March Achievements & April Goals

Goals for March:
1. Finish By the Window Done
2. Finish Weekend in Paris Nope
3. Stitch Wisdom from Legends of Dragons Started but not much progress
4. Work on Red Rose of Sharon Not one bit!

Other things I did that were unplanned:
1. Started and stitched everything but the beads on Bluebeard's Princess

Goals for April:
1. Go back to a rotation
2. Finish Weekend in Paris
3. Stitch Wisdom from Legends of Dragons
4. Work on Red Rose of Sharon

Colourful and shiny...

While my one-at-a-time plan shows great progress on one piece, it means I don't feel much like blogging since the only thing I have to show is the same piece.


Bluebeard's Princess
32ct Laurel Linen
That conch! I had to stitch it three times before I finally got it right. The first time I had somehow stitched it one row above her hand. So I frogged and stitched it again. Only to make the exact same mistake! No screaming, but a quiet whimper and another try and third time was the charm.

This is my first time working with silks, and it's been a bit more stressful than I care for. Not the using the silks part, but the variegated part. I've only used variegated threads for samplers, geometric designs and such. I find the stripy effect weird on blocks of stitches. The outside of BP's tail is stitched in Umbria, which is a green & brown thread. Mine looks green and purple. I've been obsessed with trying to figure out how to make it look good. I did manage to get the stripes in the bottom to be all purple (except one where there's a green line. I have to fix that somehow.)

Cue 3 hours on the Internet looking at various finishes and WIPs to see how it looks. Most people's seems to be green, mine looks purple. The result is that while folks seems to have a blue-haired mermaid with a greenish lower body(Missy's, Andie's) I have a blue-haired mermaid with a purple-edged pale green lower body. I'm still trying to decide if this works or not.

Warning: The following content may be offensive to silk snobs. Reader discretion is advised.

Stitching with silk is nice, but I don't understand the big worship. I don't hear the legendary lack of scratching/whatever because my headphones are too loud. And while they do slide nicely, I use Kreiniks. Those things are a pain to pull thorough and after them, anything DMC does is nothing! Yes, they feel nice, but really, she's going to be framed. Behind glass. Where the only thing you'll be able to tell is that she has lots of beads, shiny metallic thread, and more thread. Not that part of her is silk and the rest DMC. And see above for my overdyed stresses. Can't say I'm joining the silk worship camp. Different strokes, I guess.

But they do feel very nice to fondle.

In completely unrelated news: last Thursday was -15. Tomorrow is supposed to be +18. (Edit: that's in Celsius). I really wish the weather would settle so that I can pack my coat away and find my flip flops.

Another award

This time from both Cath and Michelle. Thanks ladies!



1) Put the logo on to your blog or within your post.
2) Pass on the award to 12 bloggers.
3) List the nominees in your post.
4) Let them know they've received this award by commenting on their blog.
5) Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award.

Passing on to some wonderful people who should be followed slavishly:
Bonnie
Claire
Sarah
Rachel
Valerie
Myra
Kathy
Lee
Meari
Paula
Siobhan
Cathey

Blog Award

Evalina passed me this award! (Thanks so much~)
My first one. It's always so much fun to have people acknowledge and enjoy my babbling.


The rules of Beautiful Blogger Award are simple:

1. Accept the award
2. Thank the person who gave you the award
3. Add a link to the person who gave you the award
4. Put the award on your blog
5. Write 10 things about yourself others might not know about you
6. Pass the award on to 10 others

Ten things that may be of interest that I probably have not mentioned before:

01. I used to collect stamps until I was about 12. I still have them all. (Somewhere)

02. I am a vegetarian since birth. (Vegetarian parents)

03. I've worn glasses since 10. I credit reading by torchlight under the bedcovers.

04. I am a chronic speeder but have yet to get a ticket. (Knock wood!)

05. I am my maternal grandparents' eldest grandchild and paternal grandparents' eldest granddaughter. (Oh the pressure!)

06. I cut my waist long hair to chin height last year. I have tons of hair accessories that I can't use anymore but I am incapable of getting rid of them.

07. My first cross stitch project was a yellow giraffe when I was 10. Bloodthirsty child that I was, I drew dots with red markers to represent blood.

08. I am directionally disabled. I can cross the street, turn around in a circle and lose my way.

09. I don't own any pairs of heels, because I have an irrational fear of falling.

10. I am terrified of height. I can only climb on chairs if I can hold onto a wall. I'm too scared to jump on my bed.

Passing on to (in no particular order):
Michele
Nic
Annie
Janaina
Chiloe
Missy
Mel
Lynn
Angela
Laural

No mirror

Apparently she's substituting a conch instead!


Bluebeard's Princess
32ct Laurel Linen
She's stitching up much faster than I expected!

Cathey: This is what she looks like.
Kristen: I have no idea what beading needle I use. I just told my LNS lady that I needed one that could go through the tiniest Mill Hill beads and she gave me a couple.

TUSAL March

In what is turning out to be a dismal pattern I have a third jar for the third TUSAL picture.



The reason that there's less thread is because my Mum threw out my previous orts in the name of Spring Cleaning. And the new container is because "using your brother's memento is wrong!"

The bit of red is from Cirque des Cercles.
The cream from Weekend in Paris
The blue-greens from Bluebeard's Princess

Let's see if this container lasts more than just one photo and returns in April!

Blue March

Eleven days into March, the snow is melting, the streets are filled with water, and I've packed away my boots!

After By the Window, I wanted another finish. So I took a look at my WIPs (all 8) and none of them are near finish. Except maybe Weekend in Paris, but the cream background is too annoying. A few are about halfway done, most have barely been started. So what do I do? Why another new start! (Yes that should give me another finish soon...)


Bluebeard's Princess
32ct Laurel Linen

She's on the recommended fabric, which is a rather stiff linen. I don't care much for the feel of it, but I couldn't find any other colour that I liked and since it just goes on my Q-Snap there shouldn't be too much trouble.

I don't think a mermaid should be caged in, and the border is kinda blah, so no border, and therefore no crown of fishes. And even though the sea horses are cute I'm leaving them out.

WARNING: Whining ahead!

She has 8 packs of Magnifica beads, 3 Treasures and 4 Caron Waterlilies. Gorgeous? Yes. But EXPENSIVE! I actually came home with two beads and two Waterlilies. I have to wait for a while before I can scrounge the money for the rest.
This is an issue because as an unemployed full time student I'm not only living and eating on my parent's dime, I'm also funding my cross stitch via them.
So with 9 WIPs, and 4 patterns fully kitted, I really shouldn't be starting anything. And since I don't stitch many smalls (lousy at finishing them) everything takes at least 40 hours, usually ~50-120, it isn't as if I'm going to run out of things to stitch. So in an effort to get my habit under control I've decided that I won't have any more planning. So I will buy anything else I need for my WIPs, start everything I have kitted and nothing else until I have nothing kitted and am down to 5 WIPs.

Wish me luck and feel free to send reproving tsks if I stitch anything other than my WIPs or start anything that isn't Cirque des Triangles, Cirque des Carreaux, The Runekeeper Saga or Sleepy Hollow.

Keeping Kleenex in business

So I had another finish yesterday:



Start date February 18, 2010
Finish date March 04, 2010
Total time 42.5 hours
Fabric 28ct antique white Jubilee

If your reaction is "I don't remember seeing pictures of this..." you're right. This is the first I've mentioned it. And I really can't think of any excuse.

Post Valentine, I was surfing and came across this couple by Soda. And there are books! And they're reading. (OK, he is and she's been bored to sleep) I had to!

Getting the fabric was an investigation worthy of Poirot himself! I wanted it on the same fabric as the last one and I thought it was lugana. It wasn't. After begging my LNS to help me, and getting some looks of pity we figured out it's Jubilee.

I've decided that I like Jubilee. Sadly it doesn't come in 32 ct, which is what I use most. Oh well. 32ct shall remain Lugana, or the occasional Jobelan.

A before backstitch picture:

I like Soda patterns because even though the colour changes aren't at all gradual, the finish looks adorable and cartoony.

As for the topic: I'm sick. Horribly, horribly sick. I've been hacking up a lung and sneezing my way through boxes of Kleenex. Not fun :(
Hasn't stopped me from stitching Cirque des Cercles, but I'm sure that it's now a bioweapon.

In nicer news, the weather is heading into the positives next week! Well, there will be slush, but I'm trying to focus on the positive.

February Achievements & March Goals

Goals for February:
1. Finish Jack-O-Lantern Fob Done
2. Finish Weekend in Paris Nope
3. Start Autumn Winds Started but not much progress
4. Stitch a needlebook Yes, but I don't like it
5. Stitch a bag Done! And I adore it~

Other things I did that were unplanned:
1. Finished Bluebell
2. Started By the Window
3. Stitched the Legends of Dragons border

Goals for March:
1. Finish By the Window
2. Finish Weekend in Paris
3. Stitch Wisdom from Legends of Dragons
4. Work on Red Rose of Sharon

Not exactly a new start

I did about an hour's worth of stitches in January and now an hour's worth in February. At this rate this'll take a few hundred years...


Cirque des Cercles
32 ct Lemon Whip Lugana, DMC 115

The fabric is yellow. Not white.
One day I'll master the art of amazing photos. But that (like finishing this) won't be any time soon. *Sigh*
But I do like this red. Thank you to every enabler who used this in something and convinced me to pick it up~

Giveaway winner

First off, thanks to everyone that entered. I was a nervous wreck convinced that no one would enter so it was very gratifying to see people enter~

It was so much fun finding out how close people had been to Winnipeg. And kind of stunning to realize that people from such varied and "distant" lands are reading the ramblings of moi!

Now I'm sure you cared nothing for that, but only care about the result.

12 days. 28 people.

Randomizer (no picture, sorry) gives us:

#3 Angela

Angela of the lovely finishes. I can feel the pressure bearing down on me. All I ask, Angela, is that you be gentle~!

I've sent you an email. Send your snail mail by March 1. I'll suffer through my finals (next week. sob), bite my nails and rip out my hair trying to finish Small Token nicely, and send it out (eventually)...

Pretty in blue

Finished off the beading on Bluebell last night. The beads on her are crazy! There's microscopic ones (teal) and monsters (clear & blue). It was annoying getting the clear ones to stand up instead of flopping around.



Some closeups of the beads:




Start date October 2, 2009
Finish date February 20, 2010
Total time 43.5 hours
Fabric 32ct Waterlily Jobelan

Changes:
DMC 730 instead of Caron Waterlilies 204
Kreinik 9300 instead of 093
Kreinik 093 instead of 1223
Kreinik 001 instead of 1432
Kreinik 26V instead of 080HL
Kreinik 22 instead of DMC 838

This takes care of all the Pixies I've been called to stitch (so far). I can hear Lady Hera calling to me, but I'm ignoring her because I already have a ton of new starts with less than 10 hours stitched and I shouldn't start another one.

Bag it

"Spring" break has been rather unproductive in terms of visible stitching progress and vastly productive in terms of sleep and general laziness.

However I did manage to drag out my sewing machine and put together this:



I absolutely adore it! The outside is a home decor fabric, and the inside is a silky red. However it's a lot floppier than I expected! A lot floppier!



Here it's being propped up by about a dozen paperbacks


I probably should have added some black ribbon/strips to accent. And if you're eagle eyed there's a tiny part near the bottom that didn't meet that's been fixed by hand. And the black straps aren't exactly aligned.
But that's being very nitpicky and this bag looks and feels gorgeous! I can't wait to take it outside~

I didn't use any interfacing because the outside material was heavy and the lining so silky that it was a pain to get them aligned and I'd have never managed if there'd been interfacing.

As I said: it's floppy and the sides fall in. But if I actually push them in it looks good. You can see that a bit in the first picture.

Edit: Switched my comments format after someone mentioned that they were having problems. Drop me an email if there are still issues~

TUSAL February

Mum reclaimed the water glass, so I'm using a University of Toronto mug. One that belongs to my brother who doesn't go to UofT. And he's never explained why he has a mug from there...


What's new:
All that cream is actually yellow from the Legends border.

Wow that flash really picks up all the dust and smudges!

So close...

Tomorrow is Louis Riel Day and this week is spring break. Although considering the amount of snow outside the "spring" part is a joke! Since I'm actually caught up on all my assignments, there will hopefully be lots of stitching progress this week.

Yesterday I dug up Bluebell with the intent of finishing her. And I could have too. However the curly vines are actually backstitched with DMC. Odd considering Nora's love of sparkly bling! So I've decided to swap it out for a metallic, and since I don't have a brown one I have to dash to the LNS during the week.


Bluebell
32ct Waterlily Jobelan

I found her wings to be too eyecatching, if that makes any sense. I want Bluebell and the dress to be the focus, so I switched around the colours in the wings. I'm not sure that worked out. It was fine before the outlining purple which seems to be a bit too dark. And I think the paler purple is too pale. But it's pretty and I hate frogging Kreinik, so it will stay.

I don't have the required Caron Waterlily and my LNS would've taken ages to order it, so after staring at the model, finishes online and squinting at the Caron website, I swapped it out for DMC 730, and am pleased.

And if anyone is planning on stitching her, the backstitch around the flowers had no code on my chart. (Not sure if it's been changed for newer prints.) It's apparently 800 according to Wichelt. Just a heads up.

Today was spent on the Legends' border, so just imagine the border growing. Not worth a picture~

Giveaway

And this one is actually mine~

So to celebrate 100 posts (this) and 50 followers (sometime last month!) I'm holding a small giveaway:



If your reaction is "What on earth is that?" Fear not. It will be a needlebook. Currently it's a WIP. (How shocking!)The picture will change as it is completed. The fabric is actually a muddy mottled green. (Ignore the hair. I'm shedding.)

Rules:
Comment on this post only and state that you'd like to win.
That's it.
Edit: I will announce the winner here and send an email (if possible). You have 5 days to respond after which I'll pick someone else.

Bonus:
Let me know how close you've been to Winnipeg and I'll send something.
Eg. You've never been to Canada: a moose
You've never been to the prairies: a sheaf of wheat
You live in Winnipeg: I have nothing for you
(Note: the above are examples. You will not receive a live moose! I'm pretty sure shipping one is illegal.)

Deadline:
February 24th 10:00 PM Winnipeg Time

Good luck!

A new start for the Olympics

I decided to use the Olympics as an excuse for another new start. This is my first HAED, and in an attempt to be somewhat sane, it's a Quick Stitch.


Autumn Winds
28ct antique white Lugana
The fabric choice is simply because on 28 ct she comes to about 7x5, and that brings my framing costs down (I'm looking at all kinds of things as I decide what to stitch).

I think I'm going to have to accept defeat and invest in multicoloured highlighters for her. Scanning ahead it's going to be tricky following a symbol because they wander quite a bit. (Did that make any sense at all?)

The goal is to finish her by the time the Sochi Olympics roll around.
What you thought I was going to say this Olympics? Let's try and be reasonable here!

(No, I had no idea where the 2014 Olympics were being held. I had to look it up.)

Mail!

A while ago I won Paulina's giveaway and it arrived today:


A close up of the cat

And the backing fabric

I have no idea how to finish such a finicky shape, and now that I have this cat I won't ever have to learn! Paulina's done an amazing job. It's very soft and cute!

The Dutch Treat Designs bag comes with the fabric and I was 2 seconds from starting, but I'd already put a few stitches in a new start. So it will have to wait. It does call for Perle cottons that I don't have. I'm debating buying them or using regular DMC...

I love getting stuff! *twirls and giggles like a moron* Stitchers are such generous and wonderful people!

Borders and other joys

Weather here has been lousy lately. Warmish one day and freezing the next. Ah good old Winnipeg winters...
I have to mention the giant ice patch along my walk to the bus stop. Honestly, there's this one spot where there's always a giant icy patch about 3 feet long. It snowed last night, so I figured the patch would be covered and I could walk on it, but no. It was icy, while the area around it was powder! I have a secret suspicion that someone runs out and throws a bucket of water to ice it up, and cackles as unwary pedestrians crack their skulls!


Legends of Dragons
28ct antique white Lugana
I finished Magic and started on the border. I'm not very fond of them, but they add so much...

I had thought that I might use an overdyed but couldn't find one I liked, so I just went with what's charted. It is a very nice border after all. However it has 2 primary yellows, one secondary and a last one for a few random stitches. I tried stitching just one colour but kept getting lost, so I grabbed another needle and now I'm alternating between the two primary yellows. Stitch one, then stitch the other. This way the second one can "check" the first one.

It worked but I was still frogging. I don't like to highlight even though I use working copies.. Mostly because I move on and then forget where I am relative to the already highlighted parts. Finally I came up with this low tech solution which is working quite well:

One giant paperclip that slides along as I go! I am quite pleased with myself over this solution!

I don't usually order charts via my LNS, but I decided to give it a try. Ordered one last month and asked her yesterday when I could expect it. Apparently they don't have enough to warrant an order from that supplier so they're waiting until the order is a good size. ETA: mid March. I ordered in mid January. If I'd know that it would've taken that long I'd have done it online and paid the shipping anyway. Guess I'll stick to the net for my charts and go to the LNS for fabric and beads.

Random ramblings

This arrived in my mailbox on Tuesday! Picture now, because my camera battery died and I finally replaced it. I won Danielle's floss giveaway, and WOW is she awesome! They're all gorgeous and soft and I pawed them for a long time before putting them away. (I was very careful not to drool on them.) Now to figure out how to put them to best use...



It's always nice to know that I'm not alone in my woes. When I told my brother he said something about women not being able to ask for directions!

As for the scissors: thanks to everyone who suggested ways to get them. However JoAnn's apparently doesn't ship outside the States. Grr... And when I asked the local WalMart I got a "what kind of scissors?" as a response. Once we sorted out what I meant, it was "No" and "I'm sorry I have no idea where you could get one."

So I whined in class to my friend.
Sidenote: She's a crafter! My age! I couldn't believe it. She sews clothes and quilts and stuff. (I know there are stitchy crafters my age out there, but she's the first one I've met IRL).
Anyway a few hours of my moaning:
"I can get you a pair for $15."
"Really???"
"Yes. Watch where you're pouring that @#$! chemical!"

So now I have a pair of Fiskers pinking shears.