Do a Color Study in Cross Stitch, Sudoku Style

I realize that headline doesn’t really tell you anything about what is happening in this project, but it’s really cool so I hope you’ll bear with me through some explanation.

Whether you want to design cross stitch patterns or just have the freedom to pick colors out of your stash to substitute for those used in a pattern, understanding a bit of how colors work together can be super helpful.

This project from Koekoek has you choose a picture you like and pull out different colors in the design to stitch into a project. Instead of trying to re-create the photograph you’re just using colors from the photograph to make a Sudoku like color study.

If you’ve ever play Sudoku, you know that it’s a numbers game played on a grid of squares. There are 3 sets of squares across and 3 up and down, and each of those squares also has sets of 3 squares across and up and down, for a total of 81 squares. In the game you’re trying to fill the squares with numbers, ensuring that for each number in a given square, the same number doesn’t appear in the same column or row across the board, but it also doesn’t appear elsewhere in the block of 9 squares it is in.

This project starts with 9 colors that come from your photo (or you could do it with any colors you like) and a real Sudoku game board to help you distribute your color blocks throughout the puzzle.

When you’re done you’ll have a reminder of a picture you love that doesn’t really look anything like the picture but carries the same feelings because you’re using the same colors.

It will also teach you about how colors work together as you see how the same color looks different placed next to other colors in your grid.

For the full tutorial on this one, head to the Koekoek blog. If you try this one I’d love to hear how it goes!

[Photo: Koekoek]

I was recently approached by Alyssa, the cross stitcher behind the Etsy shop Stitchonomy, to take a look at her cross stitch pattern subscription club, known as The Pattern Club.

I took a look around and there’s a lot of cute stuff and fun options you’ll want to check out, especially if you love themed patterns that are small, easy to stitch and fun to combine.

The Pattern Club combines cross stitching with a social network. When you open the site you’ll see a news feed and have the ability to share updates much like you would on Facebook. You can see who is online, have buddies and post your own updates and photos. The community aspect is a little sparse right now but that should only grow.

The stitch along hub is the place to find the most recent patterns and information on the current stitchalong. As of this writing the Book Lover’s stitchalong was happening, with little designs like Peter Rabbit, a skull for Hamlet and keys for Jane Eyre as well as authors including Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.

Other pattern collections include European designs, Halloween, ocean life, an allotment garden and more. Alyssa tells me there’s a new theme every month that either she picks or members in the community suggest. You can stitch just the patterns you want or put them together to make a larger collage.

The Stitchanomini vault gives you access to all of the previous patterns, and new patterns are released daily through the stitchalong. You can download individual patterns (most of them are 19 by 19 stitches) as PDFs or Pattern Keeper files. The PDFs include a color and black and white chart as well as a floss list.

Another cool thing you can do is build your own pattern collages from all of the squares that have been released. The collage configurator allows you to add patterns of your choosing to a grid ranging from 2×2 patterns up to 4×4. You can scroll through all the current patterns or search by theme and size to make a project that suits your needs. (Above is an example I made kind of at random but you get the idea.)

If you want to check it out, you can grab a three-day free trial and see all the pattern options. Membership is $7.99 a month, or if you pay for a year at a time you’ll get two months free. In addition to the patterns in the club, members receive discounts on patterns and supplies purchased through the shop within the club. Annual members get access to three paid/retired stitchalongs and lifetime members receive all retired patterns.

If you check it out I’d love to hear what you think!

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