I get asked this question a lot when I do craft fairs so I will endeavor to answer this question as simply as I can. Crochet and Tatting have a very similar look. The main differences are the tools that you use to make them and the scale.

Tatting is a very old technique used for making very delicate but strong lace. It sometimes uses a shuttle,  or a tatting needle, or a combination of a needle and a crochet hook (this technique is called cro-tatting).  Tatting is a combination of loops and knots connected together to create a very fine lace. Tatted lace is normally used for decorative edgings. Whilst I am not a practitioner of this amazing craft (I would love to learn but don’t know anybody who does it), I am indeed a fan of how beautiful it looks. I found some strips of antique tatted lace at the Button Emporium. Here is a pic of one of them.

I used one strip to make some dainty loop earrings (see pic below). You can get the larger hoops exclusively at Tender Loving Empire (quantities are limited!) and the smaller ones will be making their debut in the Crafty Wonderland Spring Sale (2 pairs are also available at Presents of Mind).

Now, crochet is something I am very familiar with. It uses hooks of different sizes to create lace and fabric. Crochet Lace is not as fine as tatted lace. The finest gauge thread for crochet I can find are size 11 which I use for my doily designs. The antique tatted lace pictured above uses a thread that is almost as fine as sewing thread. What I love about crochet is how dimensional it is. You can make everything from lace to fabric to plush. There are so many crochet stitches and that allows you to make a variety of forms, shapes and textures. Observe…

Here is a picture of a crocheted doily which is one of the most popular forms crochet takes.

And here is a photo of a 2 headed, crocheted cat

And finally, my favorite crochet application, crochet as lace and jewelry. I will be showing this piece at Crafty Wonderland as well.

Well, there you go folks. Any other questions?

This week I’ve started prototyping stuff for the fall. These are the first pieces I was able to hash out. Brooches are one of my favorite fall accessories. When the weather starts to cool down, you tend to see more lapels and its nice to add some color to those. This summer I designed a bracelet using frosted vintage lucite beads with crocheted elements. You can see that particular bracelet here. I decided to incorporate that design into some cute little brooches (pic above and below). I love how vibrant the colors are and how nice the textures of the vintage lucite and the crocheted beads look together. I’m happy with how these are turning out. I’m thinking of adding more hardware like chains and charms to them though. Anyway, stay tuned for more sneak peeks into fall.