cross stitch / needlepoint

[ricketyrock]

I want to start doing something crafty. After many abortive attempts at knitting from the age of 11 onwards, I thought I would try cross stitch or needle point. I thought I would try and start with this www.jollyred.co.uk/two-elephants-212-p.asp
or if thats too hard this www.jollyred.co.uk/elephant-428-p.asp

and do i need this www.jollyred.co.uk/starter-kits-27-c.asp

I'm hoping for some advice as to whether these prices are reasonable as to start if i get the above its almost 30 quid.
I have checked ebay etc and unless I sacrifice taste I can't see them much cheaper.

The reason that knitting has been so unsucsesful is I find it phenomenally hard to follow patterns and when i make a mistake I don't know how to correct it.

thank you

[ToriaPumpkinHead]

Somewhere I can be of help! I've been cross stitching for what feels like forever, and am at the final stage of a sampler of Death by Terry Pratchett which I have been doing for years (I kept putting it down and forgetting about it, I'm not just masively slow)

The price for the elephant kit is fairly standard, as it should come with all the threads and fabric you need and a needle, threads alone can cost a forune! They should also be cut to usable lengths.

The tapestry frames are probably a bit much for doing a small cross stitch sampler, you'd be better off with a few different sized rings like direct.hobbycraft.co.uk/productdetail.asp?productcatalogue=273454this they're not expensive and do the same job, which is just to stretch the fabric and hold it tight to make stitching easier.

When it comes to following patterns it's much easier than knitting, as each square on a chart represents one stitch so it's much easier to fix if one stitch is wrong than if a whole row is out (I knit as well and am the queen of pretending I meant to have stitches missing and entire rows wrong)

HTH x

[ToriaPumpkinHead]

Just noticed that link is all wrong. This one should work.

direct.hobbycraft.co.uk/productdetail.asp?productcatalogue=273454

[ToriaPumpkinHead]

Or even this one

direct.hobbycraft.co.uk/productdetail.asp?productcatalogue=273454

[ricketyrock]

thank you so much toria ( I have to admit when I first saw your name I read it as totalpumpkinhead - thank god I didnt address you as such!)

that is extremely helpful and encouraging - just what I needed.

can i ask - because of the price of pandp i might be better off getting everything from jolly red - or is the frame just too big?

thank you x

[ToriaPumpkinHead]

You might find the frames are just fine, it's really a personal thing, I prefer hoops but I know my aunt loves a big massive frame to the extent that she adds fabric on at the edges so she can use it even for small samplers. As long as you get one that will fit the work you're doing, I've had a quick look at their frames and they say that smaller projects will fit so you should be alright with them really I suppose.

And don't worry about addressing me as Total Pumpkin Head, I feel like one sometimes

Any other questions, just shout :) x

[sazziej]

ricketyrock I have been thinking of ordering myself a jolly red kit as well - although i've never done needlepoint before -i want something to do on winter evenings after dd has gone to bed that is more exciting than ironing!should we go for it together?

[tjacksonpfc]

Yeah more cross stitchers out there, my rl friends look at me wired when i say i do crosstitch.

My prob is i have 2 projects on the go at once at the mo lol.

My best advive is to take a kit you are interested in and just make the plunge you will either love it or hate it

[ricketyrock]

YEs! sazzie - Im going to do the elephant one above. Anything is more exciting than ironing, anything! I'm inspired now and hoping this will be the start of something good. I have had a little look around and the craft shop near me only has naff patterns whereas Jolly Red seems to have some nicer stuff.

TJ and Toria - what do you do with your cross stitching once it's done?

[ToriaPumpkinHead]

With the Death sampler (which I finished last night, yay me!) we're getting it framed and giving it to my FIL for Christmas, on the whole most pieces I do are for similar purposes so get framed and given away but I also do a lot of cards, in fact it's been a long time since I've done anything that didn't have a recipient in mind!

When you get a bit more confident there's a technique called waste fabric which allows you to cross stitch onto clothes/cushion covers etc and I do that from time to time (very effective on the end of a scarf for example)

[sazziej]

ricketyrock - i've ordered the stars and hearts starter kit from jolly red this morning - can't wait to get started now!

[loubeedoo]

ricketyrock I agree with Toria, a hopp would be great for either of the designs.
I use hoops of differing sizes all the time. I personally don't like frames, I like the tautness a hoop gives.
There are a few good websites out there for threads, fabric, hoops etc. If yuo feela bit overwhelmed by them, buy a magazine, for instance cross stitch crazy or crosstitcher etc. They have directories and ads from suppliers. They also have step by steps for the basics etc.
I've been a cross stitch fanatic since forever. Currently have several things on the go, including lots of christmas cards etc.
If I could I'd stitch all day!

[floatyjosmum]

can i say yey more xstitxhers too! was beginning to think i was the only one.

as already has been said rings are def easier for smalll stuff but i do use frames for the big stuff.

[tjacksonpfc]

Sorry ricetyrock only just found this again lol. I frame my work that i compleate when i eventually compleate it lol.

I'm just off to do some now lol.

[moocowme]

where do you get these Terry Pratchet cross stitch from? DH is a fan and would like one of these (i would have to do it of course!)

[foxtrottango]

from here :) another cross stitcher here (and terry pratchett fan :))

www.lyndisfarne.com/

[Heroine]

try this! downloadable printable patterns! Its all COO|OOOl!

www.sublimestitching.com

[moocowme]

ftt that site says they are down due to serious family illness :(

not to worry should be able to do something in Gimp with my cross stitch plugin. just need to look through our vast collection of TP stuff.

my DS is such a fan that he has gooten a picture of our son onto the cover of the latest fans edditionalong with 300 other people.

[foxtrottango]

ah, I didnt even look at the link, I know the address by heart so just stuck it in.

Ive got the charts for the Death kit and the Death of Rats kit and maybe even Granny Weatherwaxes Cottage. I would be happy to dig them out if anyone wants to borrow them pending Lyndisfarne reopening

[SacharissaCripslock]

OOo fellow cross stitchers! No-one I know in RL cross stitches.

I find it so relaxing - totally clears my head as I concentrate on the chart and on counting.

I love Terry Pratchett so will bookmark that site and keep an eye for it being up and running again.

[wonderstuff]

I just got this
My xmas present to myself
Haven't done xstitch for years, so relaxing. Haven't done needlepoint before, going to town to hunt down supplies this afternoon

[Scuttlebutter]

I love X stitch - it got me through cancer and kept me sane. I have a lovely Jolly Red kit that after was finished, I sent back to them and they made it up into a beautiful cushion - it now has pride of place in the guest bedroom where it is safe from marauding greyhounds I met the lady who runs JR at the big stitch show at Alexandra Palace a few years back and she was lovely. I would also say that as her X stitch is often similar to needlepoint designs, they generally don't have any backstitch or too much complex/fancy colour changes so are not too difficult or fiddly to stitch. I also found that the kit was very generous in the amount of threads they sent - I had loads left over.