Breast cancer badge

Finished this a while ago but realised I haven’t blogged about it yet. Inspired by a tweet from Cross Stitcher magazine, I decided to follow their pattern to make my own breast cancer badge. The pattern is available online (suggested donation of £2).  
I bought the materials from Hobbycraft…
 

…and in just one night produced this:
 

I really like working on plastic canvas – it’s so easy to work with. Definitely something I would recommend for those new to cross stitch as you can’t use fractional stitches and you can’t put your needle in the wrong place! 
 
I might make some more of these for next October – would anyone like one?

Finding Nemo cross stitch

My sister has always loved Finding Nemo so I thought I’d stitch her something to celebrate her 21st birthday this year. I chose a kit with both Nemo and Marlin - a memorable scene from the film. It uses full stitches for the main image, backstitch for the outlining and half stitches for the background (plus french knots for the eyes).
 
I found a frame for the image but it was a slightly different size to the stitching so I did something I hardly ever do and adapted the pattern (I’m usually a follow each instruction to the letter kind of girl!). I added extra half stitches around the image to extend the stitching to fit the frame. Not much of a change I admit but it’s a big deal for me!
 
This was the original pattern:
 

This is what the end result looks like framed with the extra stitches:
 

I hope my sister likes it!
 
I think this is probably my favourite sort of size piece to work on – enough to give detail but manageable to hold whilst stitching and quick to see progress. This kit took approximately 2 weeks which is really quick for me (though that did include some days when I was off work on leave). I like having one large project on the go, but it’s nice to have smaller pieces like this too to have things to complete!

Not much to show…

This time of year is always tricky for craft bloggers as they are often working on Christmas gifts that they don’t necessarily want to show publicly in case the recipient comes across it. I’ve been working on a birthday gift too, so the last few weeks has been spent working on projects I can’t really blog about yet.

Here’s a sneak peek of one though:

I don’t have much to report on the crochet progress either. I’ve been watching lots of videos but I haven’t been practicing and I still need to get used to holding the hook and thread correctly. I’m struggling with the left-handed issue too, so today I ordered a crochet book from Amazon that has diagrams for both left-handed and right-handed crocheters. Fingers crossed this will help me – it’s got great reviews!

I’ve been slipping into bad habits of working into the evenings again recently (one of the difficulties of working from home is that it’s hard to actual stop working!), but I’m determined to get back to crafts in the evenings – I really enjoy it and it definitely helps me relax more which has got to be a good thing. I’m struggling to sleep at the moment and am my own worst enemy – I’m lying in bed after midnight writing the draft of this blog post when I really should be going to sleep or at least trying to. Any tips for switching off and relaxing would be greatly appreciated!

Popping my crochet cherry

My lovely friend Emma sent me a couple of cute crocheted cats a while ago and ever since then they have sat on my desk. I’ve always wondered how on earth you actually do crochet (or knitting), and now that I think I’ve got the cross stitch thing sorted, I thought it was time to learn something else.

I bought a magazine a few months ago which came with free yarn and needles, and I started trying to learn to crochet on a long haul flight over summer. It didn’t go at all well! I’ve been looking at pictures and trying to follow videos, but it’s a lot easier if you have someone watch what you’re doing and help you with what you’re doing wrong. Fortunately, being a librarian means I know a lot of crocheters (is that even a word?!) and knitters. Last weekend I attended Library Camp UK 2011 and we set up our own Crochet Camp when we got tired – look, that’s me crocheting!

Crochet Camper (it's me!)

The lovely Sarah had already offered to help teach me to crochet so we found ourselves a table and got to it. I was still terrible, but thankfully Sarah has the patience of a saint and persevered. I’m left handed which complicated things somewhat, so I tried to learn right handed instead. It didn’t feel totally natural but at least this way Sarah could check I was doing it correctly. I made lots of mistakes and ended up getting cramp in my fingers, but I did produce my first ever bit of crochet:

Library Camp crochet

As you can see, I need a lot of practice – just this few stitches took about an hour! Fortunately I recently found the perfect tool to help me with my practicing – an online crochet course. I’ve subscribed to the blog and am hoping to be able to follow the course over the next few weeks. I’ve watched the first few videos which are really useful and clear to follow. There are even left-handed versions which I think I’m going to follow as it does feel weird to hold the hook in my right hand. I’m going to add the crochet school badge to my blog and I’ve joined the Flickr group to record my progress. How exciting!

I’m at a bit of a stumbling block at the moment however – the crochet hook supplied with the magazine is a small one, and not great for beginners. The yarn is also not great for beginners as it keeps splitting. Sarah advised getting a bigger hook (I borrowed one of hers on Saturday) and some soft baby yarn to begin with. Based on my poor attempts this evening, I think I’m going to have to visit a craft store sooner rather than later if I want to progress – I can barely do a chain stitch with my current hook and yarn.

Watch this space – hopefully I’ll be able to master some crochet stitches soon. I’ll share any progress on the blog. Wish me luck!

New kits ordered and new skills to learn

I treated myself to a couple of new cross stitch kits from my favourite online shop, Sew and So. I had promised myself I wouldn’t buy any more until I’d done some of the ones I’ve got, but I had to make an exception for a discontinued kit and one for a gift.

The first has been in my wishlist for ages – I love The Snowman and really enjoyed making some decoupage cards a couple of years ago. Since then I’ve been lusting after a cross stitch kit and over the weekend I discovered the kit I really like is being discontinued and there was only one kit left, so I ordered this beauty:

James and The Snowman hug

The second kit I ordered I’m hoping to make as a gift so I won’t spoil the surprise by sharing it, but it’s a Disney one which I’m also really looking forward to.

Whilst I was browsing Sew and So I also found a great crochet kit of The Snowman. I’m hoping to learn to crochet at the weekend (lovely Sarah has offered to teach me!), so if it goes well I might try this little guy for Christmas.

The Snowman crochet

Regal Tiger progress

I’ve been working on Regal Tiger most evenings recently, and I’m making some decent progress on the background. It’s really tricky to do as it’s 6 threads (the current colour combination is 3 black and 3 very dark brown) which doesn’t fit so easily and takes a bit of yanking! I know the end result will look good as it’s creating quite a contrast and a strong background, but it’s a lot more difficult than stitching with just two threads.

Here’s a close up of the top left corner:

Background close up

This is where I’m up to at the moment:

Regal Tiger - 30th September

Lots more to do – most of the background is in 6 threads (though different colour combinations further down. As a reminder, this is what the final piece should look like:

Regal Tiger (image from Sew and So)

I’m actually now wondering though if I might be able to finish this before the end of the year. I started on Christmas Eve last year and thought it would take 2-3 years but maybe I can do it in less than one (which I know is still a long time!). I’m not a very fast stitcher though and this being my first large project I thought it would take a very long time.

Looking forward to finishing and getting it framed – this is one piece that I’ll be keeping for myself

2011 crafting progress

I have finally finished the dreaded MSc dissertation and have recently been able to find more time for stitching – yay!

I’ve had a look back at what I hoped to work on in 2011 and have only progressed Regal Tiger, but I’ve been really enjoying it so have chosen not to start a new one at the moment.

Here’s some photographs recording the progress I’ve made over the year, and what it looks like at the moment:

Regal Tiger - 26 March 2011

Regal Tiger - 31 May 2011

Regal Tiger - 26 Aug 2011

Regal Tiger - 17 Sept 2011

I’m almost at the point where I either need to move the frame or work on the background. The scroll frame isn’t very easy to move around so I think I’ll probably work on the background for the top part and then move the scroll to do the bottom later. I really do like the Dimensions kits – I love the effect you get when you combine the thread colours.

I did also buy a crochet/knitting magazine earlier this year, but I really struggled to learn how to crochet. I’m hoping some of my knitting friends will be able to help as although I love stitching it is a very slow progress and not really something I can make as gifts so knitting and/or crocheting might help there.

I’m very much enjoying the increased free time and decreased feeling of guilt for not studying, so it’s making my craft time very enjoyable – hooray! Here’s another related photo of me stitching whilst Cookie cat is trying to get my attention, which our friend titled ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Cookie’:

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Cookie

Dimensions Santa decoration

Santa tree decoration from Christmas 2010

I didn’t get round to posting this after Christmas, so I’m just sharing the photos now. In 2009 I made a snowman decoration on plastic canvas for a stitching exchange (though sadly I never got anything back ), and for Christmas 2010 I made a Santa one for my Mum. I really enjoyed stitching on plastic canvas and it was really easy to carry around with me so I even did some of it on the train. The “nice” list that Santa is holding is customised with the names of me and my siblings – we are always nice!

Santa decoration - close up

I also found a photo of the snowman on my phone:

Snowman tree decoration from Christmas 2009

I can’t find links to the products anymore so it looks like they may have been discontinued – this one is very similar.

Sew and So website redesign

Sew and So is one of my favourite online shops to get cross stitch kits and accessories, their prices are very competitive and their customer service has always been excellent – orders arrive very quickly and I once needed to change an order which they sorted for me with no problems. Up until recently though I have at times struggled to use their website. So I was pleasantly surprised when I visited the other day and noticed it had been redesigned.

It’s a much cleaner look and has been reorganised so it’s easier to browse different collections, and the searching also seems to work much better than before. I also noticed you could login to an online account, which is a new feature. And my favourite part – you can add items to a wishlist!

Sew and So - Add to Wishlist

I’ve been wanting this for ages as I often spot kits I might be interested in doing in the future but not right now, and can never find them again later. I’m sure the wishlist feature will be really useful for me (and good for Sew and So as I imagine they’ll be making more money from me!).

Whilst I was nosying around the new website I noticed you could chat online with Sew and So who happened to be online at the time, so I started a chat to give them my feedback. I spoke to the person responsible for the new website who was delighted with my positive feedback and went on to tell me about future features being developed such as ways to view recently added products and receive information from them using mailing lists. They will also be developing social media presence so I’m looking forward to seeing them on Twitter. Continuing on with their excellent customer service, he was keen to hear ideas from users – I suggested utilising RSS feeds to be able to subscribe to new additions to certain collections. I don’t know if it’s feasible of would even be useful, but he said he’d look into it. You can make your own suggestion if you have ideas for further development.

I’ve also just noticed that they sell gift vouchers – I’ll definitely be recommending these if people ask what I would like for my birthday this year!

I have to confess, there have been times recently where the site has suddenly gone very slow, but I’m sure these sorts of issues will be ironed out as it’s still a work in progress. I’ll be really interested to see how it develops, I’ll certainly continue to be a customer and would encourage others to do the same. Big thumbs up to Sew and So!

2011 crafting plans

New year, new projects! Well, I started Regal Tiger on Christmas Eve, but I imagine it will take most of this year (and maybe longer). It’s a Dimensions Gold Collection kit so it has combined threads which I really like the effect of. I’ll post some progress photos soon. There are other projects I’d like to work on this year too, so here’s a list of some of the things I’d like to work on:

• Regal Tiger
• Gorjuss – New Heights (received as a Christmas gift)
• Gorjuss – Puddles of Love (received as a Christmas gift)
• Oriental Orchids (received as a gift, lovely kit which I haven’t got round to starting)
• Tatty Teddy Little Hearts (received from @Petronella on Twitter as she didn’t want it)
• Tatty Teddy Specially For You (also from @Petronella)
• QR code (an experiment using my own design)

Lots to keep me busy and help me relax. My sleeping pattern is all out of sorts at the moment so I’m trying to properly relax in the evenings when I can to wind down for bedtime so that I can get to sleep. Hopefully cross stitch will help me relax and clear my brain, it certainly seems to help.