I Should Have Thought of This Sooner

It was a great idea to just sit and stitch while waiting for munchkins to ring the doorbell repeatedly. I got a lot done, compared to what I had done over the weekend.

It was easy to stop stitching and come back to where I was. As I stitched, I could see patterns that I missed before. But the intricacies of the design caught me a couple times and I wound up ripped out a couple of small rows.

The original pattern is about 5 x 7. You can see there are a lot of color changes within a small area. I hit, early on, the idea of enlarging the design. I"m working off an 8 x 10 piece of paper now. The individual icons for each color are much more visible. But I'm still getting confused as to where, on the design, I am. Then I had a light bulb moment.

It took a bit to find a working highlighter. So many I found were dried out. I guess you could say I de-cluttered there too by tossing them out. Eventually, I found one and took the time to highlight what I've stitched. As I finish a section of color, I highlight that. I can see, at a glance now, where I am in the design and what color I should start with.

I've been cross-stitching for decades now and this just popped into my consciousness. There are dozens of designs I've wanted to try but the chart is small and quite complicated. With this method, I should be able to attempt those designs.

A lot was finished last night. I'm still not sure if I can complete this in time to get it framed and shipped for Christmas but I am very encouraged.

Beverage:  Dr Pepper

Deb