Pearsall's Gossamer Going Away

[Kelly L.]

Kelly - I would be interested in seeing a photograph. Always nice to have options/ideas.

Ray, I like the top box a bit better for my needs. Each slot has enough for two spools. (one duplicate of the same color) This was the best I found today. This box was 4.99, and the other box I believe was the same price. The better bargain is the one I showed with thread in it. But if you only have a few, or want to put another kind of thread in, such as I do...with marabou silk, it would work fine. I don't need many colors in marabou silk, and that would work fine for me. I have two colors of YLI silk though, but they are on big spools/standard. I think for now, they are going to the zip lock baggy...lol.

[letumgo]

Kelly - I believe the one on the left is primrose (No. 3), and the one on the right is light olive (No. 20). Keep in mind that it may be my monitor. On this monitor, the right one definitely has a green cast to it. Primrose should be a pale (soft) yellow color similar to real butter.

It looks like your hot orange may also be two different colors. I'm guessing the darker one is hot orange (No. 19) and the lighter one is light orange (No. 6A).

[Kelly L.]

Thank you Ray. I wondered about that, but it doesn't look like an olive in person to me. This is exactly why I wish they would do something about this infernal labels... There are a couple more I've wondered about as well. With each monitor though, you are right, it may give off a slight hue change.

[chase creek]

Kelly,
I've got to agree with Ray on the Primrose / Light Olive.
Also, like your boxes better than mine. I can't close the lid on my Plano boxes if the spools are laying on their sides like that. Going shopping at the fabric store tomorrow, and taking a couple of spools with me. Thanks for posting the pictures.

[Mataura mayfly]

Kelly, I have the same feelings with the primrase/olive colouration as Ray suggested and CC backed up.
Could it be someone passed this to you as "Primrose after waxing"? I am not saying what you have is a spool of primrose that has been waxed, but it is an olive colour similar to what happens to primrose when well waxed ah-la Greenwells Glory body.

Just saying...... mainly because I have never had a good supply of genuine silks or cobblers wax to duplicate the Greenwell patterns and have spent most my adult life trying to find a colour close to the combination of primrose and cobblers.

[Kelly L.]

Rodger, if you don't care about color numbers, that second box is good, and holds the spools just fine. You could fill it up. I just put my marabou silk in there, and both rolls of YLI. It fit great. Remember the YLI is on standard spools. I have something similar to the bigger box, for tying thread, but it is not labeled. It is 3 times the size of the gossamer box.

Okay guys, I looked harder. I think you are right. It is a light olive. This was given to me about 4 years ago. This guy sent me this for the Partridge and Yellow. See how far back I loved these? Well it may of been closer to 4.5 years. Anyway, I was a brand new tyer back then. The middle of this month, I will have tied now for FIVE years. Unbelievable.

Oh, to make matters worse on the yellows, I forgot about the one on my bobbin. It is a yellow, with NO LABEL. It is not the color of either of the ones in the photo. I am going to have to decide which yellow it is. It is getting awful low, so I must just say to heck with it. Next time I get new silk, it is getting labeled. Now, if I don't leave it on my tying desk, in a pile of clutter, I should be able to keep up with the colors better. You can see how awful it is to write on such a small space, on those spools. When you have shaky hands like me, it is very demanding...

[letumgo]

The yellows are tough, because there are four shades that are quite similar (Straw, Primrose, Light Yellow and Yellow). That is roughly the order from lightest to darkest. I usually just lay them side-by-side and arrange them by shade, as a way of telling them apart.

[Kelly L.]

Thanks Ray. Yes, if I had one of each, and knew for sure what it was, it could make it easier. I decided the light bit left has a lemon yellow though. Until I get more colors, and am disproved, that is what I'm going with...rotfl. Now one whole box is used up on color. Time to start another. I need a color chart that won't fool me with the different monitors, it's like a tv...at Wal-Mart...each tv shows a little difference in colors. I haven't decided if the second box will only be Pearsall's, or a mix of that, and the Super Fine. Two different gossamer boxes like that, should be PLENTY of color choices...but I am bad about collecting colors in stuff. Oh, the light olive was sent to me by someone as I mentioned. I used up one of the spools he sent, but not this one. This may of been primrose yellow with wax, but he didn't mention that. Maybe Pearsall's will read this, and decide to do something about labeling in the future. As far as the marbou, I don't care. I have maybe 5-6 colors, and none are labeled. I just put them in that bobbin box, just as they were. I like to use that on streamers.

[daringduffer]

Just saying...... mainly because I have never had a good supply of genuine silks or cobblers wax to duplicate the Greenwell patterns and have spent most my adult life trying to find a colour close to the combination of primrose and cobblers.

Jeff,

Bill Bailey would be able to help you out. Just order some of his dark wax and you get the most beautiful greenwell colour. It is quite dry and very easy to work with.

dd

[Kelly L.]

Hello Kelly
How nice to hear from you.
The Pearsalls Gossamer in traditional colours are still available from them (via wholesalers) and we do not carry their shades.
The Superfine Silk is Gossamer as you are aware if you bought some in the UK. We purchased the gossamer thread from Pearsalls and dyed it to embroidery standards. This means that it is washfast for embroidery. However, fly tyers appear to like the colours that we produced. I will send you a scan from home this evening of the list that is currently available.
Sadly, my business partner John, who you may have met if you attended the BFFI, passed away at the beginning of December. He had fought very bravely with cancer for over 3 years. It was his expertise with colour that produced all the brilliant shades, he was the sorcerer and I the apprentice so whether the range will expand will depend on how successful I am at dyeing.
Happy New Year
Kind regards
Carol

Alright that was the letter. I sent her another one today. I was not clear in my question of the colors. I wanted to know when the SF colors would hit the American market. (I thought in addition to the regular Pearsall's colors) I was not wanting them to come up with additional colors in my question, than what they already dye. I meant when would we be able to acquire this in USA shops for purchase. It is costly to buy in pounds, and have shipping to the USA. I sure hope they will have them brought in to us, for our tying needs. We may not be able to buy all the exact colors from before. Instead we may only get what Langley/SF has that they regularly produce. I am still unclear on that.