silk threads? and I threw in a question about Hardanger too

[rcperryls]

Okay, I have been reading so much about silk threads that I know I have to try them which means I have to go somewhere on the internet and I don't want to just google around and find something. I think that is what I should do for the leaves on the TOS? Regular DMC would probably look okay, but everyone seems to be doing such neat things that I think I need to spread my wings too. I don't want to get overwhelmed by different websites and am thinking what I would like to do is steal Xandras's idea of Satin floss for the trunk and silk for the leaves in shades of green. Suggestions would be more than appreciated. I don't know anything about floss at all.

thank you
Carole

[karen4bells]

I know what you mean--I've only just begun to test out the silk thread and so far have loved them. I've done a bit of hunting and I see that 123stitch.com sells quite a few different brands of them. Some are pricier than others and I'm sure that some are much better to use, but I don't know which are better than the others. I have a 1/2 skein of kreinik silk thread that I bought a while back and I am going to test that out soon.
I'm pretty sure that Mabel will be able to tell you which of them are the better ones to try--and there may even be a post about them somewhere on this forum, I do recall her posting about threads ages ago.
I hope you find some nice ones to try out--and that you will soon be stitching on your TOS

[rcperryls]

yes, I need to do a search. tomorrow I think. In either welcome or tips and tricks I think. thank you Karen for reminding me. Something productive to do tomorrow.

Carole

[karen4bells]

http://www.crossstitchforum.com/viewtop ... ds#p351905
I did a quick search and came up with this, but I'm sure that there are other topics about it as well. Good luck

[Mabel Figworthy]

I see Karen found the overview I did -- if there's anything unclear about it do ask. Silks are lovely to work with (well, I think so anyway, but it's quite a personal thing, some people hate them!), but bear in mind that depending on the type of silk you use the difference with stranded cotton may not be very obvious.

Stranded cottons are mercerised precisely to make them look more like silk (which is possibly why embroidery cottons are sometimes referred to as embroidery silks), and so the main difference with real silks is that they have a more subtle, more natural sheen -- and even that is highly subjective! This is true for most of the soft, low twist and twisted silks.

The flat silks are a different kettle of fish altogether. They have a gorgeous, slightly hazy sheen that is unlike anything else. Unfortunately they are also the most difficult ones to work with, as they snag very easily. Definitely worth the effort for a special project though, and if you choose a silk like Eterna it is not too budget-blowing

And then there are silk perles, which add texture to sheen and are lovely for Hardanger and pulled work, and also speciality stitches.

In the thread Karen found there is also a link to an overview of prices and availability of silks -- it's a bit out of date but will give you some idea.

Enjoy !

[rcperryls]

thank you Mabel and Karen. I found the thread and the link to the comparison which I downloaded so I can spend some time looking through it. I think I might go to 123 stitch and order a few different ones so I can experiment and see what I like. I might use the TOS to not only learn new stitches but try a few different types of thread also. I have heard you talk about perle cottons (?) also. I have seen these as well as the satin floss at Michaels, so might go over there today and get a few different ones and start test stitching. I'm waiting on a reply from Michele at HAED about some symbols that I can't differentiate on my LOTR HAED (it is the same symbol but different sizes and the colors of the two are not different enough from surrounding colors to be able to make a decision as to which one it should be. One is a grey and one is a kind of olive green and both colors show up in the confetti section. Usually you can figue it out because its obvious) so its a good time to go check something new while I'm waiting (could do more black, always can do more black, but I'm so excited about starting something completely new). I know my next one is going to one of your Hardanger's Mabel. I'm kind of nervous about those, but I love them so much.
Do you think those could be done in my favorite Afghan format? or is 18 count just too large?

Carole

[Parksfarm]

I like Hand Dyed Fibers (HDF) by Victoria Clayton. They are not nearly as expensive as other silks and are dyed to match DMC colors so they are super easy to substitute into your patterns. Customer service is great and shipping is quick. Here's her website:

http://hand-dyedfibers.com/oscnuked/" target="_blank

Good luck - silks are amazing to work with!!

[Mabel Figworthy]

TOS seems like a great project to try out new threads as well as new stitches -- great idea!

You can use perle cotton for speciality stitches, but you have to make sure they are not too thick. Most of my Hardanger is done on 25ct, and on that count Rhodes stitches etc. can be done using either #8 or #12 perle.

Good luck on trying Hardanger too -- I've added a bit about cutting to the chart packs which I hope will be helpful, but you can always pm or email me if you have any questions or problems. Yes, you should be able to do Hardange ron 18ct, but you may have to use perle #3 instead of #5 for the satin stitch and Kloster blocks. For the other stitches you'd have to experiment, but I think you should be able to use #8 as it is charted. The only problem I can think of is that as far as I know #3 is not available in as many colours as #5. But you should be able to find a combination you like among the available ones!

[rcperryls]

Thank you Mabel. You will be the first to know when I am ready for these since I will make a beeline to your website. It may be a while, but it is definitely on my list. I'm off to the store now (even though I did get my HAED question answered very quickly) to see what few choices are there and then may spend the afternoon SHOPPING FOR SILK THREADS on the internet. Much more fun than worrying about hurricanes, earthquakes and anything else that shows up in the news!

Carole

[Raine]

And just to stir things up more in your head, silk ribbon embroidery is out-of-this-world and way easier to do than it looks. I adore it. I have a couple of silk ribbon kits waiting for me in my stash. I hope I live a long, long time.

[Mabel Figworthy]

And then there is sheer ribbon, which looks great too .

[Raine]

And then there is sheer ribbon, which looks great too .

Oooh, tell me more. What is it?

[Mabel Figworthy]

Raine, if you look here you'll se a brooch I made with it.

Carole, I've just dug out a piece of 18ct afghan fabric I had in my stash; I'll see if I can find some #3 perle and experiment with it!

[Trylla]

I love, Love, LOVE working with silks!!

Many of my smaller projects are done exclusively in silk. I mainly used HDF by Vicki Clayton (mostly because my LNS stocks a lot of her line). These come in both solid and variegated colours, though the variegation is often quite subtle on hers.

I've also tried Carrie's Creations silks because her variegated threads change colour dramatically and are simply gorgeous!

Glorianna silks are more expensive, but are simply sublime to touch! I haven't found the right project to try these out on though.

I have a few DMC satins, but I find these quite troublesome to work with. They are very slippery and really need to be anchored firmly. They look pretty though!

All in all, exploring the world of silks is wonderful. Enjoy!

[Raine]

Raine, if you look here you'll se a brooch I made with it.

[Raine]

Glorianna silks are more expensive, but are simply sublime to touch!

I agree with all of my heart!

[rcperryls]

Got a few new things at Michaels. Lousy selection, but its a start. First, Laverne had to approve what I got:

I bought for "testing on" (had a 40%off coupon so it was only about $2.50) some Monaco 28 count Antique White evenweave fabric. Pretty large so I should be able to use it for a long time.
3 skeins of satin in shades of green, one skein DMC 5 cotton perle brown, and Perle 8 in 712 and Perle 12 in ecru.

even if I don't do much with them, it is a lot of fun to "spread my wings" finally.
Please excuse the mess of my dining room table. Its where I live and work, when I'm not on the computer and I forget to crop it out of my photo.
Carole

[Raine]

The satin is so shiny! What fun!

[karen4bells]

I like Hand Dyed Fibers (HDF) by Victoria Clayton. They are not nearly as expensive as other silks and are dyed to match DMC colors so they are super easy to substitute into your patterns. Customer service is great and shipping is quick. Here's her website:

http://hand-dyedfibers.com/oscnuked/" target="_blank" target="_blank

Good luck - silks are amazing to work with!!

Thanks for the link Dana!! I had a nice look at the site earlier and have placed my first order with them
1 x Fire Dragon
1 x Harvest Moon 4263
1 x Zinnia 4239
1 x Zaffre Cobalt
1 x Tart's Knickers 1123
and the last I got for 1 penny as the order was over $5
1 x 40 ct. Linen 6 pack of sample colors (6pack) = $0.01

I hope to use most of these on the TOS SAL so hopefully they will arrive soon. I love that they actually take paypal too!!

Carole, your threads are very pretty--good luck with the satin threads--they aren't my favorite to work with but they do stitch up very pretty!! Those colors are great!!!

[rcperryls]

I missed Dana's post, not sure how, so I am so glad that you quoted from it. I have bookmarked it, so thank you Dana and Karen. I think I will spend some time looking it over and trying some. I need a place to start and that one looks pretty nice.

Carole


This is soooooooooooo much fun!
My kids think I have gone goofy with it, but I guess they figure there are many worse things out there that I could be doing. I keep asking them what? but they won't tell me.