A couple of weeks ago I wanted to go to Michael's to see what new cross-stitch kits might be available. This is despite me not finishing - or more accurately, not starting - several cross-stitch kits that are in my hall closet. I found a couple that I quite liked and am looking forward to working on, one of which was a smaller project with dragonflies and water. Since it was smaller and much less ambitious than the hummingbird wreath I did for my mother-in-law, I was eager to get going.
I couldn't make heads or tails of the dragonfly project. It didn't look like I expected and I was confused. I attributed my confusion to it being fairly late at night and my having two vodka drinks with dinner. About a week later I pulled it out again, sorted and labeled the colors, read the directions (yes! me! reading directions!), turned it sideways, squinted at it, and still couldn't figure out what was going on or make sense of the instructions. WTH? I've been doing counted cross-stitch since high school; what was the problem? After an even more thorough examination, I discovered that the problem is that instead of the dragonflies being a counted cross-stitch kit, they're a needlepoint project.
I don't know how to do needlepoint.
I don't think I can learn how to do needlepoint, either, after studying the instructions for some time, researching the various stitches online and consulting a crafty friend (who recoiled in horror and said, "I think you should stick to video games and driving small cars extremely fast."). I mean, seriously. I don't see anything different about these three diagrams, which are apparently three different stitches. They look like the same slanty 45-degree-angle stitch to me. Maybe if someone demonstrated, I could get it but not on my own.
Anyway, I have this pretty needlepoint kit that I can't return to Michael's because I'm not sure where the receipt is and also I pretty much destroyed the packaging. I have everything in a Ziploc bag at the moment, but the entire kit is there: canvas, threads, diagram, shiny new needle. So - do you do needlepoint? Do you know someone who does? I'll happily send the dragonfly project to whichever of my friends and readers would like it. Let me know, comment or e-mail.
I couldn't make heads or tails of the dragonfly project. It didn't look like I expected and I was confused. I attributed my confusion to it being fairly late at night and my having two vodka drinks with dinner. About a week later I pulled it out again, sorted and labeled the colors, read the directions (yes! me! reading directions!), turned it sideways, squinted at it, and still couldn't figure out what was going on or make sense of the instructions. WTH? I've been doing counted cross-stitch since high school; what was the problem? After an even more thorough examination, I discovered that the problem is that instead of the dragonflies being a counted cross-stitch kit, they're a needlepoint project.
I don't know how to do needlepoint.
I don't think I can learn how to do needlepoint, either, after studying the instructions for some time, researching the various stitches online and consulting a crafty friend (who recoiled in horror and said, "I think you should stick to video games and driving small cars extremely fast."). I mean, seriously. I don't see anything different about these three diagrams, which are apparently three different stitches. They look like the same slanty 45-degree-angle stitch to me. Maybe if someone demonstrated, I could get it but not on my own.
Anyway, I have this pretty needlepoint kit that I can't return to Michael's because I'm not sure where the receipt is and also I pretty much destroyed the packaging. I have everything in a Ziploc bag at the moment, but the entire kit is there: canvas, threads, diagram, shiny new needle. So - do you do needlepoint? Do you know someone who does? I'll happily send the dragonfly project to whichever of my friends and readers would like it. Let me know, comment or e-mail.
3 Comments:
Embroidery I can do; crewel-work I can do. Needlepoint? nah...but I'll ask around.
mom
By
Anonymous, at 12:14 PM
My grandmother on my dad's side did needlepoint, but I never learned it from her. It's a really pretty pattern. Hope it finds a home!
By
Anonymous Me, at 10:13 PM
From what you're describing, the instructions are telling you 3 differnt ways to do the basic needlepoint stitch. You can stitch the entire piece using one of these, the easiest being either Continental Stitch or Half Cross Stitch. These stitches are basically half of the cross stitch you have been doing. Give it another look - I'll bet you can do it .
By
Anonymous, at 8:15 AM
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