What do you find annoying

[Rose]

in a pattern? So we are asked if we like B&W or Colors charts but what do we all find annoying in a chart.

One thing I hate is using similar symbols!!! There are 1000's of symbols out there so why do they find it necessary to use mirror images < and > or symbols the look a like but with a small different like a box and then a box in a box. Come on designers with so many symbols out there I am sure you can find symbols that don't look so much alike as to make it difficult to figure out what color to use.

So that is my #1 annoyance what is yours?

Oh there are more but I will give you all a chance to share some of your pet peeves.

[kimkat_tkl]

One of the things I find annoying is a chart with the colours and symbols listed on the back, so whenever you want to change colour you have to turn over the chart to work out what it is!

The other really silly thing that just bugs me is when a chart has a odd number of stitches in a direction that the half way arrow is usually put in the middle of the stitch. I don't know about anyone else, but when I find the centre of my fabric it usually is down a row of holes!

[agi]

What I found annoying lately, although it was only the one case, was the gridding on teh Ink Circle carpet page design. They gave us the whole frame first, with the 10x10 grids. I gridded my fabric (luckily,only the top half at the time - sometimes it is good to be lazy ). Then came the first installment - and the grids on it did not match the grids on the frame chart. It made my life really difficult. And I was so annoyed with it, that I didn't grid the rest of the fabric, and now, with the last few designs I feel that I am missing it, it makes my work much slower - so I will draw the lines for the two remaining sections when the charts come out.

Also, speaking of the symbols, my PCStitch program has very similar ones as default. It took me a while to figure out how I can change them so they are more different.

[RosemaryH]

I agree totally with the sentiments on similar symbols, bad enough to have them on a chart in the first place but they so often also have these symbols side by side.

Rosemary

[minij]

When they put one part of the chart on one side and the other on the back surely for the price of another piece of paper they could use another sheet so you can overlap them and lay them side by side, I can get round it by photocopying but not everyone has the use of a photocopier and when you have paid for a chart you shouldn't have to if you don't want to.
I also agree with Rose about the symbols

[Jilly]

That is bad Agi
I dislike symbols that look very alike.
Multi page charts with no cross over squares.
Hand drawn type charts that look really shaky and wobbly,I like my charts clear and neat.
Backstitch lines that obliterate symbols.
Sooooo fussy

[K1nS]

I think I have to agree with you rose on the similar symbols... I was working on my popcorn and it had one symbol which was a coloured in square and it had another one which was exactly the same but had a tiny white line through which you could only see if you looked really close... I just don't understand why they do that

[coffee_freak]

yeah like the one i'm working on..

one symbol is this \\
and the other is //
and a few places in the chart..they are RIGHT next to each other

[Nylarim]

Symbols that are very similar to each other. I am working with the symbol U and beside is another U in slightly triangled at the bottom, the other,little squarish and they're both in blue. Drive me nuts. I met a woman who changes symbols to her own liking using PC Stitch. I'm tempting to do this myself after all stitching should be a pleasure but it takes time to do this and I want more stitching time.
Symbols that are the same, one in B&W the other in color like in Dimension's.

[kerbear879]

On my fractal, they did all the symbols as letters of the alphabet so I've got capital and lower case letters..seriously..talk about annoying!

[Mabel Figworthy]

Oooh Kerbear that does sound annoying! Yes, similar symbols is my main gripe, I think, although using dark symbols for light colours or vice versa, or having the whole chart in the same sort of greyishness (I mean that if you look at it from a distance it all looks the same shade and you can't "see" the design in it) comes a close second!

[Busy_B]

On my fractal, they did all the symbols as letters of the alphabet so I've got capital and lower case letters..seriously..talk about annoying!

Especially when there's 70-90 colors! I'm working on one of the fractals that has over 70 colors and it does get annoying at times!

[RitaW]

Definately symbols that are very similar to each other(have made a mistake because of this)
Rita xx

[Lisa]

oh yes def the symbols, ravens cow now has black hair because of this

[Sarah Gixxer]

I agree, symbols are a pain for me too.

The software I have for creating my own charts uses numbers to begin with, ie ) 0, 1, 2, 3 and so on and when it runs out of numbers it starts on ! and ? and % etc etc.
But it also uses commas and full stops! Trying to deciper . from , and : and ; is a nightmare!!

[Jilly]

Yup!

[Jess03]

I know what you men Bert, that has gotta be really annoying You'd think they all used 10x10 squares wouldnt you?

I hate the use similar symbols aswell On my wren cross stitch they use 2 arrows, one pointing up, the other to the right. I read the thread card the wrong way (I read it landscape instead of portrait >.<), and ended up doing huge chunks of the up arrow in the right arrow colour

I will also never touch a coloured chart, I like using my highlighter to fill in charts and will go through all the trouble of scanning the chart into the pc and printing it out black and white. (I feel terrible aswell because I gave my mum a cross stitch of some blue tits at christmas and its got a coloured chart I made her a black and white copy instead, cause its just mean to give someone a coloured chart for their first cross stitch )

[mauveme]

My two pet peeves are similar symbols and backstitching that obliterates what you are supposed to be doing underneath.
Also, ,very very pale grey ink, and they are usually tiny too. One of the stitching mags are always like that. Dont buy them anymore.

[nettie]

I hate it when they print the chart on both sides of the paper and have the backstitch over the chart so it blocks out the actual stitches. How difficult is it to print the charts on one side only and a seperate sheet for backstitch.

[Dazbo666]

mauveme beat me to it... My pet hate at the moment is when the backstitching is marked on the chart right over the top of a symbol.
It seems to be happening much too regularly with my current Lickle Ted project