In thinking about threads, there are some pretty clear preferences. Some people love silk, some won’t touch it. Some people only want to use threads that are single-strand, others like the flexibility that comes from having threads you can adjust.
And then some people are like me, they just love threads.
At TNNA, Planet Earth introduced additional colors to their variegated 6-ply silk. The 6-ply silk is a great thread because it is dyed to match the single-ply silk, but allows you to use it on more types of grounds. (A great tip when you have matching threads like this is to use one or more strands of 6-ply to bulk up single-ply when it’s just a little bit thin on coverage).
I’ve used the solid 6-ply in the past, but this was my first chance to use the variegated. I was delightfully surprised by it.
The colors are different shades of the same color, mostly in a fairly narrow range of shades. However, at least for this turquoise, the stitched thread look less varied than the thread in the skein, which is usually not the case.
Being 6-ply, I generally treat it as I would embroidery floss. Here’s where I got a pleasant surprise. While the strands don’t look thicker than a ply of floss, they must be. In the Lee Needle Arts Cross, I used three strands of the variegated silk for Four-way Continental. As you can see from the picture, in doing so I changed the color. But the coverage is perfect, about what I’d expect from four strands of floss. BTW, I did not strip and reassemble the strands, so the fuller coverage comes from the thread, not the reassembling.
It may not be much of a difference, but I love the great coverage and slightly flatter look of fewer strands.
This being the case, it also makes it a more economical silk than many others. On 18 mesh, you may be able to get two stitching lengths from each length you cut from the base thread. If you need to use four strands to get good coverage. you will only get 1.5 stitching lengths.
And for stitchers on a budget who love silk, this is great news and a great thread.
Please note: A skein of this thread was provided for design and review purposes. The reviewer was not compensated otherwise.
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
I am wondering how Planet Earth and Pepper Pot silks will work on 14 count or 28 count (over 2) cross stitch fabric? I love the colors on the websites but have not seen them in person yet. Thank you for your help.
Planet Earth 6-strand will work great, a strand is about the same size as a strand of floss. The single-ply Planet Earth is too thick for cross stitch. Pepper Pot should work with one strand on 14, but I think it would look too thick on 28 over 2.
Pepper Pot is a very matte thread, so it won’t play well in cross stitch with silk or cotton floss. I would stick to using it on primitive or folk art styles.
Keep stitching,
Janet