People often think of knitting or crochet when it comes to our yarns, but we have a vast array of yarns for dyeing which can be used for a lot of other purposes, the crux really though is what yarns are most suitable for each purpose?
We get asked often which of our yarns would be suitable for embroidery, so I’ve tried and tested a few which I think would work the best for different applications, I will do a second blog post when I’ve tried a few more.
To start simply, probably the most easily recommended is our Cotton lace, this yarn is NOT mercerized unlike a lot of other embroidery threads, this gives the embroidery a really natural matt look, it’s my go-to for Sashiko Embroidery. It is a 2ply, but if you split the plies like a normal embroidery thread I don’t think it holds enough strength without the twist, so I would personally use it as it is. But it has a lovely stitch definition and holds up well to stitching with a long length and ripping out when you make a mistake.
Second up I wanted to try some yarns which were a little less common for embroidery. I really love the sheen of our Merino Tencel lace, its a 2ply construction and with a loose twist which makes it really nice for splitting the stitches. The yarn held up well to stitching, however, I used a long length, and eventually, the Tencel did start to fluff a little although it has a lovely soft effect and a delicate sheen from the Tencel.
I was winging this bit of embroidery and was trying a combination of single and double thread to fill in the leaves, so that’s why it’s a little inconsistent. (double works better for filling in with this yarn by the way, but single works nicely for an outline. We recommend Aci dyes for this yarn.
One yarn I absolutely adore is the Camel silk lace, it has a nice tight twist, but I was worried the camel would fuzz up too much, but actually, this yarn worked a treat, and there is a gentle halo, which I would use to my advantage for something that maybe needs a little texture. The yarn held up really well and it’s a little like liquid caramel in its own right. I will be using this again. This yarn is easy to dye as well with Acid dyes.
On the theme of silk, our pure silk lace works so beautifully for embroidery, it is a little thicker, but the texture is divine, plus the colours and sheen achievable on this yarn are unrivaled. This yarn can by dyed with acid and Procion dyes. Note the flowers on this embroidery are made in silk, the leaves are made in our cotton lace.
Finally I’m previewing a yarn which hasn’t arrived yet, but I have great hopes for, particularly for sashiko. Its called Cupro and its a fibre made from the waste from cotton spinning, and its SMOOTH. I love it. It’s due in a few months, but I can’t wait. In the meantime.. here are my experiments, ignore my slightly wonky attempts on this one, I was winging it.
