Sea Wondersa Cross Stitch Pattern by Cody Country CrossStitch

Liked this pattern, and ordered the recommended black fabric. When the pattern arrived, I realized it was far more complex than I had anticipated: 9 pages of incredibly intricate patterning- there must be at least 60 different colors (and therefore symbols, many of which are difficult to scrutinize). As I began it (i'm still only a quarter through the center, page 5) i realized that the several shades of for instance, navy, or pale blue, were really indistinguishable. Economizing on the number of extremely subtle slight variations in hue would have simplified the pattern key and the execution. I found I had to go back and fill in a single stitch which I had missed on the complex pattern several times. Also- as I mentioned above, I ordered the black fabric and began ....the various navy colors were barely visible. So I began again on white (I live on a small island and don't have options- I think perhaps a pale blue, or sea green might be better). It is a totally different look....but the colors are now totally appreciable, and very striking. This will literally take me 100s of hours, but it is turning out nicely; although I wanted the black look, it was just too design suppressing (and hard to stitch). I heartily recommend a different background.