CHOOSING CROCHET THREAD OVER YARN
Fine delicate doilies and tatting Trimming; towels, hankies, sheets, lingerie Trimming; shelf ends, arm and chair backs, pillow cases
Weight: Cotton Thread No. 30, 70
Weight: Cotton Thread No. 20, 30, 40 to 100
Weight: Cotton Thread No. 5, 10, 20
This article is not about choosing yarn over thread, which is easiest to work with, or fiber made from. It is more about my Mother’s suggestion to me to use thread for my “future projects” and what would become God’s Child, Hearts Dress, Priscilla and Aurora. Not so sure it was a challenge suggestion but more of an educated observation as she listened to the direction I wanted to go in.
Hesitant to give up my favorite worsted weight yarn and H-8 (5.00mm) crochet hook, baby blankets and granny squares, I had a lot to think about.
Crochet thread comes in sizes from 3 to 100, as fine as sewing thread for those delicate doily patterns, tatting and lace edgings with size 3 coming in as thick as some yarns. Cotton is an inelastic fiber with little “give-stretching” quality. Perfect for projects that need to maintain their shape and intricate pattern.
Crochet hooks for working with thread are also slightly different then those used for yarn. They will have shorter shanks, smaller hook heads and made from steel rather than aluminum, plastic and wood. Again, a bit more restrictive in the hand.
Working with my H-8 (5.00mm) hook and worsted weight yarn when I was learning to crochet, my hand had to learn the hold and tension needed to create even crochet stitches. I would be learning the same process migrating to thread.
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