Wednesday, October 28, 2015

WIPocalypse and Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long (TUSAL) October

Are there any fibers or materials used in stitching that you’re nervous to try?

I can't think of any fibers or materials that I would be nervous to try. Maybe large charts? But just because it is such a time commitment.

Here is where I stopped on the Hogwarts crest:


And here is where I am today:


At first I thought it might be weird if I only outlined the Gryffindor lion, but it looks like Sytherin's snake also needs to be outlined, since the coils get a bit muddled up.

I haven't worked on 노리개 (Norigae) at all. I've been focusing on the Hogwarts crest since it is almost half finished and I would like to have it done and work on something else, like learning how to knit socks.

Here is my TUSAL:


It kind of looks just like last month's TUSAL.

It was our 10th Anniversary, recently. The Husband got me this metal box (10th anniversary is supposed to be tin or aluminum):


The inside has a tray sectioned off that says: thread; buttons; pins & needles.



After taking the tray out the bottom bit has storage space, but mine came with 150 skeins of floss. I'm not sure of the company, but they seem to follow DMC's numbering and color scheme. I won't use them in anything I've already started, since I know it is a bad idea, but after that I plan on using some of them. I did start making a friendship bracelet for Jasmine and a couple of her friends.


If you have any ideas for posts you'd like to see in the future let me know!

Currently watching: re-watching Marvel movies.

Currently reading:

Before Midnight (Blood Prince Series Book 1) by Jennifer Blackstream
Currently free through Amazon Kindle. I am reading this together with my best friend, and we've only just started reading today.

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Saturday, October 10, 2015

WIPocalypse September and Smalls SAL

Here is August's post.

Where do you buy most of your stitching supplies?

In the US it is normally Jo-Ann's, Michael's or the dreaded Wal-Mart. Since moving to Leeds I have gotten all my supplies at Samuel Taylors in the city centre.

The selection isn't very large there. They have limited space to begin with, it is a small shop space, so they don't offer a lot in cross stitch kits. I don't think I have every seen just charts to buy, there may be a book or two on a book rack they have, but I think the rack is mostly for knitting. They do have all the DMC and Anchor basic colors. They do have some of the DMC specialty flosses, and some Kreinik flosses.

Here is where I left off on 노리개 (Norigae).


And here it is today:




Here is my small from last month. It came in a kit with one of my magazines. I seriously thought I was going to break my needle at times. The fabric was so stiff and there were so many partial stitches. My fingers really hurt after this.




Here is where the Hogwarts crest was:


And where I am now:





If you have any ideas for posts you'd like to see in the future let me know!

Currently watching: I have no idea, I'm looking for suggestions.

Currently reading:

The Vampire Shrink: Kismet Knight, Vampire Psychologist Book 1 by Lynda Hilburn
I'm only on chapter 6, but so far this is a very trope filled book.



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Monday, September 28, 2015

Totally Useless Stitch Along (TUSAL) September



I have more cream and green threads this time.


If you have any ideas for posts you'd like to see in the future let me know!

Currently watching: Stuff in my youtube watch later list that has been there for over a year.

Currently reading:

City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments Book 5) by Cassandra Clare
Rereading the series so I can read the last book.

If you'd like to request that I review a book please leave a comment. Include a brief description of the book, including which genre it is. Please also note if the book is an ARC and whether you are self-published.

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Friday, September 4, 2015

WIPocalypse August 29

Pick one of the WIP pieces you’ve stitched on this month, and tell us about your stitching journey with the piece.
Well, the piece have been working on the longest is the Hogwarts Crest. It is a free chart that I found on the internet. It is intended to be used for my daughter's 11th birthday party. You can tell I haven't cross-stitched in a few years by all the mistakes I am making with it. My daughter just turned 9 years-old, so I have 2 years to finish this in. Actually I'll hopefully finish the stitching before we move back to the U.S., fold it up until after we move and then have it finished.




Here is where I got to before on the Hogwarts Crest:


Here is where I am now:

I didn't get a whole lot done, partly because my Mom was visiting for two weeks, but also because I went and got an embroidery frame kind of like this:

It was supposed to be for the Hogwarts Crest, but...


This is노리개 (Norigae) it is a chart by a Korean cross stitch company called SODA Stitch. I think the easiest way to get their charts is through their ebay store, but they also have other distributors listed on their website.

The new scroll from is so stiff I haven't even put the nuts and bolts in.



I also happened to take some pictures of the Leeds Tapestry 2000 exhibit in the Leeds Central Library this month. The Central Library has some wonderful architectural designs. Each tapestry has a little plaque that tells about that tapestry.


This one is about Civic Pride.


The Legal Sector.


Arts For All.


Textile and Industrial Heritage Panel. Here is a better look at the skeins of loss on the tapestry.

This webpage explains more about the tapestries.




I also got another magazine.

I really think that I like getting the magazines with kits in them. It seems to make it feel like it's worth the money, since the magazines without the kits are about the same price.


This magazine came with two Christmas fairy cards. The cards aren't very big, about 3.5 inches by 3.5 inches, so I expect them to be a quick stitch up.


It also came with a book of mini-charts by Joan Elliot, there were a lot of nice things in the book, mini-charts, borders, charts for cards and gift tags.


And then there was this bonus sampler, that if I made it I would have to change the colors. I don't think I could deal with hot pink Christmas tress.



If you have any ideas for posts you'd like to see in the future let me know!

Currently watching: Nine Lives of Chloe King. I made it to episode 6.

Currently reading:

The Leaky Battery Sets Sail (Adventures of the Steampunk Pirates Book 1) by Gareth Jones
A cute kids steampunk book that I found at the library.


If you'd like to request that I review a book please leave a comment. Include a brief description of the book, including which genre it is. Please also note if the book is an ARC and whether you are self-published.

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Thursday, August 27, 2015

2015 Smalls SAL

I've joined the Smalls SAL (Stitch-A-Long) because I have picked up quite a few from magazines.

First I finished the cupcake from Cross Sticher issue 295.



I still need to cut out the cross stitch and attach it to the doily, and the doily to the card, but the cross stitching bit is done. I did make a mistake, I started before sorting out the thread, I was basing was I picked from the picture that was in the magazine. I found out I was using the wrong color for the cake bit of the cupcake. Oops. It was supposed to be part of the frosting, which it looked to dark to be frosting to me. So, I left it there and replaced the frosting bit with DMC 3822. I think it worked out pretty well. Once I finish this up I may send the card to a college friend who sends me a lot of hand written letters.

I was supposed to take it with me and work on it on the train and airplane when we went to Geneva, but I finished it before we even left for Geneva, which was good because I forgot to pack a needle, so when I did leave I wasn't able to do my Lily of the Valley scissor keeper from Heritage Textile. Oh, well. It gives me something to work on later.


When we got back from Geneva I got another magazine that came with a little card. I made sure to sort the threads first this time!


You can see I made some changes from the original. I got rid of the little bits that come off the dog and cat, and I must say it was very difficult to tell the difference between DMC 318 and 414, but there is a huge difference in the picture, I also didn't put the white on the bunting, but I added whiskers to the cat. I only need to finish it up and put it in the card it came with. I may send this off to my mother-in-law for her birthday.


I got another magazine that came with two bear kits. I don't think it was supposed to.


I am going to send the second one to my high school friend and I'll probably finish the one I have for a neighbor we had when we first moved to Leeds.

Here is the last magazine I bought:


This one came with a key ring to cross stitch. I think I am going to wait to do this one, because I seems a bit silly to buy a bag of stuffing for one little key ring, plus I only have 1 key right now, and I don't think I'm likely to use this on my key ring if I even had one. It might be a kit to giveaway.



If you have any ideas for posts you'd like to see in the future let me know!

Currently watching: The Nine Lives of Chole King, while I cross stitch. It isn't a good show, which is probably why there are only 10 episodes.

Currently reading:

The Iron Wyrm Affair (Bannon and Clare Book 1) by Lilith Saintcrow
I checked this book out from the library before, but I got busy and was unable to finish reading it.
The chapters are mostly small, 3 or 4 pages, so it is easy to find a place if you need to stop. I wish the magic system was more fully explained in the beginning of the story. Don't be fooled by the gears on the cover, this isn't a steampunk story, it is an alt-history with a magic system set in an alternative London, called Londinium, which is actually London's original name. There are clockwork horses, but they run on sparks of magic, not steam power. I haven't finished the book yet, so I can't do a full review, but I found one on Steam Ingenious

If you'd like to request that I review a book please leave a comment. Include a brief description of the book, including which genre it is. Please also note if the book is an ARC and whether you are self-published.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Totally Useless Stitch Along (TUSAL) August

Here are my ORTs (Old Ratty Threads)

In the beginning it was very dark, they were mostly black and dark grey, but with the kits from the magzines and a new project I have started the ORTs have brightened up.




If you have any ideas for posts you'd like to see in the future let me know!

Currently watching: Supernatural, Dracula and Once Upon a Time, all while I cross stitch.

Currently reading:

The Clockwork Scarab: A Stoker & Holmes Novel Book 1 by Colleen Gleason


If you'd like to request that I review a book please leave a comment. Include a brief description of the book, including which genre it is. Please also note if the book is an ARC and whether you are self-published.

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Saturday, August 1, 2015

WIPocalypse July 31

What makes you pick up a long-abandoned UFO rather than beginning a new piece?
Right now I don't have any abandoned UFOs, but I hope to have some things completed after my holiday to Geneva.


It hasn't been that long since I updated, but I have gotten a lot done.
 photo IMG_20150715_163016_zpsa4pryiew.jpg

 photo IMG_20150716_011735_zpscbmipj2v.jpg
You can start to see where I am running out of space at the top of the fabric.

 photo IMG_20150723_232355_zpswglrdxob.jpg
Lots more of black on black done.

 photo IMG_20150728_132711_zpsvym9l58h.jpg
And starting to fill in.

Here is where I am today.
 photo IMG_20150801_151645_zpsbmiie41a.jpg

So far I have used one skein each of DMC 535,783, and 310 (I've almost finished the second skein of that).

I'm going to try and get the things I'll need to fix the top of the cross stitch after we get back from our trip, but I might not do the actually fixing until the rest of the cross stitch is done. I'm not sure yet if the bottom will also need to be extended.


While we were at the haberdashery store we picked up a little ladybird for Jasmine to try and cross stitch.
 photo IMG_20150722_163937_zpszwtw6ucv.jpg
She hasn't made very much progress on it.

I got this for our upcoming trip to Geneva.
 photo IMG_20150801_152407_zpsiperajah.jpg
I wanted something little that would easily fit in to luggage.


I picked up some magazines recently.
 photo IMG_20150728_182928_zps9cz5txdq.jpg

One of the magazines came with the cupcake pattern that fits into the center of a doily that is part of a card.
 photo IMG_20150801_152422_zps4rhmp7yy.jpg
So, I think I am set for the time we'll spend on a train and airplane.


If you have any ideas for posts you'd like to see in the future let me know!

Currently watching:

Currently reading:

Dark Mirror: A Novel by M.J. Putney
I've only just started this, so I haven't gotten very far.


If you'd like to request that I review a book please leave a comment. Include a brief description of the book, including which genre it is. Please also note if the book is an ARC and whether you are self-published.

Swagbucks it is how I make money for amazon gift cards!
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