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Basic Shuttle Tatting

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Shuttle tatting is the hand lace technique of tying double stitch knots onto a foundation thread that is shaped into rings and chains to form a lacy material. The double stitch is the same type of knot as the lark's head knot used in macrame.
In shuttle tatting, the right hand is used to maneuver the shuttle around the thread on the left hand. The left hand is used to maneuver the thread that forms the stitches.
The trick to tatting is to perform the movements made by the right and left hands in a continuous motion as you form the loops and tie the knots. This takes a little patience and practice. Once the basic steps are mastered, it is very easy.
Working Posture
1: Wind three yards of thread onto shuttle, leaving a 24" end.
2:Hold the shuttle with thumb and index finger on right hand and hold thread about 3" from the end between thumb and index finger on left hand and wrap thread clockwise in a circle around fingers on left hand and back through thumb and index finger.
This loop is called the working thread and it forms the stitches. The thread that stretches between the loop on your left hand and the shuttle is called the shuttle thread, and it is the foundation that the stitches are worked onto.
Now you are ready to make stitches.
This clip is from Annie's video class, Learn to Shuttle Tat with instructor Janette Baker.
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