Halfway Contest – Day Six-months-and-a-bit

February 2, 2014 by nathknits 6 Comments

Happy Groundhog Day!

Not a groundhog, but the world’s neediest cat, enjoying a rare sunbeam. I’m kind of in love with her, and will miss her when we go.

It’s a sunny day in London, so, six more weeks of winter for us.  Though they don’t have groundhogs here, I don’t think.  I wonder if maybe they should use a badger.  Six more weeks of dampness and rain.  I’d say it was a dumb way to predict the weather, but given how changeable the weather is here, it seems as good a system as any.  Anyway.  Happy halfway mark between the solstice and the equinox!

I promised you this post a week ago.  Sorry about the delay.

So, cross-stitching.  Given my general dislike for hand-sewing, I’m surprised that I like cross-stitch as much as I do.  It’s painting, with thread, for the artistically challenged who like their pictures all pixelly.  Like paint-by-numbers, only less messy, and with the ability to fix your mistakes if you make them.  I got back into it after I discovered Julie’s work through Dr. Thingo*, who asked me to make one for his office.  Then another friend had me make one for his home (scroll down further in the same post).  And I made bookmarks for the kids (even further).  Another friend, while her awesome home office was being built, suggested, half-joking, that I should make her one labeled ‘Carrie’s folly’.  I never took a picture of it, but you can see it in action (as it were) here.  Dr. Thingo requested another one for his office (ever get the feeling that he gets a little stressed out at work?).  This is what we settled on:

Sorry about the wrinkles. But it’s coming back to Canada and getting framed there and will be packed in a suitcase and schlepped around, so there’s no point in ironing it now.

I love the combination of what was intended to be a wedding sampler, with roses and hearts and the initials of the newlyweds and the date of their special day, but with a less than loving message in it.  It tickles my inner 12-year-old (who doesn’t lurk very far beneath the surface, I’ll admit).  Dr. Thingo had initially wanted flames, befitting the message, but I like the irony of this one better.

I love working on these.  I like starting with a blank canvas and slowly seeing the thing take shape.  I have an idea that I’ll make a super-complicated food themed still life for the kitchen someday (haven’t found a pattern I like yet).  Thing is, there’s only so much cross-stitch a person needs in their home so I can’t just keep churning these out.  So…

… do you want one?  Is there a message you’d like cross-stitched?  Do you have a friend who’s currently undergoing medical treatment and you’d like them to know you’re thinking of them (warning, contains profanity)? Want to send a message to your coworkers that you’re not taking any more requests (‘NO’ in big letters on a background of lilies?).  Feeling misanthropic? Or fatalistic?  It doesn’t need to be rude, even.  You could be patriotic.  Or zen.  Or frisky.  Or lovestruck.  Or poetic.  Or all of the above.  Whatever you like.  Leave a comment on this post by March 1, telling me what message you’d like cross-stitched. I’ll pick a name from the list via random number generator and the winner and I will come up with a design together.  I promise to deliver by the end of 2014.  I have no issues with profanity (and be warned, if you are not a fan, that people may put some in the comments), but I reserve the right to veto (ie. no name-calling, hate speech, sexism (in either direction), or love letters for Rob Ford, please).  We can make it work!  Go nuts!

Also, happy Year of the Horse!

* Yes, Dr. Thingo has started a blog,(well, started anew, after abandoning another blog after many years of not posting**) about the adventures of his rocket cup.  Go see!  He made a logo and everything!

** No, it’s not blank.  But the letters have faded to white.  He built in a Stagnometer ™, which slowly faded the text away, to shame himself into posting more often.  As you can see, it was a raging success.  If you really want, you can see the text by highlighting it, or go visit the archives, once you figure out where the link is on the page.