Transylvania - WIP 01

Oh, the holidays. Keeping me from starting new projects, until yesterday, that is.

This uses motifs from the Dover Needlework series book Charted Peasant Designs from Saxon Transylvania, which is an awesome book to have around. It has a lot of neat dragons and elk and things.

Under the tree thing will be this crazy dragony looking horse and above that a double-headed eagle. 

If only I could think of something else interesting to say then I could put off chores, but alas.

The Misuse of Language - Finished

The Misuse of Language is finally finished, and the pattern is for sale in my shop.

I'm not sure what I've been doing for the past few days, but I'm very tired. I'll be out of town this weekend, so other than working on a pattern commission I probably won't be doing any stitching. 

Traveling with needlework is definitely not my favorite thing. I've done it before, but now I think I'll stick to knitting. I've got most of the strips for another knit ball done, and I think I'll work on that.

the knit ball

I have finished this knit ball (free pattern here).

It seriously knits up and assembles SO quickly. The directions make it sound slightly intimidating, but it's honestly really easy. The ball isn't stuffed with anything, but has plenty of form and thickness while still being squashible (you can shape it back into a ball easily enough) and less painful when one child hurls it toward another.

If you were going to stuff it, I wouldn't use fiber fill, since little fingers can pull that out in tiny bits and leave it all over your floor (or eat it). I would use an old t-shirt, some rags, or one long knit strip - something that can't easily be pulled out. You can also add a jingle bell or some other noise-making device. Personally, I avoid giving children things that make any sort of noise, as that's a talent most of them already possess in abundance.


I'm also about halfway through with the Socrates quote, as you see. I'm using a slightly subtle variegating thread for the border, with a shade that matches the darkest part for the inner rectangle and one that matches the lightest shade for the outer rectangle. I have an urge to add red to the piece, but I think that would be a bad idea.

The Misuse of Language - WIP01

First peek at the new project!

It will, of course, have a Greek-ish geometric border, since the quote comes from Socrates. I wonder if he would have felt that translating his words into English, such a mixed and random language, was a misuse. 

Of course, I only have this quote out of context. I find it hard to believe that he was referring to grammar. To me it speaks of the misuse of language in terms of lying, using confusing language to trick people, double speak and all that (aka, most politics). 

One inner desire of mine tells me to send this piece to Fox News or Mitt Romney or someone of that ilk. However, I don't think they'd appreciate it.

I'm also working on this knit ball, a free pattern from a Ravelry user. The knitting part couldn't be easier (just strips of stockinette), and the instructions are mostly just for assemblage. Great present for the kids, in any case, and I'm wondering how it would look if you felted one.

Patterns About People

Two new patterns are up for sale in my shop, as a two-pack, since I think they go together. They're two older blackwork/back stitch pieces I did a while back (pictured here).

If you’ve never done blackwork and it sounds intimidating, don't worry! It’s super easy (really just back stitch). Here’s what one of my customers says about it:

“I went to Meredith with a half-baked idea that I wanted a cross stitch pattern for Little House on the Prairie, and in no time at all, she had whipped up a beautiful pattern.  I started stitching it immediately, and it was such fun! The piece progressed quickly and easily.  As soon as it was complete, I sent the finished picture to Meredith.  I was in utter shock when she referred to it as blackwork! I had completed my first blackwork piece and didn’t even know it.  I had always admired blackwork but was too intimidated to try it on my own.  I had done a fair amount of cross stitch as a kid, but hadn’t touched it since I was 16.  At 33, I picked it back up again, and it was only about a month later that I stitched Little House.  Seriously, if I can do it, anyone can.”
 
Today I'm working on a pattern using a quote from Socrates. It's almost done, but designing the border has been slightly annoying. Hence, I am taking a break to write this entry.

My dad's in town so everything's been kind of busy and topsy turvy, with less crafting time than usual. I'm hoping to start this new piece tonight, but you know what they say about the best laid plans...

DMC Spiral - WIP 03

Here's the latest installment of my DMC spiral. Like the other piece it's also in numerical order, but has no color duplicates stitched and no non-duplicates left out.

I do like it so far, and I think it's easier to see the color runs than with the square project. 

I'm also still knitting every night, though somethings I'm just fucking around, looking at gauges, seeing how something knits up, rather than working on real project.

I'll have a new pattern in the shop tomorrow, though it's a blackwork one, and people don't like those as much. It's just back stitch ladies and gentlemen, easy peasy, I promise!

Time is a Drug - Finished!

Well, here it is in all its glory. I did finish it Tuesday night, but ended up going out for a lot of the day yesterday. With Etsy you always want to post patterns Monday-Friday from 9-5, because apparently everyone does their internetting at work now.

Anyway, the pattern is now for sale in my shop. I've altered the corner pieces a bit, to make them smoother and more pleasing, and adjusted the spacing of the text, so people making the pattern will have prettier pieces than me!

I'm really pleased with the colors on this one. I think it would look even better if you did a mix of the dark and light purple on the smaller flowers as well, though I like my way too.

Time is a Drug - WIP 03

So close to finished!

I think/hope that I'll be done today. The text shouldn't take long, so that seems quite doable at the moment. You know how it is though, you've got the whole afternoon free, then you get a phone call and someone needs you to do something or wants to buy you food.

People are always welcome to buy me food, though, as I'll happily sacrifice stitching time to eating tasty things.

Time is a Drug - WIP 02

I've gotten a lot done since my last post!

Using this many colors in this type piece is new for me and I've been bit unsure about it. Obviously I don't want it to be too busy, though perhaps with such a busy border having some color distinction helps that.

In any case, I do really like the colors I've used and I think I will be using an even darker green for the second part of the text. It would look nicest with the smaller flowers being done in both purples, but it's easier to stitch this way (again, I am super lazy!).

I'm hoping to get it finished and the pattern up in my shop on Tuesday, though you know how that goes... I didn't get much done yesterday, as I was lured up to my sister's house and spent numerous hours playing with the children. Kyla bought Benjamin the board game version of my first computer game, Big Bird's Special Delivery, which I played on our Commodore 128.

Time is a Drug - WIP 01

Here's the first look at my new project. 

The full quote is "Time is a drug-- too much of it kills you." The line comes from the Terry Pratchett book Small Gods, which is one of my very favorite Discworld books.

This piece will eventually have a super huge ornate border.

I woke up quite early today after staying up too late, because I was excited that my mum's home from Belgium. Of course this meant I accidentally took quite a long nap in the afternoon which means who knows when I'll fall asleep tonight, and it's all a VICIOUS CYCLE wherein I get very little done.

DMC Spiral - 02

Here's a look at the progress I've made on the new DMC project.

It's going quite quickly, and I wisely removed the duplicates from my thread cases so I wouldn't accidentally stitch the same color twice.

I wish I had more to say, but I ran a couple errands today and babysat my niece for an hour. She's adorable and incredibly sweet, but it was very tiring.

Pray Speak Quietly...

This is a line said by Vincent Price in the movie The Fall of the House of Usher. I thought it was neat, and useful for all those times when you need to remind people to shut up.

I've actually designed two borders for this. The one you see, appropriate for Don't Wake the Baby needs, and one with rows of bats (the same as in the first design) on top and bottom and a scroll/tassel motif on the sides. I'll be stitching a section of the bats border later, but wanted to go ahead and post the pattern.

Both patterns are now available in my Etsy store!

New DMC project

How neglectful I've been of this blog!

I've been running the website and other web presences of the bookstore I used to work for, so that's taken up a lot of my internet energy. 

Plus there's the Tumblr for my Etsy store. I post art by other needleworkers there once a day, if you're interested.

Now I've started a new DMC color project, stitched in a spiral, and still in numerical order. It's just a side piece for in between patterns for my store. I really recommend doing something like that, if only to have a piece to work on that requires very little thought and no pattern. 

Tomorrow I'll post the pattern I've been plugging away at this week. Yesterday I had a lovely few hours with my niece and nephew, who cheered me up wonderfully (and messed up my hair).

The Fashion Club

My pattern for the Fashion Club is now for sale in a set with the Daria, Jane, and Trent pattern. 

I accidentally outlined the stripe on Sandy's shirt and forgot the yellow on Stacy's braids before I took a picture, but oh well. My embroidery will probably never be absolutely perfect. Oh there are some pieces with no real mistakes, but where I've changed the pattern to make it nicer. My brain will always tend to sloppiness, I think. 

When I worked full time, and when I was a dish crew leader at boarding school, then I paid strict attention and worked very hard, because someone else was counting on me. When it's just me, though, and just a way to keep busy and pay for supplies, that's different.

Daria, Jane, and Trent

My pattern of Daria, Jane, and Trent is now for sale in my Etsy shop. I think it turned out quite well, though the magic of backstitch decided "We'll twist these stitches just enough to make Daria look happy!" The universe has a funny sense of humor.

I'm already at work on the Fashion club stitching, and maybe a quarter of the way done already. It will eventually be one big group listing.

I've been so tired in the afternoons lately that I've gotten nothing done because I start falling asleep while I'm stitching. My instinct then is to get up and make lunch because that's involved enough that it wakes me up. I'm very much against napping, since I always feel dreadful or confused when I wake up from one. It's weird though, because sometimes I still can't fall asleep until late, despite barely making it through the afternoon.

You're Standing On My Neck

This is my new project, Daria sprites or 8-bits or whatever they're called. This is a WIP picture, with just the outlining left and the text. 

I've also completed the patterns for the Fashion Club and will be doing Jake and Helen as well. There will be three separate patterns, each with quotes, but sold as a set. I'd like to do Britney, Kevin, Jodie and Mac as well, but I think they'll be much harder to do and I'm quite lazy. Stacy's braids were bad enough!

The quote under the Fashion Club obviously has to be "It's cute, but not too cute."

Empire Records Quote

Empire Records is a great movie. I once worked in a corporate type record store and sometimes when I was dusting in the morning and a really great CD was on I'd get to pretend for five minutes that I was in that movie.

So here's a quote from the movie, minus the name 'Warren' because I think it's silly to have something that's not generally applicable to everyone hanging up in your house!

Plus, this quote is something most artists and crafters think, probably on a daily basis, and the pattern is now for sale in my Etsy shop.

New Discworld pattern for sale

Here's yet another Discworld pattern for sale in my shop. The quote is from Terry Pratchett's book Guards! Guards!

The border and font match my "Logic is a wonderful thing but doesn't always beat actual thought," pattern.

Currently working on the Empire Records quote piece: "I don't feel I have to explain my art to you."

DMC color project - Finished!

Oh, hello. Look what I finished! In case you've forgotten, the colors are stitched in numerical order.

I am SO happy it's done. I especially love the colors in the last six rows and the way they flow into each other. All rows except row five are stitched from left to right. I thought about going back and forth, but that made it much harder to stitch neatly. Plus, I don't think it would have added much visually.

To make this type of piece a square you must leave out 13 DMC colors. I left out the following colors: 

311, 350, 370, 602, 605, 611, 703, 731, 782, 825, 832, 840, 912

However I just left them out randomly as I went along, and I would alter a few of these choices if stitching it again. There are some duplicate DMC colors. The same color with two numbers. I know of three: 3326/776, 731/732, 3760/806. I'm not sure if there are more, though I contacted DMC about it today. The DMC labels list the other color in parentheses under the number, but it's not listed on the DMC shopper's checklist or color descriptions sheet (by they way, they have a really helpful website!).

EDIT: I found out all the DMC duplicates and here they are --
504 = 3813
731 = 732
776 = 3326
781 = 782
806 = 3760
971 = 740
3773 = 407

In light of that I would leave out the following 13 colors if I were stitching this again:

407, 504, 731, 740, 776, 782, 825, 832, 912, 936, 3760, White, B5200

Opera Pattern for sale, DMC wrong side

You may remember my awesome opera quote pattern (from Terry Pratchett's Maskerade). Well, the pattern is now for sale in my Etsy Shop.

Honestly if I were forced at gun point to choose a favorite Discworld book, it might be Maskerade. It's just... so accurate in its depiction of opera and theatre people. Also I love the witches and the Agnes vs Perdita back and forth.

I thought you might like to see the wrong side of the DMC color project. It looks really neat, I think. I've left longer tails when I end a square (bind off? weave in?) so that if a lower square loosens the last stitch of the square above it I have enough thread to grip to pull it tight. That's an awkward sentence and description, but it's relevant for anyone contemplating a similar project.