Cristianos / ChristianThe face of Christ crowned with thorns, eyelids lowered, his hair falling to his shoulders. It is worked in just two threads, a black and a very light grey, and all the modelling comes from how they are spread: where the black gathers there is shadow, where the grey opens up the light comes in. It is 200 x 291 stitches, about 36 by 53 centimetres on 14-count, and the fabric never shows anywhere: every one of the 58,200 cells is stitched.
It is not difficult, since there are only two colors, but it does ask for patience: two thirds of the stitches are black, and in the mid-tones the two threads alternate almost one by one, with plenty of what stitchers call confetti, isolated stitches that make you count slowly. And since the pattern is free, both threads can be changed: a very dark brown instead of the black and an ecru instead of the grey turn it into the sepia of an old print.
The Passion of Christ
This pattern is free: open it, change it however you like and publish your version in the gallery, under your name.
Files open with the Puntotek app.
The numbers
Size by fabric count
| Count | Stitches/cm | The design | In inches | Fabric to buy * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 ct | 4.3 | 46.2 x 67.2 cm | 18.2 x 26.5 in | 62 x 83 cm |
| 14 ct | 5.5 | 36.3 x 52.8 cm | 14.3 x 20.8 in | 52 x 69 cm |
| 16 ct | 6.3 | 31.8 x 46.2 cm | 12.5 x 18.2 in | 48 x 62 cm |
| 18 ct | 7.1 | 28.2 x 41.1 cm | 11.1 x 16.2 in | 44 x 57 cm |
| 20 ct | 7.9 | 25.4 x 37.0 cm | 10.0 x 14.6 in | 41 x 53 cm |
| 22 ct | 8.7 | 23.1 x 33.6 cm | 9.1 x 13.2 in | 39 x 50 cm |
* The fabric to buy allows 8 cm on each side for the hoop and the frame. The highlighted row is 14-count, the most common: the pattern has the same number of stitches on every fabric, what changes is how big each one is.
Suggested fabric: white.
The threads
| Thread | Stitches | Of the total | Skeins * |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMC-GRISES 310 | 39,382 | 67.7 % | 24 |
| DMC 02 | 18,818 | 32.3 % | 12 |
| 2 threads | 58,200 | 100 % | 36 skeins |
* The skeins are a guide: they assume about 1,700 stitches per skein with two strands on 14-count, rounded up. Finer thread goes further, doubled thread goes less far.
What this one asks of you
All 58,200 stitches are full cross stitch: no half stitches and no backstitch to follow.
It has 9,006 lone stitches, 15.5 % of the total, and 2,406 of those have no neighbour of their color at all. The more there are, the more the needle jumps.
