needlepoint

i recently decided that i don’t have enough craft projects to keep me busy (enormous dose of sarcasm, there) and decided to follow a lead from a friend of mine who has been undertaking cross stitch projects as of late. i tried cross-stitch when i was younger and had, for the past 15 years or so, filed it under ‘never again’ because of the length of time it takes to finish a project (in my case years and years and years), the frustration of realizing that the last 20 rows you did were one pixel off and you had to rip the whole thing off or the mouse or ziggy or garfield would have a really weird looking nose, and the fact that i was never quite sure what to do with the finished product (there’s only so much cross-stitch cuteness i can bear to hang in my house). so it was with a little hesitation that i thought i’d explore the field again and see if anyone had developed any hip cross stitch patterns in the interim. the short answer is, “nope, not really.” there are a few exceptions to this rule, but there was still nothing out there that i loved so much that i was willing to put in the major time commitment required. then, i found this knitting book that has great modern patterns. but who has the patience to knit intricate patterns (hint: not me)? but stitching them? hmmm…. maybe.

then, i remembered something i had seen last spring when we were travelling from london to paris. someone on the train was doing a craft that wasn’t cross-stitch, but looked similar, but it was only one slash (not the whole ‘x’) and it covered the whole surface of the fabric, leaving a uniform-height surface of small, pleasant bumps. the pattern was something with cherries and i remember thinking i really liked it, but when i got back to the states, i could find nothing similar. at all. so, i decided to ask the ladies at the cross-stitch (and framing) shop. she asked if i was referring to needlepoint and after she had shown me an example, i agreed that yes, that was exactly what i meant. i purchased materials (after some brain bending calculations to figure out how much canvas i’d need) and started my project. i’ve been working on it for a few weeks now and i’ll post a picture here as soon as i get one. it (to me) looks so cool!

i can’t believe more people on the “revive old handicrafts” train haven’t picked this one up yet! hmmm…. have i found my niche market? just have to come up with finished products more inventive than the standards: pillow, tote bag, eyeglasses case. anyone have any good suggestions? if i use your idea, i’ll give you a cut of the profits when my needlepoint projects book hits the big time.