All that limits you is your own imagination.

Fancy yarns/ threads.

In needle tatting the ball and needle threads are usually the same thread.

If you are using a fancy yarn that is textured I would advise you to use a smooth knitting yarn or cord, in a complementary colour way, which will slip through the stitches with ease.

If I am using two different threads I begin by tying them together with a knot. I begin the tatting by holding the knot close to the needle and beginning the first stitch directly beside this knot. These ends will be sewn into the tatting later on.

Changing thread.

You may need to change your needle thread or alter the ball thread to achieve a different texture. There are two ways of achieving this:

1.Add your new thread with a knot onto the thread it is replacing, alongside the last stitch. You can sew the ends in later.

2.Thread an ordinary needle and sew the end of the thread into the tatting leaving the thread to come out where you will restart the tatting. This saves you sewing in at a later date and gives you a neater finish.