Wee Cute Treasures Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 Please will someone help me! I am a very experienced RL knitter and have successfully knit with 1mm needles and DMC Perle Cotton # 8. I have knit cushions and a little bunny, photo to be attached if I can! I recently knit a simple lace blanket using 1mm needles and #80 crochet/tatting cotton called Special Dentelles by DMC. I could handle this with no problems whatsoever. However, I would now like to knit even finer work, in particular a little throw or rug which will be either textured with stitch variation, simple lace pattern or stranded using a maximum of two colours per row. So my question is - would moving to 0.7mm needles make a difference in terms of stitches per inch? And..... what thread should I use with this size needle? Would the #80 crochet thread work up much smaller on the 0.7mm needles compared to the 1mm? I like the quality of the #80 crochet thread but is there a Venne Colcotton I should be using instead that would be finer? Will I get finer work from using smaller needles (ie 0.7mm) or by using finer thread and 1mm needles or both? Many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue from Mesa Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 Using both finer needles and finer thread would be preferable. The #8 on .7 mm needles would probably be quite stiff. Venne Colcoton is very nice to work with and I think it looks sort of like wool after it's knit up. Helena Bleeker gets beautiful results with 34/2. I like 70/2 myself with .7 or .6 needles, but that has a much more limited color range. You can get more detail in a sweater, but it takes longer to knit also. If you want to keep the crispness of #80, you might try DMC 100. Gutermann silk knits up well with .7 needles also. Experiment with lots of different fibers to find out what you like to work with, and what gives the look you want. Sue from Mesa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wee Cute Treasures Posted April 25, 2016 Author Share Posted April 25, 2016 Thanks Sue that is a help. I will definitely buy some .7mm needles now and experiment with some of the threads I have, like DMC embroidery floss used single stranded. In terms of the Venne Colcoton, is there a big difference between the thickness of 34/2 and 70/2? And do you know if these are thinner or thicker than the #80. Sadly I cannot examine any of these yarns physically because in Ireland, where I live, there are no shops that sell this kind of thing. Your help is most valuable, so thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissyBoling Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 The first number associated with the thread is the thickness; the second number indicates the number of threads used in the twist. Venne 34/2 is twice the thickness of 70/2. The thickness of the thread makes the 70/2 roughly equivalent to a 80 wt crochet or tatting thread. Silk such as YLI 100 is my personal favorite because nothing else drapes as well, but it does have a sheen which may not be appropriate for some things. There is also YLI 50 which is twice as thick. The Venne is lovely and soft if you don't want the sheen of silk. The size of the needle will affect the size of the hole in the stitch, and the thickness of the thread affects the thickness of the knitted fabric. Both affect stitches per inch. Since cotton and silk threads don't have the elasticity that wool has, I like to use relatively smaller needles to keep the holes from being too large. The size needle you use will depend also on how tight your tension is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wee Cute Treasures Posted April 25, 2016 Author Share Posted April 25, 2016 Thank you MissyBoling. Very helpful. I will definitely buy smaller needles and play around with these and then try to source finer yarn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Althea Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 I agree with the advice given. My only additional comment would be to start with one change at a time so I would use a thinner thread first and see what kind of results you get and then change to smaller needles. If you like the perle cotton, the smallest is a #12 which, as you become more experienced in miniature knitting, will feel too thick. I love the YLI 100 weight silk as well but before you get to that, Gutermann 50 wt is nice to work with and has a large variety of colors. Have fun!! Althea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wee Cute Treasures Posted April 25, 2016 Author Share Posted April 25, 2016 Fantastic advice. I look forward to the challenge. I have to smile at your comment that #12 Perle Cotton will feel thick! Hopefully that day will come. Thanks again for all the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeekendMiniaturist Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Welcome to the forum... lovely little bunny... https://www.guetermann.com/medias/sys_master/8799340429342/Farbenkarte+N%C3%A4hfaden+-+Seide.pdf In the US we can purchase Gutermann Silk S303 on blue spools approximately $3-$4 per spool. If my memory is working S303 is 30 weight and 100 m per spool and commonly available at privately owned fabric stores. While I can barely knit & purl with wool on any size needle, I love Gutermann for petitpoint. The silk has a wonderful understated quality and is not overly shiny. I'm not sure if you have access to the same brands in Ireland as we have in the US, but I would try silk sewing thread and fine cotton thread ... IGMA Artisan Sharon DeVries also knits some very, very lovely items with Mettler cotton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissyBoling Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Thanks for mentioning the Gutermann, Althea. I used to use that but had forgotten about it. It's very nice to knit with and easy to handle because it's not so slippery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wee Cute Treasures Posted April 26, 2016 Author Share Posted April 26, 2016 Whaow! You have all been so helpful. Knowing that Gutermann Silk S303 can be used for knitting and petitpoint is good to know. I am familiar with Althea's amazing work but am going to check out Sharon DeVries too. Looking at how it CAN be done is very motivational!! I ordered some smaller needles last night and have some bits and pieces of various threads which I will try out. Once I have a few squares to show, I will post a photo showing the different effects of using different needles with different threads. Might be interesting for others too. Once again, many thanks for all your advice and help. Isn't the internet wonderful? Here I am sitting in Ireland in a different time zone 'talking' to all you talented people elsewhere! Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeekendMiniaturist Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 http://chrystalsdesigns.blogspot.com/ I really enjoy reading Sharon's blog. I wish all of us could sit and knit together, this would be especially helpful for the wannabee- a -knitter- me. Oh, and my memory is failing me, Sharon is a Fellow of the guild. i submitted a request to be in Althea's seminar for GS 2016- but we don't know until we arrive which seminars we have landed. And please do check out the knitting by Sue Resseguie (Fellow), here on the fine miniatures forum... Sue's sweaters and Petit Point are exquisite - she is a Rennaissance woman and talented in multiple fields.... If seeing Althea and Sue's work didn't make me want to learn to knit, Sharon's blog definitely 'sealed the deal' for me... I know that I want to learn to knit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissyBoling Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 This is off topic, Carol, but I'll be in Dublin on a choir tour in June. We'll be singing for a church service on the 19th, then going to see the Book of Kells. In the afternoon, I'll have some free time for sightseeing. Any chance we could get together? I can bring an Aran sweater of Althea's for you to see in person. That would be true inspiration. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wee Cute Treasures Posted April 27, 2016 Author Share Posted April 27, 2016 That would be fantastic and I am in Dublin that weekend - so let's get together! I would love to see Althea's work but also some of your own if you can fit it in your suitcase!!! I will send you a private message and we can arrange it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue from Mesa Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 I didn't think of it earlier, but there is a sampler of different fibers that I posted here a year or two ago. It might be helpful. Sue from Mesa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wee Cute Treasures Posted May 6, 2016 Author Share Posted May 6, 2016 Many thanks Sue! Am waiting for some Venne 34/2 to come from Helena Bleeker of petitefashions (who is extremely helpful). When that arrives, I will cast on my 0.9mm and get cracking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesouth Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 Sue, I couldn't find it. What "tags" was it under? Martha in Louisiana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElgaKoster Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 It is here Martha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesouth Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 Thanks Elga! I typed in "sampler" "fibers" and Sue's member name, but kept getting "no matches." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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