It's raining stash, hallelujah!

It is an illness, remember.

Won some pretties at eBay...

And then noticed that my favourite DVD shopping place also carries second hand cross stitch books (and there are no shippings charges to EU)!

Then I caved in when I saw some pretty fabric at Silkweaver's Facebook sale... this time I am quite pleased with the pieces. That small one is actually exactly like the one I used for Futurecast.

And then... my 52 backordered skeins of white Sullivan's floss came!

And I may have bought few skeins of GAST for Alter Echo v.2.0 from One Star's Light... and those L*K's to justify postages... or something. *grin*

Tablecloth under all this prettiness is one I made while studying my artisan degree. It was on the table when Tiny finally had his name publishing party (I don't go to why it was just before he turned 7 months, you probably guess) and I like it too much to wash it...

Remember Alter Echo?

That thing I stitched in Bangkok?

I have been thinking about it for quite a while... Alter Echo and what I should do with it. I have decided that I will start it over as this version of it has too heavy baggage. I just couldn't finish this version and hang it on my wall as it would always remind me of those days after my world crumbled

Alter Echo v.2.0a has, most likely, changed colour scheme, either a bit or a lot, haven't decided yet. And most likely I'll change the fabric too, or at least dye the current one after I have done some serious frogging.

Actually I have been thinking of using various colours for this. Maybe some pretty GASTs and left-over what-evers and then tea dye the fabby... though I think I want 40 count for this, and then tea, or coffee, dye the fabby to give it that aged look. Maybe even soak the floss in beverage-of-my-choice to give it some patina...

Boo.

There haven't been that much stitching... as I slept 15 h in Sunday.
I did stitch Alter Echo...

Anyway, we had a happy dance today! (It'd have happened yesterday, but it's quite difficult to stitch when you're glued to the keyboard...)

Info:

• Design: Morning Wizard
• Designer: Jennifer Aikman- Smith
• Fabric: 28 count Quaker linen. Mocha (IIRC)
• Other:
  • I left wording and sun out because they didn't strike my fancy.
  • Colours are tweaked
  • Newspaper is changed to be The Daily Prophet

And this was fourth happy dance within one week (and second unplanned HD for this month). In moments like this I really love (or maybe I should say adore) myself.

Though, I've a problem: what next? I could think of Stitching Devils, but I don't have enough black denim - as I decided to make my mother's knitting bag from that, and I've reserved all denim I've for that. And Dovey has a place in my rotation already.
Dragon Soul QS? I've no fabric for it, and I lack some of the threads... Can't start Loy Krathong even I've the flosses and fabric as I've no dyes to dye the fabric.
So... it's either You're Never Too Old... or Taj Mahal - though I still don't have that #8 perle.

Maybe I just get wild, compromise, and stitch Futurecast. It'd be good for variety's sake.

Must resist...

Argh, new things to want/buy: Big Girl Knits - 25 Big, Bold Projects Shaped for Real Women with Real Curves (allow me to disapprove using word girl)

And the official quotes...

'One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.'

'If you smoke after sex then you're doing it too fast.'
- Woody Allen

Behold, a picture!

You know what this means? First part is almost finished!
Depending on how long I'll spend on my father's 60th birthday party in Sunday I may have 1/7 of a happy dance.

Altering echoes from world of WIPs

When it comes to yesterday (Saturday)... I spent whole day by

1. Waking up.
2. Looking for suitable layout for my blog.
3. Fixing CSS overrides, and adding layout.
4. Vegetating.

I had no time to stitch as when I was ready to do so it was obvious that I'll end up spending night in somewhere else once again. So, no Silhouettes update (but I did touch needle yesterday, I swear! (Ok, I sew a button back to his jacket...)), but let me introduce new stitches in Alter Echo:

Firstly: that upper border is possessed. I had to frog part of it again, but I won that battle! Now it's finished, and perfect. I'd have stitched that ornament in left side without that mean, mean frog, but still... we have progress. *happy sigh*

In addition of having some (this time even visible) progress in AE I'm having good day feedback wise. Three (3) separate individuals have given me positive feedback considering my person. I'd really get used to that.

And, thank you for the feedback on my nightly pictures.

Repetitio est mater studiorum

Due the frog attack I've no visible progress since last week, even I've stitched few repeats today - but fact is that I had to frog because this thing is based on symmetry.

I frogged border from D to P due the miscalculation and when I get to bed I'm more or less from where I started to frog... So progress without progress. I'd do great civil servant.

P.S. As you may notice that is same picture which I used in last week.

Now I know my ABC... *humming*

It has been two months and 13 days since I worked on AE last time...
Anyway, my progress may not look like much, but those letters do take time even they seem to be so simple. But all that starting and ending takes time - as I don't want to have any travelling threads in its back.

But from this to this... (Colour of the fabric is closer to reality in new picture.)

      

I'm quite sure I won't reach my goal with AE in this month (which was finishing first part), but I'll get pretty close. Therefore I think that realistic goal with AE is to finish one part/ month which would mean that we'll have sampler HD in late March/ early April.

And now, some more tea, idling around and then I'll concentrate on CCLE item once again. (I want to finish it as I'm itching to start/ do my first over one project (which is scissor fob for an exchange)! )

Gah, /me needs brains + AE update

I intended to go to bed almost early yesterday, but then friend of mine PM'd me in IRC and we begun to plan one forum meeting under Homecoming and falling from the walls theme, in honour of my homecoming, and it was almost two o'clock (am) when I got to bed finally. But it was nice. Actually we planned little something for autumn too... *grin*

I notice something odd here: I seem to have quite a few plans to be socially active (compared to my normal hermity self).
I've even offered to go with my mom when she goes to her lodge next time (in early August, I presume) as she needs some professional help. In other words: It's handy to have a weaver in family.
She bought loom (so she can weave carpets for her house) and she needs someone to teach her how to 'create warp' and how to 'build' the whole thing to phase where you just can weave - and of course she needs some tutoring in weaving too. (And there happens to be at least some parts of old loom in one of the storage rooms I need to figure out is there anything missing or is she proud owner of two looms.)
Anyway, it'll also mean that I'll see my relatives more or less (my aunt (my mom's sister) happens to live across the road), and I'll spend few days in same residence with my mother (not that we wouldn't like each others, but we both need quite much personal space).

So, what has happened to me? Am I getting extrovertish? (Maybe it's just temporary lunacy.)

Alter Echo

Alter Echo and stitching dilemma

As I'm still on my way to Land of the Awaken Ones (and Blogger seems to be acting up which means I can't update my testing blog) I can spend some quality time with my blog instead of thinking what to do today (though I think I know).

Nothing much going on in Alter Echo front, as you can see

Colours are bit off, but it looks good, even I say so myself, and I'm quite sure I'll love it when ever it's finished.
Which raises scary thought: I may become addicted to samplers... though, as I may have said in other medias, I'm not sampler person in general as they aren't usually anywhere close to my style. (Hmm... crazy idea: I'd design a sampler to my mom's house... Shoosh /me, you're getting crazy! *thinks* She'll turn 60 in three years... *slaps herself*)

Don't get me wrong, I'm interested of history in general and history of my favourite addiction (it's also an occupational hazard), but as I prefer logical arrangements and symmetry in general most samplers just wont do it to me.

Anyway, I think I can say I wont make my SWC goal. Anyway, I try my best and we'll see.

The Dilemma

I was stitching Recipe Exchange item yesterday and now I've a problem.
I'm stitching a pair, and my intention is to make them bit different, but still similar, therefore I've stitched one with regular DMC and other one with variegated and now... I like the variegated one much better, and in my way of thinking that means that I've to stitch one more (though two previous ones aren't actually finished yet), but I'm not sure, so...
My readers with LJ account (as none of you is participating that exchange), I'll ask you a favour... After this entry will be one with pictures, please share your opinions with me.

Preparation for SWC

Stitchers' World Cup Times, Issue 1 at cross_stitch

Project: Alter Echo
Materials: 36 count Zweigart natural linen and DMC floss (815, 841 and 902).
Goal: To finish at least half of AE.
Preparations made to-date:
Fabric
Floss
Gridding

I've about half of the fabric gridded, and if I don't do it today/tomorrow I'll take it with me in Friday when we go to my aunt's birthday. I'll have plenty of time to grid during the trips there and back ([rant]...in case I get rid of this throbbing sensation behind my eyes. This migraine is completely stress based. It was already fading, but then I confronted one more barrier... ngh, I just so love it when officials have calling times, but you can't know about them before you call and get a bucket ("It's pronounced Bouquet." *giggle*) full of ice cold water on your face...[/rant]).

Recipe Exchange

I know what I do (hint: it's a freebie), on what and with what colours/flosses (stash is your friend), and how I'll finish it. Now I need to create pattern for the finish...

Stitching World Cup!

9th of June - 9th of July 2006

First chanda_m organised Stitching Olympics in cross_stitch, and now... we'll have Stitching World Cup!

I'll participate with Alter Echo, which is long planned SAL with chanda_m (it seems that eternalism will join us).

And because World Cup begins 9th of June it might be good idea to grid my fabric in one of these days - for example tonight.