The shoelace trick.

[freyja28]

Hi. I just had a question about the "shoe lace trick". I am trying to complete a pattern that calls for this method and I don't really understand how to do it. I wasn't sure if it was a term for needle tatting, shuttle tatting or both? Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

[IdahoCanuck]

Not to worry :) it is just the first part of tying your shoelace... Or a square knot, where you take one thread over and under the other. It is use to switch thread/shuttle positions which is especially helpful if you are tatting with 2 different colors and want to switch colors at the start of a new element ( ring or chain).

[freyja28]

If that's correct I think I must of miss understood something as I was learning how to needle tat. I have been doing this after every ring and chain is complete. I also thought you needed to make this not before you reversed your work. Would I be correct now in thinking neither of these shoelace knots were needed every time?

[carolivy]

Shoelace Trick is a tatting term whereby you switch threads being worked. This usually happens when you are working off the ball. You are doing it correctly when you tie your thread between rings & chains in needle tatting. The only way (personally) I can see this term being applied to Needle Tatting is if you are using 2 colors and need to switch which color is where.

[Holly Ann]

If that's correct I think I must of miss understood something as I was learning how to needle tat. I have been doing this after every ring and chain is complete. I also thought you needed to make this not before you reversed your work. Would I be correct now in thinking neither of these shoelace knots were needed every time?

You do this when you are going from a ring to a chain (or a chain to a ring). It is also used as a "reverse work." Shuttle tatters, as far as I know, don't typically knot their work when going from chain to ring (ring to chain) so they add this extra knot in their pattern. Needle tatters do it pretty much automatically. You don't need to knot your work when going from ring to ring (or chain to chain) as in a clover pattern.

[xstchntat]

Normally when I needletat I do true rings and do not tie after every element which makes the structure the same as shuttle tatting. I know how to do both ways though and some things are better for each way depending on what the tatter wants in the finished lace.

[IdahoCanuck]

I think you are confusing a lock stitch with the shoelace trick... Shuttle tatters use the shoelace trick to switch shuttles/threads.... I don't know how needle tatters would use it. The lock stitch is where you do the first half of a dbl stitch normally flipped then the second half unflipped creating a locked knot. The shoelace trick is only the first half of a knot so it will not 'lock' the stitches.... Kind of like when you tie your shoe laces only halfway. It only switches the position of the threads as to which thread is the core thread.

[carolivy]

Marla, when needle tatters finish an element and are ready to go on to the next element they do something very similar to the shoe lace trick. We are only tieing the first half of a knot. If RW is required, it looks exactly like the Shoelace Trick in shuttle tatting. I RW is not required, it looks like the first half of an unflipped stitch in shuttle tatting.