Tokyo Paralympics New Start #7 - Dragon no. 12

Helloooo!

Dragon number 7 represents the halfway mark of the Paralympics and the latest bunch of new starts by Tiff and myself. Check out Tiff's blog for her versions of the same dragons, also stitched in variegated threads.

For this dragon I chose a bold combination and made another good start whilst watching some archery, swimming and athletics:

Dragon no. 12 by StitchItPicasso (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Pixie Pink overdyed aida

Stitched with ThreadworX 1005 Cherries

Started - 30th August 2021

Stitching time to date - 2 hours 25 minutes

I love this colour - it's mouth-watering, just like its name suggests!

Top Paralympic Moment

There are still so many good moments each day; personal achievements, Paralympic and world records tumbling and great celebrations between the competitors, but for today's moment I'm going to choose the Men's 50m backstroke final in the S5 category (can use hands and arms but have limited or no use of trunk and legs) where China came in 1-2-3. It's not very often a country takes over the whole podium, but this was one race where one country dominated.

Back tomorrow.

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Paralympics New Start #6 - Dragon no. 10

Hi again!

If you're managing to catch some of the Paralympics, I hope you're enjoying it. It's amazing how many Paralympic and world records are falling, despite empty stadia. On the surface, the lack of a crowd doesn't seem to be affecting the athletes but I'm sure it must be.

The dragons continue and this was the design chosen for start number six:

Dragon no. 10 by StitchItPicasso (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Sunshine overdyed aida

Stitched with ThreadworX 11051 Golden Leaves

Started - 29th August 2021

Stitching time to date - 2 hours 55 minutes

I absolutely love this fabric/thread combination, but then yellow is by far and away my favourite colour, so I would!!

Top Paralympic Moment

There were two track races yesterday where the gold and silver medallists were separated by 1/100th of a second. They were the Men's 400m T54 (wheelchair athletes with normal hands/arm use, some trunk use, no leg use) and Men's 100m T13 (minimal vision impairment). It seemed surreal watching such close races in almost silence; we can only imagine the roar of the crowd had there been one.

[I can't find any specific links for them but will update if I do.]

Back again tomorrow morning for the halfway mark.

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Paralympics New Start #5 - Dragon no. 4

Hi all!

So the new starts continue, with day five and dragon number four, a lovely curly-wurly dragon today:

Dragon no. 4 by StitchItPicasso (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Peach Cobbler overdyed aida

Stitched with ThreadworX 1077 Pottery

Started - 28th August 2021

Stitching time to date - 3 hours 20 minutes

I'm really really happy with this start so far.

Top Paralympic Moment

When world records are broken on the track or in the pool it's usually by a few one-hundredths or maybe a tenth of a second. In the women's 100m backstroke final in the S11 category (low visual/light acuity) the winner shaved 3 seconds off the world record! The silver medallist finished only a fraction behind, so must have been gutted to know that she had also broken the world record by a massive amount, but that her achievement wouldn't be recognised.

Back with another dragon tomorrow.

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Paralympics New Start #4 - Dragon no. 5

Hi all!

Day number 4 already and another new start! I'm so glad I decided not to use black for all of the dragons, as I'm getting to use some gorgeous variegated threads.

Here's the latest start:

Dragon no. 5 by StitchItPicasso (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Stormy Sea overdyed aida

Stitched with ThreadworX 1020 Cloudy Skies

Started - 27th August 2021

Stitching time to date - 1 hour 45 minutes

I thought the bottom of the dragon looked like waves so am really happy with the name of the fabric I chose!

Top Paralympic Moment

Unsurprisingly, Paralympic TV coverage in the UK is focusing on the success of TeamGB athletes, but it's doing so to such an extent that we seem to be getting little else than repeat after repeat after repeat of TeamGB medal-winning performances and not seeing the events in which we are not medal contenders. Looking at the medal table, an amazing 57 different countries have won medals so far and it really is a shame we're not getting to see and congratulating them all.

So my top Paralympic moment today is the fantastic camaraderie between the athletes themselves. I saw the end of one of the triathlons, and the competitors were all heartily congratulating each other, irrespective of country. That's true sportsmanship, and that's what our TV coverage should be doing too.

Whinge over!

Start number 5 tomorrow.

Take care,

Rachel x

Smalls SAL - August 2021

Hello all!

It's the last Friday of the month so time for the Smalls SAL. Thank you, Mary, for continuing to host this fun little SAL. Pop over to Mary's Blog to see what other participants have been stitching in the way of Smalls this month.

Each month I stitch a small project specifically for this SAL which doesn't appear elsewhere on my blog.

My small this month is another cutie, I'm afraid. He's been sitting in my Smalls pile for ages so I'm really glad it was eventually his turn:

Dragon With Chick by PovitrulyaHandmade (etsy)

Stitch Count 44 wide by 50 high

Stitched on 16ct Cloud Lemon over-dyed aida by sewitall.com

Started - 9th August 2021

Finished - 15th August 2021

Total stitching time - 8 hours 40 minutes

I changed a couple of the colours - there wasn't much of a contrast between the two greens and two yellows charted so I swapped in a darker green and lighter yellow. It was only after I'd finished him that I thought I should have used some Etoile on his scales. and wings, but nevermind.

Next month, well, September is always Hootie month!

Take care,
Rachel x

Tokyo Paralympics New Start #3 - Dragon no. 11

Hi all!

The Paralympics are proving to be just as interesting as the Olympics, although perhaps a little more subdued with the number of participants and support staff being smaller. I've been enjoying the swimming, of course, along with the wheelchair rugby and basketball, and can't wait to see more sports once the athletics gets underway.

Here's yesterday's dragon, stitched whilst watching various events:

Dragon no. 11 by StitchItPicasso (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Cloud Lilac overdyed aida

Stitched with ThreadworX 1158 Grape Shades

Started - 26th August 2021

Stitching time to date - 3 hours 5 minutes

This is my favourite dragon so far, both for the design and colour. Plenty more to go though!

Top Paralympic Moment

If you get the opportunity, check out the Haka from the New Zealand wheelchair rugby team. If the Haka from the All Blacks is intimidating, this is even more so. I must say, their USA opponents looked unimpressed, but I'm guessing that was their mental game.

And don't forget to check out Tiff's lovely monthly-themed dragons. Her Paralympic sporting facts are great too.

Another dragon tomorrow.

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Paralympics New Start #2 - Dragon no. 2

Hi all!

Day 2 of the Paralympic Stitching Challenge and another random dragon started. I ought to feel guilty about starting these, but they all should be fairly quick and easy to finish... when the time comes!

Check out Tiff's blog too. She's stitching the same dragons but in different colours and in a different order. 

Dragon no. 2 by StitchItPicasso (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Puddle overdyed aida

Stitched with ThreadworX 10551 Indian Turquoise

Started - 25th August 2021

Stitching time to date - 2 hours 35 minutes

A nice and subtle combination of fabric and threads today, although I do think the bit I chose to stitch looks like a Dalek holding some bunting!

Top Paralympic Moment

Obviously the swimming and cycling were phenomenal, but the wheelchair rugby stands out as being absolutely brutal! I love how the team incorporates a range of disabilities, with each disability given a points tariff and a maximum points tariff allowed at any one time. That makes their teamwork even more impressive.

See you tomorrow with start number 3.

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Paralympics New Start #1 - Dragon no. 9

Hi all!

No, you didn't misread the title of this post, but if I blamed Tiff, would you believe me?

If I said Tiff flew over The Pond, knocked on my door, twisted my arm and forced me into starting another bunch of projects to coincide with the Tokyo Paralympics, would you believe me?

Thought not!

Actually, neither of us took much convincing, so your thinking that Tiff and I are completely insane is perfectly justified! But what the heck, The Olympics is only once every four years, and it's our way of cheering along the competitors.

For this bunch of new starts we've both chosen to use variegated threads to stitch the same 'quick and easy' projects. The only difference is, Tiff will be using more colourful threads than me. It'll be interesting to compare and contrast them as we go.

So here's start number one:

Dragon no. 9 by StitchItPicasso (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Rhododendron overdyed aida

Stitched with ThreadworX 1089 Bleeding Hearts

Started - 24th August 2021

Stitching time to date - 3 hours

The red is a little bit darker than I hoped, but this makes the dragon a bit more intimidating, I think.

Top Paralympic Moment (instead of Fun Olympic Fact)

The Paralympic opening ceremony was just as enjoyable and subdued as the one for the Olympics, but I especially loved how the national flags were projected onto the ground during the athletes' entrance, and their names were scrolled around the stadium. That was a nice touch and I'd love to see it at future events.

See you tomorrow!

Take care,

Rachel x

The Loneliness Of Autumn - 170 hours

Hello everyone!

First on my list of 'catching up with stitching missed in the last few months' is The Loneliness of Autumn, a design by Leonid Afremov which I am SALing with Leonore.

Leonore has been continuing as planned, but my last update for this was at the end of April. I should be able to catch up by the end of the year, and got off to a good start this week by reaching the 170 end-of-May mark.

The ten hours consisted wholly of 3371, dark brown. There weren't any decent blocks of this colour but it did help fill in gaps on the tree trunks and lampposts. I'm about 3/4 of the way down and, although the difference isn't strikingly obvious, you can just about make out some denser tree trunks and branches:

The next ten hours, which I'm hoping to also complete this month, will involve finishing 3371 and starting the next colour, the lovely medium tangerine 741. I'm certainly looking forward to adding another proper autumnal colour!

Take care,

Rachel x

Link-up For Fully Finished Gallery - August 2021

Hello all!

It's the 10th of the month so time for another Fully Finished Gallery SAL, the place to show your FFOing achievements since your last link-up.

The link-up for this SAL opens on the 10th of each month and stays open for 10 days so you can join in whenever you're ready.

I only have one again this month, last month's Smalls SAL piece, a Lizzie Kate Tiny Tiding, finished as per usual with co-ordinating fabric and barley twist cord. So much for trying to try something new but, in my defence, these are how my other Tiny Tidings are finished, so I had to do the same with this one, didn't I?!

Once I dig deeper into my Box Of Shame there will be other types of finishes - promise!

Now it's your turn.

Please link-up using the URL of your FFG SAL post and not the home page of your blog, adding a thumbnail of a finish and either your name or your blog name as the caption. The link-up will remain open for 10 days, closing at 6am UK time on 20th August.

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And please don't forget to follow other links and see what fellow fully-finishers have been up to; an encouraging comment can go a long way.

Next month's FFG SAL post will go live on 10th September at 6am UK time. Hope to see you there!

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Olympic New Start #17 - Witch's Hat Shelf

Hi all!

So here it is already, the final new start of my 17 day Tokyo Olympic Stitching Challenge. It's gone quickly, but I suppose that's what happens when you're a bit of an Olympic addict. I think I watched a bit of just about every sport and loved the closing ceremony which, like the opening one, was reflective of the current situation. Goodbye Tokyo, and thank you!

And now I also need to say a big thank you to Tiff for joining me on this challenge. I haven't mentioned her at all, and that's been really bad of me. Please visit her blog and admire all of her new starts. She's also written interesting information about a different sport each day, and they're definitely worth a read.

So here's my final new start:

Witch's Hat Shelf by CrossStitchAlexaKiss

Stitched on 16ct Wolf over-dyed aida

Stitch count 51 wide by 55 high

Started - 8th August 2021

Stitching time to date - 1 hour 30 minutes

Not a bad start for one night.

Fun Olympic Fact

GB does not financially reward its athletes for collecting a medal at the Olympics, but a lot of countries do. Here's a random selection of how much an athlete can expect if they return home from the Olympics with a gold medal. All are in US$: Singapore $737,000, Indonesia $346,000, Italy $213,000, Spain $111,000, Japan $45,000, USA $37,500, Canada $16,000. France currently offers $76,000 but I wouldn't be surprised if that dramatically increases for their home games!

So now this new start binge is over and my life's gradually beginning to return to 'normal' I've got a lot of catching up to do... I'm four months behind with both A Monarch A Month and The Loneliness Of Autumn, and even further behind with blog reading and emails, so those must all take precedence.

But to show I'm still a little bit totally crazy, Tiff and I are already in discussion about what to do from 4th to 20th February during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics... and then it's only 1082 days until Paris 2024... perhaps another 17 new starts for each???!!! Or not!

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Olympics New Start #16 - United States

Hello again!

So it was the penultimate day of the Olympics yesterday and the sporting action continued with more cycling, diving and a few other bits and pieces on my screen.

My new start hopped me from the United Kingdom to the United States:

United States from A Journey Around The World by Soda Stitch

Stitched on 18ct Around The World over-dyed aida

Stitch count 78 wide by 72 high

Started - 7th August 2021

Stitching time to date - 55 minutes

I was all prepared for a long night of stitching but, again, it was not to be so my new start was nowhere near as much as I had planned, if you can actually see the tiny bit of building and lights against the fabric!

Fun Olympic Fact

Lots of fuss has been made about young athletes at this Olympics - a 12 year old table tennis star, a 13 year old skateboard sensations and a 14 year old near-perfect diver, but what about the oldest Olympic competitors?

The oldest male competitor was 72 year old Oscar Swahn, who competed in shooting in 1920, and the oldest female competitor was 70 year old equestrian Laura Johnston in 1972. Considering the average age at Tokyo is 27, and most athletes retire in their 30s, I expect these records are unlikely to be broken!

Fun Olympic Fact update...

Back on day 11 I wrote that Oscar Swahn, along with his brother, were the most successful Summer Olympic family with 15 medals, including 6 golds, between them.

Following this Olympics, the Swahn's have now been joined by the husband and wife cycling duo of Jason and Laura Kenny, although with 12 golds out of 15 medals I would suggest they pip the Swhan's for top place on the leader board.

It's the final day of the Olympics today which means my final new start and Fun Olympic Fact post tomorrow :(

Take care,

Rachel x

People's Choice SAL - Books

Hello all!

It's the first Saturday of the month so time for the People's Choice SAL run by Jo from Serendipitous Stitching. Continued thanks to Jo for hosting this unique SAL which has a different theme each month.

This month's theme is Books.

I love books but mainly children's books, which is handy for my job in Infant and Junior school libraries! My love of books seems to have (sort of) transferred to my love of stitching and I've often combined the two both with and without realising.

When I saw the theme of Books for this month I could have gone down the route of filling this post with numerous Harry Potter designs, but I've deliberately not included any as they have often appeared elsewhere.

Instead I am going to show designs containing books.

My only book finish is one of my favourite all time pieces; sometimes small and sweet is better:

Sleepy Book by Lili Of The Valley

And these are my top book-related WIPs:

Bookworm Fairy by Heaven And Earth Designs

(possibly never to be stitched on again, never say never)

Haunted Library by Mill Hill

(I really must return to this one but goodness knows when!)

Mouse Reading Book and Mouse With Pile Of Books

by CutePatternsByMaria

(I really must return to these too but, again, I have no idea when)

My stash includes a couple of charts by Heaven and Earth Designs which I am unlikely to ever stitch but I thought I'd show them anyway, because I still love the designs.

Story Keeper

So Many Books, So Little Time

(perhaps this is also a reflection of So Much Stash So Little Time!)

Two of my Tokyo Olympic New Starts also contain books. One was my second start and one will be my final start tomorrow. I won't show the first one again, but keep an eye out for the second one on Monday.

Next month's theme is Sewing.

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Olympics New Start #15 - United Kingdom

Hello all!

So, we're into the last three days of the Olympics, with athletics, diving and cycling on my radar. I did watch a bit of the climbing but that didn't really appeal to me, although the kayak racing provided an interesting adrenaline rush!

My accompanying start was home grown:

United Kingdom from A Journey Around The World by Soda Stitch

Stiched on 18ct Around The World over-dyed aida

Stitch count 79 wide by 73 high

Started - 6th August 2021

Stitching time to date - 1 hour 50 minutes

It felt good to make a start on one of the most iconic landmarks in the world, although I'm not sure the colour is exactly right!!

Fun Olympic Fact

We're always aware of the winning times in events, but what about the slowest?

The longest time taken to finish an Olympic marathon is 54 years, 8 months and 6 days! Kanakuri Shizo started the marathon in 1912 but stopped part way through and fell asleep, missing the remainder of the race. After going home to Japan, he was eventually tracked down and returned to Stockholm to finish the course in 1967. Nowadays events such as this have a cut-off point, so this time will remain a record.

Tomorrow I'm hopping across the Pond...

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Olympics New Start #14 - Shell Cottage

Hello again!

Another day of great sports yesterday - track and field, diving, skateboarding, and even a bit of rock climbing which, although I didn't find very interesting, was miles better than watching golf!

My new start was the fourth of the planned Harry Potter themed snow globes. This is Shell Cottage where Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour lived after their marriage. It's also the location of Dobby's grave :(

Shell Cottage Snow Globe by MIYAstitch (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Grey Swirl over-dyed aida

Stitch count 66 wide by 91 high

Started - 5th August 2021

Stitching time to date - 1 hour 30 minutes

For a bit of variety I thought I'd better start on a part other than the outside, so here's a little bit of the cottage itself. Without any backstitching it looks a bit like a spooky castle!

Fun Olympic Fact

In the inaugural 1896 Athens Olympics there were 241 competitors. By Rome 1960 that number topped 5,000, and by Atlanta 1996 10,000. In Tokyo 11,090 athletes were registered, slightly down on Rio 2016, but that was only to be expected. With so many athletes participating across an increasing number of sports, no wonder the Olympics has become so expensive to host!

Now to start counting down the final three days of Olympics and the final three new starts. And I'm looking forward to them all!

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Olympics New Start #13 - Russia

Hi all!

More Olympic sporting action on in the background yesterday, some of which I just let play (eg boxing) and some of which I actually stopped to watch, including athletics and the skateboarding for some reason.

My new start continued my journey around the world, this time stopping off in Russia:

Russia from A Journey Around The World by Soda Stitch

Stitched on 18ct Around The World over-dyed aida

Stitch count 73 wide by 71 high

Started - 4th August 2021

Stitching time to date - 1 hour 30 minutes

I'm so grateful I managed more than 5 minutes on this one!

Fun Olympic Fact

Dimitrios Loundras holds the record as being the official youngest male competitor and official youngest male medallist in the summer Olympics. He was 10 years and 218 days old when he was part of Greece's bronze-winning gymnastics team in the 1896 Athens Olympics.

For women, the same two records are held by Luigina Giavotti who was 11 years and 301 days old when she helped the Italian gymnastic team win silver in the 1928 Los Angeles Olympics.

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Olympics New Start #12 - Privet Drive

Hi all!

So we're into the last few days of the Olympics now, no doubt a blessing for those who are fed up with the coverage and me harping on about it every day!

My new start today was absolutely tiny, 17 half stitches to be precise, and hardly worth showing, but I had a very good excuse - I was cradling one of my feather-babies until the end, something which was very important for me to do. After that I didn't feel like stitching.  :(

This is Privet Drive, another of the Harry Potter themed snow globes. For those who don't know, Privet Drive was where Harry lived with his Aunt, Uncle and Cousin, until he went off to Hogwarts. He occasionally returned during school holidays but was never welcomed, nor wanted to return, so it was better for all if he spent his holidays elsewhere.

Privet Drive Snow Globe my MIYAstitch (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Swirl Grey over-dyed aida

Stitch count 66 wide by 82 high

Started - 3rd August 2021

Stitching time to date - 5 minutes!!

Such a small start it's hardly worth showing, and I think it's my worst new start ever! But as people have said before, a start is a start!

Fun Olympic Fact

The Tokyo Olympics is the first time that the number of events for females and mixed teams has surpassed the number for men. In the first Olympics in 1896, no events for women were held. It took until Montreal in 1976 for female and mixed events to reach 25%+, then Atlanta 1996 to reach 40%+, and now Tokyo 2020 to reach 50%+. Guess the world has finally realised women deserve equal footing on the sporting stage.

I don't know about you, but I enjoyed watching the mixed relays in swimming, running and the triathlon. Yes, men are usually going to be faster/stronger/etc. but there have been mixed events in things like badminton and tennis for a while, so why not more sports?

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Olympics New Start #11 - Netherlands

Hello again!

I'm continuing to watch as much of the Olympics as possible, no matter what the sport. It's quite nice to have the athletics on, and even without a crowd the atmosphere seems to be doing its job of creating record after record. And is it me, or do the athletes seem to be congratulating each other more than usual? Guess they're all just pleased to be there.

I only managed a small amount on this new piece, which was a shame as I was really looking forward to making a good start on the windmill:

Netherlands from A Journey Around The World by Soda Stitch

Stitched on 18ct Around The World over-dyed aida

Stitch count 78 wide by 69 high

Started - 2nd August 2021

Stitching time to date - 20 minutes

Out of all my new starts so far, apart from the dragon, I think this is the one I'm most looking forward to returning to.

Fun Olympic Fact

The most successful family to compete at the Summer Olympics were father and son Oscar and Alfred Swahn. Between 1908 and 1924 they won 15 medals - 6 gold, 4 silver 5 bronze - mostly in shooting.

Two other families have each won 14 medals - Aladar Gerevich, his wife, Erna, his son, Pal, and his father-in-law, Albert, won 7 golds, 2 silvers and 5 bronzes in fencing between 1912 and 1980, and Takashi Ono and his wife, Kiyoko, won 5 golds, 4 silvers and 5 bronzes in gymnastics between 1952 and 1964 (although to be fair, Takashi won all but one bronze himself!)

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Olympics New Start #10 - Mouse Reading Scroll

Hello again!

Day 10 already and all seems to be going well with the Olympics... unless, of course, the press have been banned from reporting anything negative! I know it was reported most Japanese did not want the Olympics to go ahead, but hopefully some of them have now changed their minds and have been enjoying the sporting events in their home nation.

For day 10 I started another Merry Mouse, not on a train this time, but from the comfort of my settee!

Mouse Reading Scroll from Merry Mice by CutePatternsByMaria (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Glacier over-dyed aida

Stitch count 55 wide by 31 high

Started - 1st August 2021

Stitching time to date - 1 hour 35 minutes

I only managed to stitch some of his head, but that's OK.

Fun Olympic Fact

There is no doubt that the USA has the largest medal haul in the history of the modern Olympics. However, that's a bit unfair when some countries have not competed as many times, and when border changes have meant some countries no longer exist and others have been born.

Therefore, a fairer way is to average out the medal haul by dividing the total by the number of times the country has participated. In which case, the USSR are/were the most successful medal-winning country in the history of the summer Olympics.

[Oh, I LOVE statistics, and could become lost studying the fascinating medal tables I have found!]

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Olympics New Start #9 - Mouse Lighting Candle

Hi all!

Not much watching of the Olympics yesterday as I wasn't at home and couldn't really have the TV on where I was. I'm sad to have missed a day, but admit I've been extremely lucky to have caught as much as I have so far.

My new start was a mouse you might recognize. He's one of a set of 30 mice designs, two of which I started last year during the Spring Into Summer New Start Binge. This is the first of two I will be starting during the Tokyo Olympics:

Mouse Lighting Candle from Merry Mice by CutePatternsByMaria (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Glacier over-dyed aida

Stitch count 39 wide by 70 high

Started - 31st July 2021

Stitching time to date - 1 hour 30 minutes

I started with the easy bit and didn't make a bad start considering it was stitched on early morning trains!

Another mouse to come tomorrow.  :)

Fun Olympic Fact

At the moment, Athens 2004 holds the record for being the hottest Summer Olympics with temperatures reaching an average of 27.6C and a high of 34.2C. During the Tokyo Olympics, daily temperatures are forecast to be between 30C and 35C so will easily take the record; no wonder the athletes all look so exhausted!

Take care,

Rachel x