designer... who?

He explores the universe in his shuttle, a time-travelling space machine...

I've been web-surfing. There's an universe of beautiful free tatting patterns online, new and vintage, that I easily feel lost in and ask myself why have I got that semiserious, playful, time-wasting desire which makes me tat from scratch...

work in progress, bookmark

"Designer" is one of those words that my Italian language assimilated but with a wide range of roles and subjects that I can't exactly list, may be because it could be interpreted in many ways. An interior designer, a web designer, a jewellery designer... But who exactly is a tatting designer?

-D. Who comes up with a new pattern! That's the first simple answer. After you mastered the technique, many drawings have multiple right tatting solutions, designers only gives their own way to flow from one step to the next. But thread teases :) Trials and cuts come easy, despite that, it's a joyful tatting-puzzle for many. But... for the heaven, D.Who, how do you know that it's a brand new pattern?

-D. Who restyles: modifies a pattern or imports to tatting a design from another lace, or tats an old pattern using different techniques or with a different new intent. ( that vintage tablecloth' corner could be turned into a pendant? Can I tat that stunning bobbin lace edging? Would it works without a chain or two? And so on...). It's very addictive, be careful or you'll need some serious therapy...

-D. Who produces: freely inspired, in that case he/she is mainly concerned on creating "one of a kind". Please don't ask them for patterns, that's part and parcel with their piece: a pendant, a ring, earrings of exclusive beauty. Sometimes they thank God that ears are sligthly far from each other...

I'm so sorry to say that who's able to tat from a photo, without a given ds' stitch count, they're not designers. I can do that. I can understand the workflow only by looking at the picture, it is the same as a visual pattern, ds' numbers are clear info given with the picture. That doesn't make me a designer of the motif. I hope that this is very clear to you too. Try to note down the designer's name and find the time to say thank you. Pay for tatting books, a lot of them are under 15 euros. Note that, generally, printing coloured photocopies it is far more expensive than buying a book! It could be our little incentive and gratitude to the designer. A drop in the sea.

Ciao,
Ninetta