thread

Sweetie Pie by Barbara Elmore

The hair in the delightful piece by Barbara Elmore is made with Sparkles, am exciting new thread from Sundance. (Sundance also distributes the canvas.) It’s a sparkly, wide mesh tube that is available in 12 colors.

Sparkles needlepoint tube from Sundance

As you can see from this picture, it looks as if you would NEVER be able to stitch with it, but it’s like a miracle thread. Barbara is right in her post when she says using it is “addictive.” In it she shows pictures of it left whole and full (also the picture of Sweetie Pie above), flattened and couched down, used in variable thickness couching, and teased apart to make a realistic fire.

That’s not all, you could also make thick or thin spirals from it or flatten it down squeeze it and wrap it to make something that look like a solid piece of metal. You could put small beads in it and then wrap thread between the beads to make a necklace. You could run Sundance’s new Neon tubing through it and make it glow.

There are so many possibilities. I”m excited to try it and as you find ways to use it, let me know and we’ll share them.

More here:
First Look at an Exciting New Thread

Threads Days at Nuts about Needlepoint

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Being laid up with a cold last week and having lots of new threads to play with, I did a whole bunch of stitching. That means this week,tomorrow through Friday and next week, Tuesday through Friday, I’ll be reviewing these threads.

My thread reviews are more than just descriptions of the threads. I use the threads in my own stitching and let you know, and see, just how the behave.

Some of the threads we’ll review include a mohair from The Thread Gatherers, new silks from Gloriana and Planet Earth, a new fiber from Dream House, and a great post from Barbara Elmore on a new thread from Sundance.

I’m so excited to share these with you.

More:
Threads Days at Nuts about Needlepoint

How Do I Find a Neutral Gray Thread?

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Grays can be a real problem in threads. You think you have found the perfect one, you get it home and UGH, it looks horrible with your other threads.

This is because there are three types of grays, warm, cool, and neutral. Warm grays have gray plus a bit of a warm color. Cool grays have gray with a bit of a cool color. Neutral grays are just mixtures of black and white.

If you pick a grey for an all-cool color piece and it’s a warm grey, you get that UGH feeling. A neutral, or even better, a cool gray will look great.

But often it’s hard to tell.

Here’s what to do at a shop or when shopping your stash.

Take a skein of red thread and with a skein of blue thread. Put one next to a possible gray thread. Then do the same wit the other thread. If it is a neutral gray, it will look warm next to the blue thread and cool next to the red thread.

If it doesn’t do both, it isn’t a neutral gray.

I get home from Phoenix late tonight or early tomorrow, so my TNNA reports will start on Wednesday.

Read the rest here:
How Do I Find a Neutral Gray Thread?

“L” Stitch – Great method to Start & End Threads

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

I first learned this method of starting threads from Shay Pendray. It’s used widely in Japanese embroidery because it is economical on threads (important with expensive silks), easy and invisible under most non-Tent Stitches.

Recently on a project I was worried about running out of threads and used this for all my starts. It was great and did a wonderful job of conserving my thread.

I highly recommend it and Alice Hall at BeStitched Needlepoint has a wonderful, in-depth post all about it. There you’ll learn about L Stitch (pictured here), Pin Ticks, and Bargello Tucks (another favorite for ending threads).

Read more from the original source:
“L” Stitch – Great method to Start & End Threads

Sketching a Canvas

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Originally posted 2006-08-05 06:55:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

HP Designs shadow stitches & sketched needlepoint

As you can see above, the shadow stitching piece is done.

I like the Shdow Stitching effect, but I really want to talk about another technique, my DH christened “Sketching with Thread”

Often we are attracted to a hand-painted canvas because of the delicacy of the lines, they are so compelling. But stitch the canvas and all of a sudden those delicate lines become thick, solid and often dotted.

Why?

For several reasons:

First, needlepoint stitches have a slant. If you keep the slant the same no matter the direction of the line, you will get solid lines in one direction and lines of bumps in the other.

Second, in an unstitched canvas all lines will look thinner because there is the white space of the holes. Once a canvas is stitched the holes are filled.

So how to preserve the delicacy of the lines even after stitching?

It’s easy.

First, thin the thread. While most of the leaves are stitched usiing four strands of floss, most of the darkest green is stitched using only two strands. Even in the parts where there are solid lines, the lines are thinner and more delicate. This allows those lines to be a transition between the thicker four floss lines and the very thin straight stitch ines using two strands.

Second, over stitch with thin threads. The veins of the leaves are stitched with single straight stitches using two strands. These are quite thin and because the canvas underneath is completely stitched, no paint shows. You can, as I did, just make up the stitching, or you can photocopy the canvas before you do the solid stitching to follow where the lines go.

Finally, change the slant of the stitch. To preserve the solid line, even if it’s thin, change the slant so that the line stays solid.

Tons of fun and it accomplished what I wanted.

Visit link:
Sketching a Canvas

Making a Stitch Notebook

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Originally posted 2003-04-21 07:11:47. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

One great way to explore stitches is to make a stitch notebook. It’s also a wonderful way to use scraps of canvas and to keep notes about your stitches. Many people make stitch notebooks, they are samplers for our day.

All you need beyond the canvas and thread is some index cards and divided page protectors (like would be used for photos).

Stitch a sample of the stitch in some of your spare thread (leftover bits of thread from other projects are perfect for this). You should try to work at least three or four repeats of the stitch.

It’s even better if you can work a square inch or so. You can use
any kinds of canvas and threads for these samples, even mono canvas
won’t come unraveled because the samples aren’t handled that much.

On your index card, you will need to note some information
about the stitch. You should always include the name of the stitch, the size and type of canvas and the thread you used in the sample. You should also include information about the stitch. This could be the book and page number where you found it, a copy of the stitch diagram or a diagram you have drawn yourself. Some stitch notebook classes are made so that you can add the stitched sample and your notes right on the page.

Finally add your own comments about the stitch. This might include times when the stitch would work well, noted about this thread/stitch combination, or comments about how you liked working the stitch.

One of my favorite stitch notebooks had the notes on index
cards. I used little gold safety pins to attach the stitched samples to the cards. In each section of the page protectors, the sample was on one side and the card on the other.

More on the Knitting Yarn Thing

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

vera neuman butterfly

My eldest daughter (and I) have a thing for Vera. If you are old enough, you’ll remember her bright colors and simple vibrant drawings on everything.

I bought two vintage canvases, one of a strawberry and one of a daisy on eBay a week ago. They are big and they are quickpoint. That means BIG mesh. I’m waiting to see if it’s 10 or 7 mesh, but I suspect 7. They will be so cool on her white couch when they are done.

But the mesh size means nothing in my stash will work on it. So my plan is to use knitting yarns. I have some knitting yarns in my stash but I think the only thing that will work is some thick cotton rope from Rowan that’s black. I don’t have much of it, but black is an accent on them anyhow. This will also give me an idea of the thickness I’ll need.

Then I’m going to ask my knitting friends for yarn, then I’ll go visit the local knitting shop and buy knitting yarn for them. That’s going to give me the thickness I need, the bright colors the pillows have, and will make them very long-wearing.

I’m so excited. This will be an amazing stress release project.

Read the original here:
More on the Knitting Yarn Thing

Can I use knitting yarns for needlepoint?

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Crochet,Knitting,Nuts About Needlepoint

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.

Read the rest here:
Can I use knitting yarns for needlepoint?

Stitch your Stash Reminder

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Just a reminder today is the last day to register for the Stitch Your Stash contest and get the extra sign-up bonus (you can still sign-up after this but your get fewer points to start).

And new or already registered, be sure to submit the names of the projects on your list. You earn points for every project you register.
And for new projects you get extra points if it’s a UFO and when you finish, you get extra points for an all stash project.

New signups can be through the contact form (in the links on the masthead), via the comments here, or by direct email to me.

Finishes and new projects to register should be emailed to me.

Yesterday I worked on two UFO’s so I’m stitching along with you.

The rest is here:
Stitch your Stash Reminder

Needles & Thread Tension

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint,tools

Needles are the stuff of our lives as stitchers and unless we have problems we don’t think about it much.

Some people swear by particular brands of needles, others need gold needles because steel needles turn black when they use them (it’s a skin chemistry thing).

But the needle you use makes far more of a difference than you thought.

IN one of the best articles I’ve ever read on needles, Alice Hall of BeStitched blogs about needles, their sizes, their effect on threads and thread tension and lots more in her recent blog post.

Check it out, her tips will improve your stitching right away.

View post:
Needles & Thread Tension

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