HI Dbye468!
I always use my stand magnifier with lighting when I'm doing something on linen!. As you know, I have cataracts but I'm still plugging along with my 28 count linen projects.
You should try the linen! If I remember correctly, you've been doing cross stitching for a while, rigtht?
I think Syagel or Texas or one of the ladies gave a good explanation about evenweave fabric. Some linens FABRICs have strands (that make up the fabric itself), but the STRANDS of the fabric are not exactly the same width throughout the whole piece of fabric? Please help me out fellow stitchers as to what linen fabrics are like that???
Uh, Belfast linen is not an evenweave, I think.
Evenweave linen fabrics are created with the STRANDS that make up the fabric itself are all the SAME SIZE both horizontally and vertically which assists the stitches in having "X's" that are exactly the same width and height. I use evenweave and it's just easier to find the right "holes" to make my cross stitches.
I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND your nervousness about learning to use linen to cross stitch. When I bought my first linen, a 28-count fabric, I was a nervous wreck! I must've waited a week after I bought the material from the cross stitch shop I used to visit before I attempted to try stitching on it. I remember that I kept saying to myself, "Over 2, over 2...." The cross stitch shop owner told me when she was cutting the 28 count at the store, "When you get comfortable going "over 2" instead of using the AIDA fabric and going over one, you'll probably never go back to doing the 14 count aida you've been buying." At THAT time, I thought the store owner was doing a bit of "leg pulling" but you know what? SHE WAS RIGHT!
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the "background" and "detail" of the projects when I'm done with a 28-count fabric and the owner was correct! I've never gone back! If I DO see a cross stitch project that I really like that has been done on 14-count aida, I just buy the pattern and go OVER 2 squares. Of course the size of the completed project will be a bit different, but I figure out what fabric I need and it tells me what the complete project size will be. Just remember to add the 3 inches earch side when ordering linen for matting and framing. Keep in mind, that linen fabric will be more costly, depending on what fabric choice and size of fabric you need!
You might want to think on doing a small project on some 25-count or 28 count linen to "get your feet wet" and give you confidence.
BUt I would encourage you to "GO FOR IT!" There are a lot of experienced stitchers on the "Chat" who work on linen and can give you the support and advice you need!