I've just been 'blog hopping', and came across Eliz's blog here. (see her 6th October post).... Left handed or Right handed tatting.... Hmmm..... Well, thought I'd let you all know:.... As a left handed tatter and teacher of tatting I found this really interesting. I naturally tat with the shuttle in my left hand and the thread in my right! There have been comments about beads etc... once again it really doesn't make any difference to the finished article whether the tatter is left or right handed! People who follow my blog would not realise I'm a 'leftie' simply because I don't tell them! When I'm teaching a right handed person the 'flip', chain and ring I hold the thread in my left and the shuttle in my right. That does not come naturally, so I have to concentrate and so do it VERY slowly, which is great for teaching anyway!! For a left hander I do what comes naturally anyway!
If you think about it.... when you see a knitted article, can you really tell from the finished thing what method of knitting the knitter used? Did she have the yarn in her left hand or her right? No!! Crochet... you can tell but only by looking VERY carefully at the top of the stitches! Does it make a difference to the finished article? Does it look 'wrong'? No!! Why should tatting be any different???
So tatters, we all know the basics... why not 'practice' working the 'other way round'? Yes, we will be all fingers and thumbs at first, it is good for us!! First of all it slows us down, AND reminds us of what it was like to learn that flip!! Anyone joining in with this??? AND I don't want any comments about it's the left hand that does all the work either from any of you 'righties'... ROFL Or any comments like Sir comes out with about left handers being 'sinister, cack handed, or any other...' Remember... we are the ones in our right minds!! VBG
So come on guys n gals, let's see everyone practicing the 'other way round'!!
Chat soon
Hi Sue, I am right handed and teach lots of different crafts. I learn to do them all with my left hand so that I can teach lefties. However I always suggest that learners give tatting a try with the right hand as holding the shuttle is the easy bit. All the work in flipping the stitch is done with the other hand. If they succeed then it is easier to follow patterns which are usually worke in the direction that suits right handlers. If this is not successful then I teach left handed. Except Clunies which I just cannot master with my left and then we resort to teaching with a mirror
ReplyDeleteThe challenge for us 'lefties' is that holding the shuttle in the right hand and making the flip with the left needs patience with the stronger left hand, this then can leave the flip returning to its former unflipped position because the left hand automatically will exert more pressure on the thread than the right hand and you are concentrating on what's happening with the left and having to leave the right to it's own devices... not always a good idea as it's used to not doing anything... including keeping thread tight!! LOL
DeleteAs another leftie I read your post and promptly tried to tat right handed. I too found it difficult to maintain the flip.I have never been able to learn anything by using a mirror. I will try again to tat right handed just for the fun of it but I think I will stick to using what brain cells I have left to adapt pattern directions where necessary. Lets face it that's what we lefties are good at - adapting to a right handed world
ReplyDeleteHow true Gill. We are masters at it!! LOL
DeleteI keep doing a ring and chain right handed, if they are beginners I'm teaching it's the hardest part to learn. If they can already do a ring and chain, then techniques can be learned by them... we had to!!! Rofl
But that would mean using my Left Brain, wouldn't it? - and I haven't got very much of that. I know this because in 1964 the chemistry teacher told my parents that in the interests of his sanity and my health, I should be removed forthwith from his class. So I have never dared to use it much since that day. The ghost of Mr Powers will come back with a vengeance to haunt me.
ReplyDeleteI knit in the traditional, "throwing" manner, but my mother used to knit Continental fashion. And her work was always much firmer than mine. The stitches, of course, looked just the same.
Sounds like a horrible teacher Maureen! Go on, have a go... Try it!! We aren't expecting you to teach.. just to remind yourself what its like to learn it again!
DeleteAlways up for a challenge, I tried left-handed tatting. Huge failure - the thread was being very 'knotty', the finger did not 'flip' to the excited experimentation , the ring seemed to be moving in a direction all it's own :-( The only thing my left hand could do was reverse stitch - Yay !
ReplyDeleteWill need to watch some videos or graphics to get it .
I'm sure that's how all newbies feel too
DeleteI am a leftie... and I learned to tat right handed.... now if I try to tat left I just can't get it right... interesting idea to try go left... might try this myself again tonight.. Here's betting it is going to be a hopeless fail as i just automatically go right... It is the ONLY thing I can do with my right hand as usually I am totally useless with the right hand.
ReplyDeleteI am a lefty also...no I didn't try to tat righthanded...I'm comfortable as a lefty and sm aticking to it. Lol
ReplyDeleteLinda
Virginia, US