Why stitch this way?

[Lord Libidan]

I was wondering, why do we stitch a line, doing half stitches, then go back, when we could just do the whole stitch, then move to the next?
What's the advantage?

[StitchPlease]

When I stitch back and forth like that it seems to use less thread; it also seems to add less bulk to the back. I really prefer it, and I love seeing the neatness of just straight lines on the back of my projects.

[blackmageheart]

I was wondering, why do we stitch a line, doing half stitches, then go back, when we could just do the whole stitch, then move to the next?
What's the advantage?

I don't! I do the full cross! One by one, that's how I roll.
It's true that doing the full cross is less neat, but that doesn't mean that it's very untidy either - with practice it stays tidy enough!
It also does add a slight bit more bulk to the back, but I'm not sure that actually makes any difference, particularly when looking at it from the front

[Eliste]

For me it's cause I lose my place easily. If I can go "7 across now, down one and back 5" it's much easier to count that then I'm not worrying about messing up the count coming back.

I actually tend to do an entire color in half stitches and then backtrack and cross them all. Gives my brain a break from the counting, plus I think it's easier to see if I've messed up if I can look at the color block and how it's supposed to look in terms of squares. I find it easier to see mistakes that way, and then there's a lot less unpicking.

[Lord Libidan]

I don't! I do the full cross! One by one, that's how I roll.

Well, depending what it is, I do a bit of that too. If its a large and easily counted block I'll do it half stitches, but if it's lots of detail, and you have to count a lot, and jump around, I prefer the full stitch.

Also, I knot the back. Never trusted the old sew up the end of your thread thing...

[StitchPlease]

Also, I knot the back. Never trusted the old sew up the end of your thread thing...

I don't know how I ever stitched before I learned the sewing knot method! It's hard for me to knot tightly, and all the loose bits of thread drive me nuts! Anyone who uses the knot method is like a super hero to a less talented knot tier like me.

[kuja.girl]

I actually tend to do an entire color in half stitches and then backtrack and cross them all. Gives my brain a break from the counting, plus I think it's easier to see if I've messed up if I can look at the color block and how it's supposed to look in terms of squares. I find it easier to see mistakes that way, and then there's a lot less unpicking.

I'm with Eliste on this one. Picking out half stitches after a mistake saves a lot of time and my brain needs breaks from counting!
I used to knot my thread, but then I got good at just catching the ends with my stitches - no more knots! I clip off the bits that stick up so it's not messy.

[moon_noodles]

I was wondering, why do we stitch a line, doing half stitches, then go back, when we could just do the whole stitch, then move to the next?
What's the advantage?

I do both. If its long lines or blocks of the same I do half stitches, it uses less thread, and overall I prefer it. Plus it means that if I mess up on counting then its easier to undo. And as the others said you get a bit of a break from counting. And I kind of fell like I get more done when I do this method.

If its detailed bits, or bits where its only a few stitches then I will do the whole stitch. Its not that much more on the back and it can still be kept tidy. I do however get more paranoid about my counting when I do this method which if it was a lot of stitches would probably really annoy me. I also feel like it takes me longer to do stitches this way.

[Pixel Stitches]

I'm still the only one I know of that does it all criss-cross style...I have always just liked how it looks, I dunno


Example!
(Also this was made so long ago...I would never leave white spaces open like that anymore, yikes D: )

[kuja.girl]

I'm still the only one I know of that does it all criss-cross style...I have always just liked how it looks, I dunno :hmm:

omg you have the top stitches going different directions! For Shame!
That's frowned on by traditional x-stitch, as it does keep the final product from looking uniform as it changes the way the light hits the thread, but I think you made it work :D