Found Collection

I just taught myself how to crochet in an afghan stitch and am now ready
to move on to adding cross-stitch (and no....I don't
cross-stitch...never have...but know the general idea).
I'm wondering, for those of you who have done this before.....do you
usually use the same weight/ply yarn for the xstitch that you used to
crochet the square?  I tried one square in 4ply yarn and the xstitched
looked bulky.  Is it possible to use DMC or would it be too light?
TIA!
Love,
Jenn

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we are a sorry lot indeed.-Albert Einstein

If you used a worsted weight or even a DK yarn for the afghan, you can
use DMC at either all 6 or 4 strands (experiment and see which gives the
coverage you want).  Perle cotton is another option.  Tapestry wools
will work too.  There are also rayon and silk threads you can use.  A
visit to a needlepoint store will be a real eye-opener!

Laurie
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I have always used the same yarn as the background but you could use a sport
weight or baby yarn to do your cross-stitching.  Make a small test swatch of
the afghan and practice with the different yarns to see which gives you the
one you like the best.   I would stay away from the embroidery floss as I
had problems years ago with it shrinking when I washed the afghan and then I
really had a puckered mess.

Hope this helps.

Marilyn

I have a 55-plus year-old baby blanket that was cross stitched with
rayon threads on a wool ground Tunisian stitch.  It is still going
strong, though the rayon lining has rotted away, and some of the rayon
threads have worked their way loose.  Such is the problem with rayon
threads.

I have worked with tapestry and crewel yarns.  Also floss.  And have had
no trouble or problems with any of them.  But I don't buy off-brand
floss - only DMC, Anchor or one of the noted new flosses such as Needle
Necessities Overdyed.  And I don't buy cheaper yarns, which can also
make a HUGE difference in the outcome.  Floss can be quite beautiful on
these finished works - so don't limit yourself.

The problems with using tapestry yarns is that the ground can get quite
stiff and bulky - and become quite heavy.  But if it is the look you
want - go for it.

There is a way to cross stitch on Tunisian that is almost invisible on
the back.

Dianne

well how do you do it, I am making my brother a throw and having to do cross
stitch on it, and would really like to know how.
GG

For almost invisible cross stitch on Tunisian grounds:

On the front side, there is a chain that is horizontal (between the
vertical bars). On the reverse side, a loopy surface.  You go between
these surfaces, only picking up the horizontal "chain".  Use a tapestry
needle.

Don't go straight up and down the holes next to the vertical bars.
You'll get the usual stitches that show on the backside.

It's hard to explain - but if you have a piece in front of you, and a
needle/thread in hand, you can experiment a bit and then see what I'm
talking about.

This *does* create a problem in that - if you pull your thread too
tightly - your cross stitches won't meet the next row of stitches.  So
you must stitch a little more loosely.

Most persons who cross stitch on these grounds have pretty sorry backs
the first time they do a project.  Mine included <grin>.  But then I
caught on to the directions (which were not any clearer than what I just
said to you even though graphics accompanied them).  If messy backs
become a problem - just line the darn thing.  But if you play around a
bit (perhaps on a 15-stitch by 10 row sample piece), you'll soon see
exactly how this works.

With complicated patterns and lots of thread colors, it's still not easy
to have perfectly neat backs.  But using this method, they will be so
neat you won't feel the need to back them.

Dianne

> well how do you do it, I am making my brother a throw and having to do cross
> stitch on it, and would really like to know how.
> GG