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Copyright 1998-2010 Golden K. All Rights Reserved. Marcus, GK - marcus@goldenkite.com marcus@goldenkite.com Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:33:20 +0200 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:33:20 +0200 http://backend.userland.com/rss e107 (http://e107.org) 60 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_images/gk_s.jpg http://www.goldenkite.com/ 88 31 Free pattern available. Unique Blending Technique gives best result in the world... Very active Forum and Gallery! Welcome! Search Cross Stitch Community by Golden Kite query http://www.goldenkite.com/search.php http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.17 Two days ago my frames and stand arrived from the US - finally! Of course I wanted to start with my new projects ASAP, but... the scroll frames are too small (28"/70 cm width max incl. framing material) for the ones I ended up buying. So I had to order a Q-snap as my patterns are min. 28"/70 cm picture alone (with no framing material) - and most are wider still, being landscape oriented.Ok, I thought. I will start with a simple HAED design (not blends and smaller design - good for keeping me sane). I cut the fabric, strung it in the frame and started stitching, but... I am not satisfied with the coverage of the fabric. I had intended to stitch tent stitch 2 over 1 on count 25. I had realized that one thing I didn't like in some of the stitched pictures I have seen of GK and HAED designs is when you can see the colour of the fabric peeping out between the stitches. Consider a night sky - black black black - with white fabric peeping out from behind. For me, that "ruins" too much of the hard work. To avoid this I had decided to stitch on coloured fabric - in a matching colour. This might be a beige ("bone") colour or a dusty pink (for a purple coloured painting). I tried tent stitch 2 over 1, 4 over 1 and cross stitch 1 over 1 and 2 over 2, but I am just not satisfied. So now I ordered count 28, but that will not arrive before next week. I cannot buy it here in this city, but have to buy it on the Net.Ok, maybe not too bad as I do not have half the colours needed.But I want to start NOW!!!! But I gues I can wait some more. After all, I have already waited over a month now.Jackie Fri, 13 Apr 2007 10:14:44 +0200 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.17 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.16 I started with cross stitch about 1990 (I was 21) when my father gave me an Eva Rosenstand Flower Fairy kit (Bluebell) for Christmas. I had done a little bit of cross stitch for match stick boxes as a child, and had watched my mother stitching (all though she did most after I was in bed). After the first evening I was finished with the fairy's skirt and finished the picture within a few months. For my birthday in May I got the Poppy Fairy in the same series, and then yet another. Then my benefactor died. Then I had to start buying kits myself. I bought Lanarte's Ballet (by Thea Gouverneur) and later Permin's Wildflower Bouquet. The first is on a very fine fabric, which I found hard to see (this was before I got reading and stitching glasses), the latter is on a very coarse fabric which has deterred me from stitching it. While at the university knitting became my favourite hobby and cross stitch faded. But in 1995 I was three months in London as an exchange student and found Mary Hickmott's New Stitches magazine. In the first issue I bought was a wonderful blackwork cushion which I started on right away. I started subscribing to this magazine and was rewarded after about a year with the first on Thea Gouverneurs new series of sports pictures. I started stitching these on 18 count Aida, my first encounter with this fabric. After about three years more than 20 patterns had been published and I could see the entire series on the wall of a hallway or a stairwell. Not having a stand to hold my frame I found it somewhat painful to stitch the hard aida. I managed to stitch five sport pictures before my passion died in the middle of a confetti picture (The Show Jumper). At the same time I moved from my apartment on the fourth floor where I was very unhappy having lived all my life in a house where you could open the door and walk directly out onto the lawn. Not a healthy thing to try from an apartment... While between homes I lived at my mother's and found John Clayton's Flights of Fancy (Kingfisher) which was a delight to stitch - the fabric was so lovely soft and easy to see. Then I found my dream house and was bogged down by all the things that had to be done (like unpacking!). Then in December 2006 I decided that I would by the frames and stand I had been drooling over for the past four years, but not had the money to buy (Ergo and Lockscroll by Artisan Design). I ordered all their frames and the stand, but was told that they could not send the first six weeks as they had run out of stands. After eight weeks I was asked to pay the remainder of the shippign charges as they now knew what the package weighed, but something went wrong and they didn't tell me and I didn't realise it. After repaying a fortnight later I was finally told that the package was sent. Unfortunately it didn't arrive before Easter - which might be a blessing in disguise as I had time to fence in the garden. In the meantime I discovered Heaven and Earth Designs (they have one of my favourite painters which I know from jigsaw puzzles: Scott Gustafson), and soon after Golden Kite. Now I have a few of Scott Gustafson's richly coloured patterns and need to find one or more GK designs to "match" - the serious pictures (for the living room etc.) to counter balance the bright Gustafson pictures (right for children's rooms and "play rooms"). But more about choosing designs at a later date.Here are the finished projects, WIPs and stash before discovering GK. Mon, 09 Apr 2007 10:38:02 +0200 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.16 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.14 Does anyone know what happened to Gary and " The Project" that I have been following for the last two to three years. I can't find him anywhere. Thanks Sat, 10 Feb 2007 17:49:13 +0100 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.14 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.13 Just trying Blogs... I have some reflections after just started with my new project, Autumnal Woods.I have liked it since the first time I saw this pattern.But I thought it was so BIG! Now, I know that I can stitch big works... And I have done everything I liked, so now I can go for something HUGE that will suite in my appartment. When I bought the fabric today, I really wondered what I brought myself into!! The fabric is "bauta-stort"! Thats a swedish word, like "bauta big" And I don´t use any frame... I have folded it, it feels OK and comfortable.I really love this new fabric I founded! 20" counted Aida. It´s perfect!! Not to small to stitch on and the coverage is PERFECT! And with this enormous pattern, a 18" counted fabric would be more bigger!But I really understand how big it is when a friend of mine counted all my stitches in my finished works at my site She wrote in the guestbook that there is more then 734.000 stitches... And this work has about 600.000 stitches....My latest work, Destiny, I finished in 52 days, that means about 1000 stitches per day.But I worked very much on that one! Maybe because I saw that I would finish it very quick. This one will take several years!! I will NOT stitch 1000 stitches per day! And if I did, it would take me 2 years.... So I think it will take me 4 years...If I don´t do something else meanwhile... A small work maybe Wed, 17 Jan 2007 00:25:42 +0100 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.13 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.12 I have been cross stitching for most of my life and just love it. I would like to start a project that is all in beads. Can you take a cross stitch pattern and convert the DMC colors over to the delicas? I have never done this before and would like to get started and any help from others would be appreciated. Fri, 12 Jan 2007 05:23:49 +0100 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.12 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.11 Now that Christmas is past and we are back from vacation I have finally begun Lamia. I had begun gridding the piece last year and had all my threads on bobbins. I decided to start and see if I could do the piece without gridding. That lasted all of about 30 stitches. It is much easier for me to do if I have my 10x10 grids. I also realized that gridding with sewing thread was not going to work because I kept splitting the thread with my stitches. So I went out and got some dark nylon quilting thread -- it works wonderfully, thought it did take me most of Friday to completely grid the pieceI really began stitching on Saturday, and I have to say it is so much fun to do. I'm doing it on 28 count Monaco, 1 over 1. The blending I'm doing half the cross in the darker color of the blend, and then the lighter color over the top. It seems to be working pretty well. I started in the left hand corner, which happens to be dark browns and black (see below)http:// www.goldenkitestore. com/index.php? main_page=product_in fo&products_id=2894so not terribly impressive in a photograph. As soon as I get to something that shows up in a photograph I'll post a WIP picture. Mon, 01 Jan 2007 16:04:46 +0100 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.11 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.5 Life Without X-stitchMy house would be straighter.My hall walls would be painted instead of smear with spackle compound and unsanded.My grass would be nicely mowed at all times.My gardens wouldn't be full of weeds.We would never have to eat meals out....And I would be miserable. LindaI just had to edit it a little. Sat, 02 Dec 2006 14:58:43 +0100 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.5 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.8 First of all let me confess, I'm blind as a bat. Nearsighted. Without glasses or contacts I can't even see as far as the computer screen. Have worn glasses since I was 12, switched over to contact lenses in college. Hardly ever wear my glasses any more until....When I took up cross stitch again, I started wearing reading glasses to do it -- not prescription, just the ones you can pick up at the drugstore. Just made it a little easier. Then one day my contacts were bothering me so I unwillingly took out my contacts and put on my glasses. Was happily stitching, noticing I didn't need the reading glasses for this. Then thought I would put them on just to see if it made any difference. When I took off my glasses I noticed I could see the cross stitch better than with reading glasses.My eyes on their own are actually good for something!Then I remembered reading an article in an archaeology magazine (yes I have many obscure hobbies) about a theory that all sorts of detailed artwork, including the cylinder seals used in Sumer, were done by nearsighted artists, because their near vision is actually better than average.I haven't put the contacts back in since.An obsession that even wins out over vanity.... Fri, 27 Oct 2006 01:40:45 +0200 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.8 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.7 I recently purchased my first Golden Kite patterns -- I was the one who suggested Edward Burne-Jones' "Mirror of Venus" so when it came out (seemingly within minutes of my suggesting it!) I had to buy it, right? And to take advantage of the multiple purchase discount I had to buy two others right?So my purchase consisted of:1. Lamia by John Waterhouse (level 3) -- figured this would be a starting piece to see if I can even cope with X-stitch that is this intricate.2. Destiny also by Waterhouse -- this is one of my favorite Waterhouse paintings and Marcus released it as I was trying to decide which cross stitch to add to my order. I ordered the level 5, though I did go back and forth on this. Tried to be sensible and order the level 3 but just liked the detail on the 5.3. Mirror of Venus by Burne-Jones -- a 5+plus pattern.Yes, a rather ridiculous prediliction for pre-raphaelite painters, I bought these with the promise to myself that I would not work on them before finishing two Christmas stockings I've been working on for my girls. But...Joann's was having a sale on floss, so it made sense to pick up the floss when it was on sale.They happened to have a piece of Monaco 28 count fabric in antique white, in just the size I needed (yes, I am going to try to do Lamia on 28 count 1 over 1, apparently to ensure that I go blind before my next birthday). So I picked that up.But I won't start it before I finish those stockings.Of course when one isn't stitching on stockings it makes sense to put the Lamia floss onto bobbins.... And then I thought, well maybe I should cut the fabric to the size I need.And maybe just grid the outline of the piece -- I didn't think I was going to grid the fabric completely. But having done the outline realized how mindlessly one can grid while watching/listening to the television when one is taking a short break from doing stitching on Christmas stockings.The only thing that gives me hope is I haven't yet begun stitching on it.I'll keep you updated on how long that lasts Jen. Sat, 14 Oct 2006 14:27:37 +0200 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.7 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.6 OK--I had to get "The Carpet Merchants" large version while it was still on sale as a new release, so I went ahead and got two others I've had my eye on for a while to get the additional discount. I bought the regular-size "White Lilies" and also "Cinderella." Hooray!I am still planning to try to finish the free Sundowner Rose before I kit up any of these just to keep my WIP list manageable. Sat, 14 Oct 2006 01:33:38 +0200 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.6 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.4 Just playing around with all the new goodies here Sun, 08 Oct 2006 02:03:48 +0200 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.4 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.3 Just seeing if this shows up with my synopsis anywhere...Connie Edit...woo looks like it does! I can't wait to read everyone else's blogs and see what they're up to. Thu, 05 Oct 2006 17:12:23 +0200 http://www.goldenkite.com/e107_plugins/userjournals_menu/userjournals.php?blog.3