Cluny Tatting Basics

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Last year, Georgia asked me to do coloured Cluny Tatting on a box loom starting with the basics. I used a card loom (for ease of photographing) which is exactly the same as using a box loom, except for the hollow depth of the latter. This space is created on a card loom when the Warps are pulled tight and the card curves slightly. Or by inserting a pencil or cardboard wedge to raise the loom threads (see Fig1). 

Fig1 - Card Loom with raised Warps

Secondly, while a flat card loom has notches/slits, the 3D box loom has knobs around which the thread is wound (see Fig2 - it is Tamie's pic from the Online Tatting Class) .

Fig2 - Box Loom (pic borrowed from Tamie)

All pics were ready in December 2017. But it has taken over 9 months of gestation to see the light of blog! And now when the time came, it seemed better to start with the very very basic steps which I hadn’t done previously, and then progress to colours. This can act as a refresher as well as to showcase my little tips/tweaks for ease of comparison and reference. I am not happy with the picture quality in my 2015 Cluny Tatting series. Hence this post will contain new pics, though some of the steps may have been covered then.

Due to this change, I will shift the overview and notes to next post where we start with 2 colour threads.

Cluny Tatting - the Basics 

This covers winding the loom and making a single coloured tally

Winding the Loom

A cardstock loom has been used throughout. 

The same principle applies to any kind of loom, including one’s hand.

Yellow shuttle is used to wind the loom (Warps) and red shuttle will be used for weaving. Both shuttles have same colour thread.

There are slits cut into the card loom where thread is inserted. In box loom, the winding is around the knobs. 
I started CTM, and made a ring : 3-3-3-3 before winding the loom.

 

1. Insert thread through A and out through B

2. Insert thread through C and out through D

 

3. Insert thread through E and perform ‘one small step’ from behind 

(this small step is not possible on a hand loom)

4. Pass shuttle through the back loop of A & B. 

This step ensures that closing of the tally can be done on the loom itself.  

 

5. Bring the thread from E out through F …

6. … and in through G (which is the same slit as C). 

This is optional, but I find it keep the loom thread taut at all times 
and the loom shuttle out of the way.

To raise the Warps, a folded card wedge (or pencil) is inserted at the top.

7. This side view shows the raised Warps clearly.

The loom is all set and we are now ready to start weaving our first tally.

Weaving the Tally

basic Cluny Tatting – with same thread (colour) in both shuttles.
2 threads ; 1 colour

UPDATE : See also new step – hitch the loom

 1. Since the previous element is on the left, 
we need to bring the weaving shuttle to the right to begin. 
Hold the ring in a pinch and pass shuttle Under and Over.

NOTE: Instead of simply passing the shuttle across, sometimes a half stitch (flipped or unflipped) is made to secure the base. I have not done it, because at times the stitch knots up for me.

2. Shuttle is in position now, and ready to start weaving.
(though not shown here, keep the ring & Warps in a pinch, as seen in Fig5 below)

 3. Move to the left – pass shuttle Under-Over-Under. 

4. 1 pass made

 5. Move to right - pass shuttle Over-Under-Over.

6. 2^nd pass made 

These 2 passes form 1 wrap or weave.
Nudge the thread towards the base to keep all passes close together.

 7. Continue weaving and shaping the tally.
One tally made with 6 wraps (12 passes).

We can now begin to close the tally. Keep tally in a pinch to avoid distortion.

 8. Discard the wedge. Remove thread from slits A & B. 
This is the first loop that needs to be closed by pulling B-C from the lower end. 
Notice how that one small step (Fig4 in Winding the loom) 
has kept all other threads in place on the loom.

9. The A-B loop disappears.

Now we need to close the lower loop. 

10. Remove thread from E and start pulling upwards. As the lower loop (C-D) becomes smaller, remove it from the loom and close completely.

In this case the loop is twisting. Inserting a crochet hook through it weighs it down, 
allowing for a smooth knot-free closure.

11. All loops closed. 1 tally or Cluny leaf or petal made.

In the next post in this series, we begin working with a 2^nd colour. All updates will be listed in the My Tutorials page. For lots more tips, resources, and potential, check out my 2015 Cluny Tatting series.

…to be continued