Passion Will Drive You

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I remember the exact words my mother said to me when I told her I wanted to learn how to tat. Like most people she assumed I meant "tattoos", but the kind of tatting I meant was something a little more personal. Tatting, while being a great creative outlet, has never been a very profitable hobby for me. I've sold exactly 3 tatted projects in the nearly 10 years I've been making tatted lace. (And I'm convinced one purchase was a "mercy" sale. They felt bad for me and bought it to "support" me more than truly loving the item.) I have gifted tatted items with much more success than any attempt at selling. 

But it doesn't stop me from having a deep passion for tiny, lacy, handmade items. And while there are several tatters with more talent than I, I am the one penning this blog and so it is my tale you will hear. Until the day I saw Knit Picks do a video series on tatting I had never heard of tatting before. But watching Kelley talk about tatting sparked a fire in me that couldn't be conquered. I watched her 5 video series on repeat for the first month I tried to learn. Then, in typical Erin frustration, I told myself this is impossible I can't do it...I quit. Two months later, again in typical Erin fashion, I tried again and for 6 weeks that time I watched the videos trying to learn. On and off for 1 solid year I "tried to learn tatting." On the day I finally made my first ring, I was as excited as if I had inherited a million dollars. (Sadly, I was broke then and I'm still broke today.) 

My first ring was a pitiful little thing with mismatched picots and poorly tensioned stitches, that were each a different size. It looked horrible but I was so proud. I had finally had a breakthrough. My first tatted project was a small flower...6 rings and six chains of 3 stitches, 1 picot and 3 more stitches. As soon as I mastered that pattern I was hungry for more patterns. I bought books, I looked up videos (and discovered there weren't a lot of them 😞), and I found a group of tatters who had weekly chats online. Huzzah! I thought I'd be able to learn more patterns so quickly. 

It wasn't long before I discovered the greatest tool for tatting was not something you could purchase. Instead it was something that can be learned, but I'd better if you let it develop from birth...patience. Patience is the number one thing tatting has taught me. I still have my moments of weakness and times I feel like throwing in the towel. But now, I don't allow myself to do this. 

Tatting is a friend to me now. I can, if distracted, walk away from a project for weeks at a time and come back to it with no issues. This is why I am passionate about tatting. Let me share my passion with you and let me know what your passiona are too. 

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