I learned early on to stitch some test swatches with colors. Colors that look right on the skein sometimes look different when stitched. Good lighting is also very important. Right now my studio has bad lighting – it is too dark for choosing colors, so I end up bringing all the threads down to the kitchen.

Here’s my latest thread pull for a new design:

Note that I’m only looking for 4-6 colors from this pile!

Now, I employ a variety of techniques for designing, but they all have to end up in the computer so that the design can be published. Thank goodness there’s an auto-fill and I no longer have to fill in every square!

In the past years, I’ve also taken my sketching digital. Yes, there’s an App for that. The advantage is that I don’t have to carry a sketchbook with me, since I almost always have my phone with me. So when inspiration strikes, I cans record it. The disadvantage is tht sketching with my finger is very different from using a pencil! Most of the time, it is enough to have a rough sketch to capture a thought, idea, or figure position.

In this sketch, I’m working on two dragons and their positions.

Here’s a refined sketch that was the basis for the “Dragon Tattoo” design.

Unfortunately, I have a couple of rough sketches that look like this:

I’m not entirely sure what that is supposed to be!! Any ideas?

Here we are at the zoo for Halloween (I don’t normally dress her as an ogre)

Schedules are still crazy here, but I’m hoping to get back in the swing of things soon and back to stitching!

About a year ago, Jen wrote a post on her blog comparing genres of books to the tastes of different foods. So for Jen, fantasy books taste like mashed potatoes and all seem about the same to her. There’s nothing wrong with that, her tastes are her tastes. However, this post of hers stuck with me, primarily because my genre list would be completely different. I admit that 98% of what I read is either Science Fiction or Fantasy, and yet I don’t feel like everything I read is the same because of the varied sub-genres.

For Science Fiction, here’s a short listing of sub-genres:
Hard Science Fiction
Soft Science Fiction
Cyberpunk
Steampunk
Alternative History
Near-future

For Fantasy there are also sub-genres:
High Fantasy
Contempory Fantasy
Urban Fantasy
Dark Fantasy
Comedic Fantasy

For me, the tastes of Science Fiction and Fantasy are varied within the genres themselves. And I do occasionally enjoy the tastes of other literary genres!

So where does Ender’s Game fall? I’d classify it as Soft Science Fiction. While the elements of science surround the characters, the story is driven by the characters and focused on the characters. Because of this, most of the story ages well for a book that is 26 years old (and the parts from the original short story are 34 years old): the science fiction elements of the story are still science fiction; however, the Warsaw Pact in the story stands out as an incongurity since it no longer exists. For a novel that ages well, look at Asimov’s Foundation.

Please join us in the discussion of Ender’s Game in July on the Stitching for Literacy blog! And for those who are interested, the original “Ender’s Game” short story is available on the author’s website. If you haven’t read the novel and intend to, I’d read the short story after the novel so that the ending isn’t given away!

In other news I’m stitching again, but not yet designing. Here are the top three things in my to be designed/charted list in my mind:
1. Special 100th design chart – this is partially charted, but needs completing
2. Birth Sampler – ideas for this are gelling, but isn’t complete yet
3. Christmas stocking – I have a rough sketch for this, but need to sit down and refine it.

I only have so much energy every day, and have to stop before I give out!

Either I’m pregnant or I’ve swallowed a bowling ball.

First, there’s a brand new Mini-Impressionism design. Mini-impressionism designs are finished to a 5×5 size and are designed to look like an impressionist painting. That means all whole stitches – no backstitching or partial stitches!

This one was designed by first taking a photograph of a rose that The Husband gave me. I then “painted” over the photograph with stitching. This is a completely different process from photo-conversion and I think renders a more stitchable design as well as looking more real!

Second, the next design in the Briar Rose series. Here we see the royal court who has fallen asleep after the princess pricked her finger.

Third, a mini-motif sampler of dragons! Stitch the whole thing or pick out your favorite motifs. This was stitched with Dinky-Dyes silks, DMC and Kreinik holographic thread (very shiny).

Now I’m looking ahead to the next three new designs! Post in the comments during the spring 2011 Needlework show what you think those new designs should be to be entered into a doorprize drawing!

This year, I tried to hide my fox tale between two mostly true tales. So here’s the real stories:

1. Austin is home to the largest urban colony of Mexican free-tailed bats in North America. In fact, there’s a second colony in Round Rock and I drive over the bridge that houses that colony quite often. I saw them coming out twice this spring already.
2. Yes, there was a bat in the store we were in not long ago, and we did leave. We came back later and it had been caught and (I presume) set free.
3. The fox bit was completely made up – look for it again next year!
4. The bluebonnets were maroon, no photoshop trick there. However, I bought them that way, so it wasn’t an accident, it was through Aggie horticulture.

Here, I’ll post my answer to the question(s) I posted at the official Stitching for Literacy Blog.

Obviously, I enjoyed this book since I picked it. This was my second time reading it, and it had been over a year since the first reading. I thoroughly enjoyed it a second time around. I like the picture of all the people in the graveyard, from all times, and how they relate to Bod. I also like how the book progresses through Bod’s childhood. As a child, the graveyard is not an inherently scary place for Bod, it is just a place. Then as Bod grows, he explores the graveyard and becomes curious about the world outside.

My favorite chapter was the second one where Bod meets Scarlett in the Graveyard. I think this chapter captures a perfect time in childhood, full of exploration and curiosity (even in the face of scary things). I also think it is very funny that Scarlett’s parents figure it is perfectly natural for her to have an imaginary friend, so she also accepts Bod as an imaginary friend.

My least favorite chapter is the one with the ghouls. Maybe it is just a bit on the crazy side, maybe it was the funky names of the ghouls that put me off. I almost skipped it this read through, but kept to the book and read it.

First, it is important to know that Austin is home to the largest urban colony of Mexican free-tailed bats in North America. So maybe it wasn’t too weird that a store the husband and I were shopping in had a bat flying around in it! It was a pretty big bat, and flying pretty low, so we got out of the store quickly. Bats don’t freak me out per se, but they can be carriers of rabies (a kid in Houston died from a bat bite a year or so ago), and I didn’t want to risk that.

When we got home, I saw a fox dash from our yard and hide in the bushes! I know we have some wildlife in the area, since we are somewhat close to Brushy Creek, and I’ve seen rabbits several times, but this was the first time I’d seen a fox in the yard here. It never came out of the bushes that I could see, so I don’t know if it was just hiding really well, or has a bolt hole there.

Finally, and this may be weirdest of all, my bluebonnets came up maroon! I planted some bluebonnets in one of our planters out front and when they bloomed, they were all maroon.

Here’s a good view of the stitching room:

There were about 40 people in attendance and it is wonderful to spend the weekend with people who just love stitching. The theme for the weekend was “Lucky 13″

There were four leaf clovers, elephants, lady bugs and other symbols of luck.

And now on to the swag:

A small sampling of what was given out: needles, 3 charts and some thread from Dinky Dyes, a specially made trivet, two lanyards, loufa, elephant pincushion, counting pins, bubble bath, two pairs of scissors, laying tool, a beaded fob, a thread holder and a custom thread pallet. Plus, four exclusive projects with all the threads and pieces for finishing. Wow, can you believe that haul?

Here are the class projects from the weekend:

I’ve finished two of the four projects so far!