Here at Needle ‘n Thread, I concentrate on surface embroidery more than anything else. Just about any kind of surface embroidery does the trick – I love them all, and I pretty much work all the typical techniques at some point or another.
Occasionally, but not very often, I’ll play around with counted work. But it’s not My Thing. I have nothing against it. But it’s kind of like … I don’t know. Pasta? Noodles? I have nothing against pasta or noodles in general. I just never cook with them and rarely eat them. It doesn’t mean I don’t like them. There’s nothing quite as homey as chicken noodle soup, or a good spaghetti or alfredo dinner. It’s comfort food. But it’s never on my menu, and it doesn’t really pop up on my meal-planning radar.
Counted work is comfortable, too. But it doesn’t pop up on my radar, either, because I have so many other things to do, stitching wise, that are more My Thing. Rarely do I have a chance to stitch someone else’s Thing anymore.
But I’m working on another piece of counted cross stitch of a folky variety. It’s on a rather coarse evenweave that feels somewhat like burlap, in a way, though not nearly as stiff and scratchy. It works for this type of folk pattern. And it’s so easy to stitch on!
I started messing around with quick counted projects (mentioned the other day in this article), but they went very fast, and I got what I wanted out of them. So I moved on to a larger kit from the same designer, with the intention of testing her larger kits to see if they were something I’d carry in the shop for those who have a mind to stitch them.
Lately, I’ve had to spend more time at home with dad, and also because I’m “nursing” a torn meniscus. Heating pads, elevation – it all takes down time, and there’s nothing worse than sitting with nothing to do while my knee is angry.
I don’t bring my work-stitching home anymore, because I’d have to transport so much: lighting, magnification, photo equipment, tools, blah blah. It’s just a pain.
But since I’ve been toying with the idea of bringing various counted work into the shop, I thought I’d test stitch some of these kits as possibilities. I’ll show you this piece when it’s further along, so you can get an idea of the type of kit I’m talking about – and if you are interested, feel free to let me know!
Working on this kit is another two-birds-with-one-stone situation, then. I’m doing something work-related (test stitching a possible kit) and I’m also able to occupy my hands while “stuck” in other ways.
What I like about this project so far:
It really takes no thinking at all. I don’t have to think! My mind is free to contemplate other things: to attend to an audio book, maybe to catch some of the Olympics, or to watch a movie, or to chat after a fashion with dad or any visitors. So that’s nice.
It doesn’t take special lighting or special equipment. I’m stitching in hand – no hoops or frames (so it’s easy on the hands) – and I can see just fine with a regular lamp.
It isn’t a far-flung, lots-of-stuff-everywhere project. I have the threads on thread drops (there are only six), I have a chart at hand, thread snips, and the fabric. It all folds up tidily and quickly into a pouch when I want to put it away.
Progress is fast. Part of this is because I’m not doing any of the planning, I’m not testing a stitch type, thread, or color in this space or that – it’s all done for me. I just go, go, go – and it comes together fast!
And there is something calming in the repetitive movement of the stitch. I would say this about any stitching – there is a calming effect with stitching, especially once you get into a rhythm. Normally, I might find the repetition of cross stitch a little tedious – I like variety in stitching – but in fact, under my circumstances at home right now, I’m finding this quite soothing.
I’ll share some more of this project once it starts to look more like itself.
What’s Up in the Studio?
There are, of course, a gazillion projects going on at work!
This maniturgium is out on the table now, for my next stitching session in the studio. I’m pushing to finish it as soon as possible!
I have two embroidery pieces designed, that are waiting for test stitching. One is a stitch-along project. The other is a full fledged, fancy thing.
And between all that, there’s the never-ending computer work – I have videos for you! I have three kits waiting for me to write their instructions! And there’s tax prep.
See! Life in the Studio! The Fun never ends!
More to share soon!
Tools in Stock!
We have a bunch of hand-crafted, turned wood tools in stock here right now, in a wide variety of beautiful wood and colorful, exciting acrylics! I wrote about these the first time, here, and showed them to you up close.
We’ve got the needle threaders, the dual-tipped seam rippers / stiletto / laying tools, and the key ring needle tubes in stock.
And we’ve added a new tool to the line-up! It’s this double tool with interchangeable tips. It hangs on a necklace to keep it close at hand. It’s super-easy to remove from the chain and also to replace it on the chain, because it has a built-in magnetic base. So pretty! So functional! So handy!
Get these while you can. Once this batch is out, we’ll have to wait a good while for the artisan to finish more. I’m told his pricing will adjust in 2026 due to the increased cost of the wood. (I try to avoid increasing prices as much as possible, for as long as possible… fingers crossed it won’t be drastic.)
In the image below, I photographed the cardinal wood tool. This wood is proving to be my favorite. It’s got an exquisite depth of hues, from deep reds to golds, and a lovely grain. *Sigh* I do love pretty tools!
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