An update and a finish!

Spring Queen is needing the end, maybe another 2 or 3 rotation weeks, and than it will be the be only the beading left to do. No rush on it though, as I would really like to get it framed professionally, and need to save up for it. I'm not really good framing myself... yes, I do it on smaller pictures, and I find that my framing skills never do justice to the picture, and it is annoying me. So, especially for the big pieces, I'd rather save up for a professional finish.

And I finished the Glasgow Rose Cat picture. With hindsight, I should have stitched it on much smaller fabric size. This is 14ct Aida, and it comes out so big, the crosses are really big to me as well. I don't mind Aida too much, but in the future, I will probably only stitch on 16ct or 18ct, nothing bigger than that, for a neater and tidyer finish. This picture is rectangle, panel-size and it might be more suitable for a wall-hanging.

Despite the finish, I'm not going to add a new piece to my rotation (*sigh*), as this now leaves me with 5 pieces in my rotation, and that is more than enough. I need another finish before adding on another piece. The new one coming in then is going to be: Giraffe Mother and Child from Sunset. This is going to be for my daughter Ruby's room, she loves giraffes ever since seeing one at London Zoo when she was about 5 years old or so. The giraffe sticked out its long tongue, and Ruby was so impressed and couldn't stop talking abut it. I hope she still likes her room decorated with giraffe pictures, as nowadays she's got High School Musical and Hannah Montana on the wall....

Here is my update from Glasgow rose cat, my rotation piece from last week. I managed to do quite a bit, its almost all the leaves and most part of the flower. I did get it out almost every day - I can be quite a slow stitcher and sometimes I do not stitch for days at end, just too tired. But with Nafees not here, I somehow feel I have more time for those things. Stupid really, because he does not mind me stitching at all! I'm not sure if I really like this picture any more. Problem is that it is really big. It is stitched on 14ct Aida, and even though it cannot be seen on this picture, all the crosses come out really big, not fine at all, the Aida is shining through the cat...It would have been nice on 18ct, I guess. I don't think I will stitch on 14ct again.

This week's rotation is Nature's Home Afghan, and I'm on square 2. Its a bit awkward to stitch, with all that fabric of the afghan to hold. and it's no so easy to put away. I have to take the hoop out and fold the fabric if I want to put it back into a bag, just leaving it on the side is not an option as Bonnie would have fun ripping it and chewing the hoop. Its easier if I stitch on my lapframe, that will just go up on the cupboard out of Bonnie's reach.

My update on the Glasgow Rose cat from last week. i did quite a lot - managed to finish the cat and the vase, started now on the flowers. I guess only another 2 rotations and this one is finished.

I finished the rosebud heart from Elisa Tortonesi-Siess. It is done 'over one' , and I enjoyed it enourmously. Might try to make a pincushion, or put it into a small frame. it was done so quickly, and is just so stunning.


And here is the update on the cat picture - my rotation from last week. yes, I have picked up my rotatiib again. After hating the cat picture (because the black does not cover the fabric properly, it shines trough), I sort of made up my mind of just continuing with it anyway, and it seems to turn out ok. I'm well into my cross stitch at the mo, no more studying until January, plus my new lamp makes it such a pleasure

Here's an update on the cat picture. I am very very tempted to put it far far away and never to set sight on it again.... what's happened - well, when I firsted started it said 'stitch black in 3 strands'. As the cloth is 14ct Aida, I didn't do 3 strands, cause I thought that would look really bulky. Hm, now, that the cat is finished, the white aida shines through and it really does not look covered! I now started to go over the black again with another strand. What a lot of work just because I couldn't make my mind up at the beginning and didn't see the obvious. But I'm determined not to let it become a UFO.

Here's Dan, making bread! He's had cooking lessons in school today, and he liked it so much, he came home and made some more bread. Now I'm not a domestic goddess I have to admit, indeed, I never made bread in my life! and there is my 13 year old, baking bread. I'm still waiting for those terrible teenage hormones to get through, but Dan has been a real pleasure of lately.


And here's an update on the Glasgow rose cat from last week. I got too bored with only black, so I started to add a bit of the border. Anyway, only the tail to go.d

An update on the cat picture - from about 2 weeks ago. Only black is a bit boring. I have been 'on call' this week, but it wasn't too busy. Submitted TMA04 on Wednesday - another one bites the dust. next tma is due on 11 July, but it looks like there is not too much reading to it. The next book is based on 'theories of criminal justice' , quite similar to the previous theory book. One of the TMA questions is on Restorative Justice, and I think I quite like the concept and will probably go with this one.

Finally got myself a good pair of goggles today (goggles as in - swimming), it really does make a big difference. Can see and swim under water now - yeah! Apart from that, we'll have to get Imran's bag ready, he is going on his big trip to Wales next week.

Last weekend, 3 of the kittens went to their new homes, with Jake. I'm quite pleased because I know where they are going, and I know that his family are real cat lovers as well. And we can still visit at least one of the kittens who will stay with Jake, the other two are going to his grandma.
Well, this leaves us with 6 (5 if you discount Thomas, it is now final that he will stay with us I guess, much to Danial's delight.
An update on the Cat picture from the previous week:
I suddenly felt like knitting last week, and completed 9 squares for the blanket (this is from the magazine where they send you 4 magazines every 4 weeks or so, and each of them has - apart from other things - a tiny bit of woll for a square which eventually forms a blanket. The knitting was fun - I really started to enjoy it and thought I'm starting a knitting-phase. However, disaster struck when I tried to iron the piece (as recommended!). I used of course the lowest iron-setting, and put the square between two thick towel - but even so, the wool almost disolved from even this small heat! It surely must be the cheapest of the cheapest acryl wool. I don't have enough wool to knit the spoiled square again. Suppose could use some wool from my stash, but I lost the will to knit at the moment!

update on last week's project - Glasgow Rose Cat. I started it on Saturday, so not much to see, however, you can already guess what it's going to be, can't you. Not much stitching this week, have to do some serious study work. My assignment is due next week Wednesday, and I haven't even got it to draft stage. I resort again to getting up earlier, just too tired in the evening to do any studying.

and Kittens all over the place now. I spend 1hr cleaning after them after day, it can only get better ;-)