Guest Author - Beverly Elrod
I not only tat, but I do a variety of other needle crafts as well. One that I’ve been doing for a long time is crochet. People have often asked me such things as, “Can I substitute this yarn for what it calls for?” My answer is always, “Hey! It’s your product, you can use whatever material you want.” I once saw a woman making rugs out of a mixture of yarn and recycled sweatshirts and t-shirts. I bring up this little tidbit of information because I feel that the answer would be the same if the question applied to tatting. If you ask, “Can we use sewing thread to tat?” I answer, “Why not? It would either make a wonderful miniature or you could spend a long, long time working on a doily for your entry table.” But, the point is that you can use whatever your imagination allows you to use.
Only one time have I happened across a tatting shuttle that was designed for yarn. I have that shuttle tucked away somewhere in one of my storage units, but one day I plan to take it out and maybe use it to tat some jute. Hey! Why not? It can be tatted. And, wouldn’t that make a gorgeous front door rug? Or, I could rip up some old sheets and tie delicate, small knots and leave the strip edges a bit on the ragged side. That would make a great mud room rug. There’s no tatting limit to where your imagination will go. It’s all up to you. Can you see tatted flowers, stitched out of rug yarn, stitched onto a baby blanket or afghan? Make it so! Did you find a great deal at a yard sale on cones and cones of cording? Take advantage of that and use it to tat with a darning needle. You don’t know how to tat with a darning needle? You can learn how to do so, here, at BellaOnline.
What do you have in your attic, stored in the garage, basement or a storage shed, that’s either in some style of string/rope or can be cut into strips but, is getting in the way? Maybe now you can find a use for it. No need to throw out something that’s still in good condition when you can use it to tat some-
thing unique for your home, wardrobe or to gift to a friend or family. So, when friends ask you what size thread you use to tat with, you can tell them you’re using a new type of thread on your present project. Hmmmm! Maybe I’ll try needle tatting grapevines next.
