Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Tentacles for Christmas?

Christmas is over, so now I can share pics of these little cuties! These were made for a friend's granddaughter, who loves pink and purple, and apparently shares my love of tentacled sea creatures. They are so cute and easy, I'll probably be making more of these soon. (Pattern is by Ruby Submarine if you want one for yourself.)

Such a sweet family!
I also managed a little penguin for another friend's daughter, tho I couldn't make it as cute as the original. This was my first attempt at fair isle crochet, and I think it went pretty well, not as intimidating as I thought. I did have trouble keeping the tension loose, but it's something to work on. This pattern is by Melichrous.
That's all for my crochet goodies. I know the year is almost over, but I'm still hoping for a year end finish on Achoo! And I have brand new untouched fabric waiting in my q-snap stand, all ready for my New Year's start. Can't wait! ^_^

Until next time!

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Happiness Is...

Don't you just love getting fabric in the mail? I know I do! Mother always laughs at how giddy I get whenever I receive such a package. Even though I already know what it is, there's something special about seeing it in person for the first time, actually touching it and feeling its weight in your hand. Not to mention all the promise it holds. One day, that fabric will hold thousands of tiny little stitches in a brilliant mosaic of thread, but for now, it's just an empty canvas, waiting. =)

Anyway, I got such a package Tuesday night, and was thrilled and delighted by it. I've decided to try something new, at least for me, and to get away from whites and off-whites for a while. So, I ordered some very pretty colors to correspond with my next new starts.
All my pretties
These are from 123Stitch.com, a company I am currently in love with. I had always thought Julie's had the biggest selection; well, not so much. It's odd to say after all Julie's has done for me, but I think 123 is my go-to stop from now on. Besides being cheaper, I just like the end result better: All edges come pre-serged, and each fabric has a label with brand, color, count and size. All the work is done for me! (Now if only they could grid everything as well...)

The first three fabrics will be used on Tiger Lily, Tranquility and Anastasia respectively (all HAED charts). The fourth was ordered out of curiosity, but looks very much darker than it did on screen. So either that shall become a gift, or I'll attempt it much further down the line with Awakening. They are all 28ct, another new thing for me, as all these projects will be tent stitched.

The other bit of happiness I received this week was... my new Millennium Frames!!! I had hoped beyond hope they would be here before Christmas (to facilitate next year's stitching) but I didn't really believe it. But Monday night, there they were, all lovely in their box. Took forever to unwrap, but everything is in order and I love them. Getting the fabric on is tricky, but worth it. Mother couldn't believe it when I told her they're held together by tension alone.
Millennium Frame!!
I'm hoping Moon Indigo will fit on the 30", but I left so little room for her up top (still kicking myself for that) she may have to wait til her top row is done. Though I hope that's not the case. I'll leave her where she is for one more week, then comes the test.

Pavonia Dec. 14
Progress this week has been almost non-existent. Last Saturday, I did manage a whopping 600 stitches on Indigo thanks to new color blocks that are almost one color. Pavonia also made a return on Sunday for just under 300 stitches (all one color!). Any further progress has been impeded due to Mother being sick, a visit from my Aunt, and the arrival of my millennium frame. I couldn't help but prepare the fabric for Anastasia and begin gridding for the first set of pages. I know it's crazy, but the gridding has to be done at some point, and I really couldn't help myself. =)

Moon Indigo Dec. 13
Well, that's all I have to say for now. Next post I hope to show off some Christmas commissions I've crocheted (if I can remember). Until next time!

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here...

Just kidding.

Welcome to my new blog! I'm completely new at this and have no idea what I'm doing, but I figure it's worth a try. I'm looking forward to sharing my meager progress with everyone and encouraging you in return. I mean, stitching is fun, but it's even more fun when you get to show it off! :)

But first things first: an explanation of "IMPs". I think most everyone is familiar with BAPs? Well, a few months back, I bought a Golden Kite pattern that measures 950x737 stitches. That's a total of 700,150 stitches. I didn't think "BAP" did her justice. So I invented a new acronym for Insanely Massive Projects, cuz with my limited stitching time, I must be insane to even attempt it.

Pictures, stash, and all that good stuff will follow soon, but be warned: I am a slooow stitcher and I tend to be verbose with a penchant for rambling. I am also a rampant chart collector and somewhat of a serial starter (I feel like I'm telling all my dirty secrets and we hardly know each other...) as you'll soon see. At any rate, I hope you'll be patient with me and enjoy something of what I post here.

Until next time!