Pattern Abbreviations from various systems of notation

+ or J

Join- A loop drawn through a picot, shuttle passed through it,

And shuttle passed through it & drawn tightly

-

Picot

--

Long picot

---

Longer picot

( )

Work as a set

( )#

Repeat set

*( )

Notation followed by “Repeat from *”

@

at

#p/#

As in “4p/3 meaning: make 4 picot divided by 3 ds

b

Insert bead

Ch

Chain (work on ball thread or 2nd shuttle)

ctm

Continuous thread method- thread unbroken between shuttle and ball

Dnrw

Do not reverse work

ds

Double stitch-2 half stitches forming one stitch (like half-hitch knot)

jk

Josephine knot –series of ˝ stitches to make tiny ring

lj

Lock join

lr

Large ring (Vintage)

mp

Make picot – loop left between stitches

PS

Passive shuttle

RS

Ring shuttle

RT

Ring thread

S1

Shuttle #1

S2

Shuttle #2

Sl st

Slip stitch- thread passed under work to next point (shows on back)

sr

Small ring (vintage)

SS

Spare shuttle or thread

WS

Working shuttle

Victorian & Modern Tatting Definitions

Cluny Work

A type of weaving process borrowed from lace techniques where the shuttle or needle carries the thread over and under the “loom threads” wrapped around the left hand.

English stitch

A name sometimes given to the 2nd half of a double stitch

French stitch

A name sometimes given to the half stitch

Node Stitch Also known as Victorian sets, Set stitches, Ruffle Stitch, Rick Rack stitch (not to be confused with tatting onto a piece of rick rack braid). A node stitch enables you to have a picot on the top and bottom of the chain and is a useful design tool. It contains a given number of repeats of the first half of the stitch, followed by a given number of the 2nd half of the stitch. For a complete explanation, see Gillian Buchanan's article.

Purl

A picot or small loop

Shuttle or locking join

Instead of pulling the top thread through the picot, pull the shuttle thread through, pass shuttle through the loop, tighten the join, and make the normal 2nd half of the ds. The stitches will no longer slide.

Split ring

A method of bridging from one row to the next, with 2 threads coming out of the top of the ring. The first part of the ring is formed as usual, the 2nd part is formed with 2nd thread but the knot is NOT transferred, then the ring is closed