'Complicated' cross stitch — how do you do it?

[DwightDFlysenhower]

I've done quite a lot of cross stitch before, but this is the first time I'm doing one where lots of similar colours are all intertwined.

For gaps of 8-9 rows and two columns down or similar I'm not that confident in my counting. Do you leave trailing ends and pick them up later? Keep tying off and just restarting in the new place?

I'm not confident I can tell the difference with some colours without a bright light, so if I do leave a length to go back to, is there a good way to mark them?

I can't do the parking method, where you leave the thread, it hurts my brain!

I tend to do a grid at a time and restart the colour each time. Takes a bit longer but avoids lots of counting

I do a section at a time, then finish off the thread rather than carrying it across the back. Makes for quite a messy back, but I can live with that. Much better than lots of dangling threads while you're working!

I've nearly finished this one - in the middle of backstitching it - and that had lots of very similar colours. I find the easiest way to keep track is to colour in the completed stitches on the pattern. Then I don't have to remember which colour is which, I can just look at which stitches are still outstanding and make sure I use the right colours for those.

Thank you! I think by grid/section sounds the way to go then.

I think the ones I've done before have had more "blocks" of single colour, so it hasn't been as hard.

That dragon looks great! The sea looks similar to the type of thing I'm struggling with.

I tie off each time. I will carry a thread for a couple of stitches if the thread trail will be covered by future stitches.

I also like dragons!

I only do one colour at a time rather than leave ends.

I mentally split it up into blocks to complete and do each colour in that block one by one.