Totally radical cross stitch

Okay, kids! Let's play a fun game called "find the mistake."

I think I've mentioned before that although both of my grandmothers (and at least one great-aunt) crocheted, I didn't learn the craft from either of them. (I am kicking myself for that now.) The embroidery and knitting (such as it is) are self-taught as well. But there is one craft in my arsenal that's been "passed down" from a family member, so to speak, and that's cross-stitch.

My mother (and my aunt and a very close family friend) is an accomplished cross-stitcher, so she taught me when I young. I never really picked up her passion for it (or more accurately, I never really had the attention span for it), but once you learn how to do something like that, you never really forget.

So when I found the Wee Little Stitches Etsy shop, and saw their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cross stitch pattern, I knew I had to make it for my fiance's birthday. As a (male) child of the late eighties/early nineties, he is a huge fan of TMNT, and also, conveniently, a huge fan of my geeky crafts.

I'm still not an expert--I had to get my mom's help with stretching* and framing it, and there are a few mistakes in there that the keen of eye can spot--but overall I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. Cross stitch has a unique look that I really enjoy sometimes, especially when it's contrasted with a more contemporary design.

*And rest assured, the final product is much more "square" than the picture, which I took after my unsuccessful first attempt at framing.