Hardanger the Hard Way

Subtitle - Why is that crazy lady out on her porch taking pictures of a wastebasket?

Yes, that is Hardanger in the trash. I have given up!

It is a cute little tree that I thought I could finish rather quickly in my spare time. I had the kit about a month and when the time was right I started stitching. I thought I'd have a tree a few days later.

Wrong! It went slower than usual. I was making more mistakes and having to undo them. I was halfway done with the klosters (for the 2nd time) when I realized the problem: 28 count linen and pearl cotton 5 and 8. The thread is way to big for the linen. It pushes the holes together and it makes it harder to count.

I figured that I'd made a good start and if I was careful I wouldn't make any more mistakes. Wrong! While the klosters where difficult the buttonhole was nearly impossible. Still I struggled on. I got frustrated. I got headaches.

The next time I picked it up (after ignoring it for weeks) I looked closely. It just didn't look good and I didn't want to deal with it so it went in the wastebasket.

Instead I found a scrap of linen and some pearl cotton in the correct size. In a fraction of the time I spend on the other one I was further along. And having fun.

Lesson learned. I should have quit when I realized what the problem was. I didn't realize how difficult the wrong size thread made job. Hopefully others with the same kit realized the problem and adjusted. I would hate for a first-timer to have to start with a problem like that.

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