Needle-Tatting

No, not some fancy new way to describe tattooing, but the down-home, old-school, old-fashioned form of lace-making that your great-grandmothers and beyond all did. Because I thrive on hobbies and making stuff and learning new abilities, within a month of beginning needle-tatting, I am somewhat capable of making gifts and things for people (paid, what what?).

My tatting journey began when I was just a young child reading books where "tatting" was referenced but never explained. And since then I have always wondered what on earth that was and how on earth to do it. Thanks to a trip to historic Deerfield, Mass with Mombet (Calvin's ma), a sight of a shuttle-tatting kit in a gift shop, a word about how I've always wanted to learn how to do that, and a very generous gift of one to me, I started teaching myself to shuttle-tat.

When I got to California this summer, though, shuttle-tatting was super difficult to keep all of the half hitch knots as half hitch knots and not as just plain knots. I was almost despairing when I discovered TotusMel and her needle-tatting that some people say is easier than shuttle-tatting and that seemed a lot easier to me. Thus a new hobby was born. My latest finished project is a TotusMel original design of Barefoot Sandals that I made in white for my sister's weddiing/honeymoon/everyday use as a birthday present (which was yesterday. Happy Birthday Tiffany!).

I love hobbies. Do you love hobbies? Because I'm always up for some new ones. I've been dying to find someone to make this homemade mozzarella with me.