A puppy done, TUSAL - post 6, and other stitch alongs ...

Dear all,

I have finished my exams a week gone, and have been busy catching up on work and all the neglected jobs/tasks that have been gradually resurfacing. My giveaway is almost ready to be posted/uploaded (just thinking of the last few touches) ... so keep your eyes peeled for my next post (I think that's the expression).

Lets now talk a little about SALs. SAL stands for stitch a-long as we all well know. And aren't they good for motivation? Or if you get someone who is very quick at stitching they end up putting you off? That's how I sometimes feel. I am in 5 SALs at this moment, and Wipocalypse 2013 (which is a stitch along for fun and has its own tab). So a total of 6! Oh dear, this is worser than I thought. 

SAL #1 - Puppy Love by Margaret Sherry

You can find it on Margaret Sherry Lovers - Blog Group.

Out of 6 puppies I only want to do 4...

... and number one is complete!

Puppy #1 complete

... and here it is again

 So 1 out of 4 done ... not bad, right?

And this is how far I got on the number two:

Puppy #2 

I feel relatively happy with the progress.

SAL #2 - TUSAL

You can find info on TUSAL 2013.

So this months report/post/update:

2013 and June

Not so many orts, but since I did have exams recently - thats how the jar should look. And now the mixture of 2013 all up to date:

January - June 2013

SAL #3 - QS Literate Dragon

This is the annual HAED stitch along. The info could be found on their bulletin board. It is a closed group, so you will have to join yuku and ask to be added to the forum. The sign up for the SAL is now closed (not the group - you can join any time), but one can see everyone's progress on the 6 designs. There were 6 designs to pick from and I chose the QS Literate Dragon, then the 4 pages would be sent one by one. At the moment I have 3 pages (and still have not completed the 1st - disaster). For every half a page you stitch you can select one of the other designs to get at the end of the year. So 2.5 pages to get all 6. Participation was free this year; but there is no info for the next year's (or whether it will occur). My progress:

Progress as of June 2013

SAL #4 - Summer Extravaganza 2012

This is less formal stitch a long that me and Snoopy over at Cross stitch mania decided to do a year ago when we picked our first ever HAEDs. I am stitching 'Christmas Candle' on count 18 (I think), and have 3 pages out of 36 done ... if I started a year ago and only managed 3 pages and there are 36 in total ... how long until I finish this? I say lets not think about that.

April 2013

SAL #5 - Snowflower Diaries

Check out 2013 SAL Blog. They pick a designer every two months or so and stitch along. They pick something on a smaller scale by lesser known designers, so this is great for beginners, as well as us addicts. June/July is Snowflower Diaries. The patterns by this generous and gifted designer are free, so a great project to join the group with. And since I wanted to stitch some of them already thats an extra added bonus. Two ladies already finished their projects, so I am a little behind. 

Nothing to show yet ... but hope not for long. I just need some perfect fabric.

So till soon, 

                  

Wipocalypse - post #5 and exciting new projects ...

Hello all,

Thank you for your good luck wishes and support. I have now completed 3 exams, and only have another 3 to go. I do feel a lot lighter, and with the sunshine outside as if summer is coming (a very rare occurrence in the North East). So for this update I have 2 new starts/projects, and this months progress report. Also, now that I am approaching 100 followers I can let you know that I will have my 1st ever blog giveaway once I hit the said number (and obviously after my exams were this event to happen before 3rd of June).

Exciting New Projects: 

I recently got the following kit 'Field of poppies' by Yiota's XStitch :

chart and pre-wound threads

Isn't it beautiful? It is based on one of the Van Gogh's paintings. It is my new addition to this year's Wipocalypse list (I'll be changing the list slightly ... after exams). You have probably saw the amazing pre-wound threads phenomenon across several bogs. I love it! I have several Anchor kits that have the threads on a card ... and the numbers are not aligned properly. I might have mentioned some maia kits of peonies/poppies I bought on sale in my local craft store which is generally limited and overpriced (those will be future living room cushions) around January. I have wanted to start them for some time ... but that would mean winding all the threads onto bobbins first. The 'Kiongozi - Dance Leader' had the same annoying unaligned threads issue that drove me insane. What is even worse is when the threads are all tied together and you have to guess which colour is which. I am not very good at that task.

I have almost finished 'Kiongozi - Dance Leader' and thought I'd use that mini box for storing bobbings. They did not fit. I hate that box! The only bobbins that ever fit there are the ones that came with it, I have forgotten this little detail - silly me the current bobbins there are all placed at an angle. But I do have 2 bigger boxes for storing threads on bobbins (3 times bigger), one that has all leftovers from kits/projects once they're done, and the second I got for the HAED I am currently working on and wound/prepared less than a fifth of those (the rest are still in wallets or loose in my draw). Shame to leave a box half empty, so this is where my new project threads went:

and now they are all in a box

You can see them all sideways fitting perfectly. I have a feeling the card they are on is a lot better quality than what I normally wind threads onto.

closeup- all wound up and numbered!

They would have been such a perfect fit into my smaller box, all separate if only the box was a little deeper. I have no idea why that company produces perfectly good big ones, and annoying little ones.

The chart in my new kit is printed on good quality thick paper. And the symbols/squares are rather large (will be great for stitching in the evenings while watching films). Four A3 pages in total.

part of chart

 And finally the fabric (slightly cut unevenly but a minor detail):

evenweave

There is an option to get either 14, 16, or 28. I requested evenweave (count 28). After all thats what cool kids stitch on ... and I am a sheep that likes to follow (well sometimes).

about to grid

I was about to grid when I realised that I have never stitched on evenweave before (you'd think I'd realise that sooner) and what if I don't like it? or I won't be any good and ruin it? So I set it aside for another smaller project (also addition to Wipocalypse list to follow), to see how I'll do with evenweave. It came just before my 2nd exam (very quick delivery) in a sturdy envelope ... that even my favourite postman with his inability to read 'please do not bend' was unable to ruin. 

Yiota's XStitch is UK based, but ship internationally and also do downloadable charts (they have several free ones on the website that one can try - I have the one of the cat). Their website is http://www.yiotas-xstitch.com and you can find the easy count guideline I use from http://www.rseasycount.com/

And now the other new project I mentioned (it is in fact not new per se as I have signed up to do this awhile back). It is for this year's Margaret Sherry's SAL I am going to take part in, for more info click:

Margaret Sherry Lovers - Group Blog

It is the SAL #4 Puppy Love.

And my progress on one of them is:

Fabric is evenweave dyed with fennel by my lovely mum (featured in previous post). This is my first attempt at using evenweave, and I am yet uncertain. It is definitely better for half stitches (if one is stitching over 2 threads); and with projects like these, one would be able to see the background and eveneweave is a lot more appealing than having massive squares. Downside: it is taking me longer to stitch on it as I am not yet accustomed to it. I am increasing speed gradually; I bet it is a pain to grid.

That was the 2 new projects/additions, and now onto the current wips' progress ...

Wipocalypse - post #5:

'Kiongozi - Dance Leader:

April 2013

May 2013

It is all stitched up, and ready for backstitching (oh how I hate the backstitching).

QS Literate Dragon:

February 2013

I can't believe how fast time flies, and that this was untouched for so long.

May 2013

closeup of the worked bit

Till soon,

Oh dear there is me again ... with exchanges and Valentines

This seems an extreme luxury, I haven't had this many frequent update since ... well ever.

Life is slowly trying to settle into a pattern again, although a few deadlines and tasks are still on the horizon (but that is just a case of life).

So I am going to post few things. 1st up is a Margaret Sherry exchange I have participated in last summer ...


Check out Summer Exchange Flashback for all involved.

You have seen what I received from Marcinha in my earlier post click here:

I am now using it to store all the threads from the QS Literate Dragon SAL. Very useful and pretty.

But I haven't posted what I sent to the next person in the list...

It is a box with Margaret Sherry's design 'June cat & mouse' from Margaret Sherry 2012 Stitcher's Diary, a free gift with the World of Cross Stitching magazine issue 185.

And now back onto recent issues. I have recently for Valentine's had an exchange of stitched cards with McKenna of Chic Crafting. And this is the lovely card I have received in the post from her:

The colour is very close to purple ... which is great as it is my favourite colour. The card I sent to America for this exchange is:

The stitched cup is from the set designed by Rhona Norrie 'Coffee Cards'. She frequently appears in the stitchy magazines, and I especially like her quick and quirky designs. Check out Rhona's blog Tangled Threads by clicking here. I changed the colours a little (to be a little creative and use leftovers): Anchor: 370, 360, 304, 302; DMC: blanc, 818. The 370 and 360 was also used for backstitching.

And for consistentcy I'll also post the one other Valentine's card I stitched this year:

 Also from the same set designed by Rhona. This time I used the following threads... Anchor: 233, 360, 370, 316, 850, 158, 77, 304, 851; and DMC: blanc, 3688. The backstitching used 233, 360, 370 (already listed).

Till another successful update lets hope,

                                                              
P.S. Promise to be better at responding.

2 finishes already or Wipocalypse post #1

First of all I would like to say thank you for all the lovely comments, I will set aside some time next week for browsing all the blogs that were in the party. Unfortunately at the moment my poor old macbook is struggling and I have finally decided to give it in. I'll take it to see the computer doctor tomorrow and hopefully it will let me load up the blogs without having to restart it every 20 minutes. This post has caused me a restart already!

But onto less sad to my purse news ...

For the first check in I am well on track of my goals. Two finishes!


Goal #11: John Clayton: Big Ben. Stitched on 14 count using DMC threads. This piece almost drove me insane. Since of that silly error last year I had to unpick and eventually ran out of one of the colours ... right before the finish. Nonetheless it is done now:

December 2012

done!!!

This is the first in the Internationals series ... hope more are to follow.

Next up is a completion of goal #21 one of the set-aside for the cards. This is the free kit that came with the World of Cross Stitch issue 199. Stitched on 14 count aida and is The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady design of the sweet dog roses:

Done!!!

Done!!!

Then after all that I had a little spare time to work on the HAED SAL:

January 2013

This is goal #9 QS Literate Dragon. Even though the light is good the colours aren't very clear. I worked in black, 2 greens, 1 purple, quite a few shades of blue and now onto cocoa shade. 

And I had another card start (oh dear it is Christmas already!). This is Margaret Sherry's design ... and a free Xmas card kit that came with the Cross Stitch Crazy December 2012 issue 171:

January 2013

I better stop here before my computer starts complaining yet again. Though there is still so much to post ... there is there a few better photos of a finish I, a finish from last year I haven't uploaded yet, some other photos I wanted to share. So all this is yet to come. 

Till soon,

                   

TUSAL/Wipocalypse updates, a finish, and some starts...

It seems I have vanished from the blogging world ... which would be a good thing if I had done lots and lots of stitching, but sadly that is not the case. I have taken a picture of my jar last month and only now am getting round to posting it, and since then the jar has not seen any additions to it.

A little pathetic. Right? Anyhow to redeem myself in the lack of posts department I am posting a picture of a card I have completed last month:

It was a free kit that came with the May 2012/issue 163 of Cross Stitch Crazy.

Also I have started a few others ...

the I have ran out of thread for this one ... the free kit said do either one of the designs ... but I guess I picked the wrong one of the two as one colour was missing and one ran out.

Since I took this picture I have completed all the cross stitching ... apart from light green as guess what I have ran out of it. It was the most silly kit I have seen in a while. There was less dark green on the chart than light ... yet there was too much dark green thread and not enough of light. 

Wipocalypse update is squashed at the bottom due to serious lackness of it:

 This is how I have left my summer extravaganza:

August 2012 - part 2

And after a little work this is how the current page I am working on looks now:

October 2012

And as a whole picture:

October 2012

And sadly that's it ... but I do promise to be better next month. Will catch up on people's blogs tomorrow ... better go and fulfil my duties of baby sitting my little brother. 

Until (I hope) soon,

                           

The World of Giveaways, Exchanges, Wipocalypse, and Extravaganza

It is a very long time since I have posted ... missed an entire week's worth of Extravaganza, but hopefully my excuses are good enough to warrant lack of blogging/stitching.

I have now officially graduated! And here is proof:

me outside the Cathedral

So now I am a Master of Mathematics with a 2:2 in the subject from Durham University. A little disappointed in the grade, but it is life and there is nothing I can do about it now. Things could have been worse after all. I missed my offer for the graduate course at Newcastle University, but they gave me an interview and decided to take a chance on me. So I am going to study for another year in an    ex-Durham college. (Newcastle used to be part of Durham, but have gained independence sometime in the past.)  

I have now also moved out of my Owengate room:

my old room

I am going to miss it very much, along with the view out of my window:

view of opposite roofs

to the right

to the left

and to the right again

And there is even the Durham Cathedral in the background.

From my room photo you can guess that I have lots of things. More than 3 car loads ... and since I haven't managed to convince anyone to help me move I had to hire a van. Two hours and bit later I had moved out (though it took an entire day to pack). And sadly now I cannot find most of the things that I own. Since everything is packed up in bags. Luckily I have located my camera and some of the stitching, but not all.

Giveaways:

First of all a thank you to Thea of the Gizzimomo's Stitchy Place for a wonderful gift I have won on her 200 followers giveaway. I wanted to include a photo, but the gift is packed away. It was a 'My Memories Suite 3' software, which I am excited to try out ... once I manage to clear out my poor little MacBook from the junk on it. Fairies, and Angels cross stitch booklets, fabric, cross stitch kit, a knitted pincushion and some stitching bits and bobs. This the first blog giveaway that I have won, so I was very happy to receive the package.

When I was showing off my gift to friends over lunch, someone pointed out that it is now my turn to return a favour and do a giveaway myself. I think I'm going to make myself a promise to do one once I reach 100 followers, but that is still in a distant future.

Exchanges:

I have participated in a Margaret Sherry's Summer Exchange. Which is what I spent stitching most of my free time... but I am unable to share it since it is still in the post to its final destination.

But I can share with you what I received from Marcinha (a big thank you):

front

back

I love the snail so much! I have seen it previously on MSherryLovers blog and was planning on getting a chart myself. I haven't decided yet on what I will use it for. I will probably need to unpack everything before I can decide what this will be used for.

Extravaganza: 

My HAED stitching is still stuck on the first page:

part 3

So I have finished almost all dark blue (I now realise I missed a little) and started purple. This was the progress I was meant to post last Tuesday for the Extravaganza update ... but miss located camera etc ... and now the stitching too ... so one update short:

part 4

And finally onto ...

Wipocalypse:

The progress on the HAED:

June 

July

And then as I lost it in the move I have picked up John Clayton's Venice:

June

I was a little annoyed that the stitching is at the top and bottom, so far way, but if I want to wind up on bobbins the leftover thread I should stitch all the combinations of it first: 

July

And the closeups:

I have furniture arriving today ... so maybe a little more unpacking and I can find more stitching.

Until next time,