Hi from Wales

[Fizzbw]

Hiya,

I found this forum by showing an elderly American relative how you would find forums on various subjects, otherwise I'd never have found it!! So cool.

I'm Niki, I'm 38 and live in Wales, UK. I have 3 horses, one big one, two tiny ones! I've been cross stitching for over a year now, I do it obsessively now...

I have a neurological condition that causes a lot of very severe pain in my face - I need a lot of distraction techniques to keep that pain at bay - I have painted, coloured, drawn, made horses and dragons out of pipecleaners and wool, but nothing has been as great as cross stitching - just the right amount of concentration (I have the TV or an audio book on at the same time) and I can't get too good at it and it looses its distraction value!

I started with a few mouseloft little ones and then moved to some Janlynn designs, then found a bunch of dogs and cat designs which were great - I moved from 12 aida to evenweave, and then to 14 and 16 aida and then to evenweave. Now I dodge between them at will.

My current project is my hardest to date, its a Dracolair dragon, Noon Basking - on 32 count evenweave and it was a chart only so I've had to figure out the amounts of the floss etc, so its fun!! I've only recently started using a frame, now use a rolling frame, I can't get my head or hands round a round frame! I'm self taught and wing it by the seat of my pants rather often!!

But its lovely to see other people getting pleasure out of cross stitching and hopefully coming here will give me encouragement and incentive to start designing my own!

Hugs

Niki xxx

[vanessanjf]

Hello and welcome

[frankattleborough]

Welcome Niki from the old 'un. You will find all the help yo will ever need on here. We are a lovely bunch of people, world wide, but I'm not that far away!!!!

I love North Wales having been evacuated there during the war to Chirk, and still have some good friends there, some of them the children of the children I knew at the time I was there.

[agi]

Hello and welcome from Hungary.
You will see that there are a lot of us on this forum who find cross stitch therapeutic in one way or other. Isn't it wonderful how a relatively simple craft can have real healing power? Not to mention how it helps creat great friendship!

[Lizzy]

Welcome from me too.. Enjoy your stitching and the forum

[willow]

Hi Niki,welcome to the forum

[Fizzbw]

Thanks guys, I look forward to getting to know you all.

As I'm a newbie to talking about cross stitch matters, can someone tell me what a HAED is???

Niki x

[Jaki :)]

Hi Niki welcome to the forum x

[karen4bells]

Greetings from Florida and a HAED is a heaven and earth design.
http://heavenandearthdesigns.com/

[Jaki :)]

Thanks guys, I look forward to getting to know you all.

As I'm a newbie to talking about cross stitch matters, can someone tell me what a HAED is???

Niki x

It's a Heaven & Earth Design & they're gorgeous so be prepared u'll want 1 x

[pamelam]

Welcome to the forum Niki

[Squirrel]

Welcome to the forum and I am sure you will find heaps of encouragement and help on here, I know I have.

As for HAED's - watch out, they seem to be addictive - much more so than the usual things we stitch. I have managed to stay clear of them so far, but getting tempted by one or two.

What a great idea to show an "elderly relative" how to find forums.

Squirrel

[Midge]

Hello and welcome from me.

[talenaya]

Hello and Welcome. Look forward to seeing so pics of your stitching.

[Catwoman]

A warm welcome from me too.

[maggs]

Hi and welcome

[Nachstenliebe]

Glad you found us!
Faith

[kazzi29]

hello from me too!

[SusanF]

Hi Niki and welcome from Bedford

[Lili]

Hello!! and welcome to the forum.