Number of stitches (long)
F.James Cripwell
For those who posted about my having a scientific
approach to needlecraft, I make no apologies. If one is a
scientist, one approaches just about everything one does in life
from a scientific point of vies. And this includes cross stitch.
The end result is no less elegant just because I approach the
work using my scientific background; as I am sure The Other Lesa
will vouchsafe. Anyhow, I got very little information from
people, but I must thank those who did count stitches. What
little data there was, concerned 14 stitches per inch using two
threads; there were only two exceptions. But a good operations
research analyst has the attitude that the less the data, the
more you need to make of it; so here goes.
If you count stitches, and want to know how much floss to
cut, a good rule of thumb is 2 stitches per inch. Suppose you
need to know how much floss to cut to do 10 stitches, to make the
arithmetic easy. If you use the loop start, allow nothing for
the start, 5 inches of double floss for the stitches, i.e. 10
inches of single floss, and an appropiate amount (2 inches) of
double floss to end, i.e. 4 inches of single floss. So cut 14
inches of single floss. If you are using other than a loop
start, allow enough for the beginning, e.g. 1 inch if you are
locking under existing threads, 5 inches for the stotches, and 2
inches or so to finish off; i.e. 8 inches of double floss
altogether. Clear as mud? If you have more stitches per inch
than 14, take a little less. If you have less stitches per inch
than 14, then take a little more.
To calculate the number of stitches you can get from 8
meters of 6 starnd floss, I have used three figures which seem
right for 14 stitches per inch, and two threads. These are 1400
if you use floss generously, 1600 for average, and 1800 for
those of us who are thrifty. I then assumed you use 50% more if
you use three threads. I also assumed that the number of
stitches you get goes up as the square of the number of stitches
per inch; i.e. if you double the number of stitches per inch,
you will get 4 times as many stitches per length of floss. With
these assumptions, I have made up the following table. Please
note that this is *not* any sort of recommendation as to how many
threads uou should use.
Generous Average Thrifty
Stitches per inch
Two threads
18 2300 2650 3000
16 1800 2100 2350
14 1400 1600 1800
12 1050 1200 1300
Three threads
12 700 800 900
10 500 550 600
8 300 350 400
Now all we have to do is to persuade designers to put on
their patterns the number of equivalent stitches for each colour
of floss in the pattern; that is to calculate an equivalent stitch
for floss used for backstitching, beads, etc. and add it to the
number of cross stitches. I dont hold out too much hope that any
designers will oblige us in this matter, but one can always hope.
--
Jim Cripwell. Competence with a computer is directly
proportional to the amount of time wasted trying
to make the computer do what you want it to do.
Anonymous. circa 1957.
Dorsey
Hi James:
I guess you forgot again that Pooh Bear, Snoopy and Garfield make terrible
algebra problems, again. Oh well I guess dragons, butterflies and maybe
even roses might make better one, bot than again maybe not.
Hello again,
Dorsey
F.James Cripwell <bf...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA> wrote in article
<53m590$9...@freenet-news.carleton.ca>...
Lula
F.James Cripwell wrote:
<snipped from interesting longer article>
> Now all we have to do is to persuade designers to put on
> their patterns the number of equivalent stitches for each colour
> of floss in the pattern; that is to calculate an equivalent stitch
> for floss used for backstitching, beads, etc. and add it to the
> number of cross stitches. I dont hold out too much hope that any
> designers will oblige us in this matter, but one can always hope.
A little comment from experience in charting and kitting---
Backstitching is not a "countable" computation (at least in the program
we use to chart with) because it doesn't always go square along the
lines of cross stitches--sometimes it goes diagonally which causes the
stitch count to become a "fraction" for example---cross stitches are
counted individually in whole numbers but a diagonal backstitch becomes
a "fraction"--like 1.3 lets say of a stitch instead of one, two and
three, four......
The charting programs do not count the graphical drawing of backstitch
lines---only stitch symbol counts.
Back stitching is sometimes used for lettering, faces, hair, etc. which
often uses backstitch in curves and diagonals of varying lengths.
So back to the estimates again---buy the extra skein(s) if you have a
lot of backstitching to give yourself a margin.
Lula from Wooly Dreams Design
F.James Cripwell
Lula comments that "backstitching is not a countable stitch
in the programmes we now use" or something like that. It seems
to me that rctn is a wonderful forum for people involved in all
aspects of needlecraft to discuss things. Most of are users,
whose hard earned money keeps the whole process going. So
hopefully our ideas discussed in this world wide forum may help
to make the products better. It seems to me, (and I have done
a lot of computer programming), that it is res ipsi loquiter,
that if a computer programme can chart backstitches, it can also
measure the length of floss needed to do the backstitching. Just
because present programmes dont do this, is no reason why they
should be made to do so in the future. We have one such
programmer who reads rctn regularily, Chris, but she at the present
time is probably emulating a juggler trying to keep 15 objects in
the air at the same time. If you have a spare moment, Chris, am
I right?
IMHO, rctn should be used to pass ideas, first between the
end users to see how many of us think they are worth pursuing, then
to the designers, and then to those who support the designers. etc.
If rctn served to do this function, I think it would be very good
indeed. And Dorsey, there are other things in life than fantasy.
Just because I treat some subjects very scientifically does *not*
mean that I too cannot fantasise, and see "objects in clouds".
Lula
Jim--
Backstitching on our current charting programs are "hand drawn" into the
chart---and not "measured" at all by the computer.
What you are talking about is a CAD program or computer aided design
software to be incorporated into a stitching or charting program---so
far no one has done this yet beccause CAD programming would cause the
need for more processing power, memory and cost of the final software.
True--if we can chart it, we can do a guess-estimate of the
backstitching.
This is a logical assumption---but a CAD program would make it so much
more definitive an option we don't have at this time.
Now my question is---would a CAD charting/design program be
realistically priced to be affordable to the average designer?
Lula from Wooly Dreams Design
Chris O'Donnell
> F.James Cripwell wrote:
> >
> > Lula comments that "backstitching is not a countable stitch
> > in the programmes we now use" or something like that. It seems
> > to me that rctn is a wonderful forum for people involved in all
> > aspects of needlecraft to discuss things. Most of are users,
> > whose hard earned money keeps the whole process going. So
> > hopefully our ideas discussed in this world wide forum may help
> > to make the products better. It seems to me, (and I have done
> > a lot of computer programming), that it is res ipsi loquiter,
> > that if a computer programme can chart backstitches, it can also
> > measure the length of floss needed to do the backstitching. Just
> > because present programmes dont do this, is no reason why they
> > should be made to do so in the future. We have one such
> > programmer who reads rctn regularily, Chris, but she at the present
> > time is probably emulating a juggler trying to keep 15 objects in
> > the air at the same time. If you have a spare moment, Chris, am
> > I right?
Yes Jim, I'm here and listening <g> Right now I'm trying to juggle my current
project on this platform that (someday) will be a child! (3 weeks to go, but
who's counting <g>)
When I incorporate back stitch into my program I did plan to figure out the
lenght of floss. I do it NOW for the X's and would continue to do so for the
half, 3/4 and 1/4 stitches. Last time I was playing with the calculation, I
posted it here and recieved good feedback. I was planning on doing the same.
Chris