Turnberry Ridge: Four-Way Continental

I finished the Four-Way Continental around the inner diamond of Turnberry Ridge. Although I started out using a vertical orientation for stitching, I moved to a horizontal one, as I found it much easier to manage against all the diagonals and stepping eyelet stitches. It looks good and I finally got the hang of managing the tension of Fiesta -- I don't have any actual lessons to impart there other than to be firm yet gentle. Helpful, eh?

The next stitch I am working on is framing the eyelets. I believe it is a back stitch. The stitching guide provides for fully framing each eyelet in a square before moving on to the next one, but I found that that involved a lot of carrying of thread across the back of the work (through the gobelins, an overworked row of stitches if there ever was one). Instead, I've modified the instructions to do the back stitches down a cascading step, framing two sides of each eyelet on the way down. Once I've completed on cascade, I start at the middle left and do the stitches down the other sides of the eyelets, making them completely framed. I am still able to follow the stitching guide, just in longer lines of stitches without any carrying of thread. Since this is also in Fiesta, it is very helpful for managing the tension, as I think every time I have to carry it, it slips somewhat.

I am only a quarter done with the eyelet framing. I am very anxious to make progress, as I received the first batch of Jim Wurth's Dodecahedron kits and am dying to start those too!

More Cashmere, Shading, Waste Knots

I have continued quite successfully with the Van Dyke and Cashmere stitches. Once the Van Dyke columns are lined up side-by-side, the disproportion I was seeing between the right and left sides disappears, which is good to know. As I create larger sections of stitches, I'm appreciating the effect of laying the threads -- even from a distance, the reflection of light enhances the pattern so that the stitch definition can still be discerned -- and these are tiny stitches!

Combining Cashmere with Mosaic was helpful in creating continuity in an unusually shaped space. Since they look very similar but differ in dimension (rectangle v. square) they can be paired together at those odd issues.

I had some fun using two colors of threads in my Cashmere stitch. I was thinking about ways to transition colors and didn't bother to look in "The Needlepoint Book" first. My mistake, I made it much harder than it is. What I tried to do was stitch Cashmere stitches partially with one color (there are four diagonal stitches in a Cashmere, I would stitch between 1 - 3, leaving blank space for the other color) in areas where I eventually wanted to transition. Then I when I was ready to move on to the next color, I would stitch in the blank spaces.

Here's two things I learned about this:

• It's really important that the shades by very close to each other in order to make the transition subtle. I can imagine situations where you would want a striking transition from one color to another, but if you are looking for subtlety, shade differences should be minimal.
• "The Needlepoint Book" has a great section on shading. The revolutionary idea I couldn't come up with on my own: use strand combinations of different colors to transition WITHIN stitches. Angels flew down from heaven to sing and strum harps while I reveled in this discovery.
• This is a third point but has nothing to do with shading. "The Needlepoint Book" has an entire section about the necessity of stripping threads and using a laying tool. Its a bit later in the book about projects and design, so I glossed over it in my eagerness to get started.
  

I've also gotten pretty good with the waste knot. This is much easier than holding the thread end under the canvas until it gets buried, although it does require that you have a "plan" when you get started stitching. Also, I suspect it would not work as well with line stitches. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it, I think.

Van Dyke, Slanted Gobelin, Cashmere

After learning how to strip strands and use a laying tool, I was ready to tackle some more stitches. There are so many to choose from in "The Needlepoint Book" it was pretty difficult -- but I settled on the "Van Dyke."

My first attempt was done with 6 strands of stripped floss. I also had the column of stitches abut up to the previous work I had done with the Straight Gobelin and the Hungarian. I encountered two problems.

The first problem was that by abutting it next to my 9-strand monstrosity stitches, it was very difficult to see the canvas clearly on the left side. I am not sure every stitch made it into the right hole -- even though I used the laying tool to push strands aside to see better. Although this may be an unavoidable problem for "real" projects that I will have to practice to overcome, I think for the sampler it is a good idea to try new stitches away from others or at least against fairly thin or flat stitch groupings.

The other problem was that 6 strands was way too thick. Instead of being an attractive pseudo-braid marching down the canvas, I have a rather lumpy and decidedly off-kilter caterpillar... thing. Frustrated with this, I ended the stitch pattern prematurely and did a little randomly-placed Slanted Gobelin instead, which is much easier and was therefore more satisfactory.

Not to be undone, I tackled the Van Dyke a second time. This time, I used a much lighter-hued floss so as to better see the stitch and reduced the strand count to 4. I also started in a blank space to the right of my previous work so I would have a clear view of the canvas. Success! The stitch came out MUCH clearer and less lumpy -- the caterpillar became a butterfly. The second column's backing did not turn out as well, I stopped looking at the book and unconsciously changed the stitch order. Although the right-side of the canvas looks correct, the backside does not have as good a backing because of my changes. I definitely need to refer to the stitch instructions more frequently until the order is burnt into my brain.

In order to fill the space between the Van Dyke and the rest of the sampler, I did some 4-stranded Cashmere stitches, along with some more Slanted Gobelin. I really like the appearance of the Cashmere stitch, and it had good coverage of the canvas. I think it would be worth giving the Mosaic a retry with only 4 strands.

Solving the Problem: Strip Strands and a Laying Tool

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

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.

The First Stitch: Straight Gobelin

The first stitch I selected to do for my sampler is the Straight Gobelin. It seems simple, but it tossed me right into my first problem.

I selected a skein of floss from my floss purchases (a dark red), threaded a needle (size 18) and started in the upper left corner with an 18" length. Since I was a little leery of the waste knot method of starting, I instead pulled the needle and thread through until about an inch was left on the backside of the canvas, and then held it with my free hand while I did the first couple of stitches so it would be caught in the back by the work. This seems to work fairly well but is a bit of a pain because the thread has to be held.

After a row and change of stitches, I looked at it overall and felt I had a problem: the canvas was clearly visible between the stitches. This wasn't really what I was expecting, especially after reading about canvas coverage in The Needlepoint Book. However, I soldiered on. When I got near the end of my thread, I used the needle to tuck about an inch's worth underneath the stitching on the back of the canvas and trimmed it with the thread scissors.

Lessons Learned:

• Use a lighter-colored thread to see stitch definition better, at least in the case of this sampler. (Not implemented yet)
• Needles should not make the holes in the canvas permanently larger when pushed through. (Solved by later switching to a size 28 needle, and then a size 24 needle)
  
• A left hander should probably start in the upper right corner, if one is a corner kind of person. (Fix this in future projects)
  
• There's a problem with 6-strand Cotton floss on 18-count canvas. (See later posts for the solution)
  
• Holding the end of the thread at the back to catch it in the stitching on the back is an inefficient way to bury the thread because of the work it requires. (See later posts on my implementation of the waste knot).
  

The First Try

In order to get started with needlepoint, I have begun a sampler. This sampler will probably be the least decorative, unfinished, mostly unattractive needlepoint product ever produced, but it will also be quite educational -- and therein lies its value.

My first step, before even purchasing a single supply, was to purchase and peruse Jo Christensen's "The Needlepoint Book." Actually I purchased it some months ago and then tossed it on the craft bookshelf for awhile. Once the itch presented itself again, I did read it fairly closely. Then I set off to Michael's. I can write more extensively about Michael's but I basically go there when I MUST have something quickly, I don't care what choice I have. I get out of the trip what I put into it, I guess. So while there I purchased:

• Two needle packs, size 18 and size 28. Supplemented this later with an additional pack of size 18 - 22 and size 24.
• Two rolls of canvas, 18-count and 28-count.
• A full kit of needlepoint depicting a house with garden from Bucilla
• A floor stand with clamp for frames
• A VERY cheap scroller frame - I should have gotten a bigger one
• A fabric marker in light grey
• Some thread scissors
• A needle threader thingamajig
• A roll of masking tape
• Two multi-packs of DMC Cotton Embroidery Floss in a variety of colors
• Some plastic thread bobbins with a ring to store them on - I haven't used these yet.

After a few days working on the sampler, I think this purchase was probably dead on in terms of needs. The only things I haven't used are the 28-count canvas, the full kit (but I'm glad I have it) and the plastic bobbins.

To start the sampler, I cut a 20" by 12" piece of canvas and taped it all around the edges with the masking tape. The masking tape magically picked up thousands of cat hair even though it didn't touch a single surface other than the canvas. I do not know how this occurs but it certainly deserves more attention from Men Of Science. Once this was done, I used a measuring tape to mark off a 2 1/2" border with the fabric marker. I actually did not draw a solid line around the margin, just dots and well-defined corner angles as a guide. Since this sampler will probably never be finished or framed, this was probably not a necessary step but I wanted to make sure I develop good habits.

I then attached the canvas to the scrollframe, which has split dowel rods so no basting is required. This seems to be working rather well although I haven't had to scroll the canvas yet.

Finally -- stitching time! Christensen's book has a helpful list of basic stitches of various types to include in a sampler, so I picked the very simplest one, the Straight Gobelin, and got to work.