The Last HD of 2007

Paperwhites by Little House Needleworks completed 31-Dec-07.

Sorry the photo is so blurry and the light here is very bad this afternoon. Also although the photos makes it look otherwise the stitching is straight in real life.

When I got this out early today to finish work on it I counted the number of stitches left to be done - 85. I can not now remember what was so vitally important that I had to put this project aside with so little left to do.

For the rest of today I am going to work on Awake the Dawning Day and maybe later tonight will make a start on Snow by Heart in Hand Needlearts which is hopefully going to be a quick stitch. I am spending the evening with a bottle of wine, a couple of dvds and a few good friends who all would be most surprised if I left my stitching at home. Snow will be a good project to take out with me since it is simple enough not to need my full concentration.

I have been contemplating whether or not I will start something new tomorrow. At the moment I am so focused on completing as many projects as possible in 2008 I am working my way through my smaller / easier projects that the need for a new start is not so great. However I might start Beneath the Sunlit Sky by Blackbird Designs as this is not too large a project and was going to be my next start anyway.

Probally the Last HD of 2007

I completed this bookmark late last night, actually I think it might have been early this morning but since I had not been to bed I will count it as yesterday.

It is from a Sue Hawkins kit called Zebra African Animals Bookmark. The finishing it not 100% perfect as putting the cube together proved to be quite fiddly. Also I think on reflection that the cord (constructed as per the kit instructions) is a little thick and if / when I make another of these I will use either a thinner cord or maybe a ribbon.

Baby Sampler Completed

Baby Sampler by Lizzie*Kate, started 02-Nov-07 completed 29-Dec-07.

This has been stitched for my oldest friend's (we have been friends since I was 6 months old) first baby who is a delight and joy. Both my friend and her mother are stitchers so I had not been planning on stitching a birth sampler for Isobel but I was informed on my first meeting with Izzy that she would love a sampler stitched by her Auntie Allie. Luckily I already had this sampler fully kitted up and waiting for someone to stitch it for.

Reindeer Sampler HD

Reindeer Sampler by JBW Designs.

Started and finished in December 2007.

I did not have the buttons required for this design so added a few red stitches to the reindeer and also repeated the holly and white border at the bottom rather than the row of red hearts charted.

I am Spoiled

Being 34 does not stop me being a spoiled daddy's girl. My sister and Mother call me the senior child of the family - the other two children being my 4 year old niece and 18 month old nephew. Mum & Dad always buy my sister and me several presents but Daddy also likes to buy his three girls a gift just from him. This year he asked me to organize a day at a local spa for Mum, my sister and me as his gift to us. He also asked me for a list so he could surprise me with a little something. So I sent him a link to my favorite UK online stitching shop, the details of my favorite LNS and a list of a dozen or so charts that I would like. I expected him to buy me one or two instead he gave me a parcel containing 18 charts, all the required charms / buttons and a huge pile of threads. The only thing needed to stitch all the charts is some fabric and I have a crate full of that so do not need to buy any.

He bought me (some of which are pictured above but not all since I have left some at my parents house to work on when over there):

Bent Creek

The Littles Snowman

Heart in Hand Needleart

Snow

Christmas Bird

Easter Bird

Spring Bird

Summer Bird

Autumn Bird

Winter Bird

Lizzie*Kate

Summer Sampler

Spring Sampler

Flip it a year with Charm - March, April, May, June, July and August

The Trilogy

Springoloy

Summerology

I have now decided to abandon my rotation and work on whatever project takes my fancy until something else screams too loudly to be ignored. Also instead of buying one new project for every 6 finished I am aiming to finish 20 before I buy any stitching stuff then I might go back to one purchase per 6 finishes.

I am not back at work till the 3rd Jan and between now and then I have a few household chores to do, a couple of errands to run and a handfull of visits to friends & family planned but the rest of the time will be spent stitching or knitting. Hopefully this will mean I can get several projects finished. I have three which I think only need to work on for a few hours each (JBW Designs Reindeer Sampler, Lizzie*Kate Baby Sampler and Little House Needleworks Paperwhites) before they are completed. I have never managed to figure out why I get projects 90% completed and then put them away to work on something else.

Happy Christmas

Sorry it is a day late but I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas. My day was spent with the family so there was very little time between all the presents to unwrap, the food to be cooked and eaten and the games to be played. By the time my niece and nephew had gone to bed I was ready to fall asleep. I was truely spoiled by friends & family and recieved many delightful gifts including a spa day, a huge pile of stitching charts & threads (I will post about those seperately once I get my camera sorted), lots of lovely bath products, chocolates and much much more.

New Knitting Project

Because I am supposed to be spending the rest of the year finishing as many stitching projects as possible I just had to start a new knitting project. Luckily I had spotted Quant in the winter edition of Knitty and had been thinking a winter head band would be a good idea since my ears often get cold but a hat is sometimes too much. So yesterday afternoon when I got home from the office Christmas lunch I sat down and made a start.

This is my first attempt at both I-cord and entrelac work, it looks very odd at the moment but I think that is how it is supposed to look at this stage. Fingers crossed it will come out o-kay. The only problem that I can see at the moment is that I will have to be careful where I wear it since I can already hear several cries of "I like that can you knit me one".

Another Small HD

Zig-Zag Scissor Keeper by Sue Hawkins completed 12-Dec-07.

Only two more finishes to go before I can buy myself a stitching treat.

Snowman HD

Bucky the Snowman by The Trilogy.

Completed 10-December-2007.

He was really really fun (and quick) to stitch. I think I might get one more Christmas themed piece completed this year.

A Wee HD and a New Start

Sorry about the lack of posts this week but I have been busy stitching. I have managed to complete Wee Santa '97 by Heart in Hand Needlearts and also make a start on Awake the Dawning Day by Blackbird Designs. Not much of one I know but at least it is started.

I have also been working on Bucky the Snowman by The Trilogy since it is an easy piece to carry around and this week I had to spend 5 hour on a train plus a few hours in a hospital waiting room.

Tomorrow I am off on a girlie shopping day with my sister who has sent her kids and husband off to visit his mother for the weekend. As much as I love my niece, nephew and BIL it is wonderful to be able to spend time with just my sister. Tonight and tomorrow night I plan on trying to finish Bucky the Snowman before getting back to stitching on the baby sampler.

Saturday Stitching

Having decided to amend my rotation I sat down yesterday and made a start on Baby Sampler by Lizzie*Kate. This is turning out to be a realy quick and enjoyable stitch. Today I am planning on spending all afternoon and evening stitching and catching up on my TV watching.

I am hopefull that I will be able to complete Wee Santa today and maybe make a start on Awake the Dawning Day. Santa only needs the bottom of his jacket, his mittens, eyes and pompom added plus the border and stars completed.

With all the thinking about stitching that I have been doing I have also cemented my plans for the near future with regard to stash purchases / stash reduction. For the time being I will allow myself on small(ish) purchase per 6 completed projects (I will count the Bent Creek Little Santa as my first finish) plus I am allowed to buy limited editions / class projects which scream at me but for each of these I must complete a stashed project which does not count towards my next purchase. This is of course subject to change.

Rotation Changes

Before I have even begun I have decided to make changes to my rotation. The changes have come about for a number of reasons the main one being that I have realised that the reason I keep putting off starting my rotation is the fact I do not (at the moment) want to stitch on Noah's Ark. I love this piece but at the moment can not face the idea of over one stitching. I have also been asked by a dear friend to stitch a sampler for her baby and so I have decided to add that to the rotation. The new plan is:

Round One: Baby Sampler by Lizzie*Kate

Round Two: Finishing or Small project

Round Three: Awake the Dawning Day by Blackbird Designs

Round Four: Finishing or Small project

Repeat until bored.

List of Finishing / Small Projects:

1. CA Wells - Cottage Etui Pincushion (just needs finishing)
2. Country Cottage Needleworks - Ladybugs and Bumblebees
3. Forget-me-knot-in-stitches - Album (just needs finishing)
4. Heart in Hand Needleart - Wee Santa '97
5. JBW Designs - The Reindeer Sampler
6. Just Nan - Celeste
7. Just Nan - Grace
8. Little House Needleworks - Paper Whites
9. Lizzie*Kate - A Banner Year Spring
10. Sue Hawkins - Pansy Pincushion
11. Sue Hawkins - Zebra Bookmark
12. Sue Hawkins - Zig Zag Scissor Keeper
13. The Sweetheart Tree - Lavender Luminescence
14. The Trilogy - Bucky the Snowman
15. Travellers Tales - Sinai Bedouin Sampler

I have also decided that I will work on each slot for a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 20 hours that way if I am really enjoying working on a project I do not need to put it down. After Christmas I might remove the Christmas themed projects from the list and replace with some spring / summer themed pieces.