watervole: (Clanger)
Judith Proctor ([personal profile] watervole) wrote2005-09-25 10:27 pm
Entry tags:

Cross-stitch sweepstake

When will I finish the piece of cross-stitch that I am currently working on? The closest guess will win a prize. Heaven knows what the prize will be, but I'll think of something. After all, it may be a decade or two before anyone gets to collect...

In order to help you make an educated guess (he he) here is some helpful data.

The piece I have just finished is tiny - about two inches square. It probably took around a year and a half - nope, must be longer as I used to work on in in airports before they banned embroidery scissors in cabin baggage.

I once completed a bookmark in a couple of months.

I've managed two pictures that are much smaller than the one I'm currently working on. Both were done well over fifteen years ago.

I started a bell pull with musical instruments on it about 18 years ago. I'm still only half way down it.

The current picture (a woodland with birch trees) has a grid of 120 squares for ease of working out where you are. In the last week, I've managed around 6 of those squares. This is much much faster than my normal rate of progress and may/may not be due to the fact that I've finally got some glasses that allow me to focus at the right distance for sewing. Radio 4 has also helped. If I get a halogen lamp for my birthday, this may also encourage further stitching. Still, there's an awful lot of it to go and it's a very hard pattern to follow. (the bit I'm working on at present looks gorgeous, the colours flow together like an opal, but there's no lines or anything to help you work out where you are)

Of course, if my voice comes back, I might find better things to do with my time...

So, for your prize, get the closest guess as to the date when the birches will be completed.