So of course

I'm off playing Skyward Sword. Be back soon.

Slime Knight!

Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy Dragon Quest? I knew very little about it until Journey of the Cursed King came out on playstation 2 and I picked up a copy purely for the fact it came with a playguide (and I love playguides!). Since then I've collected as many titles as I can for the DS and recently finished up DQ VI : Realms of Reverie. I realised I hadn't contemplated doing any DQ related stitching so without further ado :

Crocomire

Good news! I managed to pick up a new computer on special so I'm back in action. Below is a quick phone photo of the little progress I made on Crocomire while I was on night shift last week. I would like to have this one done and posted to it's new home by the end of the month so I'm putting any other little projects on standby until this one is DONE! Gosh, stitching on black aida in the middle of the night hurt my peepers though...

And I'm done!

So pleased to have finally finished this Mario piece I've been playing around with since the start of the year. Just a matter of finding a frame that fits! The finished product contains over 23,000 individual stitches and 70 different colours. It is by far the biggest piece I have ever attempted. While I'm on a roll I thought I'd dig out that Crocomire...

Almost Finished!

Whoops!

I managed to break my laptop in an unfortunate cooking accident (I was reading a recipe off it next to the sink, water from the tap sprayed everywhere etc) so I'm having to rely on my phone. As a result I don't have access to my patterns and as I'm not in the habit of backing up files, a lot of them will be lost : ( Oh well, the recipe worked out perfectly!

Sick!

I've had an awful stomach virus for just on a week now with no signs of it clearing up. I couldn't work on my cross stitch from the toilet so I've packed it away for a bit. That and the fact I made another error in the mario piece and am still scratching my head trying to work out the best way of fixing it without having to unpick too much. I think I've been stitching too late at night, like midnight, when I get home from work and I need something to unwind, thus mistakes aplenty. In the moments when I'm not strapped to the porcelain or curled in the foetal position I have been playing a few games lately. Mainly Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii. This came out recently and without doing any research I picked up a copy only to find out it's just what the doctor ordered! Amazing story, characters with depth, fast paced action, levelling up to my hearts content and a million and one collectables and side quests. Why couldn't the last Final Fantasy be more like this?? *glares at long forgotten FF box*. When I've not fighting Mechon I've been playing a host of other great games including Heavy Rain (which I finished the other day, great stuff!), Read Dead Redemption (I suck at these sort of GTA genre games but I find great amusement in perservering) and Assassins Creed 2 (again not my sort of game because I struggle with the controls but I'm getting there). The weather here is beginning to warm up though and my body is craving a bit of vitamin D so perhaps I need to take a bit of a break and head outdoors!....not yet though...my stomach still hates me.

More Mario

Just a quick pic update to record my progress on the mario piece. This thankfully concludes the green hill background! Now I just have the final third to go...might actually finish this one? (If I'm not too distracted playing Costume Quest or Beyond Good and Evil).

Yellow Submarine

Just a small project to pass some time. I came across a link to Iotacons by Andy Rash. His work is terribly clever, I fell in love, my mind was blown and it also just so happens they are perfect for stitching. My attempt at The Beatles from The Yellow Submarine is below. Next something Star Wars related? Or Indiana Jones perhaps?

p.s. thank you for recent comments. For some reason my computer is not letting me reply! Grr.

Life got in the way a bit there...

Here's a update of my 'mario through the ages' cross stitch I started way back at the start of the year. I completely neglected it due to the block colour grind but since picking it up again I've got some renewed interest (not saying it will last but progress is progress). Haven't updated in a long time, lost the plot for a bit and then went on a bit of a trip around Australia and made eating out and drinking too much my daily pursuit. I had planned to have the Wind Waker piece all finished a month or so ago but I discovered an error in my stitchy ways and threw the whole thing to the bottom of the pile...I'll get back to it eventually, once my frustration settles!

Link! Wind waker!

A little update on the latest stitch that's keeping my occupied! I'm hoping to have this finished by the end of next week. It's come along rather quickly which surprised me but I've run out of some essential colours so I'm at a production stop!

Street Fighter : Ken Masters

No updates for awhile, I've been on night shift which always sends me off into a bit of a spin. I've also been dealing with some difficult situations that have been getting me down but I've made a list!...so I might have a chance of working through some of them. Of course, this is a blog for my stitches so back to business. Here is my latest update on the scott pilgrim collage and a small project I finished while I was keeping the zombies at bay on night shift:

Scott Pilgrim Collage

Work has begun on Siva's SP pattern. I needed a little break from the endless reds of crocomire (and yes note to self, I have squillions of other things underway but I'm greedy). Have a few hours to spare this evening to make a bit more progress, might be able to add a torso to those floating legs, who knows?!

Super Cute!

Started playing Okamiden today. It says it came out in Australian stores on the 17th of March but I don't remember seeing it?....anyway, I'M IN LOVE! This game is just what I needed having given my consoles the flick over the last month. I can see the distinct similarities between this and LoZ, as I'm only 2 hours in I don't think I can say I like it more but it's definitely up there. Now I would like all of these please.

Days off Fly By

It seems like I only just finished night shift and now I'm facing work again this afternoon : ( I wanted to be able to ride in today as well but the weather is very soggy to say the least.

Here's my latest update of crocomire. From a distance he's looking pretty detailed. I find it hard to believe the whole picture is comprised of only 12 colours! I think because of the lack of variation though I'm finding it a little hard to stay inspired, it's just never ending rows of red....

Sprite stitch forum member heliumkidd posted a bunch of metroid stitches they have worked on in the past. I'm using them as motivation to carry on with my own. I think they look super fantastic! Below is a little sample of their work. Phantoon! Looks pretty amazing I think. You can see the rest of their metroid related work HERE







I'd love to have that framed on my wall. I wonder what my guests would think?

Pomp and Circumstance

To be honest I completely forgot today was the big day for Wills and Kate. I only figured it all out when my dear ma and pa showed up tonight with some fish and chips to watch the live broadcast. I kept half an eye on the procedings while the rest of me focused on plotting out my next project. I didn't get nearly enough time on night shift to work on my crocomire which was a bit of a shame. We had a few very busy nights and broke a new record I believe with 5 deaths on the ward within 24 hours! All were expected but it kept us on our toes. Whoever thought night shift is for sitting around relaxing (and doing cross stitch) was a mad person! Glad to be back in to the land of the living now. I'll spend a bit of time on it tomorrow and post another pic soon of any work I do get done :S

The image to the left is a free cross stitch pattern from the Subversive Cross Stitch page available HERE for those who feel inclined to whip up a bit of memorabilia.

And my next big project? Well of course I can't settle for half a dozen on the go, I WANT MORE! When I came across sprite stitch forum user Siva's Scott Pilgrim collage I went slightly bananas and wanted to get started straight away. I didn't....but I did go out and buy a metre of aida for a start. This is the first time I've purchased aida in bulk, it's pretty expensive down here, most craft shops are independantly owned and charge up to $20 extra for the same product. I'd toyed with ordering some off ebay but when I want something I often want it right there and then :P The original image looks like this - >

Siva spent 6 hours working on putting all the sprites together and I can't be more wowed with result (sorry my picture quality isn't great but you get the idea). The pattern is available HERE. Just note that the second pattern posted is the one to go for as it's been rejigged to add a missing nose into the action!

Alright that should about do it from me. It's time to relax now the parents have headed home and watch the latest installment from Harry Potter :P

Night Shift Shuffle

Happy Easter everyone! I realise I'm a bit late by Australian times but ahh well, have a picture anyway of what I believe is a clapping bunny! As my post title suggests I'm on night shift at the moment which can mean a few things. Firstly, I'm likely to be extremely cranky until Friday and should be kept far away from family and friends to avoid permanent damage. Secondly on a more positive note, I have packed my cross stitch and might actually have a chance to muck around with it a bit. Still working on crocomire at the moment, he's coming along nicely in a scary lava monster way. I really would like to learn how to crochet so in an attempt to make this a reality I purchased a small amigurumi set with the promise of 'full step by step instructions enclosed'. Unfortunately it worked on the premise you had half a clue which I sadly lack...I'm trying to find some good online tutorials with pictures and video. I'll get there!

Crocomire Update II

Made a start on the head, it's coming along very slowly! Yesterday was one of my days off and I was determined to do a bit of work on it (the weather was so nasty there was very little else to be doing) but I ended up snoozing away most of the day. I think all of the ridiculous hours I've been keeping caught up! Today is a different story though, the weather remains wet and cold which is the perfect indoor craft environment. I'd better get cracking!

Super Metroid - Crocomire

Getting back into full time shift work and working my free time around the daily visits from the community nurses, I can be currently described as bloody exhausted! It seems lack of sleep and the building stress of trying to manage a feral ward has earnt me the title of 'cranky pants' amongst others that aren't fit to type. When is it time for another holiday?!

Despite it all there is always time to stitch in those few moments before bed and I've managed to make a start on Crocomire. Not really much to see yet at this stage, I'll work on the head for the next update so it's a bit more recognisable! He was my favourite mini boss in Super Metroid. It brings back great memories which makes me want to hook up the SNES and play it RIGHT NOW!!!

So it turns out...

That you can paint pixels as well. I'm a bit behind :/ I went to a reject shop a while back and picked up a bunch of ultra cheap canvases which have just been sitting there waiting for my inspiration to spark. Can I start by saying I suck at painting? I just don't have the patience or the eye for it...so of course I had to give painting a sprite a go which requires all that and more!

Still a work in progress. My grid is disgusting (I used a 15cm hello kitty ruler), the squares, if that's what you'd call them, are all over the place. The colours need to properly finished off, I was rushing and wanting to get it down to see how it would all work together. Next time I'll be more patient and use a set square :P

Had my first day back at work too. Thought it was going to be awful, woke up with no coffee in the house, knocked a box of 500 cotton buds off a shelf all over the place, bad hair unable to be tamed with straightener and didn't get to ride in because the weather was horrible. In reality though it was lovely to be back in amongst it. Cooperative patients, pleasant doctors, coffee here there and everywhere and time out to actually sit down and relax. Here's hoping the second day back is just as enjoyable. (famous....last....words......)

Various progress/completions

In no particular order here's a few little things I've finished/been working on the last couple of days. First up is Moss from the IT Crowd. I love Moss. Heaps. Enough said. Below is what I had originally started stitching so I could fashion some sort of banner out of it for this blog...but I'm not so sure now how it'd work out. Either way when it's done it will pretty much be a list of some of favourite things. One for the wall.

More fun with plastic canvas. I played Mega Man again recently and by gosh golly gee it's bloody hard. I have no idea how I was ever able to play these games as a kid without throwing the console out the window, so frustrating!

Aaaaand that's it. I'm not working on anything majorly epic at the moment. I would love to sink my mits into something huge but it's hard to get aida by the metre at the moment so I'm happy just plodding along with small projects. Plus if I buy anymore DMC I will drown, need to organise the stuff I've got, every surface in my house is covered!

My Little Cthulhu

As someone who grew up with My Little Pony I couldn't resist posting about this! Finland based artist Mari Kasurinen has sculpted an entire collection of my little pony friends and continues to add to them. Please go here to see the rest, I insist! Personal favourites include Cthulhu, David Bowie and Godzilla! Now to get back to my own stuff. I started the Crocomire today, only managed to stitch a claw so not worth taking a picture as yet. Also finished a few more plastic sprites, namely a green shell from mario 3 and an energy tank from mega man. Not sure whether to make them in to key rings, badges or magnets. Decisions. Only 2 more days of freedom before heading back to the ward too. Have to make them most of them as crafty business will probably become sparse when I get back into the full time shift work gig!

Galaga Fridge Magnets

The weather has taken another cold windy rainy turn in Hobart which in my opinion is great! I really like nothing more then sipping hot tea, wearing ridiculous indoor socks and listening to the elements continue on outside my window. My cat firmly agrees with me minus the tea and socks. I have finally got some darice plastic canvas, silly me didn't think to check the shops, I just assumed it was something I'd have to order off ebay but lo and behold, good old Spotlight had some sheets tucked away. They also had some plain magnets, some mobile charm cords and some brooch pins so I went a little bit silly in the spending department. Since then I've been having a load of fun stiching up these galaga sprites (they very quick to make!) and turning them into fridge magnets. I've still got to tidy up the borders but the effect it immediate and appealing. Next week I expect stitch progress in general to slow right down. A) I'm back at work. B) Game of Thrones arrived today in the post, not sure what I'm getting myself in to there and C) Some fresh air and time with friends might not go astray ; )

Sailor Mercury Part 2

So this is the second Sailor Mercury I had planned to stitch all finished. I'll be getting started on the 3rd and final(ish) pattern real soon! I hope my buddy likes them!

Sailor Mercury

There's this mate of mine who was a rather large fan of Sailor Mercury back when morning cartoons were an absolute must before school. When I saw these on the forums here I couldn't resist so thanks 'spbrat7731' for converting them to pattern. I plan to fashion a series of 3 as a gift...that is if I can stop at 3! While I'm still off work at the moment I've been able to power through a few little projects and begin what I hope I will eventually be the banner for this page (pictures to follow when there's a bit more substance). I've also collected all the threads and cloth for those metroid patterns I've been considering for awhile. Determined!

Mario & Luigi - Bowser's Inside Story

This game on the DS was great great great! Here is another stitch I just finished from a sprite using KG Chart. I didn't change any of the 26 colours this time around and was really happy with the result. It took about 10 hours to complete.

Secret of Mana - Rabites

Just a little update today to share this. They are the first sprites I converted myself from the game Secret of Mana for the Super Nintendo (another major favourite). Not 100% happy with the colour conversion so I did make a few changes. The end result was...ok?

On a personal level I'm off to the surgical specialist today to see how I'm healing up from a dash of sugery I had a few weeks ago. It's likely I'll be off work for a little bit longer which basically means more time to be a hermit and stitch my little heart out. So not all bad. Plans are to finish a few big Super Metroid pieces (namely a large Metroid and Crocomire) and get cracking on a banner for this page.

Mario Through The Ages

This next one has been underway for the last 2 months and is likely to take a loooong time for me to finish. Measuring approximately 20cm by 40cm it's another pattern I found here on the sprite stitch forums. The link shows what the stitching will eventually look like as mine is still about 1/3 complete. It's the backgrounds that get me. It's just never ending! I thought stitching one off coloured pixels was irritating...Anyway I'll post more as this comes along over the next few months. I've got night shift coming up, that's always a good opportunity to fill in a few squares while my patients visit snooze land!

Super Metroid : Samus

The following piece is based off a sprite from one of my all time favourite Super Nintendo games, Super Metroid. I still love this game HEAPS and will brush it off and play it at least ever year. The pattern was taken directly from this:

The pattern was kindly put together by riotpatch here and I set about sitching it straight away. For a bit of a change I purchased some black aida cloth which I think made it look great but is a real pain to stitch on when the threads you are working with are black themselves. I think I went a bit crazy.

And voila! The finish product will soon be going to it's new home in Japan. As frustrating as the black aida is I'm planning to use it again for some more metroid based stitchings!

Mario Bookmark

Below is my very first attempt at cross stitch after about 6 years. I had been working on a kit from Anchor, a red poppy field house blue sky scene but it was so fiddly and had taken so long I filed it away permanently and decided that cross sitch was for when I enter a care facility. Then just randomly I was mucking around on the internets and found this pattern complete with coded DMC thread chart!

Find the pattern HERE! I'm yet to work out how to make the edges all fancy mind you so currently it's not really a workable bookmark but I was pleased with my first attempt.

I seem to be doing quite well without sunlight and human contact.

I hope for this to be an easy place to post updates and pictures of whatever crafty exploits I have been up to plus links to other wonderful adventures. I have been really getting in to the cross stitch game over the last few months, it's something I've been doing since I was a wee one but with programs such as KG Chart and the like, I've been getting in to stitching game sprites instead of boring flowery alphabets. I'm not the best stitcher, I forbid you to ever look at the back of any of my pieces, they are a hodge podge of knots and disgrace which is why they will be whisked into a frame asap. Some of my patterns have come directly from the spritestitch.com forums and I will credit them appropriately, others have been made by me using KG Chart and sprite resources. I'm always keen for new ideas or requests!