PattyD
16-09-2009, 07:54 PM
The question in the title comes up pretty often, especially from newbies. It is a relevant question and I just had a brain flash, so tell me what you think about it.
Patterns can be very repetitious (and then there is free form work, .....). But for patterns with elements that repeat I think there is a way of pretty closely estimating how much thread is needed.
If a certain size ring occurs frequently, make one in the thread you intend to use, but don't close it. Be sure to make your picots just the way you intend to make them in the final piece, they also take up thread.
Now we are going to clip the some threads and get an exact measure of how much thread is in the ring. (All you have to lose at this point is one ring, not too much!)
Take the working thread (exits from the top of the last worked DS) and measure back to the beginning of the work. Clip the working thread at the place you measured. This extra bit of thread represents the length of the core thread.
Now clip the working thread just before the first DS. Pull the core thread out.
What's left is the amount of thread that was actually used to make the ring AND you didn't have to unpick all the tatting!
When you want to measure a chain, work the DS and picots required for the chain in a ring. Adjust the core thread to make the DS as curved or straight as the actual chain will be. Then measure and clip as above.
I have rulers marked in tenths of inches, which makes the arithmetic simpler.
1/8 inch = .125 inch
1/4 inch = .25 inch
3/8 inch = .375 inch
1/2 inch = .5 inch
5/8 inch = .625 inch
3/4 inch = .75 inch
7/8 inch = .875 inch
Those who use metric measures already have it licked.
Allow for enough thread to wrap your rings with and you're set.
Now you can figure out ahead of time if you have enough thread or if your shuttle will run out in an ugly place.
As a side note, I measured some rings of 3-3-3-3 in size 20 Lizabeth
If the amount of thread for the picot = the width of 3 DS, the ring took 5.5 inches of thread
If the picot = the width of 2 DS, the ring took 5.1 inches of thread
Without any picots, a ring of 12 DS took 4.8 inches of thread
Patterns can be very repetitious (and then there is free form work, .....). But for patterns with elements that repeat I think there is a way of pretty closely estimating how much thread is needed.
If a certain size ring occurs frequently, make one in the thread you intend to use, but don't close it. Be sure to make your picots just the way you intend to make them in the final piece, they also take up thread.
Now we are going to clip the some threads and get an exact measure of how much thread is in the ring. (All you have to lose at this point is one ring, not too much!)
Take the working thread (exits from the top of the last worked DS) and measure back to the beginning of the work. Clip the working thread at the place you measured. This extra bit of thread represents the length of the core thread.
Now clip the working thread just before the first DS. Pull the core thread out.
What's left is the amount of thread that was actually used to make the ring AND you didn't have to unpick all the tatting!
When you want to measure a chain, work the DS and picots required for the chain in a ring. Adjust the core thread to make the DS as curved or straight as the actual chain will be. Then measure and clip as above.
I have rulers marked in tenths of inches, which makes the arithmetic simpler.
1/8 inch = .125 inch
1/4 inch = .25 inch
3/8 inch = .375 inch
1/2 inch = .5 inch
5/8 inch = .625 inch
3/4 inch = .75 inch
7/8 inch = .875 inch
Those who use metric measures already have it licked.
Allow for enough thread to wrap your rings with and you're set.
Now you can figure out ahead of time if you have enough thread or if your shuttle will run out in an ugly place.
As a side note, I measured some rings of 3-3-3-3 in size 20 Lizabeth
If the amount of thread for the picot = the width of 3 DS, the ring took 5.5 inches of thread
If the picot = the width of 2 DS, the ring took 5.1 inches of thread
Without any picots, a ring of 12 DS took 4.8 inches of thread