Choosing Stitches and Threads

There is an excellent tutorial on Anne Stradal's blog this morning (The Cape Stitcher) on choosing threads and stitches for needlepoint projects. The artwork, as usual, is charming - and her canvas preparation is great, as she stitch paints with great care. Anne believes, as I do, that the design should be dealt with as a whole, rather than as individual parts. Too much textural interest will distract and suffocate rather than enhance.

P.S. also please notice that the circle is drawn perfectly symmetric - this not only makes the canvas look nice, but it's easier to stitch neatly. Just drawing around a glass or whatever may look O.K. before the design is stitched, but it's not good canvas preparation, as the circle usually appears a bit or a lot lopsided after it's worked, and is difficult to finish as a round ornament.