Incoherent Scribblings

A WIP and 25 Questions

Earlier this month I put a handful of stitches into Mirabilia’s 2001 Freebie (Guardian Cherub). I didn’t do too much work on it, because I had to order some Kreinik thread and Mill Hill Beads for it. Though I could have worked around the metallics and the beads, I decided to wait for them to arrive before I did any more stitching on it.

Besides, I had other projects that needed my attention. But since I got my RR done and my thread and beads finally came in the mail yesterday, I decided to work on my Guardian Cherub today.

I am changing quite a few colors on this piece. I am doing the baby’s bunting in lavender instead of gray-green and I think I will do the cherub’s dress in either pink or blue (haven’t decided yet) instead of yellow. I don’t really like the background either, so I will probably change it too, but won’t decide on the colors until I get there.

So, that is my quick stitching report of the day. Now, on to other things. I saw this on Becky’s blog yesterday and because I thought the questions were interesting, I yanked it.

25 Most Asked Stitching Questions:

1. How old were you when you started cross stitching? I started stitching in March of 1999, so I would have been almost 24.

2. Who taught you to cross stitch? My best friend Dawn. I was visiting her over spring break and she was stitching a violin and roses piece. When she showed me I asked her if she thought I could do it. She asked me, “Can you count?” I said yes. She said, “Then you can cross stitch.” The rest is history.

3. What inspired you to begin cross stitching? Once again, my best friend and that violin and roses piece. I wonder if she still has it…

4. What has been your most difficult cross stitch piece? I think I would say “Cat in Garden.” The cross stitching itself wasn’t that difficult, but it was the first good-sized piece I stitched on Evenweave. In addition to that, it had lots of different shades of green and I kept losing my place on the chart.

5. Do you have friends that stitch? Yes. As I mentioned above, my best friend. My friend Susie (who I met here while she was living in Munich) also cross stitches. And of course, I feel like I have made a lot of online friends.

6. What is your favorite stitched piece? Right now, I would say “Girl’s Time Out,” but it changes every time I finish one of my pieces.

7. What is your favorite fabric? Definitely Evenweave. Since I asked this as an SBQ, I have changed my opinion and am currently most fond of 32 count Linen, but that may change when I stitch on my new Silkweaver Hand Dyed fabric!

8. What is your favorite fiber? Good old-fashioned DMC or Anchor cotton floss. I have tried rayon fibers and didn’t like them much. I just got my first order of Kreinik metallics and am looking forward to stitching with them. I have not yet tried silk or hand dyed fibers, but hope to do so someday.

9. What is your favorite needle? This might sound a little funny, but I am not sure. I have never bought any needles. All of the needles I have came from kits, so I suppose I have your “standard-sizes.” I do have one needle that I use a lot (I can tell because it is slightly discolored), so I suppose it is my favorite.

10. Do you prefer black & white or colored charts? I like colored charts with symbols, but will use either.

11. How many Works In Progress do you have at this time? 5: This is the most that I have ever had going.

12. How many UFO’s do you have at this time? 0

13. How many cross stitch charts/kits/mags do you own? I have a handful of magazines, a whole bunch of charts, and maybe half a dozen kits.

14. How much fabric do you have in stock at this time? Not too much. I buy about a half a meter of fabric at a time and try and use it all up before buying more. I have some white and cream 32 count Linen, some 27 count white cotton Evenweave, some 25 count blue Evenweave, some 28 count pink Rayon/Cotton Evenweave, and a little bit of 14 count Aida. Oh yeah, and a handful of fabric that Susie sent me for my birthday!

15. Where is your favorite place to stitch? In the living room in my chair near the window

16. What is your favorite time of day to stitch? Early afternoon

17. How many pieces have you stitched in your lifetime? It is probably getting close to around 100. Not bad considering I have “only” been stitching for six years!

18. Do you give your stitched pieces away? Not very often. I am a pretty selfish stitcher. I stitch things for me, me, me!

19. How many different fibers do you have in stock at this time? I have almost a complete set of Anchor, I am building up my DMC stock, I also have a few rayon fibers, and a few spools of Krienik #4 Very Fine Braid.

20. How many pairs of scissors do you own? 1 pair of fabric-cutting scissors and 1 pair of embroidery scissors.

21. Do you use stitching enhancers (lights, scroll frames…etc)? At night, I turn on the light and I always stitch with a hoop.

22. How many pieces that have been stitched but not yet framed or finished off in some other way do you have at this time? A bunch! I have been better about finishing this past year, but I have a lot that I just don’t know what to do with yet. When I get an idea, I finish something. Otherwise, they wait.

23. Do you have a craft/stitching room? Are you kidding me?! We live in Europe in a one bedroom apartment!

24. Why do you stitch? Good question. I am a housewife and I mainly cross stitch so I have something to do, but it gives me a creative outlet as well. I like working with my hands and feel like I am creating a work of art when I stitch. Quite simply, I enjoy it!

25. What is your most memorable time related to cross stitching? I would have to say when I started stitching again in 2003 after a two and a half year break. I got out the UFOs that I had and finished them up. I stitched some Christmas presents and really “rediscovered” stitching.

EMS RR and SBQ

Today I finished my square for my EMS RR. I think it turned out very well. I am amazed at how life-life the Siamese kitten looks. Naturally, since I am cat person, I have stitched a lot of cats, but this is the first one that I have done that looks so natural. I think I like it!

When I put this piece down a week ago, I wasn’t very enthused about stitching on it anymore. I didn’t realize I was as far along as I actually was and as I mentioned in the last post, I was sick of beige-brown. Sometimes I think the best thing for a piece is to put it aside for a little while, because when I picked it back up on Monday I just flew through it.

Before last fall, I was a die-hard one-at-a-time stitcher. I refused to start a new project until I finished the one I was working on and as a result, sometimes my stitching would be idle for months (or years!) at a time. Honestly, I think becoming a rotation stitcher was the best thing that could have ever happened to my stitching. I tweak my rotation all the time, but I enjoy my stitching so much more now.

However, that doesn’t mean that from time to time I don’t encounter a “stitching slump.” And in fact, the other day, I read that Mandy was going through her own little slump at the moment and she asked what others do when they encounter one.

I am also interested to hear what others do when they encounter a “stitching slump,” therefore I am proposing it for this week’s Stitching Blogger’s Question! So…

How do you deal a “stitching slump?”

When I encounter a stitching slump, the first thing I do is walk away from my stitching for a few days. Usually that is enough to make me eager to stitch again. If I am still not in the mood to stitch after a few days, I reorganize my stash and look at all of the wonderful projects that are just dying to be started. If I don’t have too many WIPs, I might start a new project to give me a lift. And of course, if all else fails, I go stash shopping! THAT always puts me in the mood to stitch again!
(BTW, this is the 100th entry on my stitching blog! Who knew I had so much to say about cross stitch?! )

Birthday Stash and Other Stuff

First off, thanks to everyone that sent me birthday wishes. My birthday was nice and made even nicer when I discovered a package in the mail on Saturday from Susie. She sent me STASH!! Seriously, I made out like a bandit! She sent me a couple of charts: “Kitty Cat Row” by Bent Creek (very cute!) and a large watering can design from Lanarte.

She also sent me a bunch of different fabrics; including my first piece of Silkweaver Hand Dyed Fabric (32ct Blue Lugana) and some 10 count cream Tula Aida. It is so soft! Since the count is so big, I have no idea what to stitch on it, but I think it would be great for something that I would stitch for a baby.

Her package also included a handful of Weeks Dye Works and a package of twin pointed quick stitch needles. The needles are crazy! They are like double-edged swords (ha!)… extra long, points on each end, and the eye in the middle. Apparently they make stitching faster, but you have to use them with a hands-free frame (which I don’t have). Maybe someday I will get a free-standing frame and I can try them out.

And on top of all that, she stitched me a birthday card (which you can see on her blog). Thanks again Susie!

I have been having fun stitching on my little stitch devils. I decided to soak all of the red floss these patterns call for before stitching with it to make sure none of it bleeds. It seems pretty colorfast. One color bled a little, but it wasn’t too bad, so I think I should be safe to stitch with it now.

However, since the month is quickly drawing to a close, I decided that I need to finish my square for my EMS RR this week. The post date isn’t until June 10, but we will be away on holiday then, so I need to send it before we leave (on June 5).

I wasn’t having much fun with this piece when I last left it, but today things went better. I guess I needed a break. I was tired of all those beige-browns in the Siamese kitty, so I started by stitching one of the hummingbirds today and I feel re-energized to work on it. I am about 65% done, so I don’t think it should be a problem to finish it by the end of the week.

And finally, over the weekend I participated in my first SAL over at the Needle and Thread Bulletin Board. It was a Freebie SAL and I whipped up a cute little flower design from The Chart Shop. It stitched up so fast, I could hardly believe it. It took me less than 2 hours to stitch it! OK, so the design is teen-tiny, but still… I guess my needle was flying!

Otherwise, I am busy racking my brain for ideas for Stitching Blogger’s Questions. After doing this for almost six months I find it isn’t as easy to come up with interesting questions as it once was. So, I am imploring my readers to suggest me some SBQs. Even if you aren’t an SBQ member (You should be! Join here!), I will be happy to consider your question. Thanks.

Week 120: Unconscious Mutterings

Well, I had a great birthday! Star Wars III rocked and my steak dinner was DEE-LISH! Anyway, here is a little muttering to whet your appetite to what I am sure will be an insightful week of blogging!

1. Heimlich :: Maneuver
2. Gesture :: Good Will
3. Party :: BIRTHDAY! (Mine was very good thank you very much)
4. Cuddle :: Teddy Bear
5. Room with a view :: Virginia Woolf
   (edited to add: Actually, I just remembered it was E.M. Forester that wrote A Room with a View: Virginia Woolf wrote “A Room of One’s Own.” Oh well, if you have read about one room, you have read about them all, right? )
6. Sebastian :: Bach
7. Ooooh :: Ahhh…
8. Sigh :: Groan
9. Two fish, three fish :: One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish
10. Cake or death :: Give me cake or give me death!

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

How long does an average long-term relationship last nowadays? Three years, five years, ten years, more? Why do they fail? Why do they succeed? Questions we have searched for answers to for millennia. Questions that still really have no answer.

Ten years ago this month, I moved in with my ex. The plan was that I would stay with him over the summer so I could continue working at my college library and then in the fall, I would move back to campus and finish my undergraduate degree.

Of course it didn’t work out that way. We had fun “playing house” and at the end of the summer he convinced me not to move back to campus, but to stay with him. I continued going to school, but started commuting thirty miles back and forth to campus everyday because I was so blissfully happy and thought that I had it made. And for about six months we lived in paradise; then all hell broke loose.

Up to that point in my life, I had never been in a relationship like the one that I had with my ex. He was the “bad” boy with long hair and tattoos that I had always been looking for. He was seven years my senior and had a world of experience that I didn’t. He showed me things I never would have discovered on my own; some wonderful, some dangerous. Our relationship was based on passion, and when it was good, it was very good. When it was bad, it was awful.

And I loved him: Really in truly loved him. Unfortunately, that was the problem. All during the downward spiral when I did things he would never forget and he said things that I could never forgive, I loved him. I loved him so much that I ached, but during the last years of our on-again-off-again relationship where we more-or-less lived together, I began to really intensely dislike him.

During one of our longer “off-again” periods, I got accepted to graduate school and moved 700 miles away. I had originally thought if I put distance between us things would cool and eventually end. But he had such a hold on me that when he asked me to forgive him for the thousandth time and told that he loved me and I looked into his blue-gray eyes, I believed him again. He didn’t try to stand in the way of my going to graduate school and so we tried to keep our relationship alive during my time away.

The distance gave me a clarity that I never would have had otherwise. I still loved him, but not nearly as passionately as before and I began to see him with new eyes. Eventually I came to crossroads. One day I said to myself that enough was enough. I decided that for my sanity I had to either cut off all contact with him or marry him. When I realized that I couldn’t bear the thought of marrying him, I suddenly comprehended that though I may have still loved him, there was no future for us.

The final time we broke up had to be one of the hardest things I ever did. Though he didn’t want to believe me, I knew that it was finally completely over. I stopped taking his calls and when I got a job and moved away I didn’t give him my address. It hurt. It hurt bad. But it hurt a little less every day for the next two and half years until I barely noticed it anymore.

Finally, I got lucky and found A. I got the chance to start over again and vowed I wouldn’t make the same mistakes that ruined my relationship with my ex. I have been true to my word, and after almost four years, not only do I still love A., I still really like him too!