Fantasy sampler

I worked on it at lunch again yesterday and today. You still can't tell much difference between what I'd already had done when I pulled the project out of my stash and today. I've stopped working on the pegasus and switched to stitching on the leafy inner border.

To prove it, here is the BEFORE picture . . .


. . . and here is the AFTER picture.


Not much difference, huh? Here's a slightly better picture of the section I've actually worked on.


When I started this project all those many, many years ago, I was still basically a cross stitch virgin. I didn't know about separating the threads and letting them twist out. I didn't know about railroading. And I certainly didn't pay much attention to tension. Looking at what I'd done before putting the sampler away, I can see all sorts of mistakes I don't make today.

Oh, well. Despite how much I hate working on jobelin, the project is too far along to just discard. It may take me another ten years to finish, but, by golly, one of these days I will.

I worked on the fantasy sampler

I packed up all my cross stitch supplies this morning and carted them to work with me so I could work on the fantasy sampler during lunch.


I didn't take a picture of the actual stitched piece since you couldn't really see much difference between what I did today and what I'd done last time, so I took a picture of the pattern that I'm marking off as I go alone instead. It's much easier to see what I did. Today's stitching encompasses the bits colored dark green.

There and back again, an XFIL scarf's tale

I'm back from my little holiday. I was gone helping my best friend celebrate her birthday.


I actually took my knitting with me to Austin and the XFIL's scarf is now ten iterations long.


I picked up some knitting magazines and one crochet magazine while I was there since I appear to be the only person in Lake Jackson who knits, crochets, and cross stitches. On the way home, I stopped at WalMart to pick up a few necessaries and there are no knitting, crochet, or cross stitch magazines to be found there.

XFIL scarf cable pattern

I had a particularly unproductive weekend. I was in serious need of an attitude adjustment so I did a lot of nothing including NOT cleaning, NOT working on craft projects, NOT reading, and NOT being sociable. (Ask the Prodigal Son about that. He can tell you about me grunting in response to questions.) I told one of my Shadowmarch amigas I would put the cable pattern for the XFIL's scarf up this weekend, but I very obviously didn't. Not doing it was part of being unproductive. So I'm going to try getting the pattern up now. I don’t know what acceptable, traditional 'pattern speak' is so you'll have to bear with me and ask questions if I give an instruction that is incomprehensible. I'm going to start out by just putting up the instructions for the cable pattern and not the scarf which is just two side by side iterations of the cable.

K# - knit specified number of stitches
P# - purl specified number of stitches
L#F – lift number of specified stitches to cable needle and hold in front
KL#F – knit number of specified stitches from cable needle
L#B – lift number of specified stitches to cable needle and hold in back
KL#B – knit number of specified stitches from cable needle
R – Randmacshe (first / last stitch)

NOTE: The cable pattern is worked over 22 + 2 + 2 stitches. This means the pattern covers 22 stitches plus two ending stitches to finish a multiple iteration row plus one beginning stitch and one ending stitch. In German, the first and last stitches are called Randmaschen and that is how I always think of them. The Randmaschen are never part of the pattern.

Row 1: R, * P2, L1B, K1, KL1B, P2, K12, P2, L1F, K1, KL1F *, P2, R

Row 2: R, * K2, P2, K2, P12, K2, P2 *, K2, R

Row 3: R, * P2, K2, P2, K12, P2, K2 *, P2, R

Row 4: Repeat Row 2

Row 5: R, * P2, L1B, K1, KL1B, P2, L3B, K3, KL3B, L3F, K3, KL3F, P2, L1F, K1, KL1F *, P2, R

Row 6: Repeat Row 2

Row 7: Repeat Row 3

Row 8: Repeat Row 2

Row 9: R, * P2, L1B, K1, KL1B, P2, K3, L3B, K3, KL3B, K3, P2, L1F, K1, KL1F *, P2, R

Row 10: Repeat Row 2

Row 11: Repeat Row 3

Row 12: Repeat Row 2

Row 13: Repeat Row 9

Row 14: Repeat Row 2

Row 15: Repeat Row 3

Row 16: Repeat Row 2

Row 17: R, * P2, L1B, K1, KL1B, P2, L3F, K3, KL3F, L3B, K3, KL3B, P2, L1F, K1, KL1F *, P2, R

Row 18: Repeat Row 2

Row 19: Repeat Row 3

Row 20: Repeat Row 2

This completes the 20 rows that make up one iteration of the cable pattern. The asterisks (*) in the pattern rows indicate the 22 stitches of the cable pattern.

AJ, my Shadowmarch friend, thought the cable pattern might be called tree of life. I have no idea if it is or not. It doesn't look like any of the patterns I found that purported to be called tree of life. The book I used was published in 1989 in Germany and it does not list any pattern names as far as I can tell. The book is in German and I remember just enough to translate most of the instructions. It also doesn't hurt that my mum taught me to knit using German terms so a knit is a 'rechts' stitch and a purl is a 'links' stitch.

(Photo)

XFIL scarf update

I've worked at bit on the scarf this week. I have it up to seven iterations of the cable pattern although I took the photos below while it only had six. I'm limiting myself to one complete iteration per knitting session. I still can't get a decent picture at the right angle to show off the cable pattern.

Fantasy sampler update

I remember why I stopped working on this sampler. I hate stitching on jobelin. But, I have persisted and stitched a bit every night so I am happy to report the lion in the upper right corner is done and the pegasus in the upper left corner has been begun.





And for once, neither Heru nor Mouse had any interest in helping me either cross stitch or knit. They were busy looking out the window and ignoring me.

Fantasy Sampler

Fantasy Sampler
Dreamscape Leaflet #97
Teresa Wentzler, Designer

This is a project I started more than 11 years ago. Between one thing and another, I haven't touched it in six or seven years. I've decided to dig it out and finish it. I'll post periodic WIP pictures as I struggle along. It's being worked on a 28 count white jobelin.

I'll be trading between this and knitting the scarf for the time being. I've done so much knitting the carpal tunnel is setting in in my right hand so I need to take a little break.

Scarf for the XFIL

I've tried to get a good shot of the cable pattern I'm using for the scarf, but the pattern is really difficult to see even in real life. I've completed three iterations of the pattern and it is working up really quickly.



I am using Coats & Clark Red Heart Fiesta yarn in 6661 Meadow. I'm using US number 6 needles but I think they might be too small.



The cable pattern runs over 20 rows and 22 stitches. I'm using two side by side repeats of the pattern for a total of 48 stitches. The extra four stitches are the first and last stitch, which my mother taught me never count, and two stitches at the end of the row to mimic the first two stitches of the pattern.

Another scarf

. . . though you can't tell it quite yet. This is the very first picture of my next project - a scarf, in a cable pattern, for my XFIL for Christmas.

Completed scarf

This scarf is definitely for my XMIL for Christmas. It's not quite as long as I would have made it for myself and it doesn't have as much fringe as I would use, but I'm happy with the way it turned out.

It needs to be washed and shaped and boxed up in tissue for Christmas. Washing and shaping I can do, but I don't have any boxes or tissue paper so that will have to wait a bit till I make it to the store.