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Learning Thread


SlowCrocheter

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Ok one of my projects for 2009 is going to be to learn how to work with thread.

So I need tips for people that learned yarn first.

I also need some links to free patterns or info for learning to work with thread.

What is the best project to learn with? Bookmarks? Snowflakes? Doilies? Suggestions?

I am going to learn this if it kills me.

Don't really want to sign up for a 2 week class for me that is just not long enough I need to be able to work at this really slow so I don't get overwhelmed.

Thank you for any help or pointers.

Oh and all of mine come out looking sloppy. Do I need to hold thread a LOT tighter then you do yarn? :think

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If you can crochet with yarn then you can crochet with thread.There is no difference in that you use the same technique for both.Only thing is it takes getting use to working with thread to become familiar with it.So as the saying goes...practice, practice, practice. I suggest that you make something with thread that you have already made in yarn,something small that does not take alot of time. Good luck...I know you can do it :yes

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I used size 3 crochet thread and a size 0 hook. It was much better than using 10 thread and a size 5 or 7 crochet hook! Leave that till you get more comfortable. I did a doily first - if I could do that, I felt like I conqured it! So up to you with what you want to try.

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To learn to crochet with thread, what I teach when I do teach someone is use your regualr yarn 4 ply and your favorite crochet hook. do 4 or 5 rows of a inside part of a doily pattern. just 4 or 5 rows. now this will turn into a coaster for you.

now you want to move on down to baby yarn 2 or 3 ply and do the same pattern same rows,and change your crochet hook a few sizes downto a D or E or F crochet hook.. same pattern, same rows. You will have another coaster.

now your ready for size 3 thread and a smaller size 0 or 00 crochet hook., same pattern, same amount of rows. you will have a smaller coaster.

now your ready for size 5 thread and a smaller crochet hook about a size 4 or 5 crochet hook.,and do the same thing. same pattern same amount of rows. You will have a smaller coaster again. These are great for figurines.etc...

now your ready for the big step, size 10 thread and about a size 7 or 8 or 9 crochet hook. useing the same pattern and same amount of rows. Repeat thread if your working your way to size 20,30,40,50,60,70,80,90,100 threads.

The smallest I can crochet with is the size 30.threads I have done size 40-50-60-70-80-90-100 and I just don't care for it.

 

enjoy and let us know how your doing.

sunnywolfgar--Terry devine

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I really like Terry's idea. What a wonderful to "get used" to the smaller sizes. Having learned to crochet with thread, when I went to yarn I about pulled my hair out. It took me forever to be able to "see" the stitches. :think

 

I find that in thread the stitches are much more defined and much easier to see. The biggest thing is thread is getting your tension correct. If your projects seem sloppy looking then your tension is too loose.

 

I crochet pretty tightly since I learned with thread. My personal favorite is a size 20 but really want to try some of the really small stuff like 70 or 80 and then go to the floss and then sewing threads.

 

I agree using a pattern your used to is a great way to start. Sometimes people find it easier to work with something a bit larger like a doily to start as some find the smaller stuff harder to hold onto especially when changing to a much smaller material.

 

You will do fine, just practice your tension till you are comfortable with it.

 

TLOL,

Toni

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My Michaels does carry size 3. (We don't Have hobby lobby here). The size 3 is with the size 10. It looks just like the size 10, the only way to tell it is size 3 is to look at the wrapping on the ball.

 

There is not a huge difference in the sizes but 3 is bigger than 10 and a good way to get used to the large difference in sizes from yarn.

 

My Walmart does have 3 also.

 

TLOL,

Toni

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I started with a bookmark--straight edges, and not too complicated a pattern. Really, the only thing you need to get used to is the size of the thread and hook, which feel awkward and small. And if you're me, figuring out how the heck to see these things. Thread made me buy bifocals/readers (cheaters, as my cousin calls them) so I could see the thread better. I could only do thread outside during the day, in broad daylight, until I saved for an Ott light. Now I can do thread at night (woo hoo!). Patty

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I'd start with one of those small doilies, like something coaster shaped. Snowflakes are pretty, but usually have too many picots, which are frustrating for beginning thread users (like I was). :) Doilies are usually nice because they have simple repeats all around.

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  • 1 month later...

Thanks, Terry and everyone! :clap

 

I'm new to thread and like working with it, but had a problem starting a simple shawl pattern in lace weight yarn. I did the first few rows in a heavier yarn first and it really helped me understand the pattern. Now I can crochet the shawl with the lace weight. :c9

 

I love the pattern and will be making it out of thread next. One step at a time works! :clap

 

:hug

Denyse

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Coasters make a nice starter project,normally fairly simple without a lot of picots. Bookmarks if they are a simple straight forward design. Just think of thread as skinny yarn and crochet. It's just a matter of getting used to holding the smaller thread and make sure you have good light.

I love the finer threads and have even crocheted with size 150 thread. Yes they used to make it that small. After that size 10 is like crocheting with a rope. Don't fight the work just do what you already know how to do. Crochet........

Best of luck to you.

One more note. If you can use good thread it makes all the difference in the world on how it works. There are some threads I just hate to use and if I learned with it I would have hated thread crochet. So give yourself the best chance of sucess by using good materials.

Also some people find the different styles of hooks work better in thread for them. I am a Boye brand hook user, but others swear by the Bates brand. It can make a difference on how comfortable it is to work with the thread though, so if you find yourself uncomfortable you might want to try another brand of hook.

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Y'know, I do a lot of thread work and I think I only needed to use one once, and I ended up using a regular safety pin in a pinch. It did not get left in the work for any length of time...that's the only thing I can think of to worry about, brass will corrode/oxidize over time. They make rust-proof pins, I wonder if they make rust-proof safety pins?

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  • 1 month later...

What a nice thread about thread! I agree with using lighter colors and having good light. I sometimes put a towel, a piece of fabric, or a pillowcase on my lap to contrast the thread color, so that the thread is more visible.

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Do I need to hold thread a LOT tighter then you do yarn? :think

It seems to me that when I work with yarn I hold it very loosely, with not much tension at all. When I use thread i have much tighter tension.

 

What kind of stitch markers do ya'll use? I've ordered some brass, coil less safety pins. Are these good to use?

:hug

Denyse

Right now I can't think of a thread project where I had to use stitch markers... but I think the coilless pins would be great for this. the coil of a regular safety pin can get wound up in the thread (or yarn) so coilless eliminates that problem.

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I use stitch markers I have made myself using leverback earring findings. I use stitchmarkers a lot when doing thread projects. Like doilies, if you are doing sc with thread it is sometimes hard to see the stitch you are going to join with when you come around. The reason the items are floppy is because they have not been blocked or stiffened as some call it. Once you block your finished project, it makes a whole lot of difference to the shape and look. Good luck with your goal!

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Hmmm well I don't think I have ever seen any of the other sizes but yarn and 10 lol but Ill go have a look see at hobby lobby and micheals here soon.

Thank you for the tips.

for different thread sizes you can check places like ebay or the myriads of discount yarn stores on line. Also, Joann's or Hancock's, my experience is that hobby lobby has very little in the way of anything smaller than size 10.

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I started using embroidery floss and a 3 hook I think. Which ever hook it is that fits the thickness of it. I followed thread Christmas tree ornament patterns. When I got used to that I went down to #10.

 

The hardest part for me was to loosen up on my tension. For some reason I had a death grip on it.

 

The other thing that really will make a big difference it to follow the mm size on the hook. A 1.75 Bates is a 5 while a Boye is a 7. Using the wrong hook size for the thread will make it much more difficult. I prefer my Bates but with hooks only being a couple dollars it might be worth it to buy one of each and see which you prefer.

 

The Bates Silvalume is a wonderful hook. I was gifted a set by a member here and I just LOVE them.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I agree, a bookmark is a good start...

 

I am really enjoying working with thread! I put it off way too long thinking that it was going to be tedious.

 

It has been a joy to learn, and the thread color choices are more than I originally thought.

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