Tag: 2015 Smalls SAL

April 2015 Smalls SAL — Special Apology Edition

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First let me offer apologies for not keeping up with the blog as well as I should. A combination of a stressful semester teaching and a general pessimism about the state of my academic career left me with, simultaneously, too much to do and too little motivation to work on the blog. Again, many apologies to my dwindling number of faithful readers. Your support and interest in my assorted ramblings matter a great deal to me.

Second, let me offer apologies to those of you who are checking in from the 2015 Smalls SAL Challenge. I’ve not been participating very consistently (or at all) so far this year, but I’m hoping this month will turn things around.  Here’s this month’s entry, “Winston the Snowman” by The Trilogy:

Because he's fancy, that's why!
Because he’s fancy, that’s why!

I’ve had this chart and the button charms for almost twenty years now (yikes!), along with the chart and charms for the companion piece, “Cromwell the Snowman.”  I plan on stitching his buddy Cromwell later this year as part of the Smalls SAL. I switched the color of his jacket (Weeks Dye Works “Lancaster Red”) with the color of his mittens (Gentle Art “Tarnished Gold”); you can see the called-for color combination here. For some reason I can’t explain, I just preferred a red jacket to the mustard color. The other threads called for are WDW “Deep Sea,” “Onyx,” and “Whitewash,” and Gentle Art “Nutmeg” and “Old Blue Paint.” Any bets on how long it will take me to finish-finish this?

Speaking of finish-finishing, here’s the small I stitched for February that I never got around to posting (bad Kate!); it’s “Antique Hearts” by Charland Designs (another chart, this time with charm and threads, that I purchased twenty years ago (double yikes!):

I stitched this ornament as a Valentine’s Day gift for my two nieces, Ella and Lauren (hence the initials on the back), and finished it in typical pillow-style, which is practically the only style I know. This is the first time I added beads along the seam and I lucked out finding the matching white ribbon in my stash. It came out pretty well, if I do say so myself, and the girls liked it, which is what counts the most.

I hope to be back on track soon with the blog, which should be a lot easier now that the semester is over. I hope you will all stay with me — I have some exciting new plans for the future! Happy stitching to all!

Giveaway: If you would like the pattern for “Antique Hearts” with some of the leftover hand-dyed floss, leave a message below and I will send it to you along with another complementary pattern from Charland Designs.

All the News That’s Fit to Stitch — Part Fourteen

KateLeave a comment

Sorry I haven’t been posting a lot lately. The semester began and I got so busy correcting my five-thousandth “its/it’s” error that I have neglected this blog. I can’t believe this month is already over and I haven’t updated you all on my Christmas craftiness or on my New Year’s goals (preview: 2014 was a mixed success). I can tell you that I have made the pledge to continue the monthly Smalls SAL in 2015.

2015 Smalls SAL
New year, new logo!

I have not been remiss, however, in collecting lots of links just for you. Please to enjoy the following:

  • A small Canadian hand-knit sweater company makes a pretty compelling case that Forever 21 is ripping off its designs. An interesting commentary on the differences between hand-knit (20-25 hours, 100% wool, approximately $400) and machine-knit sweaters (? hours, acrylic, $39.95). Bonus — Wyatt Cenac makes a cameo appearance!
  • These knitted Chuck Taylors are adorable. And, if those aren’t to your taste, how about these?
  • Looking for something a little different to knit? Look no further.
  • Some beautiful yarn bombing photos (these last two links thanks to martinimade)
  • And even more beauty with “Chilean ‘yarn bombers’ plot large-scale knitting attack.” Amazing. Granny count: two. (“Granny count” courtesy of my friend, StitchBitch)
  • Chickens wearing sweaters. Yes, you read that correctly. Chickens wearing sweaters. But don’t knit any more sweaters for penguins, please.
  • Is Buzz Feed obsessed with knitting? If so, just keep it coming. And coming.
  • A cheeky article from the HuffPo blog called “Bros and Rows” about the history of men knitting. Sadly, knitting seems to have followed the same gendered trajectory as every other skilled profession: when men do it, it’s a respected, well-paid craft; when women do it, it’s an oft-dismissed, underpaid hobby. Granny count: one.
  • Along the same lines, the Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum (CAFAM) is hosting an exhibit of works by male quilters. Granny count: one.
  • It’s raining men! I don’t know quite how I feel about this, but I do know that the comments are disturbing on so many levels. At least they’re not wearing these. I mean, I want to support all things Etsy, but no. Just, no.
  • A great 7Up ad featuring yarn-bombing.
  • Looking for a scarf that’s a little out of the ordinary?

I promise to post more in February so I hope you will all hang in with me.

2014 Smalls Challenge — a belated entry for December

Kate2 Comments
Though she be but little, she is fierce...
Bent Creek “Holly & White”

So, my entry for the December 2014 Smalls SAL Challenge is finally done, and, as usual, it’s late (in case you hadn’t noticed). This month I chose a true small — only 32 stitches square — with only two colors — I chose DMC 500 and ecru — and a simple, graphic design that let me spend a lot of time stitching without having to consult the pattern every two minutes. Since I only had the chart, the red button is one I had just lying around in my button tin. It’s probably a little bigger than the design actually calls for, but I’m trying not to let perfect be the enemy of good, as “they” say, and this button is just darling.

This pattern, Bent Creek’s “Holly & White” (from their “One Color” collection), fell into my lap at a very convenient time. I had just completed, at the very last minute, the four Shepherd’s Bush stockings that I stitched for my brother, sister-in-law and my two nieces for Christmas (more about those tomorrow), and I only had a few days left until the end-of-the-month deadline. This design is perfect for a quick and easy Christmas gift. And yet somehow I was still late getting it finished. Sigh.

Looking back at all of 2014, I’m somewhat pleased with my efforts in the Smalls SAL Challenge. I say “somewhat” because, let’s face it, if I were grading on percentages, I’ve only earned 7.5 out of 12, or a lousy 62.5% (it’s 8.5 if you count the “extra credit” small from May — still, that’s only 71%), and I still haven’t finished July’s project, Eileen Bennett’s “Very Victorian… Acorns” (last seen here).

April Smalls Challenge
May Smalls Challenge
Bonus May Smalls Challenge
June Smalls Challenge
July Smalls Challenge, in progress
August Smalls Challenge
September Smalls Challenge
November Smalls Challenge

On the other hand, 71% is better than zero, which is where I was headed without the added incentive of participating in the Smalls SAL Challenge. I have not been doing as much cross stitch in the past couple years as I used to do and this group has been a great motivator. I’ve already signed up for the 2015 Challenge. I’ll go over the rest of my stitching goals for 2015 in a later post.

Here’s to a happy 2015 full of stitching goals met (and even surpassed perhaps?)! I can dream, can’t I? Happy New Year!