Stitches on Saturday ~ Tatting Part Four

From Mrs Beeton’s Book Of Needlework 1870

4.--Lace Edging in Tatting.

Materials: Messrs. Walter Evans and Co.'s crochet cotton No. 10, or tatting cotton No. 20; tatting-pin No. 3; any sized shuttle. For a finer edging, No. 18.

1st oval: Fill the shuttle, but do not cut it off from the reel, as a double thread is required, and commence by working 10 double stitches, 1 purl, 10 double stitches, draw up.

2nd oval: Close to last oval, work 10 double, 1 purl, 10 double; draw up.

Double thread: Putting the thread attached to the reel round the left hand, work 12 double, 1 purl, 4 double; then join the shuttle-thread to the purl in 2nd oval, by drawing it through with a pin. Then do another similar chain of stitches with the double thread, viz., 4 double, 1 purl, 12 double.

3rd oval: 10 double, join to the purl in 2nd oval--the same as that to which the shuttle-thread has been fastened--10 double; draw up.

4th oval: Close to last oval, work 10 double, join to purl of 1st oval, 10 double, draw up.

The pattern is now complete. Repeat from beginning, taking care that the next oval be close to the last. Crochet a heading with the same cotton, working 4 chain, 1 double into the purl of double thread, 6 chain, 1 double into the next purl. Repeat.

5.--Border in Tatting with Crochet Edging.

Materials: Messrs. Walter Evans and Co.'s tatting cotton No. 60, or crochet cotton No. 80; tatting-pin No. 2; a bone shuttle.

Work * 4 double stitches (that is, 4 times following 1 purled stitch and 1 plain), 1 purl, four times following 3 double stitches, 1 purl, 4 double stitches, draw up the cotton so as to form an oval, and for the smaller oval, work 9 double stitches, but leave, before beginning the first double stitch, the space of one-sixth of an inch between this oval and the preceding; repeat from *, leaving the same space between each oval; join together the larger ovals by the purl.

 For the crochet edging, work the 1st row in the following manner:--

1 double (followed by 6 chain) in each of the smaller ovals. The 2nd and 3rd rows are composed of short treble stitches, placed one above the other, and divided by one chain. While working the short treble stitches of the 3rd row form the small purl thus:--

* 1 short treble in the first short treble of preceding row, let the loop slip off from the crochet needle, insert the needle in the under stitch, from which comes the loop now made into a purl, work 1 double in the first short treble of preceding row, 1 chain, under which miss 1 stitch, and repeat from *.

6.--Border in Tatting with Crochet.

Materials: Messrs. Walter Evans and Co.'s Boar's Head cotton No. 20, or tatting cotton No. 40; tatting-pin No. 2. For a coarser size use Boar's Head cotton No. 4, or tatting cotton No. 20.

4 double stitches, 1 purl, 4 times following, 3 double stitches, 1 purl, 4 double stitches, draw up the oval, but not quite tight, leave a space about one-sixth of an inch, leave a similar space between this oval and the next, work 3 double stitches, fasten them to the nearest purl of preceding oval, then work twice following 4 double stitches, 1 purl, then 3 double stitches, 1 purl, 3 double stitches, and draw up the oval.