Category Archives: Counted Stitchwork

25 Questions: 16-20

Posted on June 23, 2005 | 5 comments

Lilly-Conversion

But first… eye candy! Here’s a photoshop mockup of the Lilly conversion I have planned (see the original here). I have chosen some candidate floss colours – it was really tricky finding dress colours as dark as I would like. I’ve included a very dark burgundy Weeks floss, DMC just didn’t go there. When I finally manage to dye myself some fabric, and finish WFS, I’ll start her, and we’ll see how it goes.

And now, to the questions…

16. What is your favorite time of day to stitch?
I really really like to stitch in the middle of the day, when light is the best. Or in the morning. Or the afternoon. Or the evening. Or the middle of the night. Heck, you get the idea – anytime I can get it! But I think I like the middle of the day the most. While I’m not studying, I try and stitch for a while when Finn sleeps in the afternoon, if the housework is not screaming too loudly.

17. How many pieces have you stitched in your lifetime?
Around 50, I would guesstimate. Over 30 of those are ornaments completed in 2004/05. I would love to have more larger pieces finished.

18. Do you give your stitched pieces away?
A few. One that I designed, I gave to my best friend as a wedding gift (sadly, I don’t have a photograph of it… it’s in storage at the moment, as she’s in the UK). I’ve given my father one for a birthday, and I’ve finished and framed a small kit for my stepsister, when she was frustrated by the poor instructions. I also participated in the TWBB Ornament exchange last Christmas. Two of my current WIPs are for gifts (three, if you count the one for Finn). I pick my giftees though, that’s for sure… stitching is a gift that needs to be appreciated.

19. How many different fibers do you have in stock at this time?
DMC, Anchor, Gumnut, Dinky Dyes, Weeks Dye Works, Needlework Necessities, Kreinik, Rainbow Gallery, Needlepaints, Rajmahal, Gentle Arts, Madeira, Olde Willow, The Dye is Cast, Windy Hill Designs. With the exception of DMC (I have the entire line excepting variegateds) and Kreinik, I have only a limited number of each, mostly acquired when I bought a couple of the Dyers’ Collaboration Packs last year.

20. How many pairs of scissors do you own?
Erm. One. Sad, I know, but true. What’s worse, they’re cheapies. I would love a pair of Dovos or Ginghers someday.

{watch this space…}

5 Comments

Posted in Counted Stitchwork, Memes

Tagged , ,

25 Questions: 11-15

Posted on June 22, 2005 | 2 comments

No preamble today. Tired :blank:

11. How many Works In Progress do you have at this time?
A nice round 10. I don’t intend to let it get any higher. A bit lower would be nice, but given my penchant for starting things, I’ll be happy if I can keep it at 10 or less.

12. How many UFOs do you have at this time?
Ok, well, perhaps I could amend the above answer to 9, and answer 1, here. Mirabilia’s Winter Queen is the thorn in my side. I haven’t officially put her in the UFO pile yet, but deep in my heart, I know I probably will end up doing so. I’ll explain the problems with WQ some other day.

13. How many cross stitch charts/kits/mags do you own?
I did a rough count earlier today. It looks like about 175 charts/kits (less than 12 of that number would be kits… I just don’t like them). I only have a handful of magazines – 8, that I could see. Designs in magazines rarely appeal to me. I also have 5 books – three Best of TW books, one Joan Elliott book, and a book of children’s story characters. While doing the tally, I decided I really must do a bit of a cull. There are probably 15-20 charts I could happily sell or trade, maybe in order to part-fund my leap off the wagon in January!

14. How much fabric do you have in stock at this time?
About 60 pieces. About half are standard fabrics (largely neutral colours), the rest are hand-dyed. About half are Fat Quarters, the rest are smaller pieces. Why is it that I have so much fabric, and never the right piece for a new project?

15. Where is your favorite place to stitch?
At the moment, I do all my stitching in an armchair beside the piano in our loungeroom. There’s an unused DVD shelving unit behind me, where I plonk my stitching paraphenalia, cups of coffee, sour Altoids, etc. And I have my big red box… which, like Winter Queen, deserves a post of its very own, but essentially, it holds my WIPs.

{more tomorrow…}

2 Comments

Posted in Counted Stitchwork, Memes

Tagged ,

25 Questions: 6-10

Posted on June 21, 2005 | 2 comments

Before I get to the next set of questions… the exam went well. It was a satisfying exam, in that it was solid and comprehensive, and I think I performed well on all the sections. I am so pleased to be on a break now though. With any luck, next semester should be less horrible than this.

In other business, for Cathy, here’s a pic of my Storyteller. I’ve done a little bit more since this picture was taken – backstitching the top border – which gives it wonderful definition. After the Annual stitchalong (this weekend), I’ll take another picture.

And now to the next batch…

6. What is your favourite stitched piece?
Um er… well, I described WFS as my favourite WIP recently, and that will probably be my favourite when finished. But for the time being, my favourite finished piece would probably be Celtic Christmas. I don’t have a good deal of finished pieces yet 🙁 … soon.

7. What is your favorite fabric?
Quaker cloth. It’s 55% linen, 45% cotton, has the appearance of 100% linen, but is a fraction cheaper, and in my opinion, nicer to stitch on (a softer handfeel). It’s also what I’ve been doing my hand-dyeing on, and I’m very happy with the results – a little more subtle than 100% linen.

8. What is your favorite fiber?
I’m not sure I really have a favourite fiber. I love to stitch with silks, but the designs I stitch don’t call for silks much, which I’m fine with, due to the extra cost. Variegated cottons are fun, I like trying to predict how the variegations are going to fall. And although metallics are sometimes a pain to stitch with, I love the result. Of the metallics, Rainbow gallery petite treasure braid is my all time favourite, it is simply lovely to stitch with, and has a beautiful shine to it.

9. What is your favorite needle?
According to my records from the last 2 times I bought needles, Piecemaker Needles tapestry #26! I do have some #28s, but they’re mostly too fine for my liking. I think I also have some John James needles hanging around. I use Beading Needles (size #10) for beading, the ones I have are blunt-ended, not sharp. They go through delicas, and most Mill Hill beads. I hate the really fine, supersharp beading needles, that’s just a recipe for disaster in this house!

10. Do you prefer black & white or colored charts?
Black and white, hands-down. Colour charts, ick, ack, euw :yuk:

{still to be continued…}

2 Comments

Posted in Counted Stitchwork, Memes, Postgrad Study

Tagged , ,

25 Questions: 1-5

Posted on June 20, 2005 | 1 comment

At the exact time this blog entry is posted, I will have just started reading time for the Intelligent Web Systems exam. How is this so? I love this tricky little feature – just alter the timestamp of the post, Publish, and the post will show up after the given time. Nifty!

Anyway, I’m pinching the 25 Questions about Stitching from Belinda’s blog (among other places). I don’t plan to fill my blog with memes, but I think since it’s primarily a stitching blog, these questions are probably worth answering, just so you know. But I’m not going to do them all at once, oh no. Five at a time… you’ll just have to come back to read the rest of the answers later :giggle:

1. How old were you when you started cross stitching?
When I was 12 or 13, my Aunt gave me a stamped cross stitch kit (I know – :yuk:). It was a daisy pattern, to be made up into a cushion. That was also my first colour conversion – I’m not that crazy about oranges and yellows, so I changed them for pink and purple. Amazingly enough, I believe I finished that project… I’ve no idea what happened to it since though.

2. Who taught you to cross stitch?
I did! Well, I guess the instructions did, but nobody specifically showed me how to make an x.

3. What inspired you to begin cross stitching?
After that stamped kit, I was an on-again-off-again stitcher until about 4 years ago. Mainly because I picked too-hard charts. I bought Teresa Wentzler’s Spring Carousel Horse, and later, Mirabilia’s Garden Verses and Winter Queen. None really qualify as beginner designs, and while I had big ambitions, I just didn’t have the patience for these big designs. Finally, at 25, stressed-out by work, I found some freebies on the ‘net (Ellen Maurer-Stroh) , and took it up as relaxation. I found TW’s freebie Stretch around the same time, and subsequently the TWBB, and ebay, and… well, you get the idea. My stash came into being, and I have never looked back.

4. What has been your most difficult cross stitch piece?
So far, I would have to say Stretch. I know he’s only small, but for me it was the first time doing loads of fractionals, and blends. My most difficult in progress is TWs Storyteller, for the same reasons, but on a much bigger scale.

5. Do you have friends that stitch?
I introduced Mum to cross-stitching after she became interested in surface embroidery. Her fabric stash is a great resource! I have 2 friends who stitch – but one is in the UK now, and the other doesn’t get a lot of stitching time, so no SAL-ing for me (other than with online friends).

{to be continued…}

1 Comment

Posted in Counted Stitchwork, Memes, Postgrad Study

Tagged , ,

Grrr Argh!

Posted on June 18, 2005 | Comments Off on Grrr Argh!

Am totally irritable today. Like PMS without the M. My studying is erratic because of it, and I just can’t get into any sort of groove. Minor little issues from a couple of BBs are getting under my skin, so procrastinating on there is not even helping 😡 So instead, I’m day-dreaming about my month off 😆

Exam number two is on Monday evening. Evening! An exam that starts at 5.45pm! Crazy behaviour. My plan on finishing that is to come home, open a bottle of red wine, and have a long, long bath. I’m not even going to stitch that night (or at least, not much!) I plan on getting the first of many early nights – at least pre-11pm, I hope. Not having enough sleep lately (…for the last 6 months) is no doubt contributing much to my current mood.

For the time I have off, I have 3 planned stitching finishes:

  • Something secret… for my seasonal exchange partner. It’s approximately half stitched, but I have some fancy ‘finishing’ to do on it as well.
  • Little Angel Birth Sampler, for an expected nephew. This will only be a near-finish… obviously I’ll have to wait for the name/date/details to stitch on later.
  • Waiting For Ships. Waiting to be finished. This will be my first Mirabilia finish, despite having bought my first two Mira charts some ten years ago! There will be much rejoicing!

After that I plan to have another attempt at setting up a rotation. I expect it will all turn to mud again in the first month or so of my next semester, but I do hope to get a bit more stitching done in the 2nd half of the year than I have in this. The focus piece of my rotation will probably be the dreaded Noah’s Journey. It’s supposed to be a ‘birth’ piece for Finn. I might have mentioned he’s 2 and a half already. 😳 Oops! It’s such a pain to stitch (Dimensions colour chart, need I say more?), but I really do want to finish it. I’ll post a WIP picture here soon, but trust me, it’s not that impressive.

I also plan to do a bit more hand-dyeing. I have some white Quaker cloth and some Cashel (I think), and I want to get a good colour for my planned Lilly conversion.

The most important non-stitching plan is a trip across to the Clare Valley (South Australia) for several days of camping and cellar door hopping. We haven’t done that since before Finn was born – that should be fun, what with the 10 hour drive each way :ill:

Anyway, I have to survive until Monday night first. Nose back to grindstone then… 🙁

Comments Off on Grrr Argh!

Posted in Counted Stitchwork, Postgrad Study

Tagged , , , ,

Under 200!

Posted on June 16, 2005 | Comments Off on Under 200!

199 days to go until I can buy stash again! I was going to write about this yesterday, when it was 200 days, but I decided clocking down to 199, and thereby being ‘under 200′ was more exciting.

So for my non-stitching friends… what on earth am I going on about? Well, stash is all the cross stitch supplies (charts, fabric, fibers, beads…) that we stitchers seem to accumulate, especially when we are collectors and hoarders, like me. Going ‘on the wagon’ is taking some time out from buying any more stash, for whatever reason (though some participants have small ‘exceptions’ they are allowed to purchase). The Wagon BB is a great place for support while on said wagon, as well as a great place for general and stitchy chat. Earlier this year I decided to join in the big challenge – a group of us are on the wagon for the rest of the year. It’s the ‘Queen [or King] of The Wagon’ challenge. There’s a prize pool in it for the last one standing. So, why am I on the wagon?

Reason #1: We would love to buy a house. Our available house-hunting time is severely stunted by my studies, but at least we need to be getting that deposit up as high (and our other debts as low) as possible. It’s kind of depressing watching suburban house prices drift out of our reach.

Reason #2: This is the first time since I left uni (the first time) that I’ve had no income whatsoever. Since Finn was born, I haven’t worked full time, but I have had a small amount of part-time employment up until the end of last year. I decided not to do any sessional teaching this year, my own study load promised to be difficult enough (and has lived up to that promise). While we do completely share our finances, and jointly made the decision that I would be an at-home parent, I feel I should limit my frivolous spending for now.

Reason #3: I spend when I’m stressed. And this year, I’m stressed. I needed to do this or else who knows what my stash might have grown into! Besides which, the stressors of my life leave me little time to stitch what I already have, so it’s a bit crazy adding to the pile (even though it is oh-so-satisfying getting parcels full of pretty shiny things)!

Reason #4: I’m doing it to prove that I can!

So far, I’ve managed to stay on for 110 days. All I’ve purchased in that time is a few beads and things which were officially ordered pre-wagon-challenge, and some others which I had to facilitate the purchase of, but which technically OtherHalf bought, and I’m not receiving until my birthday. All officially okayed by the powers that be at The Wagon.

But I can tell you… I’ve already started planning for January 1st. It will be a spectacular leap off the wagon when the time comes, you just wait!

Comments Off on Under 200!

Posted in Counted Stitchwork

Tagged , ,

Progress Bars

Posted on June 13, 2005 | 9 comments

I’ve seen a few stitchers’ blogs with nifty little ‘progress bars’ on, for showing how far along each WIP is. I’m considering setting them up on my site too, once I have a page setup for all my WIPs. I know many are created using CSS or Flash, but even being the CSS fan I am, it seems like just a bit too much code and hassle for a little percentage bar. Besides, I wanted smaller, funkier ones! So tonight I created some little gifs for them, lookie:










I stuck to multiples of 5% as I didn’t want to make 100 of these buggers. Besides – how exactly can you differentiate between 23% done and 24% done?!

You are more than welcome to pinch these if you like them, throw a link my way if you like, but it’s not necessary.

Edit: You can find some more colour sets here. If you have a request for a custom colour, email me at the address shown on that page.

9 Comments

Posted in Counted Stitchwork, General Ramblings

Tagged

Good Riddance to SeC

Posted on June 12, 2005 | Comments Off on Good Riddance to SeC

Exam number one went better than could be expected, considering my lack of motivation to study for this one. I expect around 80-85 overall for the unit… better than I expected, but sadly a bit of a blemish on my overall program results (I would have been in raptures with an 80 in my undergraduate degree – I was far less conscientious back then :giggle: ). It’s a public holiday here tomorrow, so OtherHalf is home. I’m planning to head off to the library for a while to start reading up for exam number two.

But tonight, way hey, I’ve stitched! I think my goal of finishing WFS during my month off school is achievable, I really do. Last weekend I managed to sneak enough stitching around my exam revision (told you I wasn’t motivated 🙁 ) to finish off her arms, and tonight I’ve stitched her face and neck. I toned down the “Adam’s apple” she seems to have. It’s one of the reasons I didn’t like this design at first. Added to the fact she has a fairly prominent chin, I felt it made her quite masculine. Come to think of it, she’s fairly flat chested as well. Hmmm… perhaps she’s a merman in drag?! Well, you’ve got to admit, it would explain that rather lurid shade of pink lipstick 😉 !

I’m teasing. Really, she’s very attractive. And now, with a smoother neckline (I didn’t alter the chin), I’m really glad I’m stitching her. The only thing bugging me now is that I’ve left all the beads for last, even though I swore I wouldn’t do that again after Celtic Christmas. I’m considering an alternative to YLI Invisible thread for stitching the beads on this time… I hate wrangling that stuff. I know some stitchers use blending filament, which is a bit more visible, and it gives a nice extra sparkle too. Perhaps I’ll try that.

Comments Off on Good Riddance to SeC

Posted in Counted Stitchwork, In Progress, Postgrad Study

Tagged , , ,

Protected: Voice of Dissent

Posted on June 9, 2005 | Enter your password to view comments.

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Enter your password to view comments.

Posted in Counted Stitchwork

Tagged ,

Stash Saturation Point

Posted on June 6, 2005 | Comments Off on Stash Saturation Point

As I have every month since I discovered Hoffman’s, I checked the new releases the other day. I am happy to report that there was nothing added to my wishlist! Well, technically, I added Dimple Designs’ Ladybug and Bee collections, but I added those a few days earlier, when I saw them on the new Dimples’ website. I didn’t add the new Mirabilia to my list, or the new L&L, Celtic Winter. Even the new Elizabeth’s Designs selection didn’t really appeal, and she’s usually a favourite of mine.

Happily, this has been the case of the last few months. I think the serious stash explosion of 2003 and 2004 has brought me close to stash saturation point. I still do have a sizeable wishlist though, and being “on the wagon” for most of 2005 will probably cause it to grow into quite the shopping list for January 😆 But I think really I’m pretty happy with what I’ve accumulated.

Well… that’s the story of my charts, anyway! Fabric is a whole ‘nother story…definitely an area of my stash that needs some work :giggle:

Comments Off on Stash Saturation Point

Posted in Counted Stitchwork

Tagged , , ,