So, you know all these counted cross stitch snowflake and folky designs I’ve been working on lately? The whole point of them was to give me something to do with my hands when I’m not really up to doing something super intense, like goldwork or silk shading or anything that requires me to sit at a frame for an extended period of time.

With these quick little cross stitch projects, worked on Christmas red pre-finished cotton table napkins, I can hold them right in a little hoop, in any chair I want to sit in, with minimal supplies at hand. They’re completely relaxing to work, thanks to the monotony of the stitching, and I can easily listen to a good book, hum along to some relaxing music, watch a movie, or even visit with friends, without worrying about making mistakes or having to concentrate too hard on the stitching part of things. They’re also extremely easy to tote places, for stitching on the go.

At the end of this article, I’ll link to all the previous articles on this subject, along with the free patterns. For now, though, I want to share with you a brain storm I had the other night and that I’ve tried out a little bit, but that needs a little more tweaking.

To start with, let’s compare two counted embroidery charts.