Finding an Old Lover

Thank you very much for you get-well soon wishes. I am feeling a lot better. Leah's tip on air-conditioning worked like a charm! Though I am still clogged up, I have not been waking up with swollen red eyes. Anything in non-allergy direction is a bonus.


I learned embroidery and cross-stitch before crochet and knitting. I do not even remember how old I was....think around 7-8 years old. My mother is a talented crafter (though she does not do much anymore) and I learned embroidery (and later, crocheting) from her. I picked up cross-stitch from a neighbor and got quite obsessed with it. What I enjoy about needlework is its precision and attention to detail (which kinda goes hand in hand with my anal, obsessive Type A personality). (My mother capitalized on my obsession. I still think I should get some kind of remuneration)


The last time I did any kind of cross-stitch or embroidery was about 4-5 years ago. Last December, I came across Fair Square, a cross-stitch exchange. I wanted to exercise my rusty skills, and so I signed up.


My swap partner was Christina, who stitched these beautiful squares for me. She loves flowers, houses, bunnies, and everything "Xmasy". So I decided to stitch petunia flowers for her, in shades of pink, one of her favorite colors, and purple, one of my current favorite colors. (Who knew that the lily of the valley flowers in the square complement the ones currently blooming in Christina's garden!)


This is also a personal history, of flowers and pink. I stitched so many flowers in my childhood, I managed to get quite annoyed with them. Pink--a color I am not very crazy about--I suppose I must have stitched a lot of pink flowers. Stitching these squares for Christina made me revisit both of them. I really enjoyed the experience--I must say my skills have not gotten all that rusty. I was quite pleased with the outcome.


Pattern: Framed Petunia, from an Indian cross-stitch book (Cross Stitch Supriya, published by Maya Publication)
Threads: DMC in shades of pink, purple, and neutral greens (I chose a green tone that would not overshadow the flowers)

I added some goodies, including two kits--one is Xmasy, with a house and snowman and the other, a rabbit. Christina also enjoys crocheting and knitting, so there was a skein of Manos to symbolize our other crafting connections.