Kreimhilds Revenge - page 18 is done!

Here I am with a page finish, yay!
I guess I have not properly introduced Kreimhild on this blog, so I will do that now (my apologies to all who already know everything about her, this might get boring for you).

Kreimhild's Revenge is an artwork by Howard David Johnson. In private I always call her Kriemhild.

This is the first Heaven and Earth Design I bought and my addiction started with her. I came across Heaven and Earth Designs in the second half of 2010 and was fascinated, I spent hours looking through the designs and fell in love with this lovely lady. I bought the chart in February 2011 and started kitting up. I finally started stitching in late March 2011, that's already more than 4 years ago! 

If I was to pick my first Haed again, it would be her again ;-) I feel a bit guilty because I have been working on her for so long, but I only did 18 pages so far:

There were times when I nearly lost my mojo, mostly because the sky seemed to go on forever. I really hope that my mojo to work on her will last a bit longer so I get a few more stitches in. 

I'm working her on 25ct ivory Lugana (my all time favorite fabric), 1 over 1 full crosses. The design is 450 stitches wide and 568 stitches high. In large format this means 64 pages. I did 18 pages so far, so 80429 of 255600 stitches are done. So there is still a bot of work to do ;-) 

I am taking a small break from her to finish the first page on Danielle (I need a bit of confetti) and will return to Kriemhild to stitch a bit more. There are one and a half page of sky to stitch until more of her hair will come into view =)

Gifted Gorgeousness SAL - June edition =)

Well, this month, unlike last month, I have some progress to show for the Gifted Gorgeousness SAL. I put a few hours into the Map of Middle Earth and did some 2200 stitches on it. Considering how big the project is, this is not really much, but I think that if I can put in around 2000 per month, I will slowly by steadily get this done one day ;-) And after all, progress is still progress.

So this is Middle Earth as of mid-april when you last saw it:

And this is where I am now:

There are now 12000 stitches in, so still a way to go ;-)

I am also trying a new technique to avoid gridlines when working on big blocks of color. I'll explain this in my next post (which will be Kriemhild's Revenge), because you can see it better on that project. But you can already see that there is a sort of zick-zack line instead of a strait edge ;-) Up to now, this looks like quite promising.

WIPocalypse and YOTA - June is here!

Well, here we go with another combined post on YOTA and WIPocalypse. My big goal for next month is to do the WIPocalypse post on WIPocalypse day and the YOTA post on YOTA-day, lol.

I'm going to start with my progress on my WIPocalypse pieces since this was first. I added my new starts to the list, so there will also be some updates on them from now on. But let's start with this months question:
Do you find yourself more productive with stitching in summer or winter?
Well, I guess that's summer. I spent more time knitting in winter, so I have less time for stitching ;-) I'm not sure if I really make more progress, but at least it feels like that ;-) 

I guess I haven't shown you my progress on Wolf Variant which I made some time during the month. I decided to stitch the page below the first page next instead of moving to page two. I will try and work a bigger row which will be some 200 stitches high. Otherwise I won't really see anything of the wolf while working my first row. I made a start with adding some 1600 stitches.
Before:

And after:

This a actually my biggest project (up to now) so I will try and pick it up quite often ;-) 

Next up is once again my new start "Paddys Luck":

And Danielle, on which I have worked since my last post. The first four columns are complete, the butterfly is nearly done and I really love it :) I already started the next column and will finish it before picking up something else 

You can also see the start of one of her gorgeous wings =) I am really excited about this =)

Well I guess that's it for WIPocalypse. I must say, that I am really happy with my progress for this month. I'm not sure if I will be able to, but it would be amazing to get that much done in June as well ;-) 

After Danielle I will stitch on Middle Earth for a few days so there will be an update for the gifted Gorgousness SAL in a weeks time. And after that I will take out Kreimhild once more =)

So here is my update for YOTA. I once again decided to battle the confetti on QS Theatre of the Absurd and put some 500 stitches in. Not as much as I wanted, but I really spent hours on this one! I guess it took me two hours or more to fill one tiny square.... I will continue with the started column and I am confident about being able to finish it for next time because the squares to come are not that confetti heavy. 

Before:

And after:

The flute player (or whatever he is doing there) is officially done now, there was so much confetti in him, so I really hope it will get better. Four columns and the started one to go!

Well, I see you in a few days with an update on Middle Earth and Danielle =)

Time for new starts!! =)

Well, my master thesis is done, I may now officially call myself "Master of Science". The last weeks were very stressful, but in the end it was worth it. But I am quite happy that it is all done now and I have a bit of free time before getting started on my PHD =)
And what does one do if one has free time? YES- stitching!

Ad that works best if one has a few new starts ;-)

First up is a quick stitch I started. I have eyed this from time to time since it was released, but somehow I never bought the pattern. I originally planned on starting Danielle (scroll down) after handing in my master thesis, but my fabric hadn't arrived, so I decided to go for something else. I bought that pattern that evening and started it right away.
So here are the details: The design is called "QS Paddys Luck" by Joanna Bromley. It's 195x277 stitches, which makes a total of roughly 54000 stitches. I am again stitching the large version of the chart, so it is 16 pages long. I absolutely love the cheerful colors and it is really fun to stitch!
Here is how the finished design will hopefully look like:

And here is what I got so far, some 3000 stitches into the first page:

I decided once again to substitute the Kreinik with Glissen Gloss Rainbow R000. There is quite a lot of sparkle already, but unfortunately you can't see it in the picture. I am working this one on 25ct Lugana in ivory.

But this is not my only new start! I also started another BAP called "Danielle". The moment this was released, I knew I had to get this and stitch it. This new start was somehow chaotic. I ordered some 28ct Lugana in vanilla at first, but then I got an email that the color was no longer available (I didn't get it at first, because it got lost in my spam folder), so I went for off-white instead. It took a few days longer than expected for the fabric to ship. Then I wasn't home, when it was delivered and had to wait another day! 

Then I finally got started on it, when I was some 300 stitches into the pattern I noticed, that two colors had the same symbol! So I wrote an email to Michele and she sent me new version of the chart right away. I was just checking the other symbols, when I noticed that the symbols for two other colors where nearly identical (I couldn't tell them apart in the chart), so I wrote another email and Michele once again changed the chart for me. Did I every say, that she is absolutely brilliant??

The recent trouble was, that I was missing a color. I searched everywhere until I noticed that I just labeled it wrong (with a colornumber that doesn't exist...). I hope I am done with chaos on this project now ;-)

But I guess most of you wonder, what it is, that causes all the chaos and is still worth the trouble ;-)

This is Danielle by Sarah Butcher:

I am so in love with this design and I enjoy every stitch so far. The Design is 450x567 stitches, which makes a total of 255150 stitches. It's 64 pages in large format and I am just some 1300 stitches in so far. I am really looking forward to working with all those colors =) I decided to try something new and used DMC E5200 as a substitution für Kreinik. I just made a few stitches with it so far, so I can't say much about it ;-) 

Here is what I did so far:

I love stitching the yellow colors, it's quite different from my other projects (they tend to have may blue and purple colors) and stitching that butterfly is real fun =)

I also got another new chart during one of the last sales.

I guess most of you noticed the new supersize patterns. I think the true detail of the bookshelves by Aimee Stewart and the designs by Josephine Wall comes to life in those huge projects. I only got one so far but there are many that are calling to me.

I went for "Supersize QS Ships and Shells" by Josephine and it really is the supersize version of a quick stitch (lol, I just love the name). The original QS is only 175 stitches wide, whereas the supersize is 999 stitches wide, so the detail gained is breathtaking. I haven't figured out how to get this one on a frame (I'm going to do some experiments on 32ct), but one day this will be stitched:

I also thought about getting the supersize version of Goddess between Realms, but the original version is already quite big (over 700 stitches high) and so I decided to stick with the version I already have. But many of the Wall pieces are rather small (considering the amount of detail), so the supersizing really gives a lot more detail. I guess I'm going to buy a few more of these huge designs in the future ;-)

But I will continue stitching on Danielle now, I just can't put her down =)

WIPocalypse and YOTA - May edition!

Well, I know I am rather later with this post, but I have been so busy with my master thesis, that I didn't find the time and energy to make an entry. I fear I won't be able to do a post for the gifted gorgeousness SAL because I didn't work on any of my projects so far.

Well, as for WIPocalypse:
Last months event from the Stitch Stash and Honking Rakateers Club was to work on as many WIPs as you can, so I did my best to change between projects. Therefore I have a bunch of pictures to show =)

First up is Rheingold, which is tending to become an UFO because I really don't feel like working on it. I added just 700 stitches and made a start on page 4.
Before:

After:

Next up is Starlight. I always love to work on this one, it's full of confetti, but the result is just amazing =) I added just one column because most evenings I was to tired for the confetti, but I will surely return to this soon. I made a start on page 3 and added about 1000 stitches:

Before:

And after:

I also put a bunch of stitches into Yule Angel. It was really nice to work on something with almost no confetti and to make fast progress, so I stitched the rest of page 4 (about 3200 stitches)
Before:

 And after:

I am currently working on Wolf Variant by Bente Schlick, because this was calling to me most, so the next update will be on that one. 

So for my YOTA updates, I put some 400 stitches into QS Theatre of the Absurd. Since I will have a bit more free time soon (especially this month), I hope to get a few more stitches in for next update. Here is my lastest photo on it:

I also took out Paris Market because it is my oldest project and added a few hundred stitches. 

Before:

And after:

I also got a bunch of new charts, but I guess I will show them next time when I have some progress to show on Wolf Variant. 

I ordered some fabric and threads for a new start, so the next post might also be on that.

I am really sorry for not commenting on your blogs right now, I am just so busy. I hope to improve in the future ;-)

Gifted Gorgeousness SAL

My first post for this SAL, yay! Since WIPocalypse and YOTA are both at the end of the month, I really enjoy having a SAL at the middle of the month ;-)
This SAL is hosted by Jo from Serendipitous Stitching, where you can also sign up or have a look at the other participants work here.
The idea of this SAL is to work on projects that have been gifted to you or which you want to give to someone, I thinks that's a brilliant idea =)

I worked on two projects for this SAL so far, one that has been a gift and one that will be a gift.

First up is the Map of Middle Earth, I have been RAKed with the large version of this chart some years ago. I bought the regular version and was unsure if I should buy the large version, after all it had more detail, but I already had the regular one (knowing I would not stitch that if I got the big one...). So I was really happy when I received this chart during the first Haed support event in the Stash, stitch and honking rakateers group on facebook.
I finally started this huge project last summer. I am working on page 2 of 60 now and added 1960 stitches aka 2 columns this month. I am fairly happy with that progress (getting that much done on it every month would be awesome!). I have a total of 9800 stitches in now and there is a total of 421,500 stitches.
So at the beginning of the SAL:

And now:

My second project is a Dimensions kit called "Wolf Kiss". I bought it last month with the intension to stitch this for my boyfriend, who really loves wolves. It's small compared to my other projects and it's really nice to have something where you can see fast progress. I only worked on it for a few days, but it already looks like something. It's weird to stitch on 14ct Aida, the fabric feels hard and the stitches are huge :D at least compared to 25ct or 28ct Lugana...

The project is a new start, so here is my progress so far:

And here is how it will hopefully look like:

I hope to get the first wolfs head done by next month (well closing that gap/stitch the part on the first side of the pattern).

Unfortunately it is going to stay quiet here for a few more weeks and I am not commenting on many blog entries these days. I have 4 weeks left to hand in my master thesis and so I am working a lot... When I hand the thesis in I will spent a week in my flat and stitch... :D

WIPocalypse and YOTA - April edition!

First of all, I hope everyone enjoys a happy Easter and has a few nice days with their friends and family!

It's already April and therefore it's time for WIPocalypse and YOTA at the same time. And I guess most of you noticed the Easter sale at Heaven and Earth Designs(which was launched early because a couple of people colored that lovely bunny above). Since I am preparing for my life after the master thesis I got a few charts which I will show at the end of the post.

First up is WIPocalypse, you can find all the information as well as a sign up page here.
Most of the month I spent working on Eternal Promise, on which I managed to finish on 31st March, but haven't shown here. So here is my progress
Before

And after:

The page was a lot of fun to stitch, the details in the flowers are just beautiful and the contrast to the darker colors is nice. Those trees are way more confetti than the border, but the outcome is amazing =) I will definitely return to this soon =)

After finishing the page I pulled out the Map of Middle Earth. I chose this for my first piece of the Gifted Gorgeousness SAL, so I want to get a bit of progress done until the 15th. I added one column so far:

Before:

And after:

It's fun to stitch as always, I stitched the 980 stitches of the column in just 2 days, so I am flying through this. But I doubt I can continue at this speed. 

All in all I am very happy with last months progress. I stitched nearly 6000 little crosses, not counting the lot I did on that Ornament (I guess I will finish the remaining stitching this month and maybe the rest like back stitches and so on as well). 

This months question is:"Which specialty stitches do you love doing on projects?"

Well, I mostly stitch Haeds, so there aren't any speciality stitches :D I'm not really missing them, but in case I am working on something that requires them (like some kits I have, they ask for back stitching, couching and french knots), it's ok for me. I don't love them overly much, but they usually add a nice finishing touch to the design. I wouldn't say that there are any that I really love or dread. 

Next up is the post for YOTA (you can find all the relevant information here), I managed to get some stitches into QS Theatre of the Absurd. Since I managed to sort out the issues with my Qsnap (it's a bit to tight now, but I guess that will get better as I use it), I am working on it again. I managed to finish the started column:

Before:

And after:

It's still not as much progress as it should be, but it's a start ;-) And finishing this in 2015 is still quite manageable!

And now... STASH!!! Heaven and Earth Designs has been releasing some lovely charts lately, so I got a few in the current sale (it's still on for a few more days, so some of you might take a look). At first I thought my new start reward for finishing my thesis (still not done....) was clear, but now I am not so sure anymore.

I got my first Josephine Wall chart and I am so in love with it! It's definitely a new start option. It's called "Goddess between Realms":

The Wall designs are always so detailed and colorful and they are amazing when they are stitched. I really love the oriental touch of the left side of the goddess, so I really couldn't resist it! =)

Then I got two charts from Jane Starr Weils. 

Wilde Wood Faerie was released just a few weeks ago and I totally love it:

I want to stitch this on some hand dyed fabric because you are going to see a lot the fabric anyway. Maybe something with pale green and yellow would fit. I plan on ordering the missing floss for this and then pay a visit to a lady who has a store near by to pick the right fabric (she told me this was the easiest way and she would dye the fabby for me). It's almost sure that I am going to start this when I am done with my thesis (I'm not sure about how many new starts I will have... Probably until my hands fall off, lol...)

Wild Honey is a bit older but I remember that the chart caught my eye when it was released. As I saw Wilde Wood Faerie I decided to brows through the other charts by Jane Starr Weils and found this again. The yellow colors are fantastic =) (there are so many more amazing charts by that artist, I was tempted to buy way more!). This would also make a nice new start....

And then I got a QS! I wanted a small chart so I can eventually start a small chart so I can eventually finish it (haha...). It's called QS Kimono Butterfly Mermaid by Nadia Tate and it shows a mermaid wearing a kimono and some butterflies:

Well, that's all the charts I purchased in the sale. But I was a really lucky girl because I managed to win a give away in the LotR stitchers group, the prize was a LotR themed chart from Haed! So I chose "The Ranger" by Matt Stewart:

So, that's it for today, thanks for reading. I don't know how often I will post this month because I need to work for my thesis a lot and get it done eventually!