3 strands Gütermann silk on 28 count canvas

Two strands of Gütermann silk provided somewhat scanty coverage, and although three strands is a bit dense, I’m keen on the increased color options. And I like to imagine the satisfying, luxurious feel of walking with tiny bare feet on a thick silk rug.

I am sub-optimally charting the design in Illustrator as I stitch. Actually, I’m doing a fine, if tedious, job of charting, it’s just that Illustrator is not really optimized for this purpose. It was adequate for the Modern Cross Stitch Bodoni charts, but those were the letterforms only, with no backgrounds, on 14 count canvas.

This has led me to explore actual charting software. I’m messing around with a demo copy of Ursa’s MacStitch right now, and it seems pretty cool. There are tools to draw with, or you can import an image file and it will translate and map it into a chart of your specifications. I’ve yet to determine if the time investment in learning a new program vs. working with one I know so well will balance the number of designs I’m likely to actually produce. Given my… serial enthusiasms history.