Floss usage experiment. Suggestions.

There are three sets of numbers which I require to be reported.
These are the number of stitches per inch you used and the number
of threads in the needle; plus the amount of floss of each colour you
used to do the cross stitching. I suggest you do all the cross stitching
first, and measure how much floss you used. Then do the
backstitching and beads. If you do anything else, let me know.
It might be as well to follow the instructions on the chart, and
stitch at 16 stitches per inch, with two threads in the needle. The
reasons I suggest this, is that this is what Nora feels gives the best
results. Plus there are blended needles (places where you have two
different colours in the needle), and some people like to have three
threads in the needle, when there are less than 16 stitches per inch.
This could be done, but then I need to know how you handled the
blended needles. However, do it the way you want to; just let me
know what you have done.
I tried to write these suggestions using metric and imperial
measurements. I found it too impractical, for which I apologize.
I have written these suggestions in metric, largely because it is
much easier doing the arithmetic, and also because skeins come
in lengths of 8 meters. However, if when getting floss ready to
use, you use yards instead of my suggestions in meters it will
still work. You can report the amount used in any units you like;
meters, yards, feet and inches, barleycorns, rods, poles or perches,
or even chains. The units don't matter; I can easily change them
to meters.
The easiest way of specifying length that I have found, is to
use meter-strands. A meter-strand is a single strand of floss,
one meter long. Our skeins are 8 meters long, and have 6 strands
in them. So each skein is 48 meter-strands in length.
There are about 5100 crosses in the completed picture; and
30 different DMC colours. Two colours have only one stitch.
If you eliminate those colours which have less than 50 stitches,
there are only about 150 stitches, with 6 colours. So precisely
how you measure these is probably quite unimportant. Just do
the best you can.
The whole point of this experiment is to find out how much
variation there is between stitchers, with respect to floss usage.
If I knew what the variation was, I could calculate how much
floss people need to start with, and even the most profligate
stitchers would still have floss left over. But I don't know
what the variation is. I have made allowances, and hopefully
if you select the amount I have suggested to kit the project,
no-one should run out of floss. If someone does need to get
more floss, my apologies. If you cut the lengths the way you
normally do, then any floss left over can be returned to you
stash, with no loss.
For people who feel themselves to be measurement impaired,
here is a suggestion as to how to measure how much floss you use.
I have used as a "standard length", a length of floss with 6 strands,
1 meter long. However, please get that sort of amount, but cut
the way you normally cut it. Measure how much you start with.
When you have finished the cross stitching, throw away any little
bits of floss you have left over and which you would not normally
keep. Then measure how much you have left. The difference
between how much you started with, and how much you have left,
is how much you have used. Return any unused floss to your stash.

The following colours have less than 50 stitches.
761, 838, 839, 931, 3052, 3806.

The following colours should require 1 standard length.
White, Ecru, 356, 500, 644, 677, 729, 744, 754, 844, 948, 3868,
3823, 3829, 3811.

The following colours should require 2 standard lengths.
433, 502, 598, 758. 3023, 3756, 3827.

310, should require 5 standard lengths.
926 should require 3 standard lengths.

There are three symbols to which I would like to draw you
attention. If you imagine the axes of the pattern to be numbered,
and the square at the bottom left hand side, the origin, to be (1,1),
then the first stitch can be found at (16,20), in the cherub's hand.
This blank square should be stitched as circle with cross in it,
356/839. For the cherub's ear, at (45,69), the symbol seems to
have been overwritten by the backstitching. This should be
backslash, 754. At (66, 54), there is a solid triangle, 839.
This is a dark brown, and is around the other triangular symbols,
which are mirror images, another dark brown, 433. I suggest you
stitch this as 433.
I can calculate quite easily, approximately how many stitches
anyone who sends results, gets per skein of floss. If you have a
pattern in the future with a symbol count, it is easy to estimate
how much floss you need to kit such a project, using the figure
which represents your way of stitching. If you want this figure
let me know. I suggest you post any results on rctn, so that everyone
can get them, and also send them to me by email so I don't miss any.
--
Jim Cripwell.
The gods do not subtract from the allotted span of one's life, any
time that is spent in stitching.
Adapted from a sign on The Cobb, Lyme Regis, England.