Finished a small one...

[Karamo]

And still, it took me all-in-all 40 (forty!) hours from start to finish! Can you believe it? I must be a totally different kind of slow - am I missing something? For scale, it's about as large as my thumb, and I used two strands of floss which made it really thick and difficult to proceed with after a while. I also made some bad color shade choices but meh...

For those wondering, it's a character called "Morrigan" from a video-game series called "Darkstalkers".

[Rose]

As long as you are enjoying the stitching the amount of time is not an issue. And she is very nice!!!!!!!!

[Squirrel]

That is an interesting design and lovely bright colours too. I agree with Rose, it is about enjoying what you are doing, not how long it takes.

[karen4bells]

brilliant colors and a very different design!!

[19Roland19]

Well done!

Though I didn't recognize the actual character, As soon as I looked at the picture I assumed she as from a video game.

[fccs]

That is an interesting design and lovely bright colours too. I agree with Rose, it is about enjoying what you are doing, not how long it takes.

I'm with Sally and Rose. I'm a slow stitcher and I'm good with that.

[lavenderbee]

That is nicely worked & agree with others. As long as you enjoy what you are doing, that is the main thing.

[rcperryls]

That is an interesting design and lovely bright colours too. I agree with Rose, it is about enjoying what you are doing, not how long it takes.

I'm with Sally and Rose. I'm a slow stitcher and I'm good with that.

I agree with the others. And with what looks like a lot of different colors in a pretty small space, 40 hrs isn't that surprising. Especially if the 2 strands of thread made it thick and difficult. So I'd say definitely well done!

Carole

[tiffstitch]

I think you finished her pretty quickly with all those colour changes. Very cute finish!

[richardandtracy]

Interesting.

40 hrs does seem quite a time. In multi-coloured regions I hope to get around 60 stitches an hour, in monochrome blocks up to 100 an hour, and working on 28ct 2 over 1 seem to get the same speed as with 14ct aida.

I think it looks quite nice, but I hope you don't mind a comment or two on the actual stitching - it isn't intended as a criticism, but as something to consider for a next project which may (just may) help make the next one look even better.
I noticed in the white reflection in the helmet all the top stitches in the cross go from bottom right to top left of the square. In most, but not all the surrounding stitches, the top of the cross goes from top right to bottom left. In a few rows there difference in the top stitch direction from one row to the next while in the same colour. If they were all the same, the uniformity of the stitching would make each colour act more as a block of colour and allow the eye to see the picture rather than dragging attention to the stitching.
On the torso and arms, you seem to have the outlining purple stitches stand a little proud of the infill orange stitches. This could be deliberate - it seems a nice idea to emphasise the outline, but then I'd expect the effect to be duplicated in the legs and it doesn't seem to be. If it was not deliberate, it does seem to indicate a little of a different tension between the two thread colours, and it may be an idea in future to try to get into the rhythm of pulling the thread with the same force every time you pull it through the fabric. Not easy I know, I tend to 'twang' the thread each time I pull it through with my little finger and use that as the tension gauge, my little finger isn't very strong and hitting the thread from a similar distance every time gives a similar tension every stitch. Took me a long time to realise how I had worn a hole in the little finger of the white gloves I wear when stitching on light coloured fabric!

Otherwise, keep it up & I hope you keep having fun regardless of stitching speed.

Regards,

Richard

[Karamo]

Thanks for all the replies guys, really warms my heart

Thing is, I want to be efficient! There are SO many things I want to stitch and I enjoy doing things faster and faster, being better and better. Stitching is not "fun" as in heart racing euphoria but I enjoy the feeling of gradually "unraveling" something. Oh, and colors, I love colors <3 I can't stitch as a sole activity (stupid ADHD brain) so I always do it while watching TV. I memorize the pattern (pieces of it) in my head so that I don't have to keep watching and double-check the pattern all the time which does save some time.

I noticed that some people seem to have a technique where they stitch in "columns" regardless of color. Wouldn't this make floss hanging on the backside tangle a lot? I always start with the "countour" color and then go on to another color and end with white. I always end with white, not because it easily discolors if touched alot but because it makes me eyes bleed and gives me double vision, trying to differentiate between what's been stitched and what's cloth xD

</rant>

EDIT: Thanks for the input Richard. I took a bit of a lazy road in her hair, doing backstitches with the light green =( (please don't hit me!)

Regarding the outline, I followed the pattern best I could (the original sprite had this purple outline while the pants who were actually purple all in all had a darker shade of purple as outline. I was thinking if I should go for a black outline regardless but when I zoomed the picture and recolored it in photoshop, it made it look horrible. Can't say I like the purple outlining that much (the orange on her arms is supposed to be gloves, not skin btw) but hey, what to do It's not like I can frame it anyway since I did a poor judgment when placing her on the cloth which turned her out way too close to the right edge of the cloth.

By the way, what does "ct" stand for and how do I know what cloth I use? I only know it was the one with the "smallest squares" they had available, which is what I wanted.

[fccs]

ct is just an abbreviation for count...28 ct = 28 count = 28 threads per inch

I almost always have tv going when I sttich - tv shows, movies, sports (baseball especially). I wish I could memorize parts of my chart like you can. The only time I stitch in complete silence is when I get in at least 30 minutes before work...then, it's just me and my needle. I work in retail and it's always very loud with people and music and the constant hum of whatever the machinery is that's supposed to make the building cooler or warmer but really just hums and stirs up dust). In preparation for the constant barrage of noise, I need silence...my friend told me she thinks it's my form of meditation. Maybe....

[Serinde]

Good job! You might not have left enough room on the right-hand side to "frame" her, but you could make her into a card...?

I'm a slow stitcher, too; you do speed up a bit the more confident you become in your technique. I'm not sure I'd describe stitching as 'heart racing euphoria either but I do enjoy it a lot, usually listening to rugby commentary. Most of us have other things we either want to do or have to do, and I do a agree that colour is a wonderful thing! (So is texture!)

[wendywombat]

I didn't realise that there was a time limit on stitching...I'd fail every time if there was!!! Relax, enjoy and soon you'll become less worried about how long it takes and also become more proficient.It's a hobby and by very definition....ENJOYABLE
Nice colourful project BTW!

[Mabel Figworthy]

There is such a thing as a stitching deadline ?
Oops!

Sometimes there are deadlines, of course (getting something ready for a workshop or the like, or if it's for a birthday or anniversary), but if I'm stitching for my own enjoyment I don't really care how long it takes.