Customer Reviews

Picot lace: A new light on tatting, a new twist on beading

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This is a well written and fairly well illustrated book. All working diagrams were generated on a computer, but they are clear and easy to understand. However, be warned that this IS NOT A TATTING BOOK. While the patterns are based on tatting patterns, this is a beading technique book, regardless of what the title says. That having been said, I think any tatter interested in beading will have a fine time adapting patterns between the two arts.

I have to say that this is one of the most disappointing books I've ordered from Amazon. As someone who has tried tatting and is an avid beader, I was very interested in a book that promised by its title to somehow combine the two. However,.. this is a beading book. And the only really new beading technique that's introduced is the author's method of "setting" the single bead that represents the picot in the work.

I would still have been interested in the book had it contained more actual patterns using the technique, but the book has only five patterns in it, three of which are for necklaces and/or bracelets and one of which is a dreamcatcher pattern that doesn't really belong here at all since it has no relation to the book's topic. The author excuses this by saying that the patterns weren't ready by the publication date and promising to publish *another* book that will include patterns.

Information about transposing tatting patterns into picot lace beading patterns would also have been welcome, but the author states that this information won't be available until she publishes her *third* book.

All in all, the book gives the impression that it was rushed to publication. The information that is contained here has been "stretched out" by means of frequent repetition of the same material and the use of an extremely large font. In my opinion, what you get is definitely not worth the price of the book...

This book covers the author's developments on how to create needle and thread beaded lace that has the look of tatting. I am not particularly happy at the cover illustration of the book which is very misleading. The collar design illustrated appeared in several reprints of a public domain tatting pattern in the 40s through to the 1980s and while the lace actually does look as if it's tatted it isn't, the piece is entirely made in beads.

In my view the author would have been better not to make her lace a means of copying tatting patterns for those who can do beadwork but don't do tatting. She would have been better to find ways of giving it its own look and style and staying away from the tatting altogether. She seems to have had access to very few tatting books and while the ones she had are excellent ones (they are listed in the bibliography) a little more research would have been a good idea.

That said the book is clear and concise in its layout though there are very few patterns and the actual sizes of the beads don't appear to be given. This annoys me because you can see quite clearly in some of the photos that the beads are different sizes and this is going to make some of the pieces difficult to make up accurately. The diagrams are however very clear and appear to be accurate though I haven't tried making any of the pieces.

I would recommend this to a beadworker who has made some pieces and has some idea of what he or she is doing, and who would enjoy something which in beading terms does look a little different. Don't buy it if you want to learn beaded tatting because it does not teach that skill.

This has some pretty and interesting stuff on beading but it's NOT tatting so don't think that you're getting tatting patterns. That is not the case. These patterns often use the look of a tatted piece (kindof) but it's made with beading (much bulker and not really lace like). The title is a little deceiving, and not being able to look through the book makes this big difference a little difficult to discern. It's certainly a fine book on beading but it's a whole world away from actual tatting.

This is a great book if you are open minded. I am a tatter at heart and have fun with beading. But I miss to see the direct relation between this beading technique and tatting. The unique shapes that can be done with tatted elements are not and never will be the same in beads. The "picots" are differently situated (or did you ever manage a picot directly over a stitch? no, its in between)and a bead to me would only look like a picot if its lying on its side with the hole visible. Anyway, besides those initial putoffs, this is a great beading book. I do like the large font and also the clear illustrations. I do like the patterns and the way they are explained. Its a fun beading experience, I just wish it would have not been connected to tatting so much. I do not agree with most of the things that are said in this book that relate to tatting and the author seems to have a certain attitude towards tatting that I do not share. If you have fun beading and would like to have clear instructions on how to bead that the finished work seen from far away would REMIND of tatting, you'll like the book. Its not lace, and there are no picots, you should know that :)