Exploring techniques, thread sizes

My first original cluny tatting design

Lately been playing with techniques that have long seemed mysterious to me, like clunies and maltese rings. Pushing myself to design with these skills helps bring them into my own little world, down from the "interstellar region" of things I've heard of but appeared to be distant and difficult.

My first original maltese ring design

I'm finding that I like maltese rings! They're really not hard. I will practice more as time allows. The blue thread is some of my hand dyed from the "Blue Streak" batch.

Size comparison chart of threads that I hand dye. The knitting worsted yarn at the right is for size comparison only

Someone asked about the sizes of my hand dyed thread, so here is a photo showing the threads next to each other, with a strand of knitting worsted yarn at the right for comparison.

Purple and silver necklace and earring set - to go with the purple blouse that my sweet husband bought for me. I decided to keep the necklace simple with mostly chain. The threads are Flora, size 20 purple and size 10 silver. I used the different sizes because I didn't have the 2 colors I wanted in the same size. Actually, I like the effect.

Just being thick

Here's a size comparison chart that I did up quickly. For those who don't already know, crochet cottons are sized with the smallest numbers being the thickest threads. The pinkish yarn at the side is a worsted weight knitting yarn. It's there to help give another size reference as to how fine these threads are.

"Fine" is relative - I bet you've heard people make remarks about how they could never work with such "fine" thread, even when it's "thick" size 10! Personally, I hardly ever tat with tiny size 80, but I know that for some people it's their favorite.

By the way, sizes can vary from different thread manufacturers. A few months back I switched from hand dyeing size 10 DMC Cordonnet Special to size 10 Lizbeth. The size 10 Lizbeth is noticeably thicker, even thicker than the DMC Cebelia which is shown in the photo. But, the size 20 seemed the same to me in both brands. Currently in my dye batches I'm using sizes 10, 20, and 40 Lizbeth, and sizes 30, 50, and 80 DMC Cordonnet Special.