Saturday, May 17, 2008

Tatting Question

Fellow Tatters, I have a question. Do you consider the join as the first half of your ds? Last night I started a rather large project and I do consider the join as the first half. Suddenly it occurred to me that maybe I was taught incorrectly and it shouldn't be. Will some one please let me know if I am doing it correctly?

I just went to see what I could find out on youtube and I came upon this
very informative video provided by Tattyhead, Linda Davies. She explains how to put a bead on and how to make the last join without getting a twisted picot. Both of these techniques are sooo much easier than what I have been doing. I also believe she says that her join is considered as the first half of the ds, which would mean I have been doing it correctly all of this time.

To all of the youtube tatters, I would really enjoy seeing a video on how you join a new thread when you are in the middle of a project, as well as how you hide your tails. Last night when I was cutting off, tieing and hiding tails, I wondered if I was doing that right......... So I join the end to the beginning, cut, tie a knot (a knot should that be??) and weave back and front, back and front thru the work a couple of times with each tail individually, then cut off the extra thread.

As for joining thread in the middle of the project I had to do that last night too. Oh the horror of it all! I'm thinking I did it okay, probably not correctly. It was right before a ring, so I wove the thread under the short previous chain and once or twice thru the previous ring. I'm sure I'm not doing it correctly but can't grasp how else to do it. I've tried adding using the floss trick but I can't figure out how to tat over top of it.


I guess my one question turned into a couple here.

Happy Tatting,

Bonnie

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Bonnie, there are several ways to do something and it all depends on which works best and what you like to do. I was taught from old books to use the joins as first half of ds then one day I saw my sis did the join and then a whole ds. I will generally do it as the first half, unless it's the middle of the ring or chain or something and the design looks better to do a whole ds after...in other words...it's whatever floats your boats. I tat my ends in when I am starting or joining a thread. I use a square knot. Some people use a weavers knot other knots. Some weave ends in some use magic thread...it's whatever works. No right or wrong. Hope that helps.

Tat-a-Renda said...

Hi Bonnie,
It is up to the individual preferences whether to count the join as the first half of the double stitch or not. Which ever way you do it, you just have to be consistent throughout. As for me, I do.

And I join a new thread by making a knot and tatting the ends in immediately in the next ring/chain depending on what I am doing next.

Gina said...

I never count the join as a part of the stitch. I've seen much discussion on this and a lot of mathematics but I don't think it makes any difference at all as long as you are consistent. I've never seen it taught this way in the older publications but I do see it in newer ones from time to time.

Jane Eborall said...

I never count the join as part of the next ds but it's personal preference, I think. As for ends. I hide my beginning ends as I start, joining new threads as I go leaving just the two finishing ends to hide. I tie a square knot and sew ends into the heads of the ds's!!! I have some pages to show how to hide ends at the beginning if you want to look.
JaneEb

Sharon said...

I have always considered a join as a join, not part of a stitch. So I always do a full stitch after a join. Some people count the join as the first half of a stitch and some don't. It makes absolutely no difference as long as you are consistent.

There are a lot of ways to add in new thread and it's mostly a matter of preference. I like to add new thread at the beginning of a ring. I begin the ring with the new thread and weave the old thread in and out between each half stitch of the ring for 5 or 6 stitches, then I weave the new end into the following chain. I don't cut the ends off until I'm finished working the piece so that any stressing of the join doesn't pull things back out. At the end of the project I tie a square knot and then sew the ends in up and down through the caps of the stitches. I had a thread come out ONCE years ago. Now I don't give those suckers an opportunity to get loose. When I'm finished tatting I want to be able to fling the lace in the laundry with the rest of the clothes and know that I don't have to worry about ends coming out.

zarina said...

Sharon! You machine wash your tatting. My mum (and me too now that I'm tatting) is dying of shock.

Singtatter said...

I'm one that count a join as the first half of a stitch. Been doing that all the while and almost all the time. Occasionally, for some patterns, I may decide not to count the join as part of the stitch. Unless you are submitting your tatting to a examiner, who will say if it is right or wrong so long as the tatting looks good.

Melissa said...

There is no "correct" way for this question the only correct thing is to be consistent in which way you do it. I for one do not count it as the first half but most tatters do. I learned needle tatting before shuttle tatting and that's how I was taught and I just stick with it...why change it if it ain't broke? LOL Besides it's habit now for me and that is all that matters.