54531 KIF75

Tb^ first haif-stitcb Tbr sccttrtd haif-stitdr

Hach fulf-stirch is generałly madę by looping the bali thread arouncl che indcx finger or ihumb, and (hen placing the loop so formed ovcr che frcc end of the necdlc. This tcchnique is similar to one known method of casting on stitches for knirring. Picors, as in shutrle tarting, arc measured spaces bctwccn rwo double stitches. A picot join is madę dircctly onto the necdlc by simply lifting a loop of thread through the adjaccnr picot. An advantage of tarting on a necdlc is the eose with which mistakes can be und one. Stitches are just slipped off the necdlc and rema dc.

Afmosr evcry rcchnique in shuttlc tarting can be replicated by tarting on a necdlc, rhough the latter is slightly looser in appearance. Pattems for shuttlc tarting, especially the contemporary srisual ones. can be followed casily. In practice, however, most tarting on a necdlc is actually a scrics of chains, with somc being drawn elose together to form mock rings. This practice is not unknown in shuttlc tarting, in fact whole pattems can be done with it, but mock rings are quite different from

.jctu.il rings. Pattems fcaturing rings soldy are the only ones wherc actual rings are formed with a necdlc. A single carrying thread would be advisablc in this case, to avoid doubłed thread between the rings. The tatter starts at the cml of the thread and works towards the nccdle. As no bali is rcquircd this thread would necd renewing morę frcquently.

HOOK TATTING

This is a form of tatting which devdoped in Japan. It uses a round shaft of regular gauge with a hook at each end. It rcsembles a doublc-cndcd crochct hook, but the hooks havc been flnttcncd to rcducc any bnlk while working. As with a tatting nccdle, the gauge of each tatting hook depends on the thickness of yarn bcing used.

Double stitches on a Miting hook

The tcchniquc for making double stitches is cxactly the same as that for tatting on a nccdle (sec Nccdle Tatting, abovc.) Howcvcr, bccausc thurc is a hook at cither end, the tatting hook may pass both ways through the double stitches, drawing loops of yarn after it. Tnttcrs who use this tcchniquc can still follow patterns written for shuttlc and needle tatting.

There is yet another form of tatting which utilises an ordinary crochct hook. Ir dcvclopcd in the latc ninetccnth ccntury but is rarcly used today. Known as tatting crochct, it is a hybrid ccchniquc using both hook tatting and crochct.