"But, really, why does anyone create? You feel a... a restlessness inside, a need to make something new, something no one has ever seen before. You want to add to the beauty and the richness of the world with a gift, an offering that is uniquely yours. It's an act of selfishness and generosity, all rolled into one."

-- Bruce Coville, The Last Hunt

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Tatting and Nails

Does anybody else's thumbnail look like this?

My nail is split from pushing stitches up snug. You wouldn't think cotton thread could do that. Maybe I should relax and not try to make my chains quite so tight.

I've made some more progress on the table runner but haven't photographed it yet. I'll show it in a couple of days.
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9 comments:

  1. RidgewomanJanuary 16, 2011 at 10:07 AM

    Oh yes, little grooves in the nail are a familiar sight! It shows you are tatting regularly. I wear mine as a badge of accomplishment. On a rare occasion I get to have a manicure; and only then are there no little worn away areas or indentations. The thread is really stronger than we realize. Happy Tatting in NM! Your neighbor in Silver. bj

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  2. CindyJanuary 16, 2011 at 10:41 AM

    I know just what you mean! My nail feels bruised underneath sometimes after doing a lot of tatting, but hasn't ever split. I bet you're right that it's from making tight stitches.

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  3. CarmJanuary 16, 2011 at 11:53 AM

    The damage may go down the nailbed so you might want to find a different way to move the stitches tighter. I'm a tatter and nail tech.

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  4. DTJJanuary 16, 2011 at 12:24 PM

    Yes, I've done that to my thumb nail! I started wearing a band-aid until the nail grew back out because it split real low. Owie! Just a sign of a tatter! Dyan

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  5. Lace-lovin' Librarian ~ DianeJanuary 16, 2011 at 4:51 PM

    I must tat funny... I don't have that problem, but my finger tips do get sore! Sally Hansen makes a great cuticle cream that does wonders for nails, and it's not expensive. I get it at WalMart.

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  6. FoxJanuary 16, 2011 at 6:56 PM

    Oh, yes! I have those on both thumbs, and I also have a split in the finger itself!

    This is hereditary and goes along with cold weather when the skin gets very dry - it sure is painful! Tatting definitely makes it worse, but I will take thread over wool any day!
    Fox : )

    p.s. When I say that digit on my sidebar I shuddered and immediately thought, "Oh, no! Who has done something dreadful themselves!"

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  7. JBJanuary 16, 2011 at 10:20 PM

    Since I tat very tight, instead of my nails getting torn and ridges, my fingers get so sore they throb. It is also common for me to cut my fingers with the thread when I wrap the thread around them to get a FIRM grip to pull my rings closed.

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  8. Margarets designer cardsJanuary 17, 2011 at 3:14 AM

    I find my hands get painful when I dod a lot of tatting but I never have split my thumb nails, I dont know why but the thread slips on my skin so I wind it around the fingers several times and then it cuts into the skin when I try to keep it tight for a chain.
    Margaret

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  9. AnonymousJanuary 17, 2011 at 6:30 AM

    I 'pull' my chain stitches tight,(not push) and I use the pads of my thumb/fingers.

    I don't use my nails (unless I absolutely have no other option) because I know they will get groovy and start splitting.

    ReplyDelete

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