Friday 1 February 2013

Thankfulness

I would like to express my thankfulness for the tatting community.  I have "met" many lovely people through my love of tatting and I really appreciate it.  I occasionally receive wonderful little surprise packages in the post from generous and thoughtful people.  These are not always specifically mentioned on my blog but I want to say here how much I feel privileged to be the recipient of these kind gifts.

A while ago, I received one such package and meant to write about it but I'm only finally getting around to it.  It contained a very useful tatting (or needlework in general) tool which I've not seen mentioned elsewhere before.  When Jane started her TIAS, she stated the amount of thread needed on the shuttles (in yards) so out came my wonderful gadget which I finally share with you here:



It's a thread counter.  You put your thread in the slot and pull the little lever down to hold it agains the wheel (which is inside and which you can't see!) and as you pull the thread off the ball, the little counter measures the yards.  Clever, isn't it?  It will be particularly useful when I next make a beaded shuttle bag where you have to measure quite a lot of thread for all the beads.

There were other things in this great package too but the other one I will show you is a Starlit shuttle which I hadn't tried before.  Last time I made beaded shuttle bags, I used a Tatsy - even made a video of it - which is really quite large, larger than necessary.  The Starlit will be wonderful being a size in between a Tatsy and an Aero as you can see in the picture below.  Of course, straight away I had to add hooks to mine.  I chopped that long, scary nose, and gave it a hook instead.  I'm ready to go!

I hope the sender sees this post and knows how much I appreciate her gifts.

Tatsy on top, Starlit, and Aero

Talking with other tatters is also a great way to find out about new suppliers or supplies you hadn't heard of before.  One of my reader from the UK showed me a motif she was working on and I told her I liked the thread she had used and what was it?  It was a pale blue and yellow thread.

It turns out it is a thread I can buy here in the UK.  It is made by Coats, and is called Puppets Eldorado (strange name).  It comes in many sizes and the one I'm showing you here is a size 16 (the smallest they had).  I find it's quite similar to a size 20 Lizbeth really.  Softer though but still nice to work with.

Thank you F. (never know if people want their name mentioned online or not) for pointing those out to me.

Top is Anchor Freccia, and bottom two are Puppets Eldorado.

The top one is another I found on the same website and is by Anchor, it is called Freccia and is a size 12.  Here is where I got mine from:  Purplelinda Crafts.

Now if you like the firm twist of Lizbeth, you will find these softer and with less body but they are an alternative, come in a range of colours and are less expensive than Lizbeth (here in the UK anyway).  Lizbeth will always remain my favourite for best-defined knots and sharp tatting.... but then again, there is also DMC Babylo which is really growing on me for larger projects (that's the one I'm using on the Victorian Trellis doily).  I might as well give you the link for the DMC Babylo too for the UK readers who are looking for suppliers.  The shop is called SewandSo.  Babylo comes in 50g balls and in sizes 10, 20, and 30.

And finally, I've been taking photos and writing out the pattern for the first row of the trellis doily for those who are interested.  That will be in the next post.

Best wishes,
Frivole

35 comments:

  1. I will have to look for one of those thread counters... what a great idea! I have also found the tatting community to be very thoughtful and generous, especially when someone finds something new and interesting and wants to get the word out.

    Oh, dear... another thread to try...

    Yippee! I'm looking forward to that next post!

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  2. A thread counter? What an awesome tool!

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  3. Do you know if the bread counter is available in the U.S.? I'd get in line to get one of those right away!

    Wouldn't you just just love to know why the thread has that name?

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    1. Hi Michelle, couldn't help laughing at the "bread counter" typo!! :-))
      Yes, it must be available in the US as my kind sender is American. Perhaps I'll check with her where she got it from?

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    2. Oh phew! I didn't even see the bread counter typo! Silly ything is that I'm a pretty good typist, it's the iPad which goofs me up! Argh!

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  4. I meant to ask, what is the picture in your shuttle? Chatty-chatty bang bang? Oh, I loathe auto-correct! It won't let me say "chitty"!

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    1. Yes, the auto-correct can be infuriating but I find if you correct it twice (or is three-times) it will eventually let you. But annoying, yes.

      The image on the shuttle is another vintage one from a postcard type advert for a French department store - it's wonderful flying machine. It just appealed to me. I think I will make another for the shop... do you think?

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    2. It's a wonderful shuttle! I love those vintage images!

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  5. I want one, I NEED one, I MUST find out where to get one!!! What? One of those thread counter thingamijigs. Perhaps then I wouldn't dread the working out of how much thread to put on a shuttle 'bit' when making a new pattern!!

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  6. This counter is a clever little "fellow".

    I use sometimes Puppets Eldorado ( actually they make it here in Hungary ), but for me it is a little bit "shineless". This company have another yarn family, called Anchor Artist Mercer Crochet. This one is my favorite. You shuld try it :)

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    1. I have to agree with you Orsi, it is not particularly shiny. Doesn't have the sheen that Lizbeth has. I shall look up Anchor Artist Mercer Crochet... but does it come in colours?

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    2. Yes, it exist in 70 colors :)
      Their website doesn't work very well, so now I can't send you the color chart.

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    3. 70 colours! After your first message, I went ahead and ordered some (just two colours) from a website that carries a smaller range of colours (definitely not 70). It's a little pricey so I will wait and see what these two are like. But thank you for the suggestion, I always like trying new things!

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    4. I have found a color chart on another website, so you can see it:
      http://www.pompomstudio.hu/webaruhaz/files/Anchor_artiste_mercer_crochet.pdf

      Maybe it isn't very cheep, but I like to work with it. It is a 6 plies thread, and perfectly "smooth".
      I am curious about your experiences.

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    5. Thank you Orsi! I will blog about it as soon as I've received it and tried it. Do you use Lizbeth? If so, how does it compare?

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    6. I have never used Lizbeth, it is not available in our shops, and buy via internet only one ball.... Maybe one day :)

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  7. I've never seen a thread counter before... it looks very similar to the 'line counters' used for fishing line ( found in sporting goods stores) I would be interested in learning where she got it.
    I very much want to try the Trellis doily ( when time permits :/ ) and will be watching for your notes! I'm wondering if it could be used to edge an oval ....? Just a thought.

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    1. Yes, you're right, I've seen line counters and it looks a lot like that. Basically does the same thing!

      I think the trellis edging would work fine on an oval - it would look great. You could just make the trellis round plus one more to edge it and it would be nice.

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  8. Unbeleavable, a thread counter...so great little things, thanks for sharing with us...

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  9. Never seen a thread counter, that's sounds very interesting, Enjoyed reading your interesting post.
    Margaret

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  10. The tool is a line counter. I have not seen one exactly shaped lik that one and it shows no brand name on the front. Fishermen use it to measure their line for troll fishing or for winding their reels. I had not thought of using it for thread. Great idea and a nice gift for tatters, too.

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    1. Hi Marie, you are right, like a line counter but this one is made specifically for thread and yarn. I found the packet, it's made by Boye.

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    2. Thank you ! I am sure many would love to have one. (((H)))

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  11. Ooooh I've got to get one of those counters!!!

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  12. I've just managed to find them online - search for "yardage counter". Seem to be cheaper in the US than in the UK.

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  13. I found them here at Lacis..... http://lacis.com/catalog/data/AB_YarnThreadTools.html

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  14. oh what fun and new toy!,
    and new threads. Have fun.

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    1. I just did a quick search for this yarn yardage counter, and checked the reviews on Amazon. I would be very interested in your throughts on accuracy Frivlole, and it didn't get very good reviews on Amazon.

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    2. I agree with you Ladytats. I looked them up as well after making the blogpost and the reviews were not great. But mine was a gift - and I'm happy with it. Though I will check for accuracy and report back, out of curiosity.

      I wasn't saying people should get one, as in not a product recommendation, I was just showing what I got.

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    3. I wonder if the accuracy on thread would be dependent on the tension.... a tighter tension would cause the thread to stretch as it is pulled through.... can you adjust the tension on it?

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  15. Gosh what an interesting post, especially hearing about where thread can be purchased in the UK. I have bought crochet hooks from Purplelinda Crafts before, but would never have thought of buying thread from them because of not knowing if it was suitable, so thank you for the information.

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  16. I received a thread yardage counter as a return gift from one of my blog giveaway winners. I have not been able to make it work for me, maybe I just don't read the instructions right. Have to bring that out and try again.

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  17. I used to tat with Babylo, when my favourite Cebelia 30 was discontinued; at least, it has been here; but sadly it broke - snapped when I was closing a ring. Maybe I tat too tightly. I've never dared to use it since.
    I've seen the thread measuring things, but much bigger than yours - for wool. The little thread one looks very tactile.What a lovely gift!
    One of the comments mentions Anchor Mercer - it's the very best thread of all, in my opinion, wonderful quality, and it doesn't split when I unpick! - but once again, I can no longer buy it here, and when it was available, it was terribly expensive. You should definitely try it.

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    1. Hi Maureen, I've never had any problems with Babylo so far. I do use it a lot for testing patterns also as it is cheaper for me to buy than Lizbeth. I have just ordered some Anchor Mercer to try (but unfortunately, it is pricey here too!).

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