Photographic meanderings

Life is much slower here in the Missouri Ozarks. With limited funds, I’m not able to make long trips in my car, and even a trip to the tiny burg of Ellington counts as long.  I’m 17 miles from there, and 11 of those miles are on a dirt road famous for its tire-puncturing roughness.  I’ve been spending my time going through storage boxes, and finally importing music from old CDs to iTunes.  

But I’ve rediscovered an old hobby of mine: Counted cross stitch.  

Wait!  Don’t get up and leave, disgusted that I’ve gone soft in my old age.  We’re not talking stamped patterns on pillow cases, here.  Nor are we talking about kits with Aida cloth and crappy embroidery floss.  Cross stitch is a sophisticated art form, rich in history.  Did you know that it was once used to teach numbers and letters to girls?  It was also used to convey Abolition philosophy.   

When I tell people I cross stitch, the most common response it “I don’t have the patience for that!” It’s not a matter of patience, I respond.  It’s a matter of concentration.  That and the ability to count.  Patience comes in when you have to un-stitch because you’ve not counted properly. 

Counted cross stitch is a way of building a photograph, one pixel at a time.  There is a connection to my love, photography. 

Currently I’m working on this pattern: 

This is a gift for my friend’s granddaughter.  The pattern is by Teresa Wentzler, an artist noted for her use of intricate borders and blended colors. This is a free pattern.  You can find it here: Teresa Wentzler’s “Stretch The Magic Dragon”.