OhSewCrafty Blog

• Pattern by Teresa Wentzler
• Materials: 25 count white Monoco, DMC, Mill Hill, Kreinik as charted
• Size: 18.25″ x 12.25″
• Time to stitch: 66 days over 2 years

Oldest WIP no more!  

So this pattern took a while to stitch; I started it per my husband’s request.  Actually he wanted me to stitch it a long time ago, but it took a while to work up the gumption, with the 3 page floss list and all.  The pattern is fine, it’s simply a lot.  A lot of colors, a lot of blends, crazy confetti, repeating patterns, simple borders, copious backstitching, quarter stitches galore, the faces charted over 1, even some speciality stitches and beads, mostly in the borders.  I quite enjoyed the diamond eyelets; the plaited cross stitch (square stitches in the border) was a bit fussier, but I do enjoy the result.  

I made a few modifications; adding a blue sky for the background (stitched in DMC 3753, 1 over 2 full cross).  The sky added a few thousand stitches to the pattern, but it was worth it, the color is subtle, and it adds a lot, even making other parts of the pattern visible, like the snow capped mountains behind the knight.   Also, I did my own thing for the backstitch on the girl’s face since the charting was crazy. It may be possible to split an over 1 stitch, but it isn’t pretty.  

The materials are fine, I went with 25 count since that’s what the pattern called for, and (2 x 2) coverage is fine for the most part except in a few spots.  And 25 count was a boon with all the quarter stitches and backstitching.  Lots of tiny details in this chart, and all are visible, thankfully, on the 25 count.  Overall, it’s a good size on 25 count, and I think that’s appropriate; there’s a lot going on in this project.  I used 2 Pako organizers to sort all the blended threads; that was a big help.  

My favorite details are probably all the architectural ones in the castle, perhaps modeled after the Chateau de Samur in the Loire Valley, as Instagram stitcher Matilida, from that area, informed me.  The castle was so fun to stitch, probably the easiest section of the chart, besides the borders.  The barding (armor) on the horse is quite special, and I like the knight’s sword in the hilt too.  As for the girl, I love her red hair, floating in the wind as the unicorn canters along.  Her blue dress and fuschia cape are lovely.  The floral garland reins on the unicorn are a nice touch.  

In the castle section, I like how the trees, castle walls, and a bit of sky, are reflected in the water below.  The big trees in the foreground, and the small trees in the background, are lovely, though it was a bear to stitch with all the backstitch simply shown as black lines on the chart despite using several shades, depending on what you’re outlining.  I tried my best though I truly have no idea if it’s right (the model picture is no help).

This finish leaves a big hole in my rotation, for sure.  I’m not sure if I’m ready to start another TW right away, though I do have the Camelot Sampler on my radar.