View Full Version : Tatting thread in Hong Kong - AT LAST
It may not be around for long, but for now, I have found some good tatting thread here in Hong Kong. Before I show you photos, I'll give you all the information on the ball band. It is Kimono cotton #40, "high quality knitting yarn". 100% cotton. 640 meters. Made by H.P. Cotton Textile Mills Ltd. India. It cost HKD $110, which works out to about USD $13.75. I haven't checked yet, but I think I can't do better through the online sources when I figure overseas shipping.
The thread is packed into a plastic container that has a hole in the top lid for the thread to feed through. I thought this would make it easy to wind the shuttle without the thread twisting, but no such luck. It is really more difficult to wind than a regular ball; I spent a lot of time allowing the shuttle to spin.
It tats very smoothly. Because I couldn't get Anne's heart doily to print, I took another pattern with me to work on while waiting for my appointment for new glasses. Of course I didn't really want a snowflake in variegated red, so I also got the variegated blue. Did I mention each ball is 640 meters? I have a LOT of variegated thread.
Now for the eye candy.
I could only post 5 pics, so here's the snowflake center that I did this afternoon. I thought the thread was six cord, but now I'm not so sure. It tats and retro tats very smoothly though; I'm happy with it. I can't think of any thread to compare it to, though.
Josie Passell
13-08-2010, 12:31 PM
Thank you for showing us your new goodies, it does look like its nice thread to tat with. Were there other colours? The variegated red would be lovely for hearts.
Maureen L
13-08-2010, 12:41 PM
I'm so glad you went back for it, Lynn! - and well done for making the executive decision to buy both colours! It's hard to tell exactly how thick it is, but it seems to have lovely sheen. You have such a lot of it that you'll be able to tat a really big heart runner!
There's nothing nicer than new thread - enjoy it!
There are other colors; all of them are pretty. But I absolutely insist on maintaining some shreds of self control. LOL! I'm still petting it and looking at it. As far as I can tell, it tats up like a DMC size 30. I just placed my new InTatters pathtag over the center of the snowflake center, and it covers all but the outer chain.
Jon Yusoff
13-08-2010, 01:00 PM
I thought the thread was six cord, but now I'm not so sure. It tats and retro tats very smoothly though; I'm happy with it. I can't think of any thread to compare it to, though.
You can try splitting up the plies to see how many there is. When you do that, you will first get three strands. Then take one of the three strands and try and split it up further.
If the thread fuzzies up, then it is possibly 3-cord. If the thread splits up into another two strands, then it is a six-cord thread.
The thread looks good. The colours reminds me of the Manuela thread which unfortunately, has been discontinued.
AnneB
13-08-2010, 01:13 PM
... Because I couldn't get Anne's heart doily to print ...
Are you trying to print the large file (Christmas Hearts Combined (http://nuperelle.net/Sammensatt/JulehjerterUtvidetEng.pdf)) or the smaller file (Christmas Hearts (http://nuperelle.net/motiver/JulehjerterEng.pdf))?
Love the thread by the way, and the boxes seems very handy!
stashtamer
13-08-2010, 02:38 PM
So glad you went back and bought some. Thank you for the report on how it tats. It's so good to find supplies where you are.
carolivy
13-08-2010, 02:46 PM
Very pretty thread Lynn! Glad you bought two colors.
mcoperryl@gmail.com
13-08-2010, 02:54 PM
Thank you so much Lynn. You are such a good sport and thoughtful to provide this information to all of us. I have a list of knitting shops to call on and am hopeful to find a supplier.
Susan B T
13-08-2010, 03:01 PM
Looks like great thread. Love the two colors you showed. The visual of the way is tats is nice, good color flow.
The containers will come in handy for lots of other things.
shannon_in_love
13-08-2010, 05:32 PM
the thread looks good. looks good and sturdy. what type of feel does it have? looks kinda like it would feel like acrylic yarn. JUST LOOK at that stitch definition!
tatknot
13-08-2010, 06:07 PM
While I couldn't find any information about the thread itself at the company's website, there is a picture of the thread in solid colors and some other variegated colors: H. P. Cotton Textile Mills (http://www.hpthread.com/crochet-hand-knitting-yarns.html)
Hooray for your great find, Lynn. I think frakira's Celtic version of Jon Yusoff's Snowflake Challenge just begs to be done in candy cane colors. I was thinking a white center with the two interwoven outer rounds in red and in white. However, your new variegated might do very nicely.
PattyD
13-08-2010, 06:40 PM
Well Lynn, you have done very well. 2 different colors and the restraint to go home without spending the rent money! From the looks of it I would have called these cabled yarns, but that is only from appearance. I have always felt that a more loosely twisted yarn that looks more like soft cotton rope was different from the double plied threads that we use so often. But it looks like a double plied thread (3 pairs twisted one way and then all three twisted the other way) is actually the definition of "cabled". However, the tightness of the twist changes the appearance of the finished product. These threads appear to be less twisted than other tatting threads but should be quite pleasant to use.
As a counter example, some silk threads (grenadine) are so tightly twisted they are almost overtwisted (where the thread kinks up). These are at the other end of the scale.
I am going on about this because this is a very interesting thread you have found and I learned a better technical understanding of things I thought I knew (always a dangerous assumption!).
So you are happy with your purchase and have gratified any number of us on InTatters with your new eye candy. I hope you get to make many beautiful things with this lovely thread.
xstchntat
13-08-2010, 07:30 PM
Very cool. Now I want some. Great job with the snowflake center to show how it tats up.
The thread is very strong. It feels great when tatting: nothing acrylic about the feel - more like what you would expect of highly mercerized cotton. Slides easily and retrotats like a dream. (I retrotatted a bit on purpose just so I could report on it.) It is 6 ply. Thanks for the tip, Jon. I tried to untwist it in the shop on Monday, but got a rather dirty look from the manager. Forgot all about doing the same thing once I had my very own thread.
Thank you for looking up the site, Eliz. Very informative. If my source here ever goes away, I have many Korean ESL students. I am not above asking them to bring me gifts when they go home on holiday. :)
Okay, if this works right, here is the finished snowflake. My DH has already claimed it as a bookmark, so I now have to decide what kind of tail to give it. Oh, the CD is in there because it's the most universally recognizable size reference I could lay my hands on.
Are you trying to print the large file (Christmas Hearts Combined (http://nuperelle.net/Sammensatt/JulehjerterUtvidetEng.pdf)) or the smaller file (Christmas Hearts (http://nuperelle.net/motiver/JulehjerterEng.pdf))?
Love the thread by the way, and the boxes seems very handy!
Both, actually. Also, the dragon wing doily. I have some green thread that would be perfect for that. But none of them will print. I just printed another pdf file from my school - a matter of paying school fees - so I know the printer and computer will work to print pdfs. But every time I try to print these patterns, the printer remain idle. That's what the box says when I look at the printer status. Idle. And it is too.
Yes, these boxes are wonderful. I'm looking at other plastic boxes around here, thinking about poking holes in some for the other balls of thread I have.
AnneB
14-08-2010, 01:14 PM
Hm then it's not the size of the file. Don't know why it does not print as it is printing elsewhere. Try opening the file and copy the content to an editor like Word or similar then print. Some versions of adobe reader lets you do that.
Thanks, Anne. I'll have a go tomorrow. Heigh-ho, it's off to bed I go.
shannon_in_love
14-08-2010, 06:24 PM
awesome so glad to hear that it is easy to untat
This is my Kimono variegated red thread in AnneB's Christmas heart. I cropped the photo, so the size is misleading. It is just a little more than 4 cm from top to the bottom picot, and almost 5 cm wide. I call it my Anemic Heart. Not sure what to do now. Should I go get some solid red to use with the variegated, or just do the heart pattern in red only, or go ahead and tat the doily with the variegated, assuming that it will look okay with more motifs added? I almost think the variegated blue Kimono would be nice for a cold heart. Maybe it could be called the Heart of Ice. There are other patterns that would show off the red to advantage, but I'm not so sure about this one. What do y'all think?
Another thing about the Kimono is that it tats up rather small. It would take an awful lot of motifs to make a decent runner. But I love tatting with this stuff. It is a joy - easy to tat, to retro-tat and easy to see. I've got to find something to do with all of it.
mcoperryl@gmail.com
17-08-2010, 01:10 PM
Lynn, I wish you were near by, I feel like I pushed you along to buy so much and let us know how it was. My shopping buddy tells me I do that to her all of the time. I still haven't gotten into Orlando to see if I can find it locally and I didn't see where I could purchase it on-line at their site either. If you were nearby I am sure we would help you use it up.
carolivy
17-08-2010, 02:26 PM
It is very pretty Lynn, but I'm not sure if it is the black leather you have it sitting on or not, but it looks more wine colored than red. Still very pretty though.
soyloquesoy
17-08-2010, 02:43 PM
I like it. Maybe tweaking the starting place in the variegation can make it work better for that pattern. I am thinking if you manage to get the bottom tip and the upper rings dark, it would be more balanced.
I agree a bigger motif would suit the variegated thread better, maybe that Mary Koinor spinning doily?
Laura, you didn't push me into anything. I was begging for permission to buy this thread, remember? And now I'm considering going back for more because the variegated isn't working out like I anticipated. Like most tatters, it doesn't take much to convince me to buy more thread.
Carol, it shades from white to pink to burgundy. What looked like reds in the shop, and even in the ball itself, seems to have been a deception of lighting. But I like it. I just need a decent project for it. Good suggestion, Soyloquesoy. I don't have that pattern, but I know I've got something around here that will work. Problem. Most of my books are on loan to a potential student right now. So, I think I'll work on my cheval runner for a bit. Rats. And I've got four shuttles wound with the Kimono. Ah well, back to the drawing board.