My Week In Stitches

Looks like this...

Like I said, my brain was too tired to focus on anything more than i-cord, which is not very interesting to look at. But I did this today:

Yarn was 25% off at Joann, so that's actually the inside of my shopping bag on my lap in the car. I think I have stash for some fun ideas and tutorials for crochet month in March!

Also, I found this cute notebook (clearance! bonus!) I think I'll keep it in my purse for times when I need paper. And this reminds me that I want to do a post on "color of the year!"

(And I'm blogging from my phone, so I have different formatting options - it won't let me choose my alignment, so everything after the pictures is centered. It probably only bothers me!)

Today I'm grateful for...

honest people at Walmart who found a set of keys with the car brand clearly emblazoned on them and still turned them in at the Customer Service desk. Yes, I dropped my keys in Walmart, and didn't realize it until after checkout, after walking out the door, after putting the cart in the cart corral. Fortunately, I only had one child with me, so it wasn't as big of a deal to drag her back in the store to look for them.

Walmart shopping today was for fabric for Hallie's dresses. I got fabric for my dresses yesterday at Joann - loved the Daffodil Dash 50% off everything (even already Red Tag linen blend!). Note to crafters - the Walmart fabric department does not give out empty fabric bolts. They crush them and sell them to a recycler. Green, right? Nope, greedy. I asked for an empty bolt (exactly the right width for my Dove Love finish) and was told "NO". At Joann she gave it to me without question. There's my rant for the day.

And my plug for the day! Valerie of FogCity Dweller is celebrating her 4th blogiversary with a give-away! I just found her blog, and I'm really enjoying it. Be sure to visit and sign up. All you have to do is sign up and post a note on your blog (see, easy, right?).

Okay, dinner time, then more BoInk stitching time! Have a great week!

Sale Alert!

I stopped by Joann's last night "really quickly" for "just one thing" (yeah, right) and saw that they have the Charles Craft aida on clearance - packages of 12x18 for 97 cents each! Holy cow! I was lamenting being out of plain fabric to dye. I could not resist picking up 3 packages - 2 14s, and an 18. I noticed the big tubes of fabric were also on sale (more like $3.97). I hope they are not doing away with the line altogether, but in the meantime, I hope this helps some people add to their stash!

My really quick purchases? Ribbon (for finishing a project) - 50 cents, and another skein of DMC 729 for Dove Love (this project goes through the thread, let me tell ya). So my total purchase, including impulse fabric buys, was less than $5. I love Idaho sales tax.

SAL starts next Sunday night!

Here's your shopping/stash-search list:

Pattern stitch count is 188 down by 216 across.

I did the math for you - (thread count:finished design size)
22: 8.5" x 9.8"
28: 6.7" x 7.7"
32: 5.8" x 6.8"

You'll need a full skein of perle cotton (probably size 5, unless you do a higher thread count, like 32-count, then you'll want to use size 8) and a ball of the next size down. Your color choices. Remember, in Hardanger the idea is to let the design "sing", so fewer colors are better. It's nice to do have your main color (satin stitches) be a contrast to the fabric, while the filling stitches are nearly the same.

You also need very sharp scissors!!!

I should be done with my 3 Ladies RR round 4 by the end of this week, and I'll be stitching along with you. This is a brand new pattern, I've had it kicking around in my head and on paper for about 18 months. I'll be unveiling it in pieces starting next Sunday night. The first page will be at the top center of the design, but be sure to leave at least 8 threads above for buttonhole edging!

If you have any questions, ask away!

Hardanger Background and Shopping Info

Hardanger Embroidery is most associated with the Hardanger region of Norway. The women there wanted a way to make their every-day linens pretty but serviceable. So they devised a way of embellishing these items so that they would look like lace, but stand up to every-day use.

Before you go shopping for supplies, here are some important points to remember when starting Hardanger:

• Traditional Hardanger is tone-on-tone - usually white or ecru thread on white or ecru linen. More recently, using colored thread on white or ecru fabric has become acceptable. I prefer to use color, because I like the work to show up. It's also easier to keep count when you are starting out!
• Color schemes should be kept simple - too many colors confuse the eye and detract from the simple beauty of the work. I like to keep my color schemes at no more than 3 or 4 colors for the entire piece.
• Hardanger is always done on an evenweave (i.e., not AIDA) fabric. This is a crucial point. Aida cloth will not cut properly - more accurately, it causes problems when you are removing the cut threads, and the piece will not come out the way you want.
• Evenweave linen is traditional, but it can get expensive. A more cost-effective option is 22-count, often called Hardanger fabric. It has a true basket-weave pattern, large enough holes to see what you are doing, and the threads are very easy to remove once they've been cut.
• Hardanger work uses a heavier gauge thread than cross stitch to achieve the drawn thread look. The thread-count of your fabric will determine the thread gauge you use. For 22-count, use Pearl/Perle Cotton size 5. For a finer fabric - such as 28- or 32-count linen - use Pearl/Perle Cotton size 8. I usually use DMC because that is what is most readily available in the craft stores in my area. There are more color options in the size 5 range than in size 8. Hardanger work uses thread as fine as size 12. I will get into how you use different size threads in a later post.
• 6-strand embroidery floss is not appropriate for the satin stitches in Hardanger work, because it is too easy to clip a few strands and cause a problem for yourself. I have used 2-3 strands of floss for weaving and wrapping in an area where I've already clipped and removed fabric threads, but usually only if I wanted a particular color. And of course, I also occasionally include cross stitch embellishment. FYI - embroidery floss is considerd 25-gauge thread, so twice as fine as size 12, 3 times as fine as size 8, 5 times as fine as size 5, etc. Just like with wire, the larger the number, the finer the thread.
• You need super-sharp embroidery scissors to do the cut work. Don't even use these scissors to cut thread or floss. You need a precise, flush cut - if they dull, it makes it more likely that you will accidentally clip your stitching. I don't want to scare you - it really isn't that hard to avoid (or fix!), but isn't it better to do things properly?
• You will also want a tapestry needle - I love the blunt point, it saves my fingers! Size 22 or 24 is appropriate for Pearl Cotton thread. In fact, I even only use tapestry needles for cross stitch - they're easier to thread, and again, my fingers thank me!

I've used a few terms above that I will explain in another post. I don't want this one to get too long or involved in the details of "how to". But this should give you a place to start, and some guidelines to take shopping! Have fun!