October Play Day - Tatting

Our October play day was a focus on Lace with a Tatting workshop in the afternoon for the few people who were interested at having a go at making the durable form of lace. A few people brought some samples of handmade lace for people to have a look at and admire, while a selection of books on different lace making techniques detailed the intricate aspects of the art.

Tatting is a particularly durable form of lace making and is constructed from a series of knots and loops. While traditional tatting uses a plain white or cream fine thread, often a No. 20 or 40, some more modern tatted pieces use thicker and coloured threads, some even variegated.

The earliest form of Tatting requires a small shuttle, that fits neatly into the hand, and a ball of thread, making it a very compact craft for travel. While it does take a lot of little knots to form a substantial piece of lace, the end result is admired by all.

More modern forms of Tatting include Needle-Tatting and Cro-Tatting, both which use special needles and hooks instead of the traditional shuttle. 

Some other types of fine lace made by hand are:
  • Needle lace: made by hand with a needle and sometimes a frame 
  • Fillet lace: a netting based lace that is embroidered and filled 
  • Embroidered lace: lacework embroidered over another fabric  
  • Bobbin or pillow lace: made with bobbins, pins and a pillow 
  • Knitted lace: made with fine knitting needles 
  • Crochet lace: made with a fine crochet hook
Some openwork embroideries, like Hardanger could be considered a type of lacework to.