Turning orts into purl

While I was reading the comments on my blog post 'What to do with short orts' I started thinking of Goldwork and got the idea of making purl out of orts.

Instead of winding the short thread ends round a skewer I used a needle,

and soon had these pretty curls,

which I then filled with  strands of other threads.

The result was couched down on my 'Pile 'em On' piece.

As you can see, I messed them up a bit.

If I had starched the thread before curling it on the needle, or indeed added bond and let it dry, I would have got stiff purl, almost similar to Goldwork purl.

WIPW - Weaving Crosses

Work In Progress Wednesday was initiated by Sharon at Pintangle and is a support program to help us work towards finishing various needlework projects. More information here.

My progress since last week Wednesday:

Kafferepet
I have started anchoring the lower edge of the lace with TAST stitch #77 Woven Cross Stitch.

Swedish Cushion
What better stitch to add to the Cable Chain stitches I added in December last year, than the latest one: TAST #140 Threaded Cable Chain?

Pile 'em On
Some more stray thread ends ended up on this pile. Some are curled, made as shown here. The circle is taking on more of a clear form.

TASTy Beads Galore
I worked a leaf in TAST #102 Beaded Triangular Stitch.

TAST Reference Chart
The last TAST stitch of the year, #140 Threaded Cable Chain, was added. It looks good on a curve, especially when you adjust the size of the loops, don't you agree?

What to do with short orts

If you are collecting even short pieces of thread - orts, what can you do with them?

Well, why not curl them?

Wind them round a stick, bamboo skewer or similar.

Roller iron them.

Pull them off the stick carefully.

Couch them down and you get recycled thread waste. Pile 'em on.

TAST # 140 Threaded Cable Chain Stitch

This is the last TAST (Take A Stitch Tuesday, read all about TAST at Pintangle) stitch of 2014, but we hope to learn many more next year. The stitch is called #140 Threaded Cable Chain Stitch.

You start with a foundation stitch, Cable Chain, and then thread it, either with the same thread or with a different one for  impressive impact.

First I worked on Aida

 It can be tricky to get the threaded loops even, but I try to control the tension by placing my thumb on the loops that have already been formed and taking care not to pull the new loop too tightly. Patience and practice.

On the sampler I used metallic thread in the first example and in the second, I pulled the red thread through the cable links. It made a new pattern!

Many thanks to Sharon Boggon who has taught me so many new stitches and opened doors to how to use these TAST stitches. Have a good TASTy rest in December.