It may have been stormy or raining outside most of the weekend, but inside had plenty of excitement and sunshine at this year’s Winter Needlework Market. Although the show was smaller than in past years, with fewer exhibitors, I saw plenty of great needlepoint. Today I’m going to cover the threads, tools, and finishing products I saw.
Threads
Rainbow Gallery introduced a new thread I am so excited to try. Glisten is a wool/metallic blend. Unlike many other metallic blend threads, the strands are braided together so it will not separate. The thread is metallic and Merino, not Persian, wool, and it’s sized for 18 mesh canvas. They had a sample there showing it used in Tent, Byzantine and Turkeywork. It has fewer and more subtle glints of metallic than other blended threads and I loved the way it looked in Turkeywork. There are 26 colors, including several great neutrals.
I have samples and will be trying it soon.
The company also brought out new colors in many threads. There are 24 new colors in both sizes of Silk Lame Braid. A dozen of these colors are also available in Silk Lame Petite. Capri has 4 new neon colors available in both sizes. There are 7 new colors of Entice and two new colors of Rainbow Linen. Neon Rays+ and Soft Sheen Fyre Weks each have one new color.
Kreinik only came out with one new color in braid, a combination of olive and gold. It is only available in Fine (#8). They also brought out three new colors in their micro-ice chenille, which is couched. In their C.A.K.S. line, the original shoelaces have expended to include lanyards and eyeglass strings. The eyeglass strings are braided from silk thread. They come in 15 stock color combinations, but custom versions can be made. They also have some new fund-raising projects that use their Accessories for a Cause and I’ll be writing about them soon.
Painter’s Threads, as I wrote in one of the previews, has new pastel colors available in all of their threads. Their are ten new colors. They are very softly shaded. There are several blues and greens, a pink, a yellow, and two very pale oranges. In their regular line there are some newer colors as well. Freidrich is a rich brown. IngeMeta is a lovely white with flecks of color, named for the dyer’s mother, a watercolorist, who recently celebrated her 80th birthday.
Although the Caron Collection did not have a booth at the show, they were represented with an insert, letting us know there are 15 new colors of Watercolours coming out. These include Bonfire, a bright combination of orange, yellow, and rust, Zucchini, dark green with yellow (just like the vegetable). and Summer Fields, a happy combination of yellow, orange, blues, and a bit of green.
Also not at the show, Planet Earth has added 14 new colors to the Pepperpot line. There are two new four-color families, one green and one yellow-to-orange. There is a five-color blue family, and a single lovely burgundy.
Threadworx has really intriguing new colors out. Overall their colors have been bright and put more emphasis on multi-colors than on semi-solids. The new threads are darker and more subdued and are all shades of a single color. Their were new colors of this type in floss, pearl cotton, silk, wool, and metallic. Colors included a lovely rose, a great taupe, grey, green, and a deep violet.
Tools
Accoutrements had some great new magnets including one of Elizabeth I. There were also three new magnets, including a London bus, from Kirk & Bradley.
A new-to-me bag company, Daisy Girl, was on the knitting side of the show. They make zippered project bags that are fabric with a clear panel insert. They have several sizes and fabrics available.
The most intriguing product I saw was also on the knitting side and is called theKnitting Abacus. It’s a beaded bracelet where you can move the beads to count the rows. I thought it would be great for folks doing counted needlepoint. But others weren’t as convinced as I was. If you do counted work, weigh in with your opinion in the comments.
Finishing
There weren’t many new finishing products, but Lee had one new bag and new colors in some products. The new bag is a large weekender size in canvas with suede trim. It looks like a tremendous short-trip bag.
There are two new colors in their jewel box, both snakeskin. One is a rich metallic gold. The other they call lime, but it really is a very pale mint green.
Finally in their needlecases there are several new colors including turquoise, magenta, a deep violet, and green. I have one to test out so you’ll be hearing about it soon.
More Coverage
This week is part of my extensive coverage of the Winter 2017 Needlework Market from TNNA. Last week, there were two preview posts (here and here) and a post about what happens at a trade show. Wednesday through Friday there will be posts about new canvases. Saturday will have a commentary about the show.
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
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