Crossstitchforum - A FREE forum for Cross Stitchers

Is it ok to change needle size half way through a project? or will it be visually noticeable in some way?

I think it should be fine. I've been known to do that a lot especially if one should happen to break and I don't happen to have the proper size on hand. Is the one you are changing to smaller than the one you started with?? If so, I really don't see that there would be a problem--of course unless you are talking much difference in size. Going from 26 to 28 or 24 to 26 should be fine though

I do it all the time since I have all kinds of needles and can't always tell the difference even though I try hard to keep them in separate needle containers. I agree with Karen that going up or down one size doesn't seem to do anything on my pieces.

Carole

Thank you so much for your replies! I so love this forum, Im fairly new to cross stitch and am learning so much!
I finally went to town yesterday and got a photocopy of the chart Im working on and WOW! what a difference it makes being able to mark off what you have done.
I did the first half of the project straight from the library book and was wasting sooooooo much time working out where I was all the time.
Im learning new stuff here everyday!

Hi Helen, whenever I have a new chart to work off, I usually photocopy it and also enlarge it so it is easy to see! Good luck with your projects. I always use the same size needle, but I've never tried changing size. Regards Carla.

Hey Carla, yes I got it enlarged to A3, lovely! my eyes are shocking!
I am working on 11 count aida as my eyes just cant do the 14 count.
Im loving it

Hmmmm think I better rephrase that, there were 4 patterns on the one page so got the whole page done into A3, not just the one little pattern hahaha thankfully my eyes arent that bad yet!

I started The Enchanter trying to do it without marking the chart, and found exactly the same as you... it was a huge waste of time always trying to find your place. I had already copied it out of the book (and enlarged from A4-A3; or for the American types something like letter size to 11x17) but it made a huge difference when I started marking the done bits with highlighters. I wouldn't try to do it any other way now.

Well done and keep stitching!

I'd be in trouble if there was haha.. I can't keep hold of needles to save my life

Hi, all. I wanted to respond to this sooner, but I didn't have anything to say -lol !

But today, I had an experience with changing needle size, that I wanted to share:

When it's time to change colors, if there's still a decent length of thread left, I keep the needle threaded and keep it with its bobbin. (like Carole!!! hah - great minds ...) After awhile, I've used up allllll my needles! Then I have to go to my reserve stash.

My reserve stash is quite irregular, and I grabbed a size 28. Since I like to use size 24's, this was very different for me. I felt it was toooo tiny! I couldn't feel it in my fingers very well, and couldn't use my 2handed stitching technique! For those few stitches, time slowed waaaaaay down as I concentrated really hard.

Also, and this is weird, I felt that the eye was too tight for the floss and I lost some of the "give" and flexibility in tension I'm used to.

The stitches looked fine. There was NO difference there. But the stitching experience was not good.

Perhaps I'm just not a very "delicate" stitcher!!! -lol

Pattibelle, what you experienced is totally normal, your finger are used to the feeling of the 24 size and it take awhile to adapt to the different size and weight. I has similar issue when I first tried the 28 petite that is really tiny but after an hour or so I was back to my usual rhythm and enjoying my new needle! actually the fact that it is shorter, after you get use to it, make the stitching faster

Laughin-Stitches, about marking the chart, I have trouble finding my place too and I discovered that the best way to keep my track is to highlight with yellow or another light color the squares I am going to stitch and, after I stitched them, go over the squares in the chart with a green or another darker color highlighter. Made it even easier for me.
It is also nice to see the chart get darker and darker and see how few is left to go

Laughin-Stitches wrote:Is it ok to change needle size half way through a project? or will it be visually noticeable in some way?

I use different sizes all the time without any visual problems

I do it all the time and I can't see where it's happened BUT a lady in my tapestry class was able to pick it - she's never seen me cross stitch, I didn't say anything and she looked at my finished work and promptly announced "you've been using different size needles to do this - look here, you shouldn't because you can see the change in tension and ridging"

I couldn't see any change even when she pointed at it ... so I still do it

Mystonique wrote:I do it all the time and I can't see where it's happened BUT a lady in my tapestry class was able to pick it - she's never seen me cross stitch, I didn't say anything and she looked at my finished work and promptly announced "you've been using different size needles to do this - look here, you shouldn't because you can see the change in tension and ridging"

I couldn't see any change even when she pointed at it ... so I still do it

Hahaha bet that freaked you out haha it would me.

Before i joined here i had not realised there were different size needles for a reason i had just assumed it was for stitchers preference but now i have tried the "correct" size for the fabric i have to say its made it easier to pull through the fabric but i cant see any difference in the actual stitching itself if that makes any sense

Mystonique wrote:I do it all the time and I can't see where it's happened BUT a lady in my tapestry class was able to pick it - she's never seen me cross stitch, I didn't say anything and she looked at my finished work and promptly announced "you've been using different size needles to do this - look here, you shouldn't because you can see the change in tension and ridging"

I couldn't see any change even when she pointed at it ... so I still do it

I can't imagine being able to point out something like that. Of course, if no one else can see it, then she could point it out anywhere, couldn't she? I don't think I would let her look at my projects, because I know she would be horror stricken

Carole

Myst, that's not the same lady as the one with the bug's eye is it? She sounds formidable!

Reminds me of a story a music teacher told me, regarding a young lad that her family used to take along to classical music concerts. He would bring a score and point out mistakes... finally her mother told him that "this is not why we go listen to music."

elenmirie it is the same lady but that was before she took to it with the bugs eye.

And "that's not why I stitch" either