Tail Catcher

Cant help you with anything special. Two techniques which do the same sort of thing. Push the needle eye first. Use a length of ordinary thread in a loop. You need to ensure the thread you are trying to finish off is only just inside the loop (Difficult to explain. Easy to show) HTH. JIm.

Nordic Needle has these. There's also the star de-tailer which is cheaper. Have a look at the ones on NN's site so you'll know what to ask for at any LNS you'll be in over here.

Sara

Sandy Bell wrote:

I have several of these handy little things. I believe the original one was called a DoLolly. There are two parts with fancy filigree tops connected by a fine chain. One side has the thin wire loop that you run under the back of several stitches until a bit of the loop sticks out of the stitches. The other part is a little hook that you put through the metal loop and then use to pull your fiber tail end through the metal loop. Then you pull the metal loop *with* the tail end of you fiber back through the backs of the stitches and VOILA, you have ended your fiber nice and neatly. For this little gadget, I paid about $25 about 8 years ago. I'm not sure if the ones that NN carries are still called a DoLolly, but they work just the same and, by now, are more expensive I think :-))). All of that being said, the Star Detailer mentioned by Sara does exactly the same thing and it's only about $5! There's only one piece

-- a a pretty opalescent little plastic star with a nice long metal loop attached. Once the loop is through the backs of your stitches, you need to use your fingers to put the fiber tail through the loop. As Jim said, when in a pinch, a regular old length of sewing thread works a treat. You take a length of thread, fold it in half and thread the loose ends through your needle making sure that the loop end hangs below the loose ends. Run the needle and thread under the back of your stitches making sure you start at the fiber tail that you want to hide. DO NOT pull the loop through -- when you get the sewing thread loop end close to the fiber tail, loosely pull the fiber tail through the loop. Now you gently keep pulling the sewing thread through your stitch backs, dragging the fiber tail along with the loop. Pull it all the way through and your fiber tail is hidden and the sewing thread pulls off your fiber as you pull the needle and thread from under your stitches! Of course, if you want to give one of these gadgets to a friend as a gift, then a length of sewing thread and a needle just doesn't have the same punch -- LOLOL! Any LNS with it's salt should have either a brand of DoLolly or the Star Detailer. I have a thread hider that had bone kitties on both pieces and another one that is just the one piece with a jade kitty instead of a star at the top. Needless to say, you pay a lot more for these than you do the regular plastic or metal topped ones!! CiaoMeow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

I have a friend who makes these and sells them at out LNS for about US$6. Not sure if they will ship to Oz, though. Beaded wire loop - one long end and a shorter end for threading a needle, if you want. we call them Fiber Hiders.

I use a very small steel crochet hook like a US 12 . works for me.

Donna in S. IN

Are these the ones you are looking for:

can get them where i work.

And where can I buy one!

Cheryl

How about I nab a Star Detailer at Celebrations and mail it to you

Ruby

You are a sweetheart Cheryl, would love that. I'll email you my address and in return anything I can send you from Oz? Sandy

Thanks Ruby, I'll also check that out here. Sandy

Yes please! I can do my Christmas shopping at one time! Can you check if your friend would ship some here - could open a whole new market up, 'cos stitchers here would fall in love with it!! Sandy

Sounds like a plan!

Cheryl

Where in the States will you be visiting? If we know that, we can help you with LNS locations. I'm sure there are lots of us here who would be willing to send you any sort of thread catcher -- me included. I thought you wanted to shop for them yourself but would be happy to send you one or two or forty-seven :-). CiaoMeow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

The one I use is a very fine one, cant imagine crocheting with it. Many times though I simply slip my needle under a few stitches and then thread the end into it and pull it through. (when I am too lazy to paw through my tool kit. LOL!) Good luck. my problem has always been that I tend to cut more floss than I need for a particular area so tend to be floss wasteful. what I really need is a magician to make all those thread pieces one whole piece. Ha!) ruby

Putting this another way, you can get approximately 1800 stitches from an

8 meter skein of floss at 14 and 16 stitches to the inch. You will get more if stitches are close together in the pattern, and less if they are widely scattered. Jim.

Sandy - send me your snail mail to my email.

Cheryl In snowy??? NH