Tatting --- the joy of old things

Tatting is something my mother Margaret learned (from a family friend called Mrs Stringer) while serving in the WRENS during the Second World War. I was over at her house the other day, having brought my crochet to do, but I forgot my hook so she had a rummage around for hooks and during the rummage found her long lost tatting. 

There is a beautiful piece of white lace, begun but never finished (makes me feel better about all the half finished projects I have!).

On the right is a cotton hankie that she had started to edge with tatting, but had rather quickly given up. Again I empathise with mum - so many things just started and never progressed. 

I love the beautiful tatting shuttle (is that the right word?). I own up to a love of craft equipment. I feel that often our hobbies and pastimes reflect our primitive hunter gatherer instincts - we hunt out and gather yarns and equipment instead of berries and insects. I particularly like old equipment and really think I should start hunting for that. This shuttle is very tactile, beautiful to look at and touch.