Aida

I just recently started my first project using an evenweave instead of Aida. If you can find the thread titled 'Oh my...' you'll see that I was NOT impressed the first couple of days that I tried linen. It's going much better now and much faster and it looks much better than it would have looked on Aida. Some patterns pretty much *require* you to used an evenweave. Other patterns are more versatile.

Tracey

The main difference between Aida and even weave is how the threads run together. Aida is easier to work on because the holes that you should stitch in are more obvious, in my experience. Even weaves have to be more carefully counted to stitch on. The difference between linen and Jobelan is that linen has slubs and uneven threads which can add charm to the project but make it more difficult to count. Jobelan is a blended fabric with much more uniform threads which are easier to count. I suggested 28 count rather than 32 simply because I find it easier to see and count the threads.

Elizabeth

>>>>>>

Exactly, and ignore the part about stitching over 2. Just stitch over

1 square of the aida.

Tara

Where were you when I did my first piece? :-) I figured the directions were wrong as there was no way I was going to get TWO strands to work, ONE was tough enough (it was 14 ct aida BTW). About

3/4 of the way through the piece, my mother noticed it and mentioned the floss separated into 6 strands. No wonder those last stitches in each hole were, to say the least. hard. :-)

I did finish it because I so close to the end. I gave that piece away once I started doing it correctly as it blatantly looked so wrong.

Tara

Good luck! I think once you get going, you'll have no problem. And I know you're not a hillbilly; if you were, you'd have said "all y'all". :-)

Even weaves are plain weave fabrics in which the number of threads are the same both vertically and horizontally (warp and weft). But just to throw in too much pepper, not all even weaves are truly even. :~) So, you either get to know your fabrics by asking here, there and everywhere, or you count them and use a ruler to see. A knitting guage ruler is great for this as there is a hole cut out so you can keep track of where you are. But pins will do nicely.

Dianne

Shan, I'm not gonna offer any advice to muddy the waters further for you, but I AM going to tell you that this group, collectively, is about the best there is for encouraging you to try new things. When I first decided I wanted to move beyond aida, I came here and got so much encouragement and help! Stick with it, and remember, the only stupid question is the one you didn't ask.

Tegan

>>>>>>>>

IIRC, Silkweaver is only offering their hand-dyed fabrics now, not the full catalog of fabrics that they used to sell.

Alison

Boy, do I know it.

I recently bought second-hand linens from people (you know, stash clearing) and I BOUGHT 32-count but took one look and knew it was 28-count.

Now, I don't know whether the person I bought it from didn't know it or it was marked wrong when she bought it or she forgot (can't imagine why she'd deliberately change it since more people buy 28 than 32), but it ALWAYS pays to verify your count before you buy, if at all possible.

Fortunately, I like the fabric and I like 28, so I'll find something to do with it. However, I'd be plenty peeved if I didn't like 28 and couldn't find anything else to do with it for lack of enough fabric.

That's not what I meant, although I had a good chuckle over your dilemma. What I meant was: some fabric isn't the same count warp and weft. In higher counts (like 60) it doesn't matter much, but if it's a lower count, you can really get skewed results (design not square).

Dianne

Yeah. The fabric I'm using for Calif Sampler is (I think) 25 and 28. Fortunately, things are coming out tall and skinny rather than short and fat. The (supposedly round) tires on the tractor look much better as tall ovals than as "flat tires".

And I figure that adds to the old-fashioned look of the sampler. Got to get it finished and donate it to the Capitol Museum.

Someone here in the LA area did TW's "The Castle" over two blocks on

18-count Aida. Placed it in the stitchers' showcase at various needlework shows in the area several years running, until the needlework events stopped having the stitchers' showcases. It's pretty darned big.

I suppose that would simplify quarter stitches though. Do you remember how many strands were used?

1. The floss goes through the eye of the needle.
2. The needle is moved from one side of the fabric to the other.
3. There are 8 different ways to combine / and \ to make X. However YOU make YOURS is right.
4. EVERYthing else is commentary and purely subjective.

Weeeelll, 18 done over-2 is 9-count, and the recommendation for Herta-10 is 4-6 strands, personal preference on how much coverage you want.

It reminds me of the time I started a project on 22 count Aida and thought that (a) I was going blind, (b) the thread was getting thicker, and (c) the project was going to be TINY!

I still have it -I think I`ll use it up for bookmarks or box lids (for daughter Jane`s new hobby), and do it over two blocks! I hate wasting stuff.

Pat P

Speaking of kits - I hate them. If at all possible I use my own threads - far easier than identifying and sorting those bundles that come with most kits! The bundles usually end up as part of a clear-out lot on Ebay or for doing bookmarks etc.

Pat P