Lost Art: Does anyone know how to tat?   

Both my parents knew how to tat. I don't recall now why Dad learned -- I think he was just driving Grandma crazy on a rainy day or something. And Mom knew because she just knew how to most needlecrafts. For whatever stupid reason, I never learned how. I think since Mom's right handed and I'm left handed, it just took to long for her to teach me anything (we have since learned the trick of having her face me, but I didn't know that when I was trying to learn how to knit, crochet, embroider, needelpoint, etc.) As for what you can do with it, the only thing I've ever seen tatted was lace -- either onto a garment or other item or as a whole lace item: doily, table runner, dresser scarf, tablecloth, etc. I don't know if you can do anything other than that: the shuttles I've seen are all so small, I don't think you can work with anything very heavy.

Yes I tat. I don't do it terribly well, but thats because I never get time to practice, but I can do all the basics and enjoy making simple lace to trim other projects with. My mother was really good at tatting, and I have a lot of her tools as well as some antique tatting shuttles that I really enjoy using.

For my birthday last September I went out and bought a tatting shuttle. I think it has become a lost art. I've been trying to find a book on tatting, but I've had no luck or the ones that I have found just don't seem to have a format that I find appealing. I am finding that tatting is a lot like filet crochet, but it's not as delicate as tatting. I can't see myself doing a lot of projects with it if I get good at it. What I do see myself doing is learning the art to pass it on to my daughter ir grand-daughter.

DCMerkle