The problem of tatting shuttles

[lotsofplants]

So, I tat. Which makes nifty lacy stuff, and is kind of cool, and is a fun thing to do with one's hands while waiting in line or in lecture or such things. And I use a shuttle to do it. Shuttles are very functional little jobs, small and well designed, with smooth aesthetic curves and a graceful shape. I have somewhere between thirty and forty, mostly cheap plastic ones, but a few wood or bone or shell (and one of amber, tiny and translucent). It turns out that most people who tat end up collecting shuttles--you really only need one, and two for certain techniques, but then you discover a pretty one and really, you can always use an extra for a new project, or some thread that didn't quite get used up from the last one, or just as a worry stone as you think

And the problem is that there are way too many nifty shuttles.

Like a cute antique chinese-style cat on e-bay.
(There are a surprisingly large number of antique shuttles on e-bay. I expect this one to go for around $90. Someone managed to slip an antique tortoiseshell shuttle past the e-bay no-endangered-species-parts radar--it went for several hundred.)

Or a silver with cutwork shuttle, from Italy.

Or filigreework victorian reproductions in a couple styles: heart and set of three.

Veneered and Banded wood shuttles from England (look at the bottom of the page).

Wood filigree with inlays of shell or wire or gemstone at the shuttle shop

And incredibly light shuttles made of veneer. These are so well known in tatting circles that you can just call them DRS shuttles, and everyone knows what you mean.

And a really cute one colored to look like a hummingbird, though the pictures have been changed to be much smaller and harder to see. :(


So many shuttles, so little time...

And it's not like I don't have enough tatting shuttles. But they combine the 'ooo, shiny' with 'ooo, tools' and they're quite small, and...yeah. When I'm rich. :)

This materialistic moment brought to you by someone finding a bunch of links they'd jotted down in a notepad file. I now return you to your regularly scheduled livejournal.

Comments

[ex-digitalis869.livejournal.com]

I like the DRS ones best. Simple, yet elegant. So pretty.

[plantae.livejournal.com]

And they're *light*! Filling them with thread will about double their weight. They tat beautifully. :) Remind me next time you're over and I'll show you a couple.

[vixyish.livejournal.com]

Oooooooooooohhh. Shiny indeed. I think I like the shuttleshop inlay ones best.

[plantae.livejournal.com]

I have a couple of their engraved ones--the inlay are a bit more pricy. :) The rosewood shuttle is lovely, silky smooth.