White thread….ugh!

Something I struggle with in tatting is my sweaty hands. It makes working with white thread challenging. You just can’t allow any of your skin oils to get into white thread. It just doesn’t bleach out. And as the lace ages, it turns an awful color of, well, brown.

It’s a challenge to keep white thread white. Especially when it’s warm outside or I grow older and, well, age.

So, I’ve been trying mightily to keep my hands clean and not touch anything except the lace (no nose scratching, eye rubbing, or forehead massaging) and to drop everything when I feel that heater kick on in my body. Several times I’ve had to drop everything mid-ring. Well, I occasionally don’t keep things clean:

Soiled rings of a Round 2 motif

I’ll be replacing that split ring. If I can figure out how. Hopefully while it’s still cool weather.

On a more positive note, I’ve decided on which clear beads to use. I’ll be tatting up a sample right after I use my scissors (gaak) and re-tat a split ring (harrumph)!