Cross Stitch Ramblings

11.1.05

Numbers

Ever since I started on 'Numbers' I've not worked on anything else.
Its not so easy as I was making out!
Because there's large patches of the same colour it requires accruate counting. I've done the outlines of all the blocks, but the third row down is one row short. And it DOES matter!! I'm having to adapt the shading on the block to accommodate the missing row. Hopefully it won't show. Unpicking it all and re-doing it is not an option, I'm not enamoured enough of the design to go that far.
I've finished block number 9, and block 5, which is one of the 'cropped' ones (doesn't look too disasterous). Also one of the Winnie the Poohs (there are 3) which was reasonably easy, and Tigger, who was hard. There are no fractionals on the blocks but the characters are loaded with them, especially Tigger who had twice as many because of his stripes. Who's idea was it to provide aida with a pattern that requires bags of fractionals? Its such a pain keep on having to swap needles. I never used to do that. 'The Castle' I remember was full of fractionals and I stitched it on aida and forced the tapestry needle through the fabric. I'm sure you're not supposed to do that. Wh this oneI ended up doing all the whole stitches first and then the fractionals.
And the thread is a nightmare! I was convinced at first it was cheap old thread, but no, it is genuine DMC, or so the kit says. I know even DMC knots and breaks sometimes but not with the regularity this stuff is. Maybe its something to do with the fabric (18 count I think), maybe its because its single strand, maybe its because the kit's been knocking around in the cupboard for so many years. Who knows.....

Having finished Tigger it was time to swap back to The Castle Sampler, but I have lost part of the chart. I have the chart itself but not the key. No idea where its gone. Much sorting out of papers has been going on since last it was out so I can only conclude its been binned. BAD NEWS!!! I have to buy another copy of the chart, and I don't want to leave it too long or it may prove difficult to get back into the design. Always out for a bargain I have a bid in for a second hand one on ebay. If I don't get it I'll probably end up paying full price because I'm very frustrated and impatient.

In my frustration I was tempted to start on something else, but am not in the mood for thread-sorting, and so many of the kits have aida in which I want to swap for something else. I have all sorts of odd bits of evenweave in the box. The box needs a serious good sort out.....

So 'Numbers' went back in the frame, and I am now working on number 8. Can't post pics at the moment because of swanky new computer, which doesn't have dodgy file size reducing software in it, plus camera batteries are flat and charger is missing (why does everything go missing in this house???). I really need to find a better way of posting pics but I don't want to download anything from the internet because the previous pc was totally wrecked by internet use, I want to keep this one posh and new and swanky like it is! But I will work out a good way of posting pics eventually....

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