Sunday, October 15, 2017

~ Counting ~


 Good Morning Friends & Folk ~
a very happy Sunday to you all...

the weather here is perfect today ~ perfect for a day of quiet stitching~
cooler temps, overcast skies and blustery winds make for a comfy day to be filled with tiny little X's.
although I love to stitch in any kind of weather, Autumn days like this are my very favorite.

I posted a few photos on FB and Instagram lately, 
that show me using counting pins while I stitch...
this is by no-means anything new, in fact stitchers have been doing it for centuries ~
but I don't always show how I do things, taking for granted that some of you would either already know or not be so interested.
but, 
for those who have inquired about using counting pins,
here goes:



Now, you can purchase them or even make your own counting pins 
by simply gluing beads onto the head-end of your pins ~
... like these that were sweetly gifted to me 
~ and that I keep in my sewing box:


... aren't they beautiful? 
like tiny precious gems :)


But, 
you can use plain pins too ~ 
or in this case some antique 'toilet' pins.
no, they weren't necessarily used in the bathroom, 
~ but a lady's dressing room wasn't complete without them...
she would use them to fasten a blouse or hem, and use them in her sewing as well....


I love how mine look on my stitching in progress, 
~ and imagining how these were used by nimble hands before me.
 
 
So, 
how do you use them when doing counted cross stitch?
Simple.
I use them to hold my count when I'm stitching a border, 
as I place a pin every 10-20 stitches or so... then remove them when no longer needed.


I also use them as a reminder where color changes need to be made with my thread,
as in the acorn at the bottom in the photo below:




and since I usually have two {or more} projects going at one time,
I can leave the pins in to remind me where I left off.
Just make sure your pins are clean and aren't rusty ~ 
and never ever leave them or your work in your hoop for an extended period of time.
 

Or, 
I'll tuck one in if I think there is the chance {and there is always that chance}
that I have miscounted and need to track where that might be
{like in the basket worked below...me thinks I split a stitch}


you can see that I'm using a different type of antique toilet pin
while working on this sampler ~  these being white glass and a larger size at that.

 

So now you know ~
counting pins help keep that stitching 'FROG' away!
{ Oh, ..."frogging" refers to ripping out those miscounted stitches, as-in rippit! rippit!....get it? }
 


 Iggy likes the fact that by me using counting pins,
I'm less likely to yell, cuss or throw things.
... therefore making stitching much more enjoyable for us both ~




This blog post has been officially Iggy Approved.
 
Blessings from the Farm
 ~ Lori

11 comments:

Janet said...

๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ‘

Diane said...

What a wonderful idea!!! Thanks so much for sharing.

The Eveningstitcher said...

I just bought some pretty pins in Ohio this past week for counting....brilliant idea! The stitching is gorgeous!! Hope your heel is feeling better....and I hope Joan is feeling better too!! Looking forward to seeing you in Ohio next month!!

denise said...

where can you get the beaded counting pins?

Three Sheep Studio said...

The simple pin. Beautiful and useful.
Thank you for sharing.
Rose

LaNelle said...

Lovely post Lori...blessings for a great week ahead๐ŸŒป

NMK said...

Wow , I need to try that too !!! But ...I think my cross stitching would be covered All over with too many pins !!! And little blood droplets ! Your pins are so pretty ..... Some of my cross stitching flies across the room too or into a basket & buried away .... Think that's why enjoy punch needle more these days !!!!

elaine allerton said...

Lori,,,
Thanks for the pins story!

Wow,,, did not know all this!
Great tips,,,, hope to get back into cross stitch,, love urs!
Punching and hooking are my hobbies at the moment,,,,
Thanks for sharing, lori,,,,
Hope u get better and better this week,,,,

woodlandprimitives said...

Just wonderful...thank you for the tip! I must say I do have the "frogging" part down. And I love Iggy too!

Debby said...

Thanks for the info! I will try using pins - hopefully, it will result in less removal of mass amounts of thread and less re-counting too! (As you can see, many of us did not know about this!)

Anonymous said...

Such lovely work you do, Lori! Love the pins and their function...and those Harry Potter scissors, too! (Sweet dreams, dear Iggy..) zzzzzzzzzzzzz