Busy, busy, busy!

It's been a while since I've posted an update of the Hermit.  I have to admit I haven't been doing a lot of stitching these days. I think it's been a week since I actually did a cross stitch.

My summer vacation ended and I have gone back to work. Between the office and my running, by the time I'm on the couch in the evening, I'm already half asleep.  Having said that, I did make a bit of progress with the Hermit since I last posted a photo.

I struggle sometimes with how to stitch each page.  Do I stitch across and finish each 10x10 square?  Do I pick one thread colour and work all those stitches?  (The latter often leads to counting errors.) This time I decided to frame the page, partly because I wanted to see where the edge of the pattern would be on the fabric. So this is why the left side of the page I'm stitching has been stitched.  Next, I think I'll work across the bottom of the page towards the lantern.  Decisions.  Decisions.

Tune in!

Back to Warm & Fuzzy Kitten

With 3 projects on the go now, it's sometimes a tough decision which one to work on.  After starting Farm Friends (herein FF), I felt that Warm & Fuzzy Kitten (herein WFK) was feeling neglected.

It's been several months - okay, 4 months - since I've touched WFK.  It's 14 ct black Aida cloth.  I've never had a problem working with black cloth, sometimes I think it's actually easier, not sure why.  The 14 ct is much easier to work with than the Hermit's 22ct Hardanger fabric.  It almost makes me think I'm stitching a beginner's pattern. Ha ha!

WFK is fun though.  I love watching his body come together, though it doesn't look like I've done a lot, I can see his front paws filling in nicely.  The only frustrating thing is that a lot of stitching requires two thread colours (one strand each of two different colours rather than 2 strands of the same colour).  Here's a photo.

More to come soon!  Thanks for reading.

New Project - Farm Friends

So, I now have 3 cross-stitch projects on the go.  I've never had this many in-progress projects.  It's a bit daunting.  Since getting the Hermit started, I have completely abandoned that beautiful little kitten in the shadows. Well, I shouldn't say "abandoned"; it's just taken a backseat for now.

The other day I received a package in the mail.  My daughter saw it when she came home from preschool and said, "Mommy, is this your new craft?"  Oh my goodness, how sweet!!

I couldn't wait for the kids to go to bed so I could open up the new project and prepare it.  The first thing I do is organize the floss.  Dimensions kits now provide the floss already pre-organized in a strip but I find it's cumbersome, so I designed my own way of keeping the floss organized for a small project like this.

The next thing I do is prepare the fabric.  I use some left-over floss from finished projects and stitch the periphery of the fabric so it doesn't fray.  If I had a sewing machine it would take about 10 seconds to do, but since I don't this part takes about 15-20 minutes.

And... finally I can start stitching.  The first thing I noticed with this project is how freaking big the squares seem now compared to the Hermit project.  This fabric is 14 ct (14 squares per inch).  The Hermit fabric is 22 ct!  Doesn't sound like a lot but trust me, it makes a huge difference.

I started in the middle, like I always do.  Here's the first progress photo. It's the body of the little pig.

Here's what it should look like when it's done.  My target end date is early November 2012 as it is for a very special little boy's first birthday.

A Mishmash Post.

So, my stitching has taken a slight backseat this past week ... to exercise of all things!!  Oh, and watching the Olympic Games, of course.

I have started running and usually go in the evening.  By the time I get home, have dinner and relax with the husband, I am exhausted and can't get much stitching done.  I am sleeping better than I have in years and my body is aching, but it feels great!

I am a huge Olympics fan as well.  I am enjoying watching the London games and thrilled with how the Canadian team are doing.  I rarely watch sports, but every two years I am glued to the television screen for two solid weeks watching the Games.  I love all the pomp and circumstance around the Olympics.

While I miss stitching, I think it's good to take a break.  Getting back into shape has been a huge thing for me and I've been talking about it for a long time and it was just time to do it.  I am going to have to get back to stitching soon though - I will be adding a new project to the rotation.

Good friends of ours are adopting and it's time to get another baby record done.  I am so excited to start this one.  I hope to have it done by the time the little guy turns one in November.  I just ordered it, so it'll be a few weeks before I can get started.  Here it is:

For those following along, I will try to get an update posted on the Hermit soon!