Product reviews... |
Aunt Lydia's Fast Five... Reviewed by Greta from Crochet Partners Last week I posted some opinions on threads, and promised that I would get back after I had laundered Aunt Lydia's Fast Five, which I was just trying out on a vest -- It is a 'fat' thread, about 2 times as thick as bedspread weight -- high sheen on the ball, 100% cotton mercerized, three ply, made in the Phillipines with a kind of waxy feel, easy to handle and very nice to use. Well, I send a swatch through a hard wash in the machine (with detergent) and low and behold, all the waxy resin that made it "glow" washed out, and what was left behind was a really nice soft cottony and fluffy yarn-like thread -- more like crochet yarn than thread. Still very strong, plys did not separate, but it was VERY different from what was on the ball going into the swatch. I will use this for a short sleeve pullover sweater, I think, rather than a crochet vest -- I would recommend this as being great for cotton baby garments, or lightweight sweaters, but not for dust-resistant doilies. It blocked out back to full size, so there was minimal, if any shrinkage. The washed product is very different from what I started with, but I really do like the final laundered result and will use this thread again. It is a good "beginner's thread thickness and works up pretty fast with a size 0 or 1 steel hook. I would not crochet tightly with it, as it fluffs out in the laundering to be almost 'sport weight' in width. Hope this helps someone with a project -- Greta Aunt Emily's 6-cord Hi again, Threadies -- I took the opportunity last week to buy a ball of 400 yards of Aunt Emilies 6 cord crochet size 10 thread at the Michael's sale, and made a couple of bookmarks with it. It is made of 100% cotton by Omega in Mexico, I also hard laundered one to see what the long term result of the thread would be. On the ball, the thread is tight, fine, and has a nice glossy sheen to it. Going through my hands, it was not soft, but felt hard, and kind of crisp. A very round thread. I thought at first that it might have starch or sizing in it like Southmaid, but later I got the idea that it might be because the six cord was so firmly plied that it felt that way. It didn't leave any starchy feel on my hands like Southmaid. Using a larger hook (a 3) the thread would not loop really smoothly -- it kind of wanted to be crisp and kinky. With a smaller hook (a 7) and crocheting tightly, it worked better, it 'bent' itself better as it slipped through the tighter loops. There was not much softness or give in the loops, so they lay one over another with a lot of definition -- the threads did not squash up against each other, so a mistake I made really showed up!! No fudging with this stuff! After a hard laundering (the same that left my Aunt Lydia's Fast Five really soft, fluffy, and bereft of sheen) it was nearly identical to when it went in. Still sheen to it, still very firm threads, still a lot of crispness in it. It blocked out well, almost by itself. Gave a very 'lacy' and open look to the insides of the loops. No collapsed or soft stitches here. It seems like a thread that wants to be no- nonsense and fairly formal -- a little hard to work with and want's precision in handling, but the results seem like they will be very long lasting. A great thread, I think, for crisp linen edgings, doilies that will never absorb dust, ruffles that would not be likely to collapse. If I made a garment with it, I think I would rinse it with a lot of fabric softener. Michaels had it in white and a very nice warm Ecru. I think that I will probably want to us it on some smaller projects to see if I can make better 'friends' with it before I start something larger. Being a new threadie, it seemed challenging for me to work with, sort of like dancing with a new partner. I think that I will launder it a few more times to see if it will be as long lasting as it seems it would be -- it could be something that would last a long time for the family. Everybody have a nice crochet day!! Greta |
