Kreinik Thread Blog: July 2018

The further adventures of thread-maker Doug Kreinik

Kreinik's factory and offices are closed the week of July 4 every year for summer holiday. What does a thread maker do when he's not making threads? Find out in Doug Kreinik's tour-de-fun account here.

Summer vacations are always adventures in the Kreinik household. My wife Myla and I enjoy aiming the car and just driving and learning about an area. We have traveled the Great Lakes, the East coast cities and beaches, Key West, the Gulf Coast, the Pacific Northwest and the vast deserts in the Southwest. This year, we decided to head west to see our daughter and her family in Los Angeles.

Our first stop was in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky to visit the Wild Turkey Distillery. I love factory tours and this was a not a disappointment. We saw grains being made into a “beer,” then moved, strained and made into a “wine.” From there the liquids were distilled and moved to charred oak kegs and aged. The scent of bourbon and whiskey was strong as we walked through their storage facilities. Yes, we taste-tested.

The next stop was Wamego, Kansas, the home of the Wizard of Oz Museum. This special place contains more than 20,000 pieces of memorabilia surrounding the origins of the story, vaudevillian creations, the movie and new movies. It was fun and campy and we’re glad we went.

We took a break in Burlington, Colorado, at the Kit Carson County Fairgrounds where they have the Carousel Museum and an operating 1885 Philadelphia Toboggan Co Carousel with a military band organ. The carousel moves at dizzying 12 miles per hour. Tip: do not move your head sideways while in motion.

If you want to trek up Pike’s Peak, take the shuttle and let them drive up the 14,000 feet. We had to replace our brakes, for we wore them out coming down the great mountain. It was a windy, scary mountain road, but beautiful.

We spent July 4 holiday in Aspen, Colorado. With Aspen music school’s free concerts, parades, good food, and beautiful scenery, we had fun. This is probably one of the only places where you can rent a Rolls or Bentley.

We covered three National Parks in Utah: Arches, Bryce and Zion. All were magnificent and all were different. The natural forming arches were spread throughout the park created by water and wind over eons of time. Bryce Canyon, not really a canyon for it was not created by flowing water, seemed like an alien landscape. This area is unique with it’s hoodoos, formed by wind and rain. The obelisks of rock rise above the ground and can be seen from within or above. I walked the rim and it was stunning. Zion National Park is filled rocks weeping water, waterfalls, sheer cliffs of sandstone and granite, and great walking paths except when the temperature reaches 102 degrees F. We travelled the park in a shuttle bus—the best and easiest way.

In St. George, Utah, we stopped at a Prairie Museum. Found out that the early Mormon settlers raised silk worms and processed silk, making threads and yarns in the dessert climates of Utah. I had no idea.

Las Vegas is not really one of my favorite summer cities at 112 degrees F, but the entertainment is outstanding. I had never seen a Cirque Du Soleil show so Myla and I saw the Beatles version and were not disappointed. From Green Meanies to “Here comes the Sun,” this was packed with eye candy. Love, love, loved it.

We visited Needles, Hooks, and Yarn in Glendora, California. She has knitting, needlepoint, weaving and more. The shop carries many selections of threads and yarns, numerous looms and a great selection of Kreinik threads. The owner Nancy gave us peach-filled donuts, a specialty of a certain nationally known Glendora donut shop.

We finished our trip with a week-long stay with my daughter (an executive producer), her husband Jon and our grandson Asher. Jon and I spent three days building patios and garden boxes. We went to museums, saw an exhibit on the Muppets and Jim Henson and one on the life and times of Leonard Bernstein.

The last day we visited the Wayfarer’s Church in Palo Verdes, California, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright Jr. This glass edifice is surrounded by redwood and olive trees in a very serene location overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We ate at the Redondo Beach Greek Festival where Asher had his first calamari experience at 19 months old and loved it.

We had a wonderful, exciting summer vacation exploring parts of the United States. Now I’m back at the thread factory gearing up for two August events: The Lancaster Fiber Festival in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and The AmericanNeedlepoint Guild conference in Washington DC. Hope to see you there. If you are driving through Parkersburg, West Virginia, on your summer vacation, be sure to stop by the Kreinik Factory Outlet Store and say hello.

Learn how to couch fun fibers

>> Tuesday, July 10, 2018 – couching, Kreinik, metallic threads, San Francisco School of Needlework & Design, Stitch At Home Challenge

Add this fun technique to your stitching repertoire

The fabulous San Francisco School of Needlework and Design is hosting a creative challenge featuring Kreinik threads, and many of these fibers are couchable. What's couching? Only one of the most versatile, fun, interesting, creative stitches you can use in needlepoint and embroidery! Watch the video to see how to couch and to get inspired for this stitching opportunity.

For info on the current Stitch-At-Home Challenge, visit https://www.sfneedleworkanddesign.org/rules-and-entry-form/

Deadline is August 15, 2018
Contact the school for your kit
It's not a contest, simply a fun creative challenge to spark your imagination and let you play with interesting fibers and themes

Why couching is cool in needlepoint

>> Tuesday, July 3, 2018 – Associated Talents, Beth Gantz, Beth Gantz Designs, Carol Gantz, couching, embroidery, how to video, Kreinik, Kreinik Facets, Kreinik Micro Ice Chenille, metallic threads, needlepoint

Learn how to do couching in needlepoint

Designer of Associated Talents Carol Gantz shows you how to couch Kreinik Ribbon in this quick how-to video. She's working on a Beth Gantz Designs canvas that's fabulous for Christmas,. You can use this technique anywhere. If you've never tried couching, let this be the encouragement you need to start — it's so versatile, you'll become addicted to this embellishment stitch.

Why do we love couching so much?

You can use any fiber. You're not limited to fibers that fit your needle or your fabric/canvas. You can couch ribbons, interesting threads, anything since it's simply a surface embellishment.
It's a fast way to fill in a large background
Adds interesting borders that look high-end and complicated
You can use different kinds of stitches to couch, making even more interesting designs

Couching is great for adding highly textured threads like Kreinik Micro Ice Chenille to designs; it's perfect for bug antennae

Couching tips

Keep your tacking stitches evenly spaced
Keep your base fiber, the one you're couching, laid smoothly, evenly, without buckles
Plunge the ends of your base fiber, the one you're couching, to the back of your work and secure with tacking stitches. Use a large Tapestry needle or an awl to help open the holes.
Another helpful video, from Mary Corbet: https://youtu.be/4X4LC8FGAsM