Steotchalong 2017: Clue #6

Still stitching along!

I've got a custom ending I charted out that will be perfect for my home. What do we serve? Stay tuned to find out!

Steotchalong 2017: Clue #5

I worked on this clue in a rose garden in New Hampshire.

And in the forest. This piece is sure getting around!
 

Definitely letters this time, and I know what it's going to say!

Steotchalong 2017: Clue #4

Over halfway done! I've been lagging a bit but I also managed to work on this clue while on the beach at a conference in Florida.

More letters!

Steotchalong 2017: Clue #3

Still have no idea. Are those letters? Is it tilted? I'm pretty sure the flowers are in fact flowers, beyond that, I got nothing!

Steotchalong 2017: Clue #2

I started out the second clue with an error.

That red bit is supposed to be above the center motif, not the side snowflake. Not a huge error and I did catch it pretty quickly.

What will it be? Are we celebrating the four seasons with a sampler? Canada's 150th? Something else entirely because the snowflakes are not snowflakes and the side bits aren't actually maple leaves? I don't know yet!

Steotch-Along 2017: Clue #1

It's that time of year again! Even though I didn't actually finish last year's (yet), I'm jumping in again and keeping up this time! Probably. Clue #2 came out today and I've had Clue #1 done for a week (but waited to post until the TdF rest day).

So simple, so sparse, what will it be?

Election Projects

This election there were a number of knitting and cross stitch patterns available. I took advantage of a couple of them, knitting a hat while in line for Hillary's final rally in Raleigh, NC (we got in line too late) and the cross stitch was finished post-election, and I decided that I was only allowed to mope about the results until it was finished.

Pattern: I'm with Her (Ravelry mine)

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Grey Heather and Blue Mint

Needles: US5/3.75mm & US7/4.5mm

Timeframe: November 7 - 8, 2016

Mods: Did not increase after ribbing, made it a bit shorter so it wasn't so slouchy.

Problems: None!

Pattern: Nasty Woman by Wee Little Stitches

Cloth: 14 count mint green Aida

Thread: DMC as per pattern except I used 826 for the blue

Finishing: 6" spray painted wooden hoop with a piece of cardboard holding in the edges of the fabric in the back. 

Timeframe: Early November 2016

Problems: None!

Nevermore

I got into the Halloween spirit early with this lovely little finished cross stitch (but am apparently in Nightmare before Christmas territory with the actual blog post)!

I started it sometime last year (and by last year, apparently I mean in 2014 based on this post), thinking it would be quick. It was not. The black design is quite intricate and on 18 count fabric. I LOVE the finished product, but a quick and easy stitch it was not!

Pattern: Nevermore

Cloth: 18 ct. Aida

Floss: DMC in 310/Black. Lots.

Steotchalong 4: Clue #2

Thanks (?) to some sort of allergic reaction, I haven't been moving much, but I have been stitching! Here's the second clue, in all its gold and brown glory:

I obviously forgo to iron the fabric before stitching, and the iron is with the rest of the household halfway across the country. Sigh.

Steotchalong #4: Clue 1

This summer's Steotch Mystery Stitchalong is underway! It started over a month ago, and I got everything together and put it all together into a bag, ready to begin when the first clue started. I couldn't start right away due to my dissertation, and brought the bag to a conference in New Orleans. I brought it back untouched.

I took it to move my household across the country, and brought it back untouched to sell the house. Clue #7 came out this morning, and I finally got around to Clue #1.

Not much so far, but here it is. Clue #1. Wooo!

Not My Circus

The saying "Not my circus, not my monkeys" amuses me. It's Polish in origin, as is my family. Therefore, I needed a cross stitch that had Barrel of Monkeys monkeys with the saying in its original Polish:

I'm not thrilled with the colors I used. The yellow is too light, the red too bright, the words too dark in some lighting.

It's also on the larger side of 8x10, so many typical frames cut off the arms of the monkeys on the edges. I had to get one with a thinner frame to hold it.

It may not be perfect, but it's finished!

Spectacular!

I recently finished a couple of cross stitches. The first took much longer than I thought it would. I realized why it took so long when I went to go grab a 5x7 frame to put it in. It was not a 5x7 piece. It was an 8x10 piece. On 18 ct. And I managed to finish it in a month. Go me!

This pattern is from an Etsy store that no longer sells it. It's much more blue than it seems like it would be. I think blending would really help this piece.

Of course, the back.

And I had a perfectly spectacular frame to go with it. Spectacular!

Steotchalong the Third: Clue #8

It's finished!

I went with the suggested saying in the Star Wars font. I think it turned out pretty well!

I had a bunch of frames sitting around from when I found some interesting ones at Goodwill. I chose a grey floral one that went surprisingly well with the piece:

I hope my friends enjoy it!

Steotchalong the Third: Clue #7

Better late than never!

Now on to the final clue and a frame!

Steotchalong the Third: Clue #6

Chewie's done, and I wasn't quite right about there being no more cross stitches - there were a couple more to go!

Getting so close I can taste it! I have some good friends who I think will appreciate the final project more than I, and have a good reason for giving them a gift of some sort in the near future. Hopefully the final product will be as excellent as it seems and perfect as a thank-you for them!

Steotchalong the Third: Clue #5

I'm pretty sure that the cross stitching is done so I've finished off all of the threads I kept live in the previous clues. Not all of the colors were used in subsequent clues, but enough were that I think it was a good idea.

My prediction for the next three clues are backstitching, more backstitching, and then the saying(s). Bros before hos? Maybe.

Needle Minders

I've seen needle minders on a few projects around the internet and always thought they were cute. They're a magnetic doodad with a picture of some sort that you put on your cross stitch (with a second magnet on the back) and it magnetically holds your needle when you're not stitching. No need to find a spot on the outside to hold it, no worries about making extra-large holes in the work, and they can be adorable too! Yesterday I found out that they are pretty easy to make, and I already owned all the materials needed. Today I have four needle minders!

They're smaller than your typical needle minder, about 1/2" rather than 1". I had both sizes of buttons and magnets but wanted the smaller ones so they fit nicely on smaller projects. I did a "fling it around wildly" test and they don't have the gripping power that the larger magnets would, but I don't anticipate flinging around the project much unless it's in the Ziplock I store it in. Anybody else need some? I have more supplies and a few other motif options!

Steotchalong the Third: Clue #4

This one was done a bit late, after Clue #5 came out. It also saw another three states; Tennessee, Ohio, and California:

Halfway done, woo!

Steotchalong the Third: Clue #3

This one was finished just before Clue #4 came out:

It's definitely taken from this image. Wonder what the saying will be?

Steotchalong the Third: Clue #2

This one went fast - they said that some of us should be able to figure out what we're stitching during this clue, and I really want to know what the theme is!

So far, I can only tell that there's someone in a uniform/military jacket and a second person? Something on the left. Can't really tell yet. I'm keeping some strands "live" rather than finishing them off, just in case there's more of that color nearby in the next clue. I left three live last time and two of them were in the next section. Makes the back just a little bit neater in my opinion.