And read on to see what my hubby had to say and why the 'ouch' with the 'evviva' ....
Many thanks to Alessandra Caputo for the critical role she played towards the publication.
And look at all the other stuff that accompanied the book! ALL made by her! But this is such a jumble and each piece needs to be admired individually.
Hubby still cannot get over the fact that this is indeed tatting! He absolutely loved this pair of earrings. Notice how tiny they are compared to my thumbnail.
Each pair is so dainty and small, so elegant.
Her own hand-painted bookmark with a tatting insert.
Her Bosa's filet lace bookmark above and a tatted motif below.
Such a cute sampler of her Bosa filet lace, and so tiny, so fine. The net is first knotted by hand, then embroidered over. 
These beautiful feather-light tatted beads on my palm are barely 1.5cms!!!! Wonder if I've ever seen such tiny seed beads either. How did she string them?! I fumble with much larger seed beads.
Another gorgeous motif in pleasant colourway with a doodad in the center.
More tatted motifs, the beads, and the Bosa's filet work. And she flawlessly fit in 4 Heart Squares in the same space as my single one! I don'e whether its the threads or her tension, but her motifs are all fairly stiff.
She bought me a 1920 vintage bobbin lace frame, too! It is perfect size to sew on a cushion cover, but after consulting with Nin, it might not stand the strain and wash. I'll have to think of some other way to display it - it cannot just be stashed away.
Hand-painted shuttle by Nin ...
.... and the other side of the same shuttle.
And her 2nd hand-painted shuttle with her favourite butterfly.
A 3rd hooked bobbin shuttle is decorated by Dali L'artista (or Lina) and I can't wait to use these shuttles for size 80 threads.
A nice pop-up card with her warm message. She chose it because the flowers seem to be placed on a tatted doily.
And metallic threads galore!
I had asked for only a sampler of Sanbest which is so popular and works wonderfully for tatted jewellery, and she sent me all these!
A couple from Edda Guastella, etc., too.
I left the 7 extra butterflies, though. Perhaps 7 more wouldn't look bad either?
In Anchor size 40, the diameter is about 40cms.
As a surprise, I had worked the outer round of her beautifully designed doily as per pattern this time, and haven't yet told or shown her ;-D More about that below.
Most of items shared here are already is Ninetta's blog with lots of details. Scroll down to the end of the page and look under respecitve Labels https://ninettacaruso.blogspot.com/
I need a magnifier (or a microscope, seriously!) to see and understand what she's done here.
Comparing Ninetta's and my tatting, now hubby says her work is like a 5-star gourmet meal to my dhaba (roadside food) style fare; like Rolex to HMT (Indians upto my generation might remember those bulky wrist watches). This is where the "ouch" of my post title comes in, LOL. Suddenly my fawned-upon lacework is reduced to ashes ;-D Oh yes, my confidence has certainly taken a beating!
The 2 pouches above and the needle case are all sewn by Nin, too! Perfection again. Such a multi-talented lady with perfect stitches and strokes in each craft.
I really have no excuse now to not tat jewellery, right?
The moment Nin told me that the book will definitely be published, I snipped off the leaf motifs joining the flowers, and set about tatting the outer round as per her pattern. You might remember my dilemma with what colour to use which is why I veered from track. This time I simply picked up the cream and went to work.
Ninetta honoured me by asking me to write a Foreword for her book. We hope the book wil be published in English as well, though several non-Italian tatters have already bought either the physical or digital copy and are translating it.
The colours are more vibrant in real, but this will have to do for now.
Oh, and I'd had the immense pleasure of suggesting a name for the doily which Ninetta accepted!
I placed Ninetta's size 80 motif over my size 40 one for a comparison.
When I'd sent Nin some of my tatted lace, I told her it would be gigantic and bulky beside her own work since she prefers finer threads and doll-house sized lace! Yet I NEVER thought I'd be transported to Lilliput. My photos don't give much of an idea of how tiny her pieces are and how well-made. I actually need magnifiers to really see some of her stitches.
It has been my good fortune to be around when treble tatting was invented in 2018 and to see it evolve. Ninetta changed the entire tatting scene by giving us a 3rd stitch.
Never ever say that tatting is a dying art with such a revolutionary invention.
Never every say that tatting is made only of 2 stitches...proudly boast about the tds.
I am still too overwhelmed with this bonanza and with the sweetness with which my friend and partner has gifted it all. I seriously believe I need at least one more lifetime only to try, learn, tat, and experiment with all that she has shared in Less than 10 years!
grazie mille mio cara amica
🦋💝🦋
