Nine days after starting, and around 12 hours a day at my computer, I have finally finished my first design! I have gone down a rather detailed route, so this pattern would not be for a beginner. I looked at printing the canvas, but with so many single stitches I felt it would not work well (not even thinking of the huge costs involved of having it done professionally) - and hey - who doesn't like the challenge of a complex counted pattern!
I am really please with how it looks, and I used 'Place It' software to see how it would look on a cushion! But I have read that the colours on the screen are not completely accurate with the actual wool/threads, so a shade card has been ordered from Appletons. Their wool is pure British Wool and is sourced in the Yorkshire Wool Markets, dyed and spun in Britain, and it was what I used for my first adventure in cross stitching with wool. I wait with anticipation to see how close the colours are in real life!