stitches get stitches

 Now that all my obligation stitching is out of the way, I have been spending as much time as possible on my pokemon cross stitching.  I also ordered a new tool!

ETA: to fix picture.

First photo is Dratini popping in to say HI HI!

Then I gave him his tail, and started the skeletal work for Omastar: Omanite's evolutionary destiny.  Err, I actually don't know that's true, otherwise Pikachu from the shows would have evolved, yes?  Fun story, for me, when my daughter told me the name of the snail creature on the last page, Omanite, I imagine two things.  One, the snail saying "Omanite" and Ash saying "No, you're a snail." and then Omanite meowing in protest.  Too much Spongebob Squarepants as a kid, I imagine. XD

 

Somewhere in this point, I had to be realistic.  I was working from a bag of unwound thread (still in its packaging, I'm not crazy!) and I was winding floss every time I added a new color.  It was getting a bit old.  So, I gathered the kids (And Husband) around to help. We had a floss winding party!

Hazel in her Very appropriate Snorelax pajamas.

Toby in shadow from the bright window behind him.  Sorry about that.  (fun fact, he's sitting at my craft desk that I finished a week or so ago!)

And Zac chipped in a few flosses.  We had probably about 75 left to do between the four of us, and it took no time at all with everyone contributing.  (Yes, those are boxes behind Zac. Filled with books. We lack appropriate bookcase storage, and it adds insulation!)

If you wanted a tip, oh boy do I have a time saver! As a beginner floss winder, you may think that you have to pull the plastic labels off the skeins and wrap the loop around something to wind your floss onto bobbins as if it were a skein of yarn.  Not so!

If you look on the floss, DMC brand, as it comes from the craft store, it has two labels holding the skein together in a loop. One has just the brand on it, the other is slightly longer and has the color number.  there are ends coming out of both sides.  You can pull the length coming from the color number label side without getting the skein tangled.  Pull about a yard to get started winding, then pull another yard and wrap until the entire skein is on the bobbin.

I don't have pictures, but, trust me, it works.

Over the next few days, I added more details on Omastar.  The observing blog reader will note the new needle minder!  I got a new needle minder the other day!  Ordered from a delightful shop on etsy called Lez Is More Crafts.  It's beautiful and handmade! I am super impressed!  Not to mention, instead of bubble wrap, she sent it in a bag of homemade paper oragami stars.  It was the most delightful bit of mail I've gotten in awhile.

See? delightful.

I got a little carried away with the black here, and I didn't work near as much on this day.

Finally yesterday's progress.  Tauros the bull is done, as is Omanite and Omastar.  If Omanite meows, then Omastar YEOWLS and HISSES.  (it's kind of hard to see the details, the beginnings of Magicarp are blocking the cthulu-like tendrils coming out of Omastar's mouth.)

I've also added the black stitches on the corner monster next to Magicarp, which is his evolutionary step-up, Garidos.  Sorry about the bad spelling guys, pokemon is so not my forte, and I'm learning these phonetically.  Someone actually said it was almost delightful how much I'm butchering the spellings. So, now I'm not sure I have the motivation to learn how to spell them. haha.

I'm also delightfully amused how this cross stitching is catching.  I've so far directly enabled two people into stitching pokemon, and a few more indirectly.  Get it? CATCHING!? ^^

Other-craft-wise, I've started some socks for May.  I like to have a simple thoughtless knitting project going on in the background for movie watching and hanging out with Zac in the evenings.  A project I can throw in the car and work on while waiting for appointments, for son to get out of school, and prescriptions to be filled.

I started these on the first.  I think of them as my May socks.  I'm nearly ready for the heel flap!

And Final update on the saga of my face.  It was not pollen.  I had an epiphany the morning of my appointment, realized it was dryer sheets.  Which, I know, dryer sheets are awful, but husband likes them.  Well, whatever the brand was, my face was NOT having it.  I have since started a medication to help clear the itchy, horrible, eczema, washed everything that I've washed previously with said dryer sheets, and there has been no new itch or eye puff since then.  YAY.

So now no one has to hear about my face ever again!  WOOHOO!

That's really all there is to speak.  I'm hoping to finish page 2 of the cross stitch in the next few days.

Other projects have been completely smooshed aside in favor of these two, and I'm OK with it.  It's warm in these parts and no one has need of sweater anytime soon.