Kirsty Torrance | Mr X Stitch

Yes, I know, it’s February. But you know what? I forgot to write a blog for January. I decided to take some time off from “work” stitching (stitching that I’m paid to do for magazines, books, websites etc) over Christmas and New Year as I’d lost the love for it a bit. Not the love of stitching, but the enthusiasm to stitch something for someone else. The joy had gone – but that’s ok as it gave me a couple of weeks to carry on with a giant pattern I’m stitching for myself. It seems my brain switched off from paid stitching so much that it also forgot to write a blog for January. So here we are now, in February! Here in UK we find ourselves in lockdown. This makes it a struggle to plan anything for 2021 as I don’t know where I’ll be or what I’ll be able to do. I can’t plan what stitching work is coming my way as I don’t know about it til it lands on my doorstep - I do enjoy those surprises though. What will the pattern be? When will it be published (I’ve stitch Valentines cards in November and Christmas fairies in August before now)? Will there be much back stitching? I always hope not – I hate back stitching. But what is good is the actual act of stitching itself – not matter what the pattern is. With our lives up in the air it’s nice to have the constant of stitching to pass the time. Weekdays I’m at my desk, working from home, but with weekends free, lockdown firmly in place and the weather not being great there’s nothing better than curling up in front of the fire and stabbing something repeatedly. In much more exciting news, while scrolling through Instagram the other day Emma Congdon / Stitchrovia posted that her new book has a preview on Amazon – how very exciting! I’m extra excited as I was contacted by the publisher and asked to stitch for the book. It’s brilliant to see something I stitched on Amazon. It’s a beautiful pattern, full of exciting colours which were really easy to stitch and give a stunning finished product. The book is available for pre-order now and it’s released in April. Go take a look, 'you in April' will thank yourself when you’ve forgotten you ordered it and it arrives on your doorstep!