A smush of Dragon Rider

So, here it is, my last Dragon Rider update before it gets put away for a few weeks as I work my way through my other rotations.

I am quite chuffed with how much I've got done, each time I've put a picture up I've really been able to see the difference between the latest and last updates, so that makes me happy, although the fact that I had a week off between jobs really helped that. I'm starting to see shades in it now, which I wasn't for a long time. You can see the greens and browns at the bottom and the splashes of brighter blues look great.

You wouldn't believe it but I've had to do one symbol three times (which yes, means I've had to unpick it twice). I don't know what it is that I had against this symbol, but I kept stitching it in the wrong colour. The first time, I can almost understand my mistake, the symbol was a 6 but I did the colour that was the symbol for 5, but the 5 was directly below the 7 in the list, so I think I saw the shape and asumed that it was the 6. Stupid, I know. Then, took it out and replaced it, only to find that I'd done the wrong colour a second time because apparently I can't read across in a striaght line. But never mind, it's all corrected now.

I am a little disappointed because after two weeks you can't really see anything, it really is just a smush. If you're interested this is the top left page, so it's tree, with light shinning through it, but at the moment it's smush. But I am quite excited because I can see it developing, and I'm already looking at what will be the next page (the page below this one) and there are bits of that that I really want to get onto, but I'm being good and finishing this page before I move on.

In other news, I've now started my new job, I'm settling in and think that I'm learning my way round and working out what I'm going to do. So woohoo!

And finally, I'm thinking of getting Kindle (e-reader). Does anyone have one? What's it like, what do you think of it? Is it worth it? Personally I'd only get a WiFi one, not bothered about the 3G, I'm thinking that they might be quite useful for travelling and holidays. But at the same time, I am a great lover of proper books and I just can't decide.

And really finally - this is my 100th post, so I will be doing a giveaway, but, one of the things that I want to do, I'm waiting for it to arrive in the post, it was posted from America about a week ago so hopefully it'll be here soon and then I can get it all sorted.

Look, a window!

I'm seeing a window arch, and this makes me happy. However, I also thought that I'd done more than I actually have last weekend, so I'm a little disappointed. Despite that there is quite a bit of progress so it's not bad, but I was aiming to get this page finished this weekend, which, to be fair, was possibly a little optimistic on my behalf. I don't seem to quite have the speed and time that other people have.

I am still really enjoiyng stitching it though. There's just under 30 hours gone into this so far, which is a little scary really. I've done nearly 30 hours and haven't managed to finished the first page yet. Be afraid, be very afraid, but as I say, I'm enjoying it, and that's the most important thing.

This weekend, Ben's on yet another conference so I've got another weekend of stitching and dvds ahead of me. The more eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed that another picture appeared in my WIPs pictures on the right a couple of weeks ago, Raymond Spangler's Dragon Rider (another HAED, oops, how did that happen?), so my plan is to start and work on that this weekend. I say plan, I did actually start and do a tiny amount last night so it's already started. I've now got an odd sort of frame which blocks out the size of the first page. More than 50% of this page is the same colour (black, oh joy!) so I did all the black on the outside line of the page to give me something to work around seeing as I don't grid at the moment.

In other news, it's my last day at my current job on Wednesday. I was told I was being made redundant a few weeks ago. I've not mentioned it on here because it was never my intention to use this blog as a big heart out pouring, I'm not really good at things like that, plus, when I was a little worried myself I'm not good at people being nice to me, I'm much more likely to get upset about people being nice to me than I am at the thing that I'm actually worried about so I decided to avoid that happening. However the future is now rosey, I know that a job is there for me and all is good in the world again, woohoo!

Look, it's starting to fill in

I'm strangely chuffed with this weeks progress, despite the fact that I haven't actually got that much done, but what I have done has been little bits of gap filling and (to me at least) it's made a massive difference. I've now got a couple of areas that are completely solid stitch.

I'm progressing with this much faster than I did the last page, and much faster than I expected to, probably because the last page was SO slow and fiddly.

Haven't really been able to get much stitching done this week, there's been a fade in the mojo, however, I'm relatively sure that's it's a temporary lull that's simply because I've got a lot on at the moment. I've got the flat to myself today, so I'm thinking that it's time for a day of stitching, dvds and chocolate (whoop whoop) which should get my mojo back. Now, what to watch...

Happy stitching everyone.

Oh bother

My latest update, but I've now fallen out with it. I had done a lot more, but I was visited by the little green critters that go ribbit last night and consequently, spent as much time unpicking as I spent doing the stitching in the first place. As such I'm glad that I can now put it aside for two weeks and hopefully will be a lot less annoyed with it (and lets be honest, myself) when I next go back to. However, despite the frogs it is looking much more than it was when I last finished. I've finished the fourth page, technically the fifth (there were about 20 stitches) and am now on the sixth page so I'm well over half way now.

In other news, we've had a plumbing nightmare this last week and a half. We haven't had a shower for the last week and a half, we chased this up a couple of days ago and are now getting a new bathroom, which is very exciting. Then the day we found that out I managed to snap the top off one of the taps in the bath. I'm not that strong so I'm swearing that it was already rusted or similar. So, despite the fact that we're getting a new bathroom, in the mean time we had a plumber out yesterday replacing the tap that I snapped so that we do at least have somewhere to wash that produces warm water.

A little bit of gap filling!

It's a little green, and I don't really know why, camera must have had a funny five minutes, sadly I think it always has five minutes all the times.

However, there's been a lot of gap filling this week, so it's starting to look like it may, one day turn into a piece of solid stitching. I thought I'd done loads this week, but now that I'm looking at it there doesn't seem to be as much progress as I thought there had been, I'm most disappointed.

What you have created, if it has a name, is some green

I don't know, it just seemed like an apt description of this weeks' stitching somehow. It's not looking to bad considering that it's only had a couple of evenings on it. Even better when you consider that I'm probably about halfway through this page already, there's a little bit of green left (basically just filling in the gaps) then a flower and a half, one on the left on that little off shoot and one at the top finishing the flower from the page above. This one is stitching up nicely at the moment, so I think my New Year resolution of finishing this should be a nice easy finish.

I was asked what I had on the go the other day, it's the three on the right hand side of the page, Winter's Majesty, the brown shmush that will eventually turn into Lancelot and Guinevere, and of course, Little Snap Dragon, and I'm hoping to get two of those finished this year, although I'm not convinced that it'll happen.

I made ten attempts at taking a photo and this brown shmush was the best that I could come up with. I've got to get a camera that doens't turn the anti shake off when I turn teh flash off, otherwise my world's gonna be full of brown shmush's for some time to come.

It doesn't look much bigger than the last brown shmush, but I've added a whole shade or red/brown and half a shade of mustard, it's all very exciting.

Okay, so this is the final post of the day

I know, I said yesterday was going to be my last post of the year, but I came to a good stopping point so I thought I'd take the picture and put it up. I've finished the top row of Little Snap Dragon, and I can definitely see the dragon now, so I'm quite excited. The top row is now finished, with a little run down on the right hand side where I was finishing cottons off because I didn't want to cut them off when I didn't have to. So, in theory, I'm now a third of the way through little snap dragon and I'm very chuffed to see the little curled wings making an appearance.



I bought beautiful shoes!

Well, it's true I did! I haven't got them yet, I ordered them online yesterday. Apparently they've already been dispatched, but it seems unlikely that I'll get them before next Wednesday, the next working day. I'll post a picture when I get them because they really are beautiful. I didn't used to (awful grammar) have the 'traditional' shoe obsession, but it's developed in the last couple of years, then I discovered Irregular Choice and it's become a full blown obsession, although this is the first pair that I've bought cos they're quite expensive, but there was a lovely sale at Schuh, so it's all good.

Anyway, I'll stop obsessing about the beautiful shoes, and go back to stitching, which is what this is meant to (mostly) be about. Here's the latest update on In Love, I was hoping to get this page finished this week, but as you can see, it hasn't quite happened, it's definitely a lot more identifiable as people now, I think that that's the first that I've been able to say that. Haven't got as much as I hoped done as it's been a busy week (and who hasn't this week?). I was ushering the panto at teh local theatre one night, and out with the folks from work another, plus packing cos we go away to spend some time with family over Christmas, but it's made a jump forward, and I'm hoping to get quite a bit of stitching done over the Christmas break, seeing as I've got some time off when Ben's in work.

And finally, I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas, and if I don't get back on here before, also a lovely New Year, good luck with all those New Year challenges everyone. My first one's looking quite good already seeing as it was finish In Love. Good luck everyone.

Winter's Majesty and a bit more snow

We woke up to snow this morning, albeit only a little bit, which, because I'm still a big kid, I'm very excited about. The strange thing is we got back late last night (it was Ben's work's do) and there was nothing, not even a sign that it might, then woke up this morning to our tiny amount of snow!

Anyway, here's the latest update on Winter's Majesty. I was thinking that there wasn't muhc progress since the last picture, but I've just looked back and it looks much better than I expected. I'm loving how the red makes the snow flake stand out cos it was really annoying me that I couldn't see the snowflake when it had been such a pain to stitch! It's lovely glossy thread, but I really don't enjoy stitching with it for some reason.

Quite excited that it's Christmas next week (I told you I was a big kid), we're going to see my dad and his fiance in South Wales, as long as the weather is all right. Ben and I have to go shopping today for a final shopping trip, so it's going to be chaos, but I need to get something for Ben's stocking. We only decided about a week ago that we were going to do stockings this year so I've had a bit of a last minute panic shop, especially as we're on a very strict budget, £7.50 to fill the stocking. I've cheated slightly, I got a 3 for 2 while buying a couple of last minute presents yesterday, so I've used the free 3rd one for his stocking, a real cheat, I know. But it's devious in a generous way, so I don't feel to guilty about it.

Don't know if I'll get another post in in the next week, so I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas!

Look, look, look, a dragon!

I have the hiccups! That's completely unrelated to anything that I'm about to write, but it's annoying me, so I thought that I'd share!

Another progress on Little Snap Dragon! I haven't done as much as I hoped to this week, just couldn't quite settle into it really. Was hoping to get this page finished this week, but that hasn't happened. However, I think the next time this gets a weeks worth of stitching I should finish the top row of pages, cos there isn't much to do on the third page.

Also, look look! The dragon is appearing, those two little lighter curls at the bottom right of the page are the beginning of his wings (I was half way through this page before I realised that) so I'm well chuffed to see him start appearing.

Ben's got a boys afternoon/night tonight so I get sole control of teh remote control, and hopefully the return of my stitching mojo, and I'll settle and get some done, possibly the return of Winter's Majesty!

In Love has people

Here's another page finish, so I'm two pages into In Love and it's starting to actually look like something now, which is nice. I'm quite chuffed with it actually, its starting to look really nice already. Vervaco kits are lovely to stitch, becuase they're only about eight colours and are really simple to stitch, but look so effective when they're done.

This one's built up quite quickly this week, it seemed like it was going really slowly the last time I worked on it, but I've done about a quarter of this in a week and it's developed really nicely. And it's certainly a lot simpler and less likely to make me go cross eyed than Winter's Majesty was.

Update on Little Snap Dragon

I've had a very productive evening, but that doesn't make for very good update pictures. So far I've stretched a piece of stitching ready for putting in the frame, just as soon as I find where my gummer tape has gone... or failing that gone shopping on lunch tomorrow... what do people usually use to stick their stretched piece to their mount board? I couldn't do the mount board to size and just slot it in, as the fabric in the kit wasn't big enough.

I've also mended a pair of trousers and put a button back on a jacket, so it's all been very productive!

But I do also have a stitching update, as you can see, this is the first page of Little Snap Dragon done, 1st of 9 and think, and not all of them are full pages, so its quite a big percentage of it done it quite a small period of time, by my standards anyway.

Not getting to get much stitching done again this week, but I'll try and put an update up at the end of the week.

Winter's Majesty continues to be blue

I continue to post updates on Winter's Majesty, despite the fact that it's really still just a whole lotta blue! And I'm aware that to the outside eye it doesn't really look like its growing much, but believe me, this is much changed since my last post on this project.

I'm actually starting to enjoy this one again after it frustrated me for a long time, I think it's because the end of this page is in sight and I'll actually be able to see it growing into something when I start the next page - woohoo!

I've got quite a busy week ahead of me so don't know how much stitching I'll get done, ushering at the theatre tonight (going to see Chris Addison, so that should be good), an evening of cake backing on Monday because I have to take birthday buns into work, meeting Tuesday evening, it's my birthday on Wednesday (woo) so I'm off work and might get some stitching done in the afternoon when Ben's at work, then I think I actually have Thursday evening off, before theatre Thursday night and away for the weekend.

A shiny new start

A shiny new start, which makes me very excited, but does mean that I am, once again, posting pictures that don't really look like anything.

It also means that I've got three projects on the go at the moment, two of which I'm still on the first page of, and all three of which still don't really look like anything. Although I think this is currently the prize winner for not looking like anything.

He will be Little Snap Dragon, who will be very cute when he's finished, it's a really nice pattern, that I fell in love with and bought on impulse a couple of years ago, I've cut the material a little small, it's big enough for the picture, but I haven't left much of a border, so I don't know what I'll do with it when it's done, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it!

Hello to my new followers by the way. You can tell that I'm still quite new to blogging, I still get excited when I get new followers!

Tenderness Cross Stitch update

As promised, I've finally got round to doing an update on Tenderness. I actually took this picture a while ago, I just haven't got round to uploading it, and I haven't done anything else on it since the picture was taken. I need to finish the birth sampler I'm doing (hopefully this week), then I can go back to getting this finished, hopefully by early September anyway!

I'm still very fond of the Vervaco charts, the sepia ones look so effective when they're done. I've got two nearing completion which means decisions will have to be made soon! Birth Sample will be replaced by In Love, which I had to eject from the frame in the first place, but I haven't decided what I'm going to replace Tenderness with, I've got about half a dozen in mind! Little snap dragon, regency ballroom from Cross Stitch Collection, King Arthur sampler, which a kindly soul donated to me once, a nice Arthurian lady who was also donated, the the famous shot from Memoirs of a geisha of her white face and the black hair or pluck up the courage to start my first HAED, I've got 5 so I really ought to pick one, a couple of Meredith Dillmans, a couple of Selena Fenech and a Linda Ravenscroft one, there are so many to choose from, and I just can't decide. Still, I've got a month to think about it, and knowing me despite the fact that they're all the ones that I've got 'queued' at the moment, you know I'll end up picking something completely random instead!

Anyway, after that quick update, I''d better head back to the kitchen. I'm attempting to make chocolate mousse cake, and I think my mousse is to runny and isn't going to set properly. If I'm honest, going back to the kitchen isn't going to help, it's done now, I'm simply hovering round it in a nervous fashion and hoping that it sets. This is why I normally do cupcakes, cupcakes are simple and I always get those round, but now I'm trying something new, and I'm a bit worried about it! Ah well, wish me luck!

Tatty Ted - Baby Powder

Guess how I spent my day yesterday? I started this Friday evening and am now nearly finished, all I've got left to do is the white and then all the back stitch to get it finished, which I can probably do today, although that does make me a bit sad, because that will mean that I've done this in a weekend. However, I've got to make sure I save a few stitches for Ben to do, which means that I can't do the back stitching until he's done that. I'm thinking if I leave some in the talcum powder cloud for him to do then I can do all the stitching else where and get it nearly finished before he gets back.

Tenderness and to long since I've last updatred

Two weeks update on Tenderness, I did loads last week but this week's been much less productive, after a slight explosion at work on Wednesday (almost literally, my sewing machine was making some fascinating burning smells at one point). But here is the progress, I'm hoping to get this page finished today. Ben's off to watch the football and a barbeque with mates so that gives me a quiet afternoon to do what I want so it's going to be either a film or an audio book and my stitching for the afternoon.

Oh yeah, and trying to forget that I've got a dentists appointment tomorrow :-(

Does anyone remember the Sweet Valley High books by the way? I read most of them when I was a kid, and I've recently got it into my gead that I want to re-read them, and while you used to be able to get them in every charity shop you now can't get them anywhere, and I'm having to trawl amazon and ebay for them. Also, does anyone else remember the Trebison school stories? I never knew anyone else who read them.

Unnecessarily organised

Last weeks update, this was all done last Monday while Ben was still away and while watching Series 2 of The Avengers (I'd forgotten just how wonderful that series is, although 4 & 5 were by far the best with Emma Peel).

I can see a big difference between this and my last picture, although whether other people will be able to I'm less sure, here's a clue, the white flowers are now completely white rather than not being finished. Think I'll have to chose a brighter colour to stitch next so that you can actually see some progress on it.

Apart from that I've not done much stitching this week, didn't get my stitching evening on Wednesday as I've got roped into helping out with the regional Guides centenary celebrations for Yorkshire, and there was a meeting on Wednesday which lasted most of the evening.

Other than that I've only had one other time for cross stitch, decided to do some last night, but wasn't in the mood to work on a big project (very unlike me, normally I always like big projects) so I decided to start on my Christmas cards, how freakily organised it that? I hasten to add that I'm not actually that organised, I just didn't want to unpack a big project but fancied stitching, and happened to have a pack made up for Christmas stitching from when I went away a while back.