Tatting

Tatting is an old fashioned art form.  Kind of like crochet, only very different, tatting is a method of using thread or string to create lace and embellishments.  My grandmother knew how to tat, I have a doily she made.  My mother did not know how, though she is the one who taught me to crochet.  I learned how to tat, in its most rudimentary and crude iteration, when I lived in California.  It is something I’ve wanted to master.  But it is hard.  And frustrating.  When you make a mistake in crochet, you pull the string and out comes the problem, without muss or fuss.  When you make a mistake in tatting, sometimes you can  painstakingly take it out stitch by stitch or, more often, I have to throw the piece away. The good thing is I usually don’t get very far before I make a catastrophic mistake. While I have ‘played’ at tatting in the past, I always knew I had neither the time nor the patience to actually spend much time at it.  Now,  I do have that time, so my efforts and enthusiasm have been renewed. 

Yay! After lots of practice and a whole set of lessons on YouTube viewed, I made this little flower!  Doesn’t look like much and clearly I’m still not sure what to do with the ends when I finish, but it’s a start.  Buoyed and encouraged, I ordered myself some new thread and a couple more tatting shuttles, and I’m on my way.  Here’s a bit of something I finished last night:

Adding the beads was interesting, and I feel like I’ve really accomplished something here… I have a feeling that I won’t ever be absolutely terrific at this hobby,  but thanks to YouTube and Pinterest, I have an online support system that makes it possible for me to enjoy the struggle to learn how to tat.

So here’s the question. Am I using my time wisely?  Am I honoring God when I sit for an hour or so and try to tat?  Hmmm.  I find a lot of joy in creating these little string pretties. (And, okay, I growl a bit when I make a mistake!)  Could it be that since Adam was created in God’s image and I am a descendant of Adam, that a tiny bit of God’s creativity flows out of my hands when I actually get it right?  (And maybe I understand God’s desire for perfection in us as His children and frustration when we turnout lop-sided or twisted.)  I think so.  I love that I can be creative and work to make something beautiful.  I am thankful for that ability, and I hope that somehow His creativity and beauty are reflected in my efforts.  Now, if I can just figure out what a split ring is…. Sorry, gotta go. You Tube is calling.