If you’ve looked on my blog before, you’ve probably noticed that I enjoy tatting. Tatting is a great vintage craft and this post is all about the different types of tatting.
Tatting is a form of lace that is made with one stitch, the double stitch and picots. And you can make dollies, shawls, lace edgings, ornaments and more.
In this post I’ll show you the three different types of tatting. The three different types are shuttle tatting, needle tatting and cro-tatting.
Tatting has been around for a long time, so it’s definitely a vintage craft. Tatting is a form of lace making, and it is the easiest form of lace making that you can make.
It’s a lot more stable when you start making the lace, than if you use the bobbin lace technique. Because bobbin lace needs a pillow and quite a few pins that you wrap and twist the threads around to create the lace. While tatting just needs a shuttle or needle and your thread.
You can also find free tatting pattern on my blog.
- Free Mushroom Tatting Pattern and Tutorial.
- Easy and Simple Square Motif Tatting Pattern.
- Free Snowman Tatting Pattern and Tutorial.
- Free Lace Bookmark Shuttle Tatting Pattern.
- Free Elegant Snowflake Ornament Tatting Pattern.
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Shuttle Tatting
Shuttle tatting is my favorite out of all the types of tatting. In shuttle tatting you use a tatting shuttle, that you wrap the thread around.
Tatting shuttles can have a pointed end or they can have a little hook at the end. The end is used to pull the thread through a picot, so you can connect the rings or chains.
I like to use a really small crochet hook to connect the picots. Shuttle tatting is a little trickier than needle tatting, because of the way you make the stitches.
But, in shuttle tatting you can use the same shuttle for any size of thread.
And here is the post I did on “Shuttle Tatting for Beginners: Step by Step Tutorial.”
Needle Tatting
Needle tatting is the easiest and most beginner-friendly form of tatting. The stitches in needle tatting are made directly on the tatting needle and then you slide the stitches off the needle onto the thread.
Tatting needles are just long, blunt needles that have the same thickness from the needle’s eye to the tip. The needles come in different sizes.
You’ll use different sizes of needle for the different sizes of thread. For example if you’re using size 10 crochet thread you’ll use a size 5 tatting needle.
And tatting patterns might say shuttle tatting pattern or needle tatting pattern. But, you can tat any tatting pattern with a shuttle or needle.
Out of all the types of tatting, needle tatting is probably the best for beginners to start. And here is a post I did for “DIY Needle Tatting (Easy Step by Step Tutorial).“
Cro-Tatting
Cro-tatting is also called crochet tatting or cro-tat. This is a combination of tatting and crocheting. And like crocheting cro-tatting is easy to unravel, unlike regular tatting which is just about impossible to undo.
This is probably the most uncommonly done type of tatting. Because you hear more about needle tatting and shuttle tatting, then cro-tatting. I had been tatting for awhile before I had even heard about cro-tatting.
Cro-tatting is also said to be harder than crocheting and tatting.
The hook used in cro-tatting has a long shank with a hook on the end. The hook is smaller than regular crochet hooks.
Cro-tatting is probably more similar to needle tatting. Where the stitches are made on the needle, then you slide them off the needle while pulling thread through the stitches.
Conclusion
There are the 3 different types of tatting you can try. All of these tatting types are enjoyable and you can make some great lace with them.
If you’re an absolute beginner at tatting. You’ll probably want to start with needle tatting. Because needle tatting is the easiest kind of tatting you can start.
In fact needle tatting is what I started with when I started tatting. And tatting is also an inexpensive craft to start. Because one ball of crochet thread will do quite a bit of tatting.
I hope that you enjoyed this post about the different types of tatting and that it has help you to learn a little bit more about tatting. And thank you reading this new tatting post.
