Going to try a new approach

[RichardH]

I bought a kit of a cat that looks like a new cat my grand daughter just got and I thought I would stitch it for her to hang on the wall. It is only a 5x7" but I am totally dissapointed in the kit. They shorted me some of the colors and I think they tried to double up on a couple of the other colors that was close to complete the kit. Also they just sent all of them together and without a color chart, I don't know what color is what by their chart when there are supposed to be 3 or 4 close shades of the same color.. I tried to download a chart on my computer but it isn't that good to go by.
I'm upset also on my stitching. I finished a color in one section last night and started a new color this morning and found I had not counted right for the ones I did last night. I was only off 1 square but I remember double counting last night so I wouldn't make a mistake. I don't think it will be noticable when finished but it aggrevates me that I seem to not be able to count right.
I think in the next one or to finish this one, I am going to thread all the needles with all the colors in the part I am working on and stitch each square one at a time with each color needed for that square so I don't make a mistake in counting.
Well I feel better now that I got that aggrevation out of my system.
Hope no one thinks I'm a complainer because I'm not one to complain much but just thought this would be a good way to get it out of my system and continue on.

Richard

[rcperryls]

This is the best place to have a rant, Richard! We have all been there too. It is so annoying. I stay away from kits because of experiences similar to yours years ago, but I thought most kits have really improved. Miscounting is one of the more aggravating of the things that can go work with a project. I grid my bigger projects and that certainly helps. I can tell the difference when I am working on a project and haven't gridded because I am counting and recounting and rerecounting and then still have made errors.

You could contact the company that manufacture's the kit. Many are more than glad to send you the threads they omitted. Doesn't help that there isn't a color chart. Some colors might be identifiable by the number of threads included. If none of those things will help, then rant away. Take time and go to our Stash and Grab. It is a wonderful virtual getaway. No hangovers, no calories, just a place to get away. Good for ranting and celebrating. Serinde makes sure it is always in top notch condition.

Carole

[Serinde]

has been at it again, it seems. Something soothing from the Stash & Grab could very well be in order... the wood stove was lit this morning so it should be really comfy.

[Nachstenliebe]

I think you are completely within your rights to be unsatisfied with that kit. .. I agree with contacting the company this

[MaggieM1750]

I'm upset also on my stitching. I finished a color in one section last night and started a new color this morning and found I had not counted right for the ones I did last night. I was only off 1 square but I remember double counting last night so I wouldn't make a mistake. I don't think it will be noticeable when finished but it aggravates me that I seem to not be able to count right.

I've been stitching for 10+ years and I don't think I have done one project where I've been able to count correctly all the way through. Most patterns can be adjusted, somewhere.
Don't be too hard on yourself. I do it all the time. Count twice- stitch once.. works most of the time, but not always.

[RichardH]

Well I got it out of my system. Thanks for all the support. I figured I wasn't the only one with this problem but its good to know that others have and still have problems with counting.
rcperryls, how do you grid your projects? Do you draw a line on the fabric and stay within that grid? That sounds like a solution to my problem. I am not wanting to work around 10 different threads hanging from the part I am working on.

Richard

[rcperryls]

We've had lots of discussions about gridding. This one is about washable pens. This one,To Grid or Not to Grid, is another. If you do a search on "how to grid" you will get lots of threads to look through. I use washable pens and have never had a problem with them. Other members favor using threads of different types. I learned about gridding here on the forum and for my BAPs I would be lost without them. Depends on the project of course, but IMHO is definitely worth the time and the effort. Saves me a lot of time in the long run because I catch any mistakes sooner and hopefully it prevents mistakes too!

Carole

[Rose]

Oh this happens all the time. I, like Maggie, do not think I have one project that did not have a mistake or major frogging. It happens and it seems the easier the stitching the worse the mistakes.

[fccs]

Yep, been there done that. Depending on the design, sometimes I frog, sometimes I work around the miscount. (Uh-oh, maybe this should be in the confessions thread.)

I have tried gridding on a couple of my larger WIP's, both with the pens (washable as well as the Frixion ones that will disappear with heat, i.e., blow dryer) and thread. For projects that I might not want to wash or even rinse, thread is a winner. It just takes longer. Beware,, though, when gridding...pay attention. One glance up to the tv or cat, and you can easily be off by one thread. (Another confession?)

Bottom line is don't be too hard on yourself or let it get you down. We've all been there.

[calico]

Every project I've made has a mistake in it. If it can worked around or hidden, I'll go that route ,but sometimes I have no choice but to frog stitch . I have also noticed 99% of my mistakes are made at night and noticed the next morning after my morning
I do a lot of kits and I rarely have trouble with Dimensions ( well sorted colors and plenty of floss) but I've had a few lesser-known kits that don't mark the thread colors and you have to decipher the different shades and do the best you can using the picture and your imagination.

[RichardH]

Thanks everyone. I am over it. I do think that I am going to start doing the pattern draft stitching. That way I can order the right color and mark it with the right number or color name. I am enjoying it too much to think about giving it up. I'll post a picture when I get the one done I am working on.

Thanks
Richard

[NeedleAndFork]

For large patterns I absolutly grid. For smaller items like ornaments, I don't necessarily grid the entire fabric, but I might grid an outline.. Here's an example..



Before starting the ornament I just did a running stitch along the top and down the side, going over and under every 5 threads. Because I'm stitching over 2, one over/under (10 threads) is 5 stitches. I do this around all 4 sides of the piece - the plus side to that is that if the corners don't meet up where they should, I know I counted wrong somewhere and I go back to fix it. Then if needed I'll put in a center line as well, though most likely I'll just make a single stitch perpendicular to the outline to mark where the center is so I have a visual guide. This is enough gridding for me for smaller pieces to help me keep on track with the counting needed. Sometimes if I'm working on a pattern that has lots of unstitched areas making it diffcult to line things up, I might add in some more guide lines to mark where certain elements start and stop so I have additional check points to make sure I am doing things correctly.

[mauveme]

Oh I thought my kit was bad, at least I have enough threads and they were easily sorted, and the mistakes on mine are easily sorted. Complaining is good for you, gets the "mad" out. Good luck with it.

[curly sue]

Here I thought I was the only one with counting problems!

[RichardH]

NeedleAndFork----- Nice stitching. Looks like you have been at it a good while and make your x's look neat.
mauveme------ I'm over it. It just made me mad trying to figure out what they deleted and added to the kit. The number of threads didn't match on some and they just added to one that was close to the color they deleted. It is a picture of a cat and you can imagine all the shades it requires. No problem. No one but me will be able to tell anything is wrong.
curly sue------ Come to find out, we are not alone in our counting mistakes.

Richard

[gparr]

Here I thought I was the only one with counting problems!

Counting? You're supposed to count something? Sure wish someone had mentioned that earlier!
Gary

[sian311]

Its such a pain! I started my HAED on magic aida to avoid any mistskes. After 100 stitches I'd realised i miss counted and wouldn't have enoughfabric to finish it :'( i was do gutted

[NeedleAndFork]

NeedleAndFork----- Nice stitching. Looks like you have been at it a good while and make your x's look neat.

Richard

Thank you! Actually in the greater scheme of things cross stitching is one of my newer hobbies - I learned as a kid, did a couple of small pieces (greeting card type pieces) and never touched it again until a year ago when I discovered HAED and realized that there are much nicer patterns out there now than I remember seeing as a kid.

Add me to those unable to count. That's why I grid the heck out of my stuff. I posted last week about having issues with dividing by two!

[Mrsadm]

Here I thought I was the only one with counting problems!

Counting? You're supposed to count something? Sure wish someone had mentioned that earlier!
Gary

Hah! Thank you so much for the laugh!!