Mischievous March New Start #4 - Night Lantern

Morning again!

So we've reached the final weekend of Mischievous March. In the end it was only me and Tiff, and Katie the first week, but that's OK, especially as it seems there are very few now who are under the influence of the new start bug!

This weekend I started another stamp. I started with the night sky and then thought that since this was all about the night lantern I really should stitch that bit first, so I stitched as much of that as my sleepy eyes would allow:

Night Lantern Stamp by SweetAnnet (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct cream aida

Stitching time to date - 3 hours 20 minutes

Here's how it will look when finished:

Thankfully, that's now the end of my new starts until Naughty November (unless I sneak a crafty one in beforehand!) The next big event in my stitching calendar is Christmas in July, focusing on Christmas pieces and encouraging those who stitch ornies for Christmas to make an early start. So between now and then there should be lots of progress and, hopefully, a few finishes.

Take care,

Rachel x

Smalls SAL - March 2022

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.

This month it's another dragon but not another Snuffles. Back in 2019 I stitched a couple of  'Crazy For Dragons' from Cross Stitch Crazy magazine, and this month I have stitched a third:

Green Flying Dragon from Cross Stitch Crazy issue 81

Stitch count 38 wide by 30 high

Stitched on 16ct Aqua over-dyed aida 2 over 2

Started - 22nd March 2022

Finished - 25th March 2022

Total stitching time - 5 hours 15 minutes

He's sooooo cute!!!

Before stitching this dragon, I pulled out the first one I'd stitched and noticed that the main body was a lighter green than charted. Luckily (because I hadn't written the number down!) it didn't take too long to find the relevant thread. It wouldn't have mattered if they'd been slightly different, but I'm glad they're the same.

And then there is my usual monarch of the month, this time George III. The middle of March has been a bit weird so his post hasn't gone up yet, but it should be going up over the weekend:

I think for next month's small I'm going to feel a bit fruity!!

Take care,
Rachel x

Mischievous March New Start #3 - Spring Keyhole

Morning all!

So the madness of Mischievous March continues, with Tiff and I (and maybe others?) starting a new project each weekend during March.

So far I've started two elixir bottles and was tempted to start a third, but I stuck to my original plan and started a project by a new-to-me designer. Here's my progress so far and the details:

Spring Keyhole by SweetAnnet (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct cream aida

Stitching time to date - 2 hours 20 minutes

It's not often I stitch on white or cream aida, but since this is an almost full coverage piece there's not much point using an over-dyed colour.

Here's how it will look when finished:

I have stitched some of the white along the top and down the right hand side, but it'll be practically camouflaged until the backstitching is added.

I'll be starting another of these stamps next week but don't know which one as there are so many to choose from - (don't) look here!

Take care,

Rachel x

Beijing Winter Paralympics 2022 - Days 6-10, and Dragons 10, 12, 1, 6 and 3 - finished!

Hello all!

And welcome to the second half of the Beijing Winter Paralympics 2022 and its accompanying cross stitch finishes.

The first five days were thoroughly enjoyable to watch and the second five days didn't disappoint either.

Sounds like Tiff's having great fun with her dragons whilst watching the action too!

* * * * * * * * * *

But first a tangent...

Jo asked me if the competitors in the Paralympics had just physical disabilities or if there were any with learning disabilities. 

The answer, to the best of my knowledge, is that there are no Winter Paralympians with learning disabilities but that there were a handful in the Summer Paralympics competing in athletics, swimming and table tennis.

The reason they are generally excluded is because of the Spanish Paralympic 2000 basketball team faking their learning disabilities. After that there was a ban on people with learning disabilities, and it was only in 2012 that they were allowed back into the three events above.

With the world becoming more accepting about integrating everyone into society, and huge emphasis on the Olympic motto 'Faster, Higher, Stronger, Together' maybe there will be changes come Paris 2024 and Milano/Cortina 2026.

Alternatively, in the same way that there is a very understated Deaflympics (did you know there was an Olympics for deaf people?) maybe there will one day be a Learning Disability Olympics?

Tiff - the Deaflympics is on between 1st-15th May 2022 - anything planned???!!!

* * * * * * * * * *

Back to the Winter Paralympics...

Day 6 - Wednesday 9th March

Today's main focus was the ski sprint races over a course of about 1km for visually impaired athletes and about 1.5km for seated and standing competitors. Having watched some of the cross-country skiing and biathlon, I was surprised to see a lot of the same athletes competing in the sprint events. In athletics, you don't see many runners who compete in the sprints also competing in the longer distance events (and certainly not stopping off at regular intervals to do some shooting!) but in these events it's almost the norm.

Finish of the day:

Dragon 10 by StitchItPicasso

Stitched on 16ct Sunshine over dyed aida with ThreadworX 11051 Golden Leaves

Started - 29th August 2021

Finished - 9th March 2022

Total stitching time - 10 hours 10 minutes

Day 7 - Thursday 10th March

Today's coverage was mostly of the giant slalom. The snow still continues to take out a fair number of skiers, and not just those with less experience. You have to feel sorry for those competitors whose race is over within a few seconds of starting, but that's the risk of alpine snow sports.

Finish of the day:

Dragon 12 by StitchItPicasso

Stitched on 16ct Pixie Pink over dyed aida with ThreadworX 1005 Cherries

Started - 30th August 2021

Finished - 10th March 2022

Total stitching time - 7 hours 40 minutes

Day 8 - Friday 11th March

Today's must watch event was the snowboard slalom. This wasn't in the Winter Olympics so it a was great to see an event exclusively for Paralympians. I admit it did get a little tedious watching snowboarder after snowboarder winding their way down a wiggly track, but then that's the sport!

Finish of the day:

Dragon 1 by StitchItPicasso

Stitched on 16ct Tin over dyed aida with ThreadworX 1022 Rainstorm

Started - 31st August 2021

Finished - 11th March 2022

Total stitching time - 7 hours 30 minutes

Day 9 - Saturday 12th March

Most of the action today involved the women's slalom skiing races and curling. Up until now I haven't mentioned the curling. Two things to note about para curling are how much quieter it is without the sweepers and how you get much more of an idea about the way the stones actually curl. In some ways you could argue it's harder to play as each curler has only their initial push to rely on, but I'd say it's much more 'honest'.

Great Britain were criticised during the event for their banter being unsportsmanlike, but two thing annoyed me more - the constant chewing of gum by a few competitors and the fist bumps or high-fives certain teams did after EVERY SINGLE STONE. I know it's teamwork but, come on. Luckily, because I record all of the action, I watched most of the curling at double speed, thus speeding up the games and avoiding the commentary (the stones speak for themselves really). And it was only on watching a condensed version of the final in the round-up show that the noise of the Chinese team, especially the screeching woman, was evident. If GB were criticised for their banter, then surely China should have been criticised for their volume.

Finish of the day:

Dragon 6 by StitchItPicasso

Stitched on 16ct Sweet Potato over dyed aida with ThreadworX 10041 Deep Coral

Started - 1st September 2021

Finished - 12th March 2022

Total stitching time - 6 hours 30 minutes

Day 10 - Sunday 13th March

Today's must watch sport was the 4x2.5km skiing relays. These involved teams of mixed-disability athletes competing against one another, meaning there were sitting, standing and visually impaired skiers all on the course at the same time. There are rules in place to ensure fairness across the teams but most still depends on the ability of each athlete. I believe (other than ice hockey and curling) this was the only team event in the Paralympics. Maybe there will be more next time as team events are so much fun to watch!

And then, of course, there was the closing ceremony, as beautiful as all the other ceremonies seen in Beijing. From the glimpses of Milano/Cortina it looks like there's a lot to look forward to in 2026! :)

Finish of the day:

Dragon 3 by StitchItPicasso

Stitched on 16ct Clover over dyed aida with ThreadworX 11611 Tropical

Started - 2nd September 2021

Finished - 13th March 2022

Total stitching time - 14 hours 30 minutes

So that's the end of the Paralympics for another four years.

Final comments - China finished top of the medal table with 61 medals, which in a way is not surprising given that it was their home games. However, when it is considered that in all previous Paralympics they had only ever won one medal - curling gold in 2018 - it becomes clear how, since being awarded the games in 2015, they undertook a massive Para programme, recruiting top coaches from around the world and seeking the best talent. It obviously worked, but I hope this investment continues and Chinese para athletes are not spat out now that the games are over. Guess we'll see in 2026.

As for my stitching, as you have seen I successfully finished all 10 of the dragons I had set out to finish.  Some of them are already in the process of being FFOd, and hopefully they'll all be ready by 10th April for the next FFG SAL as I'm excited to show something completely different!

Take care,

Rachel x

Mischievous March New Start #2 - Elixir Of Luck

Good morning all!

And welcome to the second new start for Mischievous March!

This weekend I started another elixir bottle, Elixir Of Luck. I absolutely love the combination of pinks, yellows and oranges in this one, and made another good start over the weekend:

Elixir Of Luck by CrazyBlendShop (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Peach Cobbler over-dyed aida

Stitching time to date - 3 hours 40 minutes

And how it will look when finished:

Like last week's new start I've still got a lot left, but know I am going to enjoy it!

And here's the linky thing if you also had a new start during the second week/weekend of March and want to link up:

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I'm not sure about next weekend's new start... I had got something different planned, but I've loved these two bottles so far so may change my mind and start a third. What do you think - another bottle, or something different?

Take care,

Rachel x

Link-up For Fully Finished Gallery SAL - March 2022

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.

It's broken record time for me as I say I have only one finish again this month. I have quite a few UFOs in a semi-FFO condition, I just need (would like) a full day to concentrate on them all. Maybe over Easter...

So this month's FFO is last month's Smalls SAL piece, Snuffles In Blue. As with the other Snuffles finishes, he's been FFOd with coordinating fabric and beads:

And here are my trio of Snuffles The Baby Dragon together:

I definitely need more but wonder which my next colour will be...?

Now it's over to you.

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 March.

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Once again I'm looking forward to see what this month's entries are.

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

* * * * * * * * * *

And now for the winner of my blogoversary competition.

I asked how many hours you thought it would take me to finish all of my WIPs (as they stood at 3rd March when I set the competition).

Thank you to everyone who took part. Guesses varied from 5,368 to 5,940 hours. In ascending order:

Rita - 5,368

Katie - 5,426

Suzanne - 5,432

Clare - 5,555

Jo - 5,577

Tiff - 5,623

Leonore - 5,740

Susan - 5,923

Linda - 5,940

The actual answer is (was) 5,595 hours, so Jo was the closest (as of today it's currently 5,582, so Jo would still have been the closest, and spookily close at that!)

In other words, if I did nothing but stitch 24/7, I could easily have all of my WIPs finished by the end of the year... no problem!!!

Congratulations Jo! If you either leave a comment or email me separately we'll start a conversation as to your prize. :)

Commiserations to everyone else and better luck next year when I'll ask another question!

Take care,
Rachel x

Beijing Winter Paralympics 2022 - Days 1-5, and Dragons 9, 2, 11, 5 and 4 - finished!

Hello all!

So here we are at the Beijing Winter Paralympics 2022, a time when Tiff and are are hoping to enjoy lots more winter sports whilst attempting to finish off the dragons we started during last year's Summer Paralympics.

I'm in a more fortunate position than Tiff - she started 12 dragons and, I believe, hasn't worked on them since, whereas I started 10 (I didn't like the other two) and have been quietly stitching on them over the past few months, reaching a point for each one where they should require only one more thread length. Well, that's the theory anyway!

The TV schedule in the UK is nowhere near as extensive as for the Winter Olympics, and is basically from 1am-9am with a 30 minute highlights programme in the evening. Thank goodness for being able to record and watch at my pleasure (and skip through the events (and numerous adverts) I'm not so bothered about!)

Here goes 10 days of sports then. As previously, we will be one day ahead of the Paralympics as we count the opening ceremony as day one.

Day 1 - Friday 4th March

Well, what to say about the opening ceremony? Simply perfect again. More is less, and the show proved that you don't need hundreds of people to make it memorable, just lots of children and lights! I'm glad they kept to the same format as the previous opening ceremony, with each country's name on a snowflake which then tessellated to make one giant snowflake; unity through sport.

Finish of the day:

Dragon 9 by StitchItPicasso

Stitched on 16ct Rhododendron over dyed aida with ThreadworX 1089 Bleeding Hearts

Started - 24th August 2021

Finished - 4th March 2022

Total stitching time - 10 hours

Day 2 - Saturday 5th March

Today's main events to watch were the downhill skiing races. In Paralympic skiing there are three categories - visually impaired, standing and sitting - with each athlete being awarded a factored time to take into account their level of impairment. For example, the clock for an athlete in the standing category who has one leg missing will run slightly slower than for someone who is missing just one hand. This should, in theory, level out the playing field.

As with their able-bodied compatriots, all of these skiers must know no fear! If you can imagine hurtling down a ski slope at over 60mph when able-bodied and fully-sighted as being terrifying, imagine trying to do it at even half that speed whilst being partially sighted and relying on a guide to tell you where to go! I'm so glad the guides get recognition for their work. The UK commentators have been telling us the reasons behind most of the para athletes' disabilities, which has been curiously interesting, but does prove that the right mindset (and presumably enough money and supportive families) can overcome any adversity.

Finish of the day:

Dragon 2 (aka the Dalek!) by StitchItPicasso

Stitched on 16ct Puddle over dyed aida with ThreadworX 10551 Indian Turquoise

Started - 25th August 2021

Finished - 5th March 2022

Total stitching time - 7 hours 10 minutes

Day 3 - Sunday 6th March

I tried to concentrate on the para cross-country today. I really enjoyed the able-bodied cross country during the Winter Olympics and think this must be the event where each and every athlete pushes themselves way beyond any limit they have, irrespective of disability, as nearly all collapse absolutely exhausted at the end.

Finish of the day:

Dragon 11 by StitchItPicasso

Stitched on 16ct Cloud Lilac over dyed aida with ThreadworX 1158 Grape Shades

Started - 26th August 2021

Finished - 6th March 2022

Total stitching time - 9 hours 15 minutes

Day 4 - Monday 7th March

The main focus of today was the super combined slalom, where the skiers need to complete both the giant slalom and slalom to be in with a chance of a medal. It's surprising how many skiers went out on one of the two courses, but no more than their able-bodied compatriots. Skiing is a risky sport, although perhaps the artificial snow did not help.

The snowboard cross also ran today, which was just as intense and interesting as the able-bodied snowboard cross. No visually impaired category in this event, but categories for upper-limb impairment and two for lower-limb impairment (the women had only one lower-limb category). Lots of thrills and spills, with some races being won by the tiniest of margins or after some controversial moves. Heart-racing action from beginning to end!

Finish of the day:

Dragon 5 by StitchItPicasso

Stitched on 16ct Stormy Sea over dyed aida with ThreadworX 1020 Cloudy Skies

Started - 27th August 2021

Finished - 7th March 2022

Total stitching time - 7 hours 45 minutes

Day 5 - Tuesday 8th March

Today was another day of cross-country skiing with various biathlon distances in all three categories being contested. Because the visually impaired athletes can't clearly see the targets, they use laser guns which emit a higher pitch frequency when they are on target. All kudos to the guides for the visually impaired athletes in these events as they look even more exhausted than the competitors! Thankfully, as in all visually impaired events, they are recognised as being part of the team and awarded the medals too.

Finish of the day:

Dragon 4 by StitchItPicasso

Stitched on 16ct Peach over dyed aida with ThreadworX 1077 Pottery

Started - 28th August 2021

Finished - 8th March 2022

Total stitching time - 10 hours

As you can see, I've so far been able to keep up with one finish each day, and each day I think that that dragon is my favourite! Once I finish all ten I'll then make a decision.

So that's five days down and five finishes achieved; five more days and finishes to go!

Take care,

Rachel x

Mischievous March New Start #1 - Elixir Of Life

Good morning all!

And welcome to the first new start for Mischievous March!

In case you're unfamiliar with Mischievous March, it's a little new start binge Tiff and I thought up last year with the idea of starting a new project during each of the four weekends in March. It's deemed as being Mischievous because we both have *cough* 'quite a few' WIPs and really don't need any more. On the other hand, we do try to keep the new starts smallish so they should be finished quite quickly.

Anyway, on to the new start. This is Elixir Of Life by CrazyBlendShop on etsy. It's from a series of six elixir bottles, one more of which I will be starting next week. I found them by accident and, although it's very rare I make impulse purchases, bought them immediately.

I had a good weekend of stitching, so here's my start so far:

Elixir Of Life by CrazyBlendShop (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Margarita over-dyed aida

Stitching time to date - 3 hours 55 minutes

And how it will look when finished:

So quite a long way (and so many greens!) to go!

And here's the linky thing if you also had a new start during the first week/weekend of March and want to link up. I think it's only me and Tiff, but that's OK.

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I have to say I'm already looking forward to start number two this coming Saturday!

Take care,

Rachel x

People's Choice SAL - Quilts

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 Quilts.

When I saw this theme, I thought I would have a big fat zero to post. But then I got to thinking, and realised I do have a couple of things to show, although nothing that I've stitched.

This little cutie is Snuggle Up featuring Lulla from the Little Suzy's Zoo collection by DMC. She's been in my stash since forever but is way down the to-do list. Everybody needs their comfort blankie!!

I also found Keep Your Warmth by Green Terrace on etsy. We've just about passed the point of wanting to cuddle up in a quilt with a cup of cocoa on a cold winter's evening, but when we're ill, it's a must!

That's it... short and sweet from me this month.

Next month's theme is Series Of Designs. Uh-oh... I'll give you plenty of warning for a long post alert!!

Take care,

Rachel x

Eighth Blogoversary Giveaway!

Good morning all!

It's 9:22am on the 3rd March 2022 so it's Happy Eighth Blogoversary to me!!

Another year older, another year not necessarily wiser! And another year where I say thank you for sticking with me through the ups and downs and numerous excuses for being behind with blog reading, commenting and replying to emails. You really are a very friendly and patient bunch! THANK YOU!

Blogoversary time mean it's time for my annual blogoversary giveaway. Up for grabs, as usual, is an e-voucher for the store of your choice to the value of £10 (about US$13), or a RAK or suchlike for a similar value. I'm always open to suggestions from the winner.

All you have to do is:
1) be a follower of my blog via the followers thingy on the left
2) leave a comment on this post with an answer to the following question...

Including a number of time-consuming BAPs I am unlikely to finish, I currently have 88 WIPs as can be seen on the 'All My WIPs' tab. How many hours do you think I have calculated it would take me to finish them all?

I'll give you one hint... it's somewhere in the *gasp* five thousands!

The winner will be the one who guesses closest to the actual number (whether that be higher or lower). In the event of a tie I will offer the appropriate number of prizes.

Only one entry per person will be accepted.

Entries will close at 5am GMT on 10th March 2021, so you have just under a week to leave a comment. The answer and winner(s) will be announced at the end of the 10th March FFG SAL link-up post, so keep an eye out for that - it's up to you to contact me, otherwise you will lose out! I'll get the prize(s) out once confirmation emails have been exchanged.

Good luck guessing!
Rachel x