a thread about

One of my latest purchases it is a gold metallic thread that friends suggested as a good quality and feasible for tatting.

It is Finca light gold (Hilo Metalizado, 1000mts, Presencia Hilaturas), double strand, 35% Polyester and 65% Viscose, about the same composition of a dmc gold metallic 282 that it is a 3 strands twisted together - on my spool it's reported 65% Rayon, 35% Polyester. As far as I understood, rayon and viscose are both synthetic fibres, quite the same fibre then, the difference it is in the processing technique.

Of course the size is different: while dmc 282 is like a size 70, this Finca is like a size 80 or even less. Moreover, it looks "less gold" than the dmc and it breaks easily.

So I screened out the possibility of tatting with one strand only.

I started some tests:
(1) one strand and the cotton Special Dentelles yellow colour n.744 size 80 (that together are like a single size 50),
(2) one strand and a 100% Polyester white sewing thread,
(3) two strands,
(4) two strands and a 100% Rayon gold thread Miyuki used for beading

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Pattern for the bracelet:
··: = three beads 'up' (on the picot) one bead 'down' (on the shuttle thread)
Start with a ring of 8 ds, I use this ring to attach the lobster clasp hook.
SR (string 4 beads in the loop): 6 ··: 6 / 6 ··: 6 close
Make as many split rings as required for your wrist.
Finish with a normal ring, 12 ds, in which I usually hide both ends, as I learned this method by Miranda: http://tattingfool.blogspot.it/2011/07/finishing-with-sssr.html

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Only my opinion, but I like how the (1) turned out, the cotton adds strength and the metallic broke only once in the bracelet length. In a second bracelet, it never broke that means that also the tatter needed exercise!

Conclusion: pretty good for tatting to add a sparkle, far cheaper than dmc, not as gold though... but I've bought 1000 meters, I better use it!

Ciao,
Ninetta