TdF SAL; details
Aren’t these cute? 
This is what happens when you order something on a Sunday, and then figure out some other things that are “must have” on Monday! For the morbidly curious, we got some bicycling related movies and books.
So how does this Tour de France stitch along work? Well, I’m encouraging everyone to start something new on Saturday! Simply start stitching Saturday and send in updates during the Tour de France. For the unitiated, the tour goes from Saturday, July 5 2008 to Sunday, July 27 2008. There’s no requirement that you must watch the tour while stitching, although it is encouraged. Coverage and TV information is available on Versus. So stitch on something for a month. To make things interesting, I’ll make it a contest.
Comment here or send me an email that you’re participating (this will be open ended and I’ll accept anyone joining until midnight CST on July 26): 1 point
Send ime an email picture of you TdF SAL stitching: 1 point
Post a picture of your TdF stitching in your blog (and alert me to that fact): 1 point
Email/post a picture of your TdF stitching with the Tour on TV in the background: 5 points
Email/post a picture of your TdF stitching with a bicycle: 5 points
Email/post a picture of your TdF stitching with something French: 5 points
If stitching has yellow in it: +1 bonus point
If stitching a Cross Eyed Kat design: +2 bonus points
Pictures can also be posted to this Flickr group.
Most points overall will be the Yellow Jersey winner and get 6 free Cross Eyed Kat charts of his/her choice.
Most unsual picture (at my discretion) will be the King of the Mountains/Polka dot jersey winner and get 3 free Cross Eyed Kat charts of his/her choice.
Most starts and finishes during the time frame will be the Sprinter/Green jersey winner and get 3 free Cross Eyed Kat charts of his/her choice.
Fine print: No actual jersey will be given out. I have sole discretion on determining points and winners. Participants are on the honor system that they are submitting/participating with stitching for the 2008 Tour de France.
Clear as mud? Questions will be answered if asked.
I my personal stitching news, I went to a stitch night at one of my LNS’s last night and I was bad. I just wanted to start something new, so I did. It is, of course, a new design (and part of a new series). I’m just so excited about it, I wanted to start it. So my “travel stitching” piece got neglected. I finished the other model I was working on earlier in this week and I really like how it came it. That design (here’s a hint, it has cats and blackwork), will be available in September.
Published by cross eyed kat on July 3rd, 2008 tagged contest, cycling, design work | 1 Comment »
Miscellaneous
Just some random thoughts for today.
I must confess I have been knitting lately - I am working on the Modern Quilt Wrap. I’m doing it a bit differently than the instructions. I couldn’t decide on nine colors, so I’m picking colors out as I go along and I’m having fun with it so far. This is the first project that I’ve really used my Knitpicks Harmony needles on and they remind me of funky pencils, but they are really nice to knit with.
I was good and finished stitching a model before picking up the knitting. I really like the way it came out, but am contemplating doing the piece again in really wild colors. I probably won’t get around to it, but would love to see it.
Another design is finally evolving! I made a working sketch from my idea sketch and traced that out onto graph paper. Hopefully, I’ll get it into the computer soon for some color work. I also have another piece that is partially in the computer. I need to do the coloring on that as well. Finally, I need to do the test stitching for a design that is ready to go (once the colors are finalized). All of which shows that I’m busy in the cross stitch department. On top of all of that, I need time to finish my HPC painting and make new designs. On the other hand, I’m pretty much out of canvas, so new designs will have to wait until my order comes in.
I am becoming addicted to Sonic Slushes! And they are half-price between 2 and 4 everyday! Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Finally, I am sad about the Floyd Landis decision from the CAS. If you haven’t read it yet, there is lots of great information about the case at Trust But Verify. Free Floyd!
Published by cross eyed kat on June 30th, 2008 tagged Uncategorized | Comment now »
Tour de Georgia, part deux
The last day of the Tour de Georgia was a circuit race in downtown Atlanta, meaning that the bikers went on a six mile loop through downtown Atlanta for ten laps. Do the math and that makes a sixty mile race where you get to see the bikers go by ten times! Awesome!
It was rainy when we arrived and while meandering around, we found the lot with all of the team cars. So we hung outside of various buses waiting for autographs. Levi Leipheimer finally came out:
As did George Hincapie:
That’s like hanging out at Pebble Beach and getting an autograph from Tiger Woods before a PGA tour!
After that, we went down to see the race start and all the team cars take off. We toured the expo area set up in Centennial Park. I met the Jelly Belly:
We watched the bike race go by:
I got pictures with two team managers, first Michael Ball of Rock Racing:
And then Jonathan Vaughters of Slipstream Chipotle:
We walked from Centenial Park to Georgia Tech and then back to see the finish sprint. All in all, the trip to Atlanta and the Tour de Georgia was tons of fun and we hope to do it again.
In the meantime, it is just over a week until the start of the Tour de France. Anyone want to join in a 23 day stitch along?
Published by cross eyed kat on June 26th, 2008 tagged cycling, famous people, travel | Comment now »
Houston Rocks!
Looks like Jo saw the Rock Racing team on their way from Austin!
Meanwhile, I was rocking out at Arrowfest:
The stage isn’t on fire - that’s just the lighting and a picture using my cell phone. We saw Night Ranger, Styx and Boston. After 11 years of living in Houston, this was my first trip to the Cynthia Woods Mitchel Pavilion, and I really enjoyed the venue. The sun set behind the crowd, so while I’m sure Styx didn’t appreciate having the sun in their eyes, it didn’t keep me from enjoying the show. It was hot while the sun was out (it is summer in Houston), but a breeze kept it livable. I slathered on the SPF 70 sunscreen prior to leaving the house, so I did’t get burned.
Finally, today I finished up an order that will ship to a distributor tomorrow:
That’s over 100 charts. Don’t get too excited, if you had that stack in your stash, you’d only have two designs!
Published by cross eyed kat on June 23rd, 2008 tagged Uncategorized | Comment now »
Tour de Georgia
A while back, DH and I took a little trip to Atlanta. We got to visit with friends who had moved there from Houston, see their adorable 1 year old son, and, for the first time ever, see a professional bike race in person. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you might have figured out that we are bike racing fans. We follow the pro tour the way some people follow baseball and nascar. We know the teams, the strategies, and root for our favorites. Anyway, combining our trip to Atlanta with going to see the Tour de Georgia was basically bicycling nirvana (well, the Tour de France might be nirvana, but this was a close as we’ll get for a while).
We did do some sight seeing in Atlanta proper while we were there, including the Aquarium and the new World of Coke. The aquarium was cool although we had to brave the masses of school field trips (that will teach us for going on a weekday). Here I am in front of the big tank:
There are a couple of whale sharks swimming around that tank!
The World of Coke was better than the old one - or maybe my expectations were lower. It was a bit strange to walk through - not a good flow for the museum goer in me. As always, there is the tasting room with coke products from around the world. Some were good, some were interesting, and some I’m not sure I would drink again!
Our second day there, we all went up to a little Georgia town called Dahlonega, where we got to join in on the Tour de Georgia festivities!
We wandered around all the booths that had sprung up to sell bicycle related stuph or to tell all the good things about Georgia that you didn’t even know you wanted to know. We had a bit of lunch (lunch is very important), and then found a place along the finish line to watch the riders come in:
On a stage like this, they come in very fast!
Hey look, George Hincapie is riding the wrong way!
The next day, DH and I got up early, leaving our friends sleeping to drive out to a mountain called Brass Town Bald. The top of this mountain is the highest point in Georgia, and the steep grades were sure to result in some race-changing action! We drove out there and parked at the base of the mountain.
Apparently an exception to the usual rule was going to be made for today:
We hitched a ride up with a shuttle that deposited us in a parking lot still half a mile from the top. 
So naturally we hiked up to the top to check out the finish line. On the way, we helped decorate the road:
It was quite foggy, so we walked back down. After scoping out the bike expo again, having a bit of lunch (again, important) and watching the race on the big screen, we hiked to the top one more time since the weather had cleared. We were walking up and came up on another couple. The lady asked us where we were from, so we said “Texas!” and then asked where they were from, to which they replied, “Montana”. I was pretty impressed, as that is a long way to come for bike race! Then the guy turned around and told us that the woman was Levi Leipheimer’s Mom! And we were wearing our “Let Levi Ride” tshirts! So we had to pose for picture!
Here’s my cross stitch crossing the finish line at Brass Town Bald:
And a cross stitch’s view from the top:
We walked down one more time, and took a picture with the team bus (very cool graphics).
Rock Racing is what happens when a fashion designer loves bike racing and has enough money to do something about combining the two. We hope to see them racing in Europe soon.
Finally, we walked about a mile down the mountain to where the road got really steep and then waited for the peloton to arrive. When it did arrive, it was slow enough that we could cheer for individual riders, run beside them, and when the sprinters asked for it, give them a push up the mountain! Even the cross stitch did some cheering:
Ok, that’s probably enough bicycle talk for now. I’ll post about the final day in Atlanta soon.
Yes, I am still stitching on the piece that is in these pictures. It is much closer to being finished. However, I’ve also been stitching on another model that uses a brand new Dinky Dyes color #152 Kat’s Cat! I’m trying hard to work and get some new thingsready for the September show.
Published by cross eyed kat on June 20th, 2008 tagged Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Columbus sailed the ocean blue
Here’s a peek at what went on at the Columbus tradeshow, put on by TNNA.
I arrived Thursday afternoon with Jo from Dinky Dyes and Fran, who was along to help her. Friday was the setup day, and when I got done trucking all my stuff to the booth, it looked like this:
That’s booth 1342 - a little before when Columbus sailed the ocean blue, but that’s what stuck in my head.
First I got the drapes up:
I used these drapes in Long Beach, and they’re a bit different than the display stands I used before. They’re good because I don’t loose any of the booth space to the back of the stand, but I had two problems this time with my set up. First, I forgot to pack the hooks that hold them up, so I had to go to Target to get new hooks. (Of course, when I got back, I found out that they were selling hooks on the show floor. Cest la vie). Also, the lights I brought wouldn’t clamp onto the top of the drape pipes. The lights I bought at Target didn’t work either. Luckily, I was able to acquire hardware store clamp-on lights that ended up working like a charm.
I’m actually in what is called a half-booth, which is half as deep as a standard booth. Last year these were all against one wall. This time, I got one that was in the middle of the show floor, but backed up to a large pole. This was terrific because there was a big empty space behind me because of the pole and the half-booth on the other side of it. Empty space = storage space! Score!
Here’s what the booth looked like with tables, lights, models, and lights:
I actually left models at home, mostly because of airline weight limitations. I think the setup turned out really terrific! Fran helped me after she and Jo were done; I was running behind because of all the running around getting hooks and lights.
Friday night, I participated in two events, Sample It! and Galleria. Here I am hanging out at Sample It!:
Sample It! is an event that lets shop owners buy one package from a vendor to take home and generate excitement. Galleria is an event that works like an art gallery opening - designers hang out by their display, answer questions and everybody has wine and hor’s d’orves. Sample It! had a lot more yarn vendors/buyers than cross stitch people. Galleria was interesting as this was the first time I participated. There weren’t as many displays, so there was more opportunity for conversing.
Friday night we had a big group go to dinner at a place called Lemongrass. Ohio State graduation and an art festival were also going on in the area, so everything was packed!
Saturday morning I had to get up early (and in an earlier time zone too!) to teach my ATC class. Here are my fearless students!
The class went really well. We discussed what ATC’s are, how to translate the concept into fiber arts, how to encourage creativity and several actual methods for making fiber ATC’s.
Sunday morning I participated in the TNNA Walk to Win against breast cancer. Again, I got up early, but the walk really woke me up. It was just as hot in Columbus that weekend as it is in Houston, so I was glad to be able to shower after the walk and before the show.
Yes, I wore the cat ears all weekend - its all about marketing!
We saw a mother duck watching over a group of sleeping ducklings on our walk:
Here I am in the booth with Megan, who is the editor for The Needlework Retailer magazine. This is a trade magazine that goes out to needlework shops.
As usual, I completely neglected to take pictures of the tear down process. Tear down is mostly undoing everything as fast as possible. I was done in about 45 minutes. I flew out the next morning and was planning on going into work for the afternoon, but my flight got diverted because of storms. Apparently we flew around the storm system, then circled Houston for a while, before having to go to Alexandria to get gas. Then we had to wait out a ground stop in Houston. I arrived in Houston about two and half hours late. Oh well.
The next trade show is a new one in St. Charles, Missouri. It is also run by TNNA. Hopefully, we’ll see more counted thread people there. I’ll have a few new things there as well, so stay tuned!
Published by cross eyed kat on June 19th, 2008 tagged Uncategorized | Comment now »
New Releases!
Here is a real look at the newest releases!
This is a biscornu that is meant to be an oak tree - the top is green knotwork and the bottom is brown knotwork.
Do you need your eyes tested? Try out this needlework Snellen chart:
This design shows how winter fades into spring. It combines cross stitch, bargello, blackwork, and silk ribbon.
This design combines the traditional Irish welcome “100,000 Welcomes” with a knotwork pineapple! Stitched with Dinky Dyes.
Published by cross eyed kat on June 12th, 2008 tagged Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Contest!
I have updated the website (www.crosseyedkat.com) with the new designs!
The first person to email me the names of the five new designs and the color of fabric used for each one will win a set of all five new designs.
Happy hunting!
Tomorrow I’m participating in the Walk to Win breast cancer walk, so still no sleeping in for me! I’ll try to post pictures of the booth tomorrow, but the internet connection is slow right now.
Published by cross eyed kat on June 7th, 2008 tagged TNNA | Comment now »
Live from Columbus
Two more hours left in day one of the trade show. Trade shows are not as exciting as you might think. There is a good bit of sitting or standing and trying to encourage people to look at your booth. The knitting shops at least tend to wear some of their wares, so they are easier to spot. There is also a good bit of people watching. Always there is the hope for order taking.
I’ll probably be sore tonight from standing and sitting in a different position all day.
Published by cross eyed kat on June 7th, 2008 tagged Uncategorized | Comment now »
Set up - check
First day of the show. Today was the set up day for vendors. This usually doesn’t take me very long, but I forgot my backdrop hangers and my lights didn’t fit the poles, so a trip to target was called for. Then lights from target didn’t fit on the poles either, so there was more delay.
Finally, I got the booth ready (with the help of the Intrepid Fran) and then I had to rush to set up for Sample It! and the Galleria exhibit. Then it was time for work. Sample It has masses of people. Some people will be lucky that their LNS purchased a set of the new designs. Galleria followed (like an art gallery showing)
After all of that, we were finally able to get some dinner!
I’m about to crash. I have to get up early to teach class.
Posted from my iPhone.