February 1, 2011
I’m reading Tatting: Technique & History by Elgiva Nicholls. This is a fascinating history of tatting. It was published in 1962 and some of social mores of the 1950s and 60s no longer apply. Today, June Cleaver would never be nominated for a role model–vacuuming her house in heels and a pearl necklace. Our enthusiasm for doilies may be waning and we don’t tat antimacassars anymore, but we still love to ornament our Christmas tree with tatting or send a card with tatting to a friend.
But I digress. Nicholls’ book has loads of information about the history of tatting. What surprised me about this book is it also contains many suggestions about designing tatting patterns. For example, the chain, by nature, is a curved element adding a graceful rhythm to a design.
Through the IOLI Library Loan program, I have ordered the following books:
The Dictionary of Needlework by S.F.A. Caulfeild & Saward,
A History of Lace by Santina M. Levey
The Identification of Lace by Earnshaw
I can’t wait for them to arrive. Can you guess my first assignment? I need to write a short history of lace. Stay tuned.