Inspiration for those of us with an itch to stitch and to make stuff isn’t necessarily a gift of the Muses wafted like fairy dust into our yarn fuzzed minds. Often it’s much more prosaic than that. In my case, inspiration is more likely to be a combination of dumb luck, a trick of light or some visual cue so obvious even a hamster would notice it.

I have no idea what a frequency selective MASH IQ sigma delta modulator is, or what it does. I do know that it was designed in 2001 by Ron Bryant and Scott Saucier, who were at that time electrical engineering students at the University of Maine. I also know it has nothing to do with counted cross-stitch. Or didn’t until I got my hands on a photocopy of their microchip circuitry, which crawled out of a pile of papers on my editor’s desk not so long ago. Saucier is my editor’s son.

When I first saw the errant photocopy, without my glasses and from a distance, I thought the photo of the microchip was a counted cross-stitch embroidery design. On closer inspection, I realized it wasn’t about needlework, it was about engineering. How interesting, I thought, that my brain, with its lack of knowledge to understand the abstract concepts that went into the design of the microchip, instantly understood its graphic design aspects.

What I saw when I looked at the microchip design was a dense cluster of city buildings enclosed and set off by a wide border with asymmetrical elements in each corner.

Call it inspiration, call it a “wahoo” moment, call it – whatever. But what I’m calling it is Microchip City.

It’s one thing to envision something – as Bryant and Saucier did – and quite another to bring that vision into creation. That’s where the “stuff” part of “make stuff” comes into play. They used circuit boards and solder. I needed graph paper ruled in 1/4-inch squares, but here at the office graph paper, unlike notepads, is not a staple that a writer needs. I found graph paper at www.mathematicshelpcentral.com and printed out several pages. I also needed a pencil with a BIG eraser – plenty of those in my William Faulkner mug, which holds pencils, pens, scissors and letter openers.

I made Xs in the graph paper squares until what I saw in the microchip design was translated into a counted cross-stitch pattern.

I see Microchip City done on white- or cream-colored linen in black thread with silver metallic accents. I see gold metallic Algerian stitches forming the border. I also see black metallic threads stitched into the “buildings” section of the design.

For me, the design phase of any project is always the most exciting and interesting part of the process. I like the discovery, the visualization and making the marks on the graph paper. I like thinking about what fabric, what colors and what threads to use. I like how designing happens quickly and my seeing an immediate result – in my mind, anyway.

Stitching the piece, on the other hand, will take a much longer time and instead of “aha” moments that peak like the summits of the Alps, time will flatten out and become a smooth stream flowing toward an even more placid lake. I like that part, too, but not as much as the water slide ride of figuring out the design.

That said, my thanks to Bryant and Saucier for their artistry of electrical engineering.

Snippets

. Sharon Schulberger of the March of Dimes reported that more than 1,800 items of clothing have been donated to the Preemie Project. The response to the call for volunteers to stitch the clothing has been overwhelming, she said. To learn more about the March of Dimes, call 989-3376.

. As part of the Bangor Public Library Brown Bag Series, Verna Cox of Bucksport will present a program on rug hooking and braiding at noon Wednesday, Nov. 2, at the library. Cox has published “how-to” books and videos about rug making and has taught many of the area’s artisans. Call 947-8336 to obtain more information.

. The Sangerville Public Library is offering an eight-week quilting class 6:30-9 p.m. beginning Monday, Nov. 7, in the Community Room of the Sangerville Town Hall. The cost of the class is a $35 donation to the library. To register, call the library at 876-3491.

Ardeana Hamlin may be reached at 990-8153, or e-mail ahamlin@bangordailynews.net.