["Pomp and Circumstance"]
Hello, I'm Pam Parma.
I have enjoyed tatting for many years.
My great-grandmother was a tatter.
This was her work box and her shuttle.
I teach tatting at the British College of Lace in Rugby.
Looking for new and challenging patterns,
I began to design my own to include a range of techniques.
My main interest is in creating pictures in tatting.
As well as traditional white,
I enjoy experimenting with colour using a variety of threads.
Here are some examples of my work.
["Pomp and Circumstance"]
Once mastered, tatting is a relaxing and enjoyable craft.
But trying to teach yourself to tat from a book
can lead to frustration and disappointment.
It's much easier to watch than to read about.
This video will take you through the basics
and then on to more advanced techniques.
Each technique is taught through a small motive.
The motives can be mounted to make a picture
a basket of flowers.
I shall also give you advice on shuttles and threads,
guidance on following a pattern,
and suggestions for finishing and mounting your work.
Because both hands are used almost equally,
some left-handed tatters find they are able to tat
as if right-handed.
If you find this difficult,
try placing a fairly large mirror
at an angle to the television screen to reverse the picture.
You need very little equipment.
You can begin with just one shuttle,
although later on it's useful to have two or three more.
You need a crochet hook and of course some thread.
We'll look first at shuttles.
Tatting, as we know it today, dates from Victorian times,
and it's still possible to come across lovely old shuttles like these.
But they can be expensive, are often fragile,
and after years of use it is likely the ends have opened.
However attractive, they are on the whole best regarded
as collector's items and not generally suitable for regular use.
If the ends are open and you drop your shuttle,
the thread unwinds.
The points should just meet so that the thread goes through with a soft click.
Of course if the ends are too tight,
there is constant wear on the thread and the shuttle is not pleasant to use.
Of the shuttles now generally available,
these lightweight plastic are probably the best value.
Although only a few people sell handcrafted shuttles,
it is always worth looking at lace days and craft fairs.
You may come across some lovely shuttles,
but do check the ends before buying.
These are some of the shuttles I have found or been given over the years.
These two are less familiar in design and feel a little different at first,
but once you become used to them they are very pleasant to work with.
As you become more experienced you will know what feels right
and which shuttles you prefer.
Some tatters like a shuttle with a hook on the end.
This has the obvious advantage of doing away with a separate crochet hook,
but you may find it catches occasionally if you tat quickly.
It's essential the hook is fine.
This type of shuttle has a bobbin which removes for winding.
This particular shuttle has unfortunately just been discontinued,
but a very similar one is available.
Unless you are working with a shuttle which has a fine hook,
you will need a crochet hook.
Number 1 English is a good size for 20 and 40,
and a number 6 for 40 and finer thread.
These would be approximately equivalent to an American size 12 and 14 respectively.
Tatting thread needs to be firm, smooth and flexible.
Mercurised crochet cotton is the most commonly used
and I find many tatters prefer coats.
This is just a selection of the very attractive range of coats threads
which are available in 20 countries.
Experienced tatters will enjoy working with the wide range of colours available
in the finer filer dentelle.
If you are looking for a particular shade outside the standard range,
DMC cotton perle number 12 equals a 40,
and a DMC cotton perle 8 is nearer 20.
Or try working an 80 filer dentelle double for a 40 thickness.
Experiment with different threads and combinations of threads.
Make your own library of samples by working the same motif
in different threads and thicknesses.
If I just put these out of the way, I'll show you my sample book.
I have worked the same simple motif in a variety of threads
ranging from ordinary sewing cotton to Twilly's gold fingering
which is a thick metallic thread.
Always note the thread and thickness used.
The flower basket seen here is worked in 40 thread.
But a beginner should work it first in a 20 thread.
I shall be demonstrating with an even thicker thread.
For your first practice pieces, I suggest you use a 20 thread.
For your first practice pieces, I suggest you use cotton perle 5
or a firm knitting cotton in two contrasting colours.
We begin by winding the thread onto the shuttle.
Most designs start with the shuttle and ball as a continuous thread.
And the tatting beginning somewhere between the two like this.
However, for teaching and learning purposes, it is much easier to use two colours.
So cut off about two yards of each colour.
Tie the end of one thread through the hole found in the centre of most shuttles
keeping a slight gap between the reef knot and the shuttle
to make it easier to cut off later.
Wind by walking the shuttle along the thread.
If you are winding directly from a ball, allow it to unwind without twisting.
This prevents putting extra twists on the thread.
Continue winding until you have about 8 inches left.
Some patterns tell you how much thread to wind on, but most don't.
Although with experience you are more able to judge.
In any event, never fill your shuttle beyond its width as this can force the ends apart.
Tie the ends together with a single knot so the two threads lie side by side.
You can see on this piece that tatting is made of rings and chains which are joined together.
Here you can see a ring and a chain and a second ring which joins here to the first ring.
Each ring and each chain is made up of a series of double stitches.
This is one double stitch and this is the right side we are looking at.
You can see the difference if I turn it over.
Before you begin, I would like you to see a double stitch being worked.
Don't worry for the moment what is happening to the hands or the shuttle, just watch the threads.
As I make the first half of a double stitch, you will see the white shuttle thread on the right is looped round the coloured thread.
By relaxing the coloured thread and a quick jerk on the white thread, the loop is now on the coloured thread.
The second half of the double stitch is worked and by the same process is transferred to the coloured thread.
A double stitch is complete.
As we move on to the actual process of forming each half stitch, it is important to remember what you have just seen.
How the knot is made by the shuttle thread but transferred to the ball thread.
Patterns usually begin with a ring but the best way to learn is by working a chain using the two coloured threads.
In this way you can see at once if you have transferred the knot correctly.
Hold the ends between the thumb and first finger.
Take the ball thread over the back of the hand and secure it around the little finger leaving a working space of about 2 inches.
With the thread coming from the back of the shuttle, lift the thread out of the way,
move the shuttle forward under both threads, back over the left hand thread, under the right hand thread.
As you move the shuttle back, let the thread fall off the hand.
You can see now you have made the loop.
Relax the left hand, a quick jerk with the right and you have transferred it.
That is the first half of the double stitch.
Use the left hand to slide it up into position and hold.
The second half of the double stitch, you don't lift your finger up to move the thread out of the way,
just move the shuttle forward under the left hand, over the right, the loop is made, relax, jerk.
The second half has been made, slide it into position, you have completed a double stitch.
The shuttle thread is straight and smooth throughout, rather like a shuttle on a weaving loom.
Every teacher of tatting has her own favourite method of working and teaching,
with slight variations on the fingers used, but the process of transferring the knot is constant.
Continue to work on the chain until you are able to tat a row of double stitches.
Start again with new thread if necessary.
You may find that this first stage takes a while to master, but by working in two colours,
you can see at a glance if you have transferred each knot correctly.
Here you can see some mistakes as some of the double stitches are the colour of the shuttle thread.
This row is correct as all the double stitches are the colour of the ball thread.
At the end of a chain, pull the shuttle thread firmly to give a chain its characteristic curve.
We now go on to a ring. You may well find this is easier to hold than a chain,
but as only the shuttle thread is used, which obviously means only one colour,
it is less immediately obvious if you make a mistake.
Begin by reversing your work, that is, turn your chain upside down, like this.
Now you ignore the ball thread, we'll move it out of the way.
You need to release more thread from your shuttle.
Take the shuttle thread all the way round the hand and back to the beginning.
A little more thread if necessary.
Now make a double stitch in exactly the same way.
Slide it right up to the end of the chain, that's quite important, and hold.
As you don't have the second colour to help you, you can check if you have made the knot correctly
by pulling gently on the lower part of the ring.
If it slides, it is transferred. You can restore it by just pulling the shuttle again.
Make a second double stitch.
And a third.
It's unlikely you will make an all correct ring at the first attempt,
so if you make a mistake, just leave it, wind the thread round your hand again and begin a new ring.
Continue practising until you are able to make a ring of 12 double stitches.
It's not difficult to count in the thick thread.
We're now going to close the ring.
Hold it firmly and pull on the shuttle thread.
You can see the loop disappearing.
Just before it's completely all gone, pull it gently round to the left.
It encourages it to close in a nice circle.
Now you can see you have a chain and a ring.
We're now ready to begin the second chain.
So again, we reverse the work, turn it upside down, and the ball thread is taken into use again.
You need to wind the shuttle thread in again until it feels at a comfortable distance.
Work another chain of 6 double stitches.
Pull up closely to the ring, even pulling the threads out in a single line if it helps.
You will find you need to let the thread slip out from your finger.
You'll notice when using a thick thread, as I am for demonstrating, it tends to slip off the little finger.
You'll find this is less likely to happen with a finer thread.
You can stop and just count.
One, two, three, four, five.
One more. You need a little more thread.
Six. Pull it to make your nice curve again.
Reverse work.
Let your thread out.
Round the hand.
And you're ready to begin the next ring.
Continue alternating rings of 12 double stitches with chains of 6 double stitches,
remembering to reverse the work each time until you feel confident.
This sequence could appear in a pattern in a variety of ways.
Many traditional patterns are written as A.
D.S. indicates how many double stitches.
You are told when to reverse work and to close a ring.
B. assumes the obvious, that you know the number refers to the number of double stitches,
that you know you have to close a ring when complete,
and that you always reverse work unless told not to.
C. has no written instructions, just a diagram,
indicating the number of double stitches.
The arrow shows the starting point.
The pattern which accompanies the video is a combination of B and C.
An increasing number of modern patterns are being written in this way.
If you come across a pattern in a more traditional format,
once you can tat you should have no difficulty in following it.
When you can tat rings and chains, you can make a picot.
Picots in tatting can be merely decorative or used to make a join.
A picot requires no special technique,
it is merely a space of unworked thread between two double stitches.
I am going to show you a picot being worked in a ring.
Begin with three double stitches.
To make the picot, make the first half of the next double stitch as usual.
But don't pull it all the way.
Stop there.
Hold it with your thumb so that it doesn't go all the way.
Make the second half of the double stitch as usual.
Let it slide up to the first half.
And there you have your picot.
Bring the whole of the double stitch up to the previous one.
And the picot is complete.
You will see you have also made another double stitch.
So if your pattern says three double stitches, picot, three double stitches,
you will only need to work two more.
It's important to remember this when following a pattern.
Work another short practice piece.
This time you are going to add picots.
Here are the chains and rings with picots as they would appear in a pattern.
In the written instructions, the picot is indicated by a minus sign.
In the diagram, by a little line.
So you have three double stitches, picot, three double stitches,
three double stitches, picot, three double stitches in your ring.
Three, picot, three, picot, three, picot, three,
three, picot, three, picot, three, picot, three.
Continue to work a few more rings and chains.
Try to make your picots even.
But don't worry at this stage if they are all different sizes.
This will come with practice.
Now I will show you how to use a picot to make a join.
I'm going to join the next ring to the last picot of the previous ring.
Work three double stitches as before.
One, two, three.
Place the previous ring next to the point of working.
Put the crochet hook through the picot that has to be joined.
Pull the thread up just enough to get the shuttle through comfortably.
Pull the shuttle thread straight.
With your left hand, ease the ring thread back into position.
Work the second half of the stitch and bring it up close.
Slide the thread to check it still slides.
Now you have not only made a join, you've worked the next double stitch.
So you need to work two more.
One, two.
Before you are ready for the next picot.
And we will complete the ring.
Now you can see that the thread around my hand has got smaller and smaller as we use it up.
So we need to release more thread.
Pull below.
This means you need to let a little more out here as well.
And again until it's comfortable.
You will notice as I work a ring, although I may begin with the thread all the way round,
as it gets smaller sometimes I just let it slip on there.
To say bringing out more thread.
Working with the thick thread for demonstrating means you are using more thread up
and so you need to let more out than you would normally need to do so.
Close the ring.
This is how you would recognise a join on the pattern.
The plus sign.
And on the diagram the rings are linked together to show the point of joining.
Continue to practice the pattern of rings and chains, joining the rings, until you feel confident.
By now you should be able to work in a 20 thread.
Before beginning the flower basket it's worthwhile repeating the last practice piece
so you can get used to the thinner thread.
But I shall continue to demonstrate in thicker thread.
Wind about a yard of 20 thread onto the shuttle.
But this time don't cut the thread.
You are now working with a continuous thread and starting with a ring.
Most patterns begin in this way.
Just wind the thread round the hand at a convenient distance from the shuttle.
And begin.
This is how the pattern looks now.
You can see the diagram shows you start with a ring.
Continue to work the pattern until you are happy with the 20 thread.
You have now covered the basics in tatting.
Almost everything else is just an extension of what you can already do.
The first motif is a simple adaptation of the practice piece.
The rings are the same.
But by putting more double stitches on the chains the tatting can be curved into a circle.
This is the pattern you will be following.
The chains now have 3 picots and a total of 12 double stitches.
The brackets on the second line tell you to work that section by the number of times given.
In this case 4 times.
Notice that the last ring has 2 joins.
C and T means cut and tie.
As all the patterns are supplied with the video, in future only new instructions which may need explanation will be shown.
Wind a yard onto the shuttle, don't cut off the ball thread and begin the ring exactly as you did for the last practice piece.
Follow the pattern until you have completed all but the final ring.
Here you can see the first join was made as usual.
We then worked 3 double stitches, picot 3 double stitches and we are now ready to make the final join to the first picot of the first ring.
Bring it in place as usual, crochet hook through, pull up the thread, join, shuffle it into position nicely.
Finish the ring.
Before you pull up the ring to close it, just spread it out and check that you have made it correctly for the pattern.
3 join, 3 picot, 3 join, 3.
It is much easier to check and undo now if you have made a mistake than to wait until it is pulled up.
Pull up the ring and close.
Now we work the final chain.
See how with a thicker thread we use up a great deal of thread quickly.
2 picot, 3 picot,
pull it up, get a nice curve, cut the ends but not too short.
We now have to join the final chain to the beginning.
You are not going to join this time to a picot but just make a little space between the first ring and the first chain.
If you just ease it open, pick up the shuttle thread.
You might find it easiest to tie if you lay flat.
Take the two ends and tie a reef knot.
I am going to use our first completed motif to show how tatting can be finished off, blocked and mounted.
If the tatting is to be mounted on card for a picture or greetings card,
you can get rid of the ends by using a touch of adhesive on a cocktail stick.
Use a clear glue and just catch along the back of a convenient ring and chain.
You only need a very little amount.
The best shape is achieved by blocking. This is always worthwhile regardless of the use to which the tatting is to be put.
Use a polystyrene block covered with a colourfast cloth.
Stretch out the tatting.
Put a pin into every picot.
Make sure the pins lean out.
If you have a long chain which has no picots, it is worth putting a pin again leaning out to support the shape.
When you have put a pin into every picot, use a fine water spray and thoroughly dampen.
Leave it to dry naturally overnight.
This is important. It allows the cotton to shrink under tension.
Never try to speed the drying with a hairdryer. This can result in scorch marks from the pins.
The next morning, take out all the pins.
If necessary, support the tatting while you are doing it so that you don't pull it out of shape.
This will hold it firm and flat.
You can't actually see the full effect on a small motif in thick thread, but if you were to work a large mat in finer thread, you would see quite a transformation overnight.
It enables the stitches to remain crisp without being flattened by ironing.
The next morning, fix the motif onto a card.
Again, just a little adhesive. Never applied to the tatting directly.
Always smoothed onto a little cocktail stick and spread over the back.
Very little is needed.
Just enough to hold it in place.
If you mount your picture on fabric, this is best done with the fabric in an embroidery frame.
Iron-on interfacing applied before the fabric is put in the frame can give extra firmness.
Block your motif exactly as you did before, but this time there is no need to get rid of the ends first.
Put your tatting in position.
Secure with pins.
Just to hold it in the right place.
With a needle, take each of the ends through to the back.
Do the same with the second one. Not in the same hole, but very close.
Secure at the back with a knot.
These ends can then be clipped off.
The remainder of the motif can then be secured using a thread, if possible a finer one.
Secure where the rings and chains meet.
Two stitches will make it more secure.
Also at joins.
If you wish to secure at a picot,
catch it down into the tatting itself rather than the edge of the picot as this will sometimes spoil the shape of the picot.
Tatting which is to be laundered and not applied to card or fabric must have the ends sewn in before blocking.
In this case, thread each end through a needle and either over sew or weave into a convenient ring or chain.
For about 3 or 4 stitches.
A slight pull encourages the thread to disappear into the double stitches.
Then treat the other thread in exactly the same way.
With this method, never cut off the ends until the tatting has been blocked.
I shall only mention finishing again if there is a particular reason to do so.
Wait until you have completed all the motifs before mounting as a picture.
You can then play around with them and choose your own arrangement.
The next two motifs require very little explanation or demonstration but are an opportunity to practice the skills you have already learned.
Motif 2 is a very simple spray of leaves.
There are no joins and just a single picot at the end of each ring.
You can make it any length you wish. The shape is achieved by blocking.
Motif 3 is similar to the first motif but by tatting only 5 rings and chains and by joining all the rings into the same picot,
you finish up with a much more flower-like motif.
Work the first ring making the picot just a little larger than usual.
Then the first chain.
The second ring joins to the first in the usual way.
The second chain.
We have now started the third ring and are ready to join.
Through the picot in exactly the same way as before.
Just jiggle it around to make sure it's nice and firm.
And finish the ring.
You will find you have plenty of room to join the last two rings.
Every join you have made so far has used both threads but sometimes you will find that only the shuttle thread is used.
Work the first ring and the first chain of the fourth motif.
The chain now has to be joined to the top of the ring.
You will notice that the ring is below the work and not in the usual place you would perhaps expect to find it.
To use the ball thread would put an unnecessary twist on the chain.
So we're going to do what we call a shuttle join.
Pull up the chain as once you make the join you can't pull it up any further.
Put the hook through the picot.
Bring through the shuttle thread.
And again make sure it's well pulled up.
Put the shuttle through.
Pull it in place making sure the chain doesn't slip.
And it's secure.
A shuttle join doesn't need the second half of a double stitch and it doesn't count as a double stitch in the pattern.
Reverse work and you're ready to make the next ring and continue.
When you have completed seven rings and chains cut and tie to the beginning to make your motif.
This is the symbol I use to indicate a shuttle join.
If you are using a pattern which does not tell you and many don't remember to work this type of join when the picot to which you are joining is below your work.
When you're working from a pattern which includes a clear picture or diagram try to understand how the design works before you begin to tat.
Follow the way the basket is made.
You can see there are no decorative picots. Every picot makes a join.
To achieve this crisp look make your picots as small as possible just big enough to get the hook through.
This is true of most patterns joining picots should be very small.
Work the first four rings then begin the fourth chain.
You can see that this will be a shuttle join into the ring.
Before you make it pull up the chain firmly then make your shuttle join.
Then continue chain ten, picot four, shuttle join again to the top of the ring and continue down.
Each one is a shuttle join.
Notice how small the picots are even in the very thick thread until we come to the point where the final shuttle join at the bottom will be made.
Here you can see we're ready to make that final shuttle join.
Again pull up the chain.
Before you put it through make sure the chain is firm.
You can see now there is a small chain across the bottom but this is facing outwards.
To achieve this reverse work as usual but cross your threads.
Put the ball thread in the right position to do the next chain which is a chain four.
One, two, three, four.
Pull it up firmly and you can see that it's facing out.
We now have to do the next ring.
Do this ring without reversing your work.
Work the next ring which is eight, picot eight.
Now the picot keeping it as small as I can.
Another seven double stitches.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Always check.
Close your ring.
Reverse work.
And you can see the ball thread is in the wrong place.
So we need to take it behind the small chain ready to begin the next chain.
And you can see that you would then continue working up.
Here we are. There. And here.
This is an ordinary join, not a shuttle join. On.
And the sequence is repeated but it's slightly different at the top from that side which you will find on your pattern.
And repeat. And again here.
Until the final chains come down without any picots and join there.
If worked in 80 thread, the basket is small enough to mount with a selection of flower motifs on the greetings card.
For tatters who find the 80 thread too fine, there is a small design in 40 thread.
The fifth motif is often described as an Irish rose as it resembles motifs found in Irish crochet like this.
It's made by working a long chain in a spiral around a small center ring, joining at intervals with the shuttle.
Repeat the pattern and work the first center ring.
Five picots, two double stitches between.
Reverse work.
Begin as if you're making a chain.
And keep the ball thread absolutely rigid as you work the first half of the double stitch.
This will mean you don't transfer the loop.
Don't pull it quite all the way, about the distance of a picot.
Hold it, work the second half of the double stitch in the usual way.
This is a lock stitch which knots the thread to make a false picot.
And you're now ready to make a chain.
It counts as a double stitch.
As you're going to be working round, it's useful to mark the false picot with a contrast thread.
Just bring it through and tie it not too close as that will make it more difficult to cut off later.
You will then see as you go round when you get back to the beginning again.
Now each chain on the first round is chain three.
Remember you've already worked the first double stitch.
So two more.
One.
Two.
And you're ready to join with the shuttle because the work is below.
Pull up firmly.
Take the shuttle through.
You may find when you make a shuttle join,
it sometimes helps after you've made it to pull the shuttle thread towards you.
It prevents the picot pulling out too much.
Now continue round with chain three, joining to each picot until you come back to the beginning again.
I'm now ready to complete the first round by shuttle joining into the false picot.
Make sure the chain is well pulled up.
The first round is complete.
In the second round, each chain is chain five.
With the crochet hook, find the space above the previous join
and make another shuttle join.
Each round becomes easier to find the gap.
Continue round joining in this way.
Altogether there are four rounds and the number of double stitches in each section of chain increases in each round.
You can tell when a new round begins when you are joining above the original false picot with the coloured thread.
This will also mark the point at which you tie the final chain.
Motif six is a flower motif which is not quite the straightforward pattern of six rings it appears to be.
Because there are no chains, once you have wound the shuttle, you can cut off the ball thread.
Leave a short end before you work the first ring.
The second ring begins close to the first.
Continue working round until you come to the final join on the sixth ring.
You can see that the picot to which we have to join is below the work.
If we were to make an ordinary shuttle join here, the thread would lock and we would be unable to complete and close the ring.
To put the picot in its correct place, bring it forward, over and back, next to the place of joining.
We now appear to have what is a straightforward join.
But if you were to put your crochet hook in from the top as usual, when you had closed the ring and straightened out the motif,
you would find you had a twisted join. Here is a normal join, here you can see a twist.
To avoid that, you bring the crochet hook in from the back.
Twist the crochet hook round, pick up the thread in the usual way.
Hold the loop with your nail, as you may find it twists back on you.
Put the shuttle through, finish the join with the second half as usual and finish the ring.
Close the ring.
You may find it a little awkward as the motif is twisted.
Untwist it and you will have a perfect join without a twist.
Cut your other end and tie the two together to complete.
You can vary the motif by putting picots on the end.
We have seen how picots can soften the appearance of rings and chains.
Groups of longer picots are a distinctive feature of a tatted picture, although they are less suitable for any item which will be washed.
Here are one or two of the effects you can create by using groups of picots.
Begin with a ring of 10 or 12 picots.
Try working a small flower.
Begin with a double stitch.
Make a picot slightly longer than usual.
Try to judge the length by eye, looking at each one against the previous one.
Keep in mind the appearance of the whole row.
You will find you need to enlarge your ring frequently as you use up more thread.
If you don't stop and constantly look back, it is very easy to get smaller and smaller without realising it.
Close the ring when you have made about 10 or 12.
For extra long picots, you need to be more accurate.
Use a card spacer.
The finished length of the picot will be half the width of the spacer.
Make the first half in the usual way.
With plenty of room, put the spacer in between.
Work the second half.
Remove the spacer.
Slide it up.
You have accurately measured long picots.
If the picot flower is mounted on fabric, take the ends through and tie at the back as I showed earlier.
On card, you can just cut to the length of the picot.
You can use it as an individual flower or mount it over a larger flower to form a centre.
This is particularly effective in a contrast thread.
You get quite a different effect by working picots in only part of the ring.
Notice how the shape is quite altered depending on where you put the picots.
In the centre of a ring, which began here, you have the appearance of a half-opened bud.
At the beginning of a ring, which began there, it looks more like a well-opened daisy.
Experiment with different threads.
If the flower basket is being worked mostly in 40, there is no reason why you can't add picot flowers in 20 and vice versa.
You can even try working two fine threads together, such as 80 or sewing cotton.
This gives a full but dainty appearance.
It looks particularly effective worked in two colours.
A string of five picot rings gives a lovely tall flower like larkspur or delphinium.
You can enjoy doing these.
You don't have to worry about the picots being the same length.
Just make any long picots any length you like.
One, two, three, four, one more.
It's probably a good idea with these very small rings not to do them perhaps quite as tight as you normally would,
as that makes them a little more difficult to pull up.
Pull round.
You've got one.
Then just bunch it up in your hand.
Go round to begin the next one as close as you can.
Remember, each one has to begin with a double stitch.
Again, five more, totally random, as long or as short as you like, a nice mixture.
One, two, three, four, five.
Pull it up.
There's your second one.
There you are.
Just continue going.
You'll find when you've finished, they tend to lay in one direction.
This particular pattern also makes lovely foliage.
With the techniques you have learned so far and by repeating some of the motifs,
you can create a simpler version of the flower basket sampler.
Careful choice of colour and your basket is full of spring flowers.
A summer basket also includes some of the techniques we will be looking at in a moment.
The handle is a simple ring and chain edging, curved when you block.
Storks are not necessary.
The groups of flowers have a dainty appearance in different sizes with contrasting leaf sprays.
A bow of ribbon completes the spring basket and a tiny butterfly adds a final touch of summer.
The butterfly is made quite simply from four rings.
But notice how the longer middle picots give the butterfly the distinctive appearance of a swallowtail.
When you have worked the four rings, the two ends can tie together
to form the head.
Notice how some of the flowers are worked in two colours.
This is done by having one colour on your shuttle and a contrasting ball thread,
exactly as you did in your early practice pieces.
As a beginner you tied the two threads together.
You should now be able to bring in a second thread without a knot.
Work the first ring, reverse the work.
Bring in the ball thread, hold it in place, exactly as if it were tied.
Begin to make a chain.
Work a double stitch and the thread is secure.
Later in the video we shall see how to bring in a second thread without a knot or leaving ends.
Some patterns call for two shuttles.
This sounds more complicated than it is.
You tat in the usual way, but the ball thread is also on a shuttle.
You will find it helpful to have two shuttles which can be distinguished from each other.
Wind thread onto the first shuttle.
Pull more thread from the ball and wind onto the second shuttle,
with approximately 15 inches between.
You must remember that this is your first shuttle, this is your second shuttle.
That's why it's important to have two shuttles which are different.
Motivate is a leaf spray.
There are leaves on both sides.
The first ring is made in the usual way with the first shuttle.
Reverse work, chain four, still using the first shuttle,
but notice the second shuttle acts as the ball thread.
At this point in the chain, the second shuttle becomes the worker.
Don't reverse work.
You need to let a little more thread out.
And tat a ring, six, pico, six.
Make sure that it's as close as you can get it to the chain.
Remember it's on the outside.
Six, pico,
close the ring.
The second shuttle now becomes the ball thread again.
Pick up the first shuttle as the worker and finish the chain, which is another four.
Reverse work, and the next ring can be made in the usual way with the first shuttle.
In this way, rings can be worked on the outside edge of a chain.
When a pattern refers to either the first shuttle or the second shuttle,
this indicates which of the two will become the working shuttle at that time.
Two shuttles also give you flexibility in the use of colour.
You will remember the practice piece with white rings because white thread was on the shuttle,
and coloured chains because the ball thread was coloured.
If both threads are on a shuttle, just cross over the threads,
and any chain or any ring can be any colour.
The ring is called Josephine.
Josephine rings are small decorative rings said to have been named after Napoleon's empress Josephine.
They are also sometimes called Josephine knots or Josephine picots.
As they are small, I am working with extra thick thread.
To work a Josephine ring, the thread is wound round the hand in the same way as for an ordinary ring.
But instead of double stitches, work 10 or 12 half stitches,
either all the first half or all the second half of a double stitch.
I find the second half easier to work.
When you get to about half way, you may well find the ring begins to twist in your hand.
You may also find it helps to work more slowly and a little less tight than usual.
You can see as you pull it up, it is trying to twist in.
A single Josephine ring can be added to a flower as a centre.
Josephine rings are almost always part of a design on the outside edge of a chain,
so a pattern including them needs two shuttles.
Here you can see there are two Josephine rings on the outer edge of each chain.
Notice how the chain shuttle joins into the centre ring into each alternate picot,
leaving a decorative picot between.
To make motive 9, begin with two shuttles on a continuous thread
and work the centre ring with the first shuttle.
The centre ring begins with 11 picots, reverse work,
still using the first shuttle as the worker,
and make the 12th picot with a lock stitch.
We now begin the first chain, chain 3.
Remember we have made the first double stitch.
Don't reverse work, pick up the second shuttle
and make the first Josephine ring of 12 half stitches.
Close the ring, pull firmly around.
The second shuttle now becomes the ball thread.
Don't reverse work, first shuttle, chain 3 again.
1, 2, 3.
Don't reverse work, second shuttle again.
The next Josephine ring, another 12 half stitches.
Don't reverse work after this one.
Second shuttle becomes the ball thread again.
Another 3 double stitches.
1, 2, 3.
Pull up firmly, and the shuttle join into the next alternate picot.
Pull up firmly, and the first section is completed.
Complete round to make another 6.
The finished motif will look very full,
but when you block it, you will finish up with a nice flat motif.
Occasionally a pattern will mention a false ring.
This is quite simply a chain, worked and joined to its starting point to look like a ring.
In motif 10, the false ring fits closely round the inner ring to form a bud.
I'll begin the bud at the end of the stalk.
You don't often begin with a chain, but it's useful to know how.
Take the thread through the opening side of a safety pin.
Because the end of the stalk will not join to anything, work the chain normally.
The pin merely gives you something to hold onto and can be removed later.
If the pattern needed a join at the end of the stalk, you would work a lock stitch first,
and when the pin was removed, you would have a small loop at the end which would act as a picot.
Continue working the motif.
First chain, ring, chain, ring as usual.
Begin the false ring, which is the chain.
Pull it up firmly.
Shuttle join to the top.
Continue round, making the next double stitch as close as possible.
Continue round until you come back to the beginning and tie off.
The pattern also includes a three leaf motif which begins with a chain.
The advantage of starting these particular motifs at the beginning of a chain
is that it's much easier to hide the finishing ends behind the bud or the leaf
than at the end of the chain which makes the stalk.
The head of the teesle in motif 11 is worked in exactly the same way as the bud,
except for the addition of extra long picots.
Once blocked, these stand out and can be cut to form spikes.
It's important to cut across and not through or the ends will curve in.
The teesle's nice textured stalk is worked in something I call lock chain.
It is made of a series of lock stitches and is best demonstrated in two colours.
Work the first half of the double stitch normally.
The second half doesn't change.
First half normally, second half straight.
This is the opposite of how you would usually make a lock stitch for a false picot,
but I find it easier when working a number for a lock chain.
Although I haven't come across a lock chain in any pattern book,
and it obviously has limited use, I have occasionally found it useful and effective.
Here you can see it has been used for the butterfly's antenna.
Another variation which gives an attractive texture is known by a number of names,
node stitch, zigzag, rickrack and ripple tatting, all of which attempt to describe its appearance.
The zigzag effect is achieved by working sets of stitches.
You can see the effect on the petals of motive 12.
Work four first half stitches.
You will find the thread twists,
followed by four second half stitches.
This is called a set of four.
We repeat for first half, one, two, three, four,
and for second half, one, two, three, four.
Now we have two sets of four.
Each petal has four sets of four, but begins and ends with a normal double stitch.
Practice a length of sets of stitches.
It feels strange at first as you don't have the same normal tatting rhythm.
Count each set carefully as you work as it's difficult to check afterwards.
You've seen throughout the video how tatting is made up of rings and chains
and that it's in the nature of tatting to curve.
There is however one variation which forms a perfectly straight line.
This is called pearl tatting.
Pearl tatting is a double sided chain worked with three threads.
In its simplest form, it's a firm braid.
I have used the braid to create a bold line for a peacock's neck.
To contrast with the more elaborate tail,
this was worked as a straight braid and slightly curved during mounting.
To practice, tie a shuttle thread to two ball threads of different colours.
Begin as if making a normal chain.
Work a double stitch.
Put down the first ball thread.
Turn over.
Pick up the second ball thread.
Work a double stitch.
Turn back.
Pick up the first ball thread.
Double stitch.
Continue working the chain with two colours alternately.
This is the finished effect.
You can try variations.
Two double stitches each side, the loop or picots between.
These were once called pearls, hence the name pearl tatting.
A more elaborate version has a shuttle on each thread.
Each thread, each ball thread, can then be used quite independently
to work rings or Josephine rings on either side.
In the flower basket, pearl tatting has been used to make a fern leaf.
I shall demonstrate the fern in two colours.
To avoid having three ends at the beginning,
have the shuttle and one ball thread as a continuous thread
with a length of contrast for the second ball thread.
Make the first double stitch with a contrast.
Alternate your double stitches until you have two on each side.
Now make a small picot.
Turn over and a small picot.
The other side.
Turn back and work an ordinary double stitch.
Over and repeat.
Back and another picot, but a little bit longer this time.
Over and another picot, the same size if possible as the one you've just done.
Back and do an ordinary double stitch. Over and another double stitch.
Continue working the fern with alternating picots,
gradually increasing the length as you go along.
After you have seven picots on both sides,
leave one ball thread to be finished off later
and complete with a normal chain eight.
Although not in the original sampler,
it is possible to use the technique of working with two threads and the shuttle thread
to create a very pretty effect with two colors in a pearl ring.
Begin with the first color as you would an ordinary ring.
Make a double stitch.
You now bring in a second color and hold a little to the left.
Push the first thread a little bit out of the way.
Put the second color round as if you were making a chain and work a double stitch.
Bring the second color out of the way.
Now work a picot, a fairly big one, with the first color.
Now bring the second color back on.
Back to the first one.
Back to the second.
Continue working round until you have about six large picots on the outside.
You'll finish up with a ring like that.
The use of beads in tatting is really a whole project on its own,
so I won't go into it in great detail.
To show you how they can be used in tatting,
I've reworked part of the leaf spray,
adding beads to suggest berries or seed heads.
Before you wind the shuttle, thread on three beads.
One bead will then be wound into the thread on the shuttle.
One bead will remain on the ball thread, leaving your middle one to start with.
Make your loop to begin the first ring.
Make sure the bead is in the bottom of the loop.
Work the first part of the ring.
Six double stitches.
Bring the bead into place.
Finish the ring.
Pull up firmly.
Close the ring.
Reverse work.
Make the first half of the chain the usual way.
Three double stitches.
Now bring the bead from the ball thread into place.
Hold it.
Finish the chain with three more double stitches.
Reverse work.
All you need to do for the next ring is to unwind, find the last bead, and complete.
Beads on the shuttle will always appear in rings and on the ball thread in chains.
Making use of some of the more unusual and textured techniques and by adding some beads,
our flower basket is transformed into an autumn arrangement.
You can see how the selective use of colour turns summer foliage into autumn leaves.
Beads replace picots to suggest seed heads and berries.
The handle of our flower basket is worked in a reverse tatting technique, sometimes called split ring.
It's an old technique which is enjoying a revival, as unlike some of the other older techniques,
it can be very useful and modern pattern designers are making increased use of it.
To practice you need two shuttles and two colours.
Make the first half of the ring in the usual way.
There are nine double stitches.
Take it off your hand.
Allow the shuttle to drop.
Put it back on your hand with the tops of the double stitches facing you.
The shuttle is now below.
Bring in the second thread, the second shuttle.
Now work nine double stitches, reversing each double stitch,
that is working the second half first and not transferring the knot.
By working in the two colours you can see that you have not transferred the knot.
Take it off your hand and return it to the hand in exactly the same position as it was originally.
Use the original first shuttle to pull up your ring.
Your threads are now in position to make the next ring.
A series of reverse tatted rings makes the handle.
Having varied the basket for spring, summer and autumn,
the final one for Christmas shows how a festive look can be achieved using thread with a sparkle.
Many lurex threads are not suitable for tatting, but here are some you might like to try.
DMC Claire, which is available in gold and silver, the basket was worked in this, and it equates to a 40.
Fine machine embroidery thread is too fine and stretchy on its own.
But if you work two together with a filer dentelle, the three threads worked as one again equates a 40.
The slightly thicker Madeira thread equates a 20.
And for a really chunky decoration for the Christmas tree, try Twilly's Goldfingering.
You will find when working with metallic thread, you need to tat more slowly with a slightly looser tension,
and turning the knot a little earlier. It's a little rough on the hands, but well worth it.
There are one or two more skills I would like to show you which you may find useful.
First, how do you take in a new thread if the shuttle or ball thread runs out?
You can of course just tie on and start working with a new full shuttle or ball thread and continue.
But if the tatting is to be washed, ends have to be sewn in, so it's better to deal with it at once.
Always take in a new thread at the beginning of a ring if possible.
Cut off the old shuttle, leaving an end.
Begin working the new shuttle with the next ring.
Make the first half of the double stitch.
Put the old end through the ring in the same direction as the shuttle thread.
Work the second half of the stitch.
Again, take the end through, using your hook to help you.
Notice that the end is following the shuttle thread.
Take the end through for the next two or three double stitches in the same way.
We now need to join.
Make sure the ends are out of the way.
You can still take the thread through.
Make sure it slides.
It has now gone through four, which is probably enough. Complete the ring.
Close the ring in the usual way.
Pull the end to make sure it comes up well.
Reverse work.
As you make the chain, you can lose the new end in the same way.
When you have completed the next ring, you can cut off your ends,
leaving the final piece to be trimmed when the tatting has been blocked.
A new ball thread can be introduced in the same way.
If you spot your mistake quickly enough, you can easily unpick a chain, or a ring if not yet closed.
But many tatters are not aware it is possible to undo a closed ring.
Don't try to open at the point of closing. You will only make it more difficult.
Ease open at the last picot.
Gently pull up the straight thread.
Go back to the previous picot and pull a little more, using a hook if necessary.
Ease round until you come to the beginning.
You should then be able to ease open.
Once you have enough thread, you will be able to unpick it.
If you are unable to do this, or if the mistake is some way back,
you will have to resort to cutting off, bringing in new threads and reworking.
Does tatting have a right and wrong side?
If you tat the double stitches for each ring and each chain as I have shown you,
then on any piece, the right side of the ring is on one side,
the right side of the chains is on the other,
because the tatting is reversed after every ring and chain.
The rings are right way up, the chain is reverse side.
Turn it over, the chain is now right side up, the rings are reversed.
The difference can be seen where there are picots.
This is the accepted traditional method of tatting.
However, experienced tatters might like to refine their tatting,
so that the completed piece has a right and reverse side throughout.
This is quite simply done by working rings as usual,
but on the chains tat each double stitch by working the second half first,
followed by the first half.
Here you can see the two pieces.
This side is the correct side throughout.
If we turn it over, it is reversed throughout.
This is not a tatting shuttle, it is a knotting shuttle.
This is a modern one.
Antique knotting shuttles were often made in costly materials.
This one is made of tortoiseshell and inlaid with gold.
Knotting was a popular occupation of the aristocracy in the 18th century.
Heavy silko linen cord was wound onto the shuttle,
and using a technique similar to tatting a Josephine ring,
for example three half stitches of a double stitch,
a series of small knots were worked close together to create a textured cord,
which was then couched as a decoration onto furnishings.
Knotting was regarded as a graceful pastime,
and it was not unusual for portraits to be painted with a sitter holding a shuttle,
and with a silk bag containing the knotted cord over the left wrist.
Knotting can be used attractively on a modern picture.
I have used the technique to create a crunchy snowman,
adding beads and embroidered French knots,
and appropriately a knot garden.
Antique tatting doesn't have the high price tag often found on other antique laces,
but fine pieces are not easily found.
Early examples date from mid-Victorian times.
This is a typical piece with characteristic circular motifs,
needle lace centres.
Note the absence of chains which were not thought to have been used before 1864.
Joints were made with a needle, and motifs tied together at picots rather than joined during working.
Today you can find tatting which is being made in the Far East for sale quite cheaply in the shops.
Notice the tatting is combined with crochet.
Here is a modern example of chemical lace,
which is machine embroidered to resemble tatting,
and the cloth then dissolved chemically to leave just the lace.
I have tried to include as much as possible in this programme,
although inevitably choices had to be made and some things left out.
If you would like to find out more about tatting,
you might like to join the Ring of Tatters in England,
or a tatting group in your area.
I hope by using the video as a learning tool,
beginners will master the basics,
and more experienced tatters will learn some new techniques,
go on to experiment with different threads and textures,
and create their own designs.
Happy tatting!