Short Days, Long Nights

There is something about closing all the curtains, blocking out the world and letting the fire heat the room. Very relaxing - especially on the shortest day of the year. And I'm not going to lie - I am glad that we are now on the other side of that particular milestone. Yes, it will no doubt get colder but at least it will start getting lighter. For some reason that makes the world of difference.

I finish work every day at half past three in the afternoon, I start just before half six in the morning. Its black when I go in, the sun is setting when I leave for home... yes we make up for it with the endless light of summer, but that doesn't help my mood now.  Its that lack of light that is currently being credited with the shocking return of my reading bug after nearly a year being awol. Don't get me wrong, its not that I wasn't reading, just not at the levels that I always used to.

Marathoning Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series probably wasn't helpful either.

And by reading, I also mean listening to audio books rather than watching TV - because they have become my new addiction. I can craft and read at the same time. Crafty bits like knitting for instance 

Finished my hats!!

look at those stitches, its as though I've been doing it for years (tad proud)

The Man has been rocking round in the pink one all week, so they must be not so bad after all. For any of you that are interested, I am going to update the pages up above as soon as I hit publish on this bad boy to incorporate my reading into the blog. Nothing too special, just a rating and maybe anything of extra note for the books I've read so far this year.

From watching Floss Tube and all the lovely people on there that are entering the northern hemisphere summers, I think I must (like in many many other things) act in the polar opposite manner to everyone else. Summer seems to be the slower season for many crafters - far more exciting things to do out side after all. But I have never really lived anywhere that had good lighting. 

Winter is dark and without good lighting cross stitching hurts my eyes. Not to mention colds that turn into sinus infections with regularity and the resulting headaches (which I can feel brewing as we speak). Lighting I suppose is relatively easily fixed and when were finally get around to having our down lights replaced with LED maybe my habits will change, but until then...

That is not to say that I haven't been stitching. Just not as much as I would like. I will admit after the victory that was finish Garden Verses, I did take a couple of days off, but reading is warmer right now. Reading and winding bobbins. I was naughty and went slightly crazy on both 123 Stitch and Stitching Bits and Bob. I am now the owner of a complete set of DMCs. That is a lot of bobbins to wrap.

The love birds did get a little turn on the frames. I am finding though, that despite liking the coverage and the finish, pulling the three strands of thread through the 11 count is hurting my fingers. Don't know if I am using the wrong size needle or what, but its safe to say that this is going to take me a lot longer than originally anticipated.

Also managed another small finish. And now that it is done I think I can safely say that I am never EVER stitching over one on 32 count again. Yes, I am still under 30 but I wear glasses,especially for close work and even though this is a tiny piece (the ring in the corner is for scale), it nearly did my head in. Lesson learned.

After that trial, it would seem that Passione Ricamo is my new favourite. I am loving Once Upon a Time - even with all its confetti. It is also the first time that I have used Monaco fabric, and I have to say, I really really like it. I like that it is heavier than other even weaves. The added strength to it means that I am not getting any slipped stitches for my ridiculously tight tension and I'm not as worried about seeing carried threads (because I am definitely not a back snob). This one is a 28 count tea dyed and I can see further exploration with this fabric may be required in my future.

looking forward to beading this one, even now that I've noticed how many beads there are on it

And finally, because apparently I thought I didn't quite have enough WIP's, I made a last minute decision to join in the Steochalong. It's a free mystery stitch along with a new part every week. I have no clue what it will look like, but here is part one - 

Its just on some white 14 count (I think, maybe its 16?) that was hanging around in my stash basket. Figured why not? Whats another project to the list of unfinished.

I think I go through phases with my WIPs, just like I seem to with everything else. Sometime - and I am just coming out of this stage now - I am a serial started without a care in the world. Then all of a sudden I freak out and have to finish the bulk of them before starting anything else.

Maybe I'm just weird.

Actually, there's not really any maybe about that.

At least I will have some excuse to make so real progress this weekend. Off to a crafting retreat for a few days up by the shore. Not an official one or anything, just a batch and a bunch of crafty women. But it should be fun, I am really looking forward to it. Once I decide what project to take. That decision is always far far too hard.

And We're Done

I will write an actual blog post late, but I was just too excited at the finish to not share it.

After months of waiting, Garden Verses by Mirabilla is finally off the frame. Done of 28 count cream cashel linen, it turned out slightly larger than I had really comprehended. I mean, I new what size my fabric was obviously but my brain hadn't really translated that into stitches...

 It needs washing and pressing obviously but there's no rush for that.

The Best Laid Plans

I think I should start out by saying that I am not a planner. I like to pretend that I am. I will quite happily make my self lists and goals and the like, but when it comes down to the doing, it never works out. 

Maybe that makes me a bad do-er rather than a bad planner? I don't know.

So needless to say, my plans for my week off went much the same way as every other plan that I've ever made. Please don't get me wrong, I am not unhappy with how I spent the time, it's just not what was previously aimed for.

In my previous post, when I came back from Christchurch, I had said that I wanted to churn out some of my smaller WIPs, get a few finished behind me to bump up my moral as it were. A fine goal for a Wednesday morning. Until, that is, you discover that you are out of some of the threads for not only the first project that you pick up (miniature sampler) but also the second project that you pick up (dragon abc's). That kind of happenings tends to take the wind out of your sails a little bit.

Now I can hear you saying it "but Dana, you were on holiday, why didn't you just wander the 10 minute walk to the store to get more?"

Floods. That's why. We got three months worth of rain in one day. There was no way that I was going out in that if it wasn't completely essential. And thread, no matter how much I love my hobby, is not essential. It did facilitate a rather large 123 stitch order, but lets worry about that later.

But not to fear, as I have already said, the week wasn't a complete wash (bad flood pun, sorry).  In my cross stitching, I got two finishes.... or maybe three, depending on how exactly you count - do biscornue panels count as one or two?

white 14ct aida, DMC cotton is recommended colours

I finished Clouds Factory's "Nevermore". Then carried on with the Clouds Factory fun by starting and finishing the 10th Doctor and Rose Tyler.

white 14ct aida, DMC cotton is recommended colours

Yes, they are unwashed and unpressed - but floods. That's the excuse for everything this week. There's half a plan in my head (again with the plans) that I can mount a few or more of these cute little nerdy designs on foam core, get a little easel and swap them out when the mood strikes me. Two designs (this and Ghost busters) towards the goal is a good start me thinks.

Finally, on the cross stitch front, I started the kit I bought from China, which I have decided to call Love Birds.

Not much, to be sure, but, while I thought that 11 count aida would be fairly easy, it turns out that stitching with three strands is a little taxing on the finger tips. Can't fault the coverage though - 

And then I changed tacts. I know I said that my knitting was going to go on the back burner for a while but I couldn't resist.

So incredibly proud about this. For teaching myself a new skill at the side of the round, its turning out (at least I think) really really well. I guess I don't really know where pom pom hats sit in the scale of complexity, but I didn't really find it that difficult once I got started. Probably just as well since I bought two of the kits.

It started life as this cute little bundle - 

And know looks like this - 

All it needs now is to be sewn together and the pom pom attached. And just in time for the chilly chilly farmers market shift that is my reward for the time off taken.

Lastly, I gave the other kit that I purchased from China a try. It was called a Diamond Embroidery kit, though I have no idea where the embroidery aspect comes in. I don't have a picture of what it will look like when its done - I don't what to show the pattern, but this is what it looks like now.

Looking at it now, it doesn't actually look to bad. Up close, at a pixel to pixel level, I was starting to question what it was going to be like. From my cross stitching experience, I understand colour blending and placing colours next to one another to give various effects. But I was starting to question this one. Maybe not so much now. Despite my misgivings though, it is a strangely hypnotic process. Mosaic is probably the best way to describe it - all these little resin pebbles being stuck onto a pre-glued, pre-printed canvas.

Once again though, it is something that is going back into the pile for a little while. Yesterday was back to work day, and its going to be a six day week on that front. Add on my current enjoyment of my knitting, my blind determination to finish Garden Verses and my need to get a couple of assignments done, there's not going to be time for much else now I think. Such is the reality of being a grown up I suppose. There is the crafting retreat weekend at the end of the month to look forward to though. Start counting down the days.

I'll leave you on a completely random side note (thinking about the snacks I'll take away with me that weekend) I have a new favourite thing

my favourite drink and my favourite food all rolled into one thing - heaven

Holiday Time

I don't often take time off work. I work as part of a very small team so it gets a bit tricky organizing leave. But I finally did it. I took a whole week off. Unfortunately I don't get to spend it all by my self (which would have been very very nice).It started with this on Friday - 

oh, flat flat Canterbury, how I have not missed you

Since it was Queens Birthday here in New Zealand, I road tripped up north a bit to visit friends and family while they wouldn't be at work either. As boring as the long, straight, flat roads of Canterbury are, it was a very nice day for a drive. Such visits, however, always end in a headache for me - I love my family dearly, I just like them better when there's nearly 400km between us. And despite, or perhaps because of not having the internet for a few days, my trip resulted in an actual finish finish.

Not perfect, but not bad for a first attempt at putting on canvas

One of the friends that I was visiting has just bought a caravan, so naturally this little pattern that I had done a couple of months ago seemed like the perfect gift. It is just stretched over a mini canvas that I found in Lincraft, backed with white felt and a length of ribbon attached to form a hanger. First time I had ever tried anything like this, usually my finished languish in a box under my bed, but her and her partner both loved it, so I'm calling it a win.

The trip also resulted in a sneaky surprise new project, though now that I'm home it may get put to one side for a little bit while I finish up some others (but more on my staycation plans in a bit). There was a serious crash on my route home so I was stuck in traffic on State Highway One in the middle of nowhere for about four hours (not as bad as those in the front of the line that had a wait of over 6 hours, but still a decent wait). I had found a pom pom hat kit in my travels, and thought it would be a fun way to learn how to knit more that squared or scarves. So sat by the side of the road, surrounded by sheep and other stranded travelers, I started to knit.

Three times.

Turns out I'm not very good at knitting.

That's not to say that I am going to give up on it. Its just going to take concentration and You Tube for me to get the hang of it, so it can wait for the proverbial rainy day.

Finally, nine hours into what should have been a four and a half hour drive, I made it home, and now am ready for my real five day vacation to begin. I have updated the WIP page above, so my starting points are all up to the current. I have one assignment to do for work. But other than that, I plan to stitch my little heart out. I would really like to get some of the smalls that I've started out of the way, plus I'll probably attempt the Diamond Embroidery kit that arrived from China the day that I left. In five days, hopefully I can get a good amount done - I'm feeling a little starved for finished this year. I guess that's what happens when you focus on the big pieces.

So watch this space.