Giveaway Shoutouts!

I really do hesitate to turn this space into an add for other blogs, but when people start giving away such great stuff how can I resist? :) So, if you somehow see them on my little corner of the XS blogosphere and don't know them, pop over to their blogs and check 'em out! Free stuffs! Great WIPs! Movie Classics Views (from Edgar)!

Aaand, speak of the devil--first up is Edgar, a great movie and quaker-loving guy who seems to be involved in the mail art exchanges. I don't know much about these, but everytime I see them on someone's blog it seems that the envelope, address and all was stitched up, postage added, and sent naked through the post!! What's inside? All in all, I admire the daring of these stitchers. I could no more put a "naked" piece in a postbox than I could a newborn babe, lol! Ah, but well! His stitching is great and it's fun to catch his movie opinons; classics seem to be his faves! He has recently finished that "Lo how a Rose" Sampler that's all over the 'net like brushfire, and is giving away the (christmas?) book it is contained in! Go enter for you chance! :)

Next, is one that I DO think EVERYONE knows about: Nina is celebrating her 2-year blogaversary by giving away a sweet set of box and scissor fob--I think they even have her own hand-dyed floss! Wow, would I love to win this! Wouldn't you? You'll have to be quick as the deadline is April 30th at Midnight, but check out the conditions for entry! One of them is that you show a pic of your scissor collection! This works out perfectly, as I LOVE scissors, and had been planning to show off my modest little hoard soon anyway! Anti-procrastination, Yay!

From My crow-treasures

And here they are! I feel that I really must apologise for this terrible cell phone photo. I DO have a modest little point & shoot digicam, but of course the battery wants charging! I am beginning to feel that I truly do need a new cell--in January it was time for me to get a new phone "free" (with contract renewal and all that), but the phones were either lousy, expensive (for premium models), or I just didn't like them. And I DO like my current phone just fine...except that it takes exceedingly lousy blog photos! Ten years ago, when I was in High School and my dear friend's dad got a cell for busines, I would have never guessed that I'd be contemplating getting a new cell simply because I wanted a better camera for posting pics to the internet!! Wow, what I long way we have come! Too bad it can't all be for the better, though!

I had wanted to show you my works-in-progress, but that will have to wait for me to get the mojo to charge the camera batteries! lol!

Hello, All!
I am just desperate to show you these buttons I bought from Etsy recently for my little version of Mary's Pin Pillow by Indigo Rose. They have yet to arrive, and this is the photo from the seller's site! They are size 7/8", so I think think they will be really striking!


Etsy has some AMAZING buttons for sale, so I'm hoping I don't get too addicted! I had to restrain myself and only buy buttons that "I need now" for a specific thing instead of getting ever little thing that caught my eye! I could easily have spent $50 just on buttons! And nothing to sew them to...good thing I like Biscornu so much... But, I only bought this one kind. :)

It doesn't really show so in my previous post, but there is a good bit of plum in the floss I used, so I am hoping that these buttons will really bring it out. I took those photos as a test of the camera on a friend's new phone--it has 3.2 MP!! Not sure it's colours are so good, however. But, in its defense, it WAS a rather cloudy day.

I'm so excited for these buttons to arrive!! "Hurry up, Buttons!"

Yours in Stiching,
Berit

Recent Stitching...

Hello, Everyone!

I haven't got time for a proper blog today, but I wanted to drop in and show off (or encourage, lol) regarding what I have been working on recently. When I first began this blog, I was rather (silly) sad that there were no comments or traffic on it. (This is probably because I have been spoiled by my moderately popular video game blog, which I have held for perhaps 4 years or so!)

But, I have since then been astonished by how many people have left kind comments on my gaunt little blog! Thanks to all of you so much! I was really glad--and I must come around and reciprocate soon! But, until then, I wanted to put up a new post too keep active for my follower (Hi, Patti!). :)

So, with varying success, here follows What I've Been Stitching On:

Here is my version of Mary's Pin Pillow by Indigo Rose--I'm using 32ct Belfast Natural Linen and that Crimson/Plum (I call it) DMC overdyed floss. This design is, in my humble opinion, the most perfect Biscornu chart I have ever seen, and it is a dream of mine to have one--I can only hope to do it justice. This is also my first time using tension while stitching--the Q Snaps I ordered arrived! (And some other charts as well--yay, I'll be able to do my first stash blog!)

From In-Progress Stitching

And another view to show off the Spider's Web Stitches, which are actually silk, and of that common brand; "au v___ Soie", it is. You can see what a newbie I am, as I don't know the names of things! I chose it because the LNS lady said that anything else was "Garbage that you couldn't pay her to stitch with", and I had seen that the DMC overdye wasn't so nice upon trying it to learn the Spider's web stich.

From In-Progress Stitching

And Next, Stitchie Witchie, a freebie from Brooke Nolan of Brooke's Books' Yahoo "fan group" (Wow; so little meaning in that sentence!! Someone named Megan (I think) is running a fanclub for Brooke's Books. You must use your Yahoo email addy to join the group, and then the freebees are, well, free. Really nice cute stuff!

From In-Progress Stitching

Here's a close-up to show Witchie's "Electric Blue Satin Pumps"--I sitched them using DMC's satin floss; which like all sfx threads MAY be tacky, but I like anyway. :D Hey, it's all in how tastefully you use it, right? (As if there is a tasteful way to use a lawn flamingo, lol!) I do like that satin floss, though I can't find it in the shop and it's slippery as an eel--Maybe that's what makes it fun!! And, who DOESN'T want a pair of shiny pumps, eh? Now, I have some. (^_^)

From In-Progress Stitching

EEk! And so, in the end, this post DID come out to be a bit long! For now, I've gotta dash, but until next time with best wishes to you and yours (Happy Easter!), I remain,

Yours in Stitching,
Berit

Alucard Keychain Fob

Dear Reader,

I must confess that I have lately felt like an outsider, an interloper in these cross-stitch blog circles: Sometimes, I find myself hating Cross stitch! Yes! I feel just awful, but I am so impatient, and so much work goes into making things, and when it comes out looking less-than-perfect it is so disheartening!

I simply cannot tell you how much heartache this one little piece caused, Reader! It is a little like what I hear childbirth is like--really awful while it's going on but when you are done you have such a wonderful thing. And of course, you forget how awful it was and think it's nothing but just peachy and begin aspiring to do it all again. lol (Although on a MUCH smaller scale.)

Have any of you ever secretly hated this wonderful hobby?

From My Finishes

I made it as a birthday gift for our good friend Tak--It features a character from one of his favorite videogames (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night). It is stitched 1 over on 32 count Zweigart linen.

From My Finishes

At some point, I began despairing of my slow progress. "And it's only 21 x 47 in area! Wait...that means it's..." Reader, that means it has something in the neighborhood of 900 squares...and at 4 "stitches" each...well. I began to understand what was taking so long! But how does everyone else do it? Such patience!!
A closer view...

From My Finishes

The character's name is "Alucard", and he is the son of Dracula (get it?) and a human woman. So, Alucard is the protagonist, while Dracula is the main enemy of the game.

From My Finishes

stitching up the side was SO TEDIOUS! It was my first time finishing the back with anything other than more of the same linen, so I was woried it would not come out nicely, but this side was very clean.

In the end, I stayed up all night to finish it, and I almost sewed the keychain in backwards! Oh, me! I worked on it for several days, and even so had to pull an all-nighter at the end!

Date Finished: 28 February 2009
Fabric: Zweigart 32 Ct. Linen
Threads: DMC Cotton
Finish: Keychain Fob
Designed & Stitched by Me.

Getting to Know Me (for Tiny Treasures Exchange)

Here is a bit of a writeup I made about my likes, wishes, and tastes intended as a help for the members of the Tiny Treasures Exchange--hopefully it will be of some help those of you in the group who have drawn my name!

...

I like designs to be more iconic--representative and made of symbols rather than realistic. (This is why I like smalls best; because they have cute, neat icons to represent flowers or whatever the subject, rather than some photo-realistic life-size rose. Also, the geometric embellishments are charming.)

For colours, I like blue greens-rather than yellow greens, but am not so opposed to yellow-green that it could not be used as a highlight on a leaf, for example.
I also like pale yellows/creams together. I like that beautiful floss which changes colors. Lately I can't seem to stop stitching things in that red-plum-maroon one DMC makes, lol! ("blackwork" done in it is so charming!), and also like patterns such as houndstooth.

For themes, I love Halloween (especially with Cats--what stitcher doesn't like cats? Surely there must be some, but I have yet to know them!--and Harvest Moons--that purple/orange combo of Halloween is a big favorite. Please make sure any jack'o-lanterns don't have goofy/googly eyes and squiggly mouths)--and Autumn,"The Woods" (in this season, woods with snow are nice if you are feeling like seasonal stitching.) Also for seasonal, I do like/celebrate christmas, but prefer "traditional" designs and themes: I would prefer deep red/green/gold&silver over blue, and please refrain from snowmen. I love Christmas Trees and Pines, and am know to regularly sing "der Tannenbaum" to my tree each year. ("How lovely are your branches!!~") :D

Some items that I like are ornamental keys, acorns, cats, foxes, clover, clocks (grandfather, cuckoo, etc.), clover and clover flowers, Nutcrackers, Doors/fences/gates/lampposts, Tea, Citrus.

For designers, I liked Brooke's Books, Drawn Thread, Art-stitch (their geomentric and nature designs), Bent Creek's Eek sampler (though overall they are a bit country kitsch for my taste), Elizabeth's Designs, The Cat's Whiskers Design Studio (Such cute cat smalls!), Heart in Hand, and Prairie Schooler's Pins and Needles set and also their "November/December" and Halloween stuff (e.g. "Pumpkin Patch).

Overall, I have yet to see a designer that makes things in such a way that I have liked more than 40-50 percent of their stuff, so don't feel bound to any of those!

I also LOVE Sharon's (of X-Stitch Happy)! Particularly The Dragonfly Motif and the Scissors Motifs (I have always been in love with scissors, and have no fewer than three funny stories about them (mostly funny because of my immoderate reactions to them--have been known to cry over scissors, lol!) The only design of hers that I would not prefer would be the Cheetah set; it is WONDERFULLY designed, but I don't favor animal prints.

I am a 26 year old young lady who is getting ready to begin her first semester of design school in NYC since moving from Oklahoma State 3 years ago! I am daunted but excited! For hobbies, I love reading, cross stitch, and crochet! I live with my darling boyfriend about 17 miles outside of the city in New Jersey.

I would like the person making my exchange to know that I am a stitching newbie, and as such don't entirely know my taste yet. I want you to be inspired and excited while making something for me, and to really enjoy it. If you are excited about something that doesn't show on this list AT ALL, then please make it! I am happy to be involved in this, and getting something at all will really please me. Thank you for taking your time to choose and make a wonderful tiny treasure for me!

Oh, one more detail--my initials are JBEB with BB being my "first" and last name respectively. (Yes, I know that the "J" comes before the "B" in that list, but I have 2 first names lol! I know--how is that possible!?!) I include that detail in case the stitcher wants to include some "to and from" exchange details on the back or something, as I have seen done often in exchanges!

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Well, there it is--rather a lot of it, eh? I also tried adding in some slide shows of my finishes (in the sidebar) and designs I like (a bit of personal eyecandy at the bottom). With luck, I shall in the next few days expand the "My finishes" show to include the rest of my small collection, which is only a handfull of pieces strong at present. :D

Thanks for Stopping By!

Welcome to My Needlework Blog

Hello, and please know that you are Welcome Here, Friends of Needlework and All Charming Things.

I am Berit (also a Bunny:), and this is a space which I have created as small internet haven for my interest in counted cross-stitch, crochet, and other handworks.

I have long been thinking of making just such a blog, but find myself spurred to action as a result of having joined the Tiny Treasures Blog moderated by Sharon of xstitchhappy.

Please watch this space for future postings of my finishes, tastes, wishes, and perhaps even an original design or two!

Yours in Stitching,
Berit