Monday, April 21, 2008

Bre-Aly Thread


Zarina asked me how I liked the Bre-Aly thread I purchased, and honestly, I hadn't tried it yet! So, my task this weekend was to try my new hand-dyed thread.

I don't really care to work with size 10 thread for tatting, and I really purchased it to make a Patricia Kristoffersen doily (#52 from 99 Little Doilies, published by Leisure Arts). I'm really happy with this thread as a crochet cotton. It was easy to work with and blocked very nicely. I also like the way the color flows, especially in this little doily.

It's really not bad as a tatting thread either! I tried tatting Mary Konior's "Curds & Whey" from Tatting with Visual Patterns. I had a terrible time with the pattern. It's charted beautifully, but I kept counting incorrectly and reversing my work at the wrong time. I literally retro-tatted each ring! After the last mistake, I just gave up and cut the thread. This thread was surprisingly easy to undo, and I think it held up very well considering all I put it through. I never felt like the thread was going to break, and although it did become fuzzy from unpicking the knots, I think it still looks pretty nice in the rings I finished. I then tatted a little clover... no unpicking necessary... so maybe you can click for a close-up and see how the thread held up.

I will definitely buy more of Brenda and Alyssa's thread. I love the feel of the thread and the color (which is definitely pastel in person... the colors show up much better in Brenda's Etsy shop), and it's packaged in neat little cakes that don't roll away!

9 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for putting this up. It is beautiful - I may be purchasing one for myself for tatting. Gone crazy for HDTs.

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  2. Ooohh another HDT for my list - thank you for posting your experiences with this thread - lovely colors, by the way.

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  3. Vibrant colours and the doily turns out very pretty.

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  4. This has a nice sheen to it.
    :-) Gina

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  5. The thread is beautiful and you are really working away. Thanks for sharing info about the thread.

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  6. What a pretty pattern. Thank you for the critique on the thread. Good to know. I had a similar experience with curds and whey...lol. You are doing a lot of tatting there! I'm glad your arm is feeling better.

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  7. I looked at the picture and thought, "OH, what a fat Fish!" But then I thought the two pieces on the left were tail pieces to be added. :) I really like the thread and the pattern, it's very interesting.

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  8. To me its like a big eye. Knowing that the small pieces are tatting and the doily is crochet.

    Btw, Brenda will be coming out with finer threads.

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