Anne Orr's Classic Tatting Patterns offers up 90 of her doilies, medallions, 40 decorative edgings, embellishments for table settings and antique-like ornamentations. Clear step-by-step instructions lead even beginners through the selection of proper thread, technique, stitch execution and numerous black-and-white photographs depict the finished project. 31 pages Dover pubs.

I had read your request for book reviews and not sent any, figuring others had the same books or they were out of print. Then I realized that there is one book that gives me goose pimples every time I talk about it or open it up.It is "A Tatter's Notebook" by A. Tatter ("A" stands for Anonymous). It was a loose leaf notebook found by Jules and Kaethe Kliot (Lacis) and there is no indication who made it. It is from the 1920's and most of the pages are two ring, lined notebook paper (remember those?).

Their son, Perrin, photographed the pages and reduced them to fit book size. He photographed the tatting and enlarged it so you can actually count stitches. But you don't have to count the stitches because the tatter typed out directions for each pattern. Her typewriter had a broken "h" key so she went back and hand-lettered all the missing h's! The tatter sold her work and listed what she charged for each design or yard of it. Her prices were pretty high for the 1920's, so she may have sold mostly to custom dressmakers or society ladies. The thread colors are magnificent - I wish we could get them now. The book is still available. And, as always, writing about it has given me goose pimples.

This book is beautiful. The pictures are superb and the colors, well, the colors are enough to cheer even the most drab, dark, and miserable day. After a week or two of dark, nasty weather, pull out this book and the pictures alone should make the sun come out again - or at least make you feel better. Apparently this was a real person's "notebook" of patterns. The tatter typed the patterns, sometimes on notebook paper, on a typewriter with a defective "h" key. Often the "h" is written in by hand, occasionally it is missing or came out typed in red. (This makes us "older" people smile because we remember having a typewriter with similar eccentricities in our "younger" days.) A sample of each pattern is stitched into the notebook. Photographs of the samples are enlarged and superimposed on the pages so you can actually count stitches and see details. The person must have tatted items to sell, because there are prices "penciled" in next to most of the patterns.

This book contains many edgings, motifs, and doilies. Directions are in "long" form, but you can move a "sticky note" down the page to help keep your place if you need to. If there is more than one round or row, it is clearly marked. Nothing more than the basics (ds, picot, ring, chain, MAYBE Josephine ring - can't remember, and working with shuttle and ball) is necessary for the tatter to be able to work anything in the book. This tatter cannot speak for *every* pattern in the book, because there are just too many things to make and so little time! Everything that has been "attempted" from this book has been completed easily, and looks very nice. For a determined beginner, the book presents some challenges, but the computer-enlarged photos make a big difference, since you can count stitches, compare "notes" with the pattern, and see what you are *supposed* to make it look like. It is a lovely book and worth having in your library even if all you do is look at the pictures.

34 patterns: coasters, doilies, suncatchers, butterflies, edgings, bookmarks, motifs (sunbonnet girl, poinsettia, Christmas tree, Easter egg, shamrock, pumpkins), an angel (a tassel is the body), earrings, a teddy bear, placemat, Christmas ornaments, and a collar. I'd call the patterns a hybrid - they're not "long" form, but they're not the SHORTEST of the short form patterns, either. I've worked many of the patterns in the book, altered a few to suit my taste, but most of them I've worked "as is." Patterns are rated for difficulty level, but most are relatively easy to make. Recommended thread sizes are given, finished size of each item is given (if worked in recommended thread size).