# [Track scattered colors](https://threadcabin.com/explore/303/track-scattered-colors)

> Work from checked landmarks and record completed stitches without hiding unworked symbols. Small color islands need deliberate starts and travel paths.

- Canonical page: https://threadcabin.com/explore/303/track-scattered-colors
- Language: en
- Published: 2026-09-25T17:26:34.6696762+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-25T17:26:39.5099051+00:00
- Craft: Embroidery
- Primary image: [Illustration: An evenweave cross-stitch project with a loose removable basting grid, a few scattered color islands and a marked counting reference.](https://threadcabin.com/images/explore/focused/counted-grid.jpg)

Work from checked landmarks and record completed stitches without hiding unworked symbols. Small color islands need deliberate starts and travel paths.

## Before you start

Have the chart key, chart width and height, fabric thread count and threads crossed by each stitch. Keep floss strands separate from fabric threads.

## Try this example

Choose one ten-by-ten chart block and complete a single symbol inside it. Recount its position against two known stitches before moving to the next block.

## Check your result

- Count from two independent reference points before filling a large area. Verify the outer stitched dimensions on the actual ground; include finishing fabric separately.
- Changing fabric count changes physical size, not chart complexity. Fractional stitches, mixed scales and non-square grounds need explicit chart instructions.

## Sources

- [rsnstitchbank.org: cross stitch](https://rsnstitchbank.org/stitch/cross-stitch)
- [rsnstitchbank.org: counted thread](https://rsnstitchbank.org/technique/counted-thread)

[Browse editable craft templates](/crafts?craft=embroidery)

[Report a correction](/corrections).

## Sources and provenance

- [Fabric count, stitch size, and thread coverage](https://threadcabin.com/explore/6/fabric-count-stitch-size-and-thread-coverage)
- [Start and finish counted threads](https://threadcabin.com/explore/298/start-and-finish-counted-threads)
- [Plan a removable grid](https://threadcabin.com/explore/302/plan-a-removable-grid)
- [Plan travel paths on the reverse](https://threadcabin.com/explore/305/plan-travel-paths-on-the-reverse)