When I was a little girl, my mom was a cross stitcher. She had samplers and other pieces she had done hanging in the house, she had patterns and thread and fabric and beads in a drawer in her sewing room, and she taught me the basics. The only thing I really remember making was a bookmark, and that was decades ago.

A few years ago, Kevin sent me a teeny little stocking stuffer-ish cross stitch kit. I had so much fun trying it out again! Eventually I found my way to The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery and fell in love with their patterns. I purchased this one and went out and got my supplies. I worked on it some, but was honestly a little discouraged at how slow of a process it was. I have had this issue a few times, I keep thinking about how much faster and easier knitting is for me and then I get frustrated. So when we moved, the cross stitch got packed up and that was that.

Fast forward to last week, when by hook or crook I found myself in a real cross stitch shop. It’s local to me—yay!—and is patently amazing. So many patterns, beautiful fabric and thread, and all the notions you could dream of. I decided to give it one more try—on something small. They had a lovely selection of pincushion patterns and that seemed like a great way to go.

I got home and got started that weekend but as a I worked on the first few bits…  I couldn’t really see them. I was straining my eyes and giving myself a headache just trying to see where to place the next stitch. On Kevin’s mom’s recommendation, enter my shiny new Ott Lite. It lights my desk up like daylight and I was able to proceed with my stitching.

New light OFF

New light ON

The shop was missing one color, so at the moment I only lack the brown for the roof and the sheep, the bottom border, and the backstitching.  It’s a wee bit wrinkly since I’m trying the in-hand technique. I have it in a hoop here so it’s easier to see, but I’ve been stitching without a hoop. I like working that way a lot.  On a side note, washi tape does not work well on the edges of linen. Not at all.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this project so far. I am trying to let go and not be frustrated by the fact that I could knit a whole sock in the time that it takes me to cross stitch half of a pincushion. It is a very different style of making, and I am enjoying flexing my creativity in other ways.

YoM day 25: Sock knitting

YoM day 26: Sock and hat knitting, with the teeniest bit of cross stitch to finish the grass

Happy making to you!