Do the twist

[Kersti]

Having all sorts of bother with the thread on my needle twisting and tangling - if it were a shuttle I'd just drop it and let it spin out the twists, how do you do that with a needle?

[lalou]

hi Kersti,

needle tatter here, i try and keep my ball thread lightly wound around my wrist this keeps it from twisting and the needle thread you can usually let it dangle to untwist
(example> you let your ball thread roll around while you are tatting, if you have it lightly wrap around your wrist you have more control over your thread. i have a cat that likes to bat the ball thread around:) hope this helps

[TotusMel]

I just drop the piece on the needle to let it spin out the twists, yep.

[BlueDode]

I think I know what you mean -- let me share some of my experiences with this twisting / backlashing issue.

I recently had a nightmare experience trying to NEEDLE tat with Lizbeth: it kept backlashing upon itself and I spent more time trying to untangle it than tat with it. But since I was working on a small project, I forged ahead.

That said, I have since done some SHUTTLE tatting with Lizbeth, and it is GREAT to work with on the shuttle. I too wonder, whassup?

Suggestion: try cutting a length of needle thread off the ball and threading the needle at the end you just cut.

Normally I would thread the needle first, spool out a length of thread, and use CTM (continuous thread method) to begin needle tatting, but this produced the nightmare backlashing / twisting with Lizbeth.

If CTM is necessary at the start of the project, consider cutting off a long length of needle thread, marking the cut end, then starting tatting CTM with a short end of needle thread. The tie in a longer length of needle thread a short way into the project.

Why would I do such a thing? Here's some things I've noticed in my tatting:

1. Most of my previous needle tatting involved using yarns and crochet cottons, as well as perle cottons, which are not as highly twisted as Lizbeth: I didn't have near the problems with twisting / backlashing when needle tatting these threads compared to the Lizbeth, a highly twisted thread.

2. If I recall correctly, tatting thread is usually a very highly twisted fiber, with more twists per inch than say crochet cotton. This high twist may contribute to the twisting / backlashing, making an existing nuisance problem for losely twisted thread into a nightmare problem with highly twisted thread.

3. Also, the direction that the thread was spun can make a difference. I was warned that some size 100 tatting thread I purchased years ago had been wound off a larger ball: I wound my shuttle starting with the handy end outside of the ball instead of the end buried in the center of it. I had absolute fits trying to shuttle tat with it: twists / backlashes drove me crazy. So, I wound a second shuttle off the first one, putting the thread in the same direction as it would have come off the original ball, and voila, no problems shuttle tatting. I was able to needle tat directly off this ball without problems: observation: the needle thread is threaded from the opposite end of the thread length, in effect.

Will this suggestion work for you? I have no way of knowing for sure: these are some of the things I'd try if I had annoying problems with twisting / backlashing.

These days I prefer the highly twisted threads for use with the shuttle, and the more losely twisted threads for the needle, but that isn't applicable to people who needle tat but don't shuttle tat.

An aside: when having problems with sewing thread that twists / backlashes, the remedy is to run the thread across beeswax: I've done it often, and it eases hand sewing problems. That said, I've wondered about trying it with problem tatting threads, but haven't yet: has anyone out there tried this?

Good luck!

[carolivy]

When I am working off the ball with a thread the twists horribly, I use a safety pin and pin (or straight pin) my thread to the ball where I have stopped unwinding it, then I hold the work in my hand and let the ball drop and unspin, then the needle. When you untwist the needle thread, make sure you unfold the thread where it folds back at the needle...this little tail can hold a lot of spin where it meets the main thread. Some threads you seem to do this quite frequently, some threads just seem to need a few times.

[Judy]

Here's another suggestion. When using CTM, take what you need off the ball, then lightly "straighten" it by pulling it with thumb and forefinger, from the CTM point, to the end, then thread the needle. I saw another suggestion recently in one of my meanderings around these posts. At least I think it was here..lol. Anyway, I tried it today and it solved a snarl with a cheap cotton thread. I twisted the NEEDLE, just racked up all those twists close to the eye, and rolled the
needle between my fingers in the direction I needed. I seldom have twists with Lizbeth, except when I'm in a hurry and skip that straightening step.

[patrice]

I hate to limit your possibilities-but-there are definitely threads to avoid when needle tatting.Some thread takes so much time to untangle-it is worth avoiding.Some thread you just can't avoid because it is all you can find in a certain color or size.
I often let my piece and the needle drop-to untwist.Unfortunately-the thread is often hopelessly twisted within a couple of rings and chains.Honestly,tatting thread as a rule-is NOT too twisty,DMC Cordonnet-size 80 for example-is a wonderfull thread that you can work off the entire ball-and never twist.Oren Bayen tatting thread is oh,so cool to work with...silk threads-smooth and silky-a dream to tat.
If you want your tatting to be smooth and even-use a tatting thread that will give you those results-not all will,and not all tatters will agree on the best threads to use,you will have to find your own.Don't assume that what's good for the shuttle tatter is good for the needle tatter.