We've achieved lock-down for our HAED patterns! Check it out:
We were debating whether we should go for this pairing, or a bigger sized one. That second option would have been Sae's Lily of the Valley and my Advice from a Caterpillar. Since first and second option were my favourites out of my lot anyway, I really didn't mind either. In the end we settled on the smaller and easier of the two. After all, this will be the first time I've ever cross-stitched anything properly from a proper cross-stitch pattern. And the biggest cross-stitch I've ever done is about the size of my hand so anything to lessen the challenge is good!

Since I want to get threads from Sae, I've gone ahead and bought the pattern. So I'm pretty much really locked in to my decision. As for Sae, she still have some time to mull it over and change her choice, as long as the size remains the same.

I bought the pattern for USD19.00 as I decided to go for the larger chart for ease of viewing. Downloaded it, cracked it open and just for the pattern, its 48 pages long! Each page has 5200 stitches on it. What have we gotten ourselves into??

We did some calculations and determined that for my pattern, I'd need to do about 126 stitches per day and I will be finished in 4.5 years just in time for the deadline. Doesn't sound like an awful lot but I am pretty slow and if I do miss out on a day, I have to make sure to catch up or I'll start lagging by a lot.

I've also decided to use 18ct Aida fabric, which Sae is also getting for me. She found out today that the shop near her work has it for really cheap so might as well grab that off her while I have a chance.

All this planning and calculating and discussing has gotten me quite pumped and I actually can't wait to get started. Still a month to go before our start date but in the meantime, I'd better get my stitching speed up!