You know that DIY advice about measuring twice and cutting once? Count twice, stitch once has to be the needlepoint equivalent.
Updated March 14, 2023.
I’m like the guy who cuts his shelves too short, I had a mess. But I’m adapting, largely because I’m too lazy to start over. I started Down the Garden Path from Needle Delights one Sunday evening in a somewhat dark room, my only excuse.
I used a little clip-on light to read the chart for the border and counted five threads across. The border stitches are all the same, so once one was made, I stitched more. I counted (several times) the number of units in an area’s side and got those right.
Happily stitching away, I wondered why the canvas seemed to be too small; I knew I had cut that right. But then, maybe I didn’t since I had counted the size of the initial stitch right.
I only realized my mistake when the striped block in the corner was wider than the charted block, which is the correct size. Finally, I went back and looked at the border chart and found out it was four threads across, not five.
So now my garden will have fewer flower beds; I’ve crossed out one block from each row and will adapt the other blocks to fit. And I will count more carefully next time.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
LOL! I’ve done this – AAMOF, I have one piece I am doing the compensation on right now. . . So glad it’s not just we amateurs who do this!
I’m so glad someone as experienced as you has done this!! My eye surgery did not go as well as most. No one’s fault. But it means I have to be that much more careful and use lots of light. Thanks for your admission of fallibility!! I also appreciate that you decided to make do and accept what is. It’s not always necessary to fix everything. We are imperfect humans.
I am so good at miscounting that I have mostly given up charted needlepoint because of this. But I can even miscount the space between stitches. I did this several times yesterday in fact.
Keep stitching,
Jannet