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Stitching Progress
I finally finished part 1 of my St. Petersburg White Nights cross-stitch pattern. Well, almost. It's missing the crystals and beads, but this is all the actual stitching for part one.
This is part of a very large cross-stitch piece. It's an online class where one part is released each month (and I'm way behind, of course, lol, though I started late). To give you an idea, part 1 is about 5.5 x 5.5 inches (13.5 x 13.5 cm) and the finished design should be about 27 x 27 inches.
It's stitched with various silk threads and metallics on 32ct Millennium Blue linen. There are also 2 specialty stitches in this section, Rice stitches (the navy ones in the middle) and Rhodes stitches (the less visible and smaller aqua coloured little blocks in the "legs" of the cross) .
A computer generated image of what the finished design should resemble:
The design is by Martina Weber of Chatelaine Designs.
http://chatelaine-design.de/newweb/
This is part of a very large cross-stitch piece. It's an online class where one part is released each month (and I'm way behind, of course, lol, though I started late). To give you an idea, part 1 is about 5.5 x 5.5 inches (13.5 x 13.5 cm) and the finished design should be about 27 x 27 inches.
It's stitched with various silk threads and metallics on 32ct Millennium Blue linen. There are also 2 specialty stitches in this section, Rice stitches (the navy ones in the middle) and Rhodes stitches (the less visible and smaller aqua coloured little blocks in the "legs" of the cross) .
A computer generated image of what the finished design should resemble:
The design is by Martina Weber of Chatelaine Designs.
http://chatelaine-design.de/newweb/
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I have been busying myself with knitting shawls and ponchos for people. They're turning out okay I suppose--they look nice because I'm using pretty materials.
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I bought a cross-stitch book which explained all the basics and stitches and techniques when I started stitching again earlier this year (after not having stitched since I was a young teenager). The specialty stitches take a bit of fiddling, but the chart I'm doing has detailed descriptions of those stitches (and they're in my book also), so while they're more time consuming, they're not necessarily that much harder.
You do need a good lamp to work by, and just to pay attention to what you're doing, as it's easy to miscount sometimes, which can screw you up and mean you need to unravel parts and start again.
And it's time consuming, progress isn't necessarily very fast, which can be a little frustrating as you'd love to finish something much faster! :D but I'm just a bit impatient, and I have several other patterns I'd like to do. One of which I'll start soon, Dashiell's birth sampler, which I'd like to finish before kiddo #2 arrives in March (thankfully it's not as huge as what I'm currently working on, and so won't take near as long).
I have not tried my hand at knitting, though I'd love to do so at some point. Knitty.com has some awesome patterns on it (the Lizard Ridge blanket with the Noro wools is goooooorgeous!)
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Oh god, you're right. The Lizard Ridge afghan is too lovely, but so is Muir (http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall07/PATTmuir.html)... Although I have a similar shawl so I don't feel rushed about learning how to make that.
Honestly though, I'm really just a beginner. I knit rectangles and other basic shapes. I don't understand what to do with half the standard terms--I need an actual book to learn with, I think.
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As for a book, I was recommended "Stitch 'n' Bitch" by Debbie Stoller. I think Lunamoth from the GN forums recommended it too me. There are several patterns in there too, of the funky and cool persuasion, rather than things that make you feel all stuffy and grandmotherly, lol. Plus there are simpler things in there too, numerous scarf patterns and such, so not all massively complex stuff.
I have the book, I just need to actually sit down sometime and actually read and practise along. But for now I have lots of cross-stitch that I want to do.
Too many things, so little time!
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First I wanted to get into it with something easier, which was the Bookshelf design I started and finished earlier this year.
Due to my aunt I've kind of gotten hooked on the Chatelaine designs. The St. Petersburg is one, as is the Egypt Garden that I kind of inherited from her. There are so many lovely (and large) designs that I'd love to do, and the designer keeps coming out with new ones, which is kind of frustrating at times... no time to do all the things I'd like to, lol.
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Anyway, I hope you have time to answer my questions! No worries if you don't or it takes a while, I won't even be thinking of starting this until after the new year anyway. If you'd prefer, you can email me at my lj name at gmail.
Thanks,
Dasha
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I just wanted to ask you a little about the class- is it the one through yahoo groups? How is it different from just buying the pattern?
Yes, the online classes are run through Yahoo groups. All her new classes are done that way (as opposed to patterns issued after a class has closed).
A class usually runs for 1 year (for the larger sized patterns) and one piece of the chart is released and uploaded to the yahoo group at the beginning of each month, with the password in a separate email sent to the group.
You won't be able to just buy the pattern until about a year after a class has closed, at which point it's emailed as a .pdf file (I purchased an older pattern when it became available a while ago). I think they're also released as paper charts too at that point, but personally I prefer the .pdf file. The electronic charts come with a colour and a black-and-white key, and I can print and enlarge whichever section I want specifically.
I think she has the year waiting period in part for a kind of exclusivity for people who joined the group, and in part because she has a pretty busy workload preparing charts and things for new designs and re-releasing older ones.
The upside to the yahoo group is that you can ask people also doing the pattern questions, and when others encounter problems etc. you'll be aware of things to look for, or corrections.
What does the pattern come with, in terms of explanations of stitches and such?
There's usually a page with each new pattern section detailing what you'll be doing. So it'll tell you to work the cross-stitches first, and then the other specialty stitches and backstitching. It usually tells you which colours too for the specialty stitches and backstitching (in case it's a bit unclear). And for the specialty stitches there's usually a graphic showing you how to stitch it. I'd never stitched Rhodes or Rice stitches before, and did for Part 1 of St.P's, and had no problems following the instructions. For Part 2 I'll be doing a different kind of Rice stitch and Algerian Eyelets, both of which are explained with a picture in the instructions too. So she's very throrough with that kind of thing which is nice.
And this is like my second cross-stitch piece (besides the Bookshelf) that I've done since I was in my early teens, and that was tiny designs on Aida! So I'm in no way shape or form an expert at this.
And did you buy a kit of the materials or are you buying them as you go? I saw the whole thing kitted up online for over $300 and it scared me off
Yes, I got a kit, from European Cross-Stitch (http://europeancrosstitch.com/). I splurged for my birthday. It is definitely expensive, in no small part because this particular design is stitched in all silks. Some of the other (older) designs use some or even mostly DMC. Martina does release a conversion for DMC, but with the variegated silks it's hard to pick something that matches. You could definitely substitute the solid NPI silks with DMC, which would save some money. It's definitely an investment though, but the finished piece will be quite large, and definitely a stunning work of art :)
I'm from Moscow originally and this design is calling to me... I miss my fatherland I guess, though NYC has many things going for it as well.
Awesome. I'm up in Westchester county, so not too far north of NYC. I remember seeing the preview for this design and loving the look of it. The onion domed buildings that Russia has are lovely to look at, and I would love it one day if Martina does a Moscow based design too, with the brightly coloured onion domes there, and the red square etc.
My father visited Moscow on business a couple of times, though quite a number of years ago and with a different job. I remember he told me about a lovely art market that was there, and he brought back some wonderful ink drawings/paintings and a few exquisite lacquer boxes and Matryushka (sp?) dolls. I was very envious of him for being able to go there and see those kinds of things.
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That market is actually called Vernisazh, my mom has worked there since I was 6 and still works there now, I practically grew up there. She mostly sells collectible replica cars, but for a while she dabbled in the lacquer boxes as well and when she stopped, she gave me all of her damaged goods so they are all over my house. I keep everything from hair clips to packs of needles in those things. Small world, huh?
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And yes, definitely a small world. That you would know the market doesn't surprise me, but definitely a coincidence that your mother should work there.
One of my cousins back in Holland visited St. Petersburg last year with a group of college friends (I think it might have been organised through her college). I believe she had a wonderful time there. I'd definitely like to visit one day, it must be spectacular, as Moscow would be.