This page is a little info for you about different threads used for tatting. Also, Check out my thread basket: on this page, I give a little more specific information on the threads that I normally use!

There are so many different threads to use for tatting - cotton, silk - and even some non-threads you can use! While some people tat with rope and even copper wire, I am able to keep myself busy with the stuff I can get at the needlepoint stores.

What makes a good tatting thread? First of all keep in mind that it is a matter of personal preference. Different threads yield a different appearance, so try a few. take into account the ply, twist, size and color when deciding on a thread.


Ply or Strand
If you look at thread or yarn, you will see that it is made of a few strands twisted together to form the thread. Embroidery floss comes in 6 strands, and are meant to be separated. Pearl Cotton, or Perle Coton, is a loosely twisted non-divisible needlepoint or cross stitch thread, much like a very thin yarn. Crochet and tatting threads come in 3 or 6 ply, but they are twisted so that they do not separate. These tightly twisted 3 and 6 ply make for a smooth cord-like thread.

Twist
How tightly the separate strands are twisted together makes a difference. Since the knot must slide on the shuttle thread, a more tightly twisted thread results in less of a fuzzy appearance to the finished tatting. This is because the sliding might reverse the nap of the thread - like running your hand along velvet so that the fibers stand up. The tighter twist and the smoother fiber gives items tatted with these threads a great sheen.

Size
Threads, like wire, are measured by gauge. From what I can tell, (and I may be wrong) gauge means how many thicknesses of that thread lined up would measure a centimeter across. For example, a 20 gauge thread is 1/20 of a centimeter thick, it would take 20 thicknesses of the thread to measure one centimeter when laid side-by-side.

As a rule, the higher the number the thinner the thread - and the smaller the completed project. The crochet cottons run from 10 to 100, and maybe even smaller. Perle coton however, is a bit different. While again the higher the number the thinner the thread, they are not respective in size to the crochet cottons. Perhaps it is because it is a looser twist, and the gauge is measured when the thread is pulled taut.

For example, size 5 perle coton is larger than size 8 perle coton, and size 10 crochet cotton is larger than size 20 crochet cotton. But a size 5 perle cotton is about the same size as a 10 crochet cotton and a size 8 perle cotton is about the same size as a 20 crochet cotton.

Here are some samples of the same ring tatted with different DMC threads. From left to right, they are:

Of course you can see the size difference. but also look at the difference in sheen. And you can see in the larger pearl cottons, the picot thread unraveled a bit whereas it stayed in shape in the smaller and more tightly twisted threads.

Color
You dont have to use white anymore! Of course white is a pretty non-color, but so is black, and consider trying every color of the rainbow. The perle cotons come in almost every color that the floss companies make. The 3 and 6 ply cottons can be found in a handful of colors, too.

There are many nice threads out there - Anchor, DMC Cebelia, Cordonnet, Manuela, Mimosa, only some of which I have tried as of yet.The nice thing about DMC is that they make so many varieties of threads, that I can get the same color in different thicknesses. I don't know why this is important to me, but it's just kind of fun to tat things in the same color but a different gauge.

Quick Thread Guide
(may or may not be correct or complete - it's what I've been able to find out there)

Cebelia- 3 ply cotton - comes in a few colors in sizes 10 - 40
Anchor - 3 or 6 ply cotton - comes in several colors in sizes 10 - 40
Cordonnet - 6 ply cotton - comes in a few colors in sizes 10 - 100
Manuela - 6 ply cotton - comes in several colors in sizes 5 - 40
Mimosa - 6 ply egyptian cotton- comes in several colors in sizes 5 - 40
DMC Brilliant Tatting thread- 6 ply cotton- comes in several colors in size 80
Perle Cotton (DMC, Anchor) - needlepoint yarn, comes in many colors in sizes 3,5,8,12.