Twitch.TV Streaming CrossStitch

[sirinth]

Hi. I haven't posted here in a while, but I wanted to find out if anyone else watches Twitch.TV ; it's known for it's gaming streams, but for the last year or so they've been ramping up their 'Creative' category. Mostly so far it's been a lot of drawing and perler beads, but over a year ago I started CrossStitching on Twitch and I love it.

Since then, I've seen a number of CrossStitch streamers start popping up here and there.
I'll list the ones I know of so you can check it out. If you're interested in starting, let me know and I'll do what I can to help you get set up! :3
Basically, you can watch people play games/crossstitch/knit/etc LIVE. And chat with them! It's a lot of fun. And is basically a virtual stitch n' bitch.
I'd love to see some of you on there, especially some of my long time favorites like blackmageheart :3

I mainly stitch on stream Sunday nights at 10pm MST. I do mostly twitch emotes on plastic canvas, but when I'm not full up on commissions, I do some larger projects as well.
Closer to conventions like PAX I end up stitching all week trying to keep up on commissions! D:
http://twitch.tv/sirithre

Tashnarr does a lot of smaller gaming-related projects. She streams mid afternoon for the US, but is located in the UK She also plays games on stream.
http://twitch.tv/tashnarr

Frondescence stitches earlier in the mornings usually, and is working on the large pokemon stitch that you see a lot on spritestitch.
http://twitch.tv/frondescence

MotoRuxin also does a lot of gaming-related stitches on stream, and holds giveaways for them.
http://twitch.tv/motoruxin

TwoCats is working on a large stitch of the Disney castle:
http://twitch.tv/twocatstv

EmzOLV has been working on the opening scene of Yoshi's Island, and is also based out of the UK. She streams in the evenings on tues/thur and Friday mornings.
http://twitch.tv/emzolv

I've seen a few others, but can't think of them off the top of my head
I'd love to see more! Let me know if you know of any/have started streaming!

Those are just the CrossStitchers though, you'll find all sorts of crafts and creative things live here:
http://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Creative
Knitting, sewing, sculpting, drawing, etc.

[SunkistShiek]

I think I would. Is it hard to talk to the new people? I mean, everyone can be critical, but have you encountered a lot of those kind of people? Or is it more welcoming?

[sirinth]

I've been streaming on Twitch for two years now. Only started streaming CrossStitch about a year ago. I'm not a super huge streamer or anything, but can definitely speak about my experiences.

Regardless of whether I'm crafting, playing a popular game, or an older obscure game, most people are super supportive and great to talk to.
There's the occasional trolls, but overall the Twitch community at large (or at least in the Variety sector) is super friendly/welcoming.
And the trolls don't even really show up until you start getting decent numbers and already have a community there to back you up and moderators to ban the trolls.

So unless you're doing something to specifically encourage the trolls (cleavage-cams, for example), it's really not bad.
If you delve into the super popular streams, especially certain game communities like League of Legends, you'll see a lot more unfriendly assholes and jealous trolls.
I'd say go explore. Get to know people as a viewer. Find some favorite old games from your past. Starting off with a mid-sized stream (30-100 viewers) will make it easier for you to interact with the streamer and be responded to while still having a comfortable level of activity in chat to bounce off of.

Or you might find you like smaller streams better.
Either way, every stream is different and fulfils different desires. Whether you're there to see a game played expertly, like a speedrunner or competitive player, just want to see someone experience your favorite game for the first time, or want a place where you can hang out and forget about your day... there truly is a stream for everyone. And most people I know who have delved into it end up replacing TV entirely with it. Watching large entertaining streams for a laugh, chilling with a relaxing craft stream at night when you're trying to wind down/sleep, etc.

It is admittedly hard starting out as a streamer, as noone really just wanders into a stream with 0 viewers unless they're looking for that game/craft in particular. Get to know a community, be a part of another's stream via chat, and you'll find that you'll start making friends in chat and of streamers willing to watch you play or craft almost anything.
If you're not a big gamer, the creative category is definitely growing. Painters, sculpters, digital artists, glass blowers, tattoo artists, anything you can think of!

...and I'm rambling. Sorry. But it has truly been an amazing experience so far.

[SunkistShiek]

How would I start? What kind of setup would I need to look into?

[sirinth]

The nitty-gritty techy stuff on how to set things up... well there's a lot of tutorials around on getting set up.
The official twitch blog has a setup tutorial for OBS (a free program): http://help.twitch.tv/customer/portal/a ... r-software
And the OBS site also has a 'calculator' to help you choose settings based on your specs: https://obsproject.com/estimator

If you're familiar with reddit, http://reddit.com/r/twitch has a lot of good tutorials for more advanced stuff. (Filter by guides on the right) They're game-based, but the concept is the same.
There's also some guides on my team's page, http://casualrunslive.com/ and I can guarantee everyone on that team is friendly, welcoming, and often willing to help if you approach them nicely.
And of course, I can answer questions as well. As I'm trying to bring more of the cross stitch/embroidery community over and want to do what I can to help encourage that. :3

Basic requirements is a semi-decent computer, an okay internet speed (the more upload the better), and a webcam. (or two cams, depending on what you want to do.)
I wouldn't recommend putting too much money into it at first anyway. You don't need fancy graphics, alerts, or whatever just starting out.

Get a feel for whether it's something you're comfortable with/willing to sink time into first.

[blackmageheart]

Hey, long time no see!!
This sounds like lots of fun! I'm definitely going to look into this when I have some extra time.

I'd love to see some of you on there, especially some of my long time favorites like blackmageheart :3

D'aww

[sirinth]

Hey <3
I've been lurking, just not posting much.
Definitely still stitching! Just found a 'new' little niche to cultivate.
Would be fun to set up some stitch-n-bitch sessions with something like this. Programs like Zoom or Skype would allow us to also have video calls, where we can work on our projects side by side and chat via voice as well, while those without cams/mics can chat with us via text via a streaming site like Twitch. Could work for stitch-alongs as well!

It has definitely helped keep me on task, has inspired new ideas based on suggestions, and has also resulted in commissions/extra income.
And I'd like to introduce that to the SpriteStitch community

[sirinth]

I've found three more CrossStitch/Embroidery streamers and set up a website to list everyone and their social media/etsy links :o

If you're interested in watching/talking to other CrossStitches, check them out
http://twitchstitch.com/

[SunkistShiek]

I've found three more CrossStitch/Embroidery streamers and set up a website to list everyone and their social media/etsy links :o

If you're interested in watching/talking to other CrossStitches, check them out
http://twitchstitch.com/

YAY! Thanks for doing that! That helps out on the searching a lot. I started streaming Sunday night if you wanted to add me to that. I'm just working on the stitch-a-long so far.

[sirinth]

Added! :o

I see you started streaming Sunday! Exciting!
Sorry I missed it. I passed out super early sunday 'cause I had to go into work early on Monday.

Next time!