A Couple of Finishes

The good thing about bad weather and time off work is more time for sitting on my couch and stitching. Yesterday I even managed a couple of finishes: Dog Rose Scissor Keeper and Pouch by Sue Hawkins.
These two finishes take me to 6 projects completed on my 50 Projects Challenge, I am hopefull that I will be able to make it to the halfway point on my challenge before the end of 2007.

Happy Christmas

Later today I am off to my sisters for a few days so may not be around till later on next week so thought I would take this opportunity to wish everyone who takes the to read my blog a very Happy Christmas and to thank you all for taking the time to stop by.



I also have a small knitting finish to share, yet another scarf this time a green fuzzy one knitted in GGH Soft Kid. There is just something about winter that makes me want to get out my knitting needles.

November Report and December Goals

Novembers Goals
My goals for November were

1. Finish Round One of the Just Nan RR Yes completed and put into the post
2. Complete Round Two of the Just Nan RR Not quite finished
3. Keep up with stitching on UFO RR Yes
4. Finish one stitching and one beading project I finished one stitching project and one knitting project but not a beading project
5. Do some pre-stitching for CA Wells class Yes and I finished one of the pieces completely
6. Buy no stash YES

Decembers Goals
This month I am going to keep my goals simple and non specific since December is always
such a busy month.

1. Complete Round Two of the Just Nan RR (posting date 18th Dec)
2. Keep up with stitching on UFO RR
3. Complete a stitching project
4. Complete a knitting project
5. Complete a beading project
6. Buy no stash

A Knitting HD

I decided I needed a quick Happy Dance and since I needed a scarf to go with the new winter coat I treated myself to a few weeks ago I knitted this simple 2 by 2 ribbed scarf using a ball of random striped sock yarn.

A Tiny HD

Yesterday I spent a lovelly day with two stitching friends - chatting, stitching and visiting a new to me stitching shop. Not only did I have a wonderful time but I managed to finish a small project and to visit a stitching shop without buying anything although there were several things that I was tempted by. Thank you Liz and Karen for a wonderful day. The scissor fob is from CA Well's Cottage Etui which I attended the class for last weekend, fingers crossed one day I shall get around to completing the other two pieces which complete the collection.

Further Thoughts on my 50 Projects Challenge

I have been giving a lot of thought to the projects that I would like to finish as part of the 50 Projects Challenge (its more fun than working). Since I want the finished list to contain a mixture of small, medium and large projects rather than just small projects this means that according to my calculations I shall finish the challenge sometime around the end of 2008. The calculations that I have done have been based on the assumption that I do not make any gifts for people and do not participate in any more round robins or exchanges. Since I love giving gifts the thought of not making any for over two years is not a good one but I do not want to make this challenge unrealistically long. So I have decided that provided at least 75% of the supplies for a gift come from my huge pile of supplies waiting to be turned into project kits the finished gift item can count towards the 50 Projects Challenge total. For example: I am about to start a small knitted gift for a dear friend, the pattern that I will be using is from a magazine that I already have and the wool is currently sitting in a box underneath my bed the only thing that I need to buy is a few beads. So although this project is not listed on my fully kitted stash list it will count towards my challenge total. I think this new rule of mine only slightly bends the existing rules since I will still be reducing my stash and the original rules state that items brought as a gift or to be used to create a gift do not count as stash purchases.

So far I have been doing this challenge for three months and have only completed one project but hopefully that will all change this weekend. Recently I have been a bit of a butterfly flitting from one project to another spending just a couple of hours on each one before getting bored and moving onto something else. I have decided that for the rest of the month of November, other than when I am working on the two RRs that I am currently participating in, I shall try and finish a project before moving onto something else. I have 5 or 6 projects which probably only need about 4 hours work each to be completed so am hoping to have at least 3 happy dances before the end of November.

Weekend Report

This past weekend I travelled down to London to attend a stitching class arranged by Susan Albury of Hanging by a Thread and taught by CA Wells. The class was great fun although I was the only person not to finish anything but since I have the day off work today I hope to actually finish one of the smaller class pieces today.
The above, very bad, photo is of Snow Forrest by Just Nan which I completed last week as part of the Just Nan Round Robin that I am currently participating in.

Productive Weekend

After last weekend which was super relaxing this weekend was hard work but great fun. I looked after my niece and nephew for almost the whole weekend. I have looked after my niece over night before and both of them for a few hours but this was the first time that my sister has spent a night away from her son since he was born six months ago. I had great fun but am now exhausted. Both little ones behaved wonderfully - the only tears we had where when I needed to go home.

Since I was looking after a baby and a toddler I had pretty much decided that I would get no crafting done this weekend but got a surprising amount done. Right at the end of last week I managed to finish off a piece for the Just Nan Round Robin that I am participating in. I have also made a start on the stitching for the CA Wells class that I am taking next weekend and have managed to complete all the outline stitching & the stitching on the one of the pieces. I then gave in to the urge to start something new and have start knitting a new scarf, I decided that I needed a no brain project so have started a simple ribbed scarf. The only problem is that when I digged out the yarn for the scarf I found three balls of sock yarn that I had forgotten that I had. I think on my next free weekend I need to go through all the boxes of stash that I have and list it all out, not just the fully kitted up projects and I might even see if I can find suitable projects for some of the supplies (without buying anything new of course).

Sorry for the lack of photos but I have left my camera at my sisters, I shall upload photos just as soon as I get it back.

Jumping In

I've seen this on a number of blogs now and think it is a neat idea so have decided to join in. The only rider is that it may take me a few months to complete but I will get it done. I am positive that I can manage to find enough supplies in my enormous stash piles to complete the five gifts so will not be breaking my no purchases rules.

The first five people to respond to this post (via the comments section)
will get some form of "art" made by me. An original hand crafted item, made with
one of the many mediums I use - stitching, knitting, beading etc. I will work to fit this to you and your likes. After you comment, please email me your snail mail
address (alicebazen@yahoo.co.uk). Think of it as something to look
forward to getting in the mail.

Its the Weekend

This week has dragged on for ever but finally the weekend has arrived and boy do I need a few days off. The week ended with a minor scare when I could not get the central heating to work but finally figured out that the pilot light on the boiler had gone out and after about a dozen attempts I managed to get it re-lit.

This weekend is all about me. Mum and Dad have flown over to Ireland to hide away in a friends holiday home over there since they feel that some quiet time alone together will do them both the world of good. So this means that I can focus on me. In a moment I am off to a full day beading workshop and then the rest of today and all of tomorrow will be spent stitching and watching all the programmes that I have recorded recently and not gotten around to watching (about 32 hours worth). On Monday I have a day off and am going to a health spa with a very close friend.

October Progress Report and November Goals

I think I was rather over ambitious when it came to setting my October goals and therefore have not achieved very many of them but I did stick to the important one - buy no stash :-). I am going to try and be a little more realistic when it comes to setting Novembers goals.

Octobers Goals / Progress
1. Finish Kate's GTG Sampler - I have been stitching on this one but have not quite finished
2. Start and finish Bakewell Tarts Sampler - No, not even started
3. Start and finish Sunflower - No, not even started
4. Turn Dog Rose Scissor Case into a scissor case - No
5. Finish Around the World - YES
6. Finish a beading project - No
7. Start and finish Celtic Heart - No, not even started
8. Start and finish Celeste - No, not even started
9. Start Dunedin - No
10. Complete stitching on first round of Just Nan RR - Almost, it is about 75% complete
11. Keep up with stitching on UFO RR - Yes it was posted 2 days late
12. Buy no stash - Most definitely a YES

Novembers Goals
In November I want to:
1. Finish Round One of the Just Nan RR
2. Complete Round Two of the Just Nan RR
3. Keep up with stitching on UFO RR
4. Finish one stitching and one beading project
5. Do some pre-stitching for CA Wells class
6. Buy no stash

I am still here

I haven't been doing much stitching, knitting, beading or blogging recently since life has gotten in the way but hopefully there is some light at the end of the tunnel and this weekend will see things becoming more normal at least for a little while.

I don't want to turn this into a woe is me post but in summary over the last couple of weeks, I crashed my car and gave myself whiplash and my Daddy has had to resign his job (which he loved and was a major part of who he sees himself as) due to ill health. This means, among other things that he and Mummy have to move since the house they have been living in was provided by his employers. At the moment Daddy is very ill and the road to recovery will be a very long one but he will recover. Mummy, who can normally cope with anything that life throws at her, is not coping at all well. So for the moment all I can do is be supportive and provide whatever help is asked for although my parents are not the best at asking for help.

A Stitching Finish

Around the World by Barbara Thompson, started while on holiday in New Zealand in Feb-2006 and finished on 01-Oct-2006. This piece was fun to stitch and something completely different from what I would usually choose. It is the first finish on the 50 Projects Challenge and so far I have not been tempted to buy any new stash. I am not sure how long that will last. I am now going to try and finish off a few of my more advanced WIPs just to get a few more finishes onto the list.

50 Projects Challenge Update

Following long discussions with Karen and Liz yesterday (who were both kind enough to come over to my house for lunch and lots of chatting about stitching, thanks to both for a great day) I have decided to add two modifications to my personal rules for the 50 Project Challenge: the first of which is that I will allow myself to buy the Loose Feathers Limited Editions by Blackbirds Designs, but I am only allowed to buy the charts, the second is that when I have completed the first 25 projects I am allowed to kit up 5 projects but I have to take at least half of the supplies for each project from my existing supplies piles. This will mean that I am still reducing the amount of stash that I have but will give me an incentive to keep going till I get to 50 finishes.

September Progress and October Goals

Once again I can not believe how quickly a month has past. September was not a very good month progress wise. I did however list out some of my stash and decide on taking part in the 50 Project Challenge which I am feeling very excited about.

For September my goals were
1. Finish Kates GTG Sampler
2. Start and finish Bakewell Tarts Sampler
3. Start and finish Sunflower
4. Turn Dog Rose Scissor Case into a scissor case
5. Finish Around the World
6. Finish a beading project

I managed to reach none of my goals, although I did make a tiny little bit of progress towards a couple of them, since I got distracted by a couple of Round Robins. This means that my goals for October make rather a long list.

For October my goals are:
1. Finish Kates GTG Sampler
2. Start and finish Bakewell Tarts Sampler
3. Start and finish Sunflower
4. Turn Dog Rose Scissor Case into a scissor case
5. Finish Around the World
6. Finish a beading project
7. Start and finish Celtic Heart
8. Start and finish Celeste
9. Start Dunedin
10. Complete stitching on first round of Just Nan RR
11. Keep up with stitching on UFO RR
and of course
12. Buy no stash

Stash Reduction Plans

I have started yet another plan to reduce my stash and am going to take part in the 50 Projects Challenge organized by Cherylann. The challenge is to finish 50 projects (I am going to count all beading, knitting, crocheting and stitching finishes) before buying any more stash. I have decided on two exceptions to the no stash rule - I am allowed to buy any supplies neccessary for any classes / workshops that I take and I am allowed small quantities of supplies to finish off any projects that are completed as part of the challenge. I plan to start counting my finishes from today and that for stitching projects to count as finished both the stitching part & the finishing part has to be completed, except for stitched pieces that I plan to get professionaly framed which will count as completed once the stitching is all done.
In order to keep track of my progress on the 50 projects challange and also as a place to store my stash list I have created a second blog (Allie's Stash Mountain)where I have already posted my current list of fully kitted up projects, all 130 of them. I also have large quantities of chart / patterns for which I do not have all the supplies and also of unallocated supplies (yarn, beads, DMC, hand dyed threads, fabric etc.), I have estimated that I can probally kit up another 50 or so projects from the unallocated stash pile. I aim over the next couple of weeks to go through my stash and turn the unallocated stuff into kitted projects either using patterns / charts that I already own or using free patterns / charts so that I know exactly how much stash I have.

Time Flies

I can not believe how quickly the past week has flown past. I had a great time at the Take A Lovely Sampler class last Saturday, it was my fist ever stitching class but will not be my last. It was also nice to meet up again with a couple of stitching friends. I have set myself a challenge of trying to complete the pieces from the class before the end of the year.

Stitching wise I am currently taking part in a UFO Round Robin and am having great fun stitching on someone else's UFO while watching my own UFO grow. This weekend I am going to try and start the pre-stitching for a CA Wells class that I am going to be taking in November.

Sorry that there are no photos at the moment but my camera has decided to die on me.

Take A Lovely Sampler

Tomorrow I am off down to London to take part in my first ever stitching class. I am both excited and nervous, there is so much to learn and my skills are very limited on the stitching front but, as I keep telling myself, that is why I am taking a class.

The class is Take a Lovely Sampler by Lauren Sauer. I recieved the kit for the class earlier this week and it is gorgeous, I have made a small start by stitching the front of the Book of Needles. Unfortunately my photography skills are not good enough to capture the true colours, which are very vibrant in real life.

Saying Goodbye to a UFO

I have decided to take part in my first every RR, a UFO RR and today have posted my chosen UFO - Night by Maria van Scharrenburg. Hopefully by the time I see her again there will be a few more stitches added to my sorry start. I started this piece several years ago, stitched about two dozen stitches and then put it to one side for reasons now long forgotten. I am really looking forward to get some progress on one of my UFOs and also to stitching on other peoples pieces.

August Report & September Goals

For August my goals were:
1. Finish Quaker Garden - YES
2. Finish Around the World - No, I didn't even manage to put one stitch into this piece
3. Finish one beading project - No, I did start a couple but didn't finish anything
4. Start and Finish Dog Rose Scissor Case - Sort of, I finished the stitching but as yet have not got around to making it into a scissor case

For September my goals are:
1. Finish Kates GTG Sampler
2. Start and finish Bakewell Tarts Sampler
3. Start and finish Sunflower
4. Turn Dog Rose Scissor Case into a scissor case
5. Finish Around the World
6. Finish a beading project

Quaker Garden is Finished

I really enjoy stitching this piece, thank you Karen for organising the SAL.

Catching Up

I have been very remiss lately in keeping this blog updated and in thanking fellow stitchers for gifts recieved. The first gift was of a beautifully stitched bookmark together with a gorgeous scissor fob, complete with a tiny silver frog to keep away frogs of the stitching type received from Josie as part of an exchange I took part in on the TWBB Rotation board.

The second gift, also part of an exhange, was recieved from Melaine. The gift contained some very yummy fudge, some beautufully hand-dyed threads and a lovely scissor fob which had been expertly stitched (Sorry for the poor photo).

I unfortunatley forgot to take photos of the two parcels I sent as part of these exchanges so can not share photos of my stitching. I have been working away at Quaker Garden and hope to finish it tonight so fingers crossed tomorrow there will be a HD to share.

Sue Hawkins HD

Dog Rose Scissor Case by Sue Hawkins. Stitching completed 10-August-06 just the finishing remains to be done.

Weekend Report

Friday my sister, niece and nephew came over for the afternoon and evening, which was great fun if a little tiring. On Thursday my nephew was given the almost all clear by his cardiologist, he has a small pin-hole in his heart which may or may not heal given time. The hole will not affect his development in anyway and the only thing he should not do is deep sea diving. Since he is only three months old the cardilogist signed him off and said to come back at 18 years old if he wanted to go diving.

Saturday I went to the Derbyshire Dales to attend a celebration with my almost family - my oldest friend's (who I have known since playgroup) mother was celebrating her 60th birthday. It was a beautiful setting and a wonderful oportunity to catch-up with all her family, who I will see next weekend at my friends wedding but it is always good to spend time with family even if they are not blood relatives.

Sunday I spent stitching in front of the TV. I managed to make noticable progress on QG even though I have had to do a lot of frogging on this piece. I also started Dog Rose Scissor Case by Sue Hawkins.

And in answer to a couple of comments (thanks to everyone for the comments, I love and appreaciate them all even if I don't respond to each one)

Liz: A GTG would be a lovely idea, you can email me at allliebazen@aol.com and we can make arrangements

Susan: I love planning and would even go so far as to say I am great at it, sticking to my plans is another matter entirely although not sticking to them gives me a wonderful opportunity for more planning.

July Report and August Goals

My goals for July were:
1. spend no money on stash – not even close to achieving this one, I went on several highly enjoyable shopping sprees
2. stitch and finish a scissor fob for an exchange I am participating on – yes done, just.
3. complete at least 2 projects from my stitching stash pile – only finished one.

For August my goals are:
1. Finish Quaker Garden
2. Finish Around the World
3. Finish one beading project
4. Start and Finish Dog Rose Scissor Case

While contemplating my goals for August I have also been thinking about my long (ish) term plan for finishing 15 projects (as listed in the side bar) by the end of the year and this has led to me planning my monthly stitching goals for the remainder of 2006. These are subject to change but I thought it would help me to keep focused by listing them out since it highlights just how much stitching I need to do in order to complete the 15 projects by year end.

September Goals:
1. Finish Kates GTG Sampler
2. Start and finish Bakewell Tarts Sampler
3. Start and finish Sunflower
October Goals:
1. Start and finish Celtic Heart
2. Start and finish Celeste
3. Start Dunedin
November Goals:
1. Finish Dunedin
2. Start and finish Grace
3. Start and finish Georgie
December Goals:
1. Start and finish Yellow Eyed Penguin
2. Start and finish Serena
3. Start and finish Kayln

I think it is still just about feasible to complete all of the remaining 14 projects from the original list of 15 but only if I stay focused and spend the maximum amount of time possible stitching each and every month.

Quaker Progress

I have been stitching and have made a little progress on Quaker Garden, although I have just noticed that I need to do some frogging since I appear to have mis-counted a little.


And to answer a few questions:
Tina, the fabric I am using is an unknown piece that I had lying around in my stash pile, I think it is 32 count but other than that I know nothing about it.
Gina, the beading workshop I am attending is being held in Barton-Under-Needwood which is not too far away from me.
Belinda, you may be waiting a little while for a HD since I move so slowly, especaily in the heat that we have been having over here, but I shall try and have something to beading to show by the end of the weekend.

Yet More Stash

I have to report that I have been on yet another shopping spree, this time for more beading stuff. I have signed up for a weekend of beading workshops so needed to buy the required supplies but 6 kits (1 necklace, 1 pair of earings and 4 braclets) also made it into my shopping cart.

Exchange Stitching

I have spent the last few days stitching on a scissor fob that is to be an exchange gift and after a few false starts (I kept changing my mind about the design to use) I have now complete the front and half of the back pieces. The fob has to be posted by the end of the month so I shall put it to one side for a few days in order to get some more stitching done on Quaker Garden which is calling out to me at the moment.

Quaker Garden Progress

I am really enjoying stitching on this piece and watching everyone else's progress. Although I have come to the conclusion that I am a very slow stitcher I must put QG aside for a couple of days since I need to stitch on a piece for an exchange.

Quaker Garden Started

I managed to make a start on the Quaker Garden by Blackbird Designs at the weekend. I didn't get much stitching done but at elast I have made a start and can now say that I am taking part in the SAL that Karen has organised.

A Small HD

While waiting for the supplies for Quaker Garden to arrive I decided tp stitch something small and managed to start & finish this bright lime green scissor fob. The thread was a recent gift from a friend in the States who acted as a floss fairy sending me a parcel of DMC that I needed to finish off a couple of things from my stash. The design is a free pattern by Passione Ricamo.

Good Day / Bad Day

For post that is, I got home from work to find one of the three stash parcels I have ordered recently waiting for me but not the one that I needed to be able to start on the Quaker Garden piece that Karen is organising a SAL for starting today so I shall be late getting going, I just hope that the supplies arrive before every else finishes their pieces.

Second Quarter 2006 Report

I can not believe that 2006 is halfway through already, it seems like hardly a week has passed since the start of the year. My goal for the year to finish with 5 less projects in each category than I started the year with, given recent shopping sprees I have so far only succeded in increasing my piles of stash quite considerably. Lets hope that I can do better during the second half of the year.

Summary for first half of 2006:
Cross-Stitching:
Stash Pile as of 04 Jan 06: 59 projects
Completed in 2006: 6 projects
Added in 2006: 18 projects
Stash Pile at 02 June 06: 71 projects
Knitting and Crochet:
Stash Pile as of 04 Jan 06: 14 projects
Completed in 2006: 3 projects
Added in 2006: 12 projects
Stash Pile at 02 June 06: 23 projects
Beading:
Stash Pile as of 04 Jan 06: 12 projects
Completed in 2006: 2 projects
Added in 2006: 1 projects
Stash Pile at 02 June 06: 11 projects

FULL STASH LISTS
Red text indicates stash added Since 4th January 2006

Cross-stitching and other counted stitching projects

1. Beth Russell - Orange Border (80% complete)
2. DMC - Sweet Pea Fairy (5% complete)
3. L&L - Angel of Spring (80% complete)
4. TW - Above the Clouds (30% complete)
5. TW - Noah's Ark (15% complete)
6. TW - Peacock Tapestry (5% complete)
7. Barbara Thompson Designs - Skyscape
8. Barbara Thompson Designs - Around the World in Cross Stitch (80% complete)
9. Bent Creek - Swirly Sampler
10. Butternut Road - Earthdancer
11. Coleshill Collection - Sunflower
12. Derwentwater Designs - Rose Bouquet
13. Derwentwater Designs - Macintosh coaster 1b
14. Dimensions - Power of the Serengeti
15. Dimensions - Toy Shelf Birth Record
16. Dimples Designs - Wee Beasties Part 5
17. Dimples Designs - Wee Beasties Part 6
18. Dinky-Dyes Designs - Celtic Heart
19. Dinky-Dyes Designs - Celtic Knot Diamond
20. DMC - Laburnum Fairy
21. Just Nan - Amethyst Snowflake
22. Just Nan - Celeste
23. Just Nan - Christmas Jewel
24. Just Nan - Ice Blossom
25. Just Nan - Grace
26. Just Nan - Serena
27. L&L - Angel of Autumn
28. L&L - Angel of Christmas
29. L&L - Angelica
30. L&L - Heavenly Gifts
31. L*K - Bless the Baby
32. Lanarte - Orchid
33. Maria Von Scharrenburg - Night
34. M-Designs - A
35. M-Designs - A + D + Heart (15% complete)
36. M-Designs - E + J + Heart
37. Mirabilia - Royal Holiday
38. Mirabila - The Fairy Moon
39. Moira Blackburn - Growing Like A Tree
40. Sheperds Bush - Cherry Heart
41. The Silver Lining - Royal Affair
42. The Silver Lining - Joy
43. The Silver Lining - Hope
44. The Silver Lining - Honor
45. The Silver Lining - Grace
46. Thea Groverneur - Jays
47. Thea Groverneur - Pheony Rose
48. Thea Groverneur - Rhapsody in Blue
49. Thea Groverneur - Rose
50. TW - Celtic Cross
51. TW - Futurecast
52. TW - Knotwork Bookmark
53. TW - Paisley Corner
54. TW - Stretch
55. TW - Tempest
56. The Victoria Sampler - Beyond Cross Stitch Level Six No ?
57. The Drawn Thread - Toccata Number One
58. Sheperd's Bush - Mother's Heart
59. The Little Kit Company - Dunedin
60. Mary Self Designs - Rose Cushion
61. Mary Self Designs - Bright Flowers Cushion
62. The Strand - Yellow Eyed Penguin
63. Blackbirds Designs - Quaker Garden Sampler
64. Kate's GTG Sampler
65. Bakewell Tart Sampler
66. French Alphabet Sampler
67. Bizzie Creations - Georgie
68. Bizzie Creations - Kalyn
69. Sue Hawkins - Dog Rose Scissor Keeper
70. Sue Hawkins - Dog Rose Scissor Case
71. Bizzie Creations - Vicky
    

Completed Since 1st January 2006:

1. Derwentwater Designs - Macintosh coaster 1a
2. The Little Kit Company - Kakora Bookmark
3. The Little Kit Company - Sheep Bookmark
4. The Little Kit Company - Aoteoroa Sheep
5. Derwentwater Designs - Rose Window
6. Sue Hawkins Kit (A secret which one at the moment since it is to be a gift)

Knitting and Crochet Projects

1. Black Dune Scarf
2. Haze shawl
3. Collinette Jumper
4. Black & White Jumper
5. Black sleeveless jumper
6. Socks 1
7. Socks 2
8. Ripple Scarf
9. Lacy Lattice Stole
10. 63 square afghan
11. Rega Scarf
12. Rega Shawl
13. New Zealand Scarf 2
14. Cotton Socks
15. Todder's Cardigan
16. Fuzzy Scarf 1
17. Adult Jumper 1
18. Adult Jumper 2
19. Fuzzy Scarf 2
20. Adult Cardigan
21. Yet another scarf
22. Curly-swirly scarf
23. Another scarf
    

Completed Since 1st January 2006:

1. Toddler Ponch
2. Scarf of Hope 2
3. New Zealand Scarf 1
   

Beading Projects

1. Beaded Box (10% complete)
2. Romanov Bauble
3. Fandango Braclet
4. Aurora Stars (x3)
5. Toulouse Chocker Necklace
6. Georgian Bauble
7. Turkish Rope Tassel
8. Persian Tassel
9. Art Deco Bauble
10. Starry Night Bauble
11. Mayur Necklace

Completed Since 1st January 2006:

1. Fuchsia Scissor Tassel
2. Zig-Zag braclet

June Report and July Goals

Where does the time fly away to? I can not believe that it is July already and the year is half way done. I will post my half year report later, I need to spend sometime updating my stash lists with all my recent purchases. For now here is my monthly report and goals.

My goals for June were:

1. concentrate on stitching & to make real progress on some of my pieces - I didn't do anything but stitch last month and have made some progress
2. spend NO money on stash - totally failed on this one, think I managed to spend aroun £150 on stash!!!

Goals for July are:

1. spend no money on stash
2. stitch and finish a scissor fob for an exchange I am participating on
3. complete at least 2 projects from my stitching stash pile

2006 Stitching Goal Revisited

My stitching goal for 2006 was to reduce my stash of full kitted up projects to no more than 50. Well thanks to several shopping sprees I have increased my stash from 59 fully kitted up projects to the current total of 71. It was 72 but I finished one that is for an exchange so can not be shared at the moment. Recent purchases include 3 Sue Hawkins kits, 3 Bizzie Creation kits and the chart & all the supplies for Quaker Garden Sampler by Blackbird Designs which I needed for a SAL which is being organised by Karen ( http://karenscogitations.blogspot.com ).

Given that it is nearly halfway through the year it is now highly unlikely that I will finish the year with less the 50 projects waiting to be done but in an attempt to drastically reduce the stash pile I have come up with yet another plan of action. The latest plan is to select 15 of my smaller projects and work on these one at a time until they are all finished, in between working on the smaller pieces I will continue to progress the wedding present for my friend - I am aiming to get this done for her first christmas as a married lady as if I gave it to her completed on her wedding day she would faint with the shock.

The 15 projects selected for me to try and complete by the end of the year are:

1. Around the World by Barbara Thompson Designs
2. Celeste by Just Nan
3. Grace by Just Nan
4. Serena by Just Nan
5. Quaker Garden Sampler by Blackbird Designs
6. Celtic Heart by Dinky-Dyes Designs
7. Sunflower by Coleshill Collection
8. Dog Rose Scissor Keeper by Sue Hawkins
9. Dog Rose Scissor Case by Sue Hawkins
10. Yellow Eyed Penguin by The Strand
11. Dunedin by The Little Kit Company
12. Kate's GTG Sampler
13. Bakewell Tart GTG Sampler
14. Georgie by Bizzie Creations
15. Kalyn by Bizzie Creations

Of course this list is subject to change with out notice. I had better get stitching since I need to finish 2.5 per month since there are only 6 months of 2006 left.

Great Week Ending

After a rather stressful and sad week this weekend was much needed. On Friday night I left work early to head up to Manchester to meet up with Belinda and her family who are over in England (from Florida) for a holiday. It was wonderful to meet Belinda in person having met her over the internet and through our shared love of cross stitch sometime ago. Saturday was spent eating, chatting and doing a little stitching at a GTG of UK stitchers held in honour of Belinda's presence in the UK. A GTG was just what I needed although I am a little tired now with all the miles of driving but I think I shall sleep well tonight.

I have been indulging in a little (well a lot actually) of retail therapy and have purchased several charts which I will post about when they arrive, so much for not adding to my stash. I have managed to restrict myself to smallish charts and to only kitting up one project. The other receently purchased charts will just be added to the piles of charts waiting to be kitted up one day and maybe even stitched, but before then I really must reduce the list of already kitted projects.

Sad News

My Auntie J passed away late on Sunday. She finally lost the battle with cancer and according to my Uncle passed away peacefully in her sleep. She is not a blood relative but a relative of the heart, she was married to my father's best friend and has always been a part of my life along with her husband and five daughters who I count among my closest friends. I will miss her greatly. The funeral is on Wednesday in St Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle.

Poor neglected blog

Gosh time is just flying by at the moment and I suddenly realised how much I had been neglecting my little blog. So this post will be an attempt to catch up on what has been going on in my little corner world.

House wise I am almost totaly unpacked and the place now feels very much like home, I really enjoy coming home and get a nice feeling everytime I walk through the door. I have been doing a lot of shopping for furniture and washing machine & freezer arrive on Tuesday so I guess I will be spending the rest of the week doing the washing since I have been unable to do any since moving in at the begining of the month (good job I have loads of clothes).

Having never owned a garden before I am finding that I am really enjoying pottering around in my garden. It is currently a little overgrown but it still looks nice. The plan for this year is to just watch it grow and try & find out what plants I have. Next year will be the big garden make-over. I have planted several pots to go on my patio. The photo above is of some lilies which I am managing, so far, not to kill and which seem to enjoy being in a pot on my patio.

I have been finding a little time to do some stitching and am currently working on Around the World by Barbara Thompson. I am about halfway through and hope to finish before the end of the month. Having enjoyed participating in a secrete stitcher exchange I have signed up for a Seasonal Stitcher exchange and also for two stitched exchanges and one round robin. On the shopping front I have been shopping and have found a new to me LNS which is only 30 minutes drive away. However I went in browsed and only came out with gifts for other people plus two skiens of DMC & 25cm of white evenweave for me.

Finally since blogger is being very co-operative today and is letting me upload photos, a photogaph of the beaded braclet that I finished last month.

May Report & June Goals

Having moved house in May I did not get much done craft wise but on the plus side I also did not spend any money on stash. Mays goals were:

• Beading: Complete 2 projects. Not done, I only finished one - zig zag braclet (photo to follow once I have found my camera).
• Knitting: Complete another scarf. No not done.
• Stitching (1): Stick to my rotation. Sort of but only after a change of the rules.
• Stitching (2): Progress 'A' to 75% complete. No only got to 50% complete.

For June my goals are:

• concentrate on stitching & to make real progress on some of my pieces
• spend NO money on stash

I have also decided to revamp my rotation yet again. The new plan is to stick to stitching the same five projects that are in my old rotation but to stitch on which ever one I fancy for as long as I like. I will continue this way until either I (a) change the rules again or I (b) finish at least three projects.

New House

Well not so new since it was built in the 1930's but new to me. Moving day, Thursday, was a little stressful since I did not get the keys till 4 in the afternoon - I should have had them at mid-day but that is all behind me know. Most of my things are unpacked but nothing is in the right places, I guess I need to live here for a while before things will be properly sorted. I would post some photos but I can not find my camera. Fingers crossed it will turn up soon. It feels strange after living in a flat for 6 years to have an upstairs and a downstairs, I keep having to run up and down the stairs but at least it should keep me fit. There are three bedrooms and a nice sized garden - although never having had a garden before I am not too sure what to do with it.

Crafting wise I have not got much done but will post a May report and June goals latter this week when I have had a chance to think about them.

Less Worrying News

My little nephew had a scan of his heart yesterday and the technician said that his heart is fractionaly enlarged but that everything was working as is should. She also commented that my nephew was a very healthy baby and that he was showing no signs of having a heart defect. My sister & BIL still have to go and see the specialist for the full results but the initial signs are good and it is most likely that my little nephew will never be adversly affected by his enlarged heart. Fingers crossed that the specialist will be as positive about the future for my little nephew.

Other news is that I exchanged contracts this week on the sale of my flat and the purchase of my new home. I am now frantically packing my possesions into boxes in preparation for the house move which is due to take place this coming Thurday. It is a good job that Monday is a bank holiday otherwise I don't think I would have time to get everything done.

Worrying News

I have just got off the phone to my sister; she took my little nephew to the clinic today for a routine check up and an x-ray of his hip (it had been clicking but is now o-kay) while he was there they also took an x-ray of his lungs because he has an almost continual cold since he was born. The x-ray indicated that he may have an enlarged heart. The diagnosis is not definite at this stage since the x-ray was positioned to view his lungs so he has to go back early next week for more tests. We are also not sure what impact having an enlarged heart, if his is, will have. To date other than a snuffly nose and a little nappy related soreness he has not any health issues and has been growing at a normal rate. In fact he is what he is very healthy for a one month old. Fingers crossed that it is all something and nothing.

Angel of Spring Progess

As requested by Liz here is a progress picture of Angel of Spring. As you can see I have very little left to stitch, just some of the white in the skirt, 2 of the birds a few of the flowers in the bottom of the skirt, most of the gold and most of the beading. I can not now think why I put it away with so little left to do. I am hoping to get it completed before the end of the month.
Karen I use Tails Press in Lichfield for my framing, they are very good and also very nice people who understand what goes into creating hand stitched pieces. Oh and the shop helper Zoe is just adorable - she is a long haired Dachshund who just loves to have her tummy rubbed.



Sorry it has taken so long to reply but I have a little frantic, work is busy but home life is even more hectic. I have just signed the contract on the sale of my flat and the purchase of a house and fingers crossed I will be moving next week. Which means that I need to pack up all my stuff and clean out the flat. I have so much stuff this may well take more time than I actually have so I may not be arround very much over the next week or so.

Progress Report

So far so good and I am managing to stick to my rotation but am about to amend it slightly. I am just approaching the 50% stage on the letter A which will form one-third of my focus piece, so I should be switching to stitching on Royal Holiday (a new start) but I have decided to pull out one of my oldest UFOs - L&L Angel of Spring. I started this piece as a teenager so she has been a WIP/UFO for over half of my life and I have decided that it was well past time to finish her. I am a little worried though since she was the first large project I ever started and I don't think I have left enough spare fabric to allow for successful framing. However I am too close to finishing to start over so have decided to finish her anyway and then see what my framer can do with her.

A New Handbag

I finished this handbag last night. The material was something I bought years ago just because I liked it and a couple of weeks ago I decided to turn it into a handbag this being the result. I will use it to carry around my current knitting projects when I want to knit on the move.

Heather, unfortunately I had to miss the pub meal because I already had plans that were is was not possible to rearrange for that evening. By the way I missed you being at the GTG. Hopefully we will both be able to make it next time around. I was attempting to knit a lacey scarf but had to rip it all out and am still to cast on for a second attempt.

A Lovely Weekend

Yesterday I spent the day knitting and chatting with fellow stitches at a get together that was held close to my home town. I can normally knit & chat better than I can stitch & chat but ended up ripping out everythign I did. It was great to meet up with friends old & new and to see everyones stitching.

Today I have made a start on getting ready to move house, fingers crossed early in June I will be moving into my new house and I need to have a major clear out before then. I am planning on spending the rest of the day watching TV and stitching. I am still working on my M-Designs A but hope to get to the quarter done stage this afternoon and also get some stitching time in on the next project in my rotation.

A HD and A Purple Blob

Yesterday was a Bank Holiday which meant extra stitching time as well as time to visit with my niece & nephew. Because I was so close to finishing Rose Window I decided to stitch on that before starting my new rotation. After completing Rose Window I made a start on the M-Designs letter A which I am stitching on 32 count white linen using Vikki Clayton silks in Dark Burgundy. Although I have several VC silks this is the first time I have done any stitching with them and am finding the silk a delight to stitch with. Now I just have to decide what to add to my rotation in place of Rose Window. I am thinking of adding one of the smaller pieces from my stash pile in the hope that I can get some more finishes in an attempt to put a stop to the seemingly never ending expansion of my stash pile. I realised the other day that my combined stash piles are currently at 100 projects. Given the rate at which I finish things I estimate that I need to live to be 130 in order to get everything completed. I have also recently realised that my tastes in stitching have undergone a major change. Most of the projects in my stash pile while being things that I still think are nice and worth stitching are not projects that I would now purchase or consider must stitch items. I have set myself the challenge of not purchasing any new stash (of any kind) for the next three months. As a reward I will allow myself a limited shopping spree of no more than 3 small / medium sized projects. Which projects I am not yet sure as there are far far more than 3 designs out there that I want but it is sure to be fun trying to decide what to treat myself to.

The last picture is one of my niece and her new baby brother who for reasons only known to himself loves the one sock look.

May's Goals

• Beading: Complete 2 projects
• Knitting: Complete another scarf
• Stitching (1): Stick to my rotation
• Stitching (2): Progress 'A' to 75% complete

Current Stitching Rotation
I need to keep reminding myself of my rotation in an attempt that I might actually stick to it.
Focus Piece: M-Designs A, D & Celtic Heart (currently at 0%)
Slot 1: Rose Window by Derwentwater Designs (currently at 90%)
Slot 2: Royal Holiday by Mira (currently at 0%)
Slot 3: Ice Blossom by Just Nan (currently at 0%)
Slot 4: Around the World by Barbara Thompson (currently at 25%)

Focus piece to be stitched in 12ths (or 1/4s of each letter & the heart) with 10 hours on one of the other projects in between.

Since I have a bonus day off work today (I just love Mondays when I don't need to go into the office) I am thinking of cheating a little by spending the extra stitching time completing Rose Window as this should only take a couple of hours.

April's Report

I can not believe that the end of April is here already and the year is 1/3rd gone. I have had a reasonably productive month and managed to complete 3 of my 4 goals for April:

• Beading: Finish at least one project Not quite, zig zag braclet is about 85% complete.
• Knitting: Start something and progress the new project to 50% complete Definately yes I started and finished my New Zealand scarf.
• Cross-stitching: Finish at least 2 projects. Another definate yes, I managed to finish 3.
• Cross-stitching: Start A&D's wedding gift and progress it to at least 25% complete Definately no to this one, I have not even started it.

I have also done a fair bit of shopping having added 10 knitting projects to my knitting stash pile - a pair of socks in Opal cotton, a cardigan for my niece, a cardigan & 2 jumpers for me plus 5 scarves and 3 needlepoint kits to my stitching stash. I have also made the decision to try having a rotation for my stitching which led to me having a sort out of my stash crates and discovering 3 projects that had somehow got left of the list.

Thanks to all how have left comments recently, I greatly enjoy getting comments and appreaciate them all.

Sarah, I am spending the day with Thomas & Mae tomorrow so there should be plenty of new photos and I had totally forgotten that I managed to get your letter completed on time. Maybe there is hope for me yet.

STASH SUMMARY
Cross-Stitching & other Counted Stitching:
Stash Pile as of 28 March 06: 63 projects
Completed in April: 3 projects (Kokakora Bookmark, Sheep Bookmark & Aotearoa Sheep)
Added in April: 6 projects (Rose Cushion, Bright Flowers Cushion, Yellow Eyed Penguins, Kate's GTG Sampler, Bakewell Tart Sampler & French Alphabet Sampler)
Stash Pile at 30 April 06: 66 projects
Knitting and Crochet:
Stash Pile as of 28 March 06: 14 projects
Completed in April: 1 project (New Zealand Scarf)
Added in April: 8 projects (Opal cotton socks, 5 scarves, toddler's cardi, adult cardi and two adult jumpers)
Stash Pile at 28 March 06: 23 projects
Beading:
Stash Pile as of 28 March 06: 12 projects
Completed in April: 0 projects
Added in April: 0 projects
Stash Pile at 20 April 06: 12 projects

The Trouble With Rotations

I have discovered over the last few days that, for me at least, the trouble with having a stitching rotation is that I spend all my time planning what I will stitch and when I will stitch it that I have no time to actually do any stitching. This then means I need to plan a new stitching timetable. Oh well I have a three day weekend coming up so hopefully I will get some stitching time then

Thanks for the comment on my scarf Natty, I just love comments and am always surprised to realise that other people actually read my blog.

New Zealand Scarf HD

Yesterday I finished the first of the two scarf kits that I purchased on my holiday in New Zealand. The photo doesn't show the colours very well but it is a gorgeous mix of reds and greens with a little orange and purple. I am really pleased with how it has turned out and can't wait for the start of winter so I can start wearing it. I also started a beaded braclet and hope to get it finished in the next couple of days.

Stitching wise I have not made any progress but have decided on my new rotation. I will have as my focus piece M-Designs letters A&D plus M-Designs Celtic Heart all to be stitched on one piece of fabric. In between stitching on my focus piece I will stitch on Rose Window by Derwentwater Designs (a WIP currently approx 60% completed(, Mirabilia Royal Holiday (a new start), Just Nan's Ice Blossoms (another new start) and Around the World by Barbara Thompson (another WIP, currently approx 25% completed). I think the projects that I have choosen give a nice range of styles and colours. Also by including three new starts and two WIPs (which fingers crossed should get finished) I am hoping to be able to keep myself motivated. If I finish any of the in-between pieces before the focus piece I will either just work on the remaining projects in rotation or add in a new project. When I have finished the focus piece I will start a brand new rotation.

Obligation Stitching

I just love giving friends & family handmade gifts especially for those big occasions but I hate working to deadlines, even self imposed ones. Over the years my friends & family have come to accept that special gifts from me arrive years after the event which the gift was originally intended for example my sisters wedding gift is yet to be finished and she & BIL will celebrate 6 years of marrage in September and my niece will turn 3 in September and her birth sampler is still a WIP. However, my oldest friend (I met her when I was 6 months old) is getting married in the summer and I am determined that she will get a specially stitched gift in the year that her wedding takes place. Originally I had promised myself that it would be done by her wedding day but I have been putting off starting it since the start of the year. I have finally come to the conclusion that the reason that I am putting off starting it is because I absolutley hate stitching on a piece which has to be done by a particular date and the feelings of guilt which come when I end up either stitching on something else or miss the deadline. So in an effort to make this piece a more enjoyable project to stitch and in an attempt to finish the piece sometime before Christmas (which is when I would like to be able to give the piece to my friend) I have decided to set up a rotation. I have broken the wedding gift down into 12 parts and once I have finished each part I shall stitch on a different project for 10 hours (about a weeks worth of stitching) before going back to the wedding gift (WG). Hopefully this will see the gift finished before the end of 2006 as I have estimated that each 12th of the WG will take about 20 hours to stitch and I think there are 36 weeks left till the end of the year. In order to also make progress towards finishing other projects I have decided that I will pick 4 projects for the in-between times. That way I should get to stitch each of the in-between projects 3 times before finishing the WG. Now I just have to decide which 4 projects to choose.

A Great Long Weekend

As well as getting to spend plenty of quality time with my family and getting loads of cuddles with my new nephew I got a fair amount of stitching time in. I managed to finish two of the kits I purchased while in New Zealand, both kits are by The Little Kit Company and were fun to stitch.

I also managed to get some knitting done and have progressed the scarf I am working on to the halfway stage. Now I just need to decide what to stitch on next.

Great Post Day

Today was a great post day but a very bad day for my stash reduction plans. Actually talking about stash reduction plans I think I have come to a decision, the original plan for 2006 was to try and reduce my beading, knitting AND stitching stash piles. But I have discovered that I am really really really bad about not buying any new stash so I have decided to change my goals and concentrate on reducing my stitching and beading stash piles. I will let myself buy more stitching stash but with a maximum limit of 30 projects to be in the knitting stash pile so that I don't go too mad. With the stash that arrived today I currently have 20 projects all ready to knit.

The postman delievered the remainder of my New Zealand stitching stash, two gorgeous needlepoint cushion kits (pictured above) plus a small kit of a yellow eyed penguin (not pictured because it is going to be stitched as a gift) and some hand-dyed silks. The cushion kits are by Mary Self Designs. The postman also delievered a small pile of knitting yarns.

This will end up being a pair of socks, a jumper and four scarves at some point in the future. Anyone know how to knit and stitch at the same time?

Two Things

First up is a picture of the bookmark by the Little Kit Company that I finished a few days ago.

Secondly I have been thinking about joining in with the 101 things in 1001 days idea that I have seen on other peoples blogs. It appeals for me for a number of reasons;

• there is so much that I want to do but there seems to be so little time so this would help provide a focus,
• I came back from holiday with the plan of not spending majority of my time & energy either working or worrying about work and to spend more of my time & energy on myself and my friends & family but this has fallen by the wayside as I have fallen back into the routine of working 10 hour days. Having a non-work based to do list should help me in my goal to achieve a better work : leisure balance in my life
• I LOVE lists and making plans

So having decided to give it a go all I need to do is decide on my list and on a start date. I spent my lunch break making a start on my list and managed to get to 56 things so it shouldn't take long to come up with 101 things to do in 1001 days.

An Auntie Again

Yesterday I gained a beautiful little nephew called Thomas William. His parents are totally overjoyed and his big sister Mae is very pleased with her new brother. He was a very healthy 7.5lbs and is already feeding well. My sister is as well as can be expected after her second c-section and is hoping to be out of hospital on Thursday.

A picture of the me and Thomas can be viewd at: Thomas and His Auntie

First Souvenir HD

Over the weekend I made great progress towards achieving my April goals by finishing the first of the cross stitching kits that I purchased while on my recent holiday in New Zealand. Once I find my camera I will post a photograph of the finished Kakora Bookmark, it only took a few hours and I also found time to start a second of the New Zealand kits and turn the skeins of wool from a scarf kit that I also purchased in New Zealand into balls. I have decided that this scarf will be my April knitting new start and I hope to make a start on it tonight. I probably won't be able to sleep tonight as I am very excited about becoming an auntie for the second time tomorrow so should get loads of knitting done.

April Goals

Because of my holiday I did not set myself any goals in March. But in order to stay on track I need to start setting goals again this month.

So for April my goals are:

• Beading: Finish at least one project
• Knitting: Start something and progress the new project to 50% complete
• Cross-stitching: Finish at least 2 projects.
• Cross-stitching: Start A&D's wedding gift and progress it to at least 25% complete

So I guess I shall be a little busy this month, but I need to be after last month purchases otherwise I run the risk of ending the year with more stash that I started the year with.

First Quarter 2006 Report

Since we are nearly one quarter of the way through 2006 (how on earth did that happen?) I thought it would be a good time to revisit my stash lists and review my progress towards this years stash reduction goals.

Summary for first quarter of 2006:
Cross-Stitching:
Stash Pile as of 04 Jan 06: 59 projects
Completed in 2006: 1 project
Added in 2006: 5 projects
Stash Pile at 28 March 06: 63 projects
Knitting and Crochet:
Stash Pile as of 04 Jan 06: 14 projects
Completed in 2006: 2 project
Added in 2006: 2 projects
Stash Pile at 28 March 06: 14 projects
Beading:
Stash Pile as of 04 Jan 06: 12 projects
Completed in 2006: 1 project
Added in 2006: 1 projects
Stash Pile at 28 March 06: 12 projects

It should be noted that I have only added projects to the stash list that I actually have at home. There are a number of cross stitching & knitting projects that I have already purchased but are being shipped to me that I have not added to the lists. So all in all I am proving to be very very bad at stripping. I must try and remind myself that my goal for the year to finish with 5 less projects in each category, at best I have maintained the number of projects on each list and the less said about the progress made on reducing the cross-stitch list the better.

FULL STASH LISTS
Red text indicates stash added Since 4th January 2006

Cross-stitching and other counted stitching projects

1. Beth Russell - Orange Border (80% complete)
2. DMC - Sweet Pea Fairy (5% complete)
3. L&L - Angel of Spring (80% complete)
4. TW - Above the Clouds (30% complete)
5. TW - Noah's Ark (15% complete)
6. TW - Peacock Tapestry (5% complete)
7. Barbara Thompson Designs - Skyscape
8. Barbara Thompson Desings - Around the World in Cross Stitch (25% complete)
9. Bent Creek - Swirly Sampler
10. Butternut Road - Earthdancer
11. Coleshill Collection - Sunflower
12. Derwentwater Designs - Rose Window (75% complete)
13. Derwentwater Designs - Rose Bouquet
14. Derwentwater Designs - Macintosh coaster 1b
15. Dimensions - Power of the Serengeti
16. Dimensions - Toy Shelf Birth Record
17. Dimples Designs - Wee Beasties Part 5
18. Dimples Designs - Wee Beasties Part 6
19. Dinky-Dyes Designs - Celtic Heart
20. Dinky-Dyes Designs - Celtic Knot Diamond
21. DMC - Laburnum Fairy
22. Just Nan - Amethyst Snowflake
23. Just Nan - Celeste
24. Just Nan - Christmas Jewel
25. Just Nan - Ice Blossom
26. Just Nan - Grace
27. Just Nan - Serena
28. L&L - Angel of Autumn
29. L&L - Angel of Christmas
30. L&L - Angelica
31. L&L - Heavenly Gifts
32. L*K - Bless the Baby
33. Lanarte - Orchid
34. Maria Von Scharrenburg - Night
35. M-Designs - A
36. M-Designs - A + D + Heart
37. M-Designs - E + J + Heart
38. Mirabilia - Royal Holiday
39. Mirabila - The Fairy Moon
40. Moira Blackburn -Growing Like A Tree
41. Sheperds Bush - Cherry Heart
42. The Silver Lining - Royal Affair
43. The Silver Lining - Joy
44. The Silver Lining - Hope
45. The Silver Lining - Honor
46. The Silver Lining - Grace
47. Thea Groverneur - Jays
48. Thea Groverneur - Pheony Rose
49. Thea Groverneur - Rhapsody in Blue
50. Thea Groverneur - Rose
51. TW - Celtic Cross
52. TW - Futurecast
53. TW - Knotwork Bookmark
54. TW - Paisley Corner
55. TW - Stretch
56. TW - Tempest
57. The Victoria Sampler - Beyond Cross Stitch Level Six No ?
58. The Drawn Thread - Toccata Number One
59. Sheperd's Bush - Mother's Heart
60. The Little Kit Company - Dunedin
61. The Little Kit Company - Kakora Bookmark
62. The Little Kit Company - Sheep Bookmark
63. The Little Kit Company - Aoteoroa Sheep

Completed Since 1st January 2006:

1. Derwentwater Designs - Macintosh coaster 1a

Knitting and Crochet Projects

1. Black Dune Scarf
2. Haze shawl
3. Collinette Jumper
4. Black & White Jumper
5. Black sleeveless jumper
6. Socks 1
7. Socks 2
8. Ripple Scarf
9. Lacy Lattice Stole
10. 63 square afghan
11. Rega Scarf
12. Rega Shawl
13. New Zealand Scarf 1
14. New Zealand Scarf 2

Completed Since 1st January 2006:

1. Toddler Ponch
2. Scarf of Hope 2

Beading Projects

1. Beaded Box (10% complete)
2. Romanov Bauble
3. Fandango Braclet
4. Aurora Stars (x3)
5. Toulouse Chocker Necklace
6. Georgian Bauble
7. Turkish Rope Tassel
8. Persian Tassel
9. Art Deco Bauble
10. Starry Night Bauble
11. Mayur Necklace
12. Zig-Zag Braclet

Completed Since 1st January 2006:

1. Fuchsia Scissor Tassel

New Zealand Report

A picture is worth a thousand words so I have decided to let my holiday photographs do the majority of the talking for me otherwise this post would take days to read and put anyone brave enough to try and read it to sleep. New Zealand is an amazing country full of spectacular scenery and wonderful people (if you discount Christchurch taxi drivers).

I arrived a little dazed by the 30 odd hours of travelling and the 13 hours time difference and was made most welcome by Nicola and her family, staying with them for a few days allowed me to recover from the journey in comfort and to get some stitching done. From Christcurch I headed off on a swift two week tour of the South Island before heading up to Wellington for a few days.

First stop was Kaikoaura where I went whale watching and was delighted to see three sperm whales and a pod of dusky dolphins. Since the whales only come up to the surface to rest and breath for a few minutes before diving they are not very active but at least that means you can take photos of them. The dolphins on the other hand did not stay still for even a second so were impossible to photo (well at least with my limited skills). So I gave up trying and just enjoyed their antics

Next stop was in Nelson and from there I went into the Abel Tasman National Park, yet more spectacular scenery and wonderful wildlife.

The above photo is of Split Apple Rock Bay and the one below is of a New Zealand fur seals.

From there I travelled down the west coast, with plenty of stops to enjoy the scenery and sample the local food & drink. The weather was a little wild at times but that just added to the drama.

Luckily by the time I arrived at Franz Josef the weather had cleared up and I was able to take a helicopter ride over the glacier before spending a day hiking on the glacier.

On leaving the glacier I headed towards Queenstown and then on to Dunedin, with plenty more stops along the way to admire the scenery and look at the wildlife.

On arrival in Dunedin it started raining again making the place look even more Scottish.

From Dunedin I travelled into the Catlins, yet more stunning scenery and close encounters with wildlife. Including getting almost too close to a sea lion who was hiding out in the sand dunes.


It was then back to Christchurch via Milford Sound and Queenstown. The day spent at Milford Sound it rained and rained and rained but that meant that the waterfalls were spectacular.

I was sad to say good-bye to the South Island and head up to Wellington. But it was lovely to spend several nights in the same bed and to spend time with my friends Alan & Christie. Christie was an excellent tour guide taking me to all the tourist spots in and around Wellington.

I also managed to meet up with Cathy for lunch and she introduced me to a wonderful cross stitching store where my credit card was a little stretched but more about that when the purchases arrive (I had to have them shipped home due to lack of space in the suitcase).

My last full day was spent in Martinborough sampling New Zealand wine (some of which found its way into my suitcase).

All in all it was an amazing holiday, even with the jet lag. It has taken me nearly a week to recover from the journey home and to get over the shock of going back to work.

Holiday Stitching Report

While away travelling in New Zealand I managed to complete a small Macintosh Design by Derwentwater Designs.




And to start Around the World by Barabara Thompson which I thought was a rather appropriate project to take on holiday. It has been stitched on in New Zealand, Sydney, Dubia and Birmingham plus on the plane between these points so has been half way around the world.

I also made a few purchases - to be precise 7 stitching projects and 2 knitting projects both scarves and both yummy hand dyed yarns.



The stitching projects include four kits (Aotearoa Sheep, Kokako Bookmark, Sheep Bookmark and Dunedin) by a New Zealand company called The Little Kit Company (oh and I have made arrangements for a fifth kit - Christchurch to be sent to me) which are pictured below and three other kits which are currently being posted to me because I ran out of space in my luggage. Well I was on holiday.