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Hello, sorry I don't have any words of wisdom! I thought that was an excellent question.
I have never done any grids before, but that was due to working on 14ct Aida.
With all the great advice on the forum, that will help me decide on how to grid my
future project .

Warm regards,
Sandra

You asked about colours running - by and large if you are using anchor or DMC you won't get colour run in a cold wash.

If you are using anything else you need to be careful and test with a spare scrap first. If you are using hand dyed threads you need to be VERY careful.

Thank you Mystonique. I swear by DMC threads, so that's pretty much all I use...unless I'm doing a kit.

with regards to washing projects, I always wash mine and so far have never had colours run.

I tend to use lukewarm/cool water and the brighter and more vibrant the colours, the cooler I keep the water for the first rinse.

Hope you don't mind me hijacking the thread but it is a gridding question. Any tips on how to grid on 32 count linen for 2 over 2? Sorry, never worked on 32 count before and only gridded on lower counts.

Many thanks for your help.

Anna Marie x

I only ever grid for HAEDs stitched over 1, but whatever method you've used to grid on larger counts will work on your 32ct - the difference being that instead of gridding to make squares that are 10 x 10 (10 holes up by 10 holes across) you will be gridding 20 x 20 blocks as you are stitching over 2 threads. Hope I aven't confused you more!

Mrs Milkybar Kid wrote:I only ever grid for HAEDs stitched over 1, but whatever method you've used to grid on larger counts will work on your 32ct - the difference being that instead of gridding to make squares that are 10 x 10 (10 holes up by 10 holes across) you will be gridding 20 x 20 blocks as you are stitching over 2 threads. Hope I aven't confused you more!

Hi Amanda. Thank you. I'm really excited about stitching on 32ct linen but dare I say it, I'm nervous about where to start! Thought if I start by gridding a few blocks, that would be a good start. Deep breaths and relaaaaxxxxx.

You'll be fine! What I am about to say is by no means a hard and fast rule (your stitching will not unravel if you don't do it!), but it can be a useful guide to check that your counting is on track - especially on linen when the holes are sometimes not evenly placed and difficult to see on a particularly slubby piece. It concerns where you begin your first stitch when stitching over 2 and can help prevent your thread from going under the weave of the fabric, especially if you have very tight tension. Diagrams and explanations can be found here - not sure if you knew about it and apologies if you do! If you always begin the first leg of your cross to the left of a "vertical thread on top" it helps "lock" the stitch and prevents slippage, but also if your needle come up to start a stitch to the left of a horizontal thread you know you've missed a hole somewhere!

Don't worry if this all sounds like gibberish due to my poor explanation, as you stitch on the linen you'll probably get more of an idea of what I'm on about! As I say it won't make a difference to the look of your stitching, just a good habit to get into when stitching over 2.

Hi Amanda. I hadn't seen this explanation and it's really helpful, so I've book marked it on my computer. I will have a better look when I'm a bit more switched on . It's been a long day. Think I need to have a go stitching to get a feel for things. All being well, it will be ok but I may well post a pic to double check. Thank you for your help.

Anna-Marie x