Friday, October 7, 2011

Thread snafu


I suspected there was a problem with the white Trio I was using for the tennis sweater at the time the last photo was taken. Trio is a silk/wool blend, and at first I thought it was a trick of the light playing off the silk that made certain parts of the sweater look a different color. After all, the two partial and one unopened skein I was using were purchased at the same time, stored together, and all of the same dye lot.

So I forged ahead and finished the body of the sweater, and the discrepancy in color really jumped out at me. This photo, believe it or not, is the pick of the litter of many! But I wanted to show the full pattern, and I see other areas in the canvas which need subtle changes when I paint a master. So I'm sticking with the canvas as is for now--it won't be the first time I've stitched a model twice! I still think Trio is a fine thread--I've used it often in the past with no problems whatsoever. I'll just need to use a better light source in future and be more observant as I stitch merrily along.

I finished the hem of the sweater with stripes of red, white and navy vertical oblong cross stitches and Kalem stitch for the banding. I worked Reggie's shorts in alternating rows of vertical slanted gobelin and tent stitches using white DMC floss. I think I might have preferred DMC floss #3685, which has a slight yellow cast, but I didn't have any in my stash. I'd better purchase some for the second time around!

I then filled in the neckline with three plies of DMC floss #3733 in basketweave--I wanted Reggie to look like he had a tan! I'm not sure if it looks more like he has a sunburn, so will reconsider this area, too, when I stitch a second version.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I can definitely see the changes in color on your Trio. I'm sorry that this happened and that you'll have to stitch it a second time. Hugs.