Tricia writes today:

If you remember, months ago we were trying out gold threads for the plaited braid stitch. Bill Barnes of Golden Threads had made a silk core wrapped with gilt strip for us. When it stitched, it was just too stiff to use, which was a surprise to me. When I gave him my comments, he responded that he had used three ends of Soie Ovale for the core and would I wait a few weeks for another sample using just two ends. He was sure it would work. Well – always trust the master!

We finally got the sample two weeks ago (another one of those international shipping dramas delayed it). Shown here is the sample alone and also stitched next to the previous samples that I had done. The thread is thinner but it still gives a nice and dense plaited braid. More importantly, it stitches easily. Well, as easily as a gold thread can! So I gave the green light to have miles of it made.

A big thanks goes out to Access Commodities who have been coordinating this for us. They are the distributor of Au Ver a Soie thread and supply the silks that Bill is using for the thread. Lamora’s expertise with international shipping is one of the prime reasons we can make this happen!

Tricia

Hi Mary, I’m glad it made you laugh. jmh

Boy do I love this blog. I couldn’t find my notes on how much gold thread we needed and then remembered that we blogged about it! Sometimes you might read the blog and wonder why we go through all this detail and mindless calculations. Well, this is a perfect example. Not only did I find my answer, but also my estimation calculations and so I had confidence in the number.

1000 meters. Quite a bit of gold. Our friends at Au Ver a Soie found a cone of silk in a dark gold that fit Bill’s requirements. It is due to arrive here in the US this week and then it is off to England for a second spinning trial. Please don’t ask why this multiple ocean hopping is necessary, it really is the most efficient way at this point with all the language, currency, and industry differences. Trust me, I wish it were easier too.

When we did the stitching trials, I felt that the experimental thread was just slightly thicker than the No. 5 passing size that seemed to work a little better. We were willing to abandon the silk core but Bill really wants to give it one more try. He will reduce the number of ends of silk that are in the core from three to two. We will see if that makes it flexible and a bit thinner – but not too thin. Stay tuned!

Tricia