A New Kind of Kit, A Lot Less Progress

So, I have a new start!

With almost no progress.

I enjoyed it, but we had my father's birthday on the 6th and then I had three days of double shifts at work.  So I had very little time and I pretty much just came home and went to bed.  So sad, right? lol!

But I found a new kind of kit and I wanted to try it even though I knew I'd only have a little time.

Have you guys seen the printed kits from China?  They look really cool!

Here's my first one:

Now, this is a huge one but at the same time it is very simple and easy.  They are all on 11 count aida, and use water-soluble ink to put the pattern directly on the aida.  You can just look at the symbols and you don't have to count and yet your stitches look normal and not those weird things on the plain fabric of a normal 'stamped' kit.  When you're done, you soak the fabric in plain water and all the symbol-ink lifts off, leaving no trace on your thread, and yes, I've seen video and it does work!

The reason I call this one easy is that the background is printed on in permanent ink, and you only have to stitch little pieces.  I normally would not like this, but I saw this picture in the first Chinese restaurant I went to with my dad when I was a very little girl, so when I saw the kit, I wanted it!  I could have got it in what they call 'full embroidery', which means you do the background and all, but I knew it would lose detail and I love those thin waterfalls.  So I chose a partial stitch for my first go.
(If you are looking at these kits, this kind is called '3D'.  Some of the ones with plain or white backgrounds are also called '3D' so study your pictures carefully!)

It came with really nice thread - very, very soft and shiny!  It's not DMC but they give DMC reference numbers and they MATCH, which is a nice change :D

Yep, the key is printed on the fabric, too.  Some of them also come with a pattern you can use as a reference check.  This one does.  So far, I haven't needed it.

It's huge - it is four feet long.

For size reference, I put a finished project on it.  The stitched area on that one is 5x7.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get right over it so it still looks smaller than it is.

Anyhow, all you stitch on this one is the words, the flying cranes, the bird and the flower beneath it, the big pink flower, the boat, the pink-flowered branch, the two big cranes beneath it and the rock/bank they are standing on.

All I got done was the first two words, most of the third, part of the fourth, a lot of the first red-crowned crane and a little of the second.  I will admit the fabric is pretty stiff and my fingers got a little sore when I was pushing the needle through.  I switched to a smaller needle and solved that bit.  But I wish I had gotten more done.  Ah, well.  What I did do was pretty fun!

Do you like my needle minder?  My postmaster knows I like to collect stamps, so when she was tossing out the old display magnets, she gave me this one :D  I turned it in to a needle minder.

I had no idea what the kanji on the project meant - first I looked at a translator and got 'long life' but I knew that wasn't right.  These pictures usually say something good, yes, but also that sort of relates to the picture subject.  So I asked on a site I go to where I know several of the people speak other languages, and one lady said it formally says 'Your wealth/money source overflows' and colloquially says 'Profits Pouring'.  Makes a lot more sense :D

I have a few more of this type of kit - all of them are BIG and they are a lot more detailed than this one.  This one is a little pixellated but I don't mind.  I will show the others off in a Stashy Saturday post!

I did get the next color of Great Light done - light purple.  There was only a little bit.  Only the cream on the path to go as far as full stitches, and I got a good bit of that done but no pic yet!  I started a bit of the backstitch, too.  This one and the bunnies should be done soon.  That's good 'cause I need to start Christmas prezzies!!!

Back on the 10th with another project, but not a new start!!!  LOL!!!