Tatting as Meditation

I have heard other tatters mention that tatting is very relaxing.  It is relaxing for me, too.  I have a theory as to why tatting is more relaxing than other pastimes.  Tatting has a lot in common with meditation.  Meditation, at it's heart, is a process of focusing your mind on a simple element, say a syllable or chant or a breathing exercise.  By focusing your mind on something simple, you quiet the stream of consciousness that worries about money, or your kids, or tomorrow's plans.  And quieting that internal voice allows all the stress to melt away so you can relax.

Tatting focuses your mind on each knot as you count it:  One...two...three...picot...one...two...three...picot.  Your mind can't think about tomorrow's plans or how to get your kids to eat vegetables because it's focused on a simple element, counting stitches.  If you start daydreaming or worrying while you are tatting, this is how you end up counting:  one...two...three...picot...one...two...oops, that was supposed to be a join, not a picot.  Un-tat two, un-tat one...join...one...two...three...picot...etc.

Here is my Zen tatting for this week:

  Yet another Mary Konior Small cross, this time done in DMC size 80 in black and white.  It is very small and delicate.  All these crosses I'm making are to be sold our church Harvest Festival coming up in September.

This cross is from Jan Stawasz's Tatted Treasures.  Not one of my favorite cross patterns, but I was getting tired of the Mary Konior pattern and wanted to mix it up a little.  This is done in Altin Basik #50 in gold metallic thread.  When I finished it, it looked more like a Christmas ornament than a bookmark, so I put a hanger on it instead of a bookmark tail.

I'm done with crosses for now and have moved on to snowflakes, but I'll save those for another post. Wishing you all relaxation as you tat.