SBQ, 7/12/2006, and Here Be Dragons

First, the SBQ.

Since you started blogging, have you noticed any difference in your stitching habits? Tell us about them.

Hmmm. I started blogging after I discovered the stitching bulletin boards, and the boards definitely impacted my stitching....it was there that I got up the nerve to try evenweaves and bigger designs. My blog was initially just a place for me to record my own progress, but I quickly found that the stitching blogger community is a wonderful source of encouragement and enabling! I love browsing blogs for pictures of all kinds of projects at various stages of completion. It gives me LOTS of inspiration! But, stash acquisition and finishing ideas aside, I'd say the biggest change in my stitching habits since I started blogging is that I stitch MORE. I love having readers, and I want you all to keep coming back and commenting....so I try to show you some progress as often as possible.
* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *On that note, last night I took a picture of my Dragon Virtues afghan. I'm stitching the little guys in every other square around the edge of a baby afghan. There are more dragons than there are squares, but since I've already stitched Strength and Wisdom as pillows, and there are a few dragons I don't like as much, it will all work out.

Starting in the lower right, I've stitched Joy, Compassion, Patience, Peace, and Trust, and the little green blob at the top left is the beginning of Generosity. The fabric at the top right is a piece of green and yellow speckly flannel that I'll use to back the finished blanket. I know you don't HAVE to back afghans, but I'd worry about the back of my stitching otherwise (especially since I didn't do the best job starting/ending my threads on some of the earlier draggies).

I didn't work on the dragons last night, though. I really wanted to want to work on the wedding piece, but it just wasn't calling loudly enough...so I got out the Woodland Sampler again. Which leads to my next discovery, that I hatehateHATE 4-sided stitch. It isn't hard, but it is boring and time-consuming. Ick. Blah. But I finished that band, along with the next line of the poem ("But I have promises to keep"). Soldiering on!