Old Dog New Tricks the Sequel

 As you know I have taken up cross stitch again.  I have done some form of embroidery since I was about 5 years old, off and on.  I like cross stitch because it is like art to me — thread painting — and can be as extravagant as you want it to be — or as simple.  I have an artistic soul, I think inherited from my father, but absolutely no artistic talent which I got from my mother.  So, cross stitch seems to be a happy medium for me.

I have spent some time and money investing in some new tools and gadgets in the last few months, all of which I have blissfully discarded.  The phrase “more trouble that it is worth” comes to mind.  When I broke my arm I managed to render myself a bit lame in my left hand so I am having trouble holding on to a q-snap so I gave it up and went back to a hoop. 

Being a stitcher of a certain age I also require some magnification and more light.  So I dug out my magnifier lamp and started using it — using is a relative tame term, more like wrestling with it.

Now I am sitting in a recliner with a regular end table next to me — limited room to spread out so by the time I get the q-snap or hoop under the light and all the thread to the left of me I feel like I am being eaten by “stuff”.

So, I switched things up.  Gone is the big light replaced by this one that goes around my neck.

I am not using a magnifier at all.

I have dumped the q-snap and the hoop and am stitching in hand.

I am using these little silicone things to roll the excess fabric up.  

I gridded the entire pattern and rather than wrangle a large paper pattern I have put the pattern into GoodNotes so I can mark it up and make it as large as I need to see the symbols

I can’t show you the whole pattern because of copyright issues but I think this will be ok.

I have also decided to do this pattern one color at a time since I have the whole thing gridded and I don’t have a hoop to move around.  I have never done a project one color at a time and I am sort of enjoying this , only dealing with one skein or bobbin of thread at a time — lots less clutter.

Anyway, now all I have is the light around my neck, my fabric and my iPad.  It is much, much easier and much, much more relaxing to stitch in hand with limited “stuff”.

This is a project for the Bean.  If you remember I did a couple of cartoon characters for her over the summer.  Well, this is a Stranger Things pattern and I will share when I am done.