Marking Computer Generated Cross Stitch Patterns

* Please use this tip with caution: If a design has a lot of one color in the background, say the color white, for example, I just use white Aida and don't stitch the white background. If you can find Aida that closely matches the background color, it will save a lot of time stitching.

* First, I tackle only one page at a time.

* Next, I start at one corner of the page and carefully work across and down, not straying too far from the work I've already done. There's nothing more frustrating than finding out way too late that I miss-counted how many stitches down or across I was supposed to go, then having to take those stitches out and restitch the design correctly. The farthest I go is about 10 stitches away from my work.

* I've invested in a set of colored pencils. Starting with the lightest color first, I mark all the symbols of one color. I stitch that color. (or as much as I can without straying to far. See hint above.) I might mark the first symbol with a circle, then using the same color pencil, I mark the next symbol with an X. And the next symbol, I will color in the little square completely.

Next I move on to another color of pencil and in the same manner, mark more symbols. Below is an photo of an actual page that I've worked on. It's not completed yet, so you can see what I mean about marking symbols in different ways with the same colored pencil and not straying too far from where you've already stitched.

Also, I'm left-handed, so I naturally work from left to right, right-handed stitchers would probably work from right to left.

csp