Tatting was sometimes used in the nineteenth century to imitate ragusa gimp laces and knotted laces of the sixteenth century. The English term tatting is said to be taken from the word ‘tatters’ (Caulfeild and Saward 1882:476), indicating its fragile, piece-meal nature. The French term frivolité also indicates its fragile nature.
- Dutch: frivolité
- French: frivolité
- German: Schiffchenarbeit (‘work of the little boat’)
- Italian: chiacchierino (‘chatty’)
Sources:
- CAULFEILD, Sophia Frances Anne and Blanche C. SAWARD (1882). The Dictionary of Needlework, London: Upcott Gill, p. 476.
- EARNSHAW, Pat (1984). A Dictionary of Lace, Aylesbury: Shire Publications Ltd, p. 169.
- GROVES, Sylvia (1966). The History of Needlework Tools, London: Country Life, p. 89.
V&A online catalogue (retrieved 29 June 2016).
GVE