How does the tatting double stitch work, and what is the flip that beginners must learn?

The tatting double stitch is the only stitch in tatting — every ring, chain, and ornamental element is built from sequences of this one unit, sometimes separated by picots. Understanding the double stitch mechanically is the first and most critical instructional task for any tatting Patreon creator, because the single most common reason beginners fail at tatting is that they form the stitch without correctly executing the flip — and then cannot understand why their rings will not close. The double stitch consists of two half hitches worked in alternating directions on the shuttle thread. The shuttle thread is the core: it must remain free to slide, and the stitch must transfer onto it rather than remaining fixed on the hand thread. This transfer is the flip (sometimes called the capsize). Here is how the double stitch is formed in shuttle tatting: hold the shuttle thread between right-hand thumb and forefinger, with the thread going to the shuttle held loosely in the right palm. The hand thread — the thread coming off the ball or forming the ring loop — is wrapped around the left hand fingers, creating a taut loop of thread from which the stitches will be built. The ring is suspended between both hands. First half of the double stitch: pass the shuttle under the hand thread from left to right, then back over the hand thread returning right to left, drawing the shuttle thread snug. At the moment of drawing snug, the hand must relax the tension on the left-hand loop, allowing the loop to transfer — to flip over the shuttle thread so that the loop now drapes over the shuttle thread rather than the shuttle thread running through the loop. This moment — the flip — is the kinesthetic crux of tatting. After the flip, pushing the new stitch toward the previously worked stitches along the shuttle thread should cause it to slide freely. If it doesn't slide, the flip did not happen: the shuttle thread locked inside the loop rather than the loop wrapping around the shuttle thread. This is the failed flip, and it means the stitch must be removed (by pulling the hand thread back through) and reworked. Second half of the double stitch: after the first half, pass the shuttle over the hand thread from left to right, then back under the hand thread returning right to left. Relax the left-hand loop at the moment of drawing snug — the same flip transfer happens, in the opposite direction, producing the second half hitch. Together, the two halves form one complete double stitch: a forward half hitch and a reverse half hitch alternating on the shuttle thread core. A correctly formed double stitch, pushed along the shuttle thread, slides freely. A row of correctly formed double stitches can be pulled into a ring by drawing the shuttle thread, closing the loop of hand thread into a complete circle with all the stitches arranged around it. If any stitch in the ring failed to flip, pulling the shuttle thread will not close the ring — the locked stitch catches and jams, holding the ring open. For Patreon creators, demonstrating the flip in slow motion — from both the maker's perspective (looking down at the hands) and a side-camera angle showing the thread configuration at the moment of transfer — is the single most valuable instructional content a tatting Patreon can offer. The flip is the skill that converts a curious beginner into a tatting practitioner.

How are rings and chains constructed in tatting, and how do picot joins work?

Rings and chains are the two structural elements of tatting, and every tatted design is composed of combinations of these two forms in various configurations. Understanding the mechanical difference between them — and how picots function as both decoration and joining points — is the second fundamental lesson of any tatting Patreon curriculum. A ring is worked entirely from the shuttle thread: the shuttle thread forms a loop around the left hand, and double stitches are worked on this loop. When the required number of double stitches has been worked, the shuttle thread is pulled to draw the loop closed, contracting all the stitches into a closed ring. The ring has no open ends. The joining picot, placed between double stitches during the construction of the ring, is the point where a later ring or chain element will join to this one, linking individual elements into a continuous lace design. A picot forms by leaving a measured gap between the previous stitch and the next stitch: after sliding the previous stitch into position, the thread makes a small loop (the picot) before the next stitch is formed. The picot size is determined by the gap distance — a pin placed between the stitches to gauge the space, a toothpick width, two finger widths, or a dedicated picot gauge tool. Small picots are joining picots (they will be caught by subsequent elements); longer picots are decorative (they hang free in the finished lace). A chain is worked using two threads: the shuttle thread (which makes the stitches) and the ball thread (which serves as the core). The chain does not close: the ball thread runs straight through the chain as a rigid core, and the double stitches built on it form a curved arm that extends between rings. The chain's curvature is determined by stitch count and thread tension. Joining to a picot: when a new ring or chain element must join to a previously worked picot, a small crochet hook — tiny enough to pass through the picot loop — is used. The crochet hook is inserted through the picot loop and the hook catches the working thread (either the hand thread for a ring join, or the ball thread for a chain join), drawing it through the picot to form a new loop. The shuttle is then passed through this new loop, and the loop is drawn snug. This join counts as the first half of the next double stitch, so the stitch count following a join is adjusted by one to maintain the correct double stitch count for the design. The joining picot join is the link that transforms individual rings and chains into the continuous interconnected lace structures that characterize tatting: snowflake motifs with ring-joining-ring around a center, doily rounds where chains connect rings across concentric rows, and edging patterns where chains join to picots on the previous row.

What are split rings, the Josephine knot, and the self-closing mock ring in tatting?

Beyond the foundational ring and chain construction, tatting has several advanced techniques that extend the design vocabulary and enable continuous working without cutting threads — a critical skill for complex multi-round doilies and three-dimensional constructions. These techniques are natural Patreon content in the intermediate-to-advanced tier range. The split ring requires two shuttles. In a standard ring, all double stitches are worked on the shuttle thread using the hand thread as the working thread. In a split ring, the first half of the ring (the first half of each double stitch) is worked as usual with shuttle 1 as the core, but the second half of the ring (the second portion, beyond the midpoint of the ring) reverses the role: shuttle 2 becomes the working thread, and the stitches for the second half of the ring are worked in the opposite direction, using shuttle 2 thread as the working element with shuttle 1 still as the core. The stitches of the second half appear reversed (the upper and lower elements of the double stitch are in opposite positions from the first half), but they still slide on the shuttle 1 thread. When the ring is closed by drawing shuttle 1, the result is a complete ring where the first half was made from one thread direction and the second half from another — and crucially, both shuttle threads exit the ring in the same direction rather than being trapped inside it. This allows tatting to continue in a new direction from the closed split ring without cutting. Split rings unlock a wide range of designs that would otherwise require thread cutting and hiding ends at every ring: spiraling tatted flowers where each ring connects to the next, spherical three-dimensional motifs worked in a continuous helical progression, and Celtic knot designs where ring overlaps require continuous thread. The Josephine knot (also called a Josephine ring or faux ring) is worked by using only one half of the double stitch repeatedly — either all first halves or all second halves, worked in sequence around a ring loop. Unlike a standard ring of full double stitches (which lies flat against the completed direction of pull), a ring of only half-stitches spirals: each stitch pulls in the same rotational direction, and the accumulated one-sided tension causes the ring to curl into a small decorative knot rather than close into a flat ring. Josephine knots are used as accent elements — decorative clusters in floral tatting, rosette centers, and joining points that add textural contrast to a predominantly flat-ring design. The self-closing mock ring (SCMR) is a technique that produces a structure that looks like a ring but is worked as a chain. A standard chain is worked on the ball thread core, but the SCMR is worked on a single thread that loops back on itself: a length of ball thread is folded back and the chain stitches are worked over the folded-back portion. When the required stitches are complete, the ball thread is pulled to close the structure, and the resulting closed form is visually indistinguishable from a standard ring but did not require the shuttle thread to form the loop. The SCMR is particularly useful for working rings and chains in complex multi-colored designs where the shuttle thread must remain a specific color for the rings while the chains need a different color. For Patreon creators, these three techniques — split ring, Josephine knot, SCMR — constitute the intermediate level module that takes subscribers from foundation tatting into the design territory where more complex patterns become accessible.

What thread sizes and shuttle types do tatting creators use on Patreon, and how should subscribers be guided through tool selection?

Thread size selection is one of the most confusing aspects of tatting for beginners, because thread labels for tatting-appropriate thread use a counterintuitive numbering system where higher numbers indicate finer thread. The correct thread category for tatting is crochet cotton, typically labeled with a size number (#10, #20, #40, #80) or a weight designation. Size #10 crochet cotton (the thickest commonly available tatting thread) is the best choice for learning the flip and practicing ring closure: the thread is thick enough to see clearly, to work slowly, and to correct errors without difficulty. Completed tatting in #10 thread has a bold, clearly visible structure appropriate for bookmarks, key fob charms, and large pendants. Size #20 crochet cotton is the mid-weight standard for most contemporary tatting patterns: finer than #10, with a crisper hand, it produces rings and chains with clearly defined structure suitable for earrings, bracelets, and simple doily edges. This is the most-used thread weight in online tatting communities. Size #40 crochet cotton is fine lace weight — the traditional standard for tatted doilies and collars in mid-20th-century pattern books. At #40, the thread is barely visible as individual strands in the finished work; the lace appears as a continuous delicate structure rather than visible thread. Working in #40 requires practiced tension control and a well-developed sense for the flip, because errors are difficult to detect until a ring fails to close. Size #80 is heirloom fine — the thread used in 19th-century tatted lace samples and museum-quality contemporary reproductions. At this weight, a completed doily 30cm in diameter requires many dozens of rings worked at extreme fine scale. Size #80 work is not appropriate for beginners and typically appears only in advanced-tier Patreon content from highly experienced tatters. Fiber content: the vast majority of tatting thread is mercerized cotton — a cotton thread treated with caustic soda under tension to increase luster and strength. Mercerized cotton gives tatting its characteristic slight sheen. Lizbeth thread (from Handy Hands in the US) is the most widely available contemporary tatting thread, available in sizes #10, #20, #40, and #80 in extensive color ranges including solids and variegated. Anchor and DMC manufacture tatting-appropriate cotton in limited color ranges. Silk tatting thread exists (Tire silk, YLI) and produces extraordinary luminosity in completed work, but silk is slippery and less forgiving of inconsistent tension, and is not recommended for learners. Linen tatting thread is historically appropriate for Victorian-period reproductions and produces a stiffer finished result. Shuttle types: the bobbin shuttle (the most common contemporary type, exemplified by the Clover bobbin shuttle) holds thread on a removable plastic or metal bobbin that winds on a separate winder tool. The bobbin shuttle's advantage is that thread can be wound without estimating exact amount — more thread can be added mid-project by replacing the bobbin. The post shuttle (sometimes called a traditional or antique shuttle type) winds thread directly around a center post; thread is added by winding more onto the post until it is full. Post shuttles are the older design and are often used for heirloom reproductions and for working with specialty threads that wind better on a post than a bobbin. The hook shuttle has a small metal hook at one tip, the same size as a lace crochet hook appropriate for the thread being used. The hook shuttle integrates the joining tool into the shuttle itself, eliminating the need to pick up a separate crochet hook for picot joins. For beginners, the hook shuttle removes one step from the joining sequence. For advanced work, a separate fine crochet hook (0.4–0.75mm) may be more accurate for very fine picot joins. Patreon creators who demonstrate thread-to-shuttle compatibility — specific bobbin vs post shuttle choices for different thread types, hook size selection, winding technique — provide beginner subscribers with practical guidance that pattern instructions rarely include.

Patreon for tatting creators: shuttle double stitch flip mechanics, ring and chain construction, picot joining, split ring technique, Josephine knot, thread sizes from #10 to #80, shuttle types, blocking, Victorian frivolité tradition, Mary Konior’s visual patterns, and Apple Tax impact on iOS creator revenue in 2026

2026-07-30 · ~5,200 words · KeepTier

Tatting is built from a single stitch — the double stitch, worked on a shuttle thread — yet produces lace of extraordinary complexity, from simple three-ring clovers to multi-round doilies of dozens of interconnected motifs. The craft’s reputation as difficult to learn rests almost entirely on one physical moment: the flip, the thread transfer that makes the stitch slide rather than lock. A beginner who understands the flip conceptually but has not seen it demonstrated at the critical moment of draw-snug will try tatting, fail to close a ring, and conclude the technique is beyond them. A beginner who watches a Patreon creator demonstrate the flip in slow motion from a camera angle that shows the thread transfer — the moment the loop shifts from draping over the hand thread to draping over the shuttle thread — typically succeeds within the same session. This gap between what can be communicated in writing and what requires observed video demonstration makes tatting one of the strongest Patreon niches in the lace and textile arts space. The technique is deep enough to sustain years of content (from the first ring through split ring, Josephine knot, SCMR, and multi-shuttle designs), the output is visually striking (tatted lace photographs exceptionally on a light background), and the creator has irreplaceable value precisely because the essential kinesthetic knowledge — the flip — cannot be conveyed by a book.

The double stitch and the flip: the one thing that unlocks tatting

Every element of tatting — every ring, chain, picot, split ring, Josephine knot, and mock ring — is constructed from sequences of the double stitch. The double stitch is two half hitches worked in alternating directions on a common core: the shuttle thread. The mechanism is simple to describe and genuinely difficult to perform correctly on the first attempt, because the correct performance requires a thread transfer that is invisible unless you know to look for it.

The shuttle thread is the core. It runs from the shuttle (held in the right hand for a right-handed tatter) to the ring or chain element being built. The hand thread — either the loop of shuttle thread forming a ring, or the ball thread forming a chain core — is draped over the fingers of the left hand, forming a taut loop from which the stitches will emerge. Everything hangs off this arrangement: right hand holding the shuttle, left hand forming the working loop.

First half of the double stitch

Pass the shuttle under the hand thread from left to right, passing between the hand thread and the palm. Then return the shuttle over the hand thread, going right to left, exiting between the hand thread and the thumb side. Draw the shuttle thread snug. At the moment of drawing snug, the left hand must release tension slightly — not drop the loop, but relax it enough to allow the thread configuration to shift. If the tension is maintained, the shuttle thread locks inside the loop. If the tension releases at the right moment, the loop transfers: it flips from draping over the hand thread to draping over the shuttle thread. The new stitch now sits on the shuttle thread as a half hitch that slides freely.

The check: after forming a stitch, push it toward the previous stitches along the shuttle thread (toward the completed work). A correctly flipped stitch slides along the shuttle thread without resistance. A failed flip does not move — the stitch is locked in place because the shuttle thread passed through it rather than the hand thread wrapping around the shuttle thread. A failed stitch must be removed: pull the hand thread back through, un-doing the loop, and rework it. A locked stitch cannot be corrected by continuing — it will jam the ring and prevent closure.

Second half of the double stitch

After the first half, pass the shuttle over the hand thread from left to right, then back under the hand thread returning right to left. This is the mirror image of the first half: shuttle now goes over before under rather than under before over. Draw snug with the same left-hand tension release. The second half flip transfers in the opposite direction, producing the second half hitch that completes the double stitch. Together, the two halves — one forward half hitch and one reverse half hitch alternating on the shuttle thread core — form one double stitch, abbreviated in tatting patterns as “ds” or simply counted as a unit of stitch count.

The two halves of the double stitch are sometimes written as “1/2 ds” each, and patterns sometimes specify the separation point (for example, a split ring pattern will specify “4 ds, split, 4 ds” where the split is the point at which the second shuttle takes over). Understanding that the double stitch has two distinguishable halves — and that the two halves can be separated and used independently — is the conceptual foundation for the Josephine knot and the split ring, both of which exploit this separability.

Why the flip is the teaching challenge

The flip happens in a window of approximately 0.3 to 0.5 seconds, during the draw-snug movement of one stitch. It is invisible from any viewing angle that shows only the overall hand position. It can be felt in the left hand (a slight resistance followed by a small release as the thread transfers) but this sensation requires enough repetition to recognize — beginners cannot distinguish the tactile feedback of a correct flip from incorrect tension. The only reliable teaching method is slow-motion video from a camera angle that shows the thread configuration at the moment of transfer — specifically, the angle that shows whether the hand thread is draping over the shuttle thread or vice versa. A camera positioned slightly to the left of the left hand, angled in toward the working area, captures this perspective. Tatting Patreon creators who develop this camera setup and demonstrate the flip from this angle — at working speed, then at 0.25× speed, then with commentary about the left-hand relaxation — provide content that solves the single largest barrier to tatting adoption and retain subscribers precisely because this content does not exist in book form or in the general YouTube library at adequate quality.

Ring construction: building, picots, and closing

A ring is the closed circular element that forms the structural unit of most tatted designs. Constructing a ring requires only one shuttle (for simple rings) and produces a closed loop of double stitches in any quantity specified by the pattern.

The ring loop: before working a ring, a length of shuttle thread is drawn off the shuttle — sufficient to complete the ring plus the following element — and formed into a loop around the left hand. This loop is the material of the ring: the double stitches built on it will become the ring body, and pulling the shuttle thread after the ring is complete will draw the loop closed, contracting all the stitches into the circular form. The ring loop and the shuttle thread are the same thread — one continuous length from the shuttle. This is why only one shuttle is needed for standard rings, and why the ring size is limited by the amount of thread wound on the shuttle (a ring requiring 30 double stitches in a thick thread consumes more thread than one requiring 10 double stitches in fine thread).

Picots: decoration and joining points

A picot is a small loop of thread left between two double stitches. Picots serve two purposes, and the distinction matters for pattern reading and for Patreon instruction. Decorative picots are left free — they hang as tiny loops at the edge of the ring, contributing to the ornamental quality of the lace. Joining picots are formed at specific positions in the ring where a later element (another ring or a chain) will join to this element, linking the tatted design into a continuous structure. The joining picot is not inherently different from the decorative picot at the moment of formation — both are simply gaps left in the stitch sequence — but the joining picot is placed so that a subsequent ring or chain can reach it.

Picot size: the gap left between stitches determines the picot size. Common methods for consistent picot sizing: a picot gauge tool (a small strip of cardboard or metal in standard widths), a toothpick laid between the stitches (produces a picot approximately 2mm), a pin (1mm or less, for miniature joining picots), or two fingernail widths of the left hand. Consistent picot sizing within a design is a quality marker: uneven picots are visible in the finished lace, particularly in motifs where multiple rings share a common join. For Patreon creators, demonstrating picot measurement technique with a dedicated gauge tool and showing the visual difference between correct and oversized/undersized picots gives beginner subscribers a concrete standard to work toward.

Closing the ring

After the required number of double stitches (and any picots) have been worked, the ring is closed by pulling the shuttle thread. As the shuttle thread is drawn, it pulls the loop of hand thread into a contracting circle, and all the correctly flipped stitches slide along the shuttle thread as the circle tightens. The ring closes to the diameter determined by the number of stitches worked — more stitches produce a larger ring at the same thread size. The closing of a ring is the most satisfying moment in tatting: a successful ring close is auditory and tactile, as the stitches compress into the completed circle. A ring that contains even one unflipped (locked) stitch will not close — the locked stitch catches on the shuttle thread and jams, leaving the ring partially open. In this case, the ring must be undone by pulling all the stitches back through the loop (tatting unravels cleanly because each double stitch is an independent half-hitch pair) and the ring must be reworked after identifying and correcting the failed flip.

Chain construction: ball thread, direction, and the two-thread system

A chain is the open-curved element that connects rings and creates the structural skeleton of complex tatted designs. Unlike a ring, a chain does not close — it is an arm of double stitches extending between two anchor points. The chain requires a second thread: the ball thread, which serves as the core the stitches are built upon, with the shuttle thread providing the working element.

The ball thread is held in the left hand (over the fingers, forming a core loop identical in position to the ring loop), and the shuttle thread is used to work double stitches on the ball thread. The stitches formed on the ball thread are identical to ring stitches — the same flip applies, the same first-half and second-half sequence — but because the ball thread is a straight core rather than a closed loop, pulling the shuttle thread does not close a ring: the stitches remain on the ball thread as a chain. The chain extends from the anchor point where the ball thread was last joined to the anchor point where the next ring or element will begin.

Direction and length: a chain’s direction is determined by the angle at which the ball thread exits the last anchor point (typically the base of the previous ring or a previous join) and extends toward the next element. In a doily or motif, chains curve between rings to produce the open lattice structure of the design; the curvature comes from the tension and length of the chain segment relative to the distance between anchor points. Chain direction is a design variable: slack chains drape gently, taut chains hold the structure rigid. Tension consistency between chains in a design is a significant quality control issue — uneven chains are visible in the finished piece as irregular spacing between the rings they connect. Patreon creators who demonstrate tension management techniques (keeping a consistent hold on the ball thread, working each chain from a fixed starting angle) provide practical content that resolves a common quality problem invisible in written pattern instructions.

Advanced techniques: split ring, Josephine knot, and SCMR

The three advanced foundation techniques of tatting — the split ring, the Josephine knot, and the self-closing mock ring — expand the design vocabulary beyond basic rings and chains and enable continuous working in patterns that would otherwise require thread cutting and hiding tails at every ring or round. For a Patreon creator, these techniques constitute the intermediate curriculum that converts foundation subscribers into long-term patrons with clear learning goals ahead of them.

The split ring

The split ring requires two shuttles wound with either the same or contrasting thread. The purpose of the split ring is to produce a completed closed ring from which both shuttle threads exit on the same side — enabling tatting to continue in a new direction without cutting, and allowing each thread color to remain on the correct shuttle for continued two-color work.

Construction: the first half of the ring is worked with shuttle 1 as the core (the shuttle thread forms the ring loop, as in a standard ring) and the first shuttle thread as the working thread, producing the first half of each double stitch. At the midpoint of the ring, the working roles reverse: shuttle 2 becomes the working thread, while shuttle 1 remains the core. The second half of the ring uses shuttle 2 thread to form the stitch. The key mechanical detail: when shuttle 2 takes over as the working thread, the direction of the half stitches reverses — what was the first half is now the second half, and vice versa — because the shuttle approaches from the opposite side. The stitches appear mirrored compared to the first half of the ring, but they still transfer correctly onto the shuttle 1 core thread (the same flip applies, just from the other hand). When the ring is drawn closed, both shuttle threads exit from the base of the ring on the same side, and tatting can continue from this position without cutting.

The most common beginner error with split rings is not reversing the half-stitch order when switching to shuttle 2 — producing all first halves on the second shuttle 2 portion, which builds a Josephine knot spiral rather than a flat ring half. Demonstrating the stitch-order reversal from a consistent camera angle is the key instructional moment in any split ring tutorial. Patreon creators who develop clear visual markers for this moment (colored thread markers, side-camera views of the shuttle approach direction) produce content that solves this error systematically.

The Josephine knot

The Josephine knot (also called a Josephine ring, faux ring, or half-stitch ring) is constructed by working only one half of the double stitch repeatedly around a ring loop. In a standard ring, the alternating first and second halves balance each other, producing a flat circular ring. In a Josephine knot, the one-sided accumulation of identical half hitches causes the ring to spiral — the stitches cannot balance, and the accumulated rotational force curls the ring into a decorative knotted coil rather than a flat circle.

All first halves: if only the first half of each double stitch is worked around the ring loop, the result is a compact spiral that closes into a tight rounded knot. All second halves: if only the second half is used, the spiral runs in the opposite direction. The choice affects which side of the knot faces forward, and some designers specify the half-stitch type to control the knot orientation within a design. Josephine knots are typically worked at 6 to 14 half stitches (three to seven standard double stitches’ worth of thread), with more stitches producing larger knots with more pronounced spiral. They are used as: accent elements in floral tatting designs (small round “buds” between rings and chains), rosette centers in doily patterns, textural contrast elements in freestyle tatting, and as standalone charm elements in jewelry tatting. For Patreon creators, the Josephine knot is a natural second-session intermediate technique — quick to demonstrate, visually appealing, and buildable on the foundation of ring construction that the subscriber already knows.

The self-closing mock ring (SCMR)

The self-closing mock ring produces a closed ring-like element from a single shuttle thread working over a looped-back portion of itself, without requiring the shuttle thread to form the traditional ring loop. The practical value: in two-color tatting where the shuttle thread and ball thread must remain assigned to specific design elements, the SCMR allows a ring-shaped element to be worked in the ball thread color using only chain mechanics, preserving the shuttle thread for other elements.

Construction: a length of the ball thread (the thread from the ball, not the shuttle) is folded back on itself to create a working loop of the desired size. The shuttle thread then works double stitches over this folded-back portion, exactly as in a chain (with the folded-back ball thread as the core). When the required stitches are complete, the ball thread tail (the folded-back portion) is drawn through to close the mock ring, pulling the folded portion tight and producing a closed ring of stitches in the ball thread. The SCMR ring, when closed, is indistinguishable from a standard ring of the same stitch count. SCMR opens access to multi-color designs where different elements must be different colors without requiring separate thread lengths for each color change — a significant design expansion for the two-color tatting curriculum. Patreon creators who teach SCMR after split ring have a natural progression from one-shuttle to two-shuttle to continuous-thread construction that structures an extended curriculum arc.

Thread: sizes, fiber types, and winding

Thread selection in tatting is more specific than in most textile arts because the technique’s stitch geometry depends on the thread having adequate stiffness to hold the flip transfer and adequate smoothness to slide freely on the shuttle thread core. Not all thread types are suitable, and thread size (weight) directly determines the scale of the finished work.

Size numbering: why bigger numbers mean finer thread

Crochet cotton thread size numbers use a system inherited from historical spinning counts: the number indicates how many standard lengths of thread fit into a standard weight, so finer thread (more length per weight unit) carries a higher number. For tatting: Size 10 is the thickest commonly available tatting thread and is universally recommended for learning. The stitches are large, the flip is visible, and the completed rings are big enough to inspect. A size 10 ring of 8 double stitches measures approximately 8 to 10mm in diameter. Size 20 is the most widely used contemporary tatting size, appearing in the majority of commercial and independent patterns. Size 20 rings are approximately 5 to 7mm in diameter at 8 ds, producing work at the scale of commercial tatted jewelry and lace edgings. Size 40 is the traditional doily standard, used in most mid-20th-century tatting books and still common in contemporary fine work. Size 40 rings at 8 ds measure approximately 4mm, and completed motifs at this size have the refined delicacy associated with vintage tatted lace. Size 80 is heirloom fine, used for museum-quality reproductions and competition-level pieces. Work in size 80 requires consistently precise tension and a fully habituated flip; this is not a size for skill development but for demonstrating mastery.

Thread brands and fiber content

Lizbeth (Handy Hands, Indiana): the dominant contemporary tatting thread in the US market, available in size 10, 20, 40, and 80, with the widest color range of any brand including solids, tonals, and variegated colorways. Lizbeth 20 is the de facto standard for contemporary tatting Patreon pattern content. DMC Cordonnet Special and DMC Cébélia are widely available crochet cottons appropriate for tatting (Cordonnet in sizes 10 through 80, Cébélia in sizes 10 through 80). Anchor also produces crochet cotton in equivalent sizes. Vintage tatting thread brands — Coats Mercer-Crochet, J & P Coats Speed-Cro-Sheen, Coats & Clark Big Ball (all discontinued or reformulated) — appear frequently in vintage tatting discussions because they were the thread specified in mid-century pattern books and many contemporary tatters seek them for historical reproductions. YLI Jeanette's Twisted Tweed and YLI Colours silk tatting threads are specialist silk options: silk produces extraordinary luminosity in tatted lace and photographs exceptionally, but the slippery surface makes it less forgiving for learners. Patreon creators who teach in size 20 Lizbeth serve the largest potential audience; those who additionally demonstrate thread comparisons (size 10 vs size 40 same motif, cotton vs silk same pattern) provide subscriber value in the comparison content that beginners cannot easily self-generate.

Shuttle winding

Correct shuttle winding is a prerequisite skill that most tatting resources treat as obvious but that trips up beginners. Key principles: thread should fill the shuttle to no more than level with the shuttle tips (overfilling causes thread to catch on itself when unwinding during the stitch). Thread winds smoothly in one direction — counterclockwise looking at the face of a standard bobbin shuttle. The initial tail is not knotted — it is simply held while the first wraps anchor it. Amount to wind: for a simple 10-ring snowflake motif in size 20 thread, approximately 2 to 3 meters on the shuttle is sufficient. For a larger doily round, 4 to 5 meters may be needed; shuttle winding estimations come with practice and pattern experience. Running out of thread mid-ring is the classic beginner disaster that requires careful stitching to resolve (adding new thread inside a chain, then hiding tails). Patreon creators who demonstrate winding technique — including how to add a new thread when the shuttle runs out without cutting the ring in progress — address a universal learner problem.

Shuttle types: bobbin, post, and hook shuttles

The shuttle is the defining tool of tatting and comes in three main types, each with different thread management and ergonomic characteristics. A Patreon creator who works with multiple shuttle types and demonstrates the differences provides subscriber value beyond what a single-shuttle review offers.

Post shuttle (classical type): thread winds directly around a center post between the two shuttle halves. The post holds the thread by winding pressure; adding more thread means winding more onto the existing supply. Post shuttles are the older design — historical ivory, tortoiseshell, bone, and mother-of-pearl shuttles from the 18th and 19th centuries are all post shuttles — and are associated with historical tatting aesthetics. Contemporary handmade shuttles in wood, resin, and metal are frequently post type. Thread release from a post shuttle is smooth when the shuttle is wound at the correct tightness: too loose and thread unwinds from the post during working; too tight and the thread will not pull smoothly.

Bobbin shuttle (most common contemporary type): thread winds onto a separate removable bobbin, which is inserted into the shuttle body. Clover, Lacis, Handy Hands, and most commercial shuttle brands use this design. The bobbin shuttle’s primary advantage is that the bobbin can be pre-wound and replaced mid-project without re-threading the shuttle, and multiple bobbins can be wound simultaneously for a multi-shuttle project. The thread unwinds from the bobbin by pulling the shuttle thread, which causes the bobbin to rotate inside the shuttle. Bobbin shuttles are the recommended type for learners because the thread management is more predictable.

Hook shuttle: a bobbin or post shuttle with a small metal hook at one tip, integrated into the shuttle tip. The hook is the same size as a lace crochet hook appropriate for the thread size being used (for size 20 thread, approximately 0.75mm; for size 40, approximately 0.6mm). The hook allows picot joins to be made without reaching for a separate crochet hook: the hook tip is inserted directly through the picot, the thread is caught, and the join proceeds in one movement rather than two. For experienced tatters making multiple joins per motif, the hook shuttle reduces the time per join significantly and eliminates the problem of misplacing the join hook. Hook shuttles are recommended for intermediate and advanced tatters; some beginners find that the hook catches thread unintentionally during stitch formation.

Blocking and finishing tatted lace

Tatted lace, when removed from the working fingers, is typically smaller and more compact than the finished size — the stitches are compressed and the picots are pulled into tight loops. Blocking opens the tatting to its designed dimensions, separates the picots, and sets the lace in its final configuration. For display or sale pieces, and for instructional photographs that will appear in Patreon content, correct blocking is the difference between attractive and unphotographable.

Wet blocking: the most common tatting finishing method. The finished piece is submerged in cool water for 2 to 5 minutes until fully saturated (cotton thread absorbs water quickly). Excess water is squeezed out gently (no wringing). The damp piece is placed on a foam blocking board or a folded towel, and lace pins are inserted to hold each point, picot, and ring at the correct position as defined by the pattern diagram or by the designer’s measurement chart. Tatted snowflakes, for example, are blocked to a specific diameter measurement (the distance from tip to tip of the outermost rings) by pinning opposite tips at equal distances from center. Doilies are blocked in concentric rounds, starting at center and working outward. The lace dries in the blocked position, typically 12 to 24 hours at room temperature, and holds its shape when unpinned.

Stiffening: tatted lace intended for three-dimensional display (ornaments, baskets, bowls) or for wearing in structured pieces (collars, brooches) requires additional stiffening beyond blocking. Spray starch (domestic laundry starch) adds light body to lace that will be handled. Liquid fabric stiffener (diluted 1:1 with water) provides moderate stiffness. Pure liquid starch (diluted to a thick consistency) or PVA glue (white craft glue, diluted 2:1 with water) produces rigid lace suitable for ornaments and display pieces. Stiffened tatted snowflake ornaments and Christmas decorations are among the highest-volume tatting sales categories at craft shows and online, making stiffening technique directly commercially relevant for Patreon creators whose subscribers sell their work.

Historical tradition: Victorian frivolité and the Mary Konior revival

Tatting has a deep historical lineage that provides both context and content material for Patreon creators. Unlike some textile techniques where the historical tradition is academically documented but practically irrelevant to contemporary work, tatting’s history directly connects to the patterns and aesthetics still used by contemporary tatters — many mid-Victorian tatting pattern books remain fully practical instructions, and the Victorian aesthetic of ornamental lace edges and doilies is the dominant contemporary tatting tradition.

Origins and Victorian popularity

The origins of tatting are contested. The technique appears in European needlework literature most clearly in the mid-18th century, with early references suggesting French origin (frivolité is the French name, still used in France and Belgium) and parallel development in Italy (occhi, from the Italian word for eyes, referring to the ring shapes) and Germany (Schiffchenarbeit, shuttle work). By the 1840s, tatting had become a fashionable parlor occupation in England, appearing in ladies’ magazines alongside embroidery, crochet, and knitting patterns. The Victorian period (1840s through 1900) produced the largest body of published tatting patterns in the craft’s history: dozens of books and hundreds of magazine supplements featuring collar edgings, handkerchief borders, cap ornaments, baby garment trims, and eventually the large doily and centerpiece patterns that dominated the late-Victorian and Edwardian tatting literature. Thread manufacturers — particularly Coats in England and Scotland — published pattern leaflets to promote their crochet cotton ranges, and the availability of affordable fine thread in consistent weights made tatted lace accessible to a broad middle-class audience. This is the tradition that most contemporary tatting subscribes to, consciously or not: the ring-and-chain vocabulary, the picot-joined motifs, the doily construction method of working outward in rounds — all of these were systematized and popularized in the Victorian publications that remain the foundational references of the craft.

Mary Konior and visual pattern notation

Mary Konior (1932–1997) is the central figure of the 20th-century tatting revival. Her books — particularly Tatting with Visual Patterns (1992) and Tatting in Lace (1989) — introduced a diagrammatic notation system for tatting patterns that allows experienced tatters to read a design from a geometric diagram rather than counting through a textual stitch description. The Konior visual pattern is a schematic drawing of the finished tatting showing each ring and chain as a drawn element, with picots indicated by small loops in the drawing and joining points where rings or chains connect. An experienced tatter can read a Konior diagram and execute the design directly from the visual, using the diagram’s proportions to guide stitch count estimation and joining sequence. Konior’s contribution was not only notational — her designs themselves are distinguished by geometric elegance, using the mathematics of ring-and-chain adjacency to produce patterns with fractal-like self-similarity. Her snowflake series and her medallion doily patterns remain among the most reproduced contemporary tatting designs.

The Konior visual notation coexists with the older textual pattern convention (“R: 4-4-4-4, RW, Ch: 5-5, join to picot of previous ring, Ch: 5-5”) that most English-language tatting books use. Contemporary pattern writers use both systems, and some — particularly for complex multi-shuttle designs — add a third layer of color coding to distinguish which shuttle is active at each segment. Patreon creators who teach both reading conventions — textual count and visual diagram — and who demonstrate how to move between the two for the same pattern open the full range of published tatting patterns to their subscribers.

Contemporary designers

The contemporary tatting landscape is primarily online, with a cluster of independent designers who have built subscriber bases through free pattern blogs, YouTube tutorials, and Patreon pages. Jane Eborall (UK) has maintained a long-running tatting blog with free patterns and active engagement with the tatting community; her work is specifically appropriate for beginners and is widely recommended as a first patterns source. Jon Yusoff (Malaysia) is known for elaborate three-dimensional tatted constructions — spheres, boxes, and figurines built from tatted elements — using split ring and SCMR techniques extensively; his work represents the advanced end of the skill spectrum. Renulek (Poland) posts complex doily patterns in installments on a tatting forum, with each round released as a separate free download; her designs are worked by tatters internationally as group-along projects. Georgia Seitz established Tatting Corner as an online educational resource and organized the online tatting community in its early years. The Craftree and InTatters online forums remain active gathering places for the tatting community, alongside dedicated tatting Facebook groups and a growing Instagram presence for finished-object sharing. For Patreon creators, the community is established and has a documented appetite for subscription content: the willingness to work complex multi-round doilies from pattern-in-installments (the Renulek model) demonstrates that tatting practitioners engage with serialized instructional content over extended periods.

Apple Tax on iOS Patreon subscriptions: what tatting creators lose from November 2026

Apple’s 30% in-app purchase fee applies to all Patreon subscriptions processed through the iOS app from November 1, 2026. The tatting audience is distributed across several platforms: YouTube for tutorial content (where iOS mobile viewing runs in the 55 to 68% range), Facebook for community discussion (higher desktop usage, iOS share approximately 45 to 55% of mobile traffic), Instagram for finished-object photography (65 to 75% iOS), and Pinterest for pattern discovery (65 to 75% iOS). The tatting demographic skews older than some craft communities — practitioners in the 40 to 75 age range are common — but the iOS adoption rate in this demographic has risen consistently over the past decade, and the concentration on Instagram and Pinterest (high-iOS platforms) produces an aggregate iOS reach for most tatting Patreon creators in the 65 to 72% range.

Revenue calculations at 68% iOS reach (conservative for a tatting creator with primary YouTube and Facebook presence) and 72% iOS reach (moderate, with significant Instagram following) at four tier price points:

At $12/month: $12 × 0.68 × 0.30 = $2.45 per subscriber per month lost to Apple. At 45 subscribers: $110.16/month ($1,321.92/year).

At $22/month: $22 × 0.70 × 0.30 = $4.62 per subscriber per month. At 30 subscribers: $138.60/month ($1,663.20/year).

At $45/month: $45 × 0.72 × 0.30 = $9.72 per subscriber per month. At 15 subscribers: $145.80/month ($1,749.60/year).

At $80/month: $80 × 0.74 × 0.30 = $17.76 per subscriber per month. At 8 subscribers: $142.08/month ($1,704.96/year).

A tatting Patreon with 98 subscribers across these four tiers loses approximately $536.64/month ($6,439.68/year) to Apple IAP after November 1, 2026. The tatting subscriber who joins via Patreon on an iPhone is unlikely to notice the iOS routing — the Patreon app appears the same on any device — but the creator loses one-third of the subscription amount permanently unless new subscriptions are captured through a web checkout link.

KeepTier: web checkout that routes around Apple IAP

KeepTier provides a web-based subscription checkout page that operates entirely outside the iOS in-app purchase system. A tatting Patreon creator who places their KeepTier link in a YouTube video description (the first link, above the fold), in their Instagram bio or link-in-bio page, in their tatting blog header, or as a pinned post in their Facebook group captures new subscriptions without entering the Apple IAP pathway. The full subscription amount, minus Stripe’s standard 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee, reaches the creator.

The tatting audience is accustomed to external commerce links: thread purchases from Handy Hands, shuttle purchases from Lacis or individual maker shops, pattern book orders from specialist publishers. A KeepTier subscription link in the same position as the thread vendor link is not an unusual navigation step for a tatting subscriber. The web checkout framing — “subscribe to support tutorials — no Apple cut” — is straightforward for a community that is already aware of platform fees from discussions in tatting forums and Facebook groups.

Tier structures for tatting Patreon creators

The tatting skill progression provides a natural three-tier structure: foundation technique in the first tier, technique expansion (split ring, Josephine knot, SCMR) in the second, and design-system and advanced-construction content in the third. Each tier maps to a distinct subscriber profile and a distinct content production investment.

Tier 1 — Shuttle ($12–$15/month): one monthly pattern release in PDF format — a design appropriate for the foundation skill set (basic rings, chains, picot joining). The pattern includes a stitch count diagram, a textual stitch description for each element, a thread size recommendation, and a finished-object photograph. Appropriate projects at this tier: small three-ring clover earring (the universal tatting first project), a six-ring snowflake ornament, a simple edging for a handkerchief or bookmark. The pattern PDF should specify shuttle type, thread brand and size, and blocking instructions. This tier serves: the beginner who has learned the flip from free YouTube content and wants structured, curated patterns to develop their skill; the returning tatter who learned in the 1990s and is resuming the craft; and the experienced tatter who is willing to pay for reliable, well-formatted patterns that save time compared to searching for free content.

Tier 2 — Ring ($25–$35/month): monthly pattern plus video tutorial demonstrating the technique required for the month’s design. At this tier, the technique demonstration is the primary value: split ring execution for designs that require continuous thread working, Josephine knot placement in floral designs, SCMR for two-color designs, or joining-on-the-ring for complex multi-ring motifs. The video should be shot with the consistent close-camera setup that shows thread direction, stitch formation, and the flip clearly — the same setup the creator used to demonstrate the foundation double stitch. Intermediate subscribers are often technically competent with foundation tatting but have never seen split ring or SCMR demonstrated at the level of slow-motion thread-path analysis. The second-tier video provides this instruction at a quality that free YouTube content typically does not reach.

Tier 3 — Doily ($50–$75/month): monthly pattern and tutorial video plus a serialized design module covering an extended project — a multi-round doily, a tatted collar, a three-dimensional ornament, or a design system module covering one of the larger frameworks: how Konior visual notation maps to stitch count, how to calculate thread length for a multi-shuttle design, how to design original tatting patterns using the ring-adjacency geometry that underlies the visual pattern system. This tier serves advanced practitioners who are building a tatting portfolio or developing their own designs. At $65/month mid-range, 73% iOS, 10 subscribers: $65 × 0.73 × 0.30 = $14.24 per subscriber per month × 10 = $142.35/month ($1,708.20/year) permanently lost to Apple unless routed through web checkout from November 2026 onward.

See the KeepTier blog for analysis of Apple Tax impact across fiber arts and textile creator categories, and preserve your subscription revenue from November 2026 at keeptier.com.