Dear Reader,
My name is Antonina Caruso (b. 1965), Ninetta for family and friends, and I live in Italy.
I
found out about tatting thanks to my mum, who has always loved this kind of
lace but can't do it. In 1974 she saved an old Burda magazine for me, I
discovered it and one shuttle when I was in my teens but I could teach myself only how
to tat one ring at a time. Everything was forgot, till the early '90,
when I met a Lady who showed me how to block the thread in my little
finger for chains, so I started on and I usually tat every day, even a
little. Having few tatting sources, I soon began to change patterns to
fit my needs.
In 2009 my life changed drastically, due to home moving and resignation from job. Tatting helped me a lot that year, I found the "25 motif challenge" and started following many tatting related blogs. I also learned many new tatting techniques. But it wasn't until the very end of 2010 that I started to be "not so hidden", sharing some photos in Flickr.
I love every type of handmade lace, I've also
learned crochet, cross-stitch, bobbin lace and netting. I also love
beading, sewing and collecting handmade hankies.
In 2011 I was in
Sharon Briggs' Design-Tat online course and, from 2012 on, I've been in
the Online Tatting Designers Class. I've been putting my patterns in Flickr and in my personal blog, that I
started in 2013. You can find me in Facebook, too. I learned a lot from other bloggers, especially Muskaan. Since 2020 I am participating with Muskaan in the international “Endrucks 1920 Project,” where patterns from a 1920s booklet are rewritten and reworked in a modern setting (link to the Endrucks 1920 Project Document).
Since 2011 I am a member of the “Ago, Filo e Fuselli” Association in Aprilia (LT), Italy.
In Autumn 2022 I published my first book, in Italian: “Il Chiacchierino è una cosa seria”. Then, a second edition was published, with minimal corrections (basically misprints) and a new chapter.
You can read my blogpost about it, here:
https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2022/10/treble-happyness.html
https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/2023/05/hurray.html
I've always been tatting with enthusiasm and joy.
About my personal life and interests, I graduated in 1990 in Computer Science at The University of Pisa and worked for 19 years, from 1990 to 2009, as a programmer and software development professional. I'm married (always to the same wonderful man) since 1995 and we have two sons. I'm really struggling to learn English, that is my never-ending project.
Best regards and enjoy tatting,
Ninetta