Crewel World

Back in the living room she picked up her project, found her place, and resolutely stuck the needle needlework, she would find peace. That's why she loved needlepoint - it worked like meditation. It was better than meditation, actually, because after a while you found you had both peace of mind and a work of art.

The women discussed the best catalog source for patterns, how old the grandchildren had to be before teaching them to stitch, whether or not aida came in twenty-five count, what to do when your knitting yarn starts to kink, needleworkers who had shamefully messy backs on their projects, overdyed versus watercolors, small laying tool...

Yeah, well I started it on forty-count aida, but only got the face done before my eyes crossed and threatened to stay that way if I didn’t quit. This twenty-four count is much more comfortable, even if it is linen.” Betsy tried to imagine cross-stitching on fabric woven forty threads to the inch and her own eyes crossed in sympathy.