On Mon, Sep 1, 2008 at 2:08 PM, Julie Tamura <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > 2) It's quite a reach from fishing nets to the tiny rings and picots of > tatting. I believe they're related but I don't consider net making proof of > tatting.
I also think they're related, but they are distinctly different crafts. Netting and tatting can be done with the same basic knot (half hitches), but netting is usually done with the slightly different sheet bend knot instead. I think this prevents the knot from sliding on the foundation thread that you're tying on to, which is good for netting but bad for tatting. The tools used are essentially interchangeable (although a modern tatting shuttle is large enough that it puts a limit on how fine a net you can make). However I can't think of any period examples where netting is worked to produce the kind of lace patterns that you'd find in tatting. Although the nets can be very fine (not just fishing nets, e.g. silk hairnets - examples in MoL Textile and Clothing book), they do seem to be just plain diamond nets with some shaping. The other approach is from needle lace, which produces designs that (to me at least) look similar to tatting, especially punto in aria. However my understanding is that while they look similar, they have a different underlying structure, and are made differently. Having not actually learned lace-making yet, though, I don't want to make too strong a statement. Tatting might not be a bad substitute, though, for someone who was already proficient in it and not eager to learn another technique. - Catrijn _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
