Oct 23 2008
Weaving Some Magic
Truth be told, I owe my love of all things threadly to this beloved gem of crocheted wisdom. Thread crochet work was one of the first variants that sparked my interest, and pretty much where I learned what to do.
This wondrous publication served me well through all the issues that I was able to get my hands on! But, alas, as the art of thread is waning, so too died off this magazine. Now, the only way to get your hands on a copy is to hope, pray, and chant that someone is hoarding a collection somewhere and has decided to sell the prized possessions on eBay, or elsewhere online.
If you, too, were once a fan of Magic Crochet, here’s one such place that still has a few copies left: Crochet Doiles.com
eBay is quite a good resource for finding old publications that contain some of the better and more original patterns for thread, aka Filet, crochet. Just hit up the site, and type “Crochet magazines” or “thread crochet” or “filet crochet” into the search engine. If you’re just looking for patterns, and don’t really have a hankering for a highly collectible, frame-able work of art, then you can snag some pretty sweet deals!
In addition to all the tasty morsels of patterny delight, you can also get some EXCELLENT deals on threads and yarns, however, here is where you’ve gotta do your homework, and know your medium! Ask questions, get proof of things like:
- dye lots
- actual colors
- damage or fading
- age and condition
If you’re buying 30 balls of thread for a large and engrossing project, you certainly don’t want to end up with water or smoke-damaged threads, or some that’s faded from sitting in a store window. Also, when buying the colored threads, remember that the older yarns are definitely NOT as colorfast as today’s fibers!
See the royal blue thread in the midst of this pic? I learned the hard way that the color likes to stay with the hooker 
and will embed itself in skin, nails, and even clothing, when working with it for long periods of time! Today’s colored threads are pretty colorfast, and don’t tend to wear away like those of old, however, I wouldn’t wear white when working with them!
Stay tuned, faithful yarnies. Tomorrow, I’m digging up some research on the makings of an Etsy venture. We can all learn together!
