Tatting: a blend of beauty

Jennifer McClain

While little is known of the exact origin of crochet, even less information has been recorded about the technique that combined crochet and needle tatting. Last seen nearly 100 years ago, crochet tatting is now making a comeback. Thanks to the dedication of those who believe time-honored stitching techniques should be perpetuated, you can once again find patterns and hooks that incorporate the ease of crochet with the distinct beauty of tatting. 

One tool does it all
Numerous designs have been created through the years that allowed tatted pieces to be worked and then joined or edged with crochet. But crochet tatting blends the look of both techniques with the use of a single tool. Crocheters can once again add delicate tatting rings to their designs without stopping and reaching for another tool.

Changes in hook shaping
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, crochet tatting was possible since crochet hooks did not yet have a finger grip or, as some term it, a thumb rest. This flattened area on the shank of the crochet hook did not appear until around 1920. Since the shaft of the crochet hook was of a consistent size except at the tip, needle tatting techniques could be incorporated with crochet. However, as manufacturers began to create crochet hooks that had a tapered shaft, crochet tatting slowly disappeared from the scene. 

Developing new hooks
Today several hooks are available that allow you to enjoy this technique. These hooks have an extended shaft that is of uniform thickness from the handle to just before the hook at the tip. This shaft holds the thread the same as a tatting needle would. With the addition of the crochet hook at the end, you can create any crochet stitch just as easily. Working with the longer-than-normal hook takes a little adjustment and if you typically hold your crochet hook like a pencil, you’ll find it easier if you hold the straight-shaft hook as you would a knife. Most crocheters find it takes only a little practice to become accustomed to the hook. 

Making a ring
Needle tatting rings are simply a series of loops made over the shaft of the needle using a half-hitch, sometimes called a half-stitch. In crochet tatting you are using the shaft of the hook, rather than the needle, as the holder of the half-hitches. Once the desired number of loops is formed, rather than pulling the needle through the loops to close the ring, you use the crochet hook to pull the thread through the loops. Once the ring is formed, you generally will chain a certain length and make another ring. If picots are needed in the rings, they are formed just as in needle tatting by leaving a long strand between two half-stitches. When the stitches are pushed together as the ring is closed, these long strands form the picot loops. Rings are joined to other rings and to crochet stitches with picots. 

Closing the ring is a matter of experimenting with how you hold the loop and hook as you pull the thread through the loops. One method is to pull the thread through as though working a bullion stitch. Another technique is to center your thumb over the loops on the hook and slide them off as the thread pulls through. 

The look is not the same