How much thread do i need

[tattercat]

I am fairly new to tatting. I prefer needle tatting. I have a lot of patterns. How do you know how much thread you need for a pattern and how much do you need in your loop when tatting off the ball?

[shannon_in_love]

it depends the size of thread, and the motif. if its a fairly small piece, i put the needle 18 to 24 inches away from the end of the thread. its all a guessing game at first... then you get a feel for how much thread to use.

[Antiquarian]

There are formulas for calculating - at least for shuttle tatters. They might work for needle tatting too. *shrug* I'm not a needle tatter so I'm not positive. Here is the formula that I adapted/adopted.

http://tatsaway.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-estimate-amount-of-thread.html

[Holly Ann]

I was told 3 times what the finished project size will be. Kinda hard to figure out something that you don't see. I also found working with too much needle thread just causes headaches. So I will use 1-2 yards (lots less when I started) and just add on when needed. To add on, just make sure you have a decent tail for both needle thread and ball thread. Knot the project first, then cut for nice size tails. Just use the ball thread to tie to old needle thread. Get length that you need. Cut and then tie ball thread back on the ball. Takes a minute to do that, but saves a lot more minutes than unraveling all the twisted/knotted needle thread.

[Judy]

For my needle thread, I wind it around my little finger once for each ring...and are the chains the same size? 20 ds chain or 20 ds ring uses about the same core thread. I'd advise you to get an old spool and wind off a couple of yards for when/if you run out of core thread. Its extremely annoying when you have to add core thread and you don't have any more except what's on the ball. Forces you to cut , tie and you have two more ends to hide. You're right though... if you have too long a needle thread, it really tangles. I take time at the beginning to run it between my finger/nail a couple of times to take out some of the twist. Also watch out when you pull the thread through the eye. If the eye is small,it can wind/twist the thread there, too. My student Jackie thinks that the twist is different between the center of the ball and the finishing wraps they run around the ball at the end. Anybody else notice that? With a really reliable thread (doesn't have any manufacturer's knots in it) and a good twist, I've been known to put 5 or 6 yards on the needle. When I do that much, I know that I will be making some "true" rings, and/or split rings and will need lots more on the needle than just for the core. The same goes for when you have a second needle so that you can throw (float) rings off the chains.. So, like lots of answers, the only really accurate one is "it depends."