Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Star Tatting Cotton on EBay

So sorry to cheat you out of a Tatting Tea Tuesday post this week.

Illness has hit Silly Hat Central and I have been doing the Dr. Mom bit. Can you believe I came down with the first symptoms? Unbelievably raw, sore throat, intermittent headache and fatigue. And moms don't get sick days.

My winning prescription: Theraflu, lots of hot tea (that new teapot has gotten a lot of use) and a DH who took over when I needed to go lay down. What a good guy!

So far the rest of my household has had symptoms but are fairing well. The Sprout, however, has been exposed to flu so I have been watching him very closely with the pediatrician on speed dial and my finger poised over the panic button. Knock on wood that swine flu doesn't grace our doorstep before The Sprout gets his flu shot(s).

Oh, and my parents stopped by to visit on Saturday on their way to sunnier shores. Love them to come, but hate the last-minute "white tornado" frenzy before they arrive. It leaves no time to tat!



LOT 39 SPOOLS VINTAGE CROCHET
TATTING THREAD STAR DMC

For the record, it has been ages upon ages since I visited eBay. But I just had to go looking for sellers auctioning off a stash of vintage Star tatting cotton. Ever since tatting the pumpkins I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. Success! I found one seller listing 39 items grouped together. And I won!

Perhaps my spools had been kept in impeccable condition or maybe The Star Thread Company was that good at making fine quality threads. Whatever the case may be, I have never worked with a thread, Lizbeth included (and you know how fond I am of it), that was as break-resistant and tangle-free.

The box arrived yesterday. Fourteen spools of tatting cottons, mostly Star, but Lily & Coats & Clark spools also thrown in the mix. Eight white spools, size 30. The threads are indeed in good condition, very clean and smoke/pet hair free. No stains.

There are several spools of pink in this lot. I am not a huge fan of pink, so I will most likely keep one spool and give the rest of the pinks away. Leave me a comment if you would like some pink!

Alas, my list of items that must be tatted ahead of this fun research project is long. So instead of loading up my new Aero-style shuttles and tatting away, I contented myself with fondling spools and pairing complimentary colors.

Once I get to where I can test my theory with the new spools, I will herald my finding from the (virtual) rooftops. Crossing my fingers that these threads are up to the same standard as my current Star stash.

Have you used Star tatting cotton? What do you think of it?

If you have never tried it, what is your favorite tatting thread and why?

10 comments:

Umintsuru said...

I hope everyone gets well soon. I would love to have family visiting but I hate the cleaning.
I have never tatted with Star threads. In fact, I have not heard of it here in Singapore. I tat mostly with Flora, Manuela, DMC Perle and Cebelia, Anchor, Olympus, HDTs and most recently Milford and Lizbeth.
Enjoy your new threads.

Lace-lovin' Librarian ~ Diane said...

I hope the flue passes you by! We've had quite a few kids out at school... 30 yesterday out of 227. We've had worse, but that still seems like a lot so early in the school year.

I've never tried Star. I guess I'll have to check out eBay myself! My favorite... HDT! As much as I love Lizbeth, HDT wins hands down!

sewmuchfun4 said...

Hi!
I hope that you all are feeling better soon! I'm glad you're watching your little one closely - my littlest one (not quite two) had swine flu week before last. We caught it very early so tamiflu (sp?) worked very well. It doesn't kill the virus, but keeps it from replicating so there is less for your body to have to handle. It works best in the first 24 to 48 hours.

Our little one's onset symptoms were a low-grade fever, loss of appetite, and probably achy (she didn't like to be shifted). She didn't want to be left alone for one second that day and needed to be held CONSTANTLY! It was a Friday so I called the doctor, they fit her into the schedule, she tested positive and started the medicine.

Because we were able to catch it early, she had a very mild case and was more like herself the next day. We kept her home for an entire week though because we heard (from other families in the community) that too much too soon could cause a relapse of symptoms.

Sorry for the long comment, just thought it might help to hear how it went for us. I hope you don't need any of that information and that you all are well in no time!

:) Ann

Unknown said...

Get well soon!

Your "new" stash looks like it will bring you a lot of quality tatting hours! Enjoy!

Fox said...

D, Hope you are all doing much better today! With all the media hype and this being flu season anyway, every symptom and regular Fall virus so much worse this year!

Nice win! Good for you! I love winning something I desire. I don't shop much, so that when I bid, I really, really want that item!

I have never heard of this thread and I am intrigued. I would LOVE to try it, so if you are willing to part with some, please feel free to send it my way! And I like pink very much.

Who knows? Next grandbaby may be an 'XY'! We have four lads and one lone lass, so it might be nice. If not, I still like pink!
Fox : ))

Gina said...

Feel better soon!

I used to love the Aida I bought in Australia but it is all size 20 and I've sort of migrated to size 30 and smaller. I really like the Handy Hands Flora thread. Popular as the Lizbeth thread is, I don't think is what I would call outstanding. It's a good thread and the colors are to die for, but I still like the DMC cordonnet and Flora best.

Carol Schockling Lawecki said...

Hope all of you feel bette soon!!!

My favorite is the Manuella, but I think my new favorite will be Lizbeth thread. I only have a few and I'm ready to place my order for more now that I have visited everyone's blog to see these fabulous variegated colors.

I think the Star thread is a 70- or 80, I don't normally tat with small threads.

Happy Tatting!!

IsDihara said...

Thanks, everyone, for your get well wishes! I'm so touched! And I do feel better. Must be all the positive energy. :-D

As for requests for the size 70 (pink) Star tatting cotton: so far I have...

Fox

Just one brave taker?!?

Umintsuru, I would be glad to send you some to try. Just email me privately (at the email address on the top right) with your mailing info.

Lace-lovin Librarian, I would be delighted to send you some to try during the interim (before you find some of your own from eBay or wherever).

TattingChic, how about you? Want some?

Sewmuchfun4, thanks for the tips on flu! I'll take all the advice I can. Helps keep the hysteria in check!

Gina, I completely understand about your preference for Flora. I love Flora too. But it is going the way of the Dodo, I fear. (I have been hoarding what Flora threads I currently have...) Guess that makes me a notorious Flora Miser as well as an unrepentant thread junkie! LOL!

Valerie said...

Hi, thanks for dropping by my blog and left your comment. Appreciate that.

Glad to know you are feeling better.

I have recently done some bidding on eBay. Well, like Jane says "you win some and you lose some". LOL

Like Wendy aka umintsuru, I haven't heard of Star thread. So far, I think I enjoy using Flora. The tatted article feels firmer. I'm exploring other options like Manuela and DMC Perle but haven't really concluded if I like them. It should be nice to have a go at using the different brands.

All best,
Val

Nancy G said...

I was blessed with a box of Star Thread and I love it! I just did a 'Spinning Wheel Glass Mat'. It only took one shuttle! I did it in Red, White and Blue and posted on my blog if you care to see it. It was a lot of fun to work with. I plan on doing more with the other colors I have. Oh BTW, I love pink...lol