I ran across a mention of the Primitive Needle on another blog (whose link I can’t find now, so I apologize for not giving credit wherever it’s due) and liked the country/vintage look of their patterns so much I decided to give them a try.

I chose the Hallow Sampler, which recommended floss and linen from Weeks Dye Works (which can be purchased cheaper at Picture This Plus). I finally finished the piece, and although I’m quite pleased with it I do have some comments:

– The directions call for “Dill” linen, but the Dill color is way darker than whatever they used for their sample. Since the floss colors they specify are all fairly dull, I think some of the detail got lost in the background. I’d recommend ignoring their fabric suggestion and choosing a lighter color.

– The directions also specify 40-count linen. Brothers and sisters, as dog is my witness, 40 count is really freaking small. I had to either sit under a strong light source or borrow Shadow Jack’s reading glasses to see the holes well enough to count them, and I still wound up missing stitches and having to pull rows back out. (This piece definitely has the highest profanity count of any cross-stitch I’ve ever done.)

– The hand-dyed floss is gorgeous, with subtle variegation and colors that aren’t as harsh as many commercial brands. However, the variegation tended to be a problem with the small size of the elements. In particular the “Thyme” color–a mixture of grey and green–gave me trouble because the floss would change noticeably from grey to green about halfway through the row.

All of that being said, I really do like the richness that the hand-dyeing gives to the piece, and the tiny stitches make it look old-fashioned and elegant. The pattern itself is great (and the same company has loads of others in the same mold), and if you don’t have the patience for little fiddly stitches you could always use linen with a lower thread count. One or two of the elements would also be cute stitched onto clothing as an accent.

If you enjoy cross-stitch, I’d definitely recommend these guys.

Bonus link: Check out the awesome new Headless Horseman pattern at Picture This Plus.