Kitting is another service provided by needlepoint shops. Needle Nicely sells the majority of its canvases "canvas only" (though I do remember pricing canvases to include Paternayan yarn--long before the advent of specialty fibers). I try to emphasize to customers that they should try to use the fibers they already own, rather than always buying everything new. And I don't mind going through the bags of left-overs, organized or not (though organized is definitely preferable!), to help kit the new canvas. Usually people tend toward the same colors so their leftovers will be relevant to additional canvases. I must confess, though, to having had a customer scold me by saying "stop trying to save me money!" Believe me, I haven't made that mistake with her again!!
Hand-in-hand with kitting is stitch selection. Sometimes a thicker (or thinner) version of a fiber is needed for a certain area done in that special stitch. Stitch guides are all the rage today. I resist buying them to accompany canvases in my inventory because I feel any shop owner should be able to suggest appropriate stitches and fibers. Not to mention that it adds to the final cost of the canvas. Not good when someone is hesitating about the purchase. Sometimes I feel that the stitch guide becomes the be-all and end-all and the design disappears. Ditto for some of the exotic fibers called for. End of minor rant!
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