This new book of tatting patterns is not just another collection of pretty photographs of tatted colored lace! Yes, the color and presentation of Tomoko Morimoto's "Lessons in Tatting" book is wonderful. All tatted projects are lavishly displayed and even the diagrams are in two colors. But the tutorial pages rise beyond the expected.





The dust jacket front cover shows two shuttle work. Two shuttles are needed for throwing off rings (floating rings) from a chain.







The back cover displays a large traditional style tatted doily.







The inside book cover has a collar which features beaded tatting and node stitch of the bow and the inner row of tatting. It also shows a good use of negative space in tatted lace.

However, it is the tutorial pages which really shine in the book. The example above shows the flip, or transfer of the loop in illustrations. But what is more helpful is the photo above that which shows a chain in progress. The chain always shows the color of the left hand (for right-handed tatters)and when two colors are used the mistakes become obvious. In this photo, the wrong stitch stands out like a sore thumb. [Note: this is the reason that I always teach the chain in two colors to beginners first.] In one color, as in tatting a ring, the beginner cannot see what has locked up the ring, they know just that it will not close. The tutorial is excellent for explaining this problem.

Tomoko's book is in Japanese but the diagrams are well marked. She provides a lot of extra information, too. In this example from pg. 76 the amount of thread needed to complete and differentiates between the shuttle thread and the ball thread (or shuttle 2.) The double stitch count is given on the diagram which also shows the starting point and the direction of work is marked with an arrow. The order in which the rings are tatted is marked with a number in the center of the rings. With diagrams, this well prepared the actual language of the book does not matter because we all speak "tatting."

The projects include two edgings which impressed me. On page 8 there is a block tatting motif which incorporates negative space design in the center. And there is a one-shuttle all rings design that is simple but so elegant. Ordinary motifs are combined for large table decorations, curtains, tablecloths, purses and all kinds of jewelry.



Note: I acquired this book for my personal tatting reference library. G. Seitz.