This was a piece I picked up at Designer’s Desk while at the 2014 ANG seminar in Chicago for Bill & mentioned previously (https://melitastitches4fun.wordpress.com/2014/08/26/golfing-husband-at-seminar/). I did not have threads in my stash to match. I almost never do even though I think I have every green! And, I realize now that DMC Perle cotton isn’t as durable as wool – which is what I should have used on my husband’s Philly key chain because it is showing significant wear.
So, I stopped at Stitch Haus (sort of on my way home from work – I am so lucky to be close to so many shops) & picked up Vineyard Merino. I had thought the canvas was 18 count but they correctly pointed out it was 14 count. Since they weren’t 100% sure Vineyard Merino would cover enough, they suggested I test it in a black area first & not pull too tightly. It is working out great. And, I love that the colors matched the canvas so exactly! The green is even named “Golf” (M-1144) for the long grass! I also picked up “English Ivy” (M-1197) for the putting green, “Straw” (M-1047) for the sand trap, “Seaport” (M-1206) for the water, and “Jet Black” (M-1111) for the silhouette of the golfer/club.
The interesting thing I noticed was that the thread wasn’t twisting (one of my usual problems with most threads). It wasn’t until I read Mary Corbet’s post about “The Needle You Need!” when I understood better about the benefits of the chenille needle that I’m using for my Gentle Waves piece. I had it out because that has such thick threads & just decided to use it for this piece because of the 14 count canvas. According to Mary, the larger eye has “more room for the thread to move around in there without getting mauled” and “Wool just works better with them. Try it!! You’ll be surprised how much easier it is to control wool thread, to keep it intact and less fuzzy, and to stitch with it in general.” I stumbled into it & now I know why the chenille needle is working so well for the golfer! I’ll have to select my needles more thoughtfully in the future.
The pencil lines indicate the area I’m going to stitch in order to make this big enough to get finished into an eye-glass case for him – for his sunglasses!! He wanted to know if it’d be done by Christmas. I said more likely that it would go to the finisher about then but I’m not paying extra to get a rush job on this – it’ll be ready by Spring golf.
I still have water on the brain. Perhaps that is due, in part, to the 2015 ANG Seminar being in Myrtle Beach!
This is the basic pattern of the water for my next original design. I saw someone use the pattern on Facebook’s Needlepoint Nation for snow and liked it immediately for water! It is the Snow 20 from Stitch Landscape which is almost identical to the Water 25 pattern except that water is completely symmetrical. No wonder I saw water even though it was “snow”! But, I prefer the asymmetrical Snow pattern because water is more unpredictable.
I practiced making a sample which I gave to our (ANG Main Line chapter) charity gift tag effort.
I tried the pattern with basketweave but the threads, Petite Facets and Kreinik Micro Ice Chenille, that I wanted to use isn’t appropriate for that stitch. The threads are too thick. But, I wanted a bumpy effect for part of the waves so I switched the stitch pattern. It was still difficult to stitch with for 2 reasons.
One, the Petite Facets didn’t go through the eye of the needle easily but occasionally it was a little easier. I thought maybe I was imagining it but that is what I just read in the tip from the Portable Stitches app (that I found quite by accident). There is a larger opening on one side of the needle making it a tad easier to go in on that side.
Two, even using a large needle (#13 tapestry), I am opening the hole in the canvas with the tip of the laying tool in order to decrease the wear on the thread especially for the Kreinik Micro Ice Chenille which sheds easily.
I also used Planet Earth Silk Opal that has little sparkles throughout which you can see better when you click on the image and see it larger.
The close-up allows you to see the variations in threads which you can see better when you click on the image and see it larger.
More gift tags! Since the ANG Main Line chapter meeting is Monday, I doubt I’ll get any more done.
Medieval Mosaic 
F-106 
Jacquard Palace Pattern 
Ribbon 
Shrubbery 1 
Sand 12 
Since I can’t remember where I found it, I don’t know the name of it. 
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