The idea came while I was thinking of maps - you know the way they are folded - and how this could be used in a tatting pattern.The snag was that most designs in tatting end where they begin, so I needed a design that began in one corner of a hypothetical square and ended in the opposite corner, and a motif which could be reversed both horizontally and vertically. With this, I thought, it should be possible to continue working indefinitely - at least until the bobbin ran out of thread. And so zigzag was born.
The single motif is, as you can see, very small, measuring just 33 mm (1 1/4") square,but it can be
repeated ad infinitum. I worked 24 motifs, giving a sample measuring 200 mm x 140 mm (7 3/4" x 5 1/4"). At least two balls of cotton (DMC20) are required, one to work from continuously and the other to refill the bobbin when necessary - I worked about 8 motifs from one bobbinful. An edging is added to finish the piece.
It is necessary to use an odd number of motifs across the rows to allow the continuation onto the second and subsequent rows, as shown alongside. This gives a non-symmetrical look horizontally to the pattern which emerges after a number of rows have been worked, as illustrated, which is why the sideways row can be added, if you wish, when the piece is the length you require. The sideways row can be added to the left or the right-hand side, so it does not matter whether an odd or even number of rows is worked.