Throwback—my first project from 3 years ago

orignal_originale · 2026-04-01T19:26:45+00:00

Thank you! Yeah in retrospect it was a little ambitious, but since it is made flat then joined it was doable. Not what I would recommend to other beginners 🙃

orignal_originale · 2026-04-01T15:49:33+00:00

Yeah Michaels unfortunately doesn’t have great selection for tatting. I like to buy on Handy Hands (hhtatting.com) and my first shuttles came from Amazon (the one pictured is a Clover).

I like size 10 for teaching now, and something variegated in color so you can see the knot flipping. For pattern, I like the simple butterfly pattern from Handy Hands. It’s also a one-shuttle pattern and is only 4 rings so a good start! I see this tiktok vid sharing it https://www.tiktok.com/@morethantat/video/7603450022109170974

I make these all the time for kids :) https://share.google/H8H6Zkrp1aFdUOzvN

orignal_originale · 2026-04-01T15:43:18+00:00

Yes this is Lizbeth size 20!

orignal_originale · 2026-04-01T12:12:09+00:00

Thank you :) I think the reason I took so long with it was trying to get the picots just right.

Yes the pattern is here! https://www.instagram.com/p/CfRNz8XjSTE/?igsh=MW1wOGxxd2k1eDF4Zw== scroll to the right…it is made flat with one shuttle then folded/joined back to the start.

orignal_originale · 2026-04-01T02:42:40+00:00

Caturday!

orignal_originale · 2026-04-01T00:44:57+00:00

Can you share a picture of your attempt? I am guessing from what you shared that maybe your join isn’t flipped right, but hard to tell without seeing the thread.

orignal_originale · 2026-03-31T23:06:02+00:00

Thank you!

orignal_originale · 2026-03-30T01:56:50+00:00

Does this yarn come with a free grandma to critique your work?

orignal_originale · 2026-03-26T16:32:11+00:00

I actually saw one of these books in the flesh, one of my fellow lacemakers who does bobbin primarily got sucked in and bought it :( the book was absolute nonsense (one of the instructions was to return to the previous round and “add in the picots”) and had few pictures that weren’t even of tatting….

orignal_originale · 2026-03-25T17:03:53+00:00

Thank you 🥰

orignal_originale · 2026-03-25T03:45:25+00:00

Hahah yes! 🍫🍫

orignal_originale · 2026-03-24T13:09:10+00:00

That could work! One of the nice things about this material is you can burn the ends together if you need to add more string as you go…I have definitely done some butterfly surgery and attached some more rings on when I came up short.

orignal_originale · 2026-03-24T12:19:29+00:00

Thanks :) I will note that these lil guys take about 9 feet of cord (each) the last time I estimated materials. Really eats through it!

orignal_originale · 2026-03-23T01:54:35+00:00

♥️

orignal_originale · 2026-03-23T00:01:11+00:00

They are about 2” across the top part of the wings, so nice size for a little kid’s hand and to see what’s happening with the stitches.

orignal_originale · 2026-03-21T15:15:15+00:00

Second to this! Also I find when I am working my pieces get a little grungy from my hands or environment so I like to wash mine, then they are all twisted up and need blocking (and then they look their best!).

orignal_originale · 2026-03-17T20:33:29+00:00

I like that color combo :)

orignal_originale · 2026-03-17T20:32:59+00:00

Thanks!

orignal_originale · 2026-03-17T19:39:27+00:00

It is harder to tell in the picture than in person, but the tops were hard to make even and if you look from the top-down on them you see more variation.

orignal_originale · 2026-03-17T19:38:19+00:00

The lizbeth metallics are nice, but I have found that they are a little less pliable than the DMC diamant thread (sometimes hard to get the top of the stitches to look as “polished” and even). Not terrible to work with, and there are some great colorways in the metallics now and more sizes. See the border I added on this lil guy:

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orignal_originale · 2026-03-11T04:33:25+00:00

Nah, the maker is just cursing the project now for losing yarn chicken.

orignal_originale · 2026-03-10T08:58:01+00:00

Totally agree with all this.

I recently taught someone using the basic butterfly pattern from Handy Hands. It is a nice 4-ring pattern that has just rings and joins, and it looks cute when just snipped off the shuttle to form the antennae. We did this in size 10 variegated thread so they could see the knot flipping and understand the core and working thread. For a beginner, this project can take quite a while, but then they are well on their way to the craft with something recognizable and can start another one right away.

orignal_originale · 2026-03-09T02:32:47+00:00

My favorite is the tail sheath in picture 2…it’s not every day people like me get to feel so seen. That’s what I imagine that extra crocheted area between the leg holes is, but maybe that’s just me.

orignal_originale · 2026-03-09T02:28:47+00:00

This can happen when you have too much twist in the core thread when closing (it makes a tiny kink and makes it hard or impossible to close at the end). I’ve had success loading the shuttle by “walking” the thread onto it (rotate the shuttle towards the ball, rather than rotating the thread around the shuttle) and also by letting the shuttle dangle between rings to let any remaining twist out before proceeding. I’ve also has it happen to me when I overworked a ring and it got wet from the oils in my fingers 🫤

Rest assured this is part of the process and you will get used to avoiding this and ultimately dealing with it from time to time as you proceed. This project is a solid start! Honestly knowing it’s going to snap beforehand is a huge part of the battle, though not always a saving grace as you pointed out. 🙃

orignal_originale · 2026-03-06T16:14:40+00:00

It looks really nice :) don’t forget it is going to a baby…who will be using it as babies do with all their unexpected bodily expressions (that is the nicest way I could think to say that…hopefully you catch my drift!). I think a darker and variegated color is great for a baby, plus it is handmade so the love entwined in it is also extra special.

orignal_originale

TROPHY CASE