Today will be a long day, spent in a hospital waiting room. So of course I’m taking some stitching with me. Not just any stitching, but something small, that doesn’t require a lot of concentration, that can be put down quickly, that doesn’t require constant referring to a chart.
What kind of stitching meets all of those requirements? Those of us who love needlepoint know! A counted piece that has lots of border, like Twinkling Gems pictured here. The border is all the same, stitched with the same thread. The size is consistent, so the count is the same for each little square. Or a painted piece with a lot of background. It’s still possible to find preworked needlepoint, with the center motif already stitched and only the background left. If you’re the kind of stitcher who saves the background for last, that’s the kind of stitching that is perfect for a waiting room – the same stitch over and over, with the same thread.
Or an ornament. The last two blog posts have covered ornament stitching, and due to their size, usually limited threads, and usually limited complexity, ornaments are good for waiting rooms as well.
I only stitch one project at a time (I know, weird), so I’ll take my current project to stitch. It’s small, has limited threads, and currently I’m working on the borders. There are several borders to stitch. Maybe I’ll get through them all today, maybe not, but I’ll have something to keep my hands busy while I wait.
And as we all know, stitching in public has a bonus – it always attracts the curious! Hopefully I’ll have a chance to “evangelize” a bit as well. What do you like to stitch while waiting? Do you have a project that you reserve for waiting, or just take your current project (like me)? Do you have a reduced tool kit or lug everything with you? Inquiring minds want to know!