Jan Stawasz is the premier tatting designer in Poland. Taught by a friend in 1992, Jan has been developing his tatting technique and design ever since. His designs have been published in Moje Robotki, Burda's "Anna", Igla i Nitka, Poradnik Domowy and the British Workbox, among others. Polish television broadcast his tatting course on air in 1995. The Polish Ministry of Culture and Art awarded him a scholarship in 1997 for his studies. He is also a co-author of the Polish Ministry of Labour and Social Policy's National Professional Qualifications Standard for "lacemaker."

Jan's book, "Tatting Theory and Patterns" (out of print) covers his method of tatting with close-up photos and detailed drawings of the technical instructions. The book has 30 diagrammed patterns including 12 doilies (many of his doilies are huge in size containing many rounds) , 5 necklaces, 2 collars, 6 window and Christmas-tree trimmings, 3 cloche hats in the European mode, a flower basket and a blouse.

The most important point of Jan's Method (http://www.frywolitka.slupsk.pl/index_en.php?id=_jans_method), is his placement of the picot in the middle of a double stitch between the first half stitch and the second half stitch. Most of today's tatting designers place the picot between the second half stitch and the first half stitch of the following double stitch.

To understand and tat his patterns we must be aware that the first dot (before a slash mark) indicates the first half stitch. The slash mark indicates a picot. A second dot (after a slash mark) calls for the second half stitch.