| Size | 17 × 16 stitches |
|---|---|
| Colours | 4 · DMC |
| Total stitches | 193 |
| Difficulty | Beginner (1/5) |
| Finished on 14-count | 1.2 × 1.1 in (3.1 × 2.9 cm) |
| Finished on 16-count | 1.1 × 1 in (2.7 × 2.5 cm) |
| Finished on 18-count | 0.9 × 0.9 in (2.4 × 2.3 cm) |
| Licence | CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for personal use with credit |
Materials
About this design
The shell is Red (321) split down the middle by a black line, with two square spots on each side and a touch of Garnet (815) shading near the bottom. The head is Black (310) with two Blanc eyes, and two antennae rise from it. Black and red together are very forgiving: small slips barely show.
Stitch counts: 96 in 321 (Red), 91 in 310 (Black), 4 in 815 (Garnet Medium) and 2 in BLANC (White), 193 full cross stitches in all. One skein of each colour is plenty.
How to work it
Use two strands on 14-count Aida and start from the middle: fold the fabric in four to find the centre and match it to the centre of the chart. Stitch the black outline and the middle line first; the red then fills two simple halves.
Finishing ideas
At 17 × 16 stitches the design is about 1.2 × 1.1 inches on 14-count Aida and 0.9 × 0.9 inches on 18-count. A 4-inch hoop leaves room to frame it, and it also makes a card, a pin cushion or a child’s first project.
Colour plan
DMC 321 Red does the most work, 50% of the 193 stitches, followed by DMC 310 Black at 47%. DMC 815 Garnet Medium (4) and DMC BLANC White (2) are used only a little: small details worth marking on the chart so you don't miss them. 29% of the grid is left empty.
Working notes
14 squares stand alone in their colour, with no same-coloured neighbour along a side; stitch those as you pass rather than starting a new thread for each. The busiest row changes colour 8 times.
Anchor equivalents
The nearest Anchor colour for each DMC colour in this pattern, measured as ΔE 2000: up to 3 is very close, up to 6 close, up to 10 approximate.
This is an original CraftPatterns design, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0: stitch it, share it and gift what you make — please credit craftpatterns.app and don't sell the pattern itself. Want to change it? Open it in the cross stitch editor.
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