BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Tatting What is Tatting Pins?

I was reading a tatting book by Mlle Riego, from the public domain list, and one of the items listed in the 'Materials' required is a tatting pin.

What is a tatting pin? How was it used before?

Faizon - from Malaysia

I am not sure, but what were called pins in many older needlework and stitchery books we call needles today. For instance, old public domain knitting books refer to "knitting pins" where we would say "knitting needles." It could be a tatting needle. Does the book teach needle tatting or just tatting with shuttles?

Julie

Hi Julie, and thank you for the reply.

The book I am looking at is 'Simple Book of Tatting' by Mlle. Reigo. Besides the tatting pin, the instruction also mentioned the use of a shuttle. An instruction using the pin reads something like this:
"... then make a pearl loop by turning the straight thread over the pin;..." refering to making a chain.

Hmm... I'm not sure. I'm not much of a tatter, I keep trying but I've never gotten to the point of being able to do anything without looking at the instructions for every move. However, maybe it was something used like the sharper tip on some shuttles? Hopefully an experienced tatter will have a better idea.

Julie

Dear Faizon,
A tatting pin looked like a hairpin, and was used to measure the size of the picots, so they would be the correct size for the particular pattern. They were made in different sizes.
Now, we simply measure a piece of cardboard or thin plastic to the size we want, then cut about a 1/2-inch length. Tatting over this measuring piece will do the same thing as the tatting pin. It takes a few times to get used to using it, but many beginning tatters have trouble making their picots in a consistent size. This helps.

Good luck,
Carolyn444

Thank you Carolyn444 for explaining the tatting pin. Now I understand why the book also mentioned different sizes of tatting pins to be used with different thread sizes.

Yes that's absolutely correct and Riego seems to have had several different sizes of tatting pin. They're mentioned in Mrs Beeton's book of needlework too.

I was looking up something in Mrs. Beeton's today and found a drawing of a tatting pin:

Julie

I'm sorry, but with copyright laws what they are, we are not allowed to copy/paste other people's words or pictures. You are welcome to use the URL and we encourage sharing URL's with other readers. Unfortunately, I had to remove the picture so that we cannot be accused of infringing on others copyright.

Today we'd call a tatting pin a picot gauge.
Sharon