Updated November 26, 2019
Six years ago when the thread was brand-new, I stitched with nothing but this incredible thread for two days and still planning even more projects, I think it’s official — this is my new favorite thread.
Silk and wool blends mostly to come in three kinds: smooth (Impressions), thick & soft (Silk & Ivory), and wooly (Felicity’s Garden). The wooly ones have been my favorite because I love the way they combine the texture of wool with silk’s depth of color. Wooly blends have been non-existent lately. However, Dinky Dyes’ silk/wool is a stunning example of this kind of thread. It has a clear twist (think of it as a wool version of pearl cotton), smooth but with a bit of the wiriness of good knitting wool, such as Koigu.
While it looks like wool, there is depth and life to the colors, thanks to the silk. In skeins, the thread is more lustrous. While this isn’t obvious when stitched, this characteristic will make your stitches look better and more defined.
It’s a perfect thickness for 13- and 14-mesh canvas, covering beautifully with Tent and Diagonal stitches. Its thickness makes it great to use for Bargello, Straight Stitches, or knots on 18-mesh. As Bargello it’s gorgeous, filling the canvas well with great coverage. Others I know have good luck with it in 18, you should try it out.
The threads are hand-dyed. This means that even the solid colors (all but 3 in the line) have some slight variation in color. As you can see in the picture, this doesn’t affect the stitching much, but diagonal lines will stand out if you stitch in diagonal rows. You’ll get by far the best results stitching in straight lines. As of November 2019, there are 87 colors available.
You’ll love how easily it moves through the canvas, how rich the colors are, and just how beautiful the thread can be.
The threads come in color families of either 3 or 4 shades. The colors range from very light to very dark, but not all shades are in each family. The families are similar to, but not exactly the same as, solid colors in the silk line. For example, Banksia is a rich yellow in both. That makes it easy to pick threads that will coordinate if you want to use different textures.
In addition to the solids, there are three variegated colors, two light blues and one cocoa. The blues would make tremendous skies and water.
The thread comes in generous 20-yard skeins.
Jumbuck is available in needlework shops.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
Firstly I want to thank Janet for her invaluable help to me in bringing this thread to market. She test stitched with the thread and gave it a positive review before I made the decision to add it to our regular line. I also want to thank you Janet for such an amazing review.
There is one thing I would like to mention. Cathe Ray from Needle in a Haystack and a few other store owners have used Jumbuck (our name for the silk/wool line) and Cathe was kind enough to bring samples to market. She stitched several different stitches on 13, 14, 16 and 18 count canvas including tent stitch and she loves the way it stitches and looks. I guess it could come down to personal preference but Jumbuck will stitch on 18 count canvas.
Many stores ordered Jumbuck at St Charles Market and if you would like to try it, just mention it to your favorite store and we will be happy to respond to any requests from them.
Jo Mason
Dinky-Dyes
Is this a Corita Kent inspired canvas?! I love it so much!!!