Parking Threads?

[joyfuljenilee]

So I was looking around the other day online and found a website with crazy complicated cross stitches, and it seems like a lot of the people do something called 'parking' their threads or their needles. It was the only site I had seen it on, but it intrigued me. Here is a picture of what I mean:

Spoiler

Weird, right? I am wondering if anyone else has ever seen anything like this, or has tried it, or what your thoughts are. Oh, and here is the 'tutorial' I found, too:
http://www.scarletquince.com/parking.php
Anyway, just wondering about your thoughts.

[kuja.girl]

I totally do this, but not with so many colors and usually just 1-5 at a time and not that neatly... Never heard of it being a "technique" before.

[jadely]

Wow. That might cause my head to explode!

For super complicated patterns, it would be great. However, I'm afraid I will never have those skills.

[Miss Clawful]

How interesting, just did this with a few strands last night because a cross-stitch wasn't turning out as I wanted it, colors weren't right so I kept trying different ones, leaving them hanging each time I did several Xs, but I got tangled a bit even though did have them anchored out of the way (guess they weren't), felt like an octopus with only two arms and too many things to work with.

[Krysta]

I never do that. I'm afraid I'll mess up the colors and choose the wrong one. Or that it gets tangled. No I just put them away again before I continue with the next color, even if it is a complicated work.

[Sakuradrops915]

This is very interesting. I belong to another stitching website that is more conventional stitching called Heaven and Earth Designs. They have a work in progress forum where I have noticed alot of people doing this "parking" technique. I always wondered wha the heck they were doing and realize now that it is very beneficial to do when you are working with alot of different colors. Most of thier designs are for linen and are tens of thousands of stitchs so I can see the need for this technique. Thank you for sharing the tutorial! I think I will attempt to do this on my next huge project.

[DMLC]

I have done parking of my stitches on my latest project....background mostly. It is so much faster. Here is a photo of it being done.
http://animestitching.blogspot.com/2011 ... pdate.html
It does work better if you do have a stand then the threads can hang down. My next project I plan to do the whole pattern this way.