New Obsession: Needle Tatting...

by Lisa
(uniquehomemadegifts.com)

Tatted Earring and Necklace Set

Tatting has become my newest addiction (obsession). I have long looked at beautiful old lace and tatted doilies and such and wished I could learn how to create them. I've had tatting needles and shuttles in my craft hutch for years. I just never dared pull them out. I figured that something that intricate, would be too difficult to figure out on my own. I wanted to wait until I could find someone who knew how to do it, to show me. I always learn better when I'm taught something "hands on", anyway.

Late one night last summer, while I was staying at my friend's house for a fun and crafty girl's weekend, I found myself bored and alone. (My friend had gone to bed and I wasn't quite ready to. I tend to be WAY more of a night owl than she is!) I had brought a bunch of different craft projects with me, for just this exact purpose.

One of these projects was my 'learn needle tatting' kit I had purchased years before. I pulled out the book and followed the instructions carefully. Within minutes, I found myself needle tatting!! I was so amazed at how simple it actually was! I spent a couple hours tatting up my first couple of projects, and couldn't wait to show my friend the next morning.

By the end of my weekend, I had created a couple small needle tatted projects and taught my friend how to do it, too!! I went home with that "new project" fire burning in my fingertips. I had purchased a few different tatting books over the years, and was itching to try my hand at some of the patterns.

Before long, my poor husband was finding little tatted projects all over the house! (Thanks to my cats, of course. They think that anything small, and left on the coffee table, was, obviously, made solely for their enjoyment!) I started adding pieces together and trying my hand at different kinds of stitches. I was in love, and my newest crafty obsession had been discovered!

From that night, a little less than a year ago, I have been needle tatting like crazy! I recently discovered an older version of tatting that incorporates crochet into the tatted designs. I can't wait to play more with that style! I still plan on getting up some tatting pages onto my site, so that I can share with all of you how simple it is to learn, and how fun and addicting it can be!! (As a side note, I will say, I did also try my hand at shuttle tatting, but that just made me swear! Needle tatting is a much easier way to do it, and I've yet to find a pattern or design that has been created for shuttle tatting that you can't needle tat.)

Once my friend saw how much fun I was having with needle tatting, and how many projects I had figured out how to create, she asked if I would teach a class on it. (Wonder if the almost daily pictures I sent her of my newest creation had anything to do with it...)

I'm super excited about teaching the tatting class this weekend! I'm going to be teaching a couple of different classes over the next few months from beginner to advanced tatting. I can't wait!! ~Doing a super excited happy dance!~

(Only another fellow crafter, with his/her own obsession, will understand my excitement over something like this, so I just HAD to share...especially since my husband just thinks I'm crazy! Hahaha!!)

Until next time....

Lisa
:0)

Return to Lisa’s Thoughts

Return to Home