Saturday 31 December 2016

My Last Update of 2016. Page 33 of Adrift.


Adrift Page 33 is complete. I stitched through adversity to get this done before the New Year.  Adversity, you ask? Why yes, adversity.  To be more specific, my stand broke.  It broke Christmas Day.  The bolt that keeps the Q-Snap tightly held, so I can stitch, stripped, rendering it a challenge to stitch the last 3 columns of a really bloody heavy piece.  After a complete and total meltdown, which may or may not have included several words not fit for this blog, my solution was to shove it into the stand anyway, and then balance the bottom on a tin box, which was balanced on my lap.  It kinda, sorta worked as long as I sat veeeeery still and did.not.move.  Because the tiniest move would send Adrift tumbling out of the stand and onto the cat, who was trying to sleep peacefully on the rest of my legs. He eventually left in a huff, after Adrift fell on him about 10 times or so.   But on the plus side, I think I've invented a new thing - Cross Stitch Yoga.  It challenges you to sit as still as you can while stitching 7000 stitches.  And because I had a blanket on my legs, after a while it became Hot Cross Stitch Yoga. It's a thing, I tell you!  I'll probably end up famous because of it, and you can all say you knew me when...

Back on planet reality, I ended up going to Sew and Sew Uk and just buying a Lowry.  I have to say, it was a pretty good price, too!  I was expecting to really pay through the nose, but they were having a Christmas sale, and because I was a brand new customer, I got another discount.  So I ended up paying 77 pound sterling for the frame AND shipping, which, translated to Canadian funds, is $127. Not too shabby!  My current stand, a K's Creation, the owner has offered to replace the broken piece if I send it back, or just buy a new piece for $50 usd plus shipping.  I might still do that, and have a second frame on standby in case something happens to the Lowry.   Like me stripping the screw.
It will also be a frame that I can loan to guests who come and stitch.  

Now, back to Adrift, in the bottom picture, that line you see is just from the Q-Snap, it won't be permanent.  I hurriedly took a photo as soon as I was done because I was boiling from Hot Cross Stitch Yoga, and dead tired.  So I took a photo, packed it away and went to bed.  I know many people are worried that Q-Snaps will damage their work, but it won't.  Not permanently.

So, I think we can all agree that 2016 was a pretty crappy year, the one thing that I did get done was a mountain of stitching.  On this, the last day of the year my stitch tally stands as such:
Adrift: 13 page finishes
Snow Stocking: 8 page finishes
Winter Hat Owl: 6 page finishes. 
Giving me a grand total of 27 HaED Finishes.  Then there was the little Thing 1 and Thing 2 bibs that I made for my co-worker.  She had boys, by the way.

So even though 2016 was not the year we will look back on with "undiluted pleasure" to quote the Queen, I can at least look at this year and think to myself that I will never beat this record.  So the year isn't a complete loss.

I wish all of my kindreds who read this little blog a Happy New Year.  May your needles stay shiny and sharp, may your scissors never be confiscated by security at the airport, and may you stitch, stitch, stitch.

I'll see you all in 2017, or at Hot Cross Stitch Yoga.  





19 comments:

  1. Congratulations on all your stitching progress, the projects are coming together so quickly. Best wishes in the new year, good luck marketing your hot cross stitch yoga business haha.

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    1. Ha ha ha, could you imagine actually marketing hot cross stitch yoga? Just think of the clothing line!

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  2. Thank you for making me smile. 27 HAED pages, eh? That's well over 200,000 stitches, somewhere close to 4,000 a week! You did well Rachael!

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    1. Well, some of those were partials, even though I didn't count 4 partial pages of Adrift, because they were just too small an amount of stitches, but the majority of those were full pages. I had many a1800-2000 stitch a night. It adds up. Fast!.

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  3. Wow you are one speedy stitcher, even in challenging conditions! I think you're onto a winner with Hot Cross stitch Yoga. Worry no more about sitting down all day with your stitching- you are actually exercising!
    Happy new year to you.

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    1. I had the luxury of time. Lots and lots of nights where I sat up and stitched until 6 or 7 in the morning because I was transitioning to night shift. With the hubby sleeping, it's really all I could do. You'd be surprised how many stitches you can do in a night.

      I think I've just come up with another idea, marathon cross stitch yoga! It'll be a thing! We're all gonna be n such good shape!

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  4. Happy New Year. Can not wait to see all your stitching in 2017.

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  5. First I have to tell you I laughed out loud and had to explain your cross stitch yoga to my family. That was really funny! Adrift is just GORGEOUS. I wouldn't be able to sleep being that close to finished with her. 27 HAED page finishes.....Wow! I wish you lots of luck in 2017. I'll enjoy cheering you along.

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    1. Did your family look at you like you were crazy? That's the look my husband gave me when I explained my brilliant idea.
      Adrift is sooo close, and I think I have to wait for my new frame to come before I can finish her, because she is so heavy and cumbersome. I'm nearly at a page finish on Snow, and I think I will just keep going with her. She's pretty light and easy to balance in my makeshift stand.

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  6. Wow! This is gorgeous! Way to stitch through adversity. It does not sound fun, but the results are stunning. You have done so much stitching this year. Congratulations! (I think I managed a total of 6 pages.) Wishing you an incredible 2017!

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    1. Thank you!!! I worked part time shift work, so it gave me lots of time to stitch. I won't be so prolific this year, because I've just moved into a full time job. But I'm excited to finish projects and start new ones.

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  7. Happy New Year! I hope that 2017 is a year of undiluted pleasure. That sounds like it would be pretty happy. I also hope it brings you no further Hot Cross Stitch Yoga! I mean, unless you really do want to turn it into a thing. Then I wish you lots of it so you can perfect this new and potentially zen-tastic healthful practice.

    Page 33 is a beauty! Congratulations on it and the other 26 HaED finishes. Brava. :)

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    1. Zen-tactic! I love it! I can't wait for my new frame to come....

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  8. Wow that's a lot of pages finished congrats! Adrift is sooooo close she's beautiful!

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    1. Well, to be perfectly honest, there were partial pages in that total. But I did do a heck of a lot of stitching throughout the year.
      Thanks for your lovely words on Adrift. So, so, so close....

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  9. LOL You're hilarious. I'm glad you had such a good sense of humor over such a diabolical occurrence. I don't know what I would do if that happened to me. The Stitch Gods were blessing you because of your cheery outlook and presented you with the Lowry at such a great discount. I'm so happy it all worked out. As for Cross stitch Yoga we are suffering 45 degree heat down under so it's kinda always hot stitch yoga - the yoga bit is when you have to stretch to keep each body part in line with the fan.

    You've had an amazing stitch year and I have faith that you will break this record for 2017. Congratulations on all your accomplishments. And wow 27 HAED finishes, that's amazeballs.
    Good job stunner. Happy New Year
    xo Alicia

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    1. Alicia, it was either laugh or cry. To be honest, I think I did a little of both. But there is one thing that I am, and that's tenacious! I was going to make it work come hell or high water.
      Wow, 45 degrees! I hope you have some amazing a/c. I don't think a fan would quite cut it for me.
      I think you win at the hot cross-stitch yoga. No one even comes close to that!

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