Part 1 1/2 Finger Lakes Memories

Part 1 1/2?? My Finger Lakes narrative/retrospective will have to be sidelined awhile.  I've been hospitalized (yes--again) for the last six days.  It will be a day or ??? until my parole.  This is an article that I wrote for our guild newsletter.

My Clover Confession

I have a confession to make that will make many tatters gasp.  “I have always hated Clover shuttles!

When I started tatting, I had the choice of metal Boye shuttles, and the light, colorful Clover shuttle.  I chose the convenience of being able to carry extra thread with me easily AND the wonderful fact that I didn’t have to empty a shuttle to start a new project.  Over time I became “addicted” to a shuttle with a hook.  The ability to buy bobbins cheaply, instead of emptying the shuttle started me on a “bobbin collection” of metal Boye bobbins, and then later when Aerlits came on the market, a plastic bobbin collection.

Boye shuttles became “harder to enjoy” as I tired of the oxidation marks that the metal left on my lovely tatting, and the downturn in quality over time meant the metal often cut my thread.

A few years ago, I thought I had finally found the shuttle that would rule my tatting kingdom—the moonlit shuttle.  I loved the feel, the amount of thread it held, and the hook.  These shuttles were even easily decorated—I soon had half-a-dozen pairs of Moonlit shuttles decorated with my beloved turtles.

On our way home from Finger Lakes.  Cynthia, my traveling companion, had an internet order she wanted to pick up, so we stopped at Lisa Adams’ house.  Lisa is the new owner of Tatting Corner.

There I saw—a clover shuttle with a removable bobbin! I gave in, and bought two shuttles, and two packages of th­­­e removable bobbins.  Then I thought Cynthia said the case for them was $5.00—I wasn’t going to pass that up, it is a great case!

 Well, I have finished my first project with the “awful, I hate Clover shuttles” and these are my feelings---

😀  The bobbins come with a holder to aid in winding the bobbin.

😀 Spare bobbins allow for easy extra-thread carrying!

 😀 Each package comes with a clear plastic washer which will allow you to wind the bobbin on your sewing machine.

😀  The bobbin have a round hole in the middle—it has a 6-sided, hexagon shape on the bobbin that “clicks” softly onto the same shape inside the shuttle.  This allows thread to be pulled off the bobbin when it is needed but provides a nice gentle tension on the thread when it is in use.  I love this feature! 

 😒😏This shuttle comes with the usual clover “pick”—I have never figured out how anyone uses that pick to make joins.  However-- I found my- self using the pick to help take out an awful knot/mistake.  That was the “Eureka” moment, when I thought to myself…”these aren’t really bad shuttles….you know, I kind of like them!” and …..They are coming very close to removing the Moonlit shuttle’s crown!

 I like them enough, I think I will purchase a few more, next chance I get.

Available at Tatting Corner

Tatting Shuttle (1 Shuttle, 1 holder, 2 bobbins) $11.50

Extra Bobbins (5 bobbins and holder) $11.25

Case $16.50 **(NOT $5.00!)