Mrs Mee Speaks (Caution long OCD post)

My present to myself, alluded to in a previous post, was a photocopy of a complete version of Tatting, or Frivolite by Mrs Mee and Miss Austin. Mrs Mee was quite well known in her day, and had published many books of knitting and crochet beginning in the 1840's. She has been overlooked by tatting historians, but I consider her a true pioneer.

From Tatting, or Frivolite, pp iii-iv:
" Having been long solicited to bring out a work on Tatting (or Frivolite, as it has been called of late years in Paris), my only hesitation in doing so has been, I thought it difficult to write so that all might understand me. I never remember learning the work, or when I did not know how to do it. I believe it was taught me by my grandmother, who, if she had been living, would have been in her hundredth year. I mention this, as I have heard that a claim has been made by some one lately, to have invented the work, which certainly has been known as Knotting or Tatting, for more than a century. My plan of forming the work from the reel or skein, and only making the foundation from the shuttle, is original, as are all my patterns; and I offer it with confidence, believing that many who have never before attempted it, will be induced to learn. In most of the patterns, the old plan of drawing up the loop from the work formed round the fingers, is altogether done away with; and this has been the great difficulty with many. The patterns are entirely different to anything before published, and I trust will meet with general approval; they are applicable for varieties of purposes, and the great durability of the work will be a recommendation to many. The cottons as directed must be obtained; those of Messrs. Walter Evans & Co. being the best produced.

Cornelia Mee
71, Brook Street, Grosvenor Square,
London, December 10, 1862"

From page vii:
"...In my new method of Tatting which I have endeavored to show in the Illustration the work is formed from the reel, while the foundation is only used from the shuttle, which is the thread that passes through the work. Take both threads between the thumb and fore finger, letting the one from the reel or skein be uppermost; let this thread pass over and between the fingers of the left hand as shown in illustration..."


Therefore I submit that the true tatted chain dates to 1862 with Mrs Mee, not 1864 by Mlle Riego as previously believed by most tatting historians. And doesn't that sound silly and trivial, now that I've said it. Well, I thought it was significant.

PS. I do no mean to belittle Mlle Riego, and still consider her the Mother of Modern Tatting for her revolutionary change in the style of tatting designs. She may not have invented all of the technical advances, but put them to good use, as Elgiva Nicholls says. Elgiva had wondered why Riego had quietly started using chains in 1864 without drawing attention to what she considered the discovery of the century. I think this is why; the ladies of that time would have already seen Mrs Mee's little book, which was lost to us for a time.

Edging No. 3

"EDGING, No. 3.

This is a strong and useful trimming, and is also extremely pretty, in coloured purse silk, or black as an edging, or to lay on the material intended to be trimmed as a gimp.

In cotton for a coarse and strong trimming, use Messrs. Walter Evans & Co.’s 000 Boar’s Head Cotton. For fine edgings, use 8, 10, or 16. Work from the reel, and fill the shuttle with the same cotton.

Work a straight length the quality you require in double loop, and cut off the threads.

2nd row.—Pass the cotton on the shuttle through the 1st loop * work 1 single, 5 pearl, work 9 double loop, 1 double, insert the crochet needle between the foundation thread, and 1st of double loop, draw the cotton on the shuttle through, drawing the 9 double loops, and 1 double firmly into an oval, pass the shuttle through, work 1 single, 5 pearl, pass the thread on the shuttle through the 6th loop, from 1st, and the shuttle firmly through it. Repeat. Now work on the other side of 1st row, unite the threads at the 1st loop, work 4 double, 1 loop, 4 double, draw the cotton on the shuttle through the foundation thread of the 6th double loop in 1st row, repeat from the beginning. Next row, draw the thread on shuttle through the loop in centre of 4 double on each side in row before, work 5 double loop, repeat. "


From Tatting or Frivolite; 1862, by Mrs. Mee and Miss Austin, page 18.

?New? Snowflake

There are so many snowflake patterns available now, I cannot keep track. This was very easy to design, but is it too similar to anything already published? If this looks too familiar to anyone please let me know. On the points, I have Mrs Mee pearl rings, but if someone else has already published something the same shape with regular rings, I wouldn't think that would make it enough different for me to proceed.

A few people had questions about the "pearl" technique last time. With this technique, rings or chains are made entirely of half stitches instead of the usual double stitch. Sort of like Josephine rings with picots, but the picots come between every two half stitches. Picots with just a single half stitch in between would not be stable enough and could easily get pulled out of shape in my experience.

The Amazing Mrs Mee

Off and on I have been studying a really old pattern book, Tatting or Frivolite, by Mrs Mee and Miss Austin. It is not dated, but was published before (or during) 1862. A partial copy is available through the
Antique Pattern Library or through
Georgia’s site.

Deciphering really old tatting patterns is a challenge, complicated here by the fact that part of the introduction is missing. Even worse, Mrs Mee used terms which later came to have different meanings.



Her “pearl tatting” was entirely different from the pearl tatting technique we know today, as introduced by Mlle Riego a few years later in 1867.


Here is an excerpt from Mrs Mee’s book:
“PEARL TATTING. This is formed of 2 stitches, 1 single and the next take the upper thread and pass it over the pin towards you, passing the shuttle through between the 2nd and 3rd fingers as in single Tatting; the two stitches are required to make 1 pearl, counted as one, as in double stitch.
A pin and ring is often used, but the chain is in the way, and I much prefer a common pin of a good size as shown in the engraving.”

Today, we would say, 2 second part half stitches with a picot in between. We are used to half stitches giving a twist to the work, as in Victorian sets or spiral chains, but with this technique, the half stitches lie flat, and the twist transferred to the picots, giving a bit of a swirling effect. Subtle, but lovely, yes?



Oddly enough, I get the best results making the picots (pearls) freehand. When I try to make them over a pin as shown in Mrs Mee’s engraving, they just don’t work. I think passing the thread around the pin pulls the next half stitch forward enough that the picot does not take on the full amount of twist. I will have to study further to decide if the problem is my technique, thread size, or whatever.



However, if you use this stitch with a wider picot gauge, something AMAZING happens, just look:



I am using this stitch in some pattern I am writing now. The only question is deciding what to call it. If I say pearl, that might be too easily confused with pearl tatting. I could call them “Mrs Mee picots” though that’s a little cumbersome. Hmmm.

This is a snowflake adapted from a Mrs Mee pattern that I will be teaching at the Palmetto TatDays this fall:


By the way, thank you to everyone who responded to my last post about tatting notation. It was reassuring that so many of you agreed with the version I was thinking of using. On the other hand, I realized too late that though this solves the quandary of how to write the lines with special picot, that might force me to rewrite the rest of the pattern in the same style. I’m still thinking about that problem. I seem to get further and further behind on this project.

Oh, and don’t worry, that book (if I ever finish it) will have lots and lots of diagrams.