The problem I had with the Hungarian and Mosaic stitches' appearance was solved in this way: I reduced the number of strands to 6, and I stripped them prior to stitching. I also began using a laying tool (a large tapestry needle) to keep the strands separate and parallel when putting down each stitch. This has solved the problem almost completely, although I can see that different stitches may require different number of strands depending on the canvas. This is only going to be figured out by experimentation.
How did I come to the solution? I consulted a mailing list (ang list) I discovered on the American Needlepoint Guild website. At first I thought it was members-only but when I saw the fine print saying anyone could join, HUZZAH! I read the rules and a couple weeks of digests and then fired away. All I can say is: What a great group of people. In one day, I got faster, smarter, better -- if I had resigned myself to trial and error, I'd still be trying to solve my problem.
Here are two pages on using Laying Tools given to me by the ANG listserv folks or that I found:
How to Use a Laying Tool
Laying Threads
Showing posts with label hungarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hungarian. Show all posts
December 12, 2007
Hungarian and Mosaic
For my second stitch, after the Straight Gobelin, I chose the Hungarian. It is a series of straight stitches of different sizes to achieve a patterned effect that's quite striking.
Because I had a problem with canvas coverage on the Straight Gobelin, I thought a bit on how to solve this problem before starting the Hungarian. My only thought was perhaps I needed additional strands of floss in order to ensure adequate coverage. My reading of "The Needlepoint Book" indicated this could definitely be done, and when I looked through the instructions of the kit I purchased, I noticed it devoted some space to how many strands of fiber are needed for specific stitches and fiber type. So I started the Hungarian with a 6-strand unstripped 18" length of floss and an additional 3 strands stripped from another 18" length -- a total of 9 strands.
For awhile I was pleased. I couldn't see any canvas and the stitching was, indeed, beautiful! However, inspecting it more closely when I finished, I couldn't help feel that it was a bit fuzzy, and the pattern was not quite as defined as in the picture in the book.
However, I went on to the Mosaic stitch, a diagonal multi-stitch pattern of squares. It also turned out quite nice but by this time I really felt that my plan to use 9 strands of floss was probably flawed. Again, the stitch pattern was fuzzy, and on the diagonal stitches I really couldn't see the definition. It was pretty muddy.
A further problem was that it was very difficult to get the needle through the canvas. So much so that the pads on my thumb and finger were quite sore and I often had to put quite a bit of muscle behind each stitch. I couldn't imagine that anyone would declare needlepoint "fun" with that kind of labor, so something was amiss.
Because I had a problem with canvas coverage on the Straight Gobelin, I thought a bit on how to solve this problem before starting the Hungarian. My only thought was perhaps I needed additional strands of floss in order to ensure adequate coverage. My reading of "The Needlepoint Book" indicated this could definitely be done, and when I looked through the instructions of the kit I purchased, I noticed it devoted some space to how many strands of fiber are needed for specific stitches and fiber type. So I started the Hungarian with a 6-strand unstripped 18" length of floss and an additional 3 strands stripped from another 18" length -- a total of 9 strands.
For awhile I was pleased. I couldn't see any canvas and the stitching was, indeed, beautiful! However, inspecting it more closely when I finished, I couldn't help feel that it was a bit fuzzy, and the pattern was not quite as defined as in the picture in the book.
However, I went on to the Mosaic stitch, a diagonal multi-stitch pattern of squares. It also turned out quite nice but by this time I really felt that my plan to use 9 strands of floss was probably flawed. Again, the stitch pattern was fuzzy, and on the diagonal stitches I really couldn't see the definition. It was pretty muddy.
A further problem was that it was very difficult to get the needle through the canvas. So much so that the pads on my thumb and finger were quite sore and I often had to put quite a bit of muscle behind each stitch. I couldn't imagine that anyone would declare needlepoint "fun" with that kind of labor, so something was amiss.
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