Etoile, or why are you almost as awful as metallic thread?

Since we discussed my least favorite type of thread last Thursday, I thought we'd spend today discussing it's cousin: shiny, lovely Etoile thread. DMC Etoile thread was introduced in 2018, and is every bit as sparkly as it promised to be. It adds a lovely glitter to pieces, but it's finicky, just like its metallic cousin. The thread is made up of regular cotton and synthetic metallic thread to create the shine. Because of this, it has a mind of its own, especially when you first start stitching with a piece of the thread. Regardless of how gentle I am with my first few stitches, I always have to go back to smooth them out more so it doesn't look messy. Once you use the strand enough, say 4-6 stitches in, the friction from moving it through the fabric seems to "calm" the thread down. 

I really love this thread. It feels special; I use it as frequently as I use regular cotton thread, but it makes a piece feel more elegant or polished. However, it annoys me almost as much. I've never used any type of thread conditioner (like beeswax), but consider doing so whenever I work with Etoile. I bought some recently, but it hasn't arrived yet. I'm also not sure it would be good for this thread because of the metallic element. Loosening the stitch before moving on helps. If it's only a few stitches, I'll sometimes take it out and start over. Since the thread has passed through fabric a few times, it's smoother the second time around.

Today's piece was inspired by the chain stitch. I really wanted to do something with chain stitch today. It's one stitch that occasionally pops in my head and I have to figure out what to do with it that isn't a decorative trim or something similar. There are a ton of variations of the chain stitch; I haven't even started learning them yet. Maybe later this year.

A close up of the way Etoile looks when first stitched. I kept this one in the piece, but normally I try to smooth the threads down more. 

Details:
Stitches: chain stitch, back stitch
Thread palette: DMC C972, C725 (3 strands(