At the end of the day

Here's my work on part 3, and you can see part 2 as well. I didn't take it off the frame because I didn't see the point, and it's fiddly to get on and off.

I think I'm about half done with this part. I've been starting the frame for the next part, too, so I can use up any spare floss, and also so I don't have to do a huge amount of boring work when I start the next part, which is always the deterrent to me when I start a new one.



I love the irises, they're beautiful. The tree is boring, but I know it will look beautiful as I can already see the other half of it in the second part. I stitched the crane, too, but there's no instruction as to what colour floss to stitch the backstitches at the beak, wings and tail with so I left a message for Martina and I'll add them later. I think the irises were my favourite of the work I did today :) Just lovely shades of pink.

More photos

Well first I have my sister's cat + Felicity (the AG doll)'s bed:


And also, JOB after my SAL with Tash got resurrected :D

I'm almost done with part 2, just the bonsai tree to do. And when I've started work on part 3 proper (not just the frame, which is 3/4 done) I'll fill in the rhodes stitches in part 1 because they'll no longer be in the way of my hoop.

I'd forgotten that hoops can actually be useful things! But this really doesn't fit on my q-snaps in any kind of satisfying way, and using a hoop works very well. I have a feeling that if I dont have a big frame by the time I get past the borders of the ginormous q-snap that I currently have Mystery X on I'll be using a hoop for that, too, and beading the last parts by hand. That's why I haven't beaded anything for the North house - just in case!

Nudey fairy!

I'm almost finished 80 rows (8 rows by my usual count, I work in rows of blocks) of A Restful Night, and she's stunning. But she does look like shes posing for a nude photo, you can't tell that she's wearing any clothes. That will all get sorted out next row, but it's very amusing in the meantime! I have about 200 stitches left to go and I plan to have another stab at it before I go to bed but I doubt I'll get it finished tonight. In the morning.

I did stick to rotation - I worked on JOB all morning and I got the grass cross stitches done and a lot of the 'clouds' in the sky, and LOTS of the frame. Tedious, but progress. My problem is not with the design - it I love. I just hate the fabric, it doesn't want to fit in any of my frames. I tried a hoop before and it drove me nuts because of the rhodes stitches, but I've stopped adding them until I'm done and I've made significant progress since then, so maybe it's worth trying again. Or maybe I need to be more patient and get the fabric to sit right in the frame! It fits but I can never get the fabric 'straight' and it's so irritating...oh well. It's done for this week anyway unless I get the urge to work on it after half a day of my rotation piece, which is possible...not probably though. I can't wait for the next bits...on other pieces of fabric, better luck with them perhaps!

That's what I've decided, too. I'll work on my rotation piece for at least half a day, and then continue with it if I want to or switch to whatever's screaming, but I have to work on the rotation piece for at least that half day. That way I'll make progress but I won't be sitting fuming and not stitching because I want to stitch on whatever's screaming at me from the WIP basket.

I've somehow acquired lightning speed powers, too. I don't know how many stitches I've done today, but most of a page worth of this row! My goodness, I didn't realise just how slow I'd got while I was sick. I'm so enjoying my stitching again, and I've finished all of the fairy for this row too - and I'm not getting fed up with confetti stitched purple background this time...no, working on another fluro mushroom! This one looks slightly less glow in the dark. It's fun, and a nice change from all the blues, though I will be glad to be finished with the row. It's just so satisfying to finish a row, and it's been a while. If I keep this speed up and work on a row a week at least for the next while...I'll get her done soon. Only 14 rows to go, 3 and a half months if I only get one row a week done and I should get more than that. But we know how I am, very likely to get sidetracked.

I am very much enjoying her though.

Today has been very slow, very quiet. I got up late, and had an empty-ish house - my sister was home but holed up in her room and my parents were both out, and I just pottered around and stitched. I sorted my spare DMC and I now know which I have multiple spares of, and they're lying on the floor over near the tv. Our cats pretty much ignore thread and it's not in anyone's way so it should be there in the morning, and I'll put each of the colours I have multiples of in a baggie and then the others in baggies grouped by whatever 100 they're in. Sounds like a plan, and its better than them all shoved in a Michael's bag like they were! We watched Aus Idol tonight and they STILL haven't got rid of Carl which annoys me intensely though we did get to hear Jacob (who left) sing Let it Be again. Dad and I both like that song, which I find amusing given his comments about Mary worship and the Theotokos lately (long, frustrating story) so it was good to hear it again. He did it well, I think. And then we watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding which was also on TV and my sister gave me heaps about how I'm going to have one. Oh no I'm not. Greek Orthodox yes. BFGW - no. It will be interesting, actually - usually they have weddings between Greeks or one Greek one something else. Not two something elses! We'll probably compromise somewhere along there. And we'll get Father to say the Liturgy in english if at all possible. He'd like the chance to do that, I think.

Oh I almost forgot. I also got a package from Needle Little Love - yay STASH! I got a beautiful chart, Peaceful Paradise by Midsummer Night Designs (which I love to bits) and the JCS Ornie issue (yay) and some needles. I like stash packages.

Unfortunately *dramatic sigh* I need to do another order now...she's got a special on fabric and it's the only way I'll be able to afford the Lakeside Linen to do Peaceful Paradise on!

...I could always order the floss I need too...

...uhoh...

someone hide my credit card? :)

I really should post more often

Sorry, I know its been more than a week!

I'll list the projects I've worked on, and comment on each of them, since I can't think of any other way to do it!

Mystery X:
I got thoroughly fed up with the beading, and haven't really stitched much on it this week - bad Kyrie! I'm so close to finishing part 3, but I have other pretties to distract myself with and I haven't worked on it since that picture until today. now another of those beaded borders is almost done, and I've half frogged the one that I wasn't happy with. Frustrating, but worth it. If I work at it this afternoon and tonight, I might even get it done today! Part 4 is gorgeous and not big - mostly backstitching, with some corners in the same beading pattern as these borders, and a little bit of cross stitch. Shouldn't be hard, and will look great. I'm very curious as to what part 5 will be - Troy's mum and I reckon it will be a hedge between the corners and above the borders, but we'll have to see!

From the Ashes:

I worked on her for the SAL, which was most enjoyable until I finished the top 30 rows and discovered I didn't have a lot of the threads I needed for her wing - *sigh*. I did do a lot of the background confetti though, and filled in some of the solid colour background as well, and stitched most of the wing that I could leaving the gaps to be filled when I get the floss. This new method I've discovered for stitching her seems to be working really well, which I'm very glad of! It's sad to put her away for the time being, but hopefully I'll get a chance to work on her again before the next SAL, if when I get my threads.

Tranquility Mystery:
I've got almost all of page 2 done, except for some of that massive red thing - I like the design, I hate stitching it. I am going to have to grit my teeth and get it done too! I really need to catch up on this... the yellow motif is my favourite of all of them so far, and I love the yellow colour too!


Japanese Octagon Box:
I got my finishing kit from Judy the other day, which was very very fun, and I got the old key from Martina as well which meant that I could stitch on the grass this monday. I frogged all the incorrect stitching, and added some more, and it looks wonderful. Photos really do not do justice, but I will try.


apart from all this, I also did lots of fabric dyeing for prac 1 for craft this year too - with Peta (future MIL) and was MUCH FUN! We got dye everywhere and the acid ate the foil off her reflector thing that she puts in her car....but it was worth it, even the clean up! See?


Also, I've discovered somewhere that sells 100% cotton sheeting...white, 2.5m wide, for about $7/m which is GREAT, and I bought 4m. 2m of that got used for the dyeing, and 2m I have kept because I will use it to make the mockup of my dress, the patterns for which should be sent today by the people I ordered them from - I sent them an email inquiring and they're sending them *now*, about 3 weeks later!!! grr. Oh well. I will get them and then have fun making the dress. What Peta and I have decided is that I'll make a proper mockup, with long sleeves, then cut the sleeves short, make an underdress, and dye both. I want the underdress a solid colour, but the overdress dark at the bottom shading up to light at the top, thinking a turquois-y blue with a dark blue underdress or a deep pink with a purple underdress, and then stitch cutwork dragonflies all over it. Sounds like fun! I can't see the point of making a dress, even a mockup, that I wouldn't be able to wear, so I'll get a nice summer dress out of it too. And dyes mean that if I buy some nice ribbon we can dye the ribbon too to match the dress...*grins*

I also want to use the sheeting to make underthings for the doll I've been meaning to dress for years. It's cotton, so it should be good! It's also good for petticoats, which I may have to do something about. I love the rustle and feel of petticoats, and they look good under full skirts.

Oh, and if you're wondering what I look like while stitching, here I am:


I was putting a hoop on the aida for the samurai that Troy has just started stitching. He's almost finished something else too (just needs to finish the backstitching) and when he does I'll post it :) it looks really good!


EDITED: to add photos

Beading! Gak! And other things.

I've been working on my mystery X wip...and the beading keeps going and going and going...
See? This has the beading a little more than half done...


I stitched the beads in the outside borders all in the same direction, but even when I sacrificed four beads on each side it still buckles, so I'm thinking about unstitching them and restitching them.

I also did some more work on Japanese Octagon Box for my SAL with Tash and got some more border and some more grass done - but the colours looked strange, and I went on the board only to discover that there are two colour keys and I was using the wrong one - didnt have the first one - and the group has been deleted! Ack. I think I will be begging Martina soon... Anyway I went from there to working on the border a little bit, but I didn't get as much done this week as I would have liked.


Tranquility Mystery has the first part done now too:



I've started the next page, but no photos of that yet - I want to try and get it finished on time this time!

From the Ashes is on the frame this weekend coming too, for the Challenge SAL - it will be good to get into it again.

Oh and I got the fabric for my restart of Froggy Frog World too - 32ct Carol's Meadow Jobelan by Silkweavers. Should be fun, it's gorgeous fabric.

And I got a birthday present too...from Peta (Troy's mum) who is an excellent future MIL :) she has a beautiful needlecase that she made and I've been envious of it since I first saw it, all beaded crazy patchwork with pockets.

Imagine my surprise to open an early birthday present that was this:

Weekend & Japanese Octagon Box

Well, this was a fun weekend. Two new mystery parts, and a new start. How could I not enjoy it?

I didn't get as much done on the tranquility mystery as I'd like, but I did get about 1/3 of the purple motif done. This is my carry around project, so I'm not working on it at home (chatelaine mystery takes priority, then one of my other BAPs - hope currently) but hopefully I'll get page 1 done this week. I'll work on it Thursday night if I have to to get it done before Friday night when page 2 will be released.



and I had my SAL with Tash on Japanese Octagon Box yesterday. I finished the tree and got some more done on the black border, and started the green. The bottom green - such a pretty one, called renaissance green, is all done and I started the next one. It stitches up wonderfully quick, which is a relief - I tend to think of chatelaines as being long-slog but worth it projects instead!
Here's this week's picture:

Uh...oh...

I was bad. I was very bad. But I did have Troy's consent, so that's okay - right? *looks around worriedly*

I just bought a chatelaine. Actually, two.
...and the kits.

Japanese Octagon Box has been screaming at me for months seeing other's WIPs and so finally I caved. Paypal is being retarded, so I'll pay properly tomorrow for it all, but it's as good as done.

I've also always loved Convents Herbal Garden, so I got it as well. Neither of these are going into my rotation anytime soon, much as I'd love to, unless...anyway I'll get to that later. I just want to stash them, they're so beautiful.

I'm getting the cream fabric for the box, and thinking maybe antique white for the garden. Not completely sold on that one yet. I'm stashing lots, and I think maybe it's partly a stress thing and partly a wanting to buy things now so I have pretties to work on when we can't afford them later - stitch from my stash. Especially the silk-involving things. DMC I could probably justify and afford - not silks. So, yeah.

I am going to seriously need to organise my room so I can find a place for all of this now....