Weeks Dye Works – The Lyf So Short

"Happy Black Black Cat Day" by The Trilogy, my August 2014 Smalls Challenge entry — “Happy Black Black Cat Day” by The Trilogy, my August 2014 Smalls Challenge entry

My August Smalls Challenge 2014 entry is this little cutie by The Trilogy, called “Happy Black Black Cat Day.” I actually finished this one on time (August 30th), but then I procrastinated for a week before posting it on this site (and, by extension, the Smalls Challenge site) today. Even when I’m on time, I’m not on time.

I thought I was working on 32-count natural linen, but it turns out it was 28-count, so the whole design is a bit larger than I expected. I also messed up and the cat is actually one row longer than it’s supposed to be (and one row higher in the lower half, which necessitated redesigning the “Z” in the alphabet and the orange star next to it). My eyes are getting too old for this kind of stitching, I’m afraid. As a result, the design is a bit more rectangular than it was originally supposed to be.

I also made some deliberate modifications in the design. Instead of the colors called for, I used Gentle Art Sampler Threads “Cornhusk” for the cat’s eyes, “Green Apple” for the alphabet, and “Brethren Blue” for the collar. I used Weeks Dye Works “Mulberry” for the purple lined edging, “Autumn Leaves” for the orange stars, and “Mascara” for the cat (it used an entire skein plus a little bit where I supplemented by using one strand of “Mascara” with one strand of virtually indistinguishable DMC 310). I also added some whiskers in DMC 3799, and left out two of the tiny star charms.

My overly ambitious entry for July, Eileen Bennett’s “Very Victorian… Acorns,” is still underway:

Eileen Bennett, "Very Victorian... Acorns" WIP, my July 2014 Smalls Challenge entry — Eileen Bennett, “Very Victorian… Acorns” WIP, my July 2014 Smalls Challenge entry

This is sooooooo not a “small” design, even though it’s less than 90 X 70 stitches. I don’t know what I was thinking! It’s been awhile since I’ve done a sampler, and I thought it would go quicker than it has. I can also tell a huge difference in the quality of my eyesight since the last time I worked on a sampler like this that requires such tiny, precise stitches. For example, the line I’m currently working on is supposed to have the word “acorns” in the center done in one-over-one stitching. I’ve already had to frog it twice today. Blurgh. I think I’m going to set this one aside for awhile.

I’ve already decided that I’m going to do something quite small for September. It’s important to set realistic stitching goals.

Giveaway: If you’d like my gently used copy of “Happy Black Black Cat Day” with two of the small star charms included, leave a comment below letting me know.

Pardon the wrinkles please! I’m on a deadline.

Continuing in my fine tradition of sneaking in just under the deadline of the grace period (or at least what I think is the grace period), I bring you this month’s (by which I mean June’s) entry for the Smalls Stitchalong (SAL) challenge. This is my version of Bent Creek’s “EduCATed,” a sweet little chart I bought eons ago and have been meaning to do ever since. It combines two of my all-time favorite things: cats and books. Together at last. And a punny title! Who could ask for anything else?

This pattern has two personal connections for me as well. First, the cat in the pattern reminds me a lot of my adorable, big beastie of a boy cat, Barnaby. Here he is in all his glory:

The Amazing Barnaby — Could I be more handsome?

I took it as a sign from the cross stitch gods that the name of the floss for the cat’s body was Gentle Arts Sampler Threads “Barn Grey.” “Barn Grey” for my grey Barnaby. Serendipity.

Sadly, lately, I spend more time watching that television in the background than I do reading. But I do enjoy old-fashioned hardcover books like the ones in “EduCATed.” My current obsession is collecting all of the Coralie Bickford-Smith Penguin editions. They’re repros, not vintage (obviously), but she uses contemporary colors and styles to capture that nineteenth-century Art Nouveau look beautifully. Here’s a pic of her first series, some of which you can also see in the background from one of my previous blog entries:

Coralie Bickford-Smith books, first set — So beautiful… and they will all be mine one day…

So that’s it for today — short and sweet, with some beautiful hardcover books at the end. Seriously, check out the whole collection — it’s amazing.

Update July 27, 2014: In case anyone’s interested (and, I suppose, in case anyone’s not, too), I made some floss substitutions for “EduCATed.” The green book (second from the bottom) and the green in the green-and-gold book (third from the bottom) are two different (very different) dye lots of Gentle Arts Sampler Threads “Dried Thyme.” It’s hard to believe they’ve been sold under the same color name. For the collar and the lines on the book second from the bottom, I substituted “Chesapeake” and for the cat’s eyes I substituted “Olive,” both by Weeks Dye Works. I chose “Olive” because it was a better match for Barnaby’s eyes. For the pages in the books, I substituted color #120 overdyed floss by Needles Necessities.

GIVEAWAY: If you would like my gently used chart for “EduCATed,” post a message below or send me an email and I will send it to you. Thank you for checking out my blog!