Morning

[country lass]

Morning, I am Daisy & hope I can join your happy band of cross stitchers. I live in rural area, near Snowdonia, & in winter we tend to feel cut off as weather is so extreme past few years.

We have knitting groups within easy reach, by bus for those of us who don't drive, but it would be nice to interact with others outside that circle of friends so I can broaden my skills & come on line whenever I want. Friends keep in touch but days can seem long in bad weather.

Also would like to ask a question (Forgot to say, I am a Dimensions fan & see others are doing some. I have Mediterranean bay & about to start stitching - have only to enlarge chart)

When you start at the top of a project does it affect tension when you get to the middle? I notice on the stitch-along some members start at the top. I've always begun in the middle. It may seem silly asking this really, as if it did not work out you would not do it but I was under the impression tension is best when you start at the middle. I am thinking of starting top left on mine but unsure. Won't really decide until I sit down to put first stitches in. Got a feeling I will stay with my usual way as this is largest I've ever done, 15 x 12 inches. Once I've done this big one I can alter starting point on others I have.

Also, how often do you put your work on here? Think it would be nice to add photos quite regularly so you can see how you are progressing.

Daisy

[poppy]

Hello and welcome, Daisy!

I did not think that starting somewhere else than the middle affected tension. I thought that it was just easier to find the center of your chart, hence the center of your stitching. I would only dare starting somewhere else if my fabric were gridded.
I post progress pics when I have made quite a bit of progress.
Let's see what the others think!

[rcperryls]

Good morning Daisy (still morning here) and welcome to the forum from South Carolina! I'm glad you found us. One of the best things about the forum is that transportation is free and pretty easy, as long you are connected to the internet.

I usually start stitching in the top left corner of a design, especially for my larger projects which are generally stitched on evenweave fabric. Tension isn't a problem for me as I either use a no-slip hoop or Q-snaps which keep the fabric pretty taut. We have members who start in either top corner or on the bottom of the fabric and work up. A lot who start in the middle. With cross stitching you can pretty much do whatever feels right and comfortable for you. And any time you have a question about anything please don't be afraid to ask it. Someone will either know the answer or know where to go to find the answer. The only bad question is the one not asked!

Members post how often they want to. I'm not a good example right now because my "stitchy bug" is AWOL, but when I am my usual self I either post when I've finished a page of a design for my big projects or weekly if I'm using the forum to help me stay motivated or if I have a question or want feedback or just feel like it. We do love pictures and I've never heard any one complain that there are too many. Looking forward to getting to know you.

Carole

[Podolyanka]

Hello and welcome, Daisy! I have been stitching all my life on the hands, so do not have any problem with tension at all

As for starting, it depends on the design, on the thing you are making (a tablecloth, a picture, a tablerunner, a tiny project on plastic canvas). One has to be guided by common sense, I think, and see which method works better for one.

[country lass]

Thanks for replies & suggestions

I grid fabric, stitching centre lines with different colour. Have clip on frame, not Q snaps the other one & it is much better for tension than sewing on to canvas strips like years ago. Use Aida as on even weave I could be had up for being drunk in charge of a needle!! I cannot seem to keep straight lines.

Bay picture is very busy in the middle where buildings are although left hand panel not quite so, it has more sea/lake, a few houses & floral greenery.

In this stitching some half stitches are done with 1 strand up to 6 strands of thread & will keep me occupied, will go slowly. Have done Dimensions 7 x 5 inches café lakeside one & that was intricate but I enjoyed doing it & it looks lovely. Most there in half stitch was 3 or 4 strands but added depth.

Will let you know what I decide to do.

Daisy

[country lass]

This evening marked out with pins top left hand corner but it didn't feel right. Decided me that I am going to start from middle stitch but still do top left side first.

Daisy

[Squirrel]

Hi Daisy and Welcome from me too in chilly Brisbane, Sounds like you have discovered that it is starting in the middle of the design is the place for you. I always start at the top right, which for some strange reason is easier for me do that top left.

I look forward to seeing your start on this gorgeous project.

[country lass]

Thank you & yes, doing that made my mind up for me really.

I am looking forward to doing this. 40 shades of colourful threads which I have carded. Looks like a large rainbow with all those colours

[Ciors]

Welcome! It's a top left start for me most of the time but there's nothing wrong with starting elsewhere - look forward to seeing your work!

[Serinde]

A a big welcome from the West of Scotland! Glad you found us.

[lilacwine]

Hello & welcome. I have only just joined.

I am doing Mediterranean Bay too. Won't be doing any for a few days as dry weather affecting my eyes. Look forward to see how you get one.

[wendywombat]

From steamy SW France. So pleased to see another Stitcher from Wales....we seem to have welcomed quite a few from there recently.

I have only stitched small Dimensions kits so can't really comment. I used to start from the middle of the design but now I try to start from the top after Very Careful Counting! I have been known to get this wrong though!! I never grid my fabric BTW

[country lass]

Thanks for even more friendly welcome messages

One of the reasons I joined this forum was I noted others from Wales had done so. Sometimes people get funny when they know you are from Wales, don't know why. Maybe they're jealous because a lot of actors, singers, musicians, poets come from this Celtic land Doubt it though, just a peculiarity of other folks. Richard Burton, Catherine Zeta Jones & Anthony Hopkins have done OK so we can't be that bad! Didn't children used to sing a rhyme about Taffy being a Welshman?

Anyway, thank you all for making me feel so welcome. I am looking forward to sharing my progress with you all. There are lots of beautiful things shown on here. (Excuse any LLs or DDs which may occasionally appear as my spell check is geared up to them so I don't always notice I have done it).

Very hot & dry still but so are may places in UK.

Enjoy hearing from folks all round the world, that is another bonus in favour of this forum - you are certainly global.

[nannyrainbow]

Hello & welcome Daisy. Good to see another Welsh person on here.

I like Dimensions & have the large geisha one which I have put aside to pick up again later on. Family life bit hectic this year so not done much stitching. Hope to soon as grands are growing up & into more activities so I should have more spare time after school holidays.

My English cousins used to tease me when we were young. especially with the nursery thyme,

Taffy was a Welshman,
Taffy was a thief,
Taffy came to my house
& stole a leg of beef.

Can't remember the rest - think he may have been chased by police & put in prison, not sure after all these years. Cousins got told off anyway/ Looking back they meant no harm, just children's hijinks - but it's not nice when you're on the other end & I used to get upset 'cos I wouldn't steal anything

Looking forward to seeing your work & getting to know you

[wendywombat]

Thanks for even more friendly welcome messages

(Excuse any LLs or DDs which may occasionally appear as my spell check is geared up to them so I don't always notice I have done it).

I had to smile at this!! We live not far from a town called Agen....and it's twinned with Llanelli! I often wonder how the French pronounce this!!!
Of course as I lived in Bristol before coming here I know exactly how it's pronounced. I had a Welsh speaking friend and she taught me!

[richardandtracy]

Welcome to the forum. Hope you enjoy it here.

You say sometimes the English are a bit funny about the Welsh. I try not to be, but may unwittingly be - let me know if I seem to be, it's not deliberate, but if it occurs it'll be as a result of an early memory of mine.

I lived in Manorbier in Pembrokeshire while I was a brat. I ended up in Haverford West hospital A&E after a 2hr blue lights ride as a 4yo monoglot English child. There was a dispute between management and the nurses in the hospital at that time. As part of the dispute, the nurses decided that they knew no English and would only communicate in Welsh. I have a surname that is common in Wales, and when I didn't understand, the nurses became increasing brusque and irritated at my lack of comprehension, as I should know the language with my surname (disregarding the fact it's also very common in England). Can you imagine how frightened I was to be in hospital on my own as a 4 year old, first time in hospital, unwell enough to be in A&E, no parents, no teddy bear, surrounded by grumpy, shouty people who could, but refused, to communicate with me in any language I could understand? In the end a nurse from Cardiff was brought in after 12 hours just to be able to talk to me.

In some ways I've not forgiven Welsh speakers for that deliberate cruelty. In 1969 there were no monoglot Welsh speakers in Pembrokeshire. OK, I do know it was an industrial dispute, by a very small number of people, but I was 4, and my parents were 2 hours drive away (no Pembroke Bridge at that time) and visiting hours were cut to 30 mins morning & evening by the dispute. It felt very personal, and is a very strong early memory.

However, that is in the past, but a reflexive thought is hard to repress sometimes, and one can unwittingly affect behaviour by unconscious reference to early memory. If it happens, kick me out of it please.

Regards

Richard.

[Podolyanka]

Richard, have you eventually learnt Welsh just to get even?

My English friend's Mother was Welsh- hence his opera voice (engineer by profession) and other musical talents. So when she had passed away, he gave me her Gospel (correct word for that book?) and taught to read it. Strange as it might seem, but reading Welsh turned out easier than reading English. At least for people whose native language is phonetic one- in Ukrainian you read as you write and write as you hear. My last sentence does not make sense to native speakers of English, does it?

[Squirrel]

but it does to someof us Mabel. My grandmother was born in South Wales and I think that sometimes she and her sisters would speak in Welsh as I have a memory of a great aunt letting fly a torrent of words when something went wrong in the kitchen.

[country lass]

Thank you all.

Squirrel can imagine the torrent of oaths coming when something went wrong. Lovely you have memories of family way back.

RichardandTracey, what an awful experience you had Richard. No wonder you never took kindly to those people & so badly that memories still linger. At 4 yrs old they should have treated you with gentleness & kindness. Thanks for apologising beforehand but can understand if you do say the odd thing or two & will know it is not meant personally.

WendyWombat, wonder fi the French trying to say Llanelli would sound something like Peter Sellers in his Inspector Clouseau role. Made me think of the Pink Panther films, There's lovely you had a Welsh friend to help you with pronunciation.

I knew I'd seem something about puffins on here. Had hospital eye screening yesterday & while waiting to be seen looked at a lovely RSPN magazine which was in waiting room. Large puffin head on cover & lovely smaller ones inside. I did not realise puffins had orange eyes & orange tongues well as beeks & feet. Looked like he'd or she> had been Tango-d. Other brightly coloured birds of the world in that mag too

Eyes still not focusing right but early in the day,hopefully will be OK enough to start stitching tonight. but if not can wait until tomorrow.

I have x-stitching birds website saved but not done any of their designs. They are beautiful charts & kits.

Looks llike we've had very small amount of rian as pathways darker colour, hope we don't get storms you mentioned on other topic.

Del, look forward to seeing your geisha later in year. Thanks for rhyme looked it up & it seems Taffy stole quite a lot of meat! Apparently discourse between Welsh & England from 18th to 20th century. Verses added on to original 2 verses. Wonder if it was because they had such hard times Welsh were sheep rustling. not sure. It goes on now in reverse, from Wales to UK, A few years ago a spate of sheep thefts on border farms with vehicles of stolen sheep being driven over Severn Bridge from Wales to England.

Taffy never did end up in jail BTW

[richardandtracy]

Lyudmila,

You have a strong gift for languages. Not everyone does - wish I did - and your abilities & perseverance are incredible.

Having ancestors who were monoglot Cornish I'd like to be able to speak the language, which is really a slight variation of Welsh, but the language is so unfamiliar to my ears I find it hard to distinguish words from each other in a sentence let-alone their meanings. I am not good at languages, having had little experience of anything other than French. I have a bit of an aptitude for computer languages (Basic, Java, C++, HTML & G Code), but not spoken ones...

Regards,

Richard.