UK Cross Stitch Magazines and a Rotation

I'm not sure what is going on with cross stitch magazines in the states, but they don't seem to be competing very well with the offering from the UK. I still occasionally pick up Just Cross Stitch and Stoney Creek, but unless you are in a brick and mortar store, it is increasingly difficult to find a Stoney Creek magazine. This months edition of Just Cross Stitch had several patterns that I liked, including some stitching notions that are very sweet. My local stitching store is almost 2 hours away, so I mainly purchase my stitching magazines at Barnes and Nobles because they consistently have a good selection. What I have found over the last couple of years is that the majority of the crafting magazines offered are coming from the UK. I thought at first it was just B&N but Books-A-Million does the same thing. I'm not sure why this is the case but there you have it.

I think what appeals to most of us is that the UK magazines almost always offer a "free gift" and many times these little kits are very nice. I confess that I often buy the magazine mainly for the kit. The other day was no exception. I purchase the lastest (to the states) edition of the British Cross Stitcher magazine for exactly that reason.

This edition has a very cute wooden fob kit that includes everything you need to make it into a keyring. I have been seeing a lot of these wooden die cuts on Etsy and have been intrigued. When I saw this kit, I just knew I had to try it. 

I was surprise by how easy it worked up. 

This has led me to reconsidering my stitching and I have added to more rotations to my stitching. One is Me Morning Stitching (dare I call them MeMoS). As I've mentioned, I get to work very early to "carpool" with my son, so I will use this extra hour to stitch on something I like, just because I like it. So far I am enjoying this a lot. 

I think this little kit is an example of where American magazines might be missing the boat. If you look at the UK magazines, they always have different ways you can stitch something up and I can see how their patterns would appeal to the younger stitcher. If you look at the above magazine, you will see that the cover page is a funky colored peacock which they then show you how to turn into an envelope pillow. For those who live in the UK, the magazines aren't too pricey, about £4, but in the states they are pricey, $11. So they are definitely a treat for myself when I buy them. 

I recently found that I can purchase a digital subscription from B&N for about $5 a month. Unfortunately, I found out that the charts would not show up on my Nook Simple Touch, although they do show up on the Nook app on my Samsung Galaxy S4. You also cannot get the charts to show up using a Nook PC app. So, for now, I cancelled that subscription until I bite the bullet and purchase a Nook HD. I do think Although I can still see myself purchasing them, if I like the "free gift". 

Oh yeah, I got so caught up in my magazine ramble, that I almost forgot to tell you about my other rotation. It will be Wedding Wednesday Stitching (WeWeS, I just can't help myself). I did a little test of this on Wednesday. I only worked on the project for about an hour and it worked out pretty well. First, I had to whip stitch the edges of the fabric and then I was able to do a little stitching. I thought I had snapped a pic but when I went back and looked, there was no pic to be found. I will try to get one up soon.