Another needlepoint question **Counted Cross Stitch I should say ;-)**

[phorsenuf]

My other thread was too buried so I'll start another one.

Who do you handle stitches where maybe it's one square then spaces, then another space of that color etc. Do you do the one stitch and then the other, or run the thread underneath over to the other square. This is for counted cross stitch.

 

[mickaholic4077]

My other thread was too buried so I'll start another one.

Who do you handle stitches where maybe it's one square then spaces, then another space of that color etc. Do you do the one stitch and then the other, or run the thread underneath over to the other square. This is for counted cross stitch.

Sorry,can't help you. Just obeying the rule!!

 

[Pamlur]

I have always run it underneath over to the other square, either stitching over it or running it under stitches already there. That keeps me from having a loose hanging thread.

 

[phorsenuf]

Sorry,can't help you. Just obeying the rule!!

 

[MomofKatie]

It depends. How far apart are the sections? If they are within an inch or 2, and there is other stitching already done in a color that won't allow the thread to show through, I just go ahead and go under other stitches with the thread. If the 2 areas are farther apart than about 2", OR the inbetween area hasn't already been stitched, OR the stitching inbetween is a lighter color where the thread might be seen, I go ahead and snip the thread between and start anew on the new area.

 

[kimblebee]

I would run it underneath. It bugs me when I notice that I missed a stitch a few stitches away and it is just one stitch. I never leave threads hanging underneath the fabric when I'm not using that color. I always cut off and then just run it under a few stitches when I need the color again.

 

[DVCLiz]

My other thread was too buried so I'll start another one.

Who do you handle stitches where maybe it's one square then spaces, then another space of that color etc. Do you do the one stitch and then the other, or run the thread underneath over to the other square. This is for counted cross stitch.

Sorry, phors, but if it's counted cross stitch you have to say "Another COUNTED CROSS STITCH QUESTION". CCS and needlepoint are entirely different. Needlepointers HATE it when you call it cross stitch. Just so you know...

You can always bring the thread up to the top of the canvas but not go back down to complete the stitch. Leave that color thread in the needle and park it somewhere out of the way, then use another neede to stitch the area next to it. When you have filled in enough stitches to reach the area where you can use the first color, finish the stitch you left undone and then run the thread under the other stitches on the back until you reach the stitch you want to do.

 

[phorsenuf]

Sorry, phors, but if it's counted cross stitch you have to say "Another COUNTED CROSS STITCH QUESTION". CCS and needlepoint are entirely different. Needlepointers HATE it when you call it cross stitch. Just so you know...

You can always bring the thread up to the top of the canvas but not go back down to complete the stitch. Leave that color thread in the needle and park it somewhere out of the way, then use another neede to stitch the area next to it. When you have filled in enough stitches to reach the area where you can use the first color, finish the stitch you left undone and then run the thread under the other stitches on the back until you reach the stitch you want to do.

I fixed the title.
I thought about doing that with the threads. That's a good idea.

 

[kimblebee]

Sorry, phors, but if it's counted cross stitch you have to say "Another COUNTED CROSS STITCH QUESTION". CCS and needlepoint are entirely different. Needlepointers HATE it when you call it cross stitch. Just so you know...

You can always bring the thread up to the top of the canvas but not go back down to complete the stitch. Leave that color thread in the needle and park it somewhere out of the way, then use another neede to stitch the area next to it. When you have filled in enough stitches to reach the area where you can use the first color, finish the stitch you left undone and then run the thread under the other stitches on the back until you reach the stitch you want to do.

I have never heard of anyone doing that way. Even the lady at the store where I buy my supplies has never heard of it. I know people do that for knitting, I just never thought of it in this way. I would think it would get in the way and be distracting. I always look at my pattern constantly to see if there are a few stitches by themselves that I can do at the same time as the section I am working on.

On a side note, how does everyone work on their pattern? I have always started in the center and worked my way out. I know someone who is working on a pattern that is 6FT by 4FT and she started in the top left hand corner and just goes page by page of the instruction book. You should see the instructions. They came in a binder

 

[DVCLiz]

I fixed the title.
I thought about doing that with the threads. That's a good idea.

I have never heard of anyone doing that way. Even the lady at the store where I buy my supplies has never heard of it. I know people do that for knitting, I just never thought of it in this way. I would think it would get in the way and be distracting. I always look at my pattern constantly to see if there are a few stitches by themselves that I can do at the same time as the section I am working on.

On a side note, how does everyone work on their pattern? I have always started in the center and worked my way out. I know someone who is working on a pattern that is 6FT by 4FT and she started in the top left hand corner and just goes page by page of the instruction book. You should see the instructions. They came in a binder

The world won't come to an end if you call it needlepoint - some people call it all knitting!

I park threads all the time, especially if I am doing a small area that has to then travel over a pretty far distance. Of course, you can also do the small area, tie the thread off on the back, and then start over again when you get to the area that is farther away. Neither are right or wrong, just personal preference.

 

[kimblebee]

I agree, it is totally personal preference. I had never even thougth about parking the thread til it was needed again but I may give it a try just to see if I like it. Sometimes it is a pain to have to start a thread again just for 2 stitches. Thanks for the idea.

 

[lovesmurfs]

I usually try to figure out how to do it so that I only have straight up and down lines on the back. My grandmother never cared about how the front of my cross stitch looked -- would always turn it over first and then tell me how I did! Usually I can figure something out, if not, I start again.

With regard to the pattern, I start in the middle and work outward. If I screw up counting, it's a LOT easier to fix.

 

[kimblebee]

LOL my mom is kind of the same way. Whenever I show her something that is done she always turns it over first to look at the back. She was talking to a neighbor who does cross stitch and mentioned that I did too and that I did very nice back work LOL I guess that's a good thing.

 

[EdiePA]

Ahh! You need to hang out on cross-stitch message boards.

There, you will learn, that to flip over one's work and look at the back without permission is akin to asking to see someone's underwear.

With more complex designs, having straight lines on the back can be nearly impossible.

Edie

 

[phorsenuf]

Ahh! You need to hang out on cross-stitch message boards.

There, you will learn, that to flip over one's work and look at the back without permission is akin to asking to see someone's underwear.

With more complex designs, having straight lines on the back can be nearly impossible.

Edie

My underwear is definitely in better shape then the back of my cross stitching!

 

[overlyspoiled4sure]

In my opinion, it's personal choice how to handle OP's question. For me, if it's only a few stitches, I'll run the thread underneath stitching. If it's too far I end off & because I'd rather not lose all that thread.

My mom loved to cross stitch, especially counted. Her work was absolutely lovely, even the back. I don't know how she could be so neat. After she finished a project for me & my sister-in-law though, she quit & never picked up a project again. My SIL & I both like Gone With The Wind. Mom found kits showing Scarlet wearing 4 different outfits--BBQ, White Ruffles, Green Curtains & the Red Dress from Ashley's birthday party. Would you believe she did 2 of each?? They're absolutely beautiful & not small projects either. Then mom had them professionally framed. It was an absolutely amazing project!

I made her mad though, because when she showed me both completed White Ruffles dresses I couldn't tell her the difference between them. All it was, is the background fabric on one was cream color & the other must have been white. I never noticed as I was looking in amazement at the stitching. Wonderful! If I knew how to post pictures, I'd try & post them here.

I enjoy cross stitch myself but haven't done it for a long time. I'm not sure how it would work because I have tri-focal glasses now & when I was stitching I didn't.