tatting

I have learned to tat! At least I think I did. See that tiny circle of knotted thread, to the right of the coin? That's tatting, believe it or not. The coin is a nickle. Kinda unimpressive, huh?






Growing up on the farm, we always had a "hired man."
For most of my childhood our hired man was Glenn, a somewhat developmentally disabled man who lived with us. I think he lived with us for almost twenty years. He had some physical disabilities and a difficult childhood, as I recall. My parents were good to him and he was like one of the family.

From time to time, Glenn's mother, Elsie, would come to visit him. She was also mentally challenged, and was not able to drive. My mom would drive to the residential facility where Elsie lived and bring her to the farm so she could spend the day with Glenn.
Elsie always brought her tatting along, and I was fascinated by the motions of her hands. I don't think she could read, but that woman could tat! I tried to learn from her, but never got the hang of it.
Until Friday. Sue (aka FIBER PRINCESS) taught a class on tatting at my shop. Sue is a wonderful, patient teacher and I think everyone in the class caught on.

Lynda always tells me that if a person practices a skill for 15 minutes a day, for 2 weeks, it will be with you for life. I intend to practice tatting until I can make something that can be seen without a magnifying glass!