BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Tatting Help needle tatting

I am new to needle tatting and have a book and think I am following the directions correctly, but when I try to make a ring when I slide my work off the needle over the eye it just makes a bunch of little knots.:( What am I doing wrong? Please help me.

I don't needle tat myself (YET), but on one tatting site, these aree some recommended tutorial sites:
H H Tatting

InTatters Site
ToTusMel's Awesome Tatting tutorials

You Tube also has some good tutotials. There are several more that are listed on InTatters. Hope one of these are helpful to you.

Hi, Try this. Hold the stitches that are on the needle fairly firmly with one hand(L?) while you're pulling the needle through them with the other (R?). Keep holding.... no peeking yet... Keep pulling the thread that's through the eye of the needle. Watch the loop of thread at the bottom as it gets smaller. When its about an inch from disappearing, put the needle through this loop. Now resume pulling the thread, carefully, until the loop disappears. Voila! A Ring appears! Now for the good news. The bunch of little knots is called a chain, and appears every time you forget to put the needle through the loop. So, you've just learned the Ring and Chain techniques.Yeah!

Judy, thanks for answering the question. I'm sure this is what scarletsmiles was missing. I generally put the needle in that ring IMMEDIATELY after I pull the stitches off of it (otherwise, I'll probably forget to do so). Can't tell you how many times I've done that.

BUT, should that happen, there's an easy fix. You can separate the stitches back at the base (between the end of the last chain and where you began the ring stitches. You will see two core threads in there. Simply place the needle between the two threads and pull up all of the thread behind the needle. Thus...you will have your ring.

I put my little finger in the loop before I pull the stitches off the needle so I won't forget to make the ring or lose it. Does that make sense? I do needle tatting, so perhaps you all are referring to shuttle tatting. My mom tried to teach me with a shuttle years ago. I like the needle version much better.

I am a shuttle tatter that decided a week ago to try needle tatting. From the shuttle point of view, needle tatting is all chains. As an absolute beginner, I have a question. The tutorials I followed all have a knot at the end of the rings and chains. Since this is the equivalent of the shuttle shoe lace trick, is this used for the reverse work in shuttle patterns? Or does it somehow lock the chain/ring in place?

Hello Terryn,

Just checking in to see your progress in needle tatting. Got any photos to share? Do you need help with any of the advanced techniques like the split ring or split chain?
Glad to help any time.

scarletsmiles, There are two types of rings in needle tatting. 1. a mock ring, which is actually a chain drawn up to form a ring. 2. a true ring, known as a 'roselle'. This is formed by using the end of a single thread in the eye of the needle. Barbara Foster of Handy Hands sells good instruction books for needle tatters.

Those learning needle tatting will be pleased to know that a method for creating the wide picot using the tatting needle has been developed.
Needle Tatting the Wide Picot