Wow, there's a lot to tell you about this week, so let's get started....

First up we have a new page with tons of needlepoint on sale. And who doesn't like a bargain?

Click the link for

We also have some new kits on our site. These are from the Animal Fayre and Sew Exciting collections from England. Sew Exciting has some very "beachy" themes, perfect for summer. Animal Fayre features a lot of Arts and Crafts Movement designs and, you guessed it....animals.

Click here to view these gorgeous new designs.

Next up we have an article on Bargello by our guest writer Janet Perry. Janet writes a needlepoint blog called Nuts About Needlepoint and I think we can safely say she is an expert on the subject!

Take it away, Janet.....

I loved Bargello from the first moment I saw it. The rhythms of the curving lines, the wonderful gradations of color, the geometric look of it all. It's geometric without looking square and boxy. And what magic there is in those stitches! Just to think a whole slew of Straight Stitches makes curves, scallops, diamonds, ovals, little lollipop-like trees, scales, flowers, and zig-zags. It can be changed endlessly and you can learn it in about a minute.

This article is going to start you on the road to Bargello by teaching you how to make a Bargello stitch, helping you pick threads for your first project and giving you a simple pattern that you can use to complete your first project.

Start by going to your local needlework shop and buying three colors of brown paper packages Silk & Ivory. They can be any colors you like, but they should look nice together. One easy thing to do is to pick a light, medium, and a dark shade of the same color. At the same time buy a piece of 14 or 18 mesh mono needlepoint canvas, about 8" x 10".

Find a permanent, non-Xylene marker, such as Pigma microns (you get them at quilt shops). Using this pen draw a 4" x 6" rectangle in the center of the canvas. To make your life easier, find the center along the short side and draw another line down it.

Now you're ready to stitch. Make a knot at the end of one strand of one of the colors and thread the needle with the opposite end. Somewhere outside the top of the rectangle, bring your needle from the front of the canvas to the back leaving the knot on the front. Bring your needle to the front of the canvas through a hole along that center line about 2" from the top of the rectangle. Count up four canvas threads. In other words, skip three holes. Bring the needle to the back to the back of the canvas.

That's it! That is the stitch for Bargello. Isn't it easy?

To make a second stitch, go into the next column of holes and go up two threads (skip one hole). Bring your needle out of the canvas, count up four threads, and bring your needle back into the canvas. You've made a second stitch, making a step up.

To make a step down, count down four threads. To make a longer step, make a second or third stitch using the same row of threads, so the stitched line up in a row.

This is enough to get you started making simple Bargello patterns, like this one here. The first stitch you made is the single stitch at the lowest point of the pattern.

Following the pattern, continue to make Bargello stitches on the side where you made the second stitch to finish half the row. End your thread by running it through the back of several stitches. Taking a second strand of the same color of thread, make the other half of the row. You have made one complete row of Bargello. This row establishes the pattern because every other row will be exactly like it, but in different colors.

Before beginning another row, take your three colors and arrange them in a pattern you like. This will be the pattern of colors in the finished stitching. Perhaps you want to have every other row be one color and the two other colors alternate on the other row (A-B-A-C-A). Perhaps you want to use light-medium-dark-light. Once you find a pattern you like, write it down, so you won't forget what color comes next.

Taking the next color in the sequence and beginning on one side, make the next row above your first row. Continue to follow the sequence and stitch to the top of the rectangle. As you near the top or bottom of the rectangle, stitches will drop out of the line because they would be out of your marked area. Just leave out those stitches. Sometimes these stitches will be shorter before they drop out.

Did you love Bargello? I've just completed a book full of more than 30 great Bargello projects, lots of ideas for how to make your own designs, and ideas for turning your Bargello into accessories for yourself, others, and for your home. It's called Bargello Revisited, and is available from needlework stores and Amazon.com.

Keep Stitching,

Thanks Janet. And finally this week we have two new Crafty Dog designs to tell you about.

Crafty Dog is a range of kits for children and beginner stitchers. If you are looking for a craft project for your children this summer, Crafty Dog makes a good companion. See the range and the two newest designs here