JOHTO BOUND

Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to Johto we go!

Howdo guys, I hope you’re all keeping well in theses uncertain and scary times were living in right now.

How is everyone managing to keep themselves occupied?

I’ve been spurred over the last week to work on some new patterns, and I’m building up quite a stash!  I managed to put in an online order for materials the other week which has helped, but I might still need more – I shall have to look at my finances over the weekend and see what I can afford.

So anyway, back to the charting…

I think for now, I’m done charting Kanto critters, although if there’s a particular beastie you want me to chart, that I haven’t done already, just ask and I’ll add it to my list.

Now it’s time for me to turn my attention to the Pokemon of the Johto region.  Gold/Silver remain my favourite games in the series, and some of it’s Pokemon are really cool.

So, as I did with the Kanto critters, I’d like to you tell me which Pokemon from the Johto region you would like me to chart.  The same rules as before apply – no starters or legendaries.

Oh, and before you ask, no Unowns either – I’ve already charted these guys and I’ll be releasing the whole alphabet as a set later on!

So let’s have your requests guys … I’m looking forward to the stitchy challenge!

Till next time, keep Kalm and cross-stitch, 

Most of all ... STAY SAFE!!!

UFP JANUARY ... 2020

WOW, two posts in one day!!!

So as with previous years, January is usually the month that I work on all the outstanding UFP’s in my work basket.

I updated my list this year, and the majority of outstanding projects are crochet ones!  We’ll get to them in a minute, but my first finish of 2020 was actually this:

It seems to have taken forever to finish this one, the fill pattern is quite slow to work up.

The next finish I had was this:

This design was recommended by you guys so I hope I’ve done him justice!  Next on the rota is Abra, but I’ll probably not start that one now until next month.

Now onto the crochet…

I have projects in my work basket going back to 2013, which is not that old, considering how long I’ve been working on the “Gettysberg” project, but I was keen to get them done … so, here they are!

I have quite a few other projects that are ready to sew up, or don’t need much crocheting doing to them, and hopefully I can get them all (or some) finished before the end of this month.  If not, I’ll work on them as and when I get time!

Till next time … keep Kalm and cross-stitch!

UPDATES

Howdo guys!

Well it seems like an awfully long time since I last posted on here, and I do have to apologise for that.  Not really wanting to go into too much detail, but I've had a lot of other stuff to deal with and, May was a bit of a shitty month in terms of my on-going mental health issues.

Now that I've started using Instagram to post my on-going WIP's and such I seem to forget about here, which I shouldn't do, because my blog is as important as ever, especially as it has a BIG Birthday coming up soon (more on that later)!

I've been looking at having a separate email specifically for the blog as at the moment I am using my personal email address, and stuff tends to get lost amongst all the other emails I get, so a separate account will help me keep on track.

At the moment, I can only post to my Facebook profile from Instagram, but I want to be able to have it that when I post to Instagram, it will post to my Facebook page.  I know you can have multiple Instagram accounts, and even link to a Facebook page, but I'm having a "can't see the wood for the trees" moment where that is concerned.  If anyone can give me any tips on this, that would be greatly appreciated.

I'm still working to getting my Etsy store up and running.  I've been getting some advice on starting up a business and doing lots of research so that I can be as successful as I can with it.  At the moment, I've set myself the goal of late August/Early September to go live, which should give me time to iron out any last-minute technical issues and get my first lot of patterns stitched and ready to go!

Those who are following me on Instagram, will have seen how industrious my stitching has been lately, but just in case you haven't seen them, here's a round up of the projects I've completed…

 

001/Bulbasaur

002/Ivysaur

003/Vensaur

004/Charmander

005/Charmeleon

007/Squirtle

008/Wartortle

150/Mewtwo

Kung Fu Fighting

Pika! Pika!

Grass Types Logo

Fire Types Logo

Water Types Logo

All the patterns featured here will be available to purchase from my Etsy store once it's up and running.

Until then, thanks for putting up with me … your continued support is very much appreciated!

Keep Kalm and cross-stitch

Pokemon Blackwork Projects -- DONE!!!

Greetings guys!

Hope you are all having a good weekend, so far :)

Apologies again for the gaps between posts, it's been a little hectic of late and the woes of job hunting coupled with an almighty family disagreement over the last week have soured my mood somewhat.  

This week here in the UK, the weather has been warm and sunny, which has meant that I have been out and about, making the most of it before the weather turns.  I took a walk up to the cemetery on Tuesday to have a chat with my Dad (and have a good cry too), and whilst I was there a very kind lady let me have some of the roses and foliage she had brought to put on her husband's grave to me to put on my Dad's grave.  It brightened up what had otherwise been a shitty couple of days and made me realised that there are some really nice people in this world.

Now that Autumn is upon us, the trees are all changing.  I think that's the thing I love about the season.  All the reds, golds and oranges make the trees look so pretty.  I only live about five minutes from our local town park, so when the weather is as nice as it has been this week, I like to go and have a walk down by the river and watch the ducks. All the horse chestnut trees are shedding their fruit at this time of year, so it's a great excuse to go looking for conkers too :)

Great for keeping spiders at bay!

Anyway, back to the stitching.  Good news is that I finished my Download sampler (pics to follow shortly), and that 2011 project I referred to in my last post is moving along nicely and if I continue stitching it at the current rate, I will have it finished in a month or so (fingers crossed).

Also, I finally finished the two Pokemon Blackwork projects I had been working on, and here they are:

Victreebell

Deoxys

I realise that the title of this blog may sound a little misleading but these two designs may be the last two I do for a while as I have nothing new charted, and I also have no plans to upload the patterns at the current time (they need a lot of amendments before they are ready).

I have other projects I am working on at the moment and hopefully, you will see patterns for those soon.

I'm also looking to return to my "Un-Finished Projects" and "Gettysberg" as I think it was time they were finished so I can make room in my project  bag for new ones.

Well, I think I've rambled on long enough.

Till next time ... keep Kalm and cross stitch :) xxx

Stitchy Update!

Happy Tuesday Guys!!

Well after Sunday's mega-post, I thought it was time to share the work in progress on some of my current stitchy projects!  As you all know, lately I've had the hooky bug, so I've been doing more crochet than stitching, but that doesn't mean I'm abandoning my favourite pastime -- sometimes it's nice to sit at the frame and chip away at my stitching.

First up, Deoxys....

I'm slowly building this one up. I've found a few errors in the chart and it'll probably need a complete re-work before I can post it!

No update for Victreebell, I may have mentioned last time that I was having a few issues with regards the colours I had picked for the leaves and the body.  The concern arises because I am using vintage-green aida which conflicts slightly with the colours I had chosen.  I have come up with alternatives and hopefully (if these look okay), I should be able to get this finished soon!!!

Turning away from Pokemon ... I have recently started charting some of my Stargate patterns to work in blackwork.  Here's what I've stitched so far:

Goa'uld System Lord - Sokar (worked in DMC color variation  #4130 and Light effects E3852)

Stargate Glyph - Earth (worked in DMC color Variation #4025)

If you guys like the idea of working these in blackwork as opposed to cross-stitch, let me know.  If enough interest is shown, I'll make the patterns available.

So that's all I have for now.  Hopefully, I'll have some new patterns for you soon!

Till next time .... keep Kalm and Cross-stitch

Stitchy Update

Happy Easter Guys!!!

Apologies that this post is slightly later than planned. As you all know by now, work have increased my hours which means I have less time to design, chart, stitch, crochet and update my blog!

Still, here in the UK we have a 4-day weekend so I'm planning on doing as much as the aforementioned as possible over the next few days :D

On the stitchy front, here is the latest:

Kudos must go to Missy-Tannenbaum of Dork Stitch fame who correctly guessed that both the Pokemon I'm working on are "Victreebell" (as shown above) and "Dexoys", the later she referred to as having "noodly" arms (which I thought was quite amusing)!

I want to try and get these patterns finished as soon as I can (so that I can share them with you guys), and also so that I can start working on new patterns!

Turning back to my Easter crochet, I finished my chicken today:

I'm not sure that I'm overly happy with the way it turned out (the shaping isn't as defined as it is in the reference image - I reckon it would work better if the pattern was worked back to front).  I may do this one again, but at least it gave me a chance to practice making french knot eyes!

I've put some more pictures from my work in progress on my Facebook page and you can view them HERE.

Well that's probably me done posting now until after the Easter weekend,  To all my followers who celebrate Easter, I hope you have a wonderful time -- but don't overdo it on the chocolate!

Till next time ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch :) xxx

POKEMON BLACKWORK - Another Sneaky Peek!!!

Hello guys!!!

Well I'm having the week from hell -- I have a stinking cold which has made work really hard this week.  Thank god it's almost weekend!!!

Firstly, I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who left kind comments to my previous post -- it certainly cheered me up reading them :)

Back to the Pokemon, I was surprised that no one managed to guess what Pokemon I was working on. I had thought that the Pokemanics amongst you would know which one it was.  Anyway, I've stitched some more of it, so here are the latest images which should make it's identity a little clearer:

A few evenings ago, I started working on another Pokemon:

Any guesses?

The latter project has been frustrating.  I've had to contend with a lot of unpicking and un-knotting of threads -- in one night!!!  I'm blaming my cold, it's been making me feel pretty miserable all week :(

I hope I can shake it off over the weekend so I can get these projects finished!

Finally, one of my followers asked recently if I had plans to do Mudkip!  At the moment I don't really want to say a definite "yes", but I never say never.  I'm finding with this mammoth project that I change my mind all the time!!!  Mudkip and his evolutions are certainly generation III favourites of mine so ... watch this space ;)

Well I think I'm done for today.

Till next time ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch :) xx

POKEMON BLACKWORK - A New Pattern, and a Sneaky Peek at What I'm Working on at the Moment!

Greetings guys!

Firstly, today is Mother's Day here in the UK so may I just wish all the yummy mummy's out there "Happy Mother's Day!"  If you are celebrating today, hope you have a super fabby day and get spoilt rotten!!!

The other day I promised a new Pokemon pattern, and here it is:

Togetic was really quick to chart and stitch and you guys should have no problems with this one either.  If you haven't had a chance to try out any of my patterns yet, then this one would be idea for beginners.  His coloured shapes are worked in DMC light effects to give it a little bit of sparkle.

The pattern is up on BOX.net if you want a go :)

Despite the lack of updates on here recently, I have been stitching new designs.  Some are staying under wraps until they are complete, but I do have one that I can share the work in progress with you now:

No prizes for correctly guessing which Pokemon it is apart from a pat on the back for being a bit smug when it comes to knowing your Pokemon!!!  If I get a correct guess to this post, then I'll post some more WIP pictures later in the week and you guys can watch it coming together!!!

As you may or may not know, for the last six months I have been working two days a week for a local law firm.  Last week, things took an interesting turn and it looks like I am going to be doing five days a week (starting this week), for the foreseeable future.  It's a good thing for me as it means I am one step nearer to overcoming the trials and tribulations of the last three years.  

The locality of the firm I'm working for is close to my home so there is very little commute (I can walk to the office) and so this means I can still get plenty of stitching done during the day (usually first thing in the morning and at lunchtimes).  The only downside is that I won't have as much time to chart new patterns and blog updates may suffer as a result.  We shall see how things go over the following weeks -- hopefully I can implement a timetable for charting, uploading new patterns etc... that can work round work!

Finally, I note that both the blog and the Facebook page have lost a few followers recently and that saddens me.  The continued support and encouragement from you guys is very much appreciated and it makes running the blog worth while.  To those who continue to follow me "thank you", it means a lot!

So that's all I have for today!

Till next time ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch! :) xxx

+NEW PATTERNS+ Fossil Pokemon

Greetings guys, hope your weekend is getting off to a good start!!

You may recall that in August last year I gave a sneak peek at a Pokemon design I was working on featuring "Omanyte" (for those of you who missed it, here is the link).  It's true to say that this proved quite an awkward design to do as I really struggled to find a fill I liked.

Anyway, he's finally finished:

And now that I have Pokedex 3D Pro for my 3DS, I can add his AR marker too!

Working on Omanyte has trigged the urge to do more fossil types although I am ashamed to say that with the exception of the Gen I and Gen V types I couldn't remember which other games had fossils in them (thank god for Google!!!)  There are no fossils in Gen II.  Gen III has Anorith and Lileep, and Gen IV has Cranidos and Shieldon.

At the moment I am not sure if I will do all of these Pokemon, it all depends on my mood as choices chop and change all the time.  I have however, stitched "Kabuto", and unlike Omanyte which has taken months to get right, I charted and stitched him in less than a week!!!

And here he (or she) is:

Both these two designs use some of the new DMC colour variations shades.  I especially like shade #4000 (Espresso) which gives interesting tones of brown and grey and is perfect for these types of Pokemon.  I sense it is a colour I shall be using a lot!!!

As I don't have any decent craft shops in my area, all my supplies are purchased through the internet.  As always, my favourite on-line craft store is Sew and So.  They are UK based, but they do ship internationally and their prices are very reasonable.  If you haven't already done so, check them out!!!

So going back to the Pokemon, I am currently in the process of charting the third fossil-type from Gen I - Aerodactyl:

His grid is done, now all I need to do is mark the areas of shading and decide what colours/fills I am going to use.  Reference images show him as pink/purple, but I don't know whether I shall be using those colours!!!

As well as the fossil-types, I'm mindful also that some of you have been asking for Eevee and her evolutions. Eevee is currently at the same stage as Aerodactyl and time permitting over the next week I shall try and draw up the grids for the remaining evolutions.  

Thankfully, next Friday is pay day so I should be able to have a mammoth re-stock of threads, fabric and even ink for my printer!!!

Well, I've rambled on enough I think.

Patterns for both Omanyte and Kabuto have been uploaded to BOX.net, as well as the patterns for their AR markers!

Till next time ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch! xxx

+NEW PATTERN+ Wish Upon A Starmie

This Pokemon has a distinctively sparkly feel to it:

I had wanted to post this in time for Christmas, but I started it too late to finish it in time.  It's also worked entirely in DMC Light Effects thread (so it was quite a challenge).

I've put the pattern up on BOX.net if you want a go yourself.  Of course, if you don't like the idea of stitching it completely in Light Effects then that's fine.

I also have to confess that when I posted my Stitchy News Post at the start of the month, I stated that I wasn't going to start anything new until I had finished with the old projects.  Well, I gave in this week and started stitching some new Pokemon!  I know, I am a bad girl :D

That aside, new patterns may be few and far between for a while now do to lack of supplies.  My tracing paper has run out and my local stationery shop only sells the crappy stuff.  One of my Pokemon projects is going to be stitched on vintage-green aida, but all I have left is scraps, so I will have to stock up, and that might not be until the middle of next month when I get paid.

Still, I'm sure that these new patterns will keep you guys occupied for a while!

As always, keep sending me your finished works - I love seeing what you do with my patterns!!!

Till next time ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch! xxx

+NEW PATTERN+ Ampharos

I'm slowly working through my outstanding projects from 2012.  In fact, all the outstanding Pokemon Blackwork patterns are finished!

Today's offering is Ampharos, one of my favourite electric beasties :)

Tomorrow, I will post the next one!  

Expect something special, but until then ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch :)

+NEW PATTERN+ Espeon

Howdy guys!!!

Slightly later than planned, here is the next Pokemon design:

People have been asking me (quite a lot) about Eevee and her evolutions and whether I am charting them.  The good new is "yes I am".  In fact, I've already half-charted Eevee herself.  Of course, as is always the way with me, I can't guarantee when they will be finished, but they will be the next set of Pokemon patterns I chart, so if you're wanting Eevee, Flareon, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Glaceon and Leafeon ... watch this space!!!

As always, you know where to go to download the patterns.

Good news is that the other Pokemon patterns I referred to in my stitchy news post a few weeks ago have been completed and will follow over the next few days!

Well that's your lot for today, now I'm off to work on some new patterns!

Till next time ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch! xxx

+NEW PATTERS+ Pokemon Blackwork

Man it's been a shitty week!

Those of you who follow my Facebook page will know all about it.  I had a unfortunate accident on Tuesday morning when I spilt half a glass of soluble solpadeine over my laptop.  As a result, the keyboard stopped working.  Thankfully it dried out, but several of the keys no longer work, which would be fine if they were obscure ones such as 'Alt Gr' but no, the affected keys are 'A', 'Ctrl', Alt' and the 'space bar'.  I do have access to a desktop, which has most of my programs installed on it, with the exception of Microsoft Office.  Instead it uses Office.Org!  My finace reckons that this is just as good as Word, but I disagree.  I make up the information sheets for my patters in Word then convert to PDF.  Whilst Office.Org will read .doc files, trying to "amend" my information sheets in Office.Org was a nightmare as it simply wouldn't do what I wanted it to do.

It looked as though I was resigned to making up my information sheets in the library from now on.

Thankfully, a strange solution has presented itself!  My fiance suggested trying to plug the 'wired' keyboard from my desktop into my laptop and using that.  I thought it sounded a bit daft, but a quick Google search confirmed that if your keyboard has a USB adapter then it will work!

And it does!!!

It seems a little odd using a separate keyboard with my laptop, but at least I can now make up my patterns.  My laptop is almost seven years old, so it's not done too badly, but buying a new one is out of my remit for the time being so this will have to do.  

On top of the keyboard woes, I've been full of cold this week.  It started Monday with a bit of a sore throat and a cough, and then intensified Tuesday (hence the soluble solpadeine).  Since then it has manifested into a full blown all singing, all dancing cold!  I've had the works, headaches, sore throat, hacking cough, aches, shivering, sweating and a stuffy nose :(  I couldn't even go to work this week because I felt really crappy.

I still don't feel 100%, but I think I'm starting to get over it.  I know a good night sleep will probably sort me out, and I really need to get right because I have a lot on this week.

So that's enough rambling, onto the patterns...

The plan this month had been to post new patterns every few days -- and I certainly have enough material for this at the moment.  What with one thing and another, it hasn't been easy to do this but I have finally managed to sort this week's patterns out.

Today's patterns feature Pokemon.  A few of my friends from Beartown Bobbins (a craft group I joined via Ravelry that meet up twice a month in my home town), will know how furiously I've been working to try and finish these!

You'll recall I featured them at the start of the month as a teaser...and here they are completed:

Castform - Snowy

Castform - Sunny

I have two other Pokemon I would like to finish before Christmas as well as a festive one that I am working on also -- I'll keep you posted on their progress.

The patterns are up on BOX.net so feel free to download!

So I think I've rambled enough for today.  All being well I shall have another two more patterns for your stitchy delights tomorrow.

Till then ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch! xx

Pokemon Blackwork Updates

Greetings fans!!!

Well, it's been a while, and can you believe we've reached December!!!  It doesn't seem five minutes since this time last year.

Anyway, at the moment I'm having a break from my festive projects to try and catch up with some of my Pokemon Blackwork designs.  I'm working on four new designs at the moment and all being well, if I get them finished soon, you can have the patterns in time for Christmas!!!

So here's a sneek peek of what I'm working on:

Can you guess which Pokemon they are?

As this is the season to be jolly, I'm planning to post lots of new patterns for you this month -- all being well, the first one will be tomorrow!

Till next time .... keep Kalm and cross-stitch! :) xxx

+Pattern+ Time For a New Pokemon!!!

It's been a while since I posted the last Pokemon design, so I thought it was time for another one:

Here is Castform's rainy form!

He had three colour changes before I was happy with this!  It's amazing how a simple pattern can cause so much grief.  Sometimes, smaller patterns are harder to chart than larger ones!  I have also charted Castform's Snowy and Sunny forms and these will follow soon.

As usual, I have uploaded the pattern to BOX.net if you fancy a go.

So that's all for now,

Till next time ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch! :) xx

+New Pattern+ Blackwork Psyduck!

Psyduck has cast confusion on himself by accident...

...and now he is "confused.com!" *DOH*

WOW, given how tardy my stitching has been of late, I was surprised to finish this so fast (about 3 or 4 evenings).  Reasonably happy with how it turned out, but not sure I like the colours.

Anyway, pattern is up if you fancy stitching him yourself!

Till next time ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch!

+New Pattern+ Blackwork Bellossom!

Good news for those of you who've been suffering from a lack of new Pokemon patterns lately, I finished this last night:

Pattern has been uploaded to the usual place!

Till next time ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch! :) xx

Can You Tell What It Is Yet..?

Here is the Pokemon I am currently charting for my Blackwork series:

It's Omanyte!!!

He came about because I'd been looking at a ammonites in a fossil book and I thought their lovely coiled shells would make great blackwork patterns.  He's been quite easy to do so far, so I hope I can do his justice.

If he turns out okay, I'm going to do his evolution Omastar too!

In terms of other Blackwork projects, I'm halfway through stitching Bellossom:

Charted projects waiting to be stitched are:

• Psyduck
• Castform - Rainy
• Castform - Snowy
• Castform - Sunny
• Deoxys
• Cofagrigus
• Espeon

I'm also in the middle of charting Ampharos and Victreebel!!!

I have so many projects on the go right now, and offers of work mean that Late August and most of September are pretty booked up, so I have no clue as to when I shall find time to stitch all this.  All I can ask for is your continued patience and I'll post patterns as soon as I am able!

In the meantime, I have got some Stargate patterns for you and I hope to upload these tomorrow.

Until then ... keep Kalm and Cross-stitch! xxx

Pokemon Blackwork Patterns Uploaded!

Hey guys, just a quickie note to let you know that the patterns for Castform and Furret have been uploaded to BOX.net.


Enjoy stitching them :)


Till next time ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch! xx

Pokemon Patterns -- New Designs!!!

Hey guys, hope your weekend has been a good one.

I've recently finished some new Pokemon designs that I wanted to share:

Castform (normal version)

Furret

I haven't had chance to sort out the patterns yet, and I shall be working all week so it may be a while before I get a chance to upload the patterns.  I'll let you know when I have though.

Till next time ... keep Kalm and cross-stitch!!