Hobbyist Lisa Quan says her grandmothers piqued her interest in the needle arts as a child, and she passionately immersed herself in needlework as an adult. Quan says her obsession is tatting, a method of lacemaking in which loops are created, then joined together. In tatting, different effects can be achieved with different gauges of thread. The ring is the basis for all other stitches, while the adjoining outer loops -- the picot -- join everything together (figure A). The basic stitch is created with a shuttle: - Using one hand to hold the thread, with the shuttle take the other end under the thread (figure B).
- Go back over the thread with the shuttle and and pull the thread tight.
- For the second part of the stitch, take the shuttle over the tightly held thread and then pull shuttle through.
Tatting with a needle is a better method for a beginner, Quan says, yet produces the same results. Quan suggests taking a class to learn shuttlework, but she adds that beginners can learn to stitch with a needle from a book.
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