Swordfish

Counted cross stitch kit featuring the World War II torpedo bomber/reconnaissance biplane Fairey Swordfish, nicknamed ""The Stringbag"". This was not because of its cat's cradle of struts and wires, but because it was said to carry "more stores than a lady could fit into her stringbag on a shopping trip".

Though obsolete before war broke out, the Swordfish went on to servce in every theatre and was responsible for sinking more tonnage of enemy shipping than any other Allied aircraft. It sank the battleship Bismark, decimated the Italian fleet at Taranto harbour, and served in the North Atlantic on convoy duties.

The particular Swordfish represented in my design is the Royal Navy Historic Fight's W5856, in the pre-war colours of Capt Nigel Skene, the commanding officer of 810 TSR (Torpedo-Spotting Reconnaissance) Squadron, which the aircraft wore for the summer exercies of 1939. The broad blue/red/blue stripes encircling the fuselage are the colours of HMS Ark Royal, from which 810 Sqn were exercising.

The design contains only whole cross stitches - no part stitches - and some back stitches. The stitched measurements 9.7" x 8.5"/24.6 cm x 21.5 cm.

It would fit a frame measuring 37.9 cm x 21.6 cm without mount, or 40.6 cm x 30.5 cm with mount. The standard fabric in the kit is 14 count white blockweave Aida. 28 count evenweave 100% Cashel linen is available as an option for £3 extra. The kit also contains DMC stranded cottons in 25 shades, ready-sorted on a thread organiser with the key, needle, easy-to-follow charts, small scale and large scale, full instructions for beginners and specific instructions for this kit.