michelea

This is the classic case of accumulating twists. When you are working one shuttle, one thread and just making rings, there is a little something to remember. When the core thread is inside the stitches being made there is almost inevitably a change to the neutrality of the twist on the core thread, because either twists in the core thread will get locked inside the ring (most likely) or a few twists escape out the ring.

The fact that the core thread got stuck and then broke when you exerted too much pressure tells me that you had extra twists. As the core thread dives into the tunnel of stitches it can shed twists and leave them behind. When the core thread got stuck there were enough twists collected to kink up the core thread and that's what made it get stuck.

When this happens don't pull harder. Pull a little of the core thread back into the ring and massage the thread back in the opposite direction. Be sure the DS are in the pinch so that the core thread is not dragging DS behind it, but instead the core thread is just riding along in the tunnel the stitches make. The ring should close now without breaking the core thread.

The finer the thread, the easier it is to over twist it, since it already has many more twist per unit of length than the size 20 you are used to using.

The test to see if your thread is twist neutral is to hang the shuttle until it comes to a full and complete stop. Then pick up the shuttle and let the thread fall in a natural arc. If it does not twist on itself, you are good to go. If it twists on itself, hang it again.

The DMC size 80 cotton is fine, there is nothing wrong with it. Nobody gave you the secret password!

Thank you Patty D, that was a wonderful explanation!

I've often had thread accumulating twists when closing the ring. (Size 40 — I haven't been brave enough to try anything smaller so far.) Thanks for the tip on dealing with it! I wonder if the tension should be different, too. Do you keep the same tension when using smaller thread?

I pull the ring closed steady and slow until no more core thread comes out. The cotton threads we use are not elastic, so pulling after all the excess thread is out will just collapse the stitches. After a while and some practice you get a feel for when to stop. If the ring looks beautiful, there is no bare thread gap at the base of the ring and the rings are coming out the same size, you're good. Don't pull harder just to pull. The objective is to close the ring, not strangle it.

Okay, I think I understand that. But what about the stitches in the ring? Are they made with greater or less tension, or the same?

patty, you're a lifesaver!!!!!!!!!! :)

Greater or lesser tension than what? The stitch uses the same tension rule as closing the ring. When the excess thread stops coming out of the stitch you are finishing, stop pulling. The objective is not a specific level of tension but even stitches that are the same size with legs that are the same lengths. I always think of DS in row like beads. The DS should have the same uniformity of identical beads. If the DS are lumpy and bumpy they lack uniform tension.

Okay, that's helpful. I was wondering if it would be greater or lesser tension than tatting with thicker thread. It seems to me, then, that the stitches as well as the ring are made with lesser tension when tatting with finer thread, so that twists don't accumulate when closing the ring.
I also resorted to lessening the stitch tension when I was tatting with a particularly sticky thread — the twists accumulated like crazy when I was trying to close it, and I just couldn't do it. Split rings were particularly bad. But lessening the stitch tension enabled me to close the ring.