Linkfest for Cross-Stitch Folks

I've been meaning to post this for a few weeks now, and just haven't had time to get the pictures together... but finally did, so here goes. Sadly, my favorite Cross Stitch Store, the Scarlet Thread, has moved. Only seven miles away, but seven miles in a direction I *never* have reason to go. I discovered this at the big 30% Off Everything (pre-moving) Sale mid-October (as opposed to the Inventory Clearance the following weekend, which I didn't make). Since I may never have an opportunity to buy cross-stitch loot ever again, I went a bit nuts.


The items, more or less in order, were:

1. The item I actually came in to get, "Bunny Battle" by Arelate Studio. You may recognize their stuff as something I'm already working on (my "Small Ferocious Beastie" meld of two of their designs).
   
2. Had to get lovely blue cloth to stitch it on, naturally. And, I figured for the next listed item, in much-brighter-than-called-for peacock colors, would look lovely on a bright mustard cloth, thus.
   
   I can't actually explain that third piece of looks like fall leaves on the ground hand-dyed fabric. These things just follow me home.
3. "Good Karma" by Blue Ribbon Designs.
   
   Sarah Leigh knows that if it's got a peacock or a pumpkin, I'm probably going to buy it.
4. A lovely little sheep canvaswork kit, which I've already finished.
5. A handpainted chilipepper canvas, with the threads I'll need to work it. That's some Weeks Dye Works (green & brown), Carrie's Creations & Gentle Art Sampler Threads (reds/oranges), Caron Waterlillies (yellow, for background), and more Carrie's Creations (multi, for border). It's gonna be FABOO.
   
6. A cute little Sheepy Magnet, which was for L's birthday (it's SOOOOOO cute!!!)
   
7. Some needles, because I can never find tapestry shorts (because there's usually at least two parked in every project I've started)
   
8. Yet another Michael Powell kit. I just love his stuff, and whoever's doing the conversions to cross stitch just ROCKS. Even this tiny thing has twenty-plus colors, two kinds of beads, metallics... and will wind up looking like his original sketch. I LOVE these kits!! (Seriously. Go look at his art! To see what a difference a good art-to-stitch person makes, see one of his larger pieces I did, here. Scroll down the whole page - it's not just the photo at the top. This was NOT just run through a cross-stitch converter (people who do that and just sell the patterns w/o stitching them first ANNOY ME so much!).
9. The 2008 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments Issue.
   my pic
   A much better shot of the Cover
   I usually stitch at least one thing per year; last year, it was the Brittercup pointsettia (I even got a frame for it. Now ask me if I've framed it yet...), the year before that, a cute set of ornaments to be distributed amongst my friends if ever I should find them again and finish them (at this point, I'll be changing the year on them by quite a bit), the year before that, a Dragon Dreams for an ornament exchange... etc. I'm not sure which one I'll do this year, but there are some great photos of finished ornaments at The Christmas Ornament Stitch-A-Long.
10. This INCREDIBLE bargello book, which I've been waiting to come out. I love bargello-style stitching; most of the canvas I've designed myself has been bargello. I throw it in wherever I can (see the NZ Wool canvas - mine has bargello mountains, just because).
    
11. This Tiffany Foxglove pattern sneaked into my pile somehow. I'm guessing it's because I have a shot at finishing my Tiffany Wisteria one of these days, and would like the set. (The only blog record I can find of the latter is on March 1, 2007, in the all-crafts blog. Nope, look, there's something on December 4, 2006...
    
12. Had to get some evenweave for it, though. This happens. And also some sparkly blue material, because it was sparkly, and blue!
    
13. Got some Grime Stoppers, one set medium, one set small - I call them Q-Sox. They really *do* prevent grime, and will also hold excess fabric away from the back of the stitching (where disasters can happen). Haven't seen them around for a bit, and making my own just didn't work well, so grabbed them when I saw them.
    
14. This pattern just appeared in my pile. Can't explain it.
    
15. And, of course, this fabulous beaded oversized handbag to carry it all in!
    

And that, my friends, was me being GOOD!