Strawberry or Red Pepper?

Last Friday, I made my first attempt at amigurumi -  a strawberry. The strawberry was supposed to be small and delicate, with beads sewn in for seeds; however, because of the yarn gauge (I used Red Heart) it turned out to be huge!

Strawberry?

My stepson Michael suggested it could pass for a red pepper. Now that look at it, I see his point.

Pepper!

 

 Either way, right now it is being used both as a decoration and a stress ball.

Cross-stitching wise, I am currently working on three projects in rotation: Hogwarts Crest, Victorian House, and a Sampler that was started ages and ages ago.
My verse design " As For Me and My House" went to my niece's on Easter and had a huge success. So, I could say, the first design went well!
Have a wonderful week!

Cross stitch software experiments

Finally, I decided it was time for me to get cross stitch software. It is a significant investment, but I think it will be worth it. With the first design I proved to myself that I could do it!
So I went online and got WinStitch 2012, downloaded it and started playing. One thing I always wanted was to turn several pictures I found online into cross stitch, and this software allows it. It also shows you how the finished project would look like, which is a bonus.
One thing that surprised me was how blurry the picture came out after the conversion, the other - how huge the chart was. It was just a simple picture, maybe 8x10 inches in my imagination, but the program gave out a 33 page chart with over 150 colors for it. I said  "No way" and went on tweaking. Finally, I reduced the number of colors to 50 (I know, still too many) and the chart size - with the thread list- to 3 pages. Not too bad on the size. Next step is to make it sharper.
As for sharpness, there are two major obstacles: color list and outlining. The program does not capture any outlining, this will have to be done manually. I am still playing with it to try and figure out how to make circle or oval outlines... Perhaps it will come during the stitching process.
Then, there are colors. The program is designed to capture every color variation, which is perfect for big painting-like projects, but not for cartoon-like, bright and sharp drawings. With all the variations what I got was a lot of "confetti" stitching and very wavy, blurry lines of color. It's literally like the ghost of the original.
But I bet all these descriptions don't mean much if you don't know what I am trying to stitch. Here's the intended project.

 In the chart, the ladybug and the tongue on the cup's face disappeared completely, and the greens on the fur (hair?) were 40 different shades... So, that will require some serious color trimming. I plan to work with it manually. I guess this is where the "creative" side of me will have to step in.
My goal is to have a 1-2 page chart with no more than 10 colors, maybe 15 as a maximum. When I get there, I will absolutely share the results here... Until then, wish me luck... I am going to need it.

A small note on the completely unrelated subject: I took off the "word recognition" option in my blog, so every one who wants to leave a comment won't have to type in those annoying two-word  codes. I personally don't mind typing them in, but I know some of us don't like the hassle. So, hopefully this will make it easier to share... Please do! 

I Lost My Temper and Can't Seem to Find It...

The other day, I went to our local craft store for some supplies. Because of our budget, I always try to look at the discount and sale items first. So, I go to the discount shelf - and see a treasure: several pieces of Zweigart linen. Of course, I pick one up - what a deal, what a surprise, what a... never mind. I get to the cash register, and the girl tells me it's a mistake, an oversight, the price on this item is three times what I expected.... It was not even supposed to be on the sale rack.
It's not the first time this happened at our store: I see something in the discount bin, I pick it up, and at the cash register there is a "misunderstanding." In the past, I just refused the item and went on my way, slightly disappointed. But this time, I snapped. This was the last straw. I requested to talk to the manager. The impertinent tone of the cashier asking "Regarding what??" only confirmed it for me that something had to be done...
When the manager came, I explained to her the situation, and she was on my side. Wow, that's a first. She even said that they would honor the sale price of the item - it's their policy: after all, it's not my fault they put it on the wrong shelf.
The wrong price of material was the obvious trigger of my temper tantrum. I think, though, the real reason for my "rebellion" is deeper than wanting a piece of stitching material.... I come to this store at least once a week, and every time I know exactly what I am looking for. I know about different types of stitching cloth and the stitch count. That is why it is frustrating for me to talk to the personnel of that store - they do not seem to know anything related to this craft. Every time I asked for help finding something, they could not help me, because they did not know what I was talking about: "Eh, Aida? Evenweave? I am not sure we have it..." One time, I had to explain to the employee what poly-fil was: "You know, stuffing for pillows? Comes in bags, looks like cotton puffs?" He still did not know... Finally, I located it by myself, and one thing I was thinking - I could do this job so much better... Yet, he is doing it instead. When I tried to apply at our local craft store, I was deemed "overqualified"....  If that means I actually know my stitching stuff - I am guilty...
In the end, I got what I came for, and got my "treasure." But beneath the surface, there is so much more...

Thank you for reading my rant. Have a wonderful day!

My First Blog Award Ever!

It seems this is the time for firsts. The other day I posted my first design; yesterday I received my first blog award... In my experience, all things come in threes, so I wonder - what is the third "first" in store?

My first blog award is called The Liebster Blog.

Leibster is a German word meaning favorite, dearest or beloved. The Leibster is awarded by bloggers to other new (and not so new) bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers., to help spread the word and help the new talented bloggers gain wider recognition. 

The Leibster award comes with four conditions that each recipient must satisfy:

1. Choose 5 up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers to award the Liebster to

2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them

3. Post the award on your blog. List the bloggers you are giving the award to with links to their sites. Leave comments on their blogs so they know about the award.

4. Share 5 random facts about yourself that people don't know about you.

Thank you so much, Michele, for choosing me as one of your winners. Your blog Stitches is interesting, creative, and true. If I could, I would give it a "Cute-free" award. (I hope it came out as a compliment - I don't like "cute" things.)

The five blogs I chose for this amazing award are...

1. Laura at Cross Stitch A to Z

2. Jeanine at Made by Pien

3. Chris at Always Smiling

4. Kathy at Kathy's Stitching Blog

5. Nadezjda at MamaTita

Each one of these ladies is very creative, please visit their blogs and see for yourself.

Five random facts about me... Hmm, that could take some time. One fact I already shared...

1. I don't like "cute" things. Bunnies, fluffy sad-eyed toys, "baby" voices some adults use when speaking to children - they annoy me. Because of that, some people find me "rough" or even "rude" (quoting the sources). But, that is just the way I am.

2. I do not like Disneyland. This dislike was so sudden it was a surprise to me. I was there with my kids one winter when I suddenly saw it not as an amusement park, but as one big shopping mall... with lines for attractions. From that day on, I don't like Disneyland.

3. My favorite shows are "Family Guy" and "Rescue Me." To some who know me it may seem strange because I (almost) never curse and don't laugh at tacky jokes. But to me, the first show is the basic and funny illustration of the current problems in society (and tacky jokes fit in), and the second show is as real as life is - so cursing often seems appropriate...

4. My favorite color is blue - the darker the better. I cannot stand pink.

5. For a long time, I have been able to convince my children that I had invisible eyes in the back of my head. 

Thank you, and have a wonderful day!

 

My First Big Design

About a month ago my niece asked me if I could stitch her a verse she loved: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Yesterday, I put in the final stitches in, and this is what came out.

My first real design... Surprisingly for myself, I do not even have the official chart drawn yet. All my work was done in Word and on paper. Word - for proper centering (and it still came out different from the original - of course); on paper - approximate sketches of the border, based on some ideas from magazines... Most of it was in my head, though. So, when I stitched the border, it felt more like drawing or painting than stitching. What would be the right color? How would the branch twist? Same thing happened with the leaves: I was just trying to make them look more natural.
My niece says she loves it... First design - first success! She will pick it up next week. In the meantime, that will give me a chance to draw the "official chart...
Wait.... does that mean I am now a designer???

A Quick Stitching Update

With all the business and job searching talk, I almost forgot to mention the project I work on for sheer pleasure. Here it is, in progress....

Hogwarts Crest in the making

I have been looking for a good pattern of Hogwarts Crest for a long time, and there it is - designed by littlemojo. (Unfortunately, I do not know the designer's real name. This was the nickname used on the Harry Potter Fans web site.)
Stitching this project goes perfectly with watching British sitcoms and murder mysteries. My survival pack: a cup of tea with a biscuit, a face of Tom Barnaby on the TV screen, and the stitching.
To everyone out there with a needle in their hand, have a good stitch! 

Happy St.Patrick's Day!