Some projects are just patterns.
Others grow into traditions.
In February 2014, Polish tatting designer Renata Niemczyk – known in the tatting world as Renulek – started publishing her first Spring Doily, row by row.
No one could have guessed that Renulek’s Spring Doily would become an annual event that tatting enthusiasts around the world look forward to every year.
I’ve been part of it from the beginning.
And to this day, each spring brings a fresh wave of excitement.
What is the Renulek Spring Doily project?
Renulek’s Spring Doily project is an annual tatting project published row by row on the Renulek blog – completely free.
Every week, a new row appears, and tatters worldwide join and follow along, watching the doily gradually bloom.
This tradition started in February 2014, and every year brings a completely new doily, a fresh design, a new surprise. You never know exactly how the final composition will look.
For those who prefer to have the full pattern upfront, need extra instructions, or simply want to support Renulek for her incredible effort designing these projects, the complete pattern is available in her Etsy shop – in both English and Polish.
Why it’s perfect for beginners
One of the most beautiful things about Renulek’s Spring Doily is its accessibility.
The patterns mostly use basic tatting elements – rings, chains, and picots. There are no complicated technical tricks, just calm, step-by-step creation, row by row.
For beginners, it’s an ideal way to learn tatting:
- practice as you go,
- stay motivated with weekly row releases,
- observe the progress of other tatters,
- and get help from a supportive community when needed.
It’s not solitary tatting in silence.
It’s a shared journey into spring.
My own Spring Doilies by Renulek
I’ve participated in several editions. Not all my doilies are still with me – some became gifts – but each reminds me of the anticipation for the next row.
It was more than following a pattern.
It was a weekly rhythm.
A small ritual.
A thread, a shuttle, and the knowledge that somewhere else in the world, someone else is completing the same row.
Images: My version of the Renulek Spring 2016 doily, tatted with white cotton thread (pic. 1), the Renulek Spring Doily 2023 – metallic thread version (pic.2), and the Renulek Spring 2017 doily, tatted with white cotton thread too (pic.3).
Renulek’s Spring Doily 2026 has just begun
The first rows of the 2026 edition have already been published on Renulek’s blog.
It’s the perfect time to join – whether you have years of experience or are just learning your first knots.
Each spring is new.
Each doily is different.
And each one starts with the very first row.
Find weekly updates on Renulek, and the full pattern in her Etsy shop.
If you’ve never taken part in a row-by-row tatting project, this might be your tatting moment.
Spring doesn’t always start on the calendar.
Sometimes it starts with the very first knot – or, for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere, it might begin with a few knots of autumn! 😉
