Day 30: Two Hours

Lark Books sent me a copy of their new Two-Hour Cross-Stitch: Flowers to review. I thought that in addition to reading through it and comparing it to Two-Hour Cross-Stitch and Two-Hour Country Cross-Stitch (books I already own), I should test it out. Do these patterns really take two hours?

And the answer to that is, yes. I stitched this tulip in an hour and a half. (Note: the book says the patterns will take between one and three hours.) I'm thinking of using it to make a measuring tape cover.

The 300 designs by Trice Boerens, the woman who designed the original Two-Hour Cross-Stitch book, offer quite a variety of small motifs that a person could use to make sewing smalls or fill out a sampler. The designs are grouped into the categories Deco, Traditional, Formal, Fantasy, and Monograms and Messages. The tulip I stitched is in the "traditional" category, but I am not sure I can offer distinctions between the first three categories. The fantasy category seems to have flowers with faces, children, and fairies. The last category has a fabulous set of floral numbers which would be great on a birthday card.Maybe it's the nature of what you can stitch in two hours, or maybe it's a function of the color choices, but  these three books have a similar sensibility.

The patterns are color only with no symbols. Also, the centers of the patterns are not marked. But you know how to count.

These books were great for me when I was young and all my friends were getting married. Shower gifts often consisted of placemats and some napkins that I had stitched. Or placemats I had stitched and matching napkins. So that is another way to use these patterns.

You can win a copy of Two Hour Cross Stitch: Flowers. Just leave a comment. (Leave your email if it is not in your Blogger profile.) Drawing on April 4.

My Kingdom for a...

Sigh. Yesterday I had to go to the city to see the gastroenterologist*--the one who calls me girl. I rode all the way to the city (just under an hour), sat in the waiting room, and rode all the way home with my project in my lap. All for want of a needle.

It's amazing how stitching can come to a complete halt over such a tiny little thing.

*We're fine (for now).

Needles with Ink

Today, google thought I should know about a story that a Harrisonburg, VA television station did about The Tattooed.

Annie Holloob spends a lot of her time reading to kids and [doing] arts [and] crafts from crocheting [to] cross stitch and needlepoint. She also has several tattoos.

You're kidding me! A tattooed woman does cross-stitch? Or is it a cross-stitcher is tattooed? It's just so crazy! (You realize that is sarcasm, yes?)

So here's a non-Friday quiz:
Are you tattooed? If you are, pop a note in the comments telling us what it is. If you're not tattooed, you can still play: what would your hypothetical tat be?

Needle and Thread

I haven't answered an SBQ in a while, so here are two--and quite a pair!

How many needles do you use during a project? Have you ever loaded up a needle for every color? Do you use a new needle for every project or recycle your favorite needle? I can't use needles for too long. I think I am physically acidic. (It's not just an acid tongue!) I remove the plating off needles--doesn't matter if they are nickel or gold or platinum--use a needle too long and it is down to the bare metal and rough. I use them as long as I can (so I guess I recycle) for one project or two or three, but eventually they become unusable. I have indeed loaded up a needle for every color, went out and bought one of these for the project even. It didn't turn out to save any time. (Ultimately, you still have to thread the needle when you run out of floss.) It was just a huge pita to keep everything where it belonged.

Do you consider yourself a "floss miser?" Not at all! When you think of it, the floss is among the cheapest parts of this whole endeavor--no matter whether you are using silk or cotton, nor whether you pay $1 or .20 for a skein of DMC. You hardly ever use a whole skein of floss on a project. There are some bobbins of floss I am still using that because of marks I made on them, I know they are from one of my first projects. And I am still using it eighteen years later! I throw away great gobs of floss. Doesn't mean I never try to squeeze out a couple of extra stitches--but that's more out of laziness than stinginess.

UCLA sucks

Ahhh. . . college football season has begun, and there's good reason for me to stay indoors and stitch. I really can't wait until next Sunday, when I will have an excuse to sit in front of the television all day watching football. USC played a very good game today, and I got all the colors except for ecru completed on the magnolia and the stems completely backstitched. If only there were a full day of football tomorrow, I'd get it done. Inevitably, I will be dragged outside this holiday weekend to enjoy the sun and the surf. I will be finished this square of the afghan early, which is pleasing even if it is one of the smaller flowers.

I'm trying to figure out what to do about next weekend. My parents will be here for the last meet of Del Mar, and we're heading down. The drive should give me several good stitching hours (round trip), but my mother will be there, and this is a gift for her. I guess I could leave it in the trunk (properly wrapped, of course) and bring a secondary project to throw her off.

Good sale at Jo-Ann's this weekend. I got lots of stuff, none for cross-stitch. Several hanks of chenille for Stephanie's scarf, some fleece for a scarf for me, several patterns, and some cute cotton to make pajama pants for myself. Oh, wait: I did get some needles--24s for the current project. I've been stitching with the old needle for too long, and my acidic? skin has taken off the plating. I wash my hands at least once an hour, but I am genetically disposed to ruin needles. Don't even buy me gold ones, I go right through them.