{"type":"doc","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"After years of teaching advanced tatting, I see the same three shuttle join mistakes destroy otherwise beautiful edging work. Here's what to watch for:"}]},{"type":"heading","attrs":{"level":3},"content":[{"type":"text","text":"1. Pulling the join too tight"}]},{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"The most common error. When you pull a shuttle join snug against the previous ring, you compress the thread and create a pucker. The fix: complete your join, then gently tug the working thread until the join sits flush — not flat, not bunched. Think \"kissing,\" not \"crushing.\""}]},{"type":"heading","attrs":{"level":3},"content":[{"type":"text","text":"2. Inconsistent picot size at join points"}]},{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"Your decorative picots look perfect, but the joining picots are all different lengths. This happens because you're eyeballing instead of measuring. Use a picot gauge or a strip of cardstock cut to your target width. Consistency at join points is what separates amateur edging from professional work."}]},{"type":"heading","attrs":{"level":3},"content":[{"type":"text","text":"3. Wrong join type for the pattern"}]},{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"A lock join and a shuttle join are not interchangeable. Lock joins work when you're joining to a picot on the same chain. Shuttle joins are for connecting separate elements — rings to rings, chains to previous rows. Using the wrong one creates bulk where you need smoothness, or weakness where you need strength."}]},{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"Master these three corrections and your edging will immediately look more professional. I cover all of this in depth — with video demonstrations and practice exercises — in my Advanced Pro Certification course here at Lacebound Studio."}]}]}