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,

                     

A day late

Just a quick belated post:

June 2012

Also I thought might be interesting to look at the years jar, since we half way there.

June 2012 and years up to now jar

The year's jar so far

And now to the Summer extravaganza ... not too much, since I have been concentrating on the exchange stitching I can't post yet.

part 2

part 3

Back to busy busy busy ...

Until later,
Lija

Summer Extravaganza Part 2

So it is part 2 post already, and this was the progress coming onto last Tuesday:

part 1

and now (admittedly not a very good picture with the flash - weather isn't at its best here at the moment):

part 2

Hope it will start looking good soon, colours don't tend to blend at the moment, especially the greyish brown I am currently stitching.

Any sort of progress I have made seems insignificant with Snoopy's. Almost an entire page complete! And we have started at a similar time.

Till soon,

Lija

Fizzy Moon and Summer Extravaganza

First of all there is an apology for the lack of the first post of Summer Extravaganza. I ended being a little more than snowed under with things to do. There weren't that much extra done to it from Monday, so for the last Tuesday update I think I will stick to that image ... which was:

part 1

I also have a finish from before to show off. I have completed this one a long while ago ... but was unable to post until I gave it as a Birthday present to mum. It is Fizzy Moon:

I need to look up from which magazine I got the chart...

But otherwise that's all for now,

Lija

June and Wipocalypse

Two things have downed on me recently. When I was creating my brand new tab for Wipocalypse I have realised the following:

- I tend to pick one and stitch, with some projects still lying stored away.
- I only have 2 out of 18 complete. [next update marks half a year of stitching and this is a very sad number]

So something might have to change. Maybe a rotation (like I have noticed some of you bloggers do). And definitely more finishes are in order.

Thinking this, I have pulled more of them out and now have two finishes, two starts, and small progress on a few others ... so read on.

1) 'Handpicked by Fizzy' - I have provided some 14 count aida to aid my motivation. 

June 2012

... and then it went back in the box.

3) Lickle Ted with a daffodil is now done

before

June 2012

I have braved the hatred of backstitching and finished this little fella.

4) Xmas Chums: Remember my dilemma about this one? Probably not ... it was so long ago. Well, the stitching is 10 squares lower than needed.

before

after some frogging

I will remove the stitching and start again with this one. Almost ready to begin afresh. Then maybe gridding.

Last month I have bought some easy count gridding for my new HAED. So I went a little crazy with making my life easier with smaller projects ... which saw my first attempt at using the stuff for:

8) John Clayton: Venice

June 2012

and behold an entire colour complete already.


12) The Snowman Card - a little progress ...

before

June 2012

13) 'Meet Baby Newton' - my second finish that I am very proud of:

May 2012

June 2012

Notice ... all the backstitching done too


18) HAED This is a new addition to the wips. It will take a long time to stitch, so I thought it deserved to be added to this list. It is also something I am stitching for the Summer Extravaganza (with an update due tomorrow - I highly doubt there will be anything added to make a difference). Nonetheless here it is:

June 2012

I am stitching it on the 18 count aida ... I think I will not name the design for now.

Well that is it for now. I have a summer exchange to concentrate on, and go crazy with my HAED in the spare time, so I envision a shorter update next month. 

Until tomorrow,

Lija

Lack of Maths ...

I have now written my last ever exam, so that calls for the update on all the projects I have not listed here in the past two months.

That's almost true. Even though I have now completed my maths degree (I hope - still need to keep my little fingers crossed for the results which come out next month) I have an offer for a graduate 9 month course starting in September. If I get the grade [sigh]. Next lie was the total update of the last 2 months of cross stitch. I will exclude two finishes for now; they were on the Wipocalypse list, and the next update is in just over a week. So I might wait till then. But even so there is quite a bit to admire...

I have mentioned a few cards for friends' birthdays. The first up I haven't made up into a card yet ... it is the dreaded rose:

You can see where I have run out of yellow and green. After I have stitched it someone pointed out that the person I have stitched it for was colour blind. It is hard for him to see a clear difference between red and green. So I have put it in the box of completed embroidery (it bound to come in handy some time in the future) and made my friend a replacement: 

 One can't go wrong with a black and white image, right? The design was from the World of Cross Stitching issue 164, from a selection of the 'Blackwork Garden' by Liz Almond. For my two colleagues at work I have done another 2 quick stitches from there:

... and the second ...

They were surprisingly very fast to stitch. And for my other two friends, who's birthdays also came in the month of all birthdays I have made two cards from the World of Cross Stitching issue 189, 'Current Classics' designed by Rhona Norrie:

Rhona does beautiful designs, that appear in the current issues of cross stitching magazines, and also on her website. I have a few designs on my list of things to purchase. Her blog is Tangled Threads if you are intrigued.

Ok that's it ... me done on my little update on all but two finishes. What's next you'd ask. I have an entire summer before me. I'm still in the process of getting a list (and it is huge already). For starters I have a part time job, so that cuts the free time down. Then last year I have started my own little business of handmade bags and accessories. The plan is to sell online ... but my website is still at the design stage. So eBay it is for now. My latest project is this amazing (even if I say so myself) silk scarf covered in oranges:

Each orange was individually drawn out in gutta and then painted. I am now adding on bits of felt to make it even more special. It is almost done and I am already planning the next one. Do note one of my oil paintings in the background. Art has been neglected in the extreme in the past year or two, so sketching by the river, and painting in the studio, is definitely on the list. Speaking of art I need to start up the Life Drawing sessions again, which I lead here at Durham. Complete the long distance course for my certificate in Life Drawing, maybe dig up that long distance course on creative writing that has been hiding in the bottom draw. There is over 40 books I need to read and return to the library. Tax returns to fill, invoices to do... downgrade my belongings to two car loads before I need to move (at the moment there is a total of three!)...there is also that summer exchange to stitch for. I might stop listing now ... and actually do something... 

But before I go I have another announcement to make. The Summer Extravaganza. After some time in the blogging world I had come across something called HAED. It confused me to great deal. But with time I came to realise I want to stitch one of those. One of my motivators for typing 60 odd pages on the WKB approximation in April was to glance at a picture of my chosen design. And now it is almost reward time. The Summer Extravaganza, since it is summer, and the start is the 1st of June, will consist of my sister (who decided to join me on this little adventure) stitching our chosen designs, and posting each week to note the progress on our blogs. Still need to think of a prize ... since most SALs here have one available.

This is all the dmc thread that I will need for mine

In reality to make it a little more fair we have decided to stitch the same amount of stitches as each other, so my sister has 3 projects, and I one large, plus will need to make up a few thousand stitches somewhere else. Do check out Snoopy's blog. 

More updates on the excitement of a maths free life to follow.

Lija

P.S. Thank you for all those well wishes for my exams. They did help me in the motivation for the horrendous revision.

TUSAL or the lack of

May 'TUSAL' 2012

Proud to say there is little progress in the stitching world and therefore more in the maths world... or should be: 

So, a quick picture and back to the lovely numbers and the differential equations; I can't believe it ... there are actual numbers and letters in this module ... well exciting.

Until Friday when the big update of everything will happen or Thursday if I am less tired than I expect to be.

Lija