Weekly cross stitch update

Ok, the picture is not very nice... I've just taken the fabric out of the frame and don't want to iron it, as it will only go in the bag for the next 4 weeks for the next rotation.

This week, I've done almost all of the left side - the white flower and the smaller buds. The real impact of this picture though will come with the backstitch - and there is a lot of it which will take almost as long as the cross stitch I recogn - every stem, leave, bud etc has backstitch around it!

Clematis update and new start Egyptian

Ok, I have to admit again that I haven't been a very good blogger. Since going back to work.... yep, there never seems to be enough time at the end of the day to go on the laptop. To be fair on me, we did have an awful connection, and I was hardly able to get wifi connection here upstairs in 'my' room. the connctions is forever breaking up, this is soooo annoying.

Anyway, this is the Clematis update from 2 weeks ago. I actually do start enjoying this piece.

And .... here is the new start:

It will be an a big Egyptian design which I'm stitching as a SAL with my friend Jo. Ever since we went to the Egyptian Museum in Berlin I am really fascinated by all stuff Egyptian, Jo has been for many years.The design is by Anchor and was published in British Cross Stitch Collection Magazine February 2007. We are stitching on 16 ct. Rustico Aida which I think sets it off beautifully. 16ct is one of my favourite counts anyway. The face is stitched with quite a lot of Anchor Marlitt thread (shiny thread) which is not too bad to stitch with actually. I expected it to be very slippery, but it is not half as bad as some metallic threads.  This is how the design will look like when finished:

Cross Stitch up-date Clematis and review of kit

 

Here is my update from last weeks rotation which is a DMC kit 'Clematis'. The stitching somehow didn't 'flow' last week, but I think I might have finished about 1/4 of the chart. Than there is the backstitch, and there is going to be a lot of backstitch! However, on this piece, I think the backstitch is going to 'make' this piece. 

Now some points about the quality of the kit. Firstly, the linen and threads are excellent, and I especially like the way the threads are not only sorted, but the symbol + colour number is printed on the thread sorter. Brilliant, and makes stitching so much easier:

However, whoever designed the chart is not a cross stitcher! Some of the symbols are very similar in appearance, and the fat backstitch lines are on top of it on the chart - in many parts it is impossible to see which symbol is underneath that backstitch. So it's guessing... and I keep going back with another lenght of thread thinking  'oh yeah, I think there should be a little bit more of this or that colour there... I'm sure I've missed out another one there...etc etc. ' Well, I know there are some cross stitchers who like to change the charts according to their needs, but I am not one of them. I need a clear chart without ambiguity.

(I've got 2 more kits in the same series LOL)