Photographing some stitches

Taking pictures at sewing circle was a new experience for me. I got less done, for one thing. I also noticed that, now that Ashley is obsessed with knitting, there is less cross stitching going on than there used to be.
But mostly it made me evaluate what is important to me about sewing circle and what I love about cross stitching.
The photos I liked showed my friends in action: smiling, talking and working. I also liked the detail shots of what we were working on. I feel like between them, those photos showed the reason we get together every week. I like looking at the way each of us has a different style. I love the beauty of the patterns. I love the way the pictures remind me of what's fun about crafts like this. They remind me of the way the thread feels as you pull it through the holes in the aida and the satisfaction I get when I complete something. All in all, they make me feel like sewing circle is time well spent.

Some sewing circle pictures

Here are a few pictures I took at sewing circle last night. One of our regular knitters is on vacation with her boyfriend, so we were a quiet group. This is Ashley knitting. I was practicing with the flash and with getting at eye level to take the picture. The look on her face is the look of someone starting a rather ambitious scarf and feeling ambivalent about it, I think.

Here's Lydia, almost finished with something for her dad. I tried to position her off to the side in the shot instead of just centering her. I wish I were that far along in the truck I'm making for my nephew.

This close-up is of Jessi threading a needle. She's embroidering two pieces of aida, which she plans to stuff and sew together to make a pin cushion. Crafty.

French knots

I used to think French knots were the devil. I mean, I know they can create some cool things, and can add a nice pop to a design, but I hated making them (please note that neither of the links are things I made). Mine always turned out sloppy. Well, I've been sort of thinking about incorporating more types of stitches into my work, so today seems like a good day to share a French knot tip. For those of you who are new to the knot, here's a simple explanation of how to do one that I found.
When I was struggling with some French knots one day, my awesome friend Katie gave me a tip that, after only one or two practice runs, turned my knots from pathetic to more or less perfect. When you push the needle into the fabric, before you pull it through, pull the thread tight around the needle. For some reason, that seems to keep everything in place and reduce my ability to screw it up.
Oh, and in case anyone was wondering why I want to branch away from the basic x stitch, I really love Dinosaur Comics, and I think T-Rex will be easier to pull off with a satin stitch.