For this project I used a very thin cotton crochet thread. However, it isn't really crochet thread at all, it's carpet warp. I first discovered carpet warp when some crafter posted a photo of their craft room. Amongst all the shelves of crochet supplies were big spools of carpet warp. I was able to just make out the name Maysville on one of the spool tags and looked it up to see what it was.
So - get yourself some cotton carpet warp!
Here's some info about cotton carpet warp:
My product is called Maysville Carpet Warp 8/4 from Webs Yarn Store (online or in person in Northhampton, MA). I got mine online and had no trouble with their ordering process, delivery or customer service. Although they do ship internationally, I'm sure there are stores that sell cotton carpet warp in plenty of other countries, so check your local listings if you are outside of the USA. Carpet warp comes in several sizes. What I used is sized 8/4 tho. apparently that is termed 4/8 outside the USA.
The site states: we offer a wide range of colors of 100% cotton Maysville 8/4 carpet warp. Use carpet warp for creating rag rugs and lots of other weaving projects.
I also found an article about carpet warp on Craft Gossip. Another source for carpet warp here.
If you get confused about yarn that falls in the finer ranges - you are not alone. This chart MIGHT help you.
The carpet warp is just slightly thinner than Aunt Lydia's Crochet Thread #3 and definitely thicker and more sturdy than a size 10 crochet thread. I wish I had a skein or fingerling/sport or laceweight yarn to compare to the carpet warp. The carpet warp is 100% cotton and feels like more of a sturdy string than a soft yarn. Crochet thread has a sheen to it that the cotton carpet warp doesn't have. I like using the warp because it doesn't slip and slide as much as crochet thread. Also, the twist of the carpet warp is much tighter than the twist of the crochet cotton.
If you are going to use a fingerling weight yarn, I'd suggest a sturdy cotton for the utilitarian nature of the project - and I'm guessing you'll want a more string-ish and less hairy fiber so that when your tea light cozy is near a flame, there will be less chance of danger. I'd also suggest creating the first three rounds of the project and making sure your guage gives you the same result as mine.
One thing I didn't realize is that the Maysville cotton that I have been using is maybe not colorfast. I did have an instance where I sprayed my carpet warp with some Stiffen Quik and the red ran a bit into the white. Apparently the cotton 8/4 carpet warp sold by Camilla Valley Farm may be a better choice for you - they state that their cotton warp is colorfast. If I'd known, I'd probably gone that route when I bough my supply.
That said, the warp comes in huge spools and it will take a long time to use up your supply so your investment is probably pretty long-term use.
Some other tools you will want to have for this project are a size B crochet hook, a darning needle for the ends (I used my regular darning needle as the tapestry needle I tried was a bit small for taking the warp through the eye) and a pair of scissors.
Next, you'll want some tea lights. The ones I'm using are a really inexpensive pack of lights. I purchased it years ago on the clearance rack of a 5 and dime type store after Halloween. The pack contained 100 tea lights! It was a whopping $1. I've also seen them at Ikea in big packs at a low price. I would guess that tea lights are a somewhat universal size, but I don't know that for fact.
So, assignment number one is to gather your supplies.
For my tea light cozies, I created just about the entire cozy in one color of warp and then did the final round in white. You could of course make a striped cozy - switch colors on any of the rounds if you opt for stripes. I didn't want to bother weaving in all those ends on such a tiny little project so I left mine mostly in single colors.
Click HERE TO MOVE ON TO PART 2 of the Teeny Tiny Tea Light Tutorial - we'll start right in on Round 1.
1 comment:
What I used is sized 8/4 tho. apparently that is termed 4/8 outside the USA.powder green tea melbourne
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