Incoherent Scribblings

Tonight I passed the half way point on “Kitty Cat Row.” I am enjoying stitching this so much. It is fun and easy, but will look spectacular when finished. What more can you ask for in a cross stitch pattern?

In the spirit of my ten hour rotation though (I have reached 11 hours on KCR), I should put it aside and work on something else next time I get a chance to stitch. The question is, am I ready to tackle Outi’s belated birthday present again?

This week’s SBQ was suggested by Nancy and is:

What tips would you give to a new stitcher to help her stitch faster and neater while still keeping it enjoyable?

While cross stitching may be a hobby, in my opinion the actual mechanics of stitching is a skill that needs to be developed over time. No matter how much experience one has there will always be stitchers that stitch faster and neater than others… that’s just a fact of life.

However, my main advice for the stitcher (new or otherwise) who wants to stitch faster and neater is to practice, practice, and practice some more! I suppose one could always try different techniques to improve skill and speed, but the reality is the more one stitches the better one will become.

That being said, I personally discovered that my stitching speed increased dramatically when I found my own “stitching path.” Once I abandoned the idea that I must stitch all of one color, left to right, horizontal row by horizontal row, my needles started flying. I found the freedom to enjoy cross stitching in my own way and as a result I have dozens of neatly stitched projects to show for my efforts.