A Lengthy & Overdue Post

In one of the last of my pre-disappearance posts, back in April, I said I'd post photos on Wednesday ... I  just didn't say which Wednesday.  In religion class, I would call that a lie of omission..  Now, I don't lie as a general rule.  But, somehow, life made a liar out of me.  May is always a very busy month in Religious Education: end of semester and quarter tests and progress reports, First Communion, Confirmation, Registration for next September, developing the calendar and volunteer roster for next September, the last catechist meeting of the year, regional and archdiocesan end-of-year meetings, updating permanent record cards, textbook inventory and orders.  To say the least, I was slammed at work.  And then, in June, there are all the end-of-year celebrations which I tend to consider worse than work: the parish's afternoon reception for volunteers, the parish team end-of-year dinner, the archdiocesan Communion Breakfast.  There's also plenty of clean-up and catch-up work leftover from May: making appointments for testing all the children whose parents thought Little League was more important than finals, continuing with registration, dealing with parents disappointed with their children's final progress report, dealing with parents who can't quite understand why they are closed out of the classes they "need" when they waited till the fifth week of registration to come in and why shouldn't their little darlings jump to the head of the Tuesday waiting list instead of being placed in a Thursday class where there is adequate room.  It's a fun month and probably the month with the highest number of complaints.  It's also the month when I consider a career change nearly every year.  But somehow I get through it with my sense of ministry and mission intact.  But, I don't think I have ever gone a whole month without blogging since I began writing this one.  Not only have I gone two whole months without barely a post or two ... I have been doing very little stitching, which explains why I had so little about which to blog!  Mostly I have been reading and vegging out.  I guess it's to be expected that as I get closer to retirement age that it takes me longer to spring back from a school year.  And it surely doesn't help that the Social Security Administration keeps moving the finish line.  I expected to retire with full benefits at 65 and now I'll have to wait till 66.5.   Hell, I remember  attending the World's Fair back in '63 in NYC where the folks at the GE Pavilion had promised that by the time the millennium rolled around, we would all be working from our homes on networked computers and we would be enjoying shorter work days and more leisure time.  Promises! Promises!

But, finally, I do have a few photos to show you of two off-goal projects ... with so little stitching time available to me, I just went haywire and worked on a few quick stitches/easy new starts.

The first is a bookmark started long ago, before I started lining my bookmarks, simply fringing them.  I  designed this one as I went along, using bands of my favorite specialty stitches.  I may go ahead and line this one after the fact, anyway.

And a small freebie sampler [from Plum Street Sampler, I think] that I changed up a bit, replacing the alphabet with the greeting "Happy Halloween".  I'll finish this piece either as a trick or treat bag for one of my grandchildren or as a small throw pillow.





Not much to show for two entire months ... just two tiny projects, one of which was already started.

But I hope to get back into my usual stitching routines in the coming months.  July is a much more reasonable month at work: ongoing registration slows to a trickle, the summer building maintenance walk-through is a thing of the past, the supplies inventory is done.  All that's left is  preparing the 2013-14 Catechist Binders, updating catechist files and some summer home study evaluations.  Mostly just paperwork.  And a more sanity inducing schedule of 9-5, Mon-Thurs.  I may even get ahead of the game, writing and developing some special Family Catechesis Events for November and March.  And then, in August, four glorious weeks of vacation before the whole thing starts up again in September.  There's a certain comfort in the cyclic nature of my work, since I can count on breathers after mad rushes.

Finally, A UFO Finish!!!!

I forgot to pack my camera, when packing for the retreat ... so photos will have to wait till Wednesday.

Midnight Moogies is done.  A process that started back in 2006 is over at last.  And a strange process it has been.  My first mistake was using the recommended 14ct Aida.  If I were starting over again I would use a 32ct or, better yet, a 36ct linen.  My next mistake was starting at the center and working outward ... after making a rookie mistake in the orientation of the fabric.  I ended up lopping off sections at the top and bottom and sewing them to the sides to correct this error which I didn't discover until well into the project.  At that point I had already stitched the two right side cats and all the houses and shooting stars on the right as well.  I really should have started over again at that point but I just didn't have the heart to do so.    All I can say is I do not recommend stitching through three thicknesses of Aida even with the sturdiest of needles.  I dislike Aida at the best of times but this was such torture that I put this piece away sometime in late 2006 and didn't resurrect it till October of 2012.  It was one of my very oldest UFOs.  I do like the individual cats though and I can see myself someday wanting to stitch one of them again: maybe as a cell phone case or a TV remote pocket.  Not any time soon, mind you, but someday.

So, it is with great joy that I mark this project as DONE on the UFO sidebar.  I am a little too old and arthritic for a happy dance but I can manage a few bars of the Handel's Hallelujah Chorus.  Please sing along with me.

Murphy's Law as Applied to Stitching

The closer you are to a finish, the more likely your professional and personal life will become so complicated as to eliminate stitching time.  This works in direct proportion to the age of the near-finish.  A UFO dating from 2006 complicates life exponentially.

Midnight Moogies - Closing in on a Finish

These past three days, I have been focusing on Midnight Moogies with this result.  As you can see, I am very close to another finish.  So close, in fact, that I am going to continue to stitch on this piece until I am done.  I'll pick up the rotation again afterward but for now, I'll be tending to my cats.  All I have left to stitch is a bit of the lightest green in two of the leaves and about 14 inches of checkerboard border on the left.  I will have to do a bit of frogging to make the checkerboard on the left line up properly ... or at least, as properly as may be, given the seam in the middle of it.  Don't worry about those few spots on the bottom of the piece ... I took the picture outdoors in a very light drizzle ... those spots are just raindrops and will dry without stain.

All in all, I am pleased with the piece and will finish it as the back cushion for an old Japanese lacquered bench I use in my bedroom.  I just need to take some measurements so I can buy upholstery quality foam and some upholstery fabric in either deep wine or charcoal grey.  I'll have to see what's available that works with both the colors in the design and in the finish of the wood.

No Credibility Left Here

I am tired of Midnight Moogies!  No, I'm not! Yes, I am!  No, definitely not!  In any case, I am still stitching Midnight Moogies, so you figure it out.  I am done trying to analyze my choices in regards to this project.  I have passed beyond my own understanding.

That being said, I do want to thank those kind readers who commented that they are not bored with the cats and enjoy seeing my progress on them.  Since I am currently working on the border, I can't claim that this progress photo will add much in the way of eye appeal.  Just more and more grey, no eye-popping color.  But as I said in an earlier post, I have become obsessed and here is the result.

It is interesting that while I am so thoroughly engrossed with the Moogies that I happened to come across this version of the same project on the 123stitch message board.  Lesley very graciously allowed me to post her photo here.  It just goes to show that two stitchers can make choices that change the whole look of a piece.  We used the same starting point but ended up in completely different places.  While I am very satisfied with my choice, I also find Lesley's choice fantastic.  The grey fabric gives the piece an other-worldly look that is fascinating.  And if you look carefully, you'll see that Lesley used black for the buildings while I used the charted DMC 823.  It may be a trick of the light or the difference between two cameras but it also looks as though Lesley went a few shades darker on some of the cats.  It just goes to show the power of color to change the mood of a piece.  If this weren't such a time consuming piece, I might be tempted to stitch a second version on grey linen ... but I have way too many other projects on hand to even consider a "do over."

Another Perspective on UFOs

In the December 2012 issue of Needlearts, Cheryl Christian offers a refreshingly different perspective on UFOs in her article entitled Celebrate the UFO.  She poses the theory that UFOs are merely the tangible evidence left behind in the ongoing pursuit of knowledge by the dedicated student of the textile arts.  She further proposes that rather than viewing them as a Marleyesque drag chain of unfinished projects tied to our ankles and slowing our forward progress, we start to see them as the means by which we have explored new techniques, learned new stitches or finishing procedures, tested new fibers and fabrics or simply discovered what we like and do not like.  In short, she suggests we view them as a collection of souvenirs gathered on our journey from novice to serious stitcher.  She further proposes that our collections of UFOs tell a story of the development of our aesthetics and our skills and that these collections should be a source of pride rather than of troubled conscience.    In some cases, all we come away with is the knowledge that we have no particular interest in or aptitude for a particular skill or technique: a potentially valuable lesson gained at no more expense than one more UFO.  In other cases, we discover techniques added to our skill sets and adapted to new and different projects.  Or perhaps we discover new ways of using or combining color, distributing spatial design elements, or incorporating non-traditional materials in our work.  In  those cases where the UFO is a relic of a class, the value might derive from the group experience, the interaction with other stitchers.  The point being, there is always value to be found in a UFO.

In looking over my sidebar list of unfinished Class Projects heading into 2013, I am inclined to agree with Ms. Christian, at least, for the most part.  In the case of the class projects on my list, I see a very clear correlation between my collection of UFOs and my desire to learn new techniques.  The first three projects on the list, the CATS projects from 2005 and 2006 are perfect examples.  Each one explores a technique of interest to me: dimensional embroidery, embroidered edgings and filet lace.  The fourth project on the list, a beaded bracelet, takes stitching in a totally new direction for me.  My initial interest in each and every one of these projects was quite strong.  In the case of the bracelet, strong enough to prompt me to buy supplies and reference books to continue work in beading.  But still, as other projects caught my attention, these projects were set aside for an undetermined later.  I still want to complete most of these projects.  Indeed, I am making that goal a part of my 2013 stitching plan, even as I did in 2012.  I admit I am more enthusiastic about some of the projects than I am about the others but even if I never do complete any of the above, I do not deem the time spent on them thus far as wasted.  I have learned something: if only that I lack the meticulous temperament for picot edging and filet lace.  These skill sets, however desirable, are somewhat beyond my comfort zone.  As to the various Stitcher's Hideaway Class projects, I foresee finishing these up before any of the CATS projects since they combine my love of cross stitch and specialty stitches with finishing and assembly techniques that interest me: etuis, boxes, biscornus, fobs and needlebooks.  I am more motivated to work on them, possibly because a good deal of the work is firmly within my more advanced skill sets.

When I look at my list of UFOs/WIPs, things are a bit more problematic.  Some of the pieces are intended to be finished as gifts: the Jacobean Elegance Afghan, the ornament for Sean and the Stocking for Liam.  The motivation for those is pretty straightforward:  I liked the design, I have a specific end game in mind for each and all will likely be completed before 2013 comes to end.  In that regard I would consider them ordinary WIPs rather than UFOs.  Furthermore, the Midnight Moogies piece has also been upgraded to WIP from UFO.  It was originally abandoned because I had made a rookie mistake in orienting the fabric and the correction is tedious and time consuming.  There was also the factor that It was started on Aida, a fabric I rarely use and generally dislike.  But having picked it up again, earlier this month, I am experiencing a renewed interest in the design that more than compensates for the tedious border stitching and the Aida vs linen issues.  Another ordinary WIP is The English Band Sampler from SANQ.  Again, I expect to finish this in 2013.  What attracted me to it in the first place was that it was a different sort of sampler for me.  I had done band samplers before nut none with this combination of bold color and Jacobean design elements.  It was at once familiar and different, comfortable and challenging.

Having eliminated the ordinary WIPs from the list: I am left with the following genuine UFOs:

• Alessandre Adelaide's Zucca: I believe I lost interest because I chose a poor fabric/fiber combo for this project.  Being an A-type personality I feel required to frog that before starting over.  I'll get around to it someday.
• Encrusted Crazy Quilt Square & Strap:  This was an on-line class and I am still trying, intermittently, to master some of the necessary stitches like the bouillon stitch and other dimensional techniques.  Someday the finished square will be a shoulder bag but for now I content to play with it whenever the mood strikes.  Does that make me a dilettante?   Perhaps, but who cares?
• My Own Beach Find Pansies and My Own Fertile Circles Needlebook: In each of these projects I had a design idea I wanted to translate to fabric and fiber.  Once I solved the design problem to my own satisfaction, I lost the bulk of my interest in the final assembly stage of the pieces.  I will return to these projects because they both involve clever and interesting use of found objects, beads and dimensional stitching.  They'd make unusual entries in a mixed media category.
• T. Wentzler's Logo Dragon:  I started doing this in YLI silks using my own conversion from DMC and have since lost my notes.  I am foolishly optimistic that someday I will find them again.  In any case, I do have what is already stitched to serve as a guide if I have to start from scratch, reconstructing the substitution list but it is not my top priority.

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Challenges, Challenges

I worked on my first Class Challenge project on Sunday and Monday. If you want to see where I left off before this became a UFO, see this post for the last photo I could find. But I managed to complete the tracery heart that is Row 13 in the chart, with the exception of the specialty stitches and beading. Today, I will tackle the three Rhodes hearts and the specialty stitch in the center. There is a heart shaped Christmas ornament included in the class packet which I had begun on the first day of class but abandoned in favor of the sampler as the class proceeded. It is basically a slightly larger version of the tracery heart pictured above. I have to say I have certainly recovered my enthusiasm for this piece. It's been awhile since I have done a sampler that has involved so many specialty stitches and a limited but very elegant palette. I am having a lot of fun rediscovering this piece. Once I have finished the two pieces in this project, I shall move on to the next piece from the list that calls my name, probably the Japanese Kogin Tea Cosy. Each and every one of these class projects [see sidebar list] excited me enough at one time to lay down hard-earned cash to take the classes ... and with the exception of one or two, they still do. It will be interesting to see how many I will be able to complete this year. I also continued to work on Workbasket's Quaker Sampler, a WIP from 2010. I finished the yellow motif on the right side of the inner rectangle and got started on the blue motif in the top leg of that rectangle. Still another motif and three medallions to go, not to mention the personalization, so it will be a while before I have my first finish from the 2010 WIP list. As I stated in an earlier post, I intend to finish one piece from the Challenge List and one piece from the 2010/2011 WIP list to earn a new start. Depending on just when I manage to earn my start, I have plans. If I manage to finish the two samplers noted above by mid-January, I'll use my new start on a heart ornament I have wanted to stitch for my Anniversary and Valentine's Day Tree. If, on the other hand, I finish the samplers in late January or early February, I'll bow to the reality that adding a heart ornament to the tree is not going to happen. Instead, I'll start my 2012 BAP: Teresa Wentzler's Woodland Angel Christmas Stocking. If I start it early in the year, maybe, just maybe, it will be done for Liam's fifth Christmas in 2012!

I have been reading a number of other end of year/beginning of the new year posts on the many blogs that I follow. Oddly enough, many of us have had several things in common during 2011: we all seem to be reporting fewer finishes than normal, both stitching and finish-finishing; many of us had a tougher than usual personal year and many of us are hoping for a much better 2012, both as regards stitching and personal goals.

Class Project Challenge

I have decided that my 2012 Challenge will be completing all the unfinished class projects I have been accumulating since 2005. Since some of the projects on the list involve multiple items, the total number of finished objects will be 24. That, of course, assumes that I will succeed. I have listed them here in the order in which I acquired them. However, I shall be stitching them in no particular order ... just as the mood takes me. I am determined to finish one piece from this list and one piece from either the 2010 or 2011 WIP Lists to "earn" the privilege of starting a new project ... a sort of two steps forward, one step back approach to the whole WIP/UFO issue. In keeping with my usual practice of stitching something Christmas-y in January, I'll be starting with the Holly and Hearts Sampler and ornament.

But here is the entire list:

Lori Birmingham's Pansy Garden Nantucket Style Basket (2005 CATS project),

Catherine Jordan's Pretty Picot Edges (2006 CATS project),

Karen Bovard's Filet Lace (2006 CATS project),

Phyllis Maurer's Japanese Kogin Tea Cosy (2006 CATS project),

Peyote stitch bracelet (The Willow Tree, Boothbay Harbor, Me),

2007 Stitcher's Hideaway projects: Victoria Sampler's Mystic: a stitchers pocket, biscornu, needlebook and fob,

2008 Stitcher's Hideaway projects: The Sweetheart Trees' Holly and Hearts Sampler and ornament,

2009 Stitcher's Hideaway project: Brightneedles' Ghosts and Ghoulies Etui,

2010 Stitcher's Hideaway project: Victoria Sampler's Sturbridge Box and needlework accessories.

The Current Project in the Rotation ...

... is the Workbasket Quaker Sampler. I seem to be alternating between the Black'd Skie and the Quaker Sampler, lately ... probably, the result of my determination to finish at least one more WIP left from 2010 and one more of the three remaining 2011 CJC projects, unlikely though that may be. I know I will be carrying at least two of the 2010 WIPs into 2012: the Jacobean Elegance Afghan and a Brightneedle class project. And two of the 2011 CJC projects as well: Teresa Wentzler's Tracery Dragons and Allessandre Adelaide's Zucca. Then, of course, I do have two new starts in 2012 above and beyond the CJC that are unlikely to be finished by December's end: The Sturbridge Box class project and the Prairie Grove Peddler Lighthouse Candle Mat. I think I shall have to discipline myself in 2012, no new starts till I finish three WIPs or UFOs. This is why I have joined a UFO Challenge Group for 2012: I have so many class pieces from 2005 and up that I could spend the whole year just finishing up what I have already started.

WIPs and UFOs - A General Accounting

One of the commenters on the It's a Matter of Perspective post mentioned the large number of WIPs and UFOs I seem to have. You have only to look at the Goals, Crazy January Challenge and the UFOs sidebars to get an idea of the number. I never really thought of it that way, though, until I took on the Crazy January Challenge this year, starting 15 projects in January. The idea was that all would be completed in the course of 2011. There was the risk, of course, that I'd just end up with a much longer list of UFOs and WIPs.

But that fate seems to have been averted. Here it is August and there are only three pieces left on the list. Admittedly, all of them are fairly large projects but one of the three is already more than half completed. Once I have completed Tracery Dragons, I will start on Primitive Needle's Black'd Skie. I have it all kitted up and the called for floss is a fiber new to me. That adds interest and loads of incentive since I am a veritable fiber junkie. I am hoping to start on that sometime in September. For all its size, it should be a breeze after Tracery Dragons. That would leave the last CJC piece on target for mid-October stitching, appropriately enough, since that last piece is Adelaide Allesandre's Zucca: a lovely tracery sort of pumpkin. That last will be a re-start rather than a continuation of January's work since I really don't like the way the original choices of fiber and fabric are working.

And there is only one 2010 WIP left on my monthly goals list, Workbasket's Quaker Sampler. The other two pieces on the monthly goals list are actually UFOs from even earlier that I am determined to finish this year: The Jacobean Elegance afghan as a Christmas gift for my mother, the Fertile Circles Needlebook and Beach Find Pansies panels for my own amusement since they are in fact my own designs. And, with the exception of three Hooked on Exchanging pieces, the only non CJC 2011 start has been the class piece from the Stitcher's Hideaway, The Sturbridge Box. And, I am making steady progress on that piece.

I plan to work only one more major new start into my stitching program for 2011, above and beyond what I have already mentioned. And that will be Teresa Wentzler's Woodland Angel Christmas Stocking which should carry me right into 2012. There will, of course, be a few more smalls along the way. I need those just for the variety and for a change of pace from all the BAPs.

I plan to devise my own 2012 Crazy January Challenge, using the class pieces from CATS and from the various Stitcher's Hideaways I have attended, resuming the stitching on each project in turn for the first ten days in January 2012. Then, I'll work them into my stitching rotation the same way I did with this year's CJC. The idea will be that I won't start a truly new project from my chart stash of small and medium pieces until I complete something from my UFO list. That way, I should end 2012 with 10 fewer UFOs and only one or two WIPs carrying over into 2013.

Wentzler Wednesday Redux

This dedicated Wentzler Wednesday notion is really working. It has converted a UFO that was a weight on my conscience to a piece I look forward to stitching on regularly. Finally, I am making rapid progress and I am nearly done with Section II, just a bit of the skirt and hand to do. Hey, this may actually be a Christmas present for Ange in 2011. That would make it a mere two years later than planned but who's counting? I may have to follow this up with a Thea Thursday so I can finish up a set of class pieces from Thea Ducek Mystic Stitcher's Hideaway ... can that really have been four years ago this coming October???

What is it about stitchers and stitching that produces baskets filled with half-finished projects? I know there are a few very disciplined folk out there who stitch one project at a time, get their projects to the framer or produce a sewing finish within mere weeks of the cross-stitch finish. Such folk are atypical, though, if the blogs and boards I read are any indication of what really goes on! I wonder what prompts so many of us to invest so much time and energy in projects only to abandon them midway or, worse yet, do nothing with the finished piece!

Any theories, readers?

Poll results

Thanks to all who voted. I haven't decided to go with the majority decision which was the Mystic Seaport Needlework Accessories from Victoria's Sampler, choosing one of the projects tied for second runner up instead: The Sweetheart Tree's Holly and Hearts Sampler since that is the piece nearest to completion and most likely to yield satisfaction ... a point made in one of the comments on the post announcing the poll.

I choose to renege on the plan to make it part of my August goals as well, deferring it instead to September. A quick review of my July goals [see previous post] indicates that summer time with its warm weather is not an optimum stitching time for me. So I have severely curtailed my August goals to reflect this fact.

Which UFO shall become my next WIP?

I have so many UFOs, mostly class pieces that never were completed once I got home and back into my usual stitching routines. I'd like to resurrect one in the month of August and see if I can complete it. So I put it to you, dear readers, which of the following do you think most worthy? I list them in no particular order ... or rather, in the order that I pulled them out of the basket.

Lori Birmingham's Pansy Garden Natucket Style Basket. This is a stump work project, billed as being easy enough for beginners. Pro: I have invested a great deal of money in this project, having paid for the class and purchased the basket. This will make a highly decorative sewing or project basket. It will be an interesting challenge since I've never worked with this style of embroidery. I have a thing for pansies, since they are my husband's favorite flower. Con: It's been 5 years since I took the class and, while I am as capable as anyone of reading directions, that's still a long time between the lesson and the implementation. It also looks like it will be a labor-intensive and time consuming project. And, for all that I worked diligently for the full two hours of the class, I have very little accomplished ... so it will be very much a case of starting nearly from scratch.

Karen Bovard's Filet Lace Name Class Piece. I took this class because I was enchanted by the photo of the finished piece ... talk about great marketing!!! However, I was incredibly bored by the actual class. Pro: the finished project is very desirable, always provided I do a good job. Con: I don't think I'll really enjoy working on this project, though who knows, if I develop a rhythm with this technique [as Ms. Bovard predicted] I may begin to like the process ... and I am as much a process as a project stitcher.

Catherine Jordan's Pretty Picot Edges. This was put aside because I think I messed up but frankly, I don't know enough about the techniques involved to be sure of that. Pro: Mastering the techniques in the projects in this class pack will be very useful in non-framed finishing of my other projects. I have plenty of suitable materials in my stash of banding and perle cotton to practice the techniques even after I have used up the class materials provided. I am very interested in mastering these skill sets. Con: Another long lapse, four years, between class and implementation. Possible frogging issues, if I ever figure out if I indeed made mistakes.

Phyllis Maurer's Japanese Kogin Tea Cozy. Another really attractive project. Ms. Maurer gave a great class with very clear written instructions for the actual stitching, though not for the sewing finish. Pro: I have many teapots that would look great dressed in this lovely cozy. The blue perle flosses that came with the project match my everyday china which includes a teapot. The actual technique is not difficult but does require careful attention to counting. Con: Considerable concentration would be required to make sure all the counting is correct. The sewing finish might be a bit problematic since I've only got a photo to go by. Spatial intelligence is definitely not my forte so working from a two dimensional photo to a three dimensional finished object could be an issue.

The Sweetheart Tree Holly & Hearts Sampler. A really great project. The only reason I put it down was because it requires intense concentration and I intended to pick it up again after a brief respite devoted to simple stitching. Pro: I am nearly half done with this project. It has loads of specialty stitching to keep up my interest. There are enough different fibers used in the project to keep it interesting texturally. The finished project will be gorgeous. Con: There is an awful lot of ever so slightly asymmetrical back-stitched tracery that requires very careful counting ... this is what had me crossing my eyes when I put it down the last time.

Victoria Sampler's Mystic Needle Smalls. Another really great project. I was going great guns on it and then just ran out of steam. I guess I just needed a change of scene. But I never did get back to it. Pro: a delightful project with lots of parts, a lovely design, some hardanger and specialty stitches to keep it interesting. I plan on taking another class with Thea next summer and it would be nice to have this set completed and displayed at my station at that time. Con: There is just so much of it, lots of parts. And, I haven't done any hardanger in about three years.

Brightneedle's Ghosts and Ghoulies Needle Smalls. A really cool exclusive class piece. Pro: the design is very appealling and the needlebook, biscornu and scissor fob set will make a very nice addition to my stitching accessories. Con: There are too many oh so similar symbols used in the chart ... virtually indistinguishable from one another on the one page chart ... causing me to use the wrong shade of silk for the lettering ... frogging over one is so tedious. Using the larger chart provided will alleviate that problem, but my personal preference has always been for one glance sees all sort of deal ... and why provide a one page chart when you are aware that it is conducive to errors ... actually, why use such similar symbols in the first place. I don't know at whom I am most annoyed: myself for making the error or the designer for making such a misleading chart.

So, please take a minute to vote in the poll in the sidebar and help me to make a decision.