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Congrats on finishing the tiger, and good luck on the water!

Such beautiful work

Thanks, everyone! But OUCH!!! I've done some more background and it is so tough pulling the thread through that I have stabbed my finger several times already with the hole end of the needle, besides them all being sore from tugging the needle through the fabric!

But I'll post an update tomorrow if I can; I have my eldest daughter staying for a few days so don't have much time on computer!

Here we are. I broke my needle doing that black bit at the top right! And my fingers are SO sore! I have 3 colours to do with 6 strands, all the rest are 5, and 4 iirc; they will seem like a doddle in comparison!
One thing I am sure of: I will NEVER again do any design that requires me to use more than 4 strands! Yes, I know the finished effect will be well worth it - but I like to enjoy my stitching, not spend my time swearing at it!

It looks gorgeous. what is the fabric count? did I miss it in the early posts? using more than 3 strands is something I don't think I have done at all. maybe on one baby afghan which had some patterns like 4 over 2 on 11 ct so it was pretty big. I'm having a hard time on some of the 2 over 1's on my 25 ct. I know it will be worth it, but ooooooo your poor fingers.

Carole

It's looking wonderful

So beautiful. Having sore fingers will be well worth it in the end! It's wonderful

beautiful!!

I agree that stitching should be fun -- however beautiful the result, you don't want to do this "ordeal by needle" too often!

But then you see another design that just speaks to your heart and before you know it you're doing another one with that stitch/feature that you swore you'd never do again

No! No! Please don't say that, Mabel!

Carole, it only standard 14ct aida, but very stiff fabric, and so much thread to pull through the holes that I now understand why my mum used pliers with her tapestries! I sit there tugging away and cussing and wishing for pliers myself...

Fljotsdale wrote:One thing I am sure of: I will NEVER again do any design that requires me to use more than 4 strands! Yes, I know the finished effect will be well worth it - but I like to enjoy my stitching, not spend my time swearing at it!

I am definitely with you there Fljotsdale. There were many times while I was pulling 6 strands through and doing endless half cross stitches that I craved two stranded full cross stitches.... you have done this so much more quickly than me, I am seriously impressed

It was worth it though, I am very proud of the end result

meerkat, I am just trying to get the bulk of the 6-strand stitches over and done with! I swear I'm getting callouses on my fingers and thumb! But still - when the two shades in that top right corner are done, there isn't a great deal more 6-strand to do. Some on the left, and a bit each side at the bottom. Then on to the 5- and 4-strands...

And so you should be proud of your work! I didn't realise how proud until I got to stitching it myself!

I can't imagine using 6 strands on a 14 ct Aida.

Sorry to hear about your troubles, but love seeing this one grow!!

Broken another needle doing the 6-strand (I think it's all that savage tugging and waggling the needle to get it through ), but happily I don't have to do any more for a bit! Working on 5-strand at the moment, which is somewhat easier.
There is actually a bit of misplaced stitching in there, but I think it won't notice with all that splashy water effect...

as Myrtle said in another post, misplaced stitching is what makes our pieces unique.
I think you are doing a magnificent job. Just think how easy it will feel when you are back to using 3 and 2 strands of thread. (Do you do any 2's? I was sure you said 3's but couldn't remember exactly).

Carole

Wow,he looks spectacular..I'm doing a design at the moment that uses 3 stands of thread,and i thought that was bad enough,but 6.And there i was looking forward to starting my Tiger .

rcperryls wrote: as Myrtle said in another post, misplaced stitching is what makes our pieces unique.
I think you are doing a magnificent job. Just think how easy it will feel when you are back to using 3 and 2 strands of thread. (Do you do any 2's? I was sure you said 3's but couldn't remember exactly).

Carole

The tiger was 2-strand normal crosses!

And thank you for encouraging comments!

Gorgeous piece! And I agree, misplaced stitches especially in "blurry" background don't even need to be mentioned. We all do it!

Cockneystitcher wrote:Wow,he looks spectacular..I'm doing a design at the moment that uses 3 stands of thread,and i thought that was bad enough,but 6.And there i was looking forward to starting my Tiger .

The 5 and 6 -strand areas are tough, but the rest is fine! Don't let my moans and groans put you off!
Yes, he is looking good, isn't he? Thank you! I want to do the back stitch to really bring him out, but I'm leaving it to the end. I always do back stitch last. It's not that I LIKE back stitch - it's that it gives the final impact and feels like 'completion'.