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Hello ladies and gentlemen
Last night I was kitting up 3 new projects at my stitchy store.
One of them is a Noel banner. Quite simple but a lovely 4 color project with gold metallic and a few beads added for a little bling.

The original is charted for 14 ct aida. I switched it for 18 ct.. and now I am worried about one of the threads.

It calls for DMC 5282 which is a gold metallic thread, similar in thickness to a #5 pearle cotton. On the design, it is used to outline white letters and edge the project. But, since I switched from 14 to 18 ct fabric, I thought the 5282 might be too bulky... and not having much luck with other DMC metallics, I wasn't really keen on trying it, so I didn't buy it. The women at my store haven't used it and weren't really sure what I could substitute to get some dimension but keep the metallic bling. For metallics in the store, they only have Krienik Blending and #4 braid.

Is Krienik #8 a good substitute to give dimension and bling but not a lot of bulk? I am not all that familiar with metallics.

I'm a bit confused. Is 5282 not a divisible thread? It now has a new code: 69001. I think it would be fine with 18ct (if I have the correct thread), using either one or two strands. If you were to use Kreinik, I'd probably suggest #4 (very fine braid), rather than #8 (fine braid). Or even two strands of blending filament, although that way madness lies: it's not well behaved on its own...

I like both the Krenik Blending and Glissengloss Madeira. They are a lighter but still give a very nice bling to patterns.

Serinde wrote:I'm a bit confused. Is 5282 not a divisible thread? It now has a new code: 69001. I think it would be fine with 18ct (if I have the correct thread), using either one or two strands. If you were to use Kreinik, I'd probably suggest #4 (very fine braid), rather than #8 (fine braid). Or even two strands of blending filament, although that way madness lies: it's not well behaved on its own...

And well.. after more digging around on the DMC site.. I am even more confused.
What the ladies in the store showed me last night was not a regular skein of metallic floss. (They hate the stuff and refuse to sell it) What they had was in a twisted skein just like DMC pearle cottons. On the DMC site it says its a #5 thread, only available in silver and gold. With the number 5282.
In the DMC Metallics/ Light Effects area, there is a regular skein gold metallic with number E3821 (5282). So now I am thoroughly confused.
Perhaps I need to look at the color photo to get a better handle on which one the chart calls for. I only have my copied page which doesn't show the image very well. In the thread list they just list the number.. nothing that says pearle metallic, or Light Effects, or that it is even a metallic. And maybe I'll just email the designer directly what her intensions were before the manufacturer messed with their color numbers. If it is supposed to be regular metallic.. well then easy peasy switch out with Kreinik #4.. but it really threw me when they showed me a bulky metallic last night.

Thanks ladies for your quick responses! I hope I haven't messed you up too much.

Confusion cleared.

I emailed the distributor. It is a Joan Elliot design, distributed by Imaginating. I asked since there are now the two DMC products with the color 5282.. which one is the correct one.
It was charted for the regular DMC metallic, part of the Light Effects line. Problem solved.. and quite quickly! Thanks everyone

I am surprised to hear that a shop "hate" the DMC Metallic Perle 5. While I haven't used it myself. We have a number of customers that work with metallic threads who love it and we need to re-order regularly.

Its the regular DMC metallics they don't carry... the ones in the Light Effects line.. the same ones quite a few on this site have tried once and vowed to never use again. They had the pearle metallic in the store, which is what they thought my chart called for.

I was going to suggest the light effects by DMC.
I have been wanting to try these. I don't even know how to use the kreinik that you sent is it divisible? I have seen several of the light effects and sent some to my stashmas person and want to try it myself it is very shiny but look soft. Do you divide it though?

I'm not very fond of DMC metallics either: they misbehave! However, they look fantastic. So you make your choice, guess. I've used the DMC pearl cottons with a twist of metallic in them for hardanger, and they are great fun.

Serinde wrote:I'm not very fond of DMC metallics either: they misbehave! However, they look fantastic. So you make your choice, guess. I've used the DMC pearl cottons with a twist of metallic in them for hardanger, and they are great fun.

OOOhhh now I can really upset my hardanger teacher - I want to do hardanger with varigated metallic on black lol (she's a wee bit of a traditionalist who would much prefer I use cream on white or similar)

I often prefer to match thread and linen. This brings out the sculptural nature of hardanger. The difficulty with using variegated threads is that the play of light on the thread, giving depth and dimension, is lost. It's hard to resist some of the fabulous threads around though, isn't it? So I guess it's "horse for courses": choose thread and fabric according to the design and finished product.

Pssst... white pearl 5 with gold or silver metallic thread through them is fabulous for Christmas hardanger.... I believe there is also red pearl with gold...

There is something very satisfying about tone-on-tone Hardanger that you don't get with colours -- the whole textural feel, nothing to distract from the shapes made by the threads, and the contrast between thick and thin threads -- but on the other hand I find colour in Hardanger very satisfying too (as you may have noticed...). I suppose it just means I like both styles .
If you want traditional white-on-white but with a bit of subtle sparkle, I can recommend Caron Snow as a substitute for perle #5, it's lovely to work with and looks beautiful.