WOYWW 820/40 - February 2025 update

Hello and welcome back to WOYWW, the weekly blog hop showing the chaos behind the crafting as always.... Hosted by the very lovely Sarah at Sarah's Craft Shed...

No really snappy title from me this week because I'm typing this at a ridiculously late hour while I wait for our latest flosstube video to upload to YouTube.  Sigh...

Do I have much to report? Not really.  A few bits of stitching here and there and nothing relating to any other crafts whatsoever!  Time seems to get away from me these days since I started my new job on 4th Feb.  I'm either working at one or the other and possibly earning less than before.  Seriously starting to rethink my strategy on that!  

No desk shot tonight but stitching wise:

The disaster that was Cryptids, where I'd stitched the right hand border one stitch too far to the right has now been fully corrected and I can finally finish off the last four cryptids in the middle.  It is hoped that I might finish it this year but we'll have to see how that pans out!

Siren's Lament trundles onwards, slowly but surely.  I worked it out yesterday - if I do 200 stitches every day, I will get it finished in 2 years and about 3 months.  So it'll likely be double that after all.  LOL.

Nevermore is moving along quite nicely too:

And the Chatelaine is finally seeing a bit of love after sitting in the naughty corner for about a year.  I really REALLY need to get this worked on and finished.  That said you're looking at a tiny portion of the overall design and it's probably going to take me a good year if I can work on it every day (or close to), maybe two.  It is incredibly beautiful and detailed though.

  

The fabric is a 28 count evenweave - meaning that there are 28 holes to the inch, and usually one stitches with two strands of floss across two threads of fabric, as you can see from the larger crosses on the right hand side of the first picture.  However, the yellow ochre through to blue-green coloured tiny stitches around the central beading are one strand of floss over one thread of fabric. There's over 600 stitches there, and it was eye-watering work but so satisfying to complete.  

Below is the overall completed design - see if you can work out which section I'm working on! 

I'm sorry it's not a great photo but it's all we manage to download from the website currently.  It will give you a decent idea of the sheer scale of this piece.

Right - well I have a video to go and publish.

Happy Hopping!

Morti x

WOYWW 817/37 - spot the difference...

Well - hello!  Welcome back to WOYWW as hosted by the fabulous (and Chalet School Friend!) Sarah of Sarah's Craft Shed, who is the most able successor of our dear Julia.

Thank you all for your lovely and kind comments last week. Nobody is to feel bad about missing previous news or not commenting etc.  I've been AWOL for a long while and am not the most diligent/frequent of bloggers or readers, and I've missed a lot of everyone's lives. Sympathies, love and hugs are automatically given from me and should be assumed as sent whatever your situation.  This community has been a family for a long while and whilst prodigal son I am not, occasional returning sheep I am.  I know you all are supportive and I am blessed to have you within my circle, albeit quite a widely spread one. That said, I mentioned to Mr B that there's a WOYWW crop coming up (mentioned, as one does, with one internal eyebrow raised to see what the response would be hehehe) and he said to book somewhere to stay overnight as Stoke is a loooooong way north.  Although permission is not required, blessing is generally sought and I would say that was definitely given!

I'm sorry I didn't get round to y'all to return the comment favour but I plan on making sure I do this week. I might even remember to answer some of your questions either in this Blog or in my visits, so if I forget, do please give me a poke!  And come back here later in the week in case I've added (or corrected) something...

First the desk.  As the title says, spot the difference. LOL  

I did actually complete two projects that have been waiting to be dealt with. Well, not projects per se but "things wot need fixing".  One was a zipper pull I'd previously made for a project back for Mr B, but the clasp of which had broken so the whole thing needed taking apart and remaking.  It's two inches long, took me all of 5 minutes to fix, but has been waiting at least a year.  What am I like?  So, job done.  It was in fact hidden on that pile of a desk last week, and is gone now - but you'll never spot it.

The other task was the embroidery scroll frame that was on the chair last week.  The staples had rusted through the webbing (to which you stitch your fabric) and new webbing needed stapling onto the rods.  Finally got round to that as well.  Another 5 minute job.  An easy win.  A quick dopamine fix, so to speak.  I do not know why it took me so long to sort out but it's done now.  The scroll frame is ready to go back in service and another item ticked off the list.

Stitching wise we have progress further into Siren's Lament, now on the next couple of rows below where I was....  can't wait to work more on her face.

BJ asked if it was cross stitch - it's actually tent or half-cross stitch.  Some would say needlepoint.  There's no hard and fast rule with full coverage, just personal preference.  With this particular design, and there being such a large area of pitch back, I decided to use three strands of floss over one thread on the fabric, and do tent stitch.  It gave me the coverage I needed in the black.  another one I'm doing is two strands over one (we shorten it to simply 2 over 1) tent stitch, but some folks do 1 over 1 full cross.  I work on the theory that I can stitch twice as fast with two strands and tent stitch but it does have its issues, such as warping the fabric if you're not careful.  I try, but it won't be until it's finished and washed that I'll know for sure.

And the Alluring Sorceress has moved on further too - squint and you'll spot a third shade of blue appearing.  The colours are just gorgeous....

Angela (Crafting With Jack) - I'm happy to have been of storage inspiration!  You asked how I reached the top shelf and the answer is simply - with a step ladder!  I have my very own two-step ladder in the craft room.  It never leaves and is solely for the purpose of hopping up and down as necessary.  Sometimes I stand on the futon to reach the shelves above there but the rest of the time a mini ladder suffices.  In answer to your second question, I try to put things up there that I rarely need.  So that I don't have to get up and down too often.  That said, both myself and Mr B are quite short so the next shelf down sees a fair bit of ladder action!  I hope that answers your questions?

Well, I'm late posting this and now the dogs are complaining that I haven't walked them so I'd better fly....

Happy hopping!

Morti x

WOYWW 816/36 - A very belated Happy New Year!

I'm here, I'm alive and I'm ok!  A very belated happy new year to everyone.  Life kinda caught up with me, overtook me, and left me standing still.  LOL

So first things first - let's get the elephant in the room out of the way.  I pretty much left everyone hanging and so I'm pleased to let you all know that my results from my operation came back and they're all clear. No cancer, and no need for accelerated re-scans.  Once every three years is sufficient, apparently.  I have what is called a "radial scar" or a "sclerosing lesion" and whilst there is a risk of malignancy much later on, it is a very low risk.  Or so I'm told.  I'm not going to worry about it as there's no point stealing joy from the now on the off chance there may be trouble a long way ahead.  I'm well now and that's what matters.

Let's switch topics and talk about what you're really here for - WOYWW.  What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.  Once hosted by the lovely Julia, we now have it hosted by the equally lovely Sarah over at Sarah's Craft Shed.  The idea is to show your work desk, warts and all. The Chaos behind the Creations.  Well, we still have chaos...

Much as I love my crafting, and my craft room, I never seem to have the time to create and when I do, I don't have the energy.  Well, if I'm honest, I have the time if I stop wasting it on pointless pursuits (doom scrolling, anyone?), or stop stitching.  Sometimes one feels a little like a hamster on a wheel where the stitching is concerned, hehehhe.

So as you can see below, chaos has indeed resumed.  I mean, technically it's been reshuffled.  But there have been some biggish changes (new boxes in the Kallax, for example, to hold my DMC Threads) and the desks are still holding WIPS to be completed. I WILL get there.  

I just need my job to quieten down a little after the flurry of a new start and all that goes with it - answering immediate queries and dealing with post-Xmas issues, onboarding new clients who failed to return paperwork pre-Xmas, supporting a client as they bring in new HR software systems (and drag their reluctant employees into the 21st century!), and getting to grips with my own new systems.  Then I also start a part time job in February - still working from home but it's likely to be a big time suck three days a week as any job is.  So as I see it, I have this week and next to clear that pile on my desk and to get back to creating new stuff.

Stitching wise, here's some of the latest progress:

Siren's Lament - finally got to the end of that row!

The "Alluring Sorceress" by Dimensions is really starting to become more defined and you can see the patterns appearing in that robe,

And Lilith of Labrador's tail is really coming along with gaps being filled in.

I have a list of outstanding tasks that need doing (I owe a certain H an ATC - I've not forgotten and I WILL do it!) so time to sign off, and get on with clearing that pile of finishes waiting for me. And I'll document them and share next week so there's my accountability!

Happy Hopping!