White Lightning - FINISHED!

[Fljotsdale]

...Oh, and I've broken yet another needle! I only have 1 size 24 left, so will have to send for some more...

Looks like you need to buy your needles in bulk!

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/50-Gold-Plat ... 415b3f559a" target="_blank" target="_blank

[Fljotsdale]

You mean great big clumsy french knots, Lesley!

no, definitely not,I wish my french knots got close to how yours look.I appear to have just one good french knot in me each year I think I would run out of time,to have done half way decent knots on my project

Gosh! If yours are worse than mine, all I can say is... Gosh!

[Fljotsdale]

Thanks everyone! My needles - plus another batch of threads for Birds on a Wire HAED - are on their way! I have about half the threads I need for it now. More next month, hopefully... Or maybe some for Train of Dreams...

[Fljotsdale]

Update:



This seems to be going very slowly despite the amount of time I'm giving to it - but hopefully it should be completed during the next couple of weeks at the rate it's going.

[taylorgrove]

Wow. It looks like your almost done. I love this design and I cant wait to see it when your done.

[karen4bells]

Awesome update!! A lot more of the water and splash are filled in and it is coming together so very nicely!!!

[Ceitidh]

Looks amazing. Love watching you stitch this.

[dalronix]

I love this so much I've bought the kit on ebay. It will be put away until my cs expertise greatly improves.

I notice you don't use grid lines like I've seen on lots of WIPs* here. Does that make it a lot harder to do especially on a complicated-looking pattern like this one?

*Work in progress. I've probably used a non-standard term here but after I started typing I couldn't remember what is generally used on the forum. I think senility is taking hold.

[Fljotsdale]

No gridlines cos I find 'em... irritating! My work would probably be more accurate if I used 'em though. However, this is normal standard 14ct aida, and I think grids are mostly used on linens and/or HAEDs or similar large complex designs. I suspect I may be obliged to grid when I start my own HAEDs...

See - I'm not a meticulous stitcher. I... kinda get lost sometimes! And sometimes I find I've misplaced stitches... usually when it's much too late to go back and frog cos I am so not prepared to frog more than small areas unless the error will stand out like a sore thumb. Anyway - when lost, or when I've discovered an error, I move to another bit of the design where I DO know where I am, and work round to the error so that I can see where it is and decide if I'm going to to be obliged to frog or if I can simply fudge it. Mostly I find I don't have to frog. I tell myself that that is where my real skill in stitching is - the ability to fudge errors so they don't show!

Oh, and I doubt you are as senile as I am! I'm 74.

Heheh! I've turned into one of those old ladies who go around saying, "I'm 97, you know!" with a triumphant smirk on their face!

[LadyS]

I was reluctant to gridding too when I first heard of it, but trust me, it helps A LOT! Speeds things up quite a bit. It's horrible to do, boring, annoying, etc. but totally worth it once you start stitching.

This piece is magnificent if I may say so. It's been added to my wish list and I hope that one day if/when I do this it'll turn out half as good as yours. Amazing!

[Fljotsdale]

Have you looked at meerkat's? I think it's in her gallery. It was meerkat that make me so keen to do it!

[dalronix]

.... I tell myself that that is where my real skill in stitching is - the ability to fudge errors so they don't show!

And I thought I was only doing that because I'm a beginner!

Oh, and I doubt you are as senile as I am! I'm 74.

Try and tell my 17yo daughter that! I feel as though I need to carry a tape recorder around to prove that she didn't tell me all the things she claims she did. I have to be really patient this month though as she's doing her final high school exams and hopes to go to university next year.

I love Rose's explanation of 'frog' in the glossary:

"Frog- Rip it out, or Rip it, Rip it, Rip it. When said fast sounds like a frog. This is what made some stitcher come to call removing stitches for whatever reason frogging"

[rcperryls]

This gets more awesome with every update. The water and the splashes are so realistic. I just love it and you are doing a fantastic job.
I never did any gridding until I started with the HAED's and then it was mostly to make sure I kept track of how much of the background black I was doing on mine. Now I find it absolutely critical with all the confetti I have had to deal with. I wish I had known about it years ago as some of the angels and fairies had a fair amount of confetti too. I find that if I grid in smaller sections it is less tedious to do so I grid as I go along.
(and I have found many places in my stitching too where fudging is better than frogging )

Carole

[JA Fan]

It's fantastic. He's literally jumping out of his own picture! You are doing a great job.
I adore this, and it's officially on my wish list.

[Rose]

That is fabulous!!!!!!!

[msufly]

Oh wow, he's simply fantastic! I love the way the water splashes over the border - he really is going to jump out at you! Wonderful!

[tiffstitch]

Wow.. closer and closer. It just keeps looking better!

[Fljotsdale]

Finished! Not the greatest pic I've taken of him, but he's all done bar the framing! Washed him today, and he's now busy getting dry. Not that he should need a bath with all that water!
The backstitching on the water doesn't show up at all!



... and not much even in close-up. The photo isn't sharp enough. I'll try for a better one when he's dry.

By the way - there are at least 160 french knots in there! And I'm still not that good at them - better, but not perfect!

[Ceitidh]

Congrats on a lovely finish. This is a beautiful kit

[Mrs Milkybar Kid]

WOW! This piece is awesome Fljots - 160 french knots!!?? I think the photos look amazing, so can only imagine how great it looks IRL! What piece is next up for you now?