Even Designers Get the Frogs

Do you see the three sided square below?

Is it mocking me? It had been completely filled in. See the progression of circles below it? One circle managed to escape being stitched, throwing the whole thing off! Yes, this is a small bit of a new design I am working frantically to finish by the end of the month. When you are a designer, you suddenly have things like DEADLINES looming. So frog, I did, and restitching I am now doing. Other than that, things are going swimmingly. The design is fun to stitch - it is done all in an overdye, so it is fun to see how the colors land. It is a bit modernistic and abstract, but it will have a useful purpose. I hope that's not too mysterious, but I have to keep things under wraps until the June TNNA show.

Speaking of June, for those stitchers lucky enough to be in the Houston area, I will be teaching a class at 3 Stitches on June 21st in the evening. Actually, it is a presentation on "The Design Process", a glimpse into the secret life of a designer and how a design goes from idea to real chart.

There's still time to enter the Needlework Show doorprize drawing - I'll take entries up until the time that the Show officially closes. In fact, I've been so pleased reading all of the responses, I'll draw a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners (ok, they'll all be random winners, but I'll make the prizes varying sizes).

Combining Hobbies

Proof that crafts can be done almost anywhere:

That is me knitting while waiting for the MS 150 to start. I wasn't biking this year, so I just had to carry stuff for my bicyclists. I had a little bag with me to carry yarn and an easy blanket project, so that I could fill the otherwise wasted time. The only difficulty was that it was a bit wet outside. At the top of the picture, that is the flash reflecting off of the mist in the air. The start of the bike ride was actually delayed by a rather heavy fog, which made it difficult for the cyclists to see very far. It also made it difficult for the yarn to slide through my fingers properly.

One of the newer Cross Eyed Kat designs had a bit of hobby cross-over as well. Kolya's Sampler took some scrapbooking lettering elements and incorporated them into the design. I thought, why stitch what is already available? Of course, the letters are fully charted in the chartpack if someone does want to stitch them. Nina's Sampler (coming this June), will be similar, but slightly different. I'm actually planning to use more of the stitchable fabric "buttons" which I can fully customize.

Keep your doorprize entries coming, I'm enjoying them all. The drawing will be at the end of the Needlework show and it will be a good one! If you have trouble posting in the comments, email me directly and I'll count that. Please try to post here first, though as I'm processing show orders. One entry per person!

The Stitches are Blowing in the Wind

This weekend, model stitching went on the road. The MS 150 was going on again and I was roped into doing SAG support. For those not familiar with the technical biking terms. SAG is Support And Gear. The MS 150 from Houston to Austin is a bicycle ride that raises funds for the MS Society. This particular MS 150 ride is the largest in the nation with 13,000 riders (there would probably be more, but the registration is capped at that number). I have done the ride four times in the past.

We set out at 5:15 in the morning and saw the riders off, then headed out to the overnight campsite, where our other SAG buddies were putting up the tents. Once all the tents were up and the gear was unloaded, we waited for the cyclists to come in. The weather was nice, if a bit windy (note the parabola my floss is making):

I found out that it is quite tricky to stitch in windy weather, as you have to be careful not to get your stitches tangled.

I stitched, watched riders come in, we ate, we held the Aggie Muster (whoop!), ate some more, then we slept some much needed sleep. The next morning, it was up again at 5, to get the riders prepped and off by 7. Sunday, they would end up in Austin. Here is the stitching visiting the state capitol in Austin (note the bicyclists in the background).

Then we packed it all in and headed home, where Mocha was glad to see us.

On a separate note, there is much rejoicing as The Needlework Show reopens today. I am running a doorprize for consumers who visit the blog and the Needlework Show. Simply post in the comments what your favorite Cross Eyed Kat design is (although I'd love to also here why). After the show, I'll draw a winner from the comments and post the winner here!

Enjoy the show!

Crash!

And that is the sound of thousands of needleworkers bringing an online wholesale show to the ground in a rush to register for...doorprizes. Yes, if you've tried to access the Needlework show that I talked about yesterday in the past 12 hours or so, you've probably had trouble. Apparently, many people rushed through the virtual open doors, and due to the new doorprize registration procedure, the servers got flooded with lots of requests, and thus the hosting servers believed they were under attack (which they sort of were, it just wasn't inherently malicious), and so the whole thing came apart. So the show is closed until it can be brought up again is a way that will stay up, but the good news is that because the show is virtual, it will go on! Yay!

So why was there a rush? Well, a bunch of vendors got together in a virtual way and thought, "Wouldn't it be nice if people could register for a doorprize in my booth? That way, only people who actually like my designs would receive my doorprizes." Which sounds all fine and dandy, and the show code was changed so that visitors had to register on each vendors page for a doorprize, if one was offered. Except that the vendors forgot about the "Lure of the Free" and that people were apparently registering for doorprizes on every page without actually looking at what the vendor was offering - essentially dropping their names in the bucket and then running to the next virtual booth. So the system broke down and doorprizes have been suspended for now.

I find it ironic since the IRS/turbotax servers apparently also backed up with all of the people filing electronically at the last minute.

In other news, the canvas kitty cat is complete! Say that three times fast! Now to paint another one. Shops have to see the painted canvas to see how well your painting skills are - lines have to be straight, that sort of thing. I'm stitching on my other model and hoping to work on some other projects soon.

Busy busy busy

Here's a hint at things to come:

It is a bit blurry, but that is what happens when you only have a webcam for picture taking. All I will say is that stitching hand painted canvas is evilly addictive and silk silk silk!

I have a picture of the tree growing, but forgot the camera cable, so you will have to imagine its exponential growth for a day or so. The plants have survived the past two weekends of weirdly, unimaginably, cold and rainy weather. I mean, really, who thinks that it might sleet in HOUSTON for Easter? Ok, it didn't, but it barely made it to 40 degrees the Saturday before.

Luckily with all of the cold weather, I have been getting down to crafting business! Yay! One new design out to the model stitchers, which will be a collaboration design with Dinky Dyes. Of course that means it uses silk! (Say it with me, silk silk silk). Two new colors and two existing colors. It was quite interesting to send instructions off to a model stitcher with an as yet unnamed color. "This symbol is stitched with the funky xyz color." Another design wrapped up for the very patient model stitcher who completed half of it and then waited for me to decide what I wanted the rest to look like. Sometimes creativity comes in spurts. I'm stitching on another model, and had an inspiration strike for another design. Meanwhile, I need to paint and I'd like to complete another experiment. Oh, and I have to get my teaching piece done, which will then be available as a design/kit. All of this before the end of May! Insanity will reign.

But I got my taxes done a week ago!

Oh, just wanted to remind everyone that the Needlework Show opens tonight! http://www.theneedleworkshow.com Stop in and have a look. Although I don't have much new for this show, ok, it all has been out before, you can take the chance to request your favorite designs from needleworks stores. I'm also showcasing stitching T-shirts and the "X Marks the Spot" design!

This is one show where your input can help tell the shop-owners where you think the industry should be going! Your opinions (and dollars) count! Do you want more designs that are the same old same old? Or new, cool, and innovative designs (like Cross Eyed Kat designs)? Obviously, I think we need more new, cool, and innovative designs, but that's my personal opinion. :) If you don't see some of your favorite CEK designs in my Needlework Show "booth", that's because we're limited to 20, and it is a tough choice. I tried to choose mostly newish designs and ones that aren't carried by the major distributors, with a couple of old favorites. Remember, that all CEK designs are available, just ask for them by name from your favorite needlework shop!

Enjoy the show!

Much sadness

In the face of yesterday's tragedy, words fail me. I ask the question, "Why?" and find it unanswerable. I can only find hope in the innumerable bits of courage as people reached out to each other, professors tried to save students, and students did what they could for each other that humanity is greater than the rampaging few. It is amazing how interconnected our lives are on this little planet are. Here, 1000 miles away from Virginia, I have a co-worker, whose sister was in the building next to the tragedy. Luckily, his family is safe, but our lives are all touched.

Today we grieve.

I forgot to take a picture!

I can't believe I forgot to take a picture!

Today I taught my first needlearts-related class and there is no photographic record! Well, it actually wasn't a class, it was more of a presentation. I presented "The Design Process" to The Woodlands chapter of the EGA. I had models, fabric samples, thread sample, drawings, charts and powerpoint. Hopefully I didn't say "ummm" too many times. I had a fabulous time doing the presentation, and I hope the ladies there had fun, too!

It has been a quiet week, blogwise, as I have been preparing for the presentation, getting the taxes done, and trying to wrap up some designs! My mom came to visit Easter weekend, and I dragged her to all the craft shops on Saturday (in the rain and cold) and Sunday after church we went to the Met exhibit at the MFAH, which was fabulous! http://www.mfah.org/main.asp?target=exhibition&par1=1&par2=1&par3=358 Lots of Monet, which I love, also some Degas, and a very powerful Van Gogh. Van Gogh paintings have to be seen in person, where you can feel the energy that it took to create them in the thickness of the brush-strokes. I sometimes contemplate how to capture this in needleart. Monday I finished up a new design and got it mailed off to the model stitcher on Tuesday. Wish her fast fingers so that we can see it in June! I'm also working on a model myself that I picked the colors out at my stitch-in on Thursday.

I still have a bit of design work to do - wrap up a border for one piece that's already being model stitched, and work on my teaching piece (which looks terrific in my head). Oh, and I have to get my booth together for the Needlework show. Still busy busy busy!

But the taxes are done!

Spring rains

Same peeps, just a closer picture. They have now been mailed off. I spent an hour last week in Post Office Purgatory - a line to the door, and only one clerk. Usually, I just use the APM (Automated Postal Machine), but two of these peeps were going to Germany.

Thursday, while leaving work, I saw two deer and tried to take a picture.

You'll have to take my word for it - they are in the picture, but the camera phone doesn't capture that much.

Over the weekend, I was a good girl and worked on the new design(s) and taxes. Last year, I told myself I wouldn't get so far behind in recording the business stuff, but here it is again. Thank goodness it is almost all done. The joys of being a small business owner!

I'm also prepping for the April Needlework show (http://www.theneedleworkshow.com ) and for the June TNNA show. I finally booked my travel for the June show, so all those details are set! Now to get the designs wrapped up!

By the way, who let April in?