Saturday, February 27, 2016

Avoiding tatting gaposis (with left-handed pix only)


Here’s a nice little trick—snug up your rings and chains to avoid small gaps.  The picture of the doily I’m making has noticeable (though very small) spaces between the rings, but I’ve got a couple of tricks to minimize that space.

On ring #2 of your set, wrap the thread as usual but OVER ring 1 as pictured at left. Make that first stitch, and you will see that stitch overlaps ring 1 just a touch (at right).  







With 3 stitches complete, that first stitch still overlaps the prior ring just a teeny bit.
 After you've finished all your stitches for the ring, secure the ends of the ring before pulling closed, as pictured at left and right.  Pinch firmly and pull closed.

Tip: I add a second half of double stitch just before I close each ring.  It helps them to lie flat and not pull under.  Learned from Joelle Paulson.

Finish ring grouping as per your pattern.  There are three rings in my grouping.  
Now, to minimize gaposis with the chains, fold the ring grouping toward you as below:

Begin your chain, making sure your first stitch is as snug as possible.  
When you've done maybe 3 stitches, fold up your already completed chain and check the spacing/gap.



So these are my tips!  Hope you have success with them!  Happy tatting.  (Pattern by Iris Niebach)

10 comments:

  1. This is like deja vu !!! I follow the exact same method to close gaps & had uploaded a pictorial in 2014, here http://www.tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.in/2014/02/tatting-tutorial-closing-gaps-i.html.
    Although part 2 of the tut was ready, I didn't post, because I didn't want to add new terms ;-P
    I'm so glad you shared your process with clear pics :-). It is always helpful .

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  2. I hope it helps someone!!! Or lots of someones.

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  3. I love it. It is helpful...and I'm a lefty so it makes perfect sense.

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  4. It's nice to have a reminder of little tips such as these. Thanks!

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  5. I suffered from gaposisitis at one point. One thing I discovered: In a tightly designed motif, if you close the gap, you need to add 2 DS in the chain to make up the distance lost.

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    1. Good tip! Thanks--I might have to do that on this doily if I make it again.

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  6. Thanks for the tips!! :) Most of my problem is trying to finish something too quickly!!

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  7. Sometimes I add a half ds at the beginning of the chain to avoid a gap.

    Thanks for your lovely comments on tat-ology. : )

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