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,

                   

Welcome to Stitching in Crosses and More ...

Hello and welcome. It was suggested to us to share a little about ourselves... so here it goes ...

I am Lija and I am an addict. I have been hooked up on cross for some time now. I have learnt to stitch at the age of 6 or 7 and one of my first finishes I remember to be was some snowdrops - the flowers. I have then over the years picked up knitting, and other crafts. Most get picked up and put away for spells of time over the years, but when I picked up cross stitch up again about 2 years ago I couldn't stop ... so here I am, blogging about this small part of my life.

that's me

I have graduated as a Master of Mathematics last year and am now studying towards being a Chartered Accountant. In my spare time I stitch, blog, collect stamps, knit, paint, draw, read books ...

Me pretending to read War and Peace
for the picture - I will finish it one day! 

My favourite authors are Paulo Coelho, Dostoyevsky, and Margaret Atwood. I was a World Book Night giver last year, which was a lot of fun, and I got to pass on Coelho's book to unsuspecting victims. I am part of a reading group, ran by the library (aren't they wonderful - all the books you can borrow for free, mine even does e-magazines so I get Crossstitcher for free now). Of course I also happen to be a part-time librarian so maybe a little prejudiced, an artist (participated in about 13 exhibition over the past 5 years), and recently I have started an online business, selling handmade bags and accessories - a sort of a family run online store.

me modelling the scarf ...

From our website:

ILiNi designs is a creative enterprise based in the North East of England. The handmade bags and accessories that we design and make are unique, each one individually thought out. The products available for purchase range from everyday use to special occasions. You will find exclusive leather handbags, hand painted silk scarves, jewellery, and many more treasures waiting to be picked. 

And if you would like to check us out, Click here! for our website and here if you would like to find us on facebook. I would appreciate any likes we get.

Another one of ILiNi designs bags

And a progress picture of a scarf with my oil painting hiding in the background:

So where are all the cross stitch pictures you ask, after all this is a blog mainly about cross stitch. There is a tab on the top of this page for all the finishes I had in the last 2 years which feel free to browse. And here are some highlights:

the first of eight
John Clayton

Fizzy Moon

Where would I be without Margaret Sherry?

Aren't they beautiful ...
I am stitching another one by the same designer at the moment

 And finally my progress on the HAED 'Christmas Candle':

This is the biggest project I have ever attempted and so far has taken half a year to do ... maybe a finish in a few years time. After all I can't say I am a heavy cross stitcher without having attempted one of these.

I should probably stop now, I have most likely disclosed too much about my life (personal information which we are told not to broadcast over the internet). 

I am looking forward to browsing all the blogs out there, and seeing what everyone else stitches/knits.

Bye for now and thanks for looking,

                                                             

P.S. Don't forget to check out all the other wonderful blogs that are here for the party at 2 Bags Full. I am very grateful to Vicki for organising this.

TUSAL - post 1

Just a quick post ... and back to revision. I now realise that the trick to good collection of ORTs are the kits (including the free card kits that come with magazines) and the source of frustration. When I stitch I cut the thread a lot longer than in the pre-packed stash, so hence when I work on those projects less ORTs and less frustration with constant needle threading.

Thought to show off my plant before it completely dies, along with a month's product of ORTs. With my empty easel behind it ... [sigh] ... will pick up painting again soon [I keep telling myself].

Wipocalypse - December/Final post for 2012

December Update:

After the last update realisation hit me that there wasn't much chance of me being able to complete all set projects, so I set a mini goal to concentrate on completing Fizzy Moon and 1 page of my HAED for this year end. So...

A Fizzy Moon finish (which ended up being mums Christmas present ... so expect another pillow appearing on the blog soon):

September 2012

December 2012

HAED:
The latest page progress:

November 2012

December 2012

Overall progress:

November 2012

December 2012

I have even managed to start the next page.

Error corrections and unexpected stitching:

So then I had a little time to correct/start correcting a few errors I have clumsily made this year:

In Big Ben there should have not been any dark in the reflection ... silly me has mixed up symbols

May 2012

This error I have unpicked and corrected, then done some unexpected stitching:

December 2012

In Venice the events occurred the other way around. I have been working on it to discover that I did not account for the overlap of 10 squares in my gridding so there is a 10 square wide line down the centre where the 2 pages of design overlap.

August 2012 - part 1

December 2012 - extra stitching

December 2012 - extra stitching and the start of unpicking

Year Update

1) 'Handpicked by Fizzy [a new start and finish]:

Complete!!!

2) Country Trio [final of three start and finish]:

Complete!!!

3) Lickle Ted with a daffodil:

Started from:

And finished:

Complete!!!

4) Xmas Chums [a bit of failure this goal]:

So I have ended up with less than I begun with.

5) Good Heavens [failure as none done]:

6) Making Lickle Wishes: 

7) John Clayton: Big Ben [new start and ...]:

8) John Clayton: Venice [new start and ...]:

9) John Clayton: 'Calla Lily' [a new start and finish]:

Complete!!!

10) 'does my bum look big in this?' [from ... to finish]:

Complete!!!

11) Country Bouquet - The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady [completed]:

Complete!!!

12) The Snowman card [from ... to complete]:

Complete!!!

13) 'Meet Baby Newton' [from ... to a finish]:

Complete!!!

14) Fizzy Moon card kit [nothing done on]:

15) 'Tending the Flock' [same - shame]:

16) 'Picture of elegance' [and again ...]:

17) Dimensions kit [new start to ...]:

18) HAED [new start to ...]:

3 and a bit pages done

So a grande total of 8 complete. Next year although we are told to set the goals in the 1st check-in post I think I will do in advance hopefully before the year begins. This I think I will do by changing the Wipocalypse 2012 tab, and will have more SMART objectives (something I have learnt on my course). So I will update the sidebar links, and the tabs to reflect this update in the next few days. And now back to study.

Till soon,

                 
                                                       P.S. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!