Need help!!!

[Victoria1234]

Hello, I am new here. Relatively new to cross stitch. I have done quite a number of small ones and now onto my first mid-size larger kind of one.
I have somehow managed to mis-count somewhere and have kind of gone too far to really want to un-stitch it all!!
Does anyone have any tips or help of what you do when this happens?? (If it has happened to anyone??)

Any help appreciated!! Thanks

[Rose]

Well it really depends on what the pattern is. Can you re-adjust the pattern to hid the problem? I have done this before but it really depends on what the design can hide.

[freelady]

Unless you can alter the design as Rose said, or can carry on without it showing too mcuh, your first step will be to find out where you went wrong. It's a real drag going row by row back over what you've done, comparing chart to stitches, but I don't know any other way unless you can see it. When you know where you went wrong - and how far back - you can decide whether to unpick or what.

I'm sorry it's happened and hope it's an easy fix.

[Victoria1234]

Thanks for that. I thought that might be the case.
I was trying so hard to make this one perfect..i hope I can cover it up because it will be really beautiful and the cottons arn't from my country so I'm afraid if I unpick (and i may ruin some of the cotton like I have in the past) I wont be able to find matching colours!!!

[agi]

I hope you can find a solution

[orchid]

I've done that soooo many times! Hope you can just work around it and if you have to unpick I hope it's not too much x

[frankattleborough]

I did that on the first largeish one I made, but fortunately I could adjust it so that it didn't notice. All I can say is, have a good look and see if you can find where you went wrong then see if you can adjust the design to put it back on the right track.

If you can make it look ok then only you will know!!

Good luck with it.

[Squirrel]

I agree with all the advice given here.

I have done this on a biggish one and thankfully was able to adjust the stitching and continue. Just remember, you are the only one who knows you went wrong and if its not really noticeable then try to adjust fuuture stitches.

Squirrel

[JenEric]

I'm certain all of my pieces have an off stitch, or two, or three ....etc. I like to refer to it as making it a 'custom' piece.

Good luck finding where you are off and I hope you can make an easy fix of it.

[SusanF]

Oh that's so maddening and it happens to us all, new and experienced cross stitchers, so don't be too harsh on yourself. The only advice I can give you for the future is count and count again. If it's a complicated piece, consider gridding the fabric too as that will help you spot errors before it gets to late to frog them. Good luck with fixing your project

[Victoria1234]

What do you mean by gridding the pattern?
Sorry, I never really actually learnt how to do cross-stitching properly lol and so I have no idea about ways of doing it. I only found out the other day that there is a centre point on the pattern!! All this time I thought you just started in a corner somewhere haha. I'm getting there.

[Squirrel]

Hi Victoria,

Gridding is when you mark out your fabric into 10x10 stitch squares. This can be done either by using thread along each line or washable fabric pens. A sort of mirror image of the gridded chart.

It is a help but does take some getting used to. I have only recently tried it using up some old machine thread I have and just cut away each piece of thread as I am begin work on that square, after first checking my stitches are still where they should be.

Squirrel

[agi]

Gridding is really helpful as most of the charts are marked with 10 by 10 squares as weel and it makes it easier to follow the pattern or notice mistakes (at least for me).
Look in the SAL thread where we post pictures of our works in progress and you will find examples with light blue or other coloured lines - that's gridding.

[Lessa54]

How frustrating for you. To add to all the reassurance, it really does happen to us all whether new or experienced stitchers. Hope you can find it easily and it's an easy fix for you.

[Vega]

This happens to me all the time! Have you figured out a way to hide it yet? Remember that you are the only one that sees the pattern. Depending on the piece it might just blend in. I often swap around colors if I miscount. It helps to go back to the pattern and cross off the squares that are already done, then just continue on with the pattern as normal. I've done this on quite a few spots of my current piece.