Sale Stuff

Previous Issues

March 06 Postal rate increases

June 05 - new crewel kits

Spring 05 Introduction to our new web site

Jan 05 - needlepoint basics

1. Needlepoint Yarn madnessl

2. Scissors and more

3. Stockings

Return to www.discountneedlework.com

Needlepoint Yarn  Madness!

It seems everyone is doing needlepoint!  We're thrilled that needlepoint is being rediscovered. Many of our customers have discovered great needlepoint books in their public libraries or at garage sales.  A lot of these books were written in the 1970's, the last time needlepoint was all the rage.

Unfortunately, some of the colors have changed over the years, or been discontinued.  Also, when JCA purchased Elsa Williams, they renumbered all the Elsa Williams colors to match the Paternayan yarn family.  This was a great service, but it does mean the colors won't be the same as you might expect if you order from an old book.

We have some of the last remaining discontinued colors in both the 800 series (oranges) and the 670 series (yellow-green) from Paternayan yarn (not mentioned on our website, but still available), and we have a few skeins left of Elsa Williams. These are on our website (type Discontinued  in the search box and they'll come up).  If you need a chart showing the old numbers and their new number equivalent, we have it for the Paternayan but not for the Elsa Williams.  We'll try to post it on the website but right now, its available by mail upon request.

Speaking of books,  some customers have books from English designers (Jill Gordon comes to mind) that are working with the Paterna yarn from the UK.  The numbers with a D in front are not available in the US.  As I understand it, the UK distributor has recently folded and the UK yarns are no longer available there either.  So if you have a book with a D numbered color in it, you might have a fit trying to find the exact yarn.  You may have to substitute something.  We don't have a conversion for the D colors, but you can try finding a DMC floss color (or several) that might do and let us know so we can try to match it.  DMC floss is a handy "color vocabulary" because it's readily available in most craft stores (Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc), needlework shops and even some Walmarts.

While we are talking about discontinued, please be aware that DMC has discontinued the Medici wool (we still have some in both the 1/5 hank and the smaller skeins) as well as the matte cotton and flower thread.  New threads have been introduced, such as the linen.  The DMC variegated floss is being supplemented (phased out?) with a style of overdyed that is less "stripey" than the variegated.  Change may come slowly to the needlepoint world, but it does come.

As we approach the holidays, we always try to focus on some great gift ideas.  With the recent increase in yarn sales, we were reminded of the importance of good scissors (and taking care of the ones you have). This month, someone had been cutting tape with our good scissors, so then we had to "saw" through the hanks of wool when we cut previously whack through it in a single cut.   To remedy this type of problem on your scissors, quickly remove gunk and residue using Goo Gone, lighter fluid or some other solvent. Wipe them dry and, while you're at it, lightly oil the pivot joint if it needs it. 

Good scissors (those costing over $30) can usually be sharpened as well as cleaned.  Hancock's fabric often has a scissor sharpener that comes to the store one day a month and sharpens scissors for a very reasonable fee (we paid $3.50 last time, but it may have gone up).  Those same scissors are Marks brand (similar to Mundial or Gingher) and are 25 years old.  They've been sharpened at least 5 times and are still fabulous.

Most needlepointers don't need heavy shears.  We have them left from our days in the quilt fabric business, and they're great for cutting bulk yarn or needlepoint canvas.  But a cheap pair of Fiskars will do fine, until the blade dulls or the plastic handle cracks.  Under light use, they might last as long as our Marks brand.

While we're talking scissors, look at the Designer series small scissors from Gingher.  They introduce a new pattern every few years.  The current feature is the Sophia  See the Gingher scissors at their website. Or Buy Now from us.  We have Sophia and 1 or 2 of the Cheetah still (while supplies last). 

Time to start work on your holiday stockings (if you haven't already!)  JCA discontinued what we thought were lovely traditional designs (Angels and Santas) in favor of Snowmen.  I guess they're trying to be all things to all people.  So we feel our selection is a bit limited compared to other times.  Still, there's a number of designs to choose from, and we're going to add a few for the holidays.

If you prefer handpainted, we have those too.  Just type Stocking into the Search box on any page and it will come right up.  Or click here to see them all