And just doing the alphabet again? I can already count to nine thanks.

But the concept of a sampler – using it as a way of gathering and practising techniques – is a great one. So to give myself other sampler-type options, I’ve spent a bit of time recently trying to work on my graffiti tagging technique. Mainly because I adore typography and find a lot of the good graffiti out there simply amazing, not because I’ve got the sudden urge to start sneaking into train yards in the wee hours of the morn, hoodie up and scarf wound tight. But considering that my draftmanship skills are almost nonexistent (you should try and decipher my handwriting sometime) this has been somewhat of a challenge.

First of all: what on earth makes a cool tag? I’ve already used “stitch”, and although I’m happy to try and perfect my style with that, I’d like to mix it up a little at least.

So when a friend suggested a few slightly more wanton, albeit literary, words, well I went with it. Now I know I’m a long, long way from any tagging talent, but I liked my initial bubble styled sketch enough to use that without trying to really work it I up into something a real graffiti artist would be happy with. But it’s a start, right?

So here’s an early sketch of it. I cheated a bit with using tracing paper (because I’m lazy like that) to plan a few different colourways and stitch techniques before I settled on giving crewel a shot in wool. You’ve seen a couple of letters already, and I’ll get more up as I get closer to finishing it.

Anyone else feeling lascivious?

I love Wonder Cabinets. I love the original Victorian ones, full of fossils and bones and other curiosities. The things that kind of freak you out with the horrid fascination of someones toenail collection or dried umbilical cord. Why, just, why would you store that?

Now Berlin is getting one of its own – but this is of a more handmade nature. Curated by Leah Buckareff of Cold Snap Bindery and hosted by La Bastellerie, you can come admire, goggle at and even buy the curiosities on display.

I’mJane Nicholas’s amazing book

Now because it isn’t a design of my own, I’m offering it for sale, but all proceeds will be put straight into Kiva, a micro lending organisation helping individuals around the world achieve great things by giving them a starting boost into self-sufficiency. I’ve been lending through them for a few years now (here’s my lending page ) and encourage everyone to do it. There’s even a Stitchalicious group for lenders I’d you’d like to take part in that.

So that’s my part in the Wunderkabinett, for now at least. Pop by the website if you can’t come and see it in person – Leah will be showcasing all that is going in there.

This spider was a fun little thing I did while playing around with knots. As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve been on a big knot thing recently – so large that I’m wondering if macrame is going to be appearing in my near future.

In this case I mainly wanted another excuse to do some Ghiordes Knots (because god knows it’s not like I haven’t already been putting them in everything I’ve stitched for the last year or so) and I had a vague curiousity about what would happen if I used two differently coloured threads in a Bullion Knot. And what happens? STRIPEY SPIDER LEGS HAPPEN. That rocks. A couple of french knots in red and some friends with a button machine and lo-and-behold a spider button was born.

This was seriously simple stitching stuff (again with alliteration!): Ghiordes knots (also  called Turkey knots) with one green and one black strand of floss in the needle stitched in a small oval, two bullion knots per leg also with one strand each of green and black and some bright red french knots for the eyes. That’s it. Now it graces my knife holder in the kitchen along with some other badges I picked up a few years ago – how can you not love the claim that “super-ness is no coincidence”?

So who’s had experience with wool before? I must admit I’ve avoided it for years, I think mainly because it reminded me of those orange and brown 1970s tapestries which were somewhat dominant in my childhood.

Sure they’re retro cool now, but that didn’t stop my aversion. I’ve never been known as a trend-setter after all.

So the last time I made it to a well-stocked embroidery shop (xxx in sydney – and why I have to travel halfway around the world to find decent supplies is a topic for another time) I grabbed a few dozen wools, including the Appletons I’m using in this piece. Judging by the dust on the wool stand, most other embroiderers are also bypassing wool at the moment.

Wool is proving slightly more tricky than floss. You need to use much shorter pieces to start with as it really suffers with every pull through the fabric. It wears and thins and so I’m currently only using 20 cm lengths.

It’s also varying dramatically in thickness along the length. I’m not sure if that’s to be expected with all wool, or is a just a “feature” of the Appleton, but it makes a real difference to the look of the stitches when some are with thick and fluffy thread and some with thin and tight. I’m staggering stitches a lot more, so that when it thins a bit I can come back later with a fresher, fluffier strand and full out in between and that way keep the look consistent.

But even with having to start and finish more often, wool works up faster because it covers so much better. And because it isn’t smooth and shiny, it’s far more forgiving of the smaller mistakes that can destroy a piece of satin stitch.

So I’d really recommend giving it a shot. I’ve got a few other kind of wools, and wool/silk blends, that I’ll try out sometime soon and let you know how they go. But seriously, be braver than me and don’t wait decades to try it!

Have you ever tried crewel? I’ve done little bits and pieces over the years, worked some crewel stitches into other pieces – mainly just in normal stranded floss. In fact, those Pekin knots I complained about previously was me dabbling a little.

However it just wasn’t working in floss and so that particular WIP went back into the drawer. Now, though, I’ve finally dared to broach the whole wool theme and I’ve grabbed that design again and restarted.

So this is where it was: I was working on floss on a thick red fabric and those knots, not to put too fine a point on it,  sucked big hairy donkeys balls.

Now I’ve taken a finer cream linen and I’m giving Appleton wool a shot. So far I really like how the wool is working out, and those Pekin knots were a little easier to do.

So what do you think? Is the wool working for you too?

And it didn’t really look any worse than a French knot after all and French knots REALLY aren’t bad, no matter what kind of reputation they’ve got.

Maybe it’s because I’m doing it all in cotton floss instead of crewel wool but I am battling with each and every one of these little suckers. It knots too tightly around the tail and then I can’t get the tail through, so there I sit with needle and laying tool trying to get it apart again so that I can get the tail between the stitches of an even length and tension. They’re driving me insane. I CAN do knots (although I’m not particularly eager to spend large amounts of time with bullion knots again anytime soon) but this guy has got me stumped.

Anyway, only a few centimeters left, that’s all, then I can leave this knot behind me.

I found a few likely candidates a few weeks ago and started of again. At that time I posted an update to Flickr but it was already pretty clear when I took the photo that one of the string substitutes wasn’t going to cut the mustard. It was too stiff and thick, didn’t like to bend into tight corners and was about twice the height of the other strings. So I unpicked those bits again.

Then I started off, with a few more circles and swirls and realised that I’d given him matching round cheeks… hmm, didn’t look good at all so out it came. A few more hours and I realised I’d put a bullseye in the middle of his forehead -arrggghhhh- out that came too. So with probably another fifteenhours of stitching on it I have about four hours to show for it.

But I guess that’s what happens when you’re trying out new stuff, hey?

So here is the current status. What do you think?

Maria Inmaculada is one of the Virgin series of cross stitch patterns born from a collaboration between Stitchalicious and Karolina Kruz of Luciluxx. The design is only 66 x 100 stitches, but uses partial stitches to give a huge amount of detail. Want to push the boundaries of your cross stitch? Then give half stitches a try!

Here, she’s available in a kit, with the pattern printed on high quality print on card and packaged with 14ct Aida fabric, needle and DMC threads. For the pattern alone, please go here.

Difficulty: Bring It On Baby!

Other designs in this series are:

Maria Esperanza

Maria Dolores

Maria Dolores is one of the Virgin series of cross stitch patterns born from a collaboration between Stitchalicious and Karolina Kruz of Luciluxx. The design is only 66 x 100 stitches, but uses partial stitches to give a huge amount of detail. Want to push the boundaries of your cross stitch? Then give half stitches a try!

Here, she’s available in a kit, with the pattern printed on high quality print on card and packaged with 14ct Aida fabric, needle and DMC threads. For the pattern alone, please go here.

Difficulty: Bring It On Baby!

Other designs in this series are:

Maria Inmaculada

Maria Esperanza

Maria Esperenza is one of the Virgin series of cross stitch patterns born from a collaboration between Stitchalicious and Karolina Kruz of Luciluxx. The design is only 66 x 100 stitches, but uses partial stitches to give a huge amount of detail. Want to push the boundaries of your cross stitch? Then give half stitches a try!

Here, she’s available in a kit, with the pattern printed on high quality print on card and packaged with 14ct Aida fabric, needle and DMC threads.  For the pattern alone, please go here.

Difficulty: Bring It On Baby!

Other designs in this series are:

Maria Inmaculada

Maria Dolores