Gratitude: Stitching and Friends

Today, what I'm grateful for is my passion for counted cross-stitch and my cadre of friends who challenge me to grow in the craft.

I belong to an online needlework group. Many of us have been together for almost a decade. We know each other by our talents, our sense of humor, and by the part of the world we live in. Most of us have never met each other in 'real life.' We've been through births and deaths and weddings and divorces and much, much more together. When tragedy hit our nation, our members stitched quilt squares to honor the memory of those most deeply affected.

For those of you familiar with my stitching, you know that I am most apt to stitch small projects: quilt squares, ornaments, bookmarks, etc. I've done several medium size projects. Then I drool over the achievements of those in our group who stitch the large and complicated pieces. In our lingo, BAPs. (Big Ass Projects)

At least eight years ago, members of our group who are accomplished at these BAPs started nudging me and goading me, asking when I was going to stitch a BAP. Figuring it would never happen, I spouted, "Ask me again in 2010." That seemed safe enough. Too many years away. Too small a chance I'd still be part of that group. Too distant for these folks to remember, right?

Wrong!

At the end of December came the question, "So, Cameo ... have you decided on your BAP yet?"

Well, no, I hadn't.

So then I began getting suggestions -- and guidelines about stitch count so that I didn't 'cheat' and call something a BAP that was really only a glorified MAP (medium ass project).

So this week I pulled out a couple projects ... UFOs, really (unfinished objects) ... that I thought might qualify for a BAP. I've decided to begin with this project, The Newborn King by Carol Emmer. This is one of the very first charts I bought back in the mid 1990s. I started stitching it exactly six years ago, January 25, 2004. (Yes, I keep records like that).

The Newborn King will likely be considered a MAP, but hey, it took me all these years to work up to this, so I'll start here. The stitch count is 148w x 158h.

I worked on it for a while in 2004. Then I worked on it again for a while in 2005. Then it got put in a pillowcase and stored on a shelf in my studio. As much as I love the look of this piece, there are a few things that are driving me crazy about it.

1. It's a color chart
2. It covers two pages with a line of overlap
3. It's a color chart
4. I gridded the fabric, but I gridded it in a way that the grid lines on my fabric did not match the dark grid lines on the chart ... so I had to re-grid the fabric
5. It's a color chart
6. I made some counting errors early on (see #4)
   
7. It's a color chart

I'm going to try again, and this time I'm determined to finish it!
:: crossing fingers ::

• I've pressed it.
• I've put it on a scroll frame.
• I dusted off my floor stand and tightened up all the joints.
• I've pulled out the 'big guns' of my floor stand OTT light.
• I found my magnifier.
• I've rearranged the TV room to accommodate my expanded 'stitching nest.'

So, here's what it looks like now. I'll try to be good about updating my progress as I stitch along.

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Weekly Gratitude
For 52 weeks, count your blessings and document them once each week