Cross Stitching Mania - The Rood of St. Iocus [WIP]

I recently decided to get back into cross stitching again. This was something I did back in high school with prepared kits you can purchase from Asian stationary stores. They were small, about 2''x2'' and consisted of patterns like this:

It was enough to keep a high schooler, who had to commute to school, busy. The kit came with all the thread needed, 2-3 needles, a small aida cloth, and the pattern guide. I actually still have a few finished pieces that I kept, but it's totally buried in my closet somewhere. I should bring it out sometime and share. :D

Any who - I started to realize that cross stitching is actually a more popular hobby than I initially thought. There are magazines, blogs, and websites dedicated to this. I also learned of more modern designs where people cross stitch designs like pop art and logos, as well as their own custom designs. This pretty much opened up the world of opportunities of what I can do with cross stitching, so I decided to dive back in.

And that's what I did. Within a month, I bought everything that I will need. What I couldn't get at my local Michaels, I got from 1-2-3 Stitch, a great website if you want affordable DMC flosses and a variety of aida cloths. I also made some purchases via Etsy like a pincushion filled with emery from CrackedPistachios, and grime guards from KnittingGeisha. Grime guards are pieces of fabric with an elastic band to put around the Q-snap frame or hoop to protect it and the cloth from the oils from your skin.

Here's an overview of my current stash:

Ta-da!

There's so much organizing that needs to be done with the flosses, but they're just so colorful to look at. :3

Look at all the flosses!

I have also started on a project to cross stitch The Rood of St. Iocus from the video game, Vagrant Story. This is going to be a birthday present to my SO since Vagrant Story is his favorite game. (He already knows - It's kind of hard to hide this when he's under the same roof. :x)

The Rood of St. Iocus [WIP]

Since there wasn't a pattern premade for this, I decided to do it myself! This is what the final piece will look like, pattern and all:

Free to use.

It was created in Excel, so labels are not as pretty, but it's open for anyone to use. Just do have the courtesy of crediting me. :)

I have so many projects that I want to tackle already!

One of these days, I hope to finish this beauty here:

Free pattern here.