Well, hhmmmm, NATA is just for fun. It is a tongue in cheek description of how I and from the response I have been getting, a lot of others, feel about the art or craft of Tatting. Tatting is a form of lace making that is presumed by some, to be a lost art. We beg to differ. Tatting is far from lost, it is alive and well and living all over the world.
NATA stands for Nuts About Tatting Association. This started from a post I made to e-tatters about how even though I had only just started tatting about three weeks before it was taking over my life. To the extent of dreaming about a design and waking up with the frustration of not being able to bring that design to life.
When I say tongue in cheek, that doesn't mean that each and everyone of us isn't committed (hmmm maybe not a good choice of words there...) to advancing this art and passing it along to our loved ones, children and even strangers we accost in line-ups. It does mean that we take ourselves and our commitment with a grain of salt.
We enjoy the art. There is something so incredibly soothing about the in and out of the shuttle. I have only been tatting with a shuttle but from what I hear the same applies to needle tatting. The beauty of the lace falling from our fingers, the sense of creating, I could go on and on.
As a person who has been knitting, crocheting and cross-stitching from a tender age and someone who has tried and discarded innumerable crafts, tatting is a very simple craft; deceptively so. It is, after all, only one stitch to learn. One little trick to remember, flip the stitches. Two basic geometric shapes; the circle and the line. And from this simple craft is born lace medallions, bookmarks, edgings, inserts, doilies, collars, fridge magnets, earrings, necklaces, bracelets anklets, table cloths, wedding shawls, garters, not to forget 3-D stuff such as flowers, dinosaurs, balls, bells and the list goes on.
Is it any wonder that we are Nuts about Tatting? I have yet to encounter a craft with as much scope and openness.
I'd also like to say, that even though I have been doing knitting and crocheting for most of my life, and do them well enough to do custom work; I would never presume to set up a website for either of those crafts. The people at e-tatters and TatChat have made me feel so very welcome in the short time I have been a member of their lists that it never occurred to me to think twice about this website. That tells me something about this lost art of ours. It is just that--ours. It isn't dictated by a fashion magazine or the current hot colour. It is a craft I feel like I came home to. Thank you all for teaching me, helping me, encouraging me and yep...even nagging me to get this site going.
>Sharon AKA TattingUnicorn