Stitching with a Shimmy

I found out today that my friend and mentor Linn Skinner passed away last June. I managed to get a card off to her a couple weeks before she passed, and was concerned that I didn’t hear back. I was planning a trip to Tennessee. But I got busy, and one thing led to another, and, well… here I am, finding out a year later, by accident.

THIS photo of Linn is the best one I’ve ever seen for capturing her character. And she WAS a character!

You may know Linn’s books on blackwork. She was a fanatic. She led tours to the V&A museum in London. She taught classes on the history of samplers. It was she who pointed out to me that most extant English blackwork pieces, even the reversible ones, are NOT counted (talk about blowing one’s mind)! She also pointed out that work from professional workshops historically is not quite as good quality as stuff done by the “amateurs” because they were working too fast to worry about carrying threads across the back, or being quite as neat as the folks at home stitching for fun.

If it weren’t for Linn, I would never have actually seen a real Berlin woolwork sampler.

If it weren’t for Linn, I probably wouldn’t be designing. She took my first four designs to sell at CATS shows in 2000, where they sold very well. (By the way, if you have one you purchased at that show, let me know.. at least one of the designs wasn’t proofread well enough and the legend is completely wrong for the chart! ).

If it weren’t for Linn, I wouldn’t have found a couple fantastic bookstores in LosAngeles, where we went shopping – I wouldn’t have my copy of Constance Howard’s Book of Stitches. There’s a LOT of things I wouldn’t have or do today if it weren’t for her.

She was a tireless crusader for the copyrights of designers and spent countless hours on the computer and before congress and the courts getting pattern sharing sites shut down.  If you haven’t read her testimony from 2003, I highly recommend it. These problems have been going on for a long time.

All in all, Linn was outspoken, generous, helpful, lots of fun to be around, and I’ve missed having her in my life for the last 5 years. I just didn’t realize she was gone for good until today.

Thank you for everything, Linn. I hope you have all the time and equipment you need to stitch whatever you want now.

All right, I’ll admit it. And also for petting the fibers. But I have met such lovely people through this hobby – from needlework historians and designers like Linn Skinner to fantasy lovers Jennifer Aikman-Smith and Teresa Wentzler of TW Designs, to people who see me stitching in a coffee shop or bookstore and stop to talk, or better, stitch with me!

While I got my college roommate re-interested in cross stitch and needlepoint, and, OK, converted her into a Knitter with a capital “K.” many of my other close friends I met because of either needlework or another art form.

So yes, I stitch because I like to play with thread (the EO and heart-sister claim I’m at least part cat). I’d also be very happy on a deserted temperate island with enough food, water, and embroidery supplies to keep me busy! Even better is an evening of thread, good friends, and tea. Or a whole afternoon. Or a weekend.

On that last note, I’m trying to compile a list of regularly-scheduled needlework retreats and festivals across the United States. (I might consider adding Canada and Europe to that later, but I need to stay sort of local right now!) If you know of any you love to attend, I’d love to hear about them. Please post in the comments and I’ll add them to my list.

What Needle to Use When – Counted Work

In general counted work, whether cross stitch, needlepoint, pulled work, drawn thread, or needleweaving, should be done with a blunt tipped needle. These are usually called tapestry needles.

Tapestry needles come in sizes from 18 to 28 and get thinner as the numbers rise. The blunt tip means that the needle will go through the holes in the fabric easily without piercing threads the way a sharp needle might.

I will usually err, as I said last time, on the size of a larger needle. The smallest needle I’ve been comfortable with is a 26, and then only on 32 to 40 count evenweave or linen. At these high counts some people like to use a size 28 needle and only one strand of thread. Size 28s are often a bit shorter than a 26, and I have large hands: I’m more comfortable with the length of the 26.

Any needle you choose should be comfortable for you, your hand, and your stitching style. Always remember that stitching is an individual art form! But here are some suggestions to use as a starting point.

Counted Work Needle Chart

Needles. It’s a topic many cross stitchers don’t think about much at all… if you’re stitching a kit you just use the needle that comes with it, and if you have worn the finish off you just replace it with a new one that’s the same size, right?

But the history of needles is amazing. The original needles were probably pine needles or fir needles. Then carved bone needles, and finally copper and then steel.

I took a class in carving bone needles in the Viking manner at one point several years ago. It’s relaxing, fun, tedious, and frustrating all at the same time… (Hmmmm. Sounds a lot like stitching!) The needles created this way don’t seem to get much smaller than a size 22 tapestry needle, and the point is never completely sharp, though maybe more than you might think. They are fun to use, although they sometimes snap. Best for stitching in wool or cotton thread on a loosely woven, soft fabric.

When the technique of drawing wire needles was created, stitching really developed. Metal needles can be thinner, better for stitching fine details, and hold a point better. Old metal needles were polished, rather than coated with the finishes used today, and the emery strawberry was used to strip corrosion from them to keep them stitching longer.

Handmade wire needles are still available today, through places that specialize in Japanese embroidery, and sometimes Chinese. They’re a joy to use with silk threads and detailed work.

And OOOOH While looking for the above link I found this reenactment link with historic needle styles for sale in Britain!

We are blessed today with abundant needle types, shapes, and sizes for a relatively inexpensive pricetag. We no longer have to guard our needles jealously because even the most expensive ones are relatively affordable (though I guard my handmade needles the same way they did in the past!)

Well. That turned into a history lecture, didn’t it? (Sorry about that!) We’ll have to talk about what to use what needle FOR, later!