Nephew 2's Blanket: Third Post

This weekend I was around my sister quite a bit more than I thought I would.  So instead of finishing the backstitching on the cross stitch (her christmas gift), I worked on my unborn nephew's blanket and finished another skein.

For the eagle eyed and good memory people out there, yes I took the picture is upside down, but when I flipped it right side up it looked strange, so I left it the way it was.

Project Stats:
Project: Nephew 2's Blanket
Pattern: Pink & Blue for Baby
Pattern by: Teresa Smith
Started Crocheting: May 19, 2013
Yarn: Red Heart Baby-Econo Swim
Percentage: 70% complete (approx.)

I have less than two months left to get it done, but that should be plenty of time.  Unless my nephew decides to come early.

Here Be Dragons: Second Post - Complete

What?  Another completed project?  How did that happen?

So, after my last post on this, back in early August, I did the rest of the cross stitches:

It was going so well and so fast I didn't even add it to my WIP page because I thought I'd have it done in no time...

And then I started on the backstitching and got bored, really, really bored.  There was just so much of it, and it seemed to never end.  So I put it aside and worked on other stuff.  Thursday I finally picked it up again and told myself I wouldn't be able to work on anything until it was done, so I finished up the dragon on the right with the eastern hemisphere this morning:

And tonight, the left dragon and western hemisphere:

I did leave out the 2002 that was at the bottom.  If I had stitched it in 2002 I probably would have kept it, but, since it didn't have any meaning to me, I left it out.

Project Stats:
Pattern: Here Be Dragons
Pattern by: Dragon Dreams
Started Stitching: July 11, 2013
Finished Stitching: September 27, 2013
Fabric: 28ct. DMC Linen
Floss: DMC 2 over 2, or 1 over 2 Kreinick #4 Braid
Percentage: 100% complete
Stitches: 2,998 out of 2,998 complete

I have one more little project that I started on and am only lacking the backstitching on it.  My goal is to have that one finished up by the end of the weekend.  Why so long?  I have many plans between now and then and I don't like it when I don't make my own deadlines, not that there are any repercussions, but it's nice to be able to keep a goal.

12 Dragonlets of Christmas: Fifteenth Post - Complete

Yay it's done, it feels good to finish something after such a long time.  So, after many hours of designing borders, deleting things that didn't work, and, of course, the stitching, 12 Dragonlets of Christmas is done.  Are you ready to take a look?

So this is at the bottom, you can see the border above it.  I added two poinsettias which I slightly modified from the library on my stitching program, and I added some words between them, can you read them without the backstitching?

Well, it might have been easy to guess, just look at the post title.  But here's the backstitching added:

Normally I take the picture before I "sign" it, but I specifically left a space for my signature when I designed it, so I figured I should put it in.

And here it is in all it's glory:

It really is complete.  I haven't designed anything I like for the drum face, so I'm probably not going to add anything after all.  Who knows, something might show up there by the time I frame it.

Project Stats:
Pattern: 12 Dragonlets of 2012
Pattern by: Dragon Dreams Facebook Page
Started Stitching: September 6, 2013
Finished Stitching: September 25, 2013
Fabric: 28ct. Legacy Cashel Linen
Floss: DMC & ThreadworX 2 over 2, or 1 over 2 Kreinick #4 Braid
Percentage: 100% complete
Stitches: 4,175 out of 4,175 complete

Well, I hope you enjoyed watching this take shape.  I don't know why, but I really thought this was going to take much longer to stitch.  I even had a stint last weekend of no stitching since I was out of town.  And now it's about time to start focusing on Christmas presents.  It'll be here before I know it, that's usually what happens.  See you next post!

12 Dragonlets of Christmas: Fourteenth Post

It's been a while, hasn't it.  After getting almost a post a day from me did you miss me?  Yeah, probably not.  But I have one more part of my dragons done.

First up, I stitched the main color of the main border, I kind of think it looks like little dragon prints, but, unfortunately, that wasn't what I was going for.  But it has given me an idea on a possible future project.

Next I did the other green and red.  Okay, much better, at least now it looks like holly, which was my plan.

And some backstitching for the stems, I guess, of the holly.  And the corners have red snowflakes, yes red, white wouldn't show up.

Nope, still not done :D  You might see the final version in the next post for this project.

Project Stats:
Pattern: 12 Dragonlets of 2012
Pattern by: Dragon Dreams Facebook Page
Started Stitching: September 6, 2013
Fabric: 28ct. Legacy Cashel Linen
Floss: DMC & ThreadworX 2 over 2, or 1 over 2 Kreinick #4 Braid
Percentage: 91.35% complete
Stitches: 3,814 out of 4,175 complete

12 Dragonlets of Christmas: Thirteenth Post

Are you ready for the layout?  Here's how everything looked after I finished #10 earlier tonight:

I find it interesting that when I put them on my WIP page they ended up in the same layout by pure chance just due to the width of the pictures and the width of my blog space.

I next added in some borders to separate each dragonlet of Christmas.  It took me a while to come up with something to go there.  I was trying to decide if I wanted to do just backstitching or single cross stitches, but that seemed too boring.  After quite a bit of playing around I decided to go with a stitch I originally stitched on two previous Dragon Dreams charts, Lost Dragon Sampler and Tales of Wonder, called a herringbone stitch.  I decided to use a variegated thread by ThreadworX called Christmas Candy, and here's how it turned out:

I had purchased three skeins of the thread, but I didn't even use half of one, oh well, I'm sure I'll find something else one day to use it on.  I was kind of hoping that the border would be a little bit more random, but I think it looks nice the way it is.  Actually I probably don't need to do anything else but frame it, but... where's the fun in that?

Project Stats:
Pattern: 12 Dragonlets of 2012
Pattern by: Dragon Dreams Facebook Page
Started Stitching: September 6, 2013
Fabric: 28ct. Legacy Cashel Linen
Floss: DMC & ThreadworX 2 over 2, or 1 over 2 Kreinick #4 Braid
Percentage: 70.75% complete
Stitches: 2,954 out of 4,175 complete

You may notice no change in the stats, that's because I really don't know how to count backstitching as stitches, also when I added these to the program I made them as backstitches, and the program counts backstitching in inches, not stitches, it was 99.79" or 8.3' (2.5m) if you're curious.

So on with the next bit, it's going to take a bit longer than this bit.  I have no idea how long, so I'll just say I'll be back when I'm back.

12 Dragonlets of Christmas: Twelfth Post

They're done!!  All 12 dragonlets have been stitched with #10 Dragons Leaping being the last one completed.  And it is the least involved with stitching.  But really, with a leaping dragon what can you add?

I was originally not going to take three pictures of this one since there were so few colors, but I figured I might as well keep the posts the same, so here he is with all the greens... really most of the piece:

And the 15 stitches that weren't in the previous picture:

And he's done!

Project Stats:
Pattern: 12 Dragonlets of 2012
Pattern by: Dragon Dreams Facebook Page
Started Stitching: September 6, 2013
Fabric: 28ct. Legacy Cashel Linen
Floss: DMC 2 over 2, or 1 over 2 Kreinick #4 Braid
Percentage: 70.75% complete
Stitches: 2,954 out of 4,175 complete

I'll show you a picture of the layout in the next post where I'll be adding some borders.  You can see I still have almost 30% of the piece left to do so there's still much more to come!

12 Draognlets of Christmas: Eleventh Post

This is going to be my last post today.  My elbow is hurting me due to a case of tennis elbow that I've been ignoring.  Not my smartest move.

Anyway, here's the second to last dragon, #11 Dragons Piping.

As per usual, the greens of the dragon are first.

Followed by everything else:

Tons and tons of backstitching.  Lots of colors, but it looks really nice completed.

He looks good, don't you think?  I think he's my third favorite.

Project Stats:
Pattern: 12 Dragonlets of 2012
Pattern by: Dragon Dreams Facebook Page
Started Stitching: September 6, 2013
Fabric: 28ct. Legacy Cashel Linen
Floss: DMC 2 over 2, or 1 over 2 Kreinick #4 Braid
Percentage: 66.27% complete
Stitches: 2,767 out of 4,175 complete

I've saved the easiest for last, as least in my opinion #10 is the easiest.  I believe I'll have him finished either Saturday or Sunday, depending on how long the American Football game I'm going to tomorrow lasts.

12 Dragonlets of Christmas: Tenth Post

#4 Calling Collie Birds has been completed.  Just two left!  I don't have much to say on this one so I'll just show you the pictures.

Dragon greens, as usual:

The rest of the colors, not nearly as many as the last one.

And the backstitching, this time it has more red backstitching in it.  I love the cord wrapped around the dragon.

Project Stats:
Pattern: 12 Dragonlets of 2012
Pattern by: Dragon Dreams Facebook Page
Started Stitching: September 6, 2013
Fabric: 28ct. Legacy Cashel Linen
Floss: DMC 2 over 2, or 1 over 2 Kreinick #4 Braid
Percentage: 60.69% complete
Stitches: 2,534 out of 4,175 complete

10 and 11 are left!  Stick around, then you can see what my plans are.

12 Dragonlets of Christmas: Ninth Post

Finally, the one I've been putting off, #3 French Hens.  This pattern has the most ¼ and ¾ stitches.  I also believe it has the most colors, and quite possibly the most backstitching.  Which is why I did two others ahead of it.  But it's finally done, yay!  Picture time.

Just the dragon colors first:

And the rest, which took forever, at least it seemed to.

And finally the backsticthing, changing it from a blob of colors in to something that makes sense.

I didn't notice until I stitched it that the lower left hen is wearing a beret, how cute!

Project Stats:
Pattern: 12 Dragonlets of 2012
Pattern by: Dragon Dreams Facebook Page
Started Stitching: September 6, 2013
Fabric: 28ct. Legacy Cashel Linen
Floss: DMC 2 over 2, or 1 over 2 Kreinick #4 Braid
Percentage: 54.77% complete
Stitches: 2,287 out of 4,175 complete

So I only have three left.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to get one more done today, and I'd love to get two or all three done.  It all depends on how fast I stitch and if I decide to eat, which reminds me, I really should eat lunch now, even though it's 3pm.

12 Dragonlets of Christmas: Eighth Post

Here's another one complete.  I did the very first one, #1 Partridge in a Pear Tree.  I'm actually a little embarrassed to say that I didn't see the dragon the first time I saw the chart.  He does appear to be hiding though!

Here he is, and a few other colors since there were so few dragon stitches.

And now the remainder of the tree and all the pears.

And #1 is done:

I actually went out of my original planned order with this one and #2.  Next I'm going to work on the one I skipped to do these two since they were "easier".

Project Stats:
Pattern: 12 Dragonlets of 2012
Pattern by: Dragon Dreams Facebook Page
Started Stitching: September 6, 2013
Fabric: 28ct. Legacy Cashel Linen
Floss: DMC 2 over 2, or 1 over 2 Kreinick #4 Braid
Percentage: 48.14% complete
Stitches: 2,010 out of 4,175 complete

12 Dragonlets of Christmas: Seventh Post

Well, I changed my plans.  I was going to do a more complicated number, but I changed my mind and worked on #2 Turtle Doves instead.  It took less than 2.5 hours to stitch.

There is alot of green in this one, but here are the greens that are in the dragon, and a little bit on the turtle doves:

And the rest of the greens, and a few other colors:

And finally the backstitching:

I'm over halfway done with the dragonlets.  but apparently only 41% done with the entire piece.  But it's still going faster than I anticipated.

Project Stats:
Pattern: 12 Dragonlets of 2012
Pattern by: Dragon Dreams Facebook Page
Started Stitching: September 6, 2013
Fabric: 28ct. Legacy Cashel Linen
Floss: DMC 2 over 2, or 1 over 2 Kreinick #4 Braid
Percentage: 41% complete
Stitches: 1,712 out of 4,175 complete

12 Dragonlets of Christmas: Sixth Post

Well, I didn't finish it before I went to work today, I just finished the fifth dragon and this one was #7 Swans-A-Swimming.

I did finish up just the green last night:

It looks interesting.  I've been trying to figure out what it reminds me of.

I did the rest of the colors before I went to work this afternoon:

Then the backstitching when I got home from work:

I did add backstitching around the eye of the swan floatie that wasn't on the original chart.  Other than that it's exactly how Jennifer charted it.

Project Stats:
Pattern: 12 Dragonlets of 2012
Pattern by: Dragon Dreams Facebook Page
Started Stitching: September 6, 2013
Fabric: 28ct. Legacy Cashel Linen
Floss: DMC 2 over 2, or 1 over 2 Kreinick #4 Braid
Percentage: 36.81% complete
Stitches: 1,537 out of 4,175 complete

You probably won't see the next one done until Friday... maybe... I think.

12 Dragonlets of Christmas: Fifth Post

One more done.  I have 5 out of 12 completed.  This one is #12 Dragons Drumming/a.  No, that /a is not a typo.  Jennifer made two different versions of Dragons Drumming.  I decided to go with the "a" version, the dragon with the full drum set, instead of the bongos #12 Dragons Drumming/b.

First up... dragon colors:

I showed this to a friend and he said it reminded him of Super Mario Brothers.  The original one.  I kind of see it.

Next the rest of the colors without backstitching... wait... what's that backstitching doing there?  Okay, I might have forgotten to take the picture at the right time.  I was just so antsy to get him done.

For the gold around the bass drum I decided to use 002V.  I didn't want it to outshine the golden rings, they should shine the most.

And the rest of the backstitching:

I'm rather tempted to put something in the middle of the bass drum.  Jennifer suggested initials or a date, but they won't fit the way I want.  I'm going to think about it for a bit.  I have a few ideas, I'm just not sure how to implement them.

This was the last one that contains Kreinick thread.  I think I know which one I'm doing next... maybe I'll start him now, even though it's almost 1 am.  Maybe I can convince myself to stop after the greens and I'll finish it up before I go to work tomorrow.

Project Stats:
Pattern: 12 Dragonlets of 2012
Pattern by: Dragon Dreams Facebook Page
Started Stitching: September 6, 2013
Fabric: 28ct. Legacy Cashel Linen
Floss: DMC 2 over 2, or 1 over 2 Kreinick #4 Braid
Percentage: 30.41% complete
Stitches: 1,270 out of 4,175 complete

12 Dragonlets of Christmas: Fourth Post

I finally decided on which dragon to work on next, #5 Golden Rings.  He is actually my favorite, I think he just looks so adorable curled up in his little ring asleep.  I started working on him shortly after I finished #6 and figured I'd finish him up in the morning... yeah that didn't happen.  Once I started working on him I just couldn't stop!

I decided to make a small change.  The membrane of the wing was charted as 744, a yellow, but most of the other Dragon Dreams charts have the membranes as the lightest green.  I kind of liked that better, so I changed the color to 369.

Then on with the rest of the colors:

I decided to go with 002HL #4 Kreinick braid for the two larger rings, and for the three rings that were marked for 3822 I decided to add the 002HL blending filament.  I liked the contrast in color between the two, but I wanted all my rings to sparkle.  Trust me, they sparkle, it's just hard to tell in the picture.

And, finally, the backstitching:

This one had a TON of backstitching.  I think it had the most so far.  At least it felt that way, but I was backstitching at one in the morning so maybe it's the same, but just felt like more.

Project Stats:
Pattern: 12 Dragonlets of 2012
Pattern by: Dragon Dreams Facebook Page
Started Stitching: September 6, 2013
Fabric: 28ct. Legacy Cashel Linen
Floss: DMC 2 over 2, or 1 over 2 Kreinick #4 Braid
Percentage: 24.47% complete
Stitches: 1,022 out of 4,175 complete

I honestly didn't think I'd be working on these this much, I thought I'd do one, let it sit around and then maybe work on another one many months later.  But I just can't seem to stop myself.

12 Dragonlets of Christmas: Third Post

Well, I did get one dragonlet done today.  I jumped around a little bit and this time I worked on #6 Geese-A-Laying.

There were only 21 stitches in the dragon,so decided to stitch the nest as well before taking my first picture.  However, to me it looks like my baby dragon is being cooked over an open fire:

Next the two Geese and the eggs were stitched:

And finally all the backstitching:

This isn't one of my favorites, but it was the last one with the #32 color Kreinick thread.  I just kept one needle threaded with it since it's kinda of a pain to thread, that's why I chose to do these three first.  Now I'm trying to decide between two on which one I'm going to do next.  Decisions, decisions.

Project Stats:
Pattern: 12 Dragonlets of 2012
Pattern by: Dragon Dreams Facebook Page
Started Stitching: September 6, 2013
Fabric: 28ct. Legacy Cashel Linen
Floss: DMC 2 over 2, or 1 over 2 Kreinick #4 Braid
Percentage: 18.13% complete
Stitches: 757 out of 4,175 complete

12 Dragonlets of Christmas: Second Post

Two posts in one day?  Shocking, I know, but I woke up early and knew the next dragonlet I wanted to work on would be quick and easy, so I stitched him, or is it her?

If you know the charts you might have figured out that I did #9 Dragons Dancing.

Here are most of the Dragon's colors:

The rest of the colors, no backstitching:

And here he/she is done!

Well, I guess I need to add this to the WIP page now... that page is getting out of control, but I just can't help myself.

Project Stats:
Pattern: 12 Dragonlets of 2012
Pattern by: Dragon Dreams Facebook Page
Started Stitching: September 6, 2013
Fabric: 28ct. Legacy Cashel Linen
Floss: DMC 2 over 2, or 1 over 2 Kreinick #4 Braid
Percentage: 12.43% complete
Stitches: 519 out of 4,175 complete

I know which one I'm going to work on next, but I'm not going to tell you, I'll let it be a surprise.  I'm hoping to work on it after work tomorrow, but I'm going to be out late tonight and have an early morning tomorrow, so I might fall asleep when I get home.

12 Dragonlets of Christmas: First Post

I know, I know, I went dark again.  This time my grandfather thought it would be a good idea for us to see what the inside of the local hospital looks like by being admitted.  Unfortunately he had to spend a few nights before being discharged.  But he's doing better now so I've found some time to be crafty again.

Last year, 2012, Jennifer Aikman-Smith posted 12 cute little dragonlets on Dragon Dreams' Facebook Page.  Reading Jo's Blog actually was what got me over to Facebook to check them out.  I have an account on Facebook, I'm just not very active.  And I just fell in love with these little guys.

Most people are making these into ornaments and the like, not me, I like to be different. :D  Using a cross stitch program, I've made them into a sampler of sorts.  However, I'm not going to show you what it's going to look like when finished.  I'm planning on stitching all the dragons first, then going back and adding all the extras I've made to make it a frameable piece.

So I didn't start with the first Dragon of Christmas, I started in the middle which ended up being #8 Dragons Milking.  I started this after I got home from work and finished them just before midnight!  Wow, they go fast!  Jo's also working on these, so, sorry if this will be the second time you've seen these, but our projects will end differently, I promise.

Here are the pictures for my first Dragonlet:

Just the colors of the dragons first:

Here are the rest of the colors minus the backstitching:

And here they are completed:

One down and 11 to go... and everything else I've added.  Stick around to see more.

Here are the overall stats for when the project is completed:

Project Stats:
Pattern: 12 Dragonlets of 2012
Pattern by: Dragon Dreams Facebook Page
Started Stitching: September 6, 2013
Fabric: 28ct. Legacy Cashel Linen
Floss: DMC 2 over 2, or 1 over 2 Kreinick #4 Braid
Percentage: 7.9% complete
Stitches: 330 out of 4,175 complete

I don't have anything prepared for the Saturday completed project post, I should have something for you next week.