Blog Hop #11, a Visit To the Framers, and a Finish!

Once again, I'm grateful for Blog Hops to break me of my radio silences, haha. I'll jump right into it, iffins you don't mind!

What has been your most unusual or most interesting stash acquisition to date?

I pondered my (frequent) trips to various thrift stores and the wealth that they sometimes bestow upon my stash... as far as interesting (to me), I think I would have to go with floss. On one excursion, I picked up a sandwich-sized baggie of floss. Being the hoarder stash builder that I am, I think "yay floss!" and don't even bother to go through the baggie. When I get it home and start playing with it, I discover that they aren't all new, but Star (3 for 10¢? Can I go back to those days, please?), Brillanté D'alger (French DMC?), and some older labels of DMC. I know they're not really unusual but for someone who only has new DMC and Sullivans around, they were kinda neat to look at. Maybe someday I'll get lucky and find specialty flosses at a thrift store!

Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.

Next up in my excitement was... are you ready? A trip to the framers! (!!!!!) That was a fun experience, playing with all the various frame pieces and mats and how to put them all together. I had no idea there were so many options out there. Nor just how expensive framing is, omygosh! Even with various discounts, it will still be $160 and that is really a lot of money to me. I went ahead with it as I had already picked out everything but is this really a normal price for framing? I suppose it's a good thing that I finish things slowly. And it's apparent that I need to make figuring out framing a high priority, lol! Anyway, I'll pick it up in a couple of weeks as I only get down to that area on weekends. It'll be so nice to have something to display on the wall!

Lastly, I haven't been entirely neglectful of my stitching. It's Sprite Stitch's 5th birthday so they're having different challenges on the forums for the month of November. I've always shied away from participating in the challenges because I feel as creative as a potato next to the talent there but I thought I could at least give the mini challenges a try! I couldn't post WIPs of it because it was a challenge, but the first one was "something birthday" so here is what I created:

More video game stuffs here! :D

I got the idea from my friend who reminded me of this blog post on SS who in turn got it from @Shereebedee on twitter. Even though I didn't win, it was a fun little stitch and I think it would work great as a birthday card for the geeky group. :D If you can't read it, it says, "This time, the cake isn't a lie." which is a little play on "The cake is a lie." from the video game Portal. The black forest cake is resting on a be-doilied Companion Cube which I already had made a pattern for ages ago. In a flash of inspiration, I added little turrets shooting into portal holes... and thus, each other. Silly turrets. I don't hate you.

That's all I got for today, folks! I'm sure you're tired of reading anyway. :D May your fingers be productive until the next time~

A Giveaway, Pattern, and Meme!

First of all, thank you for your kindnesses regarding last post's issue. I'm feeling better, although still worried about my friend.

Next: A giveaway! Leesasaur makes totally awesome amigurumi and is having a giveaway for her super cute French Toasts! Go check out all her stuff; everything is really cute and appropriately dorky. :D

NextNext: A new pattern on the patterns page! I saw an advertisement in the Dec 2011 Game Informer magazine that I thought would translate well to a cross-stitch pattern! Clicking on the picture will take you to the SpriteStitch forums if you're interested in downloading it. I still haven't found a suitable way to host my patterns. Can anyone tell me if Google docs would work for this sort of thing? I usually post in PDF formats.

Christmas Shooter!

Since I don't have any progress shots to post (still!), I thought I'd entertain (myself?) with a conglomerate of stitching memes~ I forget where they all came from so if the original writer stumbles upon this, I'll give you credit!

Where did you learn to stitch?
I taught myself how to cross-stitch by picking up small kits in thrift stores. Those little bitty ones that come with the plastic frames. They've either become Christmas ornaments or decorations for my grandmother's kitchen.

What is your favorite type of stitching?
Finished. XD
I assume this is talking about what kind of stitches...? I like cross-stitch the most because I'm very fond of pointillism / stippling / divisionism styles in the art world. I suppose I could French knot a piece. (*hears gasps and shudders from around the world*)

How many years have you been stitching?
Summer of 2009 is when I picked up the kits, so almost two and a half years, yay~

Have you tried any new techniques in the past year? If so, which?
Blanket stitching! It makes for such a professional looking finish. Now if only I could cut straight!

Do you prefer small or large projects?
Usually I prefer large projects because they just look so darn cool. Small projects are good for morale though ("Hey, I finished something!").

Any particular subject matter you prefer for your projects?
I really like video game and anime/manga subjects. Anything that's not exactly traditional. I also like holiday stitching so I should incorporate that into the other genres.
Then sell them on Etsy.
And rule the world.

Where do you get your inspiration?
A lot of it comes from either deviantART or Sprite Stitch or MrXStitch. I'll get inspired, then Google everything. Sometimes, I'll just be reading and think, "Oh, now wouldn't this be fun to stitch!" I need to get an Idea Book that I can keep on my person at all times.

How do you hold your fabric?
With my toes.
...:D
I'll do small projects in a hoop, really tiny ones (like a badge) without anything but Magic Finger Tension, and large ones on my floor stand. An 8" hoop is the largest size I can comfortably hold in my hands without my wrists freaking out. I really, really, really prefer the floor stand and will baste extra fabric on projects just so they'll fit it.

Floss licker?
Oh yeah baby~<3 I'll slobber all over that strand if it gets it through the eye, especially of a beading needle! I have multiple threaders but they're usually over there and I'm usually over here. Licking is much more convenient.

How do you thread your needle?
Lick and poke. I'm almost always doing the loop method so it's two ends poked through the eye.

What needle do you like best?
I must be too much of a n00b. I like pointy but not very pointy that they stick in me every time I so much as glance at them. I think they're called embroidery needles. Whatever size comes in kits. 24...26...? I've recently discovered the magical world of needle sizing (it's like piercing ears!). I do not like the beading needle. D:

Are you a needle loser?
I try extremely hard not to leave anything out after the horror story of my friend having to rush her cat to the vet for consuming three(!) needles. Plus, I'm horribly forgetful so if the needles aren't put away, they're forever gone, lost in the dregs of my fuzzy memory.

Do you stitch on the go?
I have a little travel kit I take with me! I've found I can only stitch for an hour in a moving vehicle. I don't get carsick but I do get a headache trying to count in a wriggling vehicle. But stitching is a great activity for traveling -- people are usually interested in what you're doing and it's such an easy craft to do and still have a conversation.

What fabric do you prefer to stitch on?
Um. Stitching fabric? :< So n00bish. I've worked with 14- and 18-count Aida, hardanger, and now 28-count Zweigart (linen? how do you know?!). The Zweigart is so nice and soft compared to Aida, but it's much easier to miscount.

Bobbins or floss bags?
Both. All. Everything. Just give me floss. I have bobbins in floss bags.
I have a bunch of floss that I know nothing about (brand or exact color) as I thrift shop and buy up everything I don't need. One trip resulted in a project that came with floss bags and I've kinda fallen in love with them. It's so nice to just stuff the skein in the bag and any loose bits of floss can go in there too!

Are you a scissors collector?
Not really. I have two pairs of embroidery scissors -- 1) a vintage stork pair that my grandmother gave to me, and 2) a generic, cut through anything pair.

Do you do your own framing, and if so, do you lace or pin?
It's like a slap to the face to realize this, but everything I've ever finished hasn't been finished! Unless you count those little plastic frames from my "teaching kits" but those were neither pinned nor laced! Badges are finished so maybe they count for something? :D

Are you a floss floozy?
I'd have every single floss ever created in the history of ever if I had the money. The extremely vast majority of my stash comes from thrift stores so I imagine I have quite a collection of vintage floss without realizing what it actually is.

Silk?
I haven't stitched with anything but cotton (and now metallic, eee! I'm so advanced. :D) but I picked up some lovely rayon floss to drool on try.

Railroader?
On occasion. Sometimes it happens spontaneously natural-like and I think, "Ooo, look at that pretty stitch!" and congratulate myself on a job well done.

Are you a pattern or designer snob?
I don't think so...? If I like something, I like it. That being said, however, I like a lot of designs but stitching them is something else. I think some HAEDs look lovely but I'd never stitch them. I'm very fond of Alessandra Adelaide patterns, though (she has a blog too!).

Do you get antsy when you give someone a stitched gift?
Kinda. Not everyone can appreciate the time that goes into cross-stitching and everyone is so monetary that assigning a 'value' to a stitched piece is difficult.

Have you reached S.A.B.L.E.?
If you look at my freebie folder, yes, o good gravy yes. I also have a pattern box, as well as a couple of totes of actual materials. I can't help it; gotta have them all! :D

Do you wash your projects?
Yes. Country living with feline helpers does not always make for the cleanest stitching environment.

That's all! I hope you weren't blinded (or horribly bored) by the wall of text!

Site Update

Just a quick post to announce that I now have a "patterns" page on here, yay!

Since joining the Sprite Stitch forums, I've been flexing my pattern making skills in the requests area. I'm still pretty new to doing this, so constructive criticism is most welcome!

Most of the patterns were designed with 18-count Aida unless the requester specified otherwise.

Yay!