Day 53: In contrast to the tvistsöm embroidery I am working on a handwoven table runner at roughly eight stitches per inch, there little bitty birdies are set at 16 stitches per inch, and my old eyes are protesting the scale. There was a time when I could do counted-thread work including cross-stitch, hardanger, and especially drawnwork over two threads on 52-count canvas without a magnifier, i.e., at 26 stitches per inch, but no longer. Sixteen is about the best I can manage now, 18 in optimum light, and even so, I have to take my glasses off and hold the cloth a mere needle's-length from my eyes in order to see the holes. And no more working on dark fabrics! That said, this would not have been my first choice of canvas or thread for this particular project, but apparently three-strand crewel yarn is a thing of the past, now only available from hoarders on Etsy and Ebay, specialty producers, or in dedicated kits. Floss it is then, and if I look cross-eyed in my next selfie, you'll know why.
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