Guardian Spirit: Finished!!

YOU. GUYS.

I have finished Guardian Spirit!!! I can't believe it!! But look: There she is in all her splendor. It still hasn't sunk in that she's done. 

Finishing this piece was an absolute nightmare straight from Hades. First, I ran out of the red thread I needed to finish the border around her head. I had to rummage through my DMC stash to find a similar color, with which I stitched the bottom half of the Xs, and then went over them with the correct strand of color. It's not perfect, but I was a stubborn mule and wanted to finish the project last night, so it'll have to do. Also, last night I got a cramp in my arm which made stitching that much harder, and then I got so sleepy and exhausted that I had to leave it until today to finish it, when I only had a small section to go! Insert creative frustration here.

But I did finish it, and it was awesome, and also can we pause a second to appreciate the neatest back that I have ever been able to do?

And also one of my cats getting curious during the washing process:

With this piece, I've realized that I really do have a creative process. Let's recap it here, shall we?

Robin's Creative Process

1. Excitement at starting a new project
2. Contentment as I fall into rhythm with the project and see it coming to life
3. Complete and utter hate & contempt for no other reason that the project seems endless and I will scream if I have to add another stitch to it
4. Awe and amazement when it is done and I realize I've made a beautiful thing

What can I say? Stitchers be crazy. Here are some more detailed pictures:

If you're still reading this, thank you! I'll be back next time with my next project for Phase One: Excitement! Until then, I'd love to hear of your own creative process. I hope you're all well and happy crafting, thank you as always for your comments, and see you next time :)

Guardian Spirit: Almost there!

I think I have a grandiose sense of my own stitching abilities, because I honest to goodness thought that the next time I wrote on here, I'd have a finish to show you all. Cue ironic laughter. Here's where we're at people:

 

Now, you see that poncho? That big, colorful, enormous shawl thing? Yeah, I thought I could finish that shawl in a week or less. Naive little fool.

It turns out that the shawl is huge. And absolutely full coverage, from one end of the design to the other.  Oh and also, it is driving me insane, because there are so many weird shapes going on, and the pattern's hard to read, and the stitches look all wrong! You can't tell in the picture, but the stitches aren't laying as flat as they usually do, probably because I've been experimenting with stitching vertically (I usually stitch horizontally, but the shawl shapes just lend themselves to vertical stitches, so of course I thought this would be the perfect time to experiment). 

Anyway. This long ramble just to say: we're nearly there, and I can't wait! On the plus side, I'm loving the look of this little corner:

In other news, I've just finished an amazing book and I wanted to share it with you all (Shelly, if you're reading this, you're going to laugh): 

These Is My Words, by Nancy E. Turner. Now, why is this funny? Because I was 100% convinced I'd  already read  this book. In fact, when I saw Shelly's sampler over at her blog, I raved about how great the book was and how excited I was to see a sampler of it! And then I realized... Hang on a moment, the book I actually read was The Diary of Mattie Spencer by Sandra Dallas. Big facepalm moment, that one.

As for the book itself, I loved it. It was sad and tragic in places, but I loved how Sarah rose to every single challenge, how strong she was, and how realistically relationships were portrayed. As for the love interest in this one, wow. Let me just say, I am one to roll my eyes at a lot of romances out there, but my goodness, if there was ever a perfectly flawed, cheeky, intelligent, exasperating and brilliant hero ever written, it is in this book. 'Nuff said. 

I hope you're all doing well with plenty to keep you busy in all things crafty, thank you as always for your comments, and see you next time :)

Guardian Spirit, and why I like to cross stitch

Hi everyone! How are you all this week? I'm happy to report that my stitching bug is back, and my wintry routine of stitching while watching Gilmore Girls and cuddling my cats has been fully restored. It's wonderful! Here is how Guardian Spirit is doing so far:

I'm loving the blue stripe on her blouse and the sheen that it has- isn't it pretty? Funny as it may sound, the clothes in this piece really speak to me. It's something about the colors and patterns in the fabric. I just find them gorgeous. Here are some closeups:

This week I've been doing some thinking about why I like cross stitching so much. It's a hobby that I started back in 2018, because I wanted something "easy" to do with my hands, something that allowed me to make something pretty in a simple way.  And I haven't stopped ever since! So, here are my reasons for loving cross stitch:

1. It's simple. Essentially, cross stitching is literally making an x with thread, over and over again. Most people can learn it. And that's why I love it: because when I'm exhausted at the end of the day, I really just want to relax with a project and not have to think. 
2. You can do it anywhere. You don't need to be sitting at a desk or going anywhere special. You can stitch away on the couch, in bed, at the beach... Anywhere you're comfortable! And for me this is a real winner. 
3. So many themes! You can create pretty much anything, from nature scenes to fairies to nerdy pop culture. So you can't get bored :)

So, those are my reasons. What are yours? Why do you like to cross stitch?

I hope you've had a wonderful weekend with plenty of things to enjoy! See you next time :)

Losing the stitching bug and coming back up

I'm baaack! How is everyone? Before I say anything else, thank you so much for your comments on my last entry- I appreciate every single one of them and they put a smile on my face every time :) I'm sorry I didn't answer, I've been MIA in all things cross stitch!

I had some personal things come up that made me completely lose the stitching bug these last couple of weeks, but thankfully it's all sorted now and I am back to working on this piece, and here is the progress so far:

We have a wolf! With an adorable little face, just look at him:

That's a happy puppy :) And there's backstitching all over the project now, so I'm all caught up!

I have also made my very first handmade needle minder:

What do you think? This was originally a pin, which I love because it reminds me of they way my cats sleep all cuddled up together. I used an old pair of pliers to take the sharp bit of the pin off, filed away what remained, and glued on some magnets. I have to say, I like the result, and will probably be making more!

Here it is in action while I stitched in the sunny terrace one morning:

We've been enjoying our winter break these past two weeks and it's been wonderful- we did some hikes, caught up on movies and books, and had more staycation days than should be legal. There's been a lot of homemade pizza going around and of course, time spent with friends. 

How has everyone been? I hope you're all doing great and have plenty of projects to keep you busy! Until next time, happy stitching :) 

Guardian Spirit: Week 4

You know how sometimes you're working on a project, and you genuinely feel like you're not making any progress? That's how I've felt this week with Guardian Spirit, but after sifting through my pictures, I've realized that it's actually coming along quite nicely! So, here is Guardian Spirit, one month in:

We have some background, progress on the neck, backstitching and some more of the second feather! So, all in all, pretty good. I'm enjoying this project a lot, and it's making me want to take on other large projects in the future. 

Also, I have just finished reading The Giver of Stars by Jojo Mojes and oh, my goodness. What a book!

It was nominated for Best Historical Fiction in the 2019 Goodreads Awards, and I really thought it would win. Alas, it didn't, but it swept me away. It's set in 1930s Appalachia, where an English woman moves after impulsively marrying an American man from there. The marriage doesn't really go well, but she finds a sense of purpose in being one of the librarians of the "pony library" that's just opened in her town: she rides her horse up the mountains and delivers books to the people who live there. That's the premise of the book, but of course the story offers so much more: strong friendships among women, a glimpse into post-depression rural America, the grit and strength of mountain people, and the ways in which we keep going in life in spite of difficulties, all against the background of coal mines and gorgeous mountains. 

Anyway. That long paragraph just to say: go and read this book if you haven't already! (And if you have, do leave your opinions below!)

I hope you're all doing well and are enjoying your week so far, until next time, happy stitching :)

Guardian Spirit: Week 3

Well, good evening everyone! How are you all doing? I wanted to show you my progress on Guardian Spirit this week, because lo and behold, we have a face!

I know, right?! She's looking amazing,if I do say so myself. I'm loving the gloss in her hair, earring, lips and cheeks, it's so lifelike. Speaking of which, there's also a whole complete feather, and an earring! I can't wait to backstitch them to give them extra pop.

Stitching the face was... interesting, to say the least. I was so close to the project that I couldn't see the whole picture and I kept thinking it was going to be a disaster. And there were times when she looked, well... absolutely terrifying:

I showed the above picture to my husband as he was passing by one afternoon and his eyebrows shot all the way to his hairline. Thankfully, however, she turned into this beauty:

So I am very pleased!

Today is a holiday here in Spain, so we made the best of it and drove over to the national park nearby to go on a hike. We chose a trail that goes along the mountainside, with the sparkling blue Mediterranean sea just to your right. 

The trail finishes off in a small cove that's perfect to sit in and have a picnic. We even got to feed some curious sparrows that wanted to share our meal. The weather was beautiful, a real spring day in the middle of winter. All in all a great day. Picture time:

How is your week going so far? I hope you're enjoying it and have some crafty project or other between your hands! Until next time, happy stitching :)

Guardian Spirit and Needle Minders

Hello everyone! I've finished week 2 of Guardian Spirit and wanted to show you all where it's at:

Now, it might not look like a lot of progress, but as my very Irish and poetic husband put it: "that is one big head!" And it really is! So. Many. Stitches. But that's ok, because I'm loving it.

In fact, this is one of the most fun (funnest? Most fun? I may be an English teacher, but this one always floors me) projects I've ever done, and one of the reasons I love it is that it's so diverse. Like, I'll pick it up and think, "What am I in the mood for? Stitching the frame? A feather? A half-stitched sky? A big old head?". There's so much possibility it's impossible to get bored! It's awesome.

Needle Minders

In the cross stitch supplies side of news: I have new needle minders! 

Story time: one of my best friends, who used to be my colleague and also happens to be a chronic illness spoonie, and with whom I've spent a lot of evenings complaining about Life in General and also binge watching Netflix, just came back from the States. She was there visiting a friend of hers, and that girl was nice enough to let me ship some needle minders to her house (thank you, Rachel!) So my friend brought them back with her, because she is amazing. 

And you guys, just look at these:

Aren't they the cutest thing ever??? I'd had these in my Etsy wish list for a very long time, and I'm so happy to actually own them! One of the cat minders is for my mom, though we don't know who will keep which yet.

And there's also this hobbit door, with an adorable fairy that the seller sent for free:

What can I say? I'm in love. 

Disney

Also, in case the needle minders weren't already wonderful, my friend went ahead and spoiled me with not one, but two Disney dolls!

Ariel because The Little Mermaid was the first Disney movie I owned and binge-watched as a child, and Rapunzel because it's probably my favorite of the modern Disney movies, apart from Frozen of course. 

And with that rambling post (are you still there?) I'll leave you with hopes that you've had a great weekend, and enjoyed your stitching :)

Project starts and a change of mind

Have you ever had a crush on someone that seemed absolutely perfect, and  so of course you projected all the qualities you wanted on to them, and then that person opened their mouth and you realized that it would never work? Yeah... That's what happened to me this week with a cross stitch project (I'm not crazy I promise). Let's start:

Morning Lake

Morning Lake by Dimensions

I don't know if you remember, but for a while now I've been wanting to stitch Morning Lake by Dimensions as a companion piece for Whiskers and Wings, because in my imagination the kitten lives in a wooden cabin. Coincidentally, Morning Lake was also the first Dimensions piece I saw and fell in love with, over a year ago. So there was a lot of history between us, let me tell you. That's why I was so excited to start it this week, and I did.... and I hated it.

The process was just... No. It was mostly half stitches, with 3 or 4 threads, and combining thread colors, which you would have thought would be fun but oh, my goodness. It nearly drove me insane. I spent three days on it, and on the fourth I decided that if I had to stitch another abstract leaf or a piece of sky I was going to hurl the project out the window and eat somebody. Which is my crazy way of saying that I don't think landscape pieces are for me. Here is where I left the project off in disgust:

Don't get me wrong, I still love looking at it and the finished result, but I think that I just don't have the patience to work on a piece that doesn't have a person or animal in it. Isn't that a funny thing to discover about oneself? So I don't know if I'll be working on it slowly on random days, or if this one's a hopeless case, but for now it's stashed away in my crafting cupboard.

Guardian Spirit

I wasn't the least bit remorseful however, because I went right into my stash and pulled out this beauty: 

This is a knock-off of a very old Dimensions pattern called Guardian Spirit (which I don't think you can find anywhere anymore), and if you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know that it is right up my alley, because I love all things Native American. I fell in love with this design on the spot, saw a couple of finished pieces online, and knew that I had to add this to my list of projects. I received it some weeks ago, and I just fell in love with the pattern. I mean, just look at this:

Just look at those geometrical fabric patterns combined with the falling hair and the folds in the fabric! My fingers were itching to stitch this as soon as I saw it. And the colors!

So rich, so beautiful. I can't get over them, I just can't. After Ivy, I don't mind hunkering down with a nice, long project, and this will be just the thing. Judging by the size, I imagine I'll be stitching this for about 3 or 4 months. This is where I'm at so far after three sessions:

Because the project is so big, I don't know if I'll be updating my progress weekly as I have been so far, or just whenever it makes sense visually. We'll see how it goes I guess!

Robot Vacuum

I know what you're thinking: What? But I just couldn't finish this blog entry without mentioning the newest honorary member of our family, our robot vacuum:

Have I mentioned it's PINK? Or "rose gold", as the marketing team would have it. I've named her Cinderella, because she's clearly a princess (seriously, it's pink!) but she's still cleaning our floors. Yes, I watched too much Disney growing up (and who am I kidding? I still do).

Do any of you have one of these things? We're delighted we got one! Our cats are not as thrilled with it as we are, and there is a serious rivalry going on, where both of them will follow it permanently around the house and pounce on it. There have been some hilarious moments and the robot's ok, so I think it's a win-win! 

How is everyone doing? I hope you've had a wonderful weekend so far and are ready for Monday again tomorrow. Thank you in advance if you take a minute to say hello, I love reading all your comments! Until next time, happy stitching.