REVIEW - Knitpicks Curio

Projects I've completed in Knitpicks - Curio - Size 10

Natural:

• Spoonwood
• Francisco
• Doily Peace Bloom
• Hera

Sagebrush:

• Autumn
• Marion
• Gala

Other Colors:

• Ida in Silver
• Gerda in Comfrey
• Daisy in Ice Lily
• Delilah in Ciel
• Starburst in Cornmeal

Review

I saw other crocheters on Ravelry using Knitpicks Curio in different thread colors (rare to find interesting colors in thread), so that alone made me want to buy a few balls. I found it on sale and decided to buy a ball in almost every color that was on sale. Each ball of thread contains enough to make a large doily (double of typical threads - 721 yards to be exact). Although when I received my order, the size of the balls were average but with double the yardage, so it's great storage wise.

Currently, they offer 15 colors, which is a decent variety of colors to choose from. My favorite colors are natural and cornmeal (yellow). I've made a few of my doily and coaster patterns using Curio as it lays flat and drapes well. It doesn't look shiny in the ball, but once making a crochet piece it's super shiny.

What I find with this thread is it's more of a size 20 since it's only two ply my pieces tend to end up smaller than the average size. I also use a smaller hook than I typically use (1.5mm instead of my standard 1.75mm hook).

Conclusion

What I find with Knitpicks (overall) is that their yarn feels lower quality. It's in-between Red Heart and Cascade in that respect. Through my years knitting and crocheting, I have tried many yarn brands and you get what you pay for.

Curio is only two ply when most threads are at least three ply. So crochet projects will run smaller than typical, so cannot care about size if using Curio. I would only recommend it for doilies, spreads, flat items - it would not work well for mini amigurumi or anything 3D.

Overall, it is a very affordable choice with a decent variety of colors to choose from. It's only available exclusively through Knitpicks' website for now.

Product Information

Brand: Knitpicks

Name: Curio

Fiber Content: 100% Mercerized Cotton 

Weight/Ply: Size 10 Crochet Thread/2 ply

Country of Origin: Made in India

Price per ball (July 2019): $3.99/ball - 721 yds

Where to Buy: Knitpicks

Overall Rating:

4 out of 5 Meow-Meows

REVIEW - Rico Essentials Crochet Thread

Projects I've completed in Rico Designs - Essential Crochet - Size 10

Blues:

• Siggi in Turquoise
• Sol, Emma, Kaia, Nadine, Pinwheel Sail Coaster in Smokey Blue

Greens:

• Persephone, Mint Crystal in Mint Green
• Evelyn in Emerald
• Piacere in Light Green

Greys:

• Earl Grey, Nadine in Silver Grey
• Sol, Shoshana in Steel Grey

Pinks:

• Petals in Powder
• Margaret, Greta in Fuchsia

Review

While I was in Ireland last year, I had my fair share of doing the rounds at local yarn stores. I had a list of different yarn for projects I had in mind, and crochet thread was one of them as I had just discovered textured doilies. Although I knew not to expect to find crochet thread at LYS from my previous experience at stores in the U.S. 

I quickly found out that it seems that everyone crochets except for Americans. I was able to buy balls of thread while I was in Canada, and I found that it was easy to find thread in Ireland. The most common crochet thread I'd bump into would be Rico Essentials. I even found it at an Irish bookstore! (Eason on O'Connell Street). I bought a few skeins from the Constant Knitter and Eason. I didn't bring any of my craft materials to Ireland, so I bought a steel crochet hook and started to crochet the Sol doily towards the end of my time there. I quickly fell in love with the thread and bought more the day after I tried it. However, I do have to add that it's hard on your hands as the ply is extremely tight, but it's perfect for showing texture and depth in doilies. 

It was easy for me to add some more balls into my luggage as the size of the balls are relatively small and similar to the size of Scheepjes thread. I wish threads in America would take a lesson from European crochet threads and make their inside spools smaller - I'm already having a storage problem from my other balls of thread being too large to fit in containers. 

Conclusion

There are 30 colors available, although most places that sell the Rico Essentials ship internationally. (with cheap postage I might add, I paid around £4 for shipping a large package of yarn from Wool Warehouse from the UK). It's not directly available in the United States, although it is widely distributed throughout Europe by Rico Designs (a German company). 

This thread is something that's ideal for something you would want to show texture in and not care about size. I noticed that when I crocheted with this thread that the size of my finished piece would always be smaller than if I used Aunt Lydia's, Artiste or other regular  size 10 threads. However, the lovely texture and feel makes up for the size in my opinion. 

Product Information

Brand: Rico Designs

Name: Essentials Crochet 

Fiber Content: 100% Mercerized Cotton

Weight/Ply: Size 10 Crochet Thread/3 ply

Country of Origin: unknown

Price per ball (April 2018): €3 or £1.67/50 g ball - 260 m

Where to Buy: Eason (Ireland), Constant Knitter (Dublin, Ireland), Wool Warehouse (based in UK, ships internationally), Deramores (based in UK, ships internationally)

Overall Rating

5 out of 5 Meow-Meows

REVIEW - DMC Baroque Thread

Selection of projects I've completed in DMC - Baroque Thread - Size 10

Ecru:

• Emily, Japanese Pineapple, Tovi, Mint Crystal, Elysium, Bubble Tea, Moonpetals

White:

• Emily, Mako, Autumn Reflections, Winter

Review

I started using DMC Baroque thread after finding some skeins from my mom's crochet thread stash. She had bought the thread at a LYS a few years ago. After I used up her four skeins, I bought a few more through Joann's website while it was on sale. 

My favorite color out of the two available is Ecru, which is a beige color. I've never been a fan of white, since it's very obvious when it starts to yellow or gets stains, and Ecru is the closest to an off-white for DMC Baroque. 

Baroque has a thick texture. So after I started to use Baroque more, I realized that I needed to use larger hooks (2.25mm) in order to not have my doily pieces ruffle. Since I did use a larger hook when I used Baroque, my pieces also had larger diameters than listed. 

I think DMC's Baroque would be an ideal thread for bedspreads or something flat. In my opinion, it's not ideal for mini amigurumi or textured doilies due to the feel of the thread. 

Conclusion

Overall, Baroque has a wonderful sheen and thick texture, as it is highly mercerized. It's tightly spun but still soft to the touch. It has a nice feel to use and it's one of my favorites to use. Although the color variety is very limited (currently, it is only available in 2 colors - White and Ecru/Beige), unlike other threads that have a range of colors. That is my reasoning for a 4.5 out of 5 star review, as I got quickly bored of only being able to select from only 2 colors. Baroque used to come in pink, but pink has long been discontinued. 

However, one advantage is that DMC's threads are widely available through Big Box stores and via the manufacturer within the United States. 

Product Information

Brand: DMC
Name: Baroque
Fiber Content: 100% Super Mercerized Cotton 
Weight/Ply: Size 10 Crochet Thread/3 ply
Country of Origin: Made in India
Price per ball (April 2018): $4.29/ball - 416 yds
Where to Buy: Michaels, Joann's, DMC website, Amazon

Overall Rating

4.5 out of 5 Meow-Meows

REVIEW - Hobby Lobby's Artiste Cotton Crochet Thread

Projects I've completed in Artiste - Mercerized Egyptian Cotton Thread - Size 10 (from left to right)

• "Persephone" in Jade Blue
• "Florence" in Cornflower
• "Daisy" in Eggnog
• "Rooibos" in Peach Blossom
• "Bergamot" in Eggnog
• "Lilla" in Peach Blossom

Review

I first heard about Hobby Lobby's crochet thread through Facebook (the Threadies and Grace Fearon groups). Hobby Lobby is a large chain of arts and crafts stores located throughout the United States, like Michaels or Joann's. I was doubtful at first if my local Hobby Lobby would have the Artiste thread at all, since I live in what I would call, a "yarn desert," with only one LYS for hundreds of miles. 

When I became more advanced in my thread crochet techniques, I started to realize how limited "threadies" are in their thread selection. Most LYS don't stock crochet thread at all, and Big Box stores all stock the same type of thread (Aunt Lydia's, Red Heart.... and that's about it). 

I heard Hobby Lobby was having sale on Artiste Threads, and so I decided to check out my local Hobby Lobby for the first time. Towards the back of the store was a threadies' paradise. 🤩My dream come true - a wide variety of colors and more than one ball of each color! 

As soon as I brought my newfound thread home, I started making my second Persephone. I quickly realized that I needed to use a larger hook than usual (my go-to hook is a 1.75mm, but I had to use my 2.0mm and 2.25mm hooks for this thread). Artiste reminds me of Knitpicks Curio thread, but higher quality and thicker. Curio is not quite size 10 thread, but Artiste Egyptian Cotton is most definitely size 10 thread.  

Conclusion

Overall, Artiste's Cotton Crochet Thread is great for threadies out there that need a larger color palette in their doilies/table runners/etc. There are 38 colors available through Hobby Lobby's website. If you're not sure how the color would look in a project, there are thousands of crochet projects on Ravelry using Artiste thread. 

It's very affordable (it's regularly on sale for about $2 USD) and widely available across the U.S. The thread has a strong enough twist to hold up and not split while crocheting, but has a soft feel and sheen. It's a high quality thread, not something just made in China or India, but in Turkey. 

So far, this is my favorite thread to use to date. I definitely see myself going back to buy another 20 (or maybe even 40) balls of thread for my crochet stash. 

Product Information

Brand: Artiste
Name: Cotton Crochet Thread
Fiber Content: 100% Mercerized Egyptian Cotton 
Weight/Ply: Size 10 Crochet Thread/3 ply
Country of Origin: Made in Turkey from Egyptian Cotton
Price per ball (April 2018): $2.89/ball - 350yds (colors); 400yds (white)
Where to Buy: Hobby Lobby website & stores across the U.S.

Overall Rating

5 out of 5 Meow-Meows

REVIEW SERIES - Crochet Thread

I'm going to start a new review series of crochet threads that I've used, since I have seen reviews online for knitting yarn and knitting products (like Knitter's Review), but reviews for crochet products are rare to find, especially for us threadies out there. :) I hope to continually update this series as I go along in my crochet thread journey. 

DISCLAIMER: These reviews will solely be based on my opinion and mine alone. I was not paid or sponsored to make these reviews, nor was I provided these yarns by the brand. These skeins/balls were bought with my own money. I am writing reviews in order to help others decide which thread they'd like to use for their projects. 


Outlook on reviews to come (links will be added)

• Alize Miss Batik
• Artiste Mercerized Egyptian Cotton Size 10
• Aunt Lydia's Thread Size 10 
• DMC Cébélia 10 
• DMC Cébélia 30
• DMC Coton Perlé 12
• DMC Baroque
• Lizbeth Thread 20
• Knitpicks Curio Thread
• Mondial Nilo 12
• Rico Essentials Crochet Thread
• R.B C Fil D Ecosse N°16 
• Scheepjes Sugar Rush

On another note: I am currently updating my website format (to make it look prettier and more professional). Please bare with me as I adjust the pattern pages this following week. I promise that these new pages will be better than before! :)