Month: December 2014

This week’s Term of the Week is an interesting one. It’s a term a lot of stitchers might actively do without actually knowing the name for it!

As always, let’s first turn to our handy Dictionary.Reference.com for our technical definition before we dive into the stitchy definition:

Rotation

1. the act of rotating; rotary motion

2. a regular cycle of events in a set order or sequence

The stitcher’s definition combines a lot of the technical definition into one big definition rather than all those separate ones. A rotation involves a set number of WIPs or UFOs you are working on at a time, and you cycle, or rotate, through them at a set pace.

For example, I have three cat-themed WIPs that I’m working on. When I sit down to work on them, I work on them all, and rotate through them once I’ve worked on one for a certain amount of time or gotten a certain amount of stitches done. I call these cat-themed pieces my “Cat Rotation”. I originally had it on a schedule that I’d work on one piece for one week, another piece the next week, and then spend the next two weeks working on my big cat piece. It was my ‘Rotation Schedule.’

Some people use ‘rotation’ in a much broader sense. They may have 15 WIPs going at a time, and they use the term ‘rotation’ to refer to all of them, and they work on whatever piece they feel like working on at the time. “I’m working on my tiger piece right now! Hopefully I don’t have any more to add to the rotation or I’ll never get done!” Other people follow a much stricter definition, only working on a small number at a time, rotating every week or every other week or after 100 stitches.

However you view ‘rotation’, if you happen to have a bunch of pieces you’re working on, and you cycle between them, you might have a rotation and not even know it!

Our Term of the Week this week is a fun one, and one that can be useful to those who like making projects from bits and pieces!

The word “ort” means different things depending on the context it’s being used in. To stitchers, the word is an acronym (hence why I capitalized the letters), but before we dive into the stitchy definition let’s take a look at the common definition through Dictionary.Reference.com:

ORT

Usually, orts. a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

The stitcher’s definition matches up for the most part with the actual definition. “ORT” is an acronym meaning “Old Raggedy Threads.” What are old raggedy threads? They are the bits and pieces, the “scraps” if you will, of the threads that you cut away when you’re stitching. They are the leftover threads from kits or extra bits and bobs of fabric and thread you have lying around.

Really any leftover waste material that you can’t (or don’t want to) reuse is considered an ort. The stitcher’s definition is so close to the actual definition of the word (except referring to crafting instead of food) that some people don’t even think of it as an acronym.

This is the fun bit: stitchers most use the word “ort” when they are talking about their ORT jars. What are ORT jars? Jars to hold your ort, of course! People will fill their jars with their leftover bits of fabric and thread. Some people will use them as display items when they get full, others will empty the jars outside for the birds to use in their nests, and others will use the pile as stuffing for pin cushions or mini pillows.

It’s a fun and creative way to turn what would otherwise be trash into a beautiful display piece that helps the environment!

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“Term of the Week” is a weekly blog post highlighting a new word or phrase commonly used among cross-stitchers but not found in an ordinary dictionary. These posts are to help explain the words’ meanings in context and provide a resource for anyone wondering what a term like “frogging” means. Check back every Thursday!

For this Term of the Week we start into our stitchy acronyms, and this week’s is a fun one, albeit not something you would want to say around the kids!

BAP stands for a couple different things, depending on the version you want to use.

The original version of BAP stands for Big Ass Project. I’ve also heard it stand for Bad Ass Project. The more family-friendly version stands for Big Awesome Project or Big Ambitious Project.

The definition means pretty much exactly what one would think it means: a very large or unusual project that will be a grand undertaking on some level.

What qualifies as a BAP depends on the stitcher. For some, like me, anything over the standard 5 x 7 project size can be considered a BAP. For others, a project has to be truly enormous to be considered a BAP. For others still, as long as the piece is ambitious or different from what they usually stitch, it’s a BAP!

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“Term of the Week” is a weekly blog post highlighting a new word or phrase commonly used among cross-stitchers but not found in an ordinary dictionary. These posts are to help explain the words’ meanings in context and provide a resource for anyone wondering what a term like “frogging” means. Check back every Thursday!

Frogging

Ah, the dreaded frog. This term is despised among stitchers and once we go over the definition hopefully you’ll understand why. And we’ll put a name to the deed, because we all do it.

So what is frogging? Frogging is the act of having to undo all the prior stitches due to an error or mistake of some sort. It can also be called picking, or unpicking, but frogging seems to be the most popular term for the act.

In case the definition still seems a little confusing here’s an example: say you’re working on a cross-stitch project of an angel and stitch the wings. After you’ve done about half the wing you realize you missed a few stitches! So now the whole count is off AND you stitched in the wrong color! Oh no! You have to take out all of the stitches (or even cut them out) and start all over again.

That is called “frogging,” and that’s why everyone hates it. It is a representation of having to re-do a ton of work on your project. It’s also unavoidable; very rarely can you get through a project without having to frog at least once.

Why do people call it “frogging”? I just discovered this while planning the article. In English, the sound a frog makes is written and vocalized as “ribbit.” Change a few letters around and you get “rip it, rip it,” which is what you have to do when pulling out your stitches! Hence the frog has become the mascot of the dreaded act.

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“Term of the Week” is a weekly blog post highlighting a new word or phrase commonly used among cross-stitchers but not found in an ordinary dictionary. These posts are to help explain the words’ meanings in context and provide a resource for anyone wondering what a term like “frogging” means. Check back every Thursday!