Watercolour Dolphin - finished!

Hi all,

April was definitely an 'I can't concentrate on big projects' month, so I switched to finishing off a few smaller pieces, most of which needed minimal brain power!

Following on from French Country Squirrel and French Country Pumpkin, I picked up Watercolour Dolphin, another which needed no thread-changing and therefore no symbol following. After a few hours it had gone from this tiny start:

To this lovely finish:

Watercolour Dolphin by StitchItPicasso (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Bermuda over-dyed aida using ThreadworX 11382 Blue Swirl

Started - 5th September 2021

Finished - 30th April 2022

Total stitching time - 9 hours 25 minutes

This was the final piece started during the Tokyo Paralympics and has now become the final finish, so I'm really happy with that. All 13 projects for the Paralympics used ThreadworX variegated threads and I loved every one of them. I'm not usually a big fan of how variegated threads stitch up stripy, but these all worked for me, probably because I chose threads dyed with hues of one colour rather than threads dyed with multiple contrasting colours.

Now I need to focus on getting back to the bigger more complicated projects - it's catch-up time... again!!

Take care,

Rachel x

French Country Pumpkin - finished!

Morning all!

So my ability to concentrate on anything other than a small project hasn't returned yet, but that's not necessarily a bad thing as it means I've got another finish! I'd only spent 15 minutes on this one previously so it almost felt like a new start.

And here it is:

French Country Pumpkin by JBW Designs

Stitched on 16ct Lichen over-dyed aida with ThreadworX 10348 Pumpkin Spice

Started - 4th September 2021

Finished - 20th April 2022

Total stitching time - 6 hours 5 minutes

The thread's a brighter orange than in the photo, but that's the best I could do without the fabric looking wrong. And this time I'll leave you to find the hidden motifs.

This piece was start number 12/13 from last year's Summer Paralympics and has now become finish number 12/13. With that in mind, I think you might be able to guess where I'm (probably) heading next!

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Paralympics New Start #13 - Watercolour Dolphin

Hi all!

So, here we are at the final new start to accompany the Tokyo Paralympics.

When Tiff and I set out on our 17 day run of new starts for the Tokyo Olympics, we did not expect to carry on with another 13 new starts for the Paralympics, but it honestly took very little persuading on both our parts! Check out Tiff's blog to see her interpretations of the dragons I've been stitching, and read fascinating facts about various Paralympic sports.

So here is my final start. I said yesterday it's similar but different, and now you can see why; it uses variegated thread, but it's not a dragon:

Watercolour Dolphin by StitchItPicasso (etsy

Stitched on 16ct Bermuda overdyed aida

Stitched with ThreadworX 11382 Blue Swirl

Started - 5th September 2021

Stitching time to date - 1 hour 15 minutes

This Blue Swirl thread was going to be used for one of the dragons, and the more muted blue/grey thread of dragon 5, started on day 4, used for this one. But I decided the dolphin needed to be bold and bright, just like the fabric. And, once it's finished, I've already got the perfect backing fabric. :)

Top Paralympic Moment

The whole closing ceremony! Like the other Tokyo opening and closing ceremonies it was reflective of the situation and, once again, included key workers. But the stand out moment for me was what I have called the 'dance of the arms' culminating in the words Paris 2024. I've tried to find a clip and find out who they were but can't. Please let me know if you have more success and I'll update this page with a link.

So, that's it for new starts, again! I hope you've enjoyed following Tiff and myself as we started a new project each day during both the Tokyo Olympics and Tokyo Paralympics. Thanks to not being able to say no, I now have my highest number of WIPs ever! I won't tell you how many, but they're available to count up on a group of side bars on the right if you so wish. At least it's not quite triple figures!!

And for those who have been asking, NO, I will not be starting more projects for the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics next February/March! Tiff and I have already touched on it and have a couple of ideas, but new starts are definitely out of the question for me.

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Paralympics New Start #12 - French Country Pumpkin

Hi all!

This is my penultimate start for the Tokyo Paralympics. I like these types of JBW Designs charts, not only because of their relative simplicity and the hidden icons, but because they stitch up fairly quickly and look fantastic in variegated threads. And what better colour thread to have for a pumpkin than Pumpkin Spice?

French Country Pumpkin by JBW Designs

Stitched on 16ct Lichen overdyed aida

Stitched with ThreadworX 10348 Pumpkin Spice

Started - 4th September 2021

Stitching time to date - 15 minutes

Unfortunately I didn't get to stitch much but, like some of the others, it means I've got more to look forward to when I return to it.

Top Paralympic Moment

It was my third day of seeing no Paralympic action, so my top moment has been picked from the headlines of the day again. And it goes to Omara Durand from Cuba who added the 200m gold medal to the golds she had already won in the 100m and 400m T12 category (high visual impairment, generally run with guides). I remember her reaction with her guide after winning the 100m so can only imagine how they must have reacted to her third gold. Their runner/guide relationship must be very special indeed.

Tomorrow's post will be my final start. It's similar, but different!

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Paralympics New Start # 11 - French Country Squirrel

Hi again!

Something different today now that I have started all of the dragons I wanted to. This has been sitting on my to-do list for many years and now seemed an appropriate time to start it, given that it's another on which I wanted to use variegated thread:

French Country Squirrel by JBW Designs

Stitched on 16ct Lichen overdyed aida

Stitched with ThreadworX 10771 Autumn

Started - 3rd September 2021

Stitching time to date - 1 hour 10 minutes

I'm still away from home, but because I wasn't quite so tired I managed to make a fairly good start. From the bit I've stitched, at least it looks like a squirrel!

Top Paralympic Moment

Again, I saw no Paralympic action and, again, I noticed that world and Paralympic records have been tumbling in the pool, none more so than by Jessica Long. Jessica swims in the S8 category (amputations or cerebral palsy) and has now won 29 Paralympic Medals spanning five Paralympic Games. OK, she may have been only 12 when she made her Paralympic debut in 2004, but to stay at the top for 17 years is an achievement in itself! Here are her results:

Athens 2004 - 3 gold

Beijing 2008 - 4 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze

London 2012 - 5 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze

Rio 2016 - 1 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze

Tokyo 2020 - 3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze

And there's no sign of her slowing!

My penultimate new start tomorrow, and another JBW Designs chart.

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Paralympics New Start #10 - Dragon no. 3

Hi all!

For day 10 I started my final dragon. There are 12 in the set but two of them are not really to my taste so are being missed out. This one is in my top three favourites, I think.

Dragon no. 3 by StitchItPicasso (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Clover overdyed aida

Stitched with ThreadworX 11611 Tropical

Started - 2nd September 2021

Stitching time to date - 10 minutes

It's a very small start! I am not at home and stitching was not appropriate until late evening, by which time I was too tired to manage more than a few stitches. Such a shame, as was really looking forward to working on this dragon and this colour. The only consolation is that when I return to this WIP I'll have a lot of dragon and colour to look forward to!

Top Paralympic Moment

I saw absolutely no Paralympic action so have had to rely on round-up information to find a top moment. It seems that more world records tumbled in the pool during the various swimming heats and finals, but the highlight has to be China winning all five of the gold medals available in that day's table tennis finals. China tend to dominate table tennis in the able-bodied Olympics, and it seems their para athletes are just as good.

Another new start tomorrow...

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Paralympics New Start #9 - Dragon no. 6

Hi all!

New start number 9 was mostly stitched on trains, which meant going at a slower pace than usual and often unpicking stitches as I missed the holes! I think this is my favourite dragon of the bunch:

Dragon no. 6 by StitchItPicasso (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Sweet Potato overdyed aida

Stitched with ThreadworX 10041 Deep Coral

Started - 1st September 2021

Stitching time to date - 2 hours 10 minutes

The colour of the thread is pinker than the photo shows and very much in-your-face. It's probably not one I would have chosen had I seen it in real life, but is variegated enough to do its job and will definitely stand out among the thunder of dragons I've started so far (did you know that a group of dragons was called a thunder?)

Top Paralympic Moment

I only caught about 15 minutes of the Paralympics, but in that time did see David Smith of TeamGB win the Boccia BC1 gold medal. His reaction of 'yeah' every time he threw a ball was comical, not in a laughing at him way but because of his pure enjoyment. Add that to his red and blue hair and I'm sure he's quite a character!

Hopefully back tomorrow.

Take care,

Rachel x

Tokyo Paralympics New Start #8 - Dragon no. 1

Hello again!

Because Tiff jumped ahead with her dragon yesterday ,and I'm missing a couple out, we got to stitch on the same one and, quite coincidentally, in similar(ish) colours!

Dragon no. 1 by StitchItPicasso (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Tin overdyed aida

Stitched with ThreadworX 1022 Rain Storm

Started - 31st August 2021

Stitching time to date - 1 hours 10 minutes

This colour is the lighter version of Cloudy Skies I used for Day 4. I had planned to make each dragon very different, but decided to swap the threads for this and the final project before realising the similarity. Oh well.

Top Paralympic Moment

The Men's 1500m T54 (wheelchair athletes with normal hands/arm use, some trunk use, no leg use) final has to be the top moment from yesterday. Not only was the world record broken but, out of the 10 competitors, 7 came in under the old world record time and every single one of them achieved a personal best. I expect this was a combination of track conditions, advanced wheelchair technology and the general adrenaline of the event, but I can't imagine results like that happen very often.

I'm now going away for a few days (not for work or pleasure) but still hope to keep up with these daily new starts and posts. Apologies in advance if I can't though.

Take care,

Rachel x

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

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