u/xizor906

Near total beginner here (have made a bench before), would the attached photos be feasible as a project? What types of skills and tools should I research if so?

This may be totally off the mark, but it looks like carving down a hunk of wood to shape rather than constructing the shuttle from separate pieces. Would dremels be the best tool for creating the 'bobbin' on the inside? Last question, would wood type matter for a smaller project like this (hard v soft -- obviously wood type will affect the finished look).

Thank you all for any advice or guidance you can give!

The Etsy seller who makes these is Laszlo, for due credit. Other Etsy shops make beautiful wooden shuttles with inlays etc, but that seems a bit out of scope for a first project.

Bit of a bittersweet story. I had the privilege of being able to visit family in Alaska for the first time! My parents had visited a few times before I was born but hadn't been back for decades.

On the way there, at TSA, my metal shuttles pinged the machine and prompted a bag check. I could tell from the highlighted outline of the object on the computer screen. Unfortunately, when the TSA agent opened my bag of tatting goodies she saw the small pocket knife my grandfather gave me when I earned my Eagle Scout. I had completely forgotten that knife was in my bag -- I only use it for the small scissors and had truthfully forgotten it even had a blade. The entire tool is the size of one's thumb!

I was a wreck. I hate crying, even when I am alone, but I was full on weeping on my way to the gate. My grandfather is older and has dementia. We went through this process with a different grandfather of mine (but with Alzhimers) but that doesn't make it easier.

However, on the plane, a flight attendant saw me tatting and she stopped by to chat. She said she had wanted to learn but had never seen someone tatting in person before! We talked a bit, I was making a simple edging to keep my hands busy, and it was a very nice experience after an awful morning (as an asides, I had to wake up at 3am and drive 2 hours to make it to the airport - so I was already at a bit of a diminished emotional capacity).

It felt so nice talking about tatting with someone enthusiastic (and a fellow crafter! She usually weaves but obviously can't bring that on a plane) that I took an extra ball and shuttle of mine and made a little 'intro to tatting' baggie for her. Nothing fancy, a thank you note and some tips about what/how to learn first from YouTube etc...

She came back later with a note for me and a gift from her! A baggie she had embroidered sashiko style on the previous flight! We had another lovely conversation, and I started to feel so much better. Later her friend came by to talk about tatting as well, I felt so popular!

This post is getting very long, but on this trip I have been tatting wherever we are and it has continued to spawn lovely interactions with others. From older women who recognize what their mothers and grandmothers used to do, to young guys who have only heard of knitting but think tatting looks cool and novel.

All this to say, I am still so mad at myself for losing such an important and sentimental item but I have also gained such a deep appreciation for tatting and the connections that it facilitates with people from all walks of life.

I have only been tatting since last December (and barely at that, with work and other commitments) but I now have a lifetime of loyalty for this craft ❤️