Tales of Commuting Stitcher: Part the First

Well I discovered late this week, that yes I actually can stitch on the train on the way to and from work each day.  There are some limitations to be taken into account. Take small projects, on large stitch counts with lots of blocks of single colours. 

Don't even *think* about a BAP size or even a small TW!

I took Party Cat with me this week on the train - it is on 14 ct Aida and does indeed have large blocks of single colours.  You can see how much progress I did on Thursday and Friday in my blog.

Things I learned late this week:

• Progress is much slower than normal - but hey its progress right.
• Stitches aren't quite as even as usual -but well I'm not sure anyone else will notice.
• You can only stitch during the country part of the trip - once you hit the city limits, there are too many people.
• If you have a seat on your own and stitch with long threads, people tend to find other seats wherever possible before sitting next to you.
• Embroidery scissors fit well in an inside pocket of your overcoat.
• Don't drop your orts while wearing a black woollen overcoat.  The bright reds and blues stick to the coat and are very obvious when you get into work.
• You can sometimes attract nutters - one person sat next to me Thursday afternoon and started reading his bible, glancing across at my stitching and muttered about "heathen images" for the rest of the trip.  Or maybe that's just because it was psychedelic ...
• Always take spare needles - I've lost two this week already. Train lurches as I'm threading the needle and out it flies .... free, free at last .... wonder where they'll be found...

In other news I actually did some normal stitching at nights - not much some nights I fell asleep with the needle in hand without a single stitch being done - but I did manage to finish another motif on Hanky Psanky for Tracy.  I'll post a pic when I get the go-ahead from Tracy.

Well its almost bedtime - ready for a 5am start again tomorrow morning ....

{Post edited to include a reference to Hanky Pysanky now that Tracy has given permission for the pic to me shown .....}

Mel's Sunday Update

Well this is the second non-update week in a row.  Only started stitching again for the first time in two weeks yesterday.  Finally over the flu and sinusitis enough to pick up a needle again.

Well the ten stitches I put in yesterday weren't worth a photo, and it is a small model stitch for Tracy of Inkcircles anyway - so you'll have to wait :) :)

However I do have photos of the previous little object I made for Tracy.  Its a biscornu using motifs and the second colourway for an upcoming design Hanky Psanky. I can't wait for this whole design to be released!  I adore it!

Shhhh! Sneak Peek !!!!

A while ago Tracy (Inkcircles designs) posted the following in her blog:


"... My new Ink Circles pattern
being sent off to the model stitcher. There seems to be a resurgence
of stitching on black. With my penchants for folk designs, symmetry,
and geometric designs, I recalled one of the loveliest arts that
traditionally is done on a black ground. This will be a
sampler, titled Hanky Pysanky. For those of you have no idea what
pysanky is, or maybe have seen it and just don't recognize the word,
pysanky is the traditional Ukrainian Easter egg dying process. You can
see some eggs here,
but you can't see my design until Helen posts a progress shot. Dawn
Sky is the second floss from the left. In addition to the pink pysanky
color scheme,
I've mapped out the colors for the equally traditional
red/orange/yellow colorway. (I know not everyone is a "pink" person -
that's why Carrie makes so many different colors!)"





Well I was lucky enough to be selected to do a couple of motifs in the
red/orange/yellow colourway. Here's a couple of pics of two motifs to
whet your appetite for the whole sampler .....