It has been over a month since my last posting. In this time, I have completed a fair bit of stitching on my Zodiac chart and have begun stitching my HAED QS Oliana Otter. I hope to have pictures up soon. Also, recently I participated in an ATC exchange. The exchange inspired me to design an artistic trading card of my own. Below are the pictures and download link. I call this card, "Nostalgia". It is designed to be stitched on 20 count off-white or beige fabric. This design could potentially be made to pop more if back stitching is used, but I leave that up to the stitcher to decide if they want more definition. I personally like it as is.

Here's the other side of the Biscornu that I posted earlier.

Well, I finally got around to purchasing a card reader for my camera chip. I laid my Zodiac cross stitch flat and took a couple of shots. As you can see, I finished most of the work in old gold, sans the external dotted border and some small ovals. I put in a close up of Capricorn and Aquarius, both of which are complete except for some back-stitching details. In the close-up shot of Pisces and Aries, you can see that I have nearly completed the Ram except for its head, and the tail of one of the fishes need to be completed. I'm currently alternating between stitching in the Zodiac signs in black, and adding in the the pale yellow outlining against the golden border. I might have Pisces and Aries completed within the week!

http://capriciousfmk.blogspot.com/2010/04/zodiac-chart-progress-with-pictures...

It has been over a week since I've last updated my blog. In this time, Laurel's stitchery has confirmed that they will be mailing out my DMC six stranded floss and Size 28 tapestry needles, come this Monday. Also, I have contacted Nordic Needle about the status of my special ordered fabric (25 count lambswool Jobelan), and they tell me that it still hasn't come in. They are apparently also waiting on my scroll frame to come in as they were completely cleared out of stock. While I was with customer service, I also ordered myself some lovely 20 count ivory Lugana that was on sale. I'm not really concerned about the length of time it is taking my order from Nordic Needle to come in as I had meant to start the HAED once I had my Zodiac chart completed. This experience has taught me to order supplies a month in advance just so that I am not faced with any last minute shopping frustrations. Right this moment, however, I am content to wait.

Speaking of the Zodiac chart, I have now completed 95% of all of the cross stitching in this project done in old gold. All that remains to be done in this colour is some back-stitching, but that would be the last step of the project. Therefore, I currently have all the little frames for the zodiac signs to sit in stitched and ready. I wish I could post a picture of what it looks like right now. I found my Sony digital camera, but discovered that the data transfer cable got misplaced when my family moved a few months back. I will be visiting Canada Computers sometime this week to purchase a few items for my brother. I'll pick up a cable for my camera at the same time.

Cross stitching is a fun, relaxing, and rewarding past-time. You can easily get started on this craft by purchasing a cross stitch kit from Dimensions-craft, and believe me the selections offered are diverse enough to satisfy every taste. Dimensions-craft counted cross stitch kits pricing starts at about CAD 15.00, with prices increasing as the projects gets bigger and more complex.

An example of a cross-stitch kit is my "Cat and Flowers" by Dimensions-craft. It was a mid-sized project that cost me CAD 28.00 (including taxes), and it too me three months to finish the project, working for about an hour each day. Below is a list of the everything that came with the kit:

1. Enough floss to complete the project
2. One tapestry needle for cross stitching
3. One crewel embroidery needle for back-stitching
4. One cardboard floss sorter
5. One piece of black aida measuring 17" by 18"
6. Complete printed instructions
7. A full colour depiction of the appearance of the completed project

I learned how to cross stitch using this kit. The finished project measured 13" by 14", therefore the canvas provided has a good 2" fabric allowance all the way around - perfect for mounting and framing. The kit included instructions on all of the following:

1. A complete map of stitches with key to interpret symbols
2. A guide on how to prep your fabric for cross stitching
3. A guide on how to start and stop your cross stitches
4. A guide on how to strip one strand of thread from the floss bundle
5. A guide on how to do french knots and back stitching

The only thing that did not come with this kit is an embroidery hoop. An embroidery hoop is not necessary for learning how to cross-stitch, but it is a useful tool if you like having your canvas held tight in a frame as you work. You can purchase an embroidery frame for as little as CAD 3.00 from any craft store or Wal-mart that carries craft products. I had a 5" hoop of my own from my childhood when i was learning the basic sewing techniques from my mother (running stitches, chain stitches, herringbone stitches, etc). I did not however use my hoop for this project. It was done entirely in hand. So to anyone out there looking for a wonderful new craft to indulge in, do give counted cross stitching a try. It will be well your time.

Visit http://www.crossstitchworld.com and take a look at the cross stitch kits available on the market.