It's hard to recall the first time I saw tatted lace, but it was when I was quite a small child. It was love at first sight. All growing up, tatting was something I wanted to learn. It's so delicate and ornate and exquisitely beautiful.
During the 90's, I stumbled across a tatting VHS tape at the library. Just thinking about the technology takes me down memory lane! Bev Dillon had created simple and understandable video lessons that got me started tatting easy edgings. Success at the simple creates desire to learn more complex skills, and so I signed up for Georgia Seitz's online beginner class this fall.
By the end of the class, I was able to tackle this challenge snowflake:
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| 12-24-12 An adaptation of Tina Frauberger's original |
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| 12-30-12 Joelle Paulson's Le Flocon Frivole |
As I tatted these two snowflakes, my my raced ahead past all the challenging new techniques introduced in these flakes to some additional ones I'd like to master:
- reproducing samples I see, even without a written pattern, and
- translating photographs of snow crystals into tatted thread.
The fantastic thing about tatting the snowflakes above was that each point is repeated six times. That's some good repetition for a new skill. Yet it doesn't force you to repeat the same new skill hundreds of times, in case it isn't one you don't much enjoy.
Also, I've always dreamed of having a Christmas tree adorned with a flurry of tatted white snowflakes, each one unique. If I set a goal for myself to tat a new snowflake every week between now and Christmas, that would give me time to create fifty individually beautiful flakes. That isn't a great deal of time pressure, but the results could be stunning.
Why a Blog?
Something I've discovered about tatters is that they form a generous and supportive community. A blog is a great way to participate in the bigger online community. Let's face it, in the rural area where my family lives, there may not be more than a tiny handful of women with an interest in tatting. But I'd love to be able to pass along some of the encouragement and support that I've found from other online tatters, as well as to share patterns. Hopefully I'll be writing some of my own before the year is out!
A public venue like a blog creates a sense of accountability. While "improving my tatting skills" is a noble goal, it is also nebulous and difficult to define. If, instead, I proclaim to myself and anyone who might stop by a blog that I will be tatting a new design every week for a year, I've made an open committment. As a result, those tatting skills should naturally grow.
Will you join me?
This should be great fun! I'd love to know if anyone is reading or inspired or would like to be pointed in a direction where they might get some help to conquer their own tatting obstacles. And of course, if you have pointers for me, I would LOVE to hear them! Please leave a comment or sign up to follow. The more, the merrier! Thanks for coming along!
--Rose-Marie
