qertchat.blogg.se

I got them at a vintage shop (I think the shuttle is Bakelite or celluloid and the hook is bone), but you can find plenty of shuttles online.

And you can always switch to shuttle tatting later, like I did. If you like the way needle tatting looks in action, by all means try it! It's worth it to try, especially as it makes the principles of tatting easier to grasp. Those cons shouldn't be deciding factors for you, since you might have different body mechanics or tolerances than I. However, I eventually decided I didn't care for needle tatting, for three reasons: first, I found the body mechanics were stressful on my fingers (pinching and gripping the needle) second, I didn't care for the fact that I had to start with a super long thread and pull the whole length through each loop (I thought it was too much friction, would wear the thread out) third, I tended to over-tighten my half-hitches on the needle shaft, and then I had to struggle to pull the needle through and close the loop (the only way it worked was to have relaxed half-hitches, which made a looser lace in the end). Whatever needle you opt for, look for good length and strength: you'll be manipulating it a lot as you work, so you don't want a junky one. Your needle doesn't need to be sharp, because it's not piercing anything. Based on Dmeranda's picture above, I think the biggest difference might be the dull point. There are tatting needles on the market, but they didn't have them at my fabric store, so I don't know how they differ from doll needles.

I found the long shaft useful for looping lots of half-hitches to, and the low-profile eye necessary for pulling the thread through.

For my work, I bought what are called "doll needles"-long shafted needles which are the same diameter all along their length and have a long eye that is no bigger in diameter than the rest.