Happy Birthday to me

I've had a lovely day off as a birthday present to myself. I cheated a bit and started my birthday start a little early to coincide with the new start SAL on HAED and so I actually have a pic to share of about a week's work.

 

I think I may be getting hooked on these charts with borders. And confetti. I'm very much enjoying working on it and I'm just about to get down to the bird's head, as I started in the upper left for a change. I was sure I'd begin this one in the middle but it just wanted to be started on page one.

Unfortunately Frederick didn't fare so well. I got caught up in Tree of Life, on top of which I messed up the first bit of back stitchng and will have to take it out and do over. Sad.

The fabric is really stiff, but that will work out. Both pieces will go into the rotation that begins on Oct. First. I'm not sure what I will be working on till then.

Thanks for the birthday wishes Lynn. I didn't buy anything as starting Tree of Life was my present, as well as having the day off.  I did toy with my wishlist and consider buying either a black and white or a Halloween chart (there is one mini that could fit into both categories) but the budget has to be kept to, and it isn't as if I need a new chart, or don't have anything to work on!

I found a new (to me) place with some nice charts. Shiney Sun. Eye Candy. Has anyone used the?

Happy stitching weekend everyone!

Floss Eye Candy for the new start

Just a quick post. I couldn't resist showing you a few pics of the floss for my new start. I've been kitting this up since April when it RAK'd to me by Liz. Tree of Life by Marchetti.

This is the chart

And here are some pics of the supplies.

Ok, the color on these isn't looking so great on my laptop, maybe I shouldn't have used the flash? Well anyway, I love all the varied colors. It was so much fun to lay them out.

Yes, the little floss bags you see on the ring are Glad Snack sized bags. I've been using these for over a year now and they rock. They are (a lot) cheaper than the ones at the craft store, and really sturdy. Don't buy the off brands though, I tried them once and they were thin  and flimsy.

That's about it for now, just wanted to touch base and show the lovely colors of this chart.
Next time will hopefully have a WIP pic of it!

Happy stitching you guys.

Planning a New Rotation and other Fun Stitchng Thoughts

Having been off of Rotation for a little while now I've had the time to see if I want a rotation at all or want to go back to the old stitch me when I call method. Stitching whatever calls can be fun, but sometimes I find myself picking up the project I was working on yesterday simply because it is easier than putting it away and walking into the next room and picking up another.

Since my projects are stitched in hand there is no frame or anything to deal with, just putting everything back into its tote bag and getting out the next. Pure laziness I'm afraid.

I considered stitching the way I've seen others do. By the page, or work X amount of hours on each project. I even considered, for a few seconds, working only 2 projects at a time! Not for me anymore. I might just as well only work one at a time as I did in the past.

So what did I like? What do I want to do? Well, obviously I like most everything I have. I want to stitch all of them. But even for me, that is not practical. I really enjoyed working on a project for a week at a time, but I didn't get to see much of each project, it was taking to long to work back to them because I have too many. This has been the year of patterns and I have not resisted starting a few of them. Water under the bridge. Now that I have them they have to be dealt with. So.

I loved the 3 day rotation and decided I want to stick with that in some form. I get to work on everything if I want. On the other hand I need some organization so I decided to run my rotation by month. Huh? Well, three days for each project is what I came up with. That would allow me 9 projects a month that would all see some progress. I decided to eliminate wild card day, or rather, to make it a possibility rather than a sure thing.

I've picked 9 charts and included the two that will be new starts (Frederick and Tree of Life).  There is room for one more new start at a later date if I just sort of scooch around and ignore that whole 28 days in Feb. thing. And I've decided not to have a focus piece. Everything gets equal time.

So the list, I literally chose randomly so I wouldn't cheat and put current favorites at the front, goes like this...

1. Blue and White. This is a piece from a magazine. 10 or 12 years ago I stitched half of this and it was then lost in a move so I re-started and then didn't touch it after the first few stitches. Sampler like in two shades of blue.

2. QS Dragon Soul

3. Basilisk

4. Frederick -New

5. Glamour

6. Mini Soul Mates

7. Tree of Life-New

8. Needle Maiden

9. I am Half Sick of Shadows

I plan to start the rotation after I've had a little fun starting Tree of Life at the end of next week, so still on target for Oct.

Hopefully I won't have more than 1 new start in the next year or two (More on that in another post) and eventually things will start to fall off the list as they are finished. Unless I get hooked on one and can't put it down and then everything goes out the window.

Right now I have hurt my stitching hand and have far too much time to think about all of this. Tell me what you all think. Have I taken on too much in my 27 days of stitching? Any suggestions? Does anyone stick to their rotation anymore?

Weekend is coming. Happy stitching everyone!

What Little Actual Stitching I've done.

I haven't gotten a lot of actual stitching done. Either because of time or because of pain. And I have eye strain from too much computer etc.

None the less, there has been some stitching action happening.

First up is just one more little row on Basilisk. It had one of the most confetti heavy blocks I believe I've ever stitched so I'm pretty happy about just the one row.

I really enjoy stitching those confetti heavy areas sometimes and others not. This time I did, though in the one block I stopped counting at 36 color changes. This chart is such a beauty, I always have fun when I stitch on it.

Next is QS Dragon Soul. Last night I had to do some frogging on this one, but I've got that part all fixed up and moved on. Unfortunately I am becoming bored with the black and white and will put it aside for a few days at least. I really like that there are only 20 something colors and that I can drag it around with me, but then I always start to want more color and put it away again.

It is a fun stitch. I still think that when this one is done I will try to buy another black and white to stitch on for those times I am in the mood. I have put a few on my wishlist to think about but I know I don't want anything large.

And then there is this. A needlepoint kit I ordered years ago because I had the book and loved the pattern. It has been finished for quite some time. This was an Ehrman kit from a Candace Bahouth pattern.

It has been languishing in a drawer forever. It needs to be blocked badly. It also needs to be made into a cushion. I have to admit my crafty mojo is just off right now though, so I don't know when I'll get to it. I'm hoping telling you guys about it will get me moving on it. But I'm not holding my breath because there is also a dress pattern I finally got and want to try.

Next time I will tell you about my rotation. It isn't anything special, but I want to wait and see if I change my mind on anything before committing to it.

I hope you all have a wonderful stitching week.

Stitching with Passion

I've thought very seriously about my stitching just lately. I organized how my new rotation would go and just finalized it on Wed. For some reason I have been blessed with all of the must have charts I have wanted in this past year. Except for one or two, certainly every HAED I felt were things I must try to stitch. My bucket list, so to speak. There were two charts on there that were discontinued, one from HAED. Yesterday that one was re-released, and even though I don't need another chart, don't have time to stitch another chart, or the money to buy another or kit another up, I bought it.  With DH's blessing. He's such a sweetie.

That chart was The Eternal Promise, and I am no different than so many others in having wished that chart hadn't been discontinued. Here is the pic from the HAED website.

It has been changed in that it is larger, with more detail on the dress.

Now why would I buy it, given all that I wrote above? Not just because I wanted it, but because my fundamental thoughts about stitching have changed over the past 2 or 3 years. I no longer stitch just one chart, I no longer aim for the goal of a finish. No, I've become more of a process stitcher. It is the stitching itself I must have and do, the 'final goal' being simply to enjoy my stitching time. No rush, no fuss or worry about when I'll 'accomplish' something with it.

What about you? Do you have to finish something? Does it disturb you to work on more than one or two projects at a time? Does the idea of just stitching on the pieces you love and are passionate about free you or make you shudder at the idea of having so many projects going at once? Is there one chart that would make you drop everything and do an immediate start, and if so What and Why? Some charts just call to us.


I thought I would start the rotation back up in Oct. After I do my birthday start. I love having all of these wonderful things to work on but I've discovered I need some sort of structure to feel content with it. Since I know I'll be starting 2 more new large and involved projects this year I have decided to forgo my Christmas start. I know I got carried away with new starts this year because of all the pretties I've received as gifts. So Tree of Life on the 28th, and The Eternal Promise as soon as I can organize and afford to begin.

I had thought that Pals or Day Night would be my next big start but Promise has managed to supersede them. At least for now. I will give details on the rotation next post if you guys are interested, as I have changed it, but only a little.

Ah well, must go to work. Happy Weekend stitching everyone!

Ten Year Wedding Anniversary, and of course, Stitching

Friday my DH and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. We didn't get to go to the lake or anything but had lots of fun together none the less. 10 years! Where does the time go?

Stitching-wise I got a kit I had been wanting for some time. I have an I Want folder on my browser so that I wont forget where something was or what it was called . I was able to take Frederick the Literate off of there Friday.

He's a cutie, but of course I have zero back stitching skills any more, (they were never that good to begin with) so that part will be challenging. I even thought about stitching in my favorite titles but the ones on there are so cute, and part of its charm, that I decided to leave them. They might not be readable in my wacky back stitching anyway.

Yes I opened it. Couldn't resist. Pattern, two needles, floss. Separated floss I should say, I love that it is pre-sorted and has only to go in my little bags to be ready, so expect to see a pic of this one as a work in progress shortly.

And as a complete surprise, from Sarah P. on one of the Facebook stitching groups I participate in, came this lovely on Sat.

Cat, stitchng, roses, fairy, beautiful gown and lots of blues and lavender. Just about the perfect chart for me. If only she had a pup in there. I do love her though.

Mini Ariadne is the chart I had listed on the RAK list, should anyone ever choose to send me an RAK randomly. I had nearly forgotten the list when this came. And yes, I remembered to remove this chart and update with another. It seems Sarah uses the name Ariadne in her online gaming and so chose to send me this chart because of the name. You just never know when something completely nice is randomly coming your way, do you? Apparently she usually plans to use a random number generator. Don't you just love stitchy folks?

I read today on Facebook of a lady who lost all her patterns, over 82 HAEDs  when her computer had to be cleared and reset. She doesn't even have the ones she was working on as she printed the pages as needed. Michelle of HAED apparently told her she can't help her get them back. A very good object lesson to me to e-mail myself all of my charts so that I have some back up besides a thumb drive.

I do not understand why patterns can't be like books and music, so that if you lose them you can go to your account and download them again. It costs nothing extra on songs and books to go to the artist so why should it on patterns? Very sad all around.

Well, I will be figuring out what my new rotation is going to be, since I plan to start back to a rotation after I make my birthday start on the 28th. So obviously my BD start will be the first piece of my rotation, but I'm unsure after that. I'm thinking QS Dragon Soul for certain, since I've made a rule that I can't start anything until I finish something and Dragon Soul is the closest to being finished. After that I don't know. I want to stitch all of them! lol, greedy again.

Until next time, Happy stitching everyone.

New HAED Pattern, Budget, Pattern Greed

So my budget got blasted last weekend and I was very much afraid I wouldn't be able to support HAED as I'd promised since I have another unexpected expense coming up on Monday. With care I was able to go ahead a buy a HAED in support of HAED appreciation week, even though it was a trifle early. I was afraid if I waited there would be nothing left to appreciate with!

I had gone back and cut my greedy chart list down from 28 to 12 yesterday, and now it is down to 11 since I bought a chart. I try to keep it under 10 but sometimes I go crazy and add a bunch of stuff to it. The point being, it was quite difficult to choose a a chart. I haven't had the funds to buy one in a long time and it was just difficult. 

I will show you my choices but first the chart I did buy.

Day Night by Shannon: This one went on my wishlist the minute it came out.in April 2011 and has stayed there since. I would have bought Pals if a wonderful friend hadn't RAK'd it to me a bit back as it is another pattern that became a must stitch. Pals is pictured in another post. I had decided on The Ghost by Sinz:

But when it came time to buy I was in need of color and I knew I longed to stitch Day Night more. But it was still difficult because Dixie:

Daisy:

and the ever humongous Knock at the Door:

were all enormously appealing.

Knock I could justify because it is so huge I'd never need another chart again. Daisy is a long time favorite and Dixie is just too adorable.

I think the thing that tipped me to Day Night was the color. I love the greens and think it would be both pleasure and nightmare to stitch them. Soothing and exciting to watch the subtleties emerge.
Knowing it could be months, if not a year, before I can buy another chart was a bit of a motivator to. I'm not starting anything unplanned until something is finished. Can't afford fabric or floss anyway, so in the short run it doesn't matter what I picked. But I knew my next start after I finish something will probably be Pals, after my birthday start(only two or so  weeks away, Tree of Life)  and Christmas starts (Still unkitted) that were already planned.

So a not too exciting look into the mind of a stitcher on a short budget for you this morning. How do you guys choose your projects? If you could only choose one new chart in the next year what would you pick and do you know why you would pick that one?

Happy Stitching for the rest of the week everyone.

Bad Stitching feels good

Or rather, stitching what you want as you want to.

Don't get me wrong, I love my rotation, but not having one has been sort of fun. It is also a bit confusing sometimes as I am obviously a creature of habit and have a struggle to figure out what I want to stitch. Especially when I'm tired, as my hectic life the past few months has seen to.

Well, here is an update on Mini Soul Mates, which did see a bit of work recently.

 

Well, I did only say a bit! The dragon heads are mostly finished at any rate.

Next up I worked on QS Dragon Soul a little bit more. Got through a small confetti area and thought I would coast through a bit of white in the the block below. Opened a new skein of white, and guess what? The new white is sooo much brighter and cleaner looking than the white I've used for the rest of the work. Now part of her shoulder looks dirty! I was stunned! Now what to do? Frog, start over, give up? Ahh, I decided I could blend it with half stitches over the 'dirty' white in the new white. Not finished with that yet but it seems to be working. Here are before and after pictures so you can see for yourself.

 

 And after:

 Okay, I don't think that is going to show up so well in the pics even if you click on them, but to me it is glaringly obvious.

And finally a definite Hall Of Shame pic. I joined the HAEDless SAL, as I try to do every month. I worked on my GK I Am Half Sick of Shadows. I had finished page one in the last pic. This is all I got done on it during the SAL.  Shame. lol. I've loved this piece of art for years and I have re-started 3 times. You would think I could have stitched on it for more than 2 days.

I hope everyone in the US has a lovely Holiday. Happy Stitching everyone!