Kit or No Kit....what is your preference

[stitchenaddict]

So I've heard a few of you talking about kits that you are stitching. Personally, I can't make myself stitch something that is in a kit. I guess it is an independence thing, because I just want to have the choice of changing the fabric color and maybe adjusting colors.

What do you prefer? Am I the only one that feels this way?

[Angel]

I prefer to stitch kits, but just because it's a kit doesn't mean I can't change colours or fabrics or anything. It just mean that I can start stitching the moment it arrives pretty much. Kitting up is annoying because it takes so much time to sift through my stash.

[stitchenaddict]

That's a good point.

[karen4bells]

I definitely prefer to buy charts rather than kits--I find it so much easier as I already have most of the dmc colors and that way I can use whatever fabric I want as well as make adjustments on the thread colorations.

[Wandatoo]

I'm a 'no kit' person. I've tried a couple, but neither of them had the threads sorted or numbered, which really bugged me. I hated trying to identify them and keep them neat. I should probably have wound them all onto bobbins, but didn't think of that at the time.

I'm more of a 'book' person -- have probably more than I'll ever be able to use ("And your point is . . .?" ) I keep all the DMC colours on hand so I can stitch anything that appeals to me from my books.

[Rose]

For the most part I buy charts not kits. There are a few kits that I bought because that was the only way to get the chart. Back before I had a million patterns and no self control.

[pamelam]

I stitch from kits more than charts. I find it easy to have all the floss right there, but I will make color changes if I want to.

[Loopy]

I'm not fussed by kit or chart. I stitch what appeals to me, however it comes.

As for kits - I normally change the threads out anyway, with a combination of my stash or I buy some new ones. And fabric is the same, I either use what they have supplied, or change to what I feel like.

But no, I'm not put off if it comes in one form or another.

[kell]

I get most of my designs either as freebies from online, charts in magazines or books, or I design them myself, but I do enjoy stitching up the little freebie kits from magazines and I have a few bookmark kits too. I recently finished stitching a Charlie's Ark kit which was a delight to work on. I suppose I'm a "best of both worlds" kind of stitcher then. I do like to use my own colour choices and fabrics, but sometimes it's noce to have everything ready to go.

[Fljotsdale]

I usually use kits, because everything is ready to go. Nice and easy.

I also just get a chart, sometimes, and get fabric and threads as I can afford them. I don't have much fabric stash, and all quite small pieces, so it means buying new stuff, which is sometimes a pleasure and sometimes a bit of a pain. I also don't have a huge amount of thread stash, so I mostly have to buy that new as well, if I get just a chart.

I'm also a book person. I have quite a decent stash of cross stitch books, and I always MEAN to stitch the charts, but somehow I never have... Mainly, I must add, because of the time, and trouble needed to buy the stuff to stitch 'em. so I prefer kits.

Having said that, I'm getting a HAED.

[nettie]

I have no preference although I have mainly worked from kits in the last few years. I have hundreds of magazine charts to do so hopefully I can get around to doing some once I have finished all the UFO's I have!

[MaggieM1750]

I am a both kind of person. There are certainly many more charts out there than there are kits. And with how easy it is to download a chart.. designs are much more accessible than if they were only sold as a kit in a store.

Most of my past work has been from kits- basically because I didn't want to invest much in a hobby I wasn't sure I would stick with. Charts (plus fabric and thread) are usually a higher investment than kits are- especially at the begining when you don't have stash to grab from.

And while you can easily personalize a chart to your liking, you can do that with a kit as well. I have changed hair and eye colors, switched flower coloring. I have started working on modifing a kit I have already stitched. I am adding a few more people to the design so that it is representative of my family. It was a kit, but I am making it my own.

[Angel]

Just to add, my main fear with Charts is of cutting the fabric the wrong size. I have dyscalculia which means even though I can do maths...I can't read the numbers all the time. So while I know the count of my fabric and the space of the designs...I'm not destined to actually come to the right number and I'm certainly not destined to translate that correctly onto my measuring tape. I've been known to read a calculater six different ways at different times of the day...with the exact same number there. I know the number, but it doesn't get translated right. If that makes sense. And even people who can read numbers get it wrong on occassion (Who had the HEAD design that they had to restart because they didn't take into account framing?). So that's my major reason for looking for kits over charts. It's also why when I do work from charts I start in a corner on a fat quarter and stitch until I have the length and width stitched. Only then do I cut my material.

It's not paranoia if the numbers really are out to get you.

[Play Outside]

Charts for me! I change colors, fabrics, and designs frequently, so I'd rather not pay extra for things I won't use which will just clutter up my stash basket. I occasionally buy kits when there is no other way to get the pattern...but...

[socialsue]

I am a both kind of person.

If I plan to stitch something with a theme in mind, then I look among my collection of cross-stitching books and freebies, as well as my cross-stitching magazines. Gifts for family members and friends.

However, if I am going to be travelling, it is alot easier to just take a kit or 2 and my q-snaps, magnetic board and scissor. I put the nbr of bobbins that I will need to do the threads from the kits, ziplock baggies and floss tag ring to keep the flossies in one place. I don't have much room to take all of my floss boxes, a collection of fabrics, etc in my RV or the car.

socialsue

[lag28wa]

Since I am pretty new to cross-stitch I have only done kits. I don't think I could design my own at this time, and I liked that the kits had every thing I needed to complete the project. Since starting though I have changed colors and fabrics or made modifications from kits. I don't have much stash, but charts appeal to me just the same, I would like to get a good variety of threads stashed first though.

And I really like the books and pamphlets, but for smaller projects like cards, bookmarks, bread cloths, etc. If its something super huge I generally feel more comfortable with a kit. I don't know why.

[milkmaid]

i personally prefure charts although i am working on a kit at the moment ,,i'm not great with colours ,and find that i have a lot of trouble sorting the threads if they are not aready sorted ,and if i buy a chart i can walk into town from work gets me out in the lunch hour and buy a few at a time so i can spend a bit at a time when i can afford it

[violin]

When I first stared stitching i used kits, now i use my own fabric and threads, doesn't take long toget them together as i have them all organised I know whaer each one is.

[Kute Kitty]

I prefer to go from charts than kits. I worked from a kit recently and wanted to change one thread from two strands to three, but there wasn't enough thread provided for that flexibility - if I'm working from a chart on my own terms as it were, there is

[Lessa54]

I tend to do charts more than kits now, mainly because the designs I prefer are often charts. Since I like doing big ones, I shudder to think how much a kit might cost - especially after having seen what Golden Kite charges

I'm not adverse to kits though for the right thing. For example I did an afghan from a kit because I was finding it hard to get a chart of designs that I liked, matched to the correct afghan fabric and then of course add the floss. When I was working it out, it was adding up to significantly more than the kit cost. Also, the things I do rarely, such as bookmarks, I prefer to do from kits as I just don't use much aida band so don't keep it around.

I have a plan to learn hardanger at some point too and after an initial practise, I'll probably do a couple of the classic embroidery kits to see how I get on before I start any serious stash investment there.