WHAT A DIFFERENCE A COUPLE OF NUMBERS MAKE

When I was pulling threads for this project, the LNS didn't have the called for colors in stock. For the orange, DebBee calls for DMC920. Well, me being the stitchy genius that I am, I figured that I could pull DMC922 and everything would be just fine. Tomato, tomahto.

WRONG.

For those of you out there shaking your heads at my stupidity, please don't blame my stitchy sensei, Chrissy. From the very beginning, she has warned me against guessing about color, especially about DMC color. Numbers really don't mean anything, and if you think DMC922 is the same as or close enough to DMC920, you'll spend the evening looking at DMC922 wondering why it's just too damn bright for the project that you are so lovingly stitching. And, unless you're my BSSFF* Chrissy and you can actually see all of the DMC colors in your head, you're much better off actually looking at the darn color chart or the skein itself for a color check.

So I frogged all of the orange out of the piece and headed up to the studio to see if I had a ball of DMC#8 perle in 920. I didn't. BUT! I did have a skein of #5 perle and I figured that it just might work. It did. As is evidenced by the lousy pic above, the rhodes stitches in the center are now a deeper and richer orange, which happens to look much better with the variegated Watercolors. (You'll have to trust me on this...it's o'dark hundred here and I just can't wait until tomorrow to share my wisdom.) The ball in the lower left is the dreaded DMC922. Duh.

So I've learned my lesson and I promise not to get color cocky again. I'll still switch and play and put things together as I damn well please, but I won't substitute until I know for sure that the color will actually work. There. I promised and everything.

I do, however, like the canvas showing through in between the orange rhodes stitches in the brown floss area. I'm supposed to fill it in with orange floss, but I'm thinking I might leave it open? (Oh, there I go again, getting all mavericky with it!) I think I'll finish the piece and then go back to see if it will need something there. As for that center, I pulled out the waffle stitch and will put the beaded "X" that's called for in the chart. See....I can be a rule follower if I need to be.

The next time I talk with my BSDFF* Laura J. Perin I'll have to ask her if she wants to smack people in the head when they change things on her designs. I mean, she's the PROFESSIONAL for cryin' out loud, so why would we feel compelled to mess with perfection? But sometimes I love playing with different colors or textures and I secretly hope that she would be pleased with my choices. Either that, or I'm probably offending the living daylights out of her, but because she is just the very nicest person on the whole planet, she would never say so. Oh, now I'm going to fret about this all night.

Now before I forget......Happy Diwali! I was on the phone for three hours today with all of my new BICF's* from HP in India. To kill time while we were waiting for my printer to actually print something, I made pleasant conversation with whomever was stuck listening to me. Turns out that today is a festival day in India called Diwali. Apparently it involves a lot of fireworks, crackers, and new clothing. The best part is that I kept wishing everybody I talked to a "Happy Vivaldi" until one of my new friends spelled it for me and laughed at my silly American accent. Oh well, you can't blame a girl for trying a little international diplomacy now, can you?

Off to bed. Stewey is already warming the sheets and will start to wonder where I've gotten myself off to!

BSSF = Best Sister Stitchy Friend Forever
BSDFF = Best Stitchy Designer Friend Forever
BICF = Best Indian Computer Friend