Some Eco Crochet - Cotton Pads

With all the trends at the moment pushing us to be more eco friendly I really like the idea of more and more reusable items in my home. On top of that I have been getting into looking after my skin better and trying to cleanse, tone and moisturise most days. I'm not perfect but I'm a lot better than I used to be.

So I have included a quick little pattern that I have worked out as a cute little circle and figured if you want to make these too you can use this pattern.

Materials:

Bendigo Woollen Mill 8ply Cotton in Two Colours
3.5mm Crochet Hook

Abbreviations:
TR - Treble stitch (double in the US)
DB - Double Stitch (Single in the US) 
CH - Chain stitch
Join - slip stitch to join
 

Instructions in UK terms:
Colour A
Start with a magic circle and ch2 into the circle.

Row 1: Crochet 12 TRs into the magic circle. Join into the top of the first TR. The chains do not count as a stitch. (12 stitches)

Row 2: Ch2, 2TR in every stitch, join (24 stitches)

Row 3: Ch2,*2TR in the first stitch, 1TR in the next stitch* repeat between * * until the end, join and finish off the thread (36 stitches)

Change to Colour B

Row 4: Ch1, *2DB in the first stitch, DB in the next 2 stitches* repeat * * to the end join and finish off thread. (48 stitches)

And here we have a finished circle.

I have already made about 10 of these little circles, and a whole pile of different ones before I settled on this pattern as making the best size and the cutest look.

I figure these are better than throwing out a whole pile of pads and much more eco friendly and much more friendly for my wallet in the long term. Particularly since these balls from Bendigo Woollen Mills are 200gms. I bought these 4 balls AGES ago. They are almost done soon....

I hope you like these little patterns and they give you an idea of what you can make around the house.

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin

Cross Stitch Backsides - My Opinion

Disclaimer: So I'm finally approaching this very very controversial topic and need to be clear that all backsides shown in the post below are posted with permission and are 100% kid friendly :D Just saying!

Now we have the silly out of the way lets get to the important discussion. Why and Why not?
There is debate after debate after debate on the cross stitch forums and groups around the internet about the backside of your cross stitch and how neat and tidy it should be. While it is always a matter of personal preference what you do and how neat you make it I want to talk about the whys. Because every beginner gets told that they need to do it one way or another but rarely does anyone explain WHY!

1. To avoid bumps when framing

The number one reason (only because I had to put something at number one) why you should keep a neat back on your cross stitch and particularly a flat back by avoiding knots and tangles is when you are framing and stretching your fabric over a flat piece of card. Any bumps behind the fabric are noticeable and will cause it to look a bit bumpy when framed.

Then we have pieces like this... so full of confetti that you can't help but make them a little messy but you do all you can to make it generally smooth.

2. So you can't see the backside from the front of your piece

We all know that person who leaves nothing to the imagination? Well in this case it's when you skip over stitches and leave these long trails of thread behind that are highly visible (particularly when done in black) Or you carry dark colours UNDER light colours and you get this highly contrasting colour showing through. It doesn't look nice, and it muddys the look. But if you watch for this then it doesn't matter.

The red as you can see in this piece is BEHIND the light colour. So thankfully doesn't stick out.

3. So that your piece is almost reversible. 

I know there are some great stitchers out there that can cross stitch so that it looks almost 100% reversible... I'm not one of those BUT I'm talking about when you choose to stitch on something like a jacket or table cloth where the back side is not covered. (scandalous I know!) and in this case you will want to make sure your stitching is neat on both sides because both are visible. Makes sense.


I just do the smart thing for me and choose not to stitch on something that I can't cover the back up with something or frame it so that you can't access the back. As you can see here while I am not 100% reversible when I try I do get it neat.

4. If you are putting your piece into a show

Now if your piece is not reversible but you are putting it into a show you do want to be aware of points 1 and 2 as they are important and visible reminders that all is not as it seems with your piece and can lose you marks.

I know it's been a while since this... 2012 but I did ask a lot of people about what makes a good piece for a show and points 1 and 2 are what they mention... also full coverage and very neat stitches but those ones aren't the point of this post.

5. Because you are proud of your work and want to learn how to do the correct techniques. 

This one is a contentious reason because the debate comes up well what makes it correct? But to be proud of your stitching, making it lay flat on the front and keeping a generally neat backside are not bad reasons. They are in a lot of ways the real reason we do any of this. If you want to have a piece you are proud of. That you can sit there and go hey look at this, you want to be happy with it. If everytime you stare at it you notice the thread that is peeking through that you carried a bit too far behind the white, are you going to enjoy it? There is NOTHING wrong with mistakes but it really is a matter of what you yourself are comfortable with and what you are most proud of.

Final Say

As with anything it is truly a matter of personal preference but if you know the reasons why you will often make different choices.

Also know that I will sometimes leave knots in the back of my stitching, if I realise too late or if I know I'm finishing it as a pillow how flat the piece is doesn't matter. I will carry threads, often waaayy too far particularly on my HAEDs because the coverage on that piece doesn't let the threads show through and it makes the counting and whole stitching process more enjoyable. But on a piece where I know the coverage is a little dicey I try to be aware of it and not carry the threads as far.I try to find a happy medium myself between anal about every little thing being perfect and just enjoying the process. Just so you know that all the pieces in this post are mine, they are sometimes super neat, sometimes halfway inbetween and in the case of the HAEDs they are quite messy but I am proud of all of them!

Only you can make a decision about what you are going to do and what you are able to do with your stitching, and only you can decide whether a choice is worth it. The only thing I'm trying to do here is give you the reasons WHY. Honestly if you are happy with your work then who am I to judge? Too many people on the internet are judgy but are they worth interacting with?

How do you feel about the backsides of your work? Do you have any more reasons to add to this list?

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin

Cross Stitch Progress

The continuing saga of the cross stitch projects. Oh how I wish I had a lot more time but then sometimes when I get the time I often just collapse in a heap and that is that! I am reading more at the moment which means I am not stitching or doing quite as many crafts. Uni starts back next week which surprisingly means my crochet and knitting won't suffer as they are really easy to do during lectures and often quite easy to carry around. I also find it easier to concentrate on listening to the lecturer when I have something in my hands.

But this weekend I bit the bullet and just sat and cross stitched. It was really nice. I even (SHOCKED FACES!!) actually worked on Masquerade Pale Dawn! I set myself up fairly awkwardly on the edge of the couch with my little light balancing next to me and worked on it! It was refreshing, and I managed close to one hundred stitches. If I can keep just adding a few stitches every couple of weeks I should be good to eventually finish this project.

Here was Masquerade Pale Dawn at the beginning of the session.

It really isn't a lot that I've done I'm still on the first page. Whoever said that only 15 colours makes a project easy was lying to you! 15 colours does not make the project easier when it is a HAED though I do enjoy working on this and it's not hard just slow. 

I cooked dinner Saturday night so I didn't get as much time as I really wanted just to settle down and stitch but here is where I am at. (and to be honest staring at so many greys gets a little tiring after a while and I just have to swap to something nicer) I've also completed another 10x10 block and I completed all the little parts that weren't done in the block above. Despite being a pile of grey I love stepping back from this project and seeing what it looks like. The detail is stunning when I get a chance to see. My goal is to finish the page by the end of the year and if I just keep working away at it when I get a chance I think that goal is attainable.

To help with that goal I have a stitching frame but it can't hold my big project as the clamp just won't hold! To help that along I am hoping that I can build a more solid one that will do what I want it to based on the one I already have. That one works well to hold snow white but really doesn't work for any other one. So hopefully I will have an update soon about a new frame.

But when I haven't had time to really sit and stitch for long periods, I have been working on my snow white biscornu by cloudsfactory.

I am so close to finishing the front of this design and then I have to do the back which isn't very complicated. I am hoping to get this done soon as I have a special project that the kids gifted me the pattern for that I want to start but I've promised myself not until I get this one off the hoop.

I've also been playing with sayings for accounting things because why not so I may have a few patterns coming out in the next month! I have some little owls and some accounting sayings in the works.

Happy Stitching and I hope you've been productive too!
Caitlin

Being Sick

It's been two weeks and I'm finally on the mend. I don't know what I got sick with but it hasn't been fun. I spent 4 days curled up running a fever. Then the cold hit. I have been coughing and spluttering since. It has been exhausting and I have been holding on by a thread. I haven't been working much. But I'm starting to get back to a routine.

Of course while I was sick I didn't stop doing stuff. I just took twice the time, to do anything. I've had this owl picture in the works for about a month. I really like how it turned out and I'd love to see an owl trying to do squats.

I also managed to do a tiny bit of knitting but not really much. I'm hoping to make a decent go at this shawl so it is wearable through spring when I like a shawl around my shoulders. My sister is really glad I'm using the yarn she bought me :D 

So please tell me the last couple of weeks have been more productive for you? But at least this explains why I have barely been around on any of my social medias. It requires thought to post anything even to instagram. You also have to have some progress or something interesting to post!

Happy Stitching and stay well!,
Caitlin

Friday Finds: DMC Skin Colours

Ohk we all know that feeling when you see a pattern and it's perfect except for one little thing. The colours.

When I was designing my latest pattern The Squat Girl I asked for some feedback from some of my friends and one suggestion was skin colours. But even better than that the suggestion was followed by this link. 

How did I not know this was a thing? But if you ever want to change the skin colour of any design that you have now use the link above and it gives you the main skin colour and options for highlights and shadows that go with the colour. This starts at fair and goes through to dark tones using DMC colours. He also has one for Anchor colours that can be found here.

So next time you're wondering what skin colour to use there are many options and I'm so excited to use this more in my designs because it is hard to know what colour to use with my software as it doesn't represent colours properly.

 

Happy Stitching,

Caitlin