Here I am

finally got it!
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

I won this pattern on Ebay for $4. It is an oop (out of print) pattern from Bent Creek. The saying is "Awake northwind and come southwind, then all of the trees of the forest will sing for joy". It is simple but i have been wanting it for a while now... my sister will be so jealous , she is a self admitted tree-hugger. Too bad Liz, this one is mine!

Seaology
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Here is what I started recently, Seaology by Trilogy, I wanted to do it in DMC but now that I have gotten to the blue ocean around the sub, I am thinking I may go get "Tropical Ocean" by GAST. I have done other patterns combining the threads (EduCATed, Little pumpkin in the patch) Chosing to do large parts with the overdyed, and the rest with DMC, you get a similar effect without spending all the dough. Any one else done this pattern? what did you do?

Lavender hill
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

And finally here is Lavender Hill, finished. No matter how many times i photographed it, it still looked washed out, so you will jst have to trust me when I say it is georgeous, I can't wait to frame it and Moon and Stars.

I finished my powerpoint presentation for my defense (my advisor wants to see it this friday at the lab meeting). So I wil have a whole week to polish it before the 11th. Meanwhile my mom is coming to visit this weekend. we are going to paint the guest (my) bathroom, I will be sure to post before and after pics, I know you will be dying to see the results.

SBQ

I stitched a bit on Santa yesterday , and started trilogy's Seaology last week, but haven't taken any photos yet.

SBQ:
Have you ever participated in a needlework mystery (i.e., a design that you started before knowing how it will look in the end and by which you receive parts of the design via the internet, magazines, or leaflets at spaced intervals)? If so, why did you decide to do the mystery? What appealed to you about it? Did you enjoy it? If you have not done a mystery, would you ever do one?

I have never done a mystery, up until a year ago I did not know what one was. The ones I have seen are a bit expensive, and just haven't appealed to me.

I know Armageddons date!

Yes folks it is true, after about 24 hours of stress trying to get all my committee members to agree to a date and time, and the fact that two of them are leaving in three weeks and you have to give the department notice two weeks ahead of time, and make sure the conference room is available, and that your thesis is presentable:

I will defend on April 11th at 11 am.

Little House Needleworks extravaganza!!!

Moon and Stars
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Well, not really, that just seems to be all I have stitched on this week. Here is the completed Moon and Stars...This one and Lavender Hill (below) are screaming for me to frame them, I have no idea where to hang them, but I must listen to the screaming.
Unfortunately there is no other stitching yelling at me, my heart just isn't in it lately. I spend my days typing on the computer redoing my thesis over and over, (4th (or is it the 5th) draft of the disscussion thank you). And after dinner I just feel like vegging in front of the TV. Part of the problem is the stuff I need to do (like the Green Darner) is complicated and requires lots of paraphenalia and thinking (confetti stitching,half stitches whatnot). Some one did ask me what I stiched Moon and Stars on...I used the fabric that it called for 28 ct. Silvery Moon Linen, I was just lucky that the store I bought the pattern had the fabric too.

and Here is a not quite finished Lavender Hill...I had the greens it called for 3052 and 3053 but when I went to stitch the lighter green it looked the same (which happens to me often due to some of the 30year old threads I have inherited), so tonight I will find a suitable green for the flower stems and the outer layer of the tree.

I loved stitching these, they were easy, quick, and fun.

Lavender Hill
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Ok on to other things First: after finding that I tend to look over other blogger wishlists and send them stuff when I find it, I figure maybe I should make one up too, I have started another blog page just for my wish list and you can bop on over using the link in my sidebar... I figure it is a good time to do this anyway with my graduation on the horizon (it is far but it is there!)

Stitching bloggers Question of the Week: Do you stitch “over one?” If so, describe your experiences. If not, have you considered it? (See an “over one” diagram.) I have and do not mind it but do not prefer it. My first over one was an ornament that I did for an exchange. over 32. .I needed it to be smaller than the original specified. Now that I think about it ,all my over one stitching has been for ornaments. I don't think I could do a large piece that way.

Big mess of stuff to tell you....

Haul from trip to charleston
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

So read this whole post ;)

I was down in Charleston, SC for three days (it was spring break for me this week) and hit 2 cross stitch stores. Ian and I stayed with a friend down in Mt. Pleasant and had a great time. We wandered beaches and toured the aquarium (we didn't do downtown...we did that on our last trip there). Before I left I went searching online for LNS to visit, and found several, however most listings online were outdated and closed...this frustrated me alot but keep reading... I came up with a solution.

First my stash haul:
From Keep 'em in Stitches in Summerville, SC:
A Year Full of Happy- Sam Sarah
Keep it Clean- Brittercup Designs
Tropical Dream- TW
Pins and Needles -Prarie Schooler
Merry Otter- Cindy Valentine I could not pass this one up...she had a trunk show there, and I saw this finished!
Some Six Strand Sweets...they were on sale.

From Stitch n frame in Rock Hill, SC:
The littles snowman- Bent Creek
East Coast Sampler- Jeannette Douglas

So due to my frustration at finding a store and a good review of it I started a new EZboard for cross stitchers to tell us about their local needlework shop...so when I go to visit I can give them my $$$ lol. This is also a good place to list closings and openings.
To be fully honest there is another EZ board with some reviews of stores and ONSs but it is not as comprehensive as I would like this one to be. so help me (and other stitchers) out. If you have a LNS tell us about it here. The password is Stash. You do need to be an EZboard member if you aren't already. Go here to log on. I will keep this board up if there is an interest...so sign on and let me know ;) I will keep a link to it my sidebar.

And Finally the Question of the week:
Do you have an organizational system for your patterns? If so, how do you organize them? If not, have you considered organizing them?

HA I was a librarian in another life...mine are organized by designer in stand up magazine files. The smaller charts are kept in a drawer. and the freebies are organized by subjuect in a 3 ring binder in clear sleeves. I can find anything in about 5 min.

Help needed

what to do???
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

I need help. you can hardly see the white I used for her wing(s). should I 1) back stitch it? or 2) leave it or 3) use a different color, if so what?

my st. patty exchange

my st. patty exchange
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Here is the stitched 8 sided pillow I sent joanne for my exchange piece. It was a freebie from The Workbasket. And I think it turned out pretty well. It is over one us ing a varigated Needle Necessities thread.

St. Pattys exchange from Juanita

St. Pattys exchange from Juanita
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

I got home from Charleston, SC to find my St. Patty s exchange from Juanita. It is a beautifully beaded and stitched scissor fob. along with some fabulous extras.

My detail photos of the fob came out totally fuzzy so Ill post detailed photos tonight...check back tomorrow...here you go..

Scissor fob detail 1
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

scissor fob detail 2
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

And It is March (damn..already?)

Santa as of 3/3/06
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Here is Mr Bear. I have done a bit o green at the bottom and on Santas mitten. I have not done much this week at all. But I did finally find the camera (I was in DH truck) so I took all the pictures and posted them below...so take a look.

This weeks Question is:
What cross-stitch magazines or other publications (as opposed to blogs) do you read on a regular basis? What do you like about them? What do you not like? What would your perfect publication include?

I do not subscribe to any XS mag due to cost and lack of patterns I enjoy. I do buy the JCS ornament mag every year though. I will try to catch one or two in the bookstore occasionally but I almost never see one I HAVE to have that pattern (as I often do when I see a individual pattern). If you ask me (which I guess you just did) the american mags are currently behind the times and the britsh ones are too cutesy and too expensive. Neither use or show overdyed fibers or fabric, even as alternatives to DMC. (exception is the JCS ornament mag) All the patterns seem like stock standards that have just been reshaped and published.
If I were to make the perfect magazine, I would create it like a I use the web. Get a the popular designers today to do a few exclusives. Have a Nashville preview section where designs are shown. How about a reviewer who visits LNSs or ONSs in secret and writes a no holds barred review on the shop (like resturants). Articles on framing, finishing, color converting, and dying fabric. Instead of those insipid "look what i did!" pages, how about a well written diary of a stitcher struggling through a first time TW or Mirabila, the trouble she had the progress made and how she made the choices she did. Or how about an ongoing SAL Page where you get 6 stitchers to stich the same piece and do the progress thing above each month for say 3-5 months. (I am picturing a 2 fold layout with 6 pictures of half finished Celtic Autumns all different color conversions and a short update). How about contests for fibers and fabric from startup companies, the british mags have contests all the time...I want to play too..pout. and maybe sponsoring stitch weekends around the country, you get a group of stitchers together and the mag would send you some exclusive freebies and goodies in return for pictures and a short story. I am just brainstorming here, but it seems to me that the magazines have alot of potential that has not been achieved...
Until then I am off to an LNS instead.

In other news taxes came out better than last year we owe state but federal owes us. So Ian and I are heading to Charleston for three days. (we were going to do the whole week, it is my spring break, but I am to defend by the end of the month and need the time at school) . I am now working on my 3rd draft of the disscussion and hope to have it to my advisor tomorrow so I can enjoy my vacation.

As for my february goal of not blogging during the week and only stitching of weekends well, that fell apart a bit. I am still only writing on my blog once a week but I find myself sneaking peaks at other blogs at random. I am stitching during the week again, not doing it was putting me in a very foul mood.

March Goals:

• Finish revising and DEFEND
• Finish Moon and stars
• Finish Angel in the clouds
• continue work on Spring Garden and Santa
• work on Green darner

See you all next week

Little Angel in the clouds

Little Angel in the clouds
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Sorry she is a bit dark I had to get close cause she is small. I am using the DMC conversion but I will have to do her wings in bright white since the fabric is soo light that the 712 it calls for will dissappear. and the 931 it recommends for the clouds is WAY too dark so I will have to look for a lighter blue that works.

Moon and stars (waiting)

Moon and stars 2
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

So I am still waiting for the fiber I need to come in from my LNS (Desert Mesquite by Cresent Colors). It has been folded in my drawer patiently waiting, hence the giant creases...sorry I refuse iron more than I have too :)

Tie one one (x 2)

2 Tie one ons done
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

I can't think of a good title

Hello all, I went searching for my camera yesterday so I could post pictures of my progress in the past week but couldn't find it any where. So instead of making you wait a whole week I will tell you what I did then post pictures of the stuff during the week (assuming the camera will be found) I did lots of fluttery stitching (nothing made me happy) I added 2 WIPs to my other 3.

• I did as much as I could to Moon and Stars by Little House Needleworks, just waiting on a fiber that I ordered to finish it.
• I stitched a bit on Spring Garden by Black Swan but need to find (or order) a krenick thread that I thought I had but don't.
• I started and finished Lucky Me and Spring Tie one on kits by Pine Mountian
• I started Angel in the Clouds by Heart in Hand on 36ct fabric...my first time on 36...I found out that 1 thread over 2 works better than 2 over 2 at this count. But you already knew that.
• I also started Green Darner. I couldn't get very far due to the #of Krenicks I need for this one. This will be a gift to my advisor when I graduate (so I have till May to do it).

In other news, there isn't much new. I turned in my 2nd draft of my disscussion to my advisor wed afternoon, but haven't gotten it back yet. Ian and I are ready to tackle the TAXES and will probably owe the government again this year which totally cramps my style...especially when my husband is such a freak about $$ (or the lack thereof). And finally we had Sam get his shots and neutered over the weekend ...he is back to full speed after a night of grumpyness.

Hey if you are not the easily offended kind, and swear words are in your vocabulary...check out this Subversive Cross Stitch..I just about fell out of my chair (which is easy since i broke a wheel on it last week)

Frustrated?

Santa of the Forest as of 2/17/06
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Yes, thank you.
I won't go into a whole lot of detail because I would never want the person I would speak bad of to read this...and as I learned early on in life, If you don't want the world to know something then don't write it down (or blog it).
Let me just say this, I know someone who is living MY dream and they are seemingly sabotaging themselves every step of the way, wasting the opportunity that has been presented to them. It pisses me off and makes me want to cry.

Anyway back to stitching here is Santa 5 days later,. My bear has arms, but I am becoming tired of it again and may go to something else for a bit.
Here is the other project I started It is Moon and Stars By Little House Needleworks
It is going fast and it is my first design using Cresent Colors floss, It is more subtle in shading than WDW.

Moon and Stars
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Finally I came up with a question for the Question of the week , and here it is: Comment on your comments (giving and receiving): Do you love comments or hate them? Do you check them every day, never check them, or find them helpful? And finally, are you convinced no one is reading your blog if you don’t get any? Of course I asked this cause I am obsessed with comments nd wanted to know if other stitching bloggers felt the same. I am really kind of sad in this department, I will check my blog often just to see if anyone is reading. I don't really care what is said, even if it is only"Thats looks great".. It is interesting that my personal posts doesn't recieve as much feed back as my stitching posts. I find that I am more apt to comment on others blogs in response to the personal issues rather than a stitching progress post. And finally even though I am blogging for myself, I AM convinced no one is reading my blog if there are no comments...I need one of those visit counters.

We have a Bear's head (and other tales from the needle)

Santa as of 2/12/06
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Yes I stitched all weekend (had a great time thank you) and all I got done was the bear's head. No wonder this thing is taking me forever. Now it is mostly just background and robes till I get to the Wolf. The animals have the most confetti stitches, so they take the longest. I am now trying to square off the right side so I can just use one page of the pattern instead of flipping around.

I did finish my St. Pattys day exchange and that gets mailed out on the first. I also posted about my garden exchange (that I finished at the beginning of Jan) below.

SBQ this past week was: Describe your “perfect” project. (Include the designer or specific pattern, the fabric, the floss, and anything else that would make that project “perfect” for you.) I really don't have a absolute favorite pattern or designer. I guess my answer to this is kinda boring but the perfect project would be one in which I had the money to have it framed professionally. Oh and how about one that will cause you to burn lots of calories and lose weight. I hate exercising and losing stitching time.

Onto the thesis side of things. I will continue on the blogging and checking blogs only once a week, It has helped me alot with getting things done. I will however stitch more, cause well, I am grumpy if I don't. And if I am working at school (aka not blogging) then I won't feel guilty at home in the evenings. I turned in my Discussion friday and my advisor handed it back covered in red today. It is mostly organization of the paper that has to be revised. and I hope I can do that this week into next.

Garden exchange

Garden exchange
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Here is my Garden exchange which I sent to Aniza in Malaysia. The pattern is Spring Strawberries from the Seasonal Sampler designed by Hillside Samplings. I finished it as a box.
I found this great fabric that was really pretty and padded the bottom and the top inside. I also made a candle in a watering can and sent it, but I did not take a picture if Aniza does it will be here. But she has been in the process of moving and may not have her computer unpacked yet.

Inside box
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Cold Turkey Report -Week 1

Man this sucks more than I thought. Not only have I not stitched a single X in 5 days, I was suffering thru PMS at the same time. I think Ian may kill me.
On the up? side I have been reading alot of papers and trying to get back into my research (I hate research, I just want to teach) writing down main points and preparing to write out my whole discussion...I promised my advisor my first draft by friday 2/10...wish me luck.

Today I am taking a break...I read all the blogs I missed this week (took me 2-3 hours!) and will start my St. Patty's day exchange tonight. Next weekend I will get to stitch for 48 hours straight, which brings me to the SBQ of the week:

With the exception of your online stitching friends, do you have any other stitching buddies?
I am very happy to say a resounding yes to this statement. I was very lucky when I started stitching again (two years ago) and got online that I found the Tarheel stitchers. This is a group of ladies from all over NC (although a majority are in the central section) that get together on average once a month at a stitchers house on a Saturday to stitch. We range in ages 30ish (I am one of the youngest) to over 60. and once a year we have a sleep over (that is next weekend).

I wish to leave you this week with a funny quote from Ian:
"If this parking lot was filled with cross stitch I wouldn't complain about you wanting to look."
(I was whining about him wanting to do look at a big duelie Dodge Ram short bed with a rack and 4 doors V8 blah blah blah...)

GO STEELERS!!!

My plan for February

View to a Spring Garden
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Hello all, First let me show you my progress over the weekend on View to a Spring Garden -Black Swan. I had finished the top part (that you can't see here) last year. The stitching instructions said to do the border of the center window after the cross stitch of the garden was completed, but I knew I was going to mess something up inside the box if I didn't outline it first. This has a lot of confetti stitches in it...like you are lucky if you can stitch 10 stitches in a row anywhere in this thing, so it is a bit slow going

OK people here is the deal, I am having trouble focusing on my paper. I need to finish the discussion and instead i am posting her and stitching and reading blogs. This must stop. I am the world's worst procrastinator (ok not the worst since i can admit my problem) but the moral is that I have to stay offline for at least the next 2 to 3 weeks...and I have to stop stitching. Yes I know, you can wipe the tears away, I will be back. I do have a weekend with the Tarheel stitchers where I will be stitching, and I will allow myself to stitch on Saturdays. Saturday will also be the only day i will blog and read your blogs. I only ask that you do not abandon me for lack of posts...I hope to finish this damn paper so my life can begin....

I will check on you all again and update you as too my progress on Saturday February 4th.

Santa on hold now

The damn bear is killing me...there is 2 hours on him already...all those browns suck

Santa as of 1/22/06
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

A Photo a Day keeps the Blog Readers (and commenters) Happy

I Saw Three ships by Fancy Work
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

I am also spreading them out cause it is a pain to put more than one picture in one blog entry. Anywho, here is I Saw Three Ships by Fancy Work from the 2004 JCS ornament issue. I had some trouble with my initials cause when I did HMR it ended up looking too big, like it was the next word. so I took out the M, and added another wave just for the halibut. I know it is no longer the season but I have to mention that this is my favorite christmas carol (along with Carol of the Bells). One of the main reasons that i like it (besides the fact that it has a rocking beat and you can dance to it) is that it is one of the few that is not played to death. I think I will wait to finish this in to a full fledged ornament till later this year.
I have Heaven and Nature Sing by Fancy Work from this year's magazine already kitted up but it will have to wait a while.

I have been working on Santa of the Forest and View to a Spring Garden consistantly. I will have to start stitching on my St. Patty Day exchange soon...maybe this weekend. I only have 1 month to do it, which is shorter than usual for an exchange.