A Beginning and a Finish!

Hello blogging world!

I've debated starting a blog for a while now,  and decided that my first post would be on the day I made my first finish. Not my first EVER finish, but my first finish since deciding to start blogging about my stitching.

But first, a little about me: I'm a twenty-something living in New York City with my boyfriend. There's not much I like about life in the big city, so I keep myself busy with cross stitch and reading. My mom taught me to cross stitch when I was in high school, but I really only became seriously interested in it about 8 months ago. Teresa Wentzler's designs were my gateway into the world of amazing cross stitch patterns, and my obsession is constantly growing. See the tab in my header for information on other designers I love!

While cross stitch is the hobby I'm most involved in right now, my true passion in life is riding horses. I've been riding competitively since I was 10, and while my current situation only allows for me to ride once a week, it's the highlight of my week, and I know that owning a horse and competing again is in my future. Just a heads up for any horse-related posts that show up in an otherwise cross stitching blog!

I also enjoy working out and trying to learn how to cook.

Okay, so in terms of actual stitching, I'm kind of a start-o-phobe. I collect patterns, and even kit them up, but won't actually pull the trigger to put that first stitch in. I think it's because I don't have an iron and am reluctant to start stitching on creased fabric. Is that crazy?

My main WIP at the moment is Teresa Wentzler's Summer Carousel Horse. I started her in July and stitched exclusively on her for the first three months. I'm probably roughly 50% done with the cross stitches and have done some backstitching as well. I'm actually a little farther along on her than this picture shows, but I don't have a more recent one.

And now, for the finish! This is What Lies Beneath, which is #2 in the Bad Neighborhoods series by Ink Circles. I had originally started #1 in this series first, but I screwed up the variegated threads and have to decide if I want to pull everything out and start over or just scrap it and buy a new piece of fabric for it. Anyway, #2 was such a quick, fun stitch and I can't wait to do the other five in the series!

I think my plan for this blog is to use the rest of 2014 to set it up and post pictures of WIPs. I also joined the Frosted Pumpkin Christmas Celebration SAL that starts in a few weeks! In 2015 I plan to join some groups and other SALs and get much more active in the community.

Thanks for reading! :)