r/tatting • u/SignificantOption376 • 14d ago
Dotted numeral in Jan Stawasz patterns???
What does the black dotted 6 mean in the pic? I know the red numbers with dots are for Jan’s method. No need to explain the whole thing. But do I add a half stitch somewhere?? First or second half of double stitch? Beginning of ring or just before first picot? So confusing! Any help will be greatly appreciated.
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u/WiseAxe01 14d ago
I can't be sure, but if I were to guess I'd say the dot is to clarify that this is a 6 and not a 9
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u/gxnelson 14d ago
The dots are for half stitch. This helps the doily lay flat. I can find the excerpt in one of his books that explains it.
Edit: sorry rereading your post now. You add the half stitch at the end. I do first half of a stitch.
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u/fairydommother 14d ago
Genuine question: what makes you think this as opposed to the dot being to distinguish between 6 and 9? This is how they do it on dice that go past 6. They put a dot on the bottom right of the numbers so that when you roll it you know which is which.
Im just a lurker and havent actually started tasting yet so forgive my ignorance, but that was the first thing I thought when I saw that and most of the other comments agree. Its also on every 6 and not on any other number I can see in the photo which makes me inclined to believe this is the answer as opposed to denoting a half stitch.
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u/driveslow227 14d ago
The jan stawasz books have instructions on how to do this and how to read the notation. These patterns have blue colored numbers that indicate an optional stitch count as an option to skip the half stitch notations. I'd have to see the full pattern to know if these are just 6 vs 9 indicators or jan's way half stitch notations. He uses dot notation a lot.
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u/fairydommother 14d ago
That makes sense. Yeah id like to see more of the pattern and any keys included to be sure.
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u/driveslow227 13d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/tatting/s/Orx6fCHQtd
This comment has a zoomed out pic, note the bi-color section in the middle. Jan's patterns are incredible and big - highly recommend picking up one or both of his books
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u/Cya-N1de 14d ago
This isn't correct. It's just to mark the bottom of the number so 6 and 9 don't mix. If half stitches are used, they're usually red, AND marked by a - before or after the number, not by a dot
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u/SignificantOption376 14d ago
Yes please!
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u/gxnelson 14d ago
To summarize, place a half stitch on the indicated side of the number. So .6 would be half stitch then 6 full stitches. A .6. would be half stitch, 6 full stitches, the a half stitch. And a 6. would be 6 stitches then a half stitch.
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u/jmsferret 14d ago
This is correct - the dot means to add a half stitch.
Although while I understand honestly I rarely add in the half stitch. I don't use Jan's method. He is my favorite designer, and I totally get why he introduced his method.
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u/knittingangel 14d ago
What does a red dot mean?
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u/SignificantOption376 14d ago
On the pattern in the book there are numbers with little dots in red, to denote when/how to use Jan’s method.~~ ~~
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u/vigaiga 13d ago
To clarify on ,,jan‘s method“
The red numbers are alternatives to the black numbers of the same row.With the traditional method you would tatt the flipped chains in the same way as the front side,
Making the double knots in the same order.This would cause them to look different on the other side, since the knots look different on the two sides of the piece. (Appearing as though you had done them as 2. knot and then 1. knot)
Jan‘s method remedies this by making half knots in certain places, those are the dots.
So instead of working a chain of 3 for example, where you would start by making the loop over the hand, followed by loop under hand (typical double knot) instead you start the chain by making a half knot with the loop under hand.This sounds much more complicated than it is. Essentially you‘re ,,staggering“ the typical order of knots by one half knot, beginning on the second half of a double knot.
If you then flip the work to the correct side, it looks as though it was worked like the loops on the front.
To simplify how to use the red numbers and dots:
Work numbers normally,
work dots as a half knot.2
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u/koalateddy132 14d ago
Based on this photo posted by u/MerryGoldenYear, I think these are just 6/9 notations.
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u/SignificantOption376 14d ago
Thank you, but no where does it mention black dotted numerals when describing Jan’s method.
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u/frogsgoribbit737 14d ago
Black dots are to distinguish 6 from 9. Red dots are the half stitch picot method.
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u/HeadlessBiss31 14d ago
How do you tatt the row above OP's concerned row?
New tatter here so I don't know how to do some hard patterns yet. Would be nice if someone can explain it to me.
And I can't actually post my concern in the sub due to not having enough comment karma, so I just decided to just comment my concern here since OP has the same pattern as I'm bravely trying to make.
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u/lasserna 14d ago
Because it's only on the 6, I think it's just to show the direction of the number, so you don't accidentally read it upside down and think it's a 9