Originally Posted by knotty panda

Jerin: Thanks for asking that. Also, silk that doesn't fray? 100% silk is 100% silk. The only difference I know of is how that silk is processed meaning if it's filament or pulled from the cocoon. Dyes affect how the silk behaves, but untreated silk should behave the same across the board. I'm curious to find out what this silk is. What size thread do you use Drea?

Knotty Panda,
The kind of thread I use is filament silk, I have dyed as well as undyed. I agree in that the dyed silk thread does behave differently than a silk thread that is untreated, and just a bit more finaky to work with.

All of my thread comes from my suppliers and none of which is labeled, so as far as size I'm not sure, I just know what works and doesn't work with my strands. I have many different spools here with different thicknesses, but none are labeled. Sorry I can't be more helpful!

Originally Posted by jerin

Hi Drea,

that´s a pity. Do you have any advice how we still can get into contact with an asian company with good silk?

E-mail or fax? Do You think they would consider selling to international buyers?

Hi Jerin,
I double checked all of my spools for any information as to the company that makes the thread, and none of my spools have anything on them.

When I go to Asia, I normally buy a whole heap of spools (min to 144 dzn) to tie me over as I've found it really really difficult to find here in North America (especially Canada), and quite honestly you are never sure of the quality of what you are getting. Are you able to find your thread locally?

Many companies will normally work with international buyers, however language can sometimes be a problem, and wholesale quantities are expected. If you do find a company that is willing to sell you small quantities in Asia, most often they will say its silk when really its polyester.

The people that I work with don't speak any English or very little, but they know me very well, so they know what I want with regards to my orders and quality expectations. The company that I work with will not do small orders, however if I can find any information with regards to companies that do, I will most certainly post it for you.

With trying to find a company yourself, you can check on Alibaba or Global Sources for companies that sell 100% silk thread, however last I have checked all of those sites only sell wholesale not retail.

I don't typically like to offer information with regards to suppliers that I haven't worked with myself, as I can't vouch for the quality that they deliver. I'll see what I can find though! Sorry that I can't be of more help.

Best regards!

ps- is it Jerin or Inge?

Originally Posted by knotty panda

Hello Jerin: The thread I use is Japanese and it is available from ylicorp.com. I have a picture of the thread I purchased recently in post #81 of this thread in anticipation of a silver-blue purchase. Salem was kind enough to translate the packaging for me (I never knew what it meant, for all I knew, it said, "not for use with pearls!". It is also available in smaller sizes on spools.

But keep after drea! I really would like to know at least a name (if we have a name, Valeria can find it!) and I'd like to know the size, too. Thanks!

Hello, Knotty

thanks for the info, I read # 81 earlier on and I have written down the name of the company.

Originally Posted by drea

Hi Jerin,
I double checked all of my spools for any information as to the company that makes the thread, and none of my spools have anything on them.

When I go to Asia, I normally buy a whole heap of spools (min to 144 dzn) to tie me over as I've found it really really difficult to find here in North America (especially Canada), and quite honestly you are never sure of the quality of what you are getting. Are you able to find your thread locally?

Many companies will normally work with international buyers, however language can sometimes be a problem, and wholesale quantities are expected. If you do find a company that is willing to sell you small quantities in Asia, most often they will say its silk when really its polyester.

The people that I work with don't speak any English or very little, but they know me very well, so they know what I want with regards to my orders and quality expectations. The company that I work with will not do small orders, however if I can find any information with regards to companies that do, I will most certainly post it for you.

With trying to find a company yourself, you can check on Alibaba or Global Sources for companies that sell 100% silk thread, however last I have checked all of those sites only sell wholesale not retail.

I don't typically like to offer information with regards to suppliers that I haven't worked with myself, as I can't vouch for the quality that they deliver. I'll see what I can find though! Sorry that I can't be of more help.

Best regards!

ps- is it Jerin or Inge?

Hi Drea,
thanks for all the information - perhaps we members of the forum should go together and order directly from You - seriously it would be very nice to have different silks for comparison. But if You can get anything else on the subject, we all I think would be most grateful!

My surname is Inge, Jerin is just my "log in" name. Here in Sweden we don´t have any stores selling silk other than on cards and I have ordered my Gudebrod spools from the U.S. - still if I can come over someone selling from Asia, I would welcome that very much! I do like to experiment a bit....

Originally Posted by knotty panda

Jerin: Thanks for asking that. Also, silk that doesn't fray? 100% silk is 100% silk. The only difference I know of is how that silk is processed meaning if it's filament or pulled from the cocoon. Dyes affect how the silk behaves, but untreated silk should behave the same across the board. I'm curious to find out what this silk is. What size thread do you use Drea?

Knotty,

which of these silk threads are for pearl knotting? I looked at their retail price list under "Pure Filament Silk Thread" and there it shows only 1000 Denier 20 m Cards, is this the kind You order?

When looking at their site for "Silk thread" I get a lot of different colours but also different numbers. Are they all 1000 Denier or whatever should I choose when having FWPs with the small drillholes?

This silver-blue thread looks exciting- I will order it as well once I know which one it is...

Thanks for help, Knotty.

[Caitlin]

Hi Inge
In the past when I wanted thread of a certain color, I used silk embroidery thread. It comes in multistrands which are easy to separate out according to the size of the knots you want to make or the size of the pearl holes. (One size fits all? )

I have the large spools of black and white silk in a size E from Bella's Findings, but other colors I go with embroidery thead. (Actually I am going to get some lavender/purple in a spool in my next Bella order. The only trouble with Bella's is they fed ex everything, so I don't like to do small orders from them.

Embroidery thread comes in long enough pieces that it is easy to double and put through a needle and bees-waxing keeps the threads together as you work.

I bet you could even find silk embroidery thread in dozens of colors in Sweden!

I like the twisted needles with the giant holes and buy them dozens at a time. I reuse, if I can, but it is no big deal if I can't.

[Caitlin]

I forgot to add- and I think we should start a special thread for stringing with silk- that silk is a very elastic medium. When a weight is put on it, it stretches.

Which is precisely why you stretch it before using it for pearls. But you can never stretch it enough.

Filament silk, which is the strongest way to buy silk thread, is even more elastic than spun silk. It stretches up to 28%.

Pearl stringers may consider this built in obsolescence as a positive factor; after all, the more you wear them, the sooner they will need a restring.

If you have and love large pearls, the thread can stetch out in hours, as I discovered several months ago when I strung up the lumps of coal necklace (14-16MM potato CFWP in a 30" length)

As I have tried everything from monofiliment to parachute thread including natural & artificial sinew to string beads at one time or another, I am not a traditionlist at all about silk and I consider the elasticity to be its major drawback, though I consider the many colors it comes in the major reason to use it.

[knotty panda]

Inge: Sorry, I didn't see your post until right now. I am totally with you on that color/number thing! I hate it too! Luckily, pearl color is generally forgiving enough that you can be a bit off and still be ok. That particular thread is #034. Pearl Paradise used a grey to knot the silver-blue akoyas. So, the #034 color is just a bit deeper than my strand but blends wonderfully with the overtones. Considering your strand is aqua, I would still go with #034. If you like, I can send you some so you can see for yourself before you order.

Also, I have found that embroidery floss, I think that's the proper term, even separated into double strands isn't as good as buttonhole twist. Properly, floss is separated for use in embroidery and used in smaller increments than would be used for knotting a necklace.

Originally Posted by Caitlin Williams

Hi Inge
In the past when I wanted thread of a certain color, I used silk embroidery thread. It comes in multistrands which are easy to separate out according to the size of the knots you want to make or the size of the pearl holes. (One size fits all? )

Embroidery thread comes in long enough pieces that it is easy to double and put through a needle and bees-waxing keeps the threads together as you work.

I like the twisted needles with the giant holes and buy them dozens at a time. I reuse, if I can, but it is no big deal if I can't.

Hi Caitlin,

thanks for the advice - where can You buy dozens of the twisted needles with the giant holes? So far I have only got four/package and they are from Australia and rather expensive with the fright - my seller was Thw Bead Shack - the needles are very good - still I would like more than 4 in a package.

[knotty panda]

Inge: Have you tried Fire Mountain? They sell them in packs of a 100. If you want the large eye to ease threading, the needles with the flexible round hole should be sufficient. It must be so hard for you not finding these items in Sweden! I'm ready to send you a CARE package!

[Caitlin]

Here is the fire mtn link.

Let me know what you decide.

Originally Posted by knotty panda

Inge: Have you tried Fire Mountain? They sell them in packs of a 100. If you want the large eye to ease threading, the needles with the flexible round hole should be sufficient. It must be so hard for you not finding these items in Sweden! I'm ready to send you a CARE package!

Knotty,

I appreciate You taking pity on me - I most certainly have ordered from Fire Mountain and I have the ones with the round holes - medium - but they are simply not stiff enough to get me through a whole 18 inch strand - and they do not look like the "Australians" - their threading part is very long and incredibly flexible at the same time as I can use their "heavy" needles, they are the only ones that are stiff enough to "look like something like a needle" at the end of a whole strand, all others are a sorry sight at the end- I can tell You.

Caitlin,

the non-twisted needles from Artbeads do have such small holes and are champions in braking my needle threaders! I don´t know how many (needle threaders) I have bought here at home, they don´t last more than 1-2 attempts before slipping from the fastening.

And if I am lucky enough to have succeeded getting the silk through the hole of the needle, the non-twisted type of needle (Artbeads) is the very best of all kinds of needles as it is stiff and slides through the pearl very smoothly. I am by now the proud owner of dozens of such needles in many different sizes and for the most time unable to get my thread through their holes...

[knotty panda]

Austrailian needles! You'll have to fill me in on this! Stiff v. flex needle: I let the needle do the work, if I feel resistance, I pull back and try again. I agree, it's not like sewing where the needle is the boss! One medium flexible can last me through several strands. When I have a customer here, I break out a new needle . But if it's just for me, I use it until I get a bend nose.

Needle threader: I know. I hate that too! Instead of gripping the handy, all-purpose, guaranteed to break tab, take your flat nose or chain nose, grip the little wires evenly (instead of the tab), and pull from there. Your needle threader will actually last!

Knotty,

I have learned the same thing about the threader and nowadays I just have the wires and hold them with my flat nose. I tried to do that with the tab but the wires came off every time.

The Australian needles are really good, none of my American suppliers are having them. Check in on Ebay under Item number: 230170901285,
collapsible EYE beading needles, if You are interested. The seller is The Beadshack.

Have you tried beadalon (or one of its resellers)

heres a link to their catalogue with these collapsible needles

http://www.beadalon.com/catlg28p26.html