Vintage Yarn

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July 11th, 2007 admin Leave a comment Go to comments

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What is the best replacement yarn for this Vintage Needlepoint project?

I "inherited" a partially worked needlepoint canvas from the 70's and would like to complete it. It's Columbia Minerva design # 2332, "Winter Greenhouse." The canvas and the colored yarns are all included in the package I received, but for some reason all of the white yarn is missing except for one length's worth which has been stitched in already.
I will need 136 36-inch lengths of the white yarn, which is color reference # 5907 in the pattern. (So 4896 inches or just over 400 feet). Any recommendations on the best way to get replacement yarn? I know I can just go to the store with a segment and try to match color/weight but I'm hoping there's an even better way.

Here's a link to an ebay item that is almost exactly what I've received, even down to the % worked. This isn't mine, though.

http://cgi.ebay.it/VTG-Needlepoint-Tapestry-Unfinished-Winter-Greenhouse_W0QQitemZ330254896337QQihZ014QQcategoryZ3107QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

I checked out the photos at the link you provided. What a nice project! It will be stunning when you finish it.

Columbia Minerva is no longer in business, so it's doubtful you'll be able to replace the missing yarn with that brand.

Since you need a LOT of the white, and you want it all to match (since it's the background), here's what I would do: I would remove the single 36" strand that has already been worked, and purchase enough new white yarn to do the entire project.

I noticed that the description on the link you provided said that the kit includes both wool and acrylic yarns. You'll want to test the strand you remove to make sure you purchase the right yarn. You can test this by taking a small bit of the yarn and holding it near an open flame. If it melts and shrinks back from the flame, it's synthetic. If it IS acrylic, I'll be willing to bet it's acrylic knitting worsted-weight yarn. If so, you're in luck: you can purchase a single skein of good acrylic knitting-worsted weight yarn for under $5, and it will more than cover what you need (a skein usually has about 250+ yards).

If it's wool, then it's tapestry yarn -- much more expensive (which is why I suspect it is acrylic: most projects like this would have used the less expensive acrylic yarn for the large expanse of background to reduce costs). If it IS tapestry wool, then just purchase enough yardage in white.

Good luck on your project!