Winter Cottage

A wooden cottage under the snow, with lit windows, lanterns on the porch, a little stone bridge over the frozen stream and a fawn peeping out among the fir trees: a winter scene that works well as Christmas decor. It is worked in counted cross stitch from a full-colour symbolic chart on unprinted Aida.

The kit holds everything you need to stitch, with the threads already sorted by colour on the organiser; the frame is not included. A hoop or frame and a small pair of scissors will make the work easier. With 22 colours the shading of the snow and the lamplight stays gradual, so stitch in good light and mark off the finished areas on the chart.