Nuts about Needlepoint » about threads

brown paper packages – New Colors

Janet Perry — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:34:03 +0000

Originally posted 2010-08-12 07:09:14. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

I’m late in getting you the details of new colors in Silk & Ivory and Trio from brown paper packages. As you can see from the picture above, it was worth it.

The four colors on the left are four new shades in their wonderful series of “almost whites.” Petal is the palest of the Pink Cocktail family. Glacier is the extremely pale blue, and is lighter than Blue Yonder, another wonderful “almost white.” Posie, is the extremely pale violet is lighter than Phlox, a light-filled pale violet. Pearl, the final color in this group, is the lightest member of what I call the “Luxury Seafood” family of salmon, shrimp, crab, and lobster. This is my favorite color family of these threads and I’m so excited.

Why should you be excited about these colors? Just as decorators have a bazillion shades of white picking the correct extremely pale color for your background can do wonders. Just a hint of color can complement or amplify the colors in your piece. Your eyes might look at them and say “white,” but what you will think is “how wonderful that piece looks!” And all because you used an almost white for the background.

The color on the left came out earlier in the years. They are straw a pale yellow, and three new members of the “heavy metal” family, from light to dark, pewter, smoky quartz, and onyx. The other color in this family is pearl gray, one of their earliest colors.

With 224 colors in the line now, available in both threads, most of the color families now have five shades, and there are several with more. If you like Silk & Ivory for Bargello, this is wonderful news. If you haven’t tried it for Bargello, do it for your next project, it’s my favorite thread for this technique.

Make your own Needlepoint Club

Janet Perry — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:40:52 +0000

Originally posted 2010-12-17 07:03:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

I love the idea of needlepoint clubs, but, like many of you, I have far too many projects to do to get 12 new canvases in a year.

But why not do your own needlepoint club by using threads. You can set your budget for the year, divide it by 12, and buy threads with a plan.

Here are three ways to do it.

Watercolours by alphabet: Take an alphabetical listing of Caron’s Watercolours (available here). Cross out the colors you have. Then divide the rest by 12 and buy each section in alphabetical order each month. Because the color names don’t go in a color sequence, you’ll get a nice assortment each month.

Color of the Month: My friend Michelle, who owns Come to the Point in San Rafael, CA showcases a particular color of thread each month. During that month all threads in that color are discounted. Working with a shop that does this is a great way to make your budget got further and increase the selection in your stash.

Thread of the Month: If you want to learn about specific threads, this plan is the one for you. Begin by writing down 12 threads you want to get to know. Then also look at your stash and think about the colors you normally use. Each month buy a selection of one of these threads in these colors.

This way you have colors you can use right away in a project already in your stash and you can learn about some new threads.

This is a great way to add needlepoint regularly into your life or your gift list.

Deciphering Thread Tags

Janet Perry — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:27:03 +0000

Originally posted 2005-07-15 08:34:06. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Don’t throw out those thread tags!

You may not think so but there is lots of information there.
And if you run out of thread, or want do use it again, you’ll be glad
you have that information.

The information which may, or may not be included on the tag is:

Thread type name/size
Color number
Fiber content
Dye Lot
Dyer

Each of these is important and can help improve your stitching. Depending on your habits, the habits of your shop, or the habits of the designer, the thread color might be referred to by the name or number or both. Some thread manufacturers give names to their
colors, some don’t. Because of this variety it’s good to have access to both the number and the name whenever possible. Then follow the habits of your store and your stitching friends when you talk about thread.

Thread type name/size: Most threads have names and some also have sizes. For example Pearl cottons come in several sizes: 3 (the largest), 5, 8, and 12. Many experienced stitchers can tell the size of a thread by looking, but I can’t. It helps me to know the size of the thread.

Also most threads have names for the particular thread. The Thread Gatherer may make the same color in Silk n’ Colors, Flax n’ Colors, Sheep’s Silk, Shepherd’s Silk, and a few sizes of Silk Ribbon. Each is identified by the type on the tag. while people who use lots of different threads can usually tell the thread by looking, knowing the type helps when looking for another color of your favorite thread.

Color number: In general, companies will put the color number someplace on the thread tag, most often this number appears right before the color name. For example brown paper packages has a color Caviar. The tag for this says “40-caviar” — giving you the color number.

Actually most do have numbers but sometimes it is hidden. Caron used to “hide” the color numbers (they no longer do this) and here is an example of how to decode the numbers which appear.

Take a random skein of Watercolours. The one I picked up was
Periwinkle (162).

On the line below the color number it says “dyelot: MA162131″

MA is the initials of the dyer. This is good to know because the different dyers have different “hands” and two skeins from different dyelots but the same dyer might look more alike than two from different dyers.
162 is the color number
131 is the dyelot

Another place to find these often is on the order slips or on the companies’ web pages. Although you might not think of the color number, and shop owners don’t put threads this way, it’s good information to know.

Fiber content: Knowing the fiber(s) used in a thread can help you make decisions about other threads. If you are allergic to wool, then a thread with a content of “100% wool” is not for you. If you really liked that “50% merino wool/50% China silk” thread, then you might want to look for another thread from a different manufacturer with this content.

Dye Lot: Sometimes, as in the Caron Collection threads, this information is hidden in the number. Sometimes it is listed separately. But it’s very important when choosing threads to match dyelots.

A teacher once told me “Dyeing was an art. It’s only when you need to make the exact same color again that it becomes a science.” This is very true. The results of the dye can vary because of: the color of the base thread, the water, the weather, the amount of dye in the dyebath, the person dyeing it, the time left in, and probably the amount of cosmic rays at just that moment.

In other words — it is not exact, ever.

So knowing that this skein of thread and that skein of thread were dyed in the same pot (bath) at the same time, makes it easier for you to get a match. One pot with one chunk of thread in it constitutes a dye lot.

Whenever possible you should buy all your packages of a particular color of thread from the same dye lot for the same project. Some companies are pretty consistent from dye lot to dye lot, but always compare. Other companies are not. I have even had the experience where two packages of thread, from the same dye lot, were different colors and couldn’t be mixed. That was lots of ripping out.

Checking dye lots when available can same lots of trouble in stitching.

Dyer: Some companies, like Caron, identify they dyer of the threads. This can be helpful to know, especially in hand-dyed threads, because different people will dye their threads differently. Getting batches from different dye lots, but the same dyer might match better than different dye lots by different dyers.

For many manufacturers this information is not included in the tag.

Now I bet you are thinking “I never knew there was so much information on a tag!” I didn’t either until I learned how to decipher them. Now I never throw out a tag or I transfer the information to a hang tag for storage of the thread. it’s made me a more careful stitcher.

Color through the Ages Sneak Peek

Janet Perry — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:30:22 +0000

Many of you have asked to see what the Twinchie projects for Color through the Ages will look like. This year’s needlepoint club is going to go beyond the traditional color schemes to look at color combinations that refer to a specific time, place, or object.

Through charted Twinchies (2″square needlepoint) based on quilt designs, club members will explore color schemes typical not just of ancient times, but of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Twentieth Century, along with others.

Pictured here are two of the completed Twinchies, Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece. I’ll post a couple more sneaks late this month. Both societies used similar color palettes based on minerals. In these packets you’ll learn about mineral colors, why “dirt” isn’t just one color, why blue is so prized, and more.

In each month’s packet you will get:

Extensive information about color and this color scheme
Information about the quilt block or setting
Charted Twinchie with thread list
Information, including stitching tips for three different threads

The club begins March 1, 2012 and registrations are open now. There are a number of different pricing options, depending on what you want.

Basic Package includes the PDFs of each month’s program. It is $7.50 per month. Use the PayPal button below to register.

Deluxe Package includes the PDFs of each month’s program as well as canvas and three thread samples of about 2 yards per month. It is $12.50 per month. Use the PayPal button below to register.

In addition if you make a single payment for either option (using the buttons below or pay via check (contact me for the address) you will receive a10% discount..

Please note that the Deluxe Package prices are for shipment to US addresses only. If you want this option and live outside the US, please contact me. All sales to California are subject to sales tax. If you are in California and choose the subscription, you will be invoiced for the sales tax separately.

Come join me on this journey of exploration.

Paternayan Persian Wool – Old & New

Janet Perry — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:32:41 +0000

With the increasing unavailability of Paternayan, many shops are dropping this line of wool in favor of others. For us, as stitchers, who like wool, we may find ourselves turning to older stashes of Paternayan that we get from friends, from our own stash, or from eBay and thrift shops.

This is great because it will let many of us continue to stitch with a fiber we love. BUT

You may not be happy with the result.

This is because there was a change in how Persian Wool was spun and understanding it is important to good results.

Modern Persian Wool, including Waverly and Paternayan has three strands that are even in width. So, just as you do with floss, or silk, or just about any other stranded thread, you don’t worry about what strands to combine.

But older Paternayan (and probably other Persian Wools as well) doesn’t have strands even in width.In fact, the strands re three different sizes. I think of them as Papa, Mama, and Baby Bear. If you are using two strands, combine Papa with Baby, or put together two Mamas. These combinations will be the same width. Do other combinations and the thickness will be uneven, resulting in blotchy needlepoint.

You can see the size difference pretty easily if you untwist an inch of two of the strand. Flaying at the ends sometimes makes it hard to see, so be sure to untwist a bit. If there is not a visible difference, it’s probably newer Persian.

What do you do if you are only using one strand? I wouldn’t recommend using Persian here at all (this could be why 18 mesh wasn’t that popular in the 80′s), but if you do try to use all Mamas.

I’d show you an example, but I don’t have any Persian Wool, old or new.

Colorfastness in Threads

Janet Perry — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:11:36 +0000

Originally posted 2010-06-06 07:16:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Are the threads you use colorfast?

There is a dark side to all those wonderful threads we love so much. It’s that they are not colorfast.

Colorfastness refers to the ability of a thread to keep its color when wet. Threads that are not colorfast bleed onto the thread and fabric around them. If this has happened to you, you won’t be likely to forget it.

The problem has many sources. A major one is that many of the more colorfast dyes can no longer be used, due to environmental regulations. Another is that darker colors need to absorb more dye in order to be dark and may not have had all the excess dye removed. A third is that (and this is true in knitting yarn and fabric as well) hand-dyed thread tends to be less colorfast.

Kathy from Needle Delights has an excellent article about colorfastness and some ideas about removing bleeding. It’s meant for cross stitchers, but many of the ideas also apply to needlepoint.

New Needlepoint Products – November 2008

Janet Perry — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 14:27:54 +0000

Originally posted 2008-12-01 10:15:22. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Charted Canvas
Caron Collection has come out with a set of four mini-socks, each with two options, I’m crazy about. Called “Off the Cuff” the mini-socks feature elaborate borders and take advantage of the many lovely Caron Collection threads. Handblessings has some lovely small square samplers using textured stitches and hand-dyed threads. They showcase 4-5 stitches and are under 4″. I saw one stitched recently and it was lovely.

Laura J. Perin Designs’ newest sample has a masculine slant with a mallard in flight as the centerpiece. Brenda Kocher has Noah’s Ark, a ship easy enough for beginners which features charms of animals. DebBee’s Designs has a small counted canvas design, Peridot, which features August’s birthstone. She also has new designs in her Diamond Delight series.

Painted Canvas
CBK has licensed another delightful artist for their painted canvas line, Starke Art Designs. Among other things there is a set of four round mermaid ornaments. Susan Roberts has come out with a series of nutcrackers for the 12 Days of Christmas. They each have a unique costume and are on 18 mesh. Kirk & Hamilton, an English line of painted canvases, is now available in the US through Camus Intl. Their style is traditional, but goes beyond the usual florals to some lovely shell patterns, glasses and needle cases, and more.

The Point of It All has added a new designer, British watercolor artist Emma Ball. Her charming landscapes are now available in painted canvas. They also have a set of four daffodil coasters that look like spring on a canvas. Kathy Schenkel’s new line of jungle designs includes a safari Santa. A Dragon’s Tale has come out with a line of roll-up Santas that are highly detailed. JP Needlepoint has a new line of Treasure boxes with stitched tops and sides. MAP Designs has some delightful new scenes from the Mediterranean, France, and England.

Kits
Elizabeth Bradley has a new kit out, Poinsettia. It’s glorious when stitched with a black background. Glorafilia has two kits featuring designs from Anglo-Saxon Britian. The one I saw looks as if it came from the Bayeaux Tapestry. The kits are on 12 mesh and include Anchor Tapestry Wool.

Threads
Presencia (Finca) is coming out with 36 new solid colors in floss and 9 new metallic floss colors. Bella Lusso is a new wool thread that comes in 46 colors. I’m hoping to get a sample soon so I can try it out and report on it for you.

Charity Auction
Cross-Stitch & Needlework magazine is having a charity auction of their Fruit & Floral Needlepoint Rug that was on the July 2008 cover. The rug is 36″ square and stitched in tapestry wool.

The auction benefits the American Cancer Society and will be held on eBay from December 10-19. 2006. All proceeds benefit the Society. Zweigart and DMC have pledged to match the selling price.

Can I use knitting yarns for needlepoint?

Janet Perry — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:55:11 +0000

I get asked this question often. For many of use knitting stores are closer to home than a needlepoint shop and the prices and large size of skeins of knitting yarn make them very attractive to stitchers. Today I’ll show you some examples, both good and bad of knitting yarns and explain why they work or don’t work for needlepoint.

Many needlepoint threads are actually relabeled and dyed yarns used for knitting or crochet.

In terms of packaging and marketing there are a couple of differences to keep in mind. Yarns for knitting come in much larger packages than the exact same yarn when it’s packaged for needlepoint, so when you use them you’ll end up with lots, so they tend to work better for backgrounds.

Second, knitting is a fashion industry, needlepoint is an heirloom craft. This means that color selection in knitting yarns is smaller and changes with fashion. If orange is out, it will be hard to find orange knitting yarn, but it will still be easy to find orange needlepoint yarn where the color range is bigger and doesn’t change much.

This color chart of Lana Grosso’s Baby Alpaca shows how small a single yarn’s color range can be. But even 30 colors is a big range for a knitting yarn. It’s extremely small for needlepoint.

Having said this you CAN use knitting and crochet yarns for needlepoint. You need to look for certain things that will make the yarns easy to use:

1. The yarn should be even in width. Yarns with big slubs, tons of fringe or large variations in width won’t go through canvas. A yarn such as this recycled silk yarn (picture from Yarndex) has too many variations in width to work for needlepoint, even though it’s great for knitting.

2. The yarn should be about the width of a thread you would use for needlepoint on that mesh of canvas or easily split into threads that width. If it can’t be split and is too thick, it’s likely to be too fragile to go through the canvas without shredding.

Happily knitting yarns come in standard sizes that can be a great help to stitchers. Baby weight, sock weight, or fingering are all names for a yarn that works well on 18 mesh. Lace weight usually is thin and would need to be plied up. DK is heavier and would work on 13 or 14 mesh unless plied down. Sport weight or light worsted would most likely work on12 mesh. Worsted is a bit thicker than tapestry wool and would work best on 10 mesh. Any yarn heavier than worsted would need to be plied down to use for needlepoint.

The picture shows size comparisons of several weights of yarn with a penny for size. It’s from this article, which explains weight really well. Fingering weight is at the top, the others are increasingly fine lace weights.

3. It shouldn’t be too stretchy. This is a characteristic of some knitting yarns. It’s a good thing in a garment. but a bad thing in needlepoint where there is more tension when you stitch, and that both stretches and weakens the yarn.

4. It should have a clear twist. Many knitting yarns are very loosely spun and have little twist. Because of the sizing in needlepoint canvas, all yarns gets abrasion as it is stitched, loosely spun yarns just shred.

You can see clearly in this roving yarn from Ming Sheng how the three strands are loosely twisted. This yarn will not work for needlepoint unless it was couched on the front of the canvas.

Thread Review

Janet Perry — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 13:58:49 +0000

Originally posted 2006-03-18 08:35:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Vineyard Silk(http://www.vineyardsilk.com/): A brand new silk for needlepoint from
Wiltex. This thread is unusual combining a bit of silk’s luster with a soft hand in a single
strand thread. The threads works on both 14 and 18 mesh canvas. There are three types
of this thread Classic (115 solid colors), shimmer (38 colors of solid blended with thin
metallic) and Tone on Tone (18 shaded colors). The skeins are 28 yards and well-priced so
they are a good value.

I really loved stitching with this thread. For people who have never stitched with silk
before, this is a perfect introduction to this fiber.

Soy Luster (http://www.thepurepalette.com): Yarns made from soy took the knitting world
by storm a few years ago and soy luster is the first needlepoint yarn made from soy. It has luster like silk, but is soft like wool. A thin thread, a single strand is used for Congress
Cloth while two strands are needed on 18 mesh. It is hand-dyed using formadehyde-free
dyes. It comes in 36 yard skeins and comes in solid or shadow colors. There are 82
colors in solids and shadows, which are three shades of a single color. Although it is
difficult to tell from a skein, the shades in the shadow colors have long runs, which makes
them easier to manipulate.

DMC Light Effects (http://www.dmc-usa.com/): Light Effects is the expanded line of DMC
metallic floss. It has six strands and can be used like floss. This is a great benefit to
stitchers looking to customize their use of metallic. There are 36 threads in six different
ranges: pearlescents (pastel, iridescent tones), jewels (precious stones colors and two
variegated colors), antiques (metal and gilt finishes for a vintage look), precious metals
(silvers and golds), flourescents (green and yellow) and glow-in-the-dark (white thread
glows after exposed to light).

In general these metallics are more difficult to use than metallic braids, they have more
static electricity and so they don’t stay together well when using several strands. In
addition, they tend to knot and come unthreaded easily. The colors are interesting and
often unique, but the thread is too delicate and difficult to be used for more than an
accent.

Aubusson Crewel Wool: Tapestry Guild has come out with a lovely French crewel weight
wool called Aubusson. It is very smooth and lovely for stitching. Two strands covered
beautifully on 18 mesh canvas is either basketweave or a textured stitch. This is one of
the nicest crewel wools I’ve used. If you are a fan of really old Medici or of Needle
Necessities overdyed wool, you’ll love this yarn, it is similar. In shaded and solid colors.

Waverly Wool (http://brownsheep.com/waverly.htm): This is a Persian wool made in the US from Brown Sheep. The company is well-known for their knitting yarns and Waverly
makes a grand addition to the line of needlepoint threads. It is three-stranded but with all
three strands being the same width, it’s very easy to split. A single strand is perfect on 14
mesh and can be used for decorative stitches on 18 mesh. There are tons of colors. with
many families having six shades in them. Nine multi-colors are also available.

House of Embroidery Floss and Pearl (http://www.houseofembroidery.com/): These
overdyed yarns are from South Africa and are available in floss as well as #5 and #8 pearl.
The different threads are dyed to match and the color range is vibrant and interesting.

One of the most unusual things about this thread is the packaging. #8 perle is packaged
with three coordinated colors on a card, each in 9m lengths. #5 perle is packaged in single
skeins with 22m per skein. The floss is packaged with two 5m skeins on a card. Some of
the combinations are shades of the same color, some related colors, but using these
threads will enliven any design.

Planet Earth Wool – Thread Review

Janet Perry — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:17:31 +0000

I’m a sucker for a really great wool thread. The pickings have been slim of late and that’s why I’m so excited about Planet Earth Fiber’s new single-strand wool.

It’s very soft and very fluffy so it works well on a variety of mesh sizes. In the picture above the light blue and the pinkish red are both this thread.

I loved stitching with it and found it very easy to use. It comes in their generous 28 yard skeins in 119 colors. The colors are named like and dyed to match their silks, so it’s easy to combine them in a project.

I can’t wait to use them some more.