wool-thread

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.

Related posts:

1. Planet Earth Wool – Thread Review
2. Planet Earth Wool – Thread Review
3. Different Colors, Dyes, and Tapestry Wool
4. Needlepoint Rugs — Threads
5. Non-toxic Dyeing of Wool and Silk Yarns

See the original post:
Paternayan Persian Wool – Old & New