Ruth's Tip for Counting A Background Stitch

Ruth Schmuff of Bedecked and Beadazzled has created a trellis pattern for the body of the dog in the canvas she's currently teaching as a mystery project.  The dog has leaves and flowers painted on his body and the stitch she's chosen for his fur is supposed to not cover those leaves and flowers.  How to cope?!

Ruth, being a genius, has a fun way of marking the stitch out she has chosen, making it very easy to work the stitch, even if you do have to compensate around the leaves and flowers.  (If you need help with compensation, follow Ruth's link to her explanation of how compensation works.)

https://bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/2024/02/counting-tip/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright February 5, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

More New Tools From Elsewhere

I have more new tools you might find useful.  Janet Perry reviews Gail Callahan's Color Grid, created to help knitters with their colors.  The second link is to Gail's website, The Kangaroo Dyer.
http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/color-grid-product-review/

http://www.kangaroodyer.com/our_products/color-grid.html

The Stitcherista is using counting pins to mark areas on her canvas.  She doesn't specify which Etsy seller she got hers from, but it appears to be TJB Designs (second link) which also sells beaded scissor fobs, needle threaders, and stitch pickers.
http://stitcherista.blogspot.com/2014/02/progress-purchase-and-perle-cotton.html

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TJBdesigns?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright Feb. 19, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

March Shop Newsletters

Amy Bunger's shop newsletter for March is online, full of fun new things to look at!  She shows off photos of two new sets of Victorian Kids from Melissa Shirley (Easter kids and Irish ones for St. Patty's Day) plus an Easter house, photos of new colors of various threads from Rainbow Gallery for the threadaholics (including a glow in the dark orange Neon Rays Plus), new magnet styles and buttons both with an Easter flair, and a bonus bunny Easter Egg drawing you can transfer to a piece of plain canvas and stitch according to Amy's instructions.  If you've ever wanted to try one of Amy's stitch guides, this is a good way to indulge yourself, although you will have to buy some of the newly introduced threads or substitute from your stash if you are being thrifty this month.
http://www.amybunger.com/f/0313.pdf

There is also a review of Julia Snyder's newest book, Great Layers for Needlepoint.  Plus Amy talks about the use of counting pins and does a mini review of the new ones from Puffin and Company.  There is also a sneak peek at the stitching on the Anne Cleves section of the Home Study canvas Amy is going to offer in 2013!  This is a Tudor-themed canvas for the English history buff from JP Needlepoint.  If you thought about taking this class from Amy but haven't signed up yet, read this section carefully.

Bedecked and Beadazzled's newsletter is ready for viewing as well.  Besides all the wonderful classes and the new cupcake club from Melissa Shirley, Ruth shows us how to brick stitch bead and explains how that looks compared to regular beading where you attach beads like tent stitches.  Then she shows off new canvases that are arriving daily.
http://www.bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/needlepoint/downloads/bedeckednewsmarch2013.pdf

Gosh, the newsletters are full of interesting stuff!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Clever Counting of Hours Spent

Janet Granger has a very clever way of keeping track of the number of hours she's spent on a large project. If you also like knowing how many hours you've put into a piece, read this.
http://janetgranger.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/celtic-autumn-in-alternative-colours-1/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

What Count?

Janet Perry has posted about how to figure out the count of a piece of needlepoint canvas. It's obvious to us old timers but not so obvious for beginners, and Janet's included a bit about the tools you can use to determine canvas count, which might be very useful to a shop that needs to do this constantly.
http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/what-mesh-is-it

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com