Allie's Wonderland

Lucy Bag Times Two

2010-08-05T20:18:00.001+01:00

As my sister’s birthday is just around the corner I need to craft a quick gift for her so I have cast on a 2nd Lucy bag. I know I should really finish something first but her birthday is in a fortnights time (it really should not come as a shock but every year I leave gift making to the last minute) so I need to start something now.
For my sister’s Lucy bag I have decided to be a little more subtle with my colour choices and have gone for a ball of Paton’s Smoothie DK in a variegated colour way of cream / off white and pale green which I am going to team with four shades of Paton’s DK cotton. The surprising thing is that I am actually going to be using some stash yarn for this project as the pale green and raffia coloured cotton were purchased for my first Lucy bag, but I decided not to use them. Let’s hope I can manage to finish it by the 15th August (2010 that is!!!!). If not I guess I will either have to give it to her late or for Christmas.

Felting

2010-08-03T19:51:00.001+01:00

Over the weekend I attended a felting class at my local arts centre and learnt how to make a seamless book for a sketch book or journal. It was made using un-dyed merino wool which I then had great fun dying although my fingers tips are now also a delightful shade of purple. During the lunch break I popped down to the ceramics studio to collect the pots I made during a 6 week beginners throwing course I attended in June & July.

Lucy Bag Progress

2010-07-30T19:37:00.000+01:00

After a few false starts; due mainly to me creating my starting chain far too tightly and then too loosely, I am now making great progress on my Lucy bag and have got most of the bottom of the bag completed. I do however have to report that I decided that more colour was required and have purchased a few more ball of yarn to add to this project. I am also currently trying very hard to resist the urge to go and buy tonnes of DK cotton & acrylic in bright ‘Lucy’ colours. The urge to buy lots of bright coloured yarn and to cast-on (if that is the correct term) a whole bunch of crochet projects is strong, but I must resist as I already have far too many WIPs already not to mention that I really do not want to have to move into a bigger house just so accommodate my stash.

Oh Dear!!!!

2010-07-23T16:18:00.001+01:00

I seem to have developed another obsession – crocheting. I am going to blame my friends over on Ravelry who have been producing gorgeous crocheted items. Through them I became away of Lucy, her gorgeous crocheted creations and her wonderful blog (Attic24). The way she puts together is unlike anything I would normally choose for myself but I am really drawn to the colours Lucy puts together. So after several days of looking I gave in and went on a quick shopping spree at lunchtime and came away with these:

Which I am hoping to be able to turn into a bag.

Oh Bother

2010-07-17T19:30:00.000+01:00

I have done it again – started a couple of new projects (one knitting and one cross-stitching) rather than work on one of my many WIPs. The first project I started; completed about 2 dozen stitches on and then put away; was Summer Banner which is one of the projects that I have on my list to work on in July so starting it was not too bad but I should really have progressed one of my WIPs from the July project list first.

Then this morning while getting ready for the commute to work I realised that I did not have a project in my handbag for the train journey to work. So I grabbed a ball of sock yarn & some 2.5mm needles and have cast-on for a pair of basic ribbed socks. Oh well these will now be the project that I carry around in my handbag and I will try to not work on them at home.

Pattern: Basic Ribbed Socks by WiseHilda
Yarn: Regia Sock Monster
Started: 15th July 2010

This is a pattern that I have knitted up before and should be a relatively quick knit. Maybe I should put away all my WIPs and only work on 2 or 3 for the rest of the month.

June Report and July's Plan

2010-07-02T13:35:00.003+01:00

In June I said I would work on each of the following WIPs for at least 2 hours.

Deirdre Shawl (knitting) - yes
Ishbel Shawl (knitting) - finished
Lime Vanilla Socks (knitting) - yes
Tapestry Ribbon Bag (knitting) - yes
Monthly Musings (cross-stitching) - yes (almost finished)
The Big Zipper (cross-stitching) -no
Their Song (cross-stitching) - yes
Needlecase (stitching) - yes
Stitch Marker Holder (stitching) - yes
Jelly Roll Bag (sewing) - no

Well the plan sort of worked; I managed to work on all of the WIPs with the exception of The Big Zipper and the Jelly Roll Bag. Ishbel has been completed and Monthly Musings just needs to be washed; ironed and have the buttons added.

July's Project List

Deirdre Shawl (knitting)
Rainbow Cable Socks (knitting)
Lime Vanilla Socks (knitting)
Tapestry Ribbon Bag (knitting)
Charity Knitting (knitting)
Monthly Musings (cross-stitching)
The Big Zipper (cross-stitching)
Summer Banner (cross-stitching)
Their Song (cross-stitching)
Needlecase (stitching)
Stitch Marker Holder (stitching)
Jelly Roll Bag (sewing)

The plan is to spend a minimum of 2 hours on each of the above projects; if a miracle occurs and I actually manage to finish a project I might allow myself to add in a replacement project. The only other thing that I plan to do is to wash Monthly Musings and the tiny sampler which I finished the stitching on in June & add the buttons.

Ishbel Completed

2010-06-15T13:12:00.004+01:00

The past weekend was spent in the company of 13 stitching friends in the Derbyshire countryside. While away in between all the gossiping; giggling and eating I did manage to get some knitting and stitching done. I finished my Ishbel shawl; finished the stitching on Monthly Musings (it is now being washed then once dry & ironed I will put the buttons on and it will be completed); made progress on my Ribbon bag (one of the 4 balls of yarn has now been used up) and started & finished a small stitching project; which is also being washed.

Pattern: Ishbel by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Wendy Happy in Virgo

Started: 25th April 2010

Finished: 12th June 2010

I think I will definately be knitting another of these as once I had got the hang of the pattern it was a really enjoyable knit. I think the next one I do will be the larger size and maybe in a lace weight yarn.

New Addiction

2010-06-10T18:51:00.000+01:00

Last night was the first night of a 3d felting class that I am taking at the local arts centre and I already think I might be addicted. I have never done any felting before, although I have cast-on for a knitted felt bag, but even after a single 2 hour class I think I might be addicted. When I got home last night instead of doing the sensible thing and going to bed I spent several hours looking at supplies; project ideas etc. and then went to bed to dream of felting. I am going to try and not buy too much in way of felting stash until I have finished at least a few projects. But have allowed myself a trip to the bookstore during my lunch hour where I purchased a felting book; I nearly purchased several but managed to limit myself to just one. For the time being I am going to try and limit my wet felting experiments to the class as I really need to make progress on some knitting, stitching and sewing projects (and I am not even thinking about my beading supplies & WIPs).

Best Laid Plans

2010-06-09T18:46:00.000+01:00

As always seems to happen to me as soon as I decide on a new plan to tackle my of WIPs and my stash mountain something comes along to put paid to them. This time the need for change came a lot sooner than expected and from an unusual source. Last night my mother called (not in itself an unusual occurrence) asking if I would mind doing some knitting for her. My mother very very rarely asks me for anything and usually is the first one to encourage me to reduce the amount of knitting stuff that I have lying around the house. A charity that her church supports which provides aid to street children in South America have been offered some space in a shipping crate so need lots of hats; scarves & mittens for children up to the age of 5 years. They also want to send out cot blankets. So I am going to be adding Charity Knitting as an 11th project in my rotation.

WIP Overload

2010-06-07T19:46:00.003+01:00

Following my knitting stash organising I decided to make a start on organising the pile of knitting WIPs and the stitching & sewing WIPs & stash. Well quite quickly I decided to stop as I became rather overwhelmed with the amount of projects I have part down and also with the amount of stuff I have lying around untouched. Instead I have decided to pack everything away in boxes and to start a rotation of sorts. I am throwing out my monthly goals and the new plan is to select a maximum of 10 WIPs to work on each month (everything else will stay packed away). I then have to spend a minimum of 2 hours on each project. If I manage to get 2 hours done on each WIP I will then reward myself by starting a new small / quick project. If I manage to finish a project I will add in another WIP, if I manage to finish more than one project I will reward myself by starting a new project.

This months WIPs are going to be:

Deirdre Shawl (knitting)
Ishbel Shawl (knitting)
Lime Vanilla Socks (knitting)
Tapestry Ribbon Bag (knitting)
Monthly Musings (cross-stitching)
The Big Zipper (cross-stitching)
Their Song (cross-stitching)
Needlecase (stitching)
Stitch Marker Holder (stitching)
Jelly Roll Bag (sewing)

Tonight I think I am going to work on either the Lime Vanilla Socks or the Deirdre Shawl.

Stash Busting Time

2010-06-02T19:58:00.000+01:00

Well I have finally gotten around to organising my considerable yarn stash. All the yarn has been sorted by type & weight. A large suitcase jammed full of winter yarn & acrylic has been shipped off to my parents for storage and the rest has been put away in crates and a chest. I have even gone so far as to put about 2/3rd onto my Ravelry pages, I might get around to adding the remainder at some stage or may just add it as I knit it. Now that I have all the yarn organised I really need to get a lot of it knitted into something rather than just have it taking up space. It does seem that a side affect of having organised my yarn is the uncontrollable urge to cast-on dozens of projects as there were some forgotten gems among the stash. Along side the gems there are a few (make that several) yarns which I am not sure why I purchased them or what I will ever knit with them but I can not bring myself to throw them away.

The first project I have cast on is:

Pattern: Jessie Ribbon Bag from Rowan Felted Collection
Yarn: Rowan Tapestry in colour 174
Cast-on: 02-June-2010

I have slightly deviated from the pattern by knitting the first 3 rows (and I will knit the last 3) as I do not like the way the bag appears to roll at the top even after felting in the pictures I have seen of this bag. Also in the dye-lot I have cast-on with I only have 4 balls while the pattern calls for 5. I have another 10 balls in the same colour way from a different dye-lot. As the bag is constructed from one large knitted panel my plan is to knit till I have used up 2 balls then if I think it is going to be too short I will use a ball from the other dye-lot then use up the two remaining balls from the dye-lot I have cast on with. There does not seem to be much visible difference between the dye-lots and I think it will be even less noticeable once the knitting has been felted.

As this is a very easy (read potentially boring) project my plan is to try and knit at least 6 rows every day till it is done. If I don’t knit at least a little bit on it each day I can see myself getting so far then putting it away for a long time although, at the moment, I am excited to get it in the washing machine & try out felting for the first time. Hopefully I will not get diverted from my plan to knit through my stash by any new yarn purchases or by starting too many projects. The next thing I am going to organise is my pile of knitting WIPs and maybe create a rotation (with slots for new starts of course) in order to try and actually finish some projects.

May Report and June Goals

2010-06-01T22:58:00.003+01:00

May Report

Well as predicted I made virtually no progress on my May goals only managing to complete one goal (knit a pair of socks) although I have made a start on organising my knitting stash. So June's goals are going to be a repeat of May's with the exception being that I have decided that I am far to behind on the KA KAL that I have absolutely no chance of catching up so I have dropped out.

April Goals

Stitching
1. Finish Monthly Musings
2. Make progress on The Big Zipper
3. Finish Knitting Goddess Needle Holder
4. Finish Knitting Goddess Stitch Marker Holder
5. Start one small project from stash
Knitting
1. Finish Mae's yellow cardigan
2. Make progress on lace long sleeved cardigan
3. Make progress on cabled jacket
4. Finish Ishbel Shawl
5. Cast-0n and finish a project using yarn from stash
Other
1. Organise my knitting; beading; stitching and sewing stash
2. Finish at least one quilting /patchwork / sewing project
3. Decorate my bathroom

Sunny Saturday

2010-05-22T09:36:00.002+01:00

I have woken up to brilliant sunshine which matches my mood. Work has been super busy for the last few weeks which has meant long working hours and working at the weekends. Thankfully though we managed to get what needed doing done this past week so for the foreseeable future I am back to just working a 40 hour week. My crafting (and housework) has been somewhat neglected while work has been taking most of my waking hours so I am rather behind on achieving Mays goals but hopefully this weekend I will be able to make some good progress. First thing I am going to do is make a start on my de-cluttering and organising.

A Pair

2010-05-15T17:05:00.005+01:00

Pattern: Basic Ribbed Socks by WiseHilda
Yarn: Opal Magic

Started: 1st May 2010
Finished: 15th May 2010

I think I must just have set a record; I have managed to start and complete a pair of socks within a few weeks. Normally when knitting socks I seem to finish the first one then take a break of several months before even starting the second one. I am really pleased with how these have turned out and rather like the mis-matched look. As usual I have a lot of yarn left from the 100gram ball I started with so may well be knitting a pair of trainer socks from the same yarn.

As predicted work is rather frantically busy; which means that I am having to work longer than normal hours and including working at the weekends. This means that I am feeling very tired and stressed out plus my crafting time has been severally reduced. In order to cheer myself up I have decided that I need to start some new projects and so last night cast on a new triangular scarf using a couple of balls of Regia Design Line Kaffe Fascet yarn in the Molten Earth colour way from my stash.

Pattern: Goddess Shawl by the Knitting Goddess
Yarn: Regia Design Line in Mirage Earth
Started: 12th May 2010
WIP

Although this is a great project to have cast-on given my current mood and very tired state, as it is relatively simple but with enough to keep me interested I think I might have to cast-on something else in a more cheerful colour. So I am off to go and have a look through my stash and see what grabs me.

Half A HD

2010-05-06T20:19:00.005+01:00

I feel like I might be coming down with a bad case of startitis; so in order to try and stop myself starting dozen of things on Sunday I cast on a pair of simple ribbed socks with a ball of yarn which has been languising in my stash for far too long. This afternoon I managed to finish the first sock and have cast on the second; hope to get most of the knitting on the second sock finished this evening while watching the election results.

Since it would be really difficult to match-up the socks 100%; especially given the one row of pink after the heel on the first sock, I have decided to just go with the flow and started the second sock about were I finished the first so will end up with mis-matched socks.

And finally I have gotten around to blocking my Flames scarf.

Warm & Cosy Flames

Started: 11 Jan 2010

Finished: 24th April 2010

Pattern: Winter Flame by Juliet Romeo Juliet

Yarn: The Knitting Goddess 4ply Sock Yarn in Warm & Cosy colourway

The pattern is a free one I found on Ravelry and I am not sure if it available anywhere else.

April Report and May Goals

2010-05-01T09:46:00.006+01:00

My goals for April were:

Stitching

Finish Monthly Musings; No progress
Make progress on The Big Zipper; No progress
Finish Knitting Goddess Needle Holder; stiching finished just needs making up
Start & finish Knitting Goddess Stitch Marker Holder; started

Knitting

Finish red marble short sleeved jumper; Yes finished and has been worn
Finish Mae's yellow cardigan; have made a little progress
Make progress on lace long sleeved cardigan; not even picked this project up
Make progress on cabled jacket: as with the lace caridgan
Finish Blur Easy Lace Scarf; finished
Finish Flames scarf; finished the knitting and is currently being blocked
Make progress on at least on project for the Knitter's Anonymous Knit Along; Yes Ishbel has been cast-on and is now at the lace section

Other

Organise my knitting; beading; stitching and sewing stash; Not done
Finish at least one quilting /patchwork / sewing project; No
Decorate my bathroom; No
Make at least 4 posts to this blog; Yes

So in all I managed to finish 5 of the 15 goals I set myself and made a small amount of progress towards completing a few others. I did also manage to finish one pair of socks which have been a WIP since last November and I gave away the left over yarn to a friend in my knitting group who is making a sock blanket.

May is going to be very busy work wise so I am going to try and be a little less ambitious in my goal setting while still giving myself plenty of choice of things to do otherwise I will just end up doing something not on the list.

Stitching

Finish Monthly Musings
Make progress on The Big Zipper
Finish Knitting Goddess Needle Holder
Finish Knitting Goddess Stitch Marker Holder
Start one small project from stash

Knitting

Finish Mae's yellow cardigan
Make progress on lace long sleeved cardigan
Make progress on cabled jacket
Finish Ishbel Shawl
Cast-on 2nd project for the KA KAL
Cast-0n and finish a pair of socks using yarn from stash

Other

Organise my knitting; beading; stitching and sewing stash
Finish at least one quilting /patchwork / sewing project
Decorate my bathroom

Train Journeys and Crafting

2010-04-30T19:42:00.001+01:00

Pattern: Peekaboo Socks by Tracie Dawkins

Yarn: Rico Designs Superba Print 4-ply (less than 0.5 of 10gram ball used)

Started: 28th November 2009

Finished: 30th April 2010

Each morning I have a 20 minute train journey into the office which is a perfect time do a little bit of crafting as I can not sit doing nothing for even 5 minutes. But I have discovered that I have to have just the right project with me. I do not like knitting on straight needles as there is always the risk of hitting those sitting around me so knitting projects have to be either on short dpns or circulars. Additionally knitting patterns have to have short rows as I do not like stopping mid-row; and an easy to remember pattern as juggling my knitting, my handbag, my laptop plus a knitting pattern is not always practicable on a busy commuter train. Stitching on the train is also out as there are too many items to juggle with. Having finished my flames scarf and got Ishbel to the start of the lace section I needed another project for the train this week so picked up a long neglected WIP, Peekaboo socks. The first sock in this pair was cast-on sometime in 2009 as I had planned to make several pairs of socks as Christmas gifts but never got around to completing them in time. But this week I have managed to complete the second sock.

These socks are now on their way to a friend of mine who is having a rough time at the moment as I thought they might cheer her up a little bit.

Knitting - Progress Being Made.

2010-04-27T18:54:00.000+01:00

I have finished the knitting on the Flames scarf and the scarf is currently being blocked. Work has been progressing, slowly, on the cardigan that I am knitting for my niece.

I have worked out why I am not moving faster on this – I hate the edging it looks (well will) look great but is a pain to do. As my niece is coming to stay at the weekend I have set myself the task of at least getting the main parts completed; I currently have the back & right front completed so finishing the sleeves and left front should be do-able in 3 days.

As a reward for finishing a couple of projects I cast on my first project for the Knitters Anonymous KAL on Ravelry which I am participating in. My chosen project is Ishbel by Ysolda which I am knitting in Wendy Happy 4-ply yarn in the Virgo colourway. This is a pattern which I have been admiring for a long time but have never gotten the courage to start before now. It is my first attempt at a triangular shawl and I already know that it will not be my last. After a false start because I did not like the yarn I had initially chosen it is now knitting up very fast and I think if I did not get distracted by other things could easily be finished within a week of starting.

Pattern: Ishbel by Ysolda
Yarn: Wendy Happy in Virgo
Started: 25th April 2010

Another Finish

2010-04-21T10:23:00.004+01:00

I seem to be on a role at the moment and have managed to complete the short sleeved jumper I had been knitting for myself; if I had worked on it consistently it would have been a quick project but at usual I kept getting distracted by other projects. I have also very nearly finished the Flames scarf and once I have done so I think I will reward myself for having managed to complete 3 projects by casting on a new one. Over on Ravelry I have joined a group called Knitters Annoymous which is currently holding a 3 month KAL; the idea is that during April, May and June we each knit a baby item, a pair of socks, a pair of gloves and a shawl or wrap. But the twist is that the chosen pattern for each item has to start with 4 adjoining letters of the alphabet. My starting point is going to be an Ishbel shawl; once that is completed I shall decide on my other 3 patterns.

Pattern: Sider Leaflet No 9067

Yarn: James Brett Marble Chunky

Finished: 20-April-2010

Progress to Report

2010-04-15T18:21:00.003+01:00

Easy Blur Scarf

Started: ????

Completed: 12 April 2010

Pattern One Row Lace Scarf by Turvid

Yarn: Sirdar Blur (from my stash)

Progress has been made!! I have managed to finish my blur scarf; it was knit from one ball of Sirdar Blur yarn using a free pattern I found on Ravelry called One Row Lace Scarf. The pattern is really simple yet effective and is just the right sort of project for taking with me on the train journey to / from work. The scarf was not made with any one in mind but will be added to the basket in which I keep hand crafted items which will one day be gifted to either a friend or family member. Finishing this scarf means that there is one less ball of yarn in my stash and 5 gifts in my basket.

As well as completing the blur scarf I have also made progress with the Flames scarf; WIP picture below and almost completed the sleeveless jumper which I am knitting for myself in James Brett Marble chunky. Tonight I hope to complete the jumper so that I can wear it when I go to knitting club on Saturday.

Warm & Cosy Flames
Started: 11 Jan 2010
WIP
Pattern: Winter Flame by Juliet Romeo Juliet
Yarn: The Knitting Goddess 4ply Sock Yarn in Warm & Cosy colourway

April

2010-04-11T11:19:00.002+01:00

I can not believe how fast this year is going and I don't seem to have made much progress with all my crafting other than to start lots more projects and to buy lots more stash. So in an attempt to get more focus I have decided to set myself some goals.

In no particular order in April I would like to:

Stitching

Finish Monthly Musings
Make progress on The Big Zipper
Finish Knitting Goddess Needle Holder
Start & finish Knitting Goddess Stitch Marker Holder

Knitting

Finish red marble short sleeved jumper
Finish Mae's yellow cardigan
Make progress on lace long sleeved cardigan
Make progress on cabled jacket
Finish Blur Easy Lace Scarf
Finish Flames scarf
Make progress on at least on project for the Knitter's Anonymous Knit Along

Other

Organise my knitting; beading; stitching and sewing stash
Finish at least one quilting /patchwork / sewing project
Decorate my bathroom
Make at least 4 (not including this one) posts to this blog

Having made the list it looks rather long so I would be pleased to at complete at least half of them this month; the remaining goals can be carried over into May.

I've Done it Again

2009-11-16T20:34:00.002Z

Ignored / forgotten about my blog that is. I have been busy both with the new(ish) job and with family - my sister gave birth to a very healthy baby girl on November 10th. The picture above is baby Eve being held by her big sister Mae and hiding behind his boat is Eve's big brother Thomas.

I have also been doing quite a bit of crafting but have not made much progress on any one project; rather I have been jumping from one thing to another. I am going to try and settle on a few projects to concentrate on for the rest of the year in the hope of finishing of at least a couple of WIPs before the year is out.

MIA

2009-09-26T17:32:00.003+01:00

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted; life has been a little hectic recently and I have felt up to much blogging or crafting. Re-adjusting to working life has been difficult plus there were a few bumps along the road back to work (the worst of which could have seen me out of work again within a few weeks of starting my new job) but hopefully that is all behind me now and I can concentrate on getting on with my job.

I have managed to finish these socks;

I shall (I think) be knitting several pairs of these as back in the summer when I was not working and had plenty of spare time on my hands I agreed to knit 7 pairs of socks for my Mum as she wants to give them away as Christmas presents. With October nearly here I have not finished a single pair for her so had better get a move on. In fact I am going to have to spend a lot of time crafting as once again I seem snowed under with things that need to be finished to a deadline.

Present for My Sister

2009-08-14T12:22:00.003+01:00

Happy birthday little sister.I always have good intention but also always leave things to the last minute; I have just finished making this little bag as a birthday present and not a moment too soon as I should be packing up my car in readiness to go & collect my sister and her family from the airport. Her birthday was yesterday but she will never know that her present was almost late.It is my fist attempt at this style of hand bag and while there are changes that I would make when I construct another one I am reasonably please with the end result.

A Tiny Knitting HD

2009-08-13T23:10:00.006+01:00

Last week in order to celebrate finally having got a new job I placed an order with The Knitting Goddess for a couple of skeins of sock yarn. Not that I need for sock yarn you understand but I just had to celebrate good news. I purchased two colourways (well it would not be right to have only one lonely skein of yarn in a parcel as it would not enjoy the journey to my house all on its own) Goddess Chakra Green [pictured at top] and Alice's Ocean [pictured at below].

The parcel (in a pink envelope and wrapped in purple tissue - perfect) containing not only the scrumptous yarn I had order but also a kit to knit a lavender sachet (complete with lavender). I could not resist starting to knit with my new yarn so it was lucky that the free kit was a quick knit and in no time I had created:

Winter Sun Lavender Sachet

Started & finished 12th August 2009

Created from a kit by The Knitting Goddess

With thanks to Scully for the pattern amendments and for introducing me to the Knitting Goddess

Stitching and Sewing

2009-08-02T18:21:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I spent the day at a quilting workshop at my favorite local (ish) quilting shop and could not resist celebrating the fact that on Friday I was offered a job which was exactly what I was looking for. So just as soon as the HR department of my new company gets the contract sorted out I will be once again employed. I should really have waited till my first pay cheque is sitting in the bank before making a celebratory purchase but could not resist two new quilt top kits that they had in the shop and somehow ended up buying both.

I am thinking of making the blue quilt for my sister's baby to be as my sister is not a great fan of babyish stuff and the red one is for me. But before I make a start on either I really must finish a few WIPs.

Today I have been very lazy; a teeney tiny bit of housework has been done but apart from that I have spent the day sitting on my sofa either surfing the internet (and trying, so far successfully, not to spend any money), stitching or knitting. I managed a small little finish:

[front]

[back]

I just love stitching biscornu, they are small & quick to finish and are a great way to use up scraps of thread and fabric.

Knitting Progress of Sorts

2009-07-27T17:42:00.004+01:00

Last week was spent sorting out my knitting stash & WIPs and over the weekend I added most of it to my Ravelry pages. I shocked myself at just how much I really have, but at least now I have an upto date stash list and no excusses to just buy more yarn. I also found several nearly finished WIPs most of which I had totally forgotten about. One of which is the blue baby blanket which only needed 5 rows of garter stitching to be complete. Why I put something away so close to being finished I do not know, but I have been good and it is now completed. I have since cast on a baby raglan sleeved cardigan in the same yarn and hope to have enough yarn left over to also knit a hat. Once completed the set will be sent to the AC4C groups August charity which is Algerian Action [http://www.algerianaction.co.uk/].

Since the vast majority of my knitting stash is either baby yarn or sock yarn I plan to spend the rest of the year either knitting baby stuff to give to charity or socks to give to friends as Christmas presents. Not having to go to work means I have much more time for crafts so I have also managed to finish a pair of socks last night or rather very early this morning. The pattern was called Sunshine Socks and is one of many free sock patterns that I have found on the internet, printed off and now can not find the source for.

Then this morning because I have plenty of knitting, stitching and sewing WIPs to be working on (not to mention the housework) I cast on a new pair of socks. At least I am using a ball of yarn from my stash!!!

A Productive Day

2009-07-23T17:38:00.002+01:00

Recently being out of work has been really getting me down and I have been spending most of my time sleeping or doing nothing. So I decided at the begining of the week that I needed to focus on using all my free time to better effect. I now have a list of jobs around the house that I want / would like to get done - the main one being to have a major clearout of all my stuff. I have decided that it is time to get rid of some of my stash, I have far far more stuff than I could ever hope to use in this lifetime. So it would be much better to get rid of some of it and the concentrate on using what remains (and eventually buy some more!!).

So this morning I got everything out of all the cupboards and have piled everything up according to type. I have already got rid of several bag fulls of stuff (I can not believe some of the total rubbish that I had put away in cupboards) and had a trip to the local charity shop to donate a whole load of stuff. Tomorrow I will start going through my stashes and decide what to keep and what to get rid of. I have already found several nearly finished projects which I had totally forgotten about.

Then in the afternoon since it was not raining for the first time in over a week I walked down to my allotment to look at how the weeds were growing. I managed to return home with broad beans, cabbage, potatoes and courgettes which means I have enough veggies for the rest of the week. I do love picking and eating my own veggies. Just as I got to the final corner before home it started pouring down with rain so I had to run the last few last yards.

Socks!!!

2009-07-07T11:25:00.004+01:00

Last week while watching the tennis the stitching got well and truely negelected as I got bitten by the sock bug. In one week I managed to complete 5 socks; even getting two pairs done.

Back to stitching this week though as I would love to complete Monthly Musings.

June's Stitching

2009-06-30T15:23:00.004+01:00

Sorry for the long delays between posts but my home computer has died and I am still waiting for it to be fixed so my time on the internet is limited to a few hours a week. I have however been stitching and have made good progress on Monthly Musings (hopefully it will be finished this week) and have completed another little biscornu.

May Biscornu

2009-05-31T12:24:00.002+01:00

I just love how a flat piece of stitching can be transformed into:

Once again I stitched this from a free chart (from the http://myauntsattic.web-log.nl/ website) on a piece of left over fabric using a skein of overdyed floss from my stash.

I think I have become obsessed with using stuff up and zippered pouches:

I have another three on the go in the same fabrics. My plan for this coming week is to have a clear out of my crafting stashes, or at least make a good start on getting organised & getting rid of stuff I no longer want. As well as sorting out my stash into what I want to keep & what I will get rid of (I have far too much, much more than I will ever use in this lifetime and it is time to say goodbye to some of it) I want to get all my WIPs into one place (& each WIP into its own bag) so that I can work on each & every one sometime in the near future.

Busy, Busy, Busy.

2009-05-24T21:10:00.006+01:00

I am determined to make the most of not having to go to work and spent all day Friday being lazy sitting on my sofa catching up on all the TV programmes which I record each week and never seem to get around to watching. I managed to get the border completed on Monthly Musings along with the first four months.

Monthly Musings by Heart In Hand Needleart; progress as of 24 May 2009.

I also started a knitted baby blanket for my sisters new baby and a cardigan for myself. Other than scarfs and three socks I have never knitted an adult sized garment so thought this was as good a time as any to do so. Note to self - I really really must cast on a fourth sock to complete the second pair of socks.

Yesterday, Saturday, I spent some quality time with my sewing machine and made three more zippered pouches using the same fabric as before. I still have more of this fabric left so plan on making yet more pouches either to store my knitting / stitching projects in or as gifts for friends.

Weekend Report

2009-05-17T21:26:00.004+01:00

I have been rather productive this weekend; I am coming to the conclusion that being stressed brings out my creative side. I have been stitching on Monthly Musings; which is coming along nicely. I am going to try and keep stitching on this till it is done possibly with a short break to stitch a biscornu. I think that one of my first tasks once I am no longer working (I am begining to create a rather long list of things to get done while I am unemployed) is to re-organise my stitching stash. Although I don't have a stitching plan I would like to sort out the WIPs which I like the most and am most likely to finish and try to work my way through them before starting something new.

And I also created a zippered bag to co-ordinate with my tote bag; I used the Cutie-Pie Case tutorial found on http://mellebugandme.wordpress.com/2008/01/16/cutie-pie-case-tutorial/ This is my first attempt at a zippered pouch and I am really pleased with how it has turned out. I now have rather grand plans to make several in different sizes to house all my knitting, stitching and sewing projects so I can do away with the plastic mesh bags I usually use. This one now houses all the threads and the small charts for Monthly Musings; as it is only 8" by 7" I will need to make a larger one for the fabric and border chart.

In other news my sister has just anounced that she is expecting her third child in Novemember; Mummy & baby are doing well and although they don't know the sex they do know there is only one in there. Sis and BIL were a little concerned since she is already showing (just at 12 weeks) and his brother & SIL have just had twins (they wanted one little boy to add to their 2 girls and have instead ended up with 4 girls).

Tote Bags & Biscornu

2009-05-06T14:08:00.004+01:00

Firstly; thanks for all the good wishes it is great to know that I have friends; even if I don't have a job. I am finding out just how lucky I am to have the friends & family that I have got. Having hobbies which occupy both my hands & my mind is also helping me cope; unfortuately the current ecomomic climate means it is looking increasingly likely that I will be out of work for at least a few months.

Secondly I have just remembered to share with you the biscornu I made last month (in the last few hours of the month, there is nothing like doing things at the last minute).

This past weekend I met up with two stitching / sewing friends to discuss a group project that we are creating. For the last 2 years I have spent the first weekend of June in a Derbyshre cottage (Dove Farm) in the company of stitching friends. Children (unless they are breastfeeding babies) and husband are banded and the weekend is spent stitching, knitting, gossiping and laughing. This year we have been asked by the owner of the cottages if we would mind producing a wall hanging for her. So a trip to choose quilting fabric and a very enjoyable few hours looking in quilt shops followed. Once I got home I had the urge to get out the sewing machine and since I had liberated some very girly pink & purple fabrics (complete with ballet shoes and dancing mice) from my friend Sally's stash I created a small tote bag for my niece who has just started ballet lessons.

The bag is just a smaller version of the one I made for my mother last month and the one pictured below which I made for myself last weekend.

Enforced Change

2009-05-04T12:22:00.002+01:00

I may well be a little quiet for awhile; I am currently struggling to come to terms with the fact that last week after 4 years in my current job (which I love) my employer informed me last week that I am to be made redundant. Which gives me 6 weeks to either find a new job or I will be unemployed for the first time in my life. It is somewhat ironic that the best job that I have ever had is the one that gets taken away from me. This weekend has been spent getting myself ready to try and get another job; which give the current economic climate may be hard but I will give it my best shot and if the worst happens & I become unemployed I have enough insurance plus a little bit of savings which means I will be able to survive for a few months. I certainaly have enough crafting stash to keep me occupied I will however have to make some drastic changes to my spending habbits but maybe a period of watching what I spend will be no bad thing.

The Great De-Clutter 2009

2009-04-06T15:16:00.002+01:00

At the weekend I decided that the time has come for a major de-clutter. When I first moved into my current house from a small one bedroom flat I loved the fact that I had loads of storage space and could put everything away in an organised manner. Now nearly 3 years on my stuff has expanded to fill the available space and I often can not find what I want or if I can find it I can’t get to it easily as all my cupboard space is stuffed full; some won’t even shut properly and I also now have bags & boxes of stuff lying in corners and the spare room is filled with stuff. Actually it is the spare room and my niece’s horrified expression when she saw it on Sunday that has led to the start of the de-cluttering. My niece (5years old) was most upset when she could not get to the bed in the spare room as she now has no where to sleep when she comes to live with me. Not sure when she is coming to live with me but she seems to think that she will be moving in one day and when she does she wants a bed to sleep in.

So the time has come to get organised and de-clutter; stuff that I have not used for years will be sent to the charity shop or given to someone who will use it; rubbish will be binned and what remains will be put away in an organised fashion so that I can see what I have and put it to use. I now plan to spend an hour or so each evening when I get home from work tackling a cupboard, box or pile of stuff. At lunchtime I am going to go and get myself some boxes in which to put stuff and then tonight I will start attacking the clutter.

At the weekend I did get a little stitching done but not much as I felt the need to start some knitting; most of which has now been unravelled as my tension was totally out so I need to re-start on a larger set of pins.

Bluebird's Message

2009-04-03T10:22:00.007+01:00

After much deliberation I finally decided what to stitch on next and once I had picked my needle up I found it hard to put down. So much so that a late night (or should that be early morning) followed and I can now present:

Bluebirds Message by Blackbird Designs

Completed 02 April 2009

Stitched using the recommended threads on the recommended fabric

I am now left trying to decide what to stitch on next; the two projects that are screaming the loudest are Monthly Musings by The Trilogy which has been neglected since January when I started it and stitched 6 of the boxes and one lonely snowman and The Big Zipper by Bent Creek which was also a new start in January but has also been somewhat negelected recently.

Big Zipper by Bent Creek

Started 01 January 2009

Progress as of 03 April 2009

Weekend Report

2009-04-01T11:51:00.005+01:00

A Trio of Biscornu

Jan; Feb & March Biscornu completed as part of the 2009 Basket of Biscornu Challenge.

The weather co-operated with my plans; it was wet, cold and windy on Saturday while I was at the sit & sew day at my local quilting shop and on Sunday morning the sun was shinning while I was out in the garden. However, my health decided to put an end to my plans for Sunday afternoon and I got a migraine.

Despite this set back I did manage to get a couple of small finishes:

On Friday night I finished a scarf for the AC4C group project for March; finished and in the post to the recipient just in time.

Then on Saturday evening I finished my biscornu for March (I just love doing things at the last minute!!). I did start a new quilt top as well but it is not ready for a photograph just yet. Two (small) finishes and one new start is not too bad for a weekends work I think. I am now having trouble deciding which project to work on next; I am blaming the migraine for my indecision.

Weekend Plans

2009-03-27T13:17:00.003Z

Thanks goodness it is nearly the weekend, this weekend has been rather busy and it will be nice to have two days in which to slow down a little. Since getting out my fabric & sewing machine last weekend to make the tote bag my head has been full of things I would like to create. Luckily tomorrow I am off to a local quilting shop for a 'sit and sew' day. The only thing is I can not decide which of my current or even new sewing projects to take with me. I shall have fun this evening trying to make up my mind. I think I am in the mood to get something finished so I think I shall take along a couple of projects that are near completion and maybe a new start to reward myself with.

My plans for Sunday depend a little on the weather; if it is nice I shall be out in my garden getting it ready for planting later on if the weather is bad I will be in doors stitching, sewing or knitting. I have several things that close to being finished that I would like to get done. Having said that I shall probally end up starting a new project.

Mum's Tote Bag

2009-03-23T10:02:00.004Z

Created as a gift for my Mother using fabric brought while on holiday with her in Florida last year. The bag is based on the reversible tote bag pattern on the Windham Fabric site with a few adjustment – the handles are a smidgen narrower and made from both fabrics as I made an error while cutting the fabric. I am really pleased with the way it turned out and think I may well make myself one.

Spring is in the air

2009-03-21T18:43:00.005Z

I have been inspired by the sunshine and dug some fresh spring-like fabric out of my stash to create a tote bag for my mother. Now that I have made the first cut into the fabric my head is full of ideas of things to create; in fact I have already started a second bag and have plans for more bags or maybe a quilt. There are just far too many things I want to do with my time. Tonight I am going to start knitting a scarf for the March AC4C project and maybe stitch a little on Bluebirds Message.

Fabric; Fabric; Fabric

2009-03-20T11:45:00.000Z

I have released that my fabric obsession has gotten worse; with Mothering Sunday just around the corner and a mother who loves presents but hates us spending money on her I thought I would put make a shopping tote for her. So last night I decided to get out all my fabric and see if I had anything suitable. After pulling fabric out of all the places I had stashed it I shocked myself with just how many meters of fabric I own. I knew I had a considerable stash of fabric and that I had trouble with resisting the urge to buy more but what I had not released is that I have a problem with using fabric. I kept picking up pieces of fabric which would make lovely bags and putting them down because they were too nice to use. After giving myself a sever talking to I think I have managed to convince myself to use some fabric to make the said bag but will not know for sure till I come to cut out the fabric this evening.

No more rotation (again!!)

2009-03-12T07:51:00.003Z

While reading other peoples blogs this week I have been thinking (yet again) about my crafting and why I do the things I do or to be more precise why I stop doing the things I do as once again I find myself in stitching slump. I am still knitting and quilting but only a little bit of the first and the second only at class. What I think I have finally realised after a great many years is that although I love crafting for other people and I adore the thought of rotations & goals and all the thinking and planning that can go into creating rotations etc. once I set my self goals; targets or deadlines I immediately fall out of love with whatever it is I have decided I need to be doing. So from now on no more plans for me I shall just go withever what feels right in that moment - at least until I come up with a different plan of action that is.

Square Weekend

2009-03-08T21:33:00.006Z

This weekend has been a mixture of housework and crafting. On Saturday spring was in the air as the weather was cold but dry and sunny so I spent the day getting the garden ready for the spring and then came indoors to spring clean the house. The rest of the weekend has been spent creating squares, some pathwork ones and some knitted ones.

The patchwork ones are for a quilt top that I am making in the quilting class that I attend; although I am making several changes from the original design as I just can not get my head around distored blocks and the orginal design includes several. I am having alter the design to make it work without the distored blocks, luckily I have a really good & understanding teacher who does not mind me making changes to her quilt designs.

The fabric for the quilt is a mixture of calicos and lovely faded linens in blues, greens & pinks. I really must try and remeber to take a photo of the fabric before it all gets cut up.

The knitted squares are to be sent out to be made into a lap blanket for this months project for the AC4C group. I do love knitting squares and sending them off to others to do the hard work of joining them into blankets as they require very littl thought, are a quick finish and are a great way of using up odds & ends of yarn that I can not bare to throw away but can not decide what to do with. Hopefully this week I will be posting a total of 18 squares to various recipients and I may even be able to close one of the crates of yarn properly with having to resort to putting heavy items on top of it to get it to stay closed.

At the moment feeling the need to up the anti on my current attempts to reduce my stash piles in general and my quilting stash in particular since I have recently become obsessed with the idea of starting a Dear Jane quilt. There are so many wonderful examples of this quilt and my mind is turning over several different ideas for colours / themes for making my version it may well be that one Dear Jane quilt will not be enough. I do however think this quilt will take many many years to finish and will be a learning journey as I am still very new to quilting.

February Biscornu

2009-03-05T18:38:00.005Z

I can not believe it is over a month since I last posted. I had a great holiday, very relaxing but came home to no central heating and no hot water (and a large repair bill). I now have a warm house but for awhile things were rather cold. Work has also been a little frantic since getting home both in terms of the volume of work and also there are a few politcal things going on which makes things a little sensitive around the office.

I have decided not to bother with a February report since I have done almost no stitching, the only thing I have stitched is the little biscornu pictured above. I have been knitting but the only thing I have been knitting is squares. They are a great way of using up some of the large stash pile that I have and don't need too much thought or energy. Things have settled down a lot now so I hope that March will be a better month for crafting.

Off on my Holidays

2009-02-02T21:07:00.002Z

I have finally managed to get my packing done. I have stuffed every last corner of my case with knitting yarn and am also taking with me five stitching projects plus a crate load of Cabury's Creme Eggs. The stitching projects I have decided upon taking are:

The Big Zipper by Bent Creek

Growing Like A Tree by Moria Blackburn (because I fancied a new start)

Just Be Claus by Lizzie*Kate (because I need to get the image out of my head the Kitty gave me)

Bluebirds Message by Blackbird Designs

and a biscornu as I would like to keep up with the SAL.

Belinda, the Caron bright squares are knitted so are not part of the 63-square afghan but now I am wondering where I stashed away the start I made on teh 63-square afghan which I really really must get around to finishing one day (if I ever find it again). I should make an effort to not put away things part done and not to start anything new until I have finished all my WIPs and UFOs but then that would not be any fun.

Surrounded

2009-01-31T16:59:00.013Z

Well I knew it would happen - I am now lying on the floor of my lounge surrounded by balls and balls of knitting yarn. It looks a little like a bomb has gone off in a yarn store, I am not sure where or why I brought so much yarn. Especially the pile of very very bright Caron Simply Soft yarn. Although guessing by the pile of 7" squares that I also found I was probably intending to make a blanket but I can not remember who the blanket could have been intended for. So now what I am going turn the remaining balls into squares and either just send them off to one of the various charities or sew them into a blanket.

I have also found a nearly finished green scarf and a hald done red scarf (why do I put things away half done?). Right I must go and try to put all the yarn back into its crates.

I Can't Make up my Mind

2009-01-29T20:08:00.002Z

Having done this months required stitching I am having a hard time deciding what to stitch on for the remainder of the month (at the rate I am going it will be February before I make up my mind). Part of my dilema is that I want to start something new but really really should work on a WIP or even a UFO. The two most wintery / Christmassy WIPs that I have are Just Be Claus by Lizzie*Kate (pictured above) and Snowy Night by the Triliogy (pictured below).

On the one hand it would be nice to get one of these finished before the start on Spring but on the other hand I want to start something new, maybe a Blackbird Designs piece.

I am also having a hard time deciding on what crafting projects to pack to take on holiday. Next Wednesday I am off for a few days in the sun with friends who live in Abu Dhabi and will be getting lots of relaxation done hopefully on the beach. I will definately be taking The Big Zipper with me and some knitting plus a few other stitching projects but I am not sure what will get packed. I have a strange feeling that over the weekend I will end up getting everything out of the crates in which my stash is stored so that I can fondle it all and see what screams that it needs to be taken to the beach.

Weekend Knitting

2009-01-26T12:06:00.003Z

I decided to spend the weekend knitting rather than stitching since I fancied a change of pace but did not want to start anything big. As I could not decide what to do it was lucky that the AC4C yahoo group that I have recently joined had a weekend challenge to knit (or crochet) baby bibs and washcloths. A quick look in my stash revealed a ball of 100% cotton yarn in baby blue and a few hours later I had made one bib and one washcloth. I am adding the shop bought botties and hat as a little extra as the bibs and washcloth looked a little lonely on their own.

January's Snowman

2009-01-21T13:10:00.004Z

I have made a start on Monthly Musings by Heart in Hand Needleart and have managed to finish the January design, several of the frames and just a tiny little bit of the border. I am stitching it on a piece of 32 count natural linen using the recommended threads. I just need to hunt down the buttons which will be added to the border but have plenty of time since I plan to stitch a little each month, hopefully completing the relevant monthly design and some of the border so it will be completed by the end of the year.

January's Biscornu

2009-01-21T13:01:00.005Z

I am finally able to share photos of the biscornu which I stitched at the weekend. I used up a little scrap of fabric and a partial skein of Vikki Clayton silk which had lost its lable so I am not sure what the colour is called. The pattern is a freebie which I found somewhere on the net. I am looking to find it again and when I do I shall post a link.

The Big Zipper Progress

2009-01-11T20:23:00.009Z

I am really enjoying stitching on this piece. I will continue working on it till Friday and then will complete my January biscornu before making a start on Monthly Musings by Heart In Hand Needleart. I may end up stitching multiple biscornu (not too sure what the plural of biscornu is, or is biscornu the plural?) as I will finish one I started last year and am carrying the supplies for at least two others around with me as my travelling pieces. The plan for Monthly Musings is to stitch at least one month block plus a little of the border each month thereby completing it before the end of the year, only problem is in order to stay on track I need to put the Zipper down which is going to be really really hard. January is really to early in the year to fall behind on my stitching plan for the year.

At Last Photos

2009-01-06T19:59:00.003Z

December by Lizzie*Kate completed January 2009.

The Big Zipper by Bent Creek, started 01-Jan-2009. Stitched on 36ct natural linen using recommended colours.

At last blogger has decided to allow me to upload a couple of photos. I am still stitching away on The Big Zipper but will have to put it down this weekend to finish off the stitching I need to do on the UFO RR as mailing date is the 12th. I am also wanting to complete my January biscornu and make a start on Monthly Musings this weekend (oh well I guess the housework will just have to wait another week).

New Look

2009-01-06T13:16:00.002Z

I have decided that I need a new look for a new year so please be patient since things may look a little odd for a while.

A Good Stitching Start to 2009

2009-01-03T15:59:00.007Z

Unfortunately Blogger and I are currently not working well together and I am finding it impossible to post photos so this report will have none.

Since the begining of the year I have managed to complete December from the A Year With Charm series by Lizzie*Kate and I have made a good start (with only minimal frogging) on The Big Snapper by Bent Creek. Which I started on 01 January 2009 on 36 count natural linen using DMC stranded cotton threads plus recomended overdyed threads. I will decide about the buttons once I have completed the stitching. The original design calls for stitching over 2 on 18 count fabric so the recommended buttons will be a little large but I am sure that I wil be able to find suitable subsitutes. As I started a couple of Christmas / wintery designs before Christmas which I have not finished I might switch to stitching on them in an attempt to finish them before the end of January when I want to make a start on both my goals for 2009 and Spring themed stitching for my season collection.

As well as my previously published stitching goals I have decided to sign up for the Basket of Biscornu SAL so shall also be stitching a biscornu a month (or at least that is the plan) - I am beginging to think I may have set my goals a little high for this year but I am going to have a very good try at achieving them.

I promise to post photos just as soon as Blogger allows.

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T15:26:00.002Z

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2009.

Last night I saw the new year in with a long lost school friend who I was very happy to find again late on in 2008 after having lost touch for the best part of 10 years. We celebrated the begining of the New Year and our renewed friendship by partying the night away like we did in our late teens - dancing and singing (badly) in a night club. As a consquence my feet now hurt and I have lost my voice but I throughly enjoyed myself and it was a total change from my usual way to see in the New Year. I do not go back to work till Monday and therefore am planning on spending the nect three days sitting on the sofa (I might get dressed but then again I might stay in my PJs) catching up on watching all the tv programmes I have recorded, stitching and doing very little else. Sunday I am going over to my parents for a family meal and to meet my cousin's new fiance. Stitching wise I want to finish up a few things, make a start on Bent Creek Big Zipper and maybe a start on the border for Heart In Hand Needleart Monthly Musings.

A Chrismassy HD

2008-12-24T17:09:00.003Z

Lizzie*Kate 2007 Limited Edition Christmas Kit, started 7th November 2008 completed 23rd Decemeber 2008.

Finished just in time for Christmas (but not ironed since I am staying at my parents and my mother refuses to let me get the iron out as it does not go with the Christmas decorations). It was a really fun and, for me, quick stitch. I have a couple of other Christmasssy projects on the go but may not get them finished this year.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas.

2009 Plans

2008-12-23T14:00:00.002Z

I have been thinking about my stitching plans for 2009. Having once again said in 2008 that I wanted to reduce my stash and failing miserably. Despite finishing 30ish projects I have ended up with a couple of dozen more projects in my stash than this time last year. Almost all my 2008 finishes were of small(ish) recent additions to my stash and I hardly stitched on anything I have has in my possession for more than 12 months. Having spent some time reviewing the contents of my stash I have come to the conclusion that I love my stash all of it. So the idea for 2009 is to reconect with some of my larger and older project in my stash but also to enjoy my stitching. I am not too bothered about actually finishing anything but would like to make progress on some of my larger projects. Nor am I going to try reducing my stash but rather just practice a little restraint when going on shopping sprees. So here is the plan for 2009:

The Plan

Week 1 & 2 of every month work on any project from The Project List.

Week 3 of every month work on Monthly Musings

Rest of the month stitch on any project from either The Project List or anything else from my stash or RRs or exchanges.

The Project List

1. Noah's Ark by TW (started about 6 years ago and about one third done).

2. Angel of Spring by Lavender and Lace (started about 20 years ago and almost done).

3. Night by Maria Von Scharrenburg (can't remember when I started this but it must have been at least 5 years ago).

4. Growing Like a Tree by Moria Blackburn (not yet started but has been in my stash for years).

5. Summer Queen by Mirabillia (also not started but a long standing stash member).

6. Big Zipper by Bent Creek (a very new addition to my stash).

November Stitching Report & December Goals

2008-11-30T15:21:00.005Z

November from the A Year With Charm Series by Lizzie*Kate. Started and finished (just) in November 2008. I switched a few of the threads for ones that I thought looked more Autumny.

For November I said I would like to

1) Progress Bluebirds Message by Blackbird Designs - yes made some progress

2) Progress Their Song by Blackbird Designs - no

3) Progress Beneath the Sunlit Sky by Blackbird Designs - no

4) Progress Rose Bouquet by Derwentwater Designs - no

5) Make progress on at least one small project from my stash - definately yes I started and finished three, Tall Snowman, Celebration Winter and November

6) Make progress on at least one Christmas projct from my stash - yes started two Lizzie*Kate Christmas pieces (Ho, Ho, Ho and Just Be Claus).

3 out of 6 is not bad but I think I could have done better. I am not setting myself any goals for December since it is Christmas. The only thing I would definately like to do is make my plan for 2009 which I have already had some thoughts about but need to finalise.

Introducing Georgia

2008-11-30T14:52:00.007Z

Georgia, Christmas Angel 2008. Created by me on the 29th November from a design by Pat of Totally Patched.

Totally Patched in Bewdley is where I go to learn how to quilt or to be more accurate where I go to learn patchwork since at the moment I am rather struggling with the quilting part. As a slight change of pace I made Georgia, named after my niece. I think I may well be making more of these angels in the future.

Stitching Pictures

2008-11-30T14:41:00.005Z

Firstly my holiday finishes:

Tall Snowman by Heart In Hand Needleart, started and finished in November 2008.

Celebration Winter by Heart In Hand Needleart, started and finished in November 2008.

Secondly progress pictures:

Bluebird's Message by Blackbird Designs. I am really enjoying stitching on this piece but I think I am going to put it way for a little while to concentrate on Chritmassy stuff.

Ho, Ho, Ho by Lizzie*Kate, started while in Florida

and last but not least

Just Be Claus by Lizzie*Kate, also a new start while in Florida. I think it currently looks like a pink bat.

Finally Some Photos

2008-11-30T13:40:00.004Z

My camera is totally and utterly dead and I will just have to wait for a new one, hopefully Santa will be kind. But Mum has a great camera so when I go visiting I shall be able to take, and post - if I remember, photos.

First a few pictures of my Florida holiday;Me on the boat trip that Mum and I took along the St John River at Blue Springs State Park.

The first 'gator of our trip together with a Great Blue Heron, again at Blue Springs State Park.

Spoonbills, I just thought they were the funniest looking things ever.

Mum watching the sunset at the beach in Naples.

And finally, at least for now, me in the Lue Gardens in Orlando.

Holiday Stitching Report

2008-11-23T19:00:00.003Z

First I must apologise for the complete absence of photographs - my camera has totally broken down and is refusing to take even a bad picture. I am now asking Santa for a new camera. I will be visiting my Mum at the weekend so will try and remember to take my stitching with me to take a few photographs.

I actually managed to do quite a bit of stitching while on my travels - I took with me 2 WIPs 10 unstarted projects and have returned with 5 WIPs, 2 finishes and 6 unstarted projects. Yes, I went shopping and brought a new project - a Mill Hill ornament kit so at least it was not a large new project. I also bought several charts (26 if I must state a number) but not all the threads and fabric to complete them. As well as my new stitching stash I went to a delightful quilting shop and purchased a couple of jelly rolls, a bag pattern and a quilt pattern.

The finishes were Celebration: Winter and Tall Snowman both designed by Heart In Hand Needleart. The new starts were two Lizzie*Kate designs - Ho, Ho, Ho and Just Be Claus and Snowy Night by The Trilogy.

Holiday Report

2008-11-22T21:19:00.002Z

I am tired, jet-lagged and feeling the cold after a wonderful couple of weeks in Florida with my mother. The first couple of days were spent in Orlando getting over the travelling and getting used to driving on the other side of the road. We then travelled down to Lake Worth to visit with friends before heading over to the west coast to visit my mum's cousin who lives in Naples then back up to Orlando were we managed to meet up with a couple of my internet stitching friends for dinner at Margaritaville on Citywalk.

Highlights of the holiday (other then meeting up with family and friends again) include a trip to Blue Springs National Park where we saw manatee, our first 'gator and tons of birds, a visit to the Leu Gardens in Orlando, a safari around the Everglades and the Space Center.

I did not take my camera with me since Mum's camera is far far better than mine so I will post some photos once I have managed to get her to email some to me.

Holiday Stitching and a HD

2008-11-07T18:30:00.003Z

First the happy dance:

Celebration: Autumn by Heart In Hand Needleart

Started October 2008 and finished November 2008

I used hand-dyed threads but changed a few to ones I already had rather than buy the recommended ones. Button is also different to that shown on the original design.

When deciding on which project to take on holiday with me I did try to be sensible and only take a few projects, honestly I did. But after much deliberation and a sleepless night I have now packed the following:

Bluebirds Message and Their Song by Blackbird Designs

Snowy Night by The Trilogy

Celebration: Winter, Tall Snowman, Winter Bird and Christmas Bird by Heart In Hand Needleart

Here Comes Santa Claus, Just Be Claus, 'Tis The Season, Santa's Got the Goods and Ho Ho Ho by Lizzie*Kate.
All but the two Blackbird Designs are or will be new starts. I know that 12 projects is more than I will be able to finish or probally even start and that some will come home without a single stitch added to them but I could not decide which ones to leave behind. At least this way I have plenty to choose from and I do plan to spend the whole of the plane journey stitching. I will let you all know how I got on when I return in 2 weeks.

October Progress and November Goals

2008-11-01T19:15:00.002Z

For October I said I would:
1) Progress Bluebirds Message by Blackbird Designs - Yes
2) Progress Their Song by Blackbird Designs - No didn't even stitch one single stitch
3) Progress Beneath the Sunlit Sky by Blackbird Designs - Not even on stitch done
4) Progress Rose Bouquet bu Derwentwater Designs - Yes managed about 10 stitches
5) Make progress on at least one small project from my stash- Yes finished October by Lizzie*Kate and started Celebration: Autumn by Heart in Hand Needlearts.
(No photos because there has been no noticable progress since I last posted photos.)

For November I would once again like to
1) Progress Bluebirds Message by Blackbird Designs
2) Progress Their Song by Blackbird Designs
3) Progress Beneath the Sunlit Sky by Blackbird Designs
4) Progress Rose Bouquet by Derwentwater Designs
5) Make progress on at least one small project from my stash
Plus
6) Make progress on at least one Christmas projct from my stash

I am going away next Saturday for a forghtnight so should get loads of stitching done - tomorrows task is to decide which projects to take travelling it is tempting but not overly practical to take all of them with me.

October HD and Progess

2008-10-29T19:38:00.003Z

In between quilting sessions I have been doing a little bit of stitching. Also the weather here in the UK has turned very very wintery which has encouraged me to sit on the sofa in front of the fire and stitch.

October from the A Year With Charm Series by Lizzie*Kate, started and finished in Oct-2008. (Sorry about the wonky picture it is straight honest).

Bluebirds Message by Blackbird Designs
(I am really enjoying stitching on this and am having a hard time putting it down to stitch on the other pieces on my 'to progress' list).

Celebration Autumn bu Heart In Hand Needleart.

A new start to celebrate finishing October.

My First Quilt (almost)

2008-10-19T19:36:00.004+01:00

Back in August I started quilting classes, which I am really enjoying and have managed to get my first ever quilt top finished. It is now sandwiched up all ready for quilting. It is by no ways perfect but I am very pleased with it. In the sort time that I have been quilting I have become addicted to buying fabric and already have a large(ish) stash which is growing faster than I can turn it into quilts.

A Little Happy Dancing

2008-10-07T19:24:00.003+01:00

Over the weekend I managed a small finish. September from the A Year With Charm Series by Lizzie*Kate. I mainly used the called for threads but did change the yellow and golden colour to one that I already had and used a fabric from my stash so I did reduce my stash even though I brought the chart.

Talking of stash the postman delivered one of my September parcels, all of it is gorgeous and I must finish other stuff before starting to stitch any of it. I am begining to come round to the idea of having a stash clear out and giving away some of the stuff that I know I will never stitch, not sure I will be able to go through with the idea though so watch this space.

Stitching wise I am going to work on Bluebird Message for a little while. This currently only has a few stitches done (see photo below) but hopefully will be a little better progressed by the end of the month.

September Stitching Report

2008-10-01T11:21:00.003+01:00

My aim for September was to progress five projects - Their Song, Beneath the Sunlit Sky and Bluebirds Message by Blackbird Designs, Rose Bouquet by Derwentwater Designs and a small project. I have to report that my stitching time has been somewhat limited by my recently aquired quilting habit but I have stitched at least one length of thread on each project. The progress is so small that I have not taken any progress photos but hope to be able to share some next week since I am planning on spending this coming weekend stitching, my sewing machine has had to go in for some repairs so I can not get distracted by my patchwork.

My October stitching goals are the same as Septembers were, I really want to finish several of my medium sized projects before the end of the year since I have been on a recent shopping spree which has added several projects to my stash pile. Once the postman has delivered my purchases I shall post a few pictures.

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to read and comment on my blog it is lovely to know that you are out there and I love reading all your comments even if I do not find the time to reply to each one. I am going to try and make a much better attempt at reading and commenting on other blogs.

Three Things

2008-09-14T10:30:00.007+01:00

Firstly, as promised two belated happy dance photos:

The Littles Bunny by Bent Creek, started and finished in August 2008

Autumn ABCs by Lizzie*Kate, started and finished in August 2008

Secondly, I must confess to falling off The Wagon. After a very (well for me) restrained shopping experience at the Quilting Festival at the NEC last month and also a very good (for me) stitching month with several finishes I went a bit mad. I now have a small pile of Autumn and Winter small charts (I think I am going to be able to use threads and fabric from my stash for all of them), a couple of new Christmas stitching projects, all the 2008 Loose Feathers designs released so far (and I will be buying the rest and also be stitching the mystery sampler) and enough fabric to sew at least 3 quilt tops (still to finish my first one but a girl must have stash). When I fall off The Wagon I do it well.

Finally, I had been planning to start several of my Loose Feather projects this month and try to finish as many as possible before the end of the year since I am sure to want to buy the 2009 ones (assuming there will be some) and I still have some dating from 2006 to start. However while trying to decided on which of my UFOs to send out on the next round robin I was overcome with guilt about the UFOs so I have come up with yet another plan. I am going to set up a five piece rotation, the first 3 pieces will be Loose Feathers designs, the fourth a UFO and the last one a small design. I then will stitch on which ever piece is screaming the loudest with the only rule being that every month I must make some progress on each of the five projects.

To start with the rotation will be:

Project 1: Beneath the Sunlit Sky by Blackbird Designs, already started and pictured below;

Project 2: Their Song by Blackbird Designs, a new start;

Project 3: Bluebirds Message, by Blackbird Designs, another new start

Project 4: Rose Bouquet by Derwentwater Designs, a UFO of many years standing. As you can see from the picture below it was started and then put away for reasons now unknown with very few stitches added.

Project 5: Undecided as yet but I have pulled out the following charts: Lizzie*Kate's September, October, November & Autumn Basket, Heart In Hand Celebration Autumn, Autumn Bird & Halloween Bird and The Trilogy's Autumn House.

More Happy Dancing

2008-09-06T19:44:00.004+01:00

August from the Year with Charm series by Lizzie*Kate,

started and completed in August 2008

Snowbound by Bent Creek

Started and finished Sugust 2008

I have been very busy stitching this past month and have managed a few more finishes. As well as the two pictured I have also finished the stitching on several smalls but I will post pictures of them once the finishing has been completed. I have also complete Autumn ABC by Lizzie*Kate and The Littles Bunny by Bent Creek but my computer has eaten the photos I took of these pieces so I will post pictures late once I have got new batteries for my camera.

A Trio of Happy Dances

2008-08-13T12:38:00.003+01:00

I have been rather busy with my stitching and have managed to complete three small projects.

Awake the Dawning Day

by Blackbird Designs

Summer Bird

by Heart In Hand Needleart

July

From A Year With Charm series by Lizzie*Kate

Part of the reason I have been trying to finish a few stitching projects is that I had my first quilting lesson last week and think I am already addicted so I need to clear out some space in my crafting stash cupboards to make way for quilting supplies. This weekend I am off to the Festival Of Quilts at the NEC and I do not see myself coming away from the show without a few (well truth be told several) purchases.

The Stitching Bug Has Bitten Again

2008-08-04T13:51:00.003+01:00

I have well and truly been bitten by the stitching bug this weekend. The last few weeks have been rather frantic and stressful at work leading to me spending far too many hours in the office and several sleepless nights. So I decided to have a quiet weekend sitting on my sofa catching up with my TV watching. The end result is that I managed to stitch for 20 plus hours completing Spring Bird by Heart In Hand Needleart (just needed to add the button as I completed the stitching months ago but it is now ready to go to the framers), June from the Lizzie*Kate series a Year with Charm and the house from Awake the Dawning Day. I think I can now safely say that I am over my stitching slump.I also made a start on Summer Bird and sorted out all the threads and fabric for another couple of small designs which I hope to complete this month.
The only other thing that got done this weekend was a trip to my LNS to drop off a few things for framing. While there I purchased four new charts – September from the Lizzie*Kate series a Year with Charm, The Littles Bunny by Bent Creek, Autumn House by The Trilogy and Autumn Celebration by Heart in Hand Needleart. I was good and did not purchase the threads & fabric to stitch these just the charts and embellishments. Hopefully I will be able to kit them up using stashed fabric and threads.

Knitting HDs

2008-07-22T13:09:00.003+01:00

Once again it seems that I have been too busy to post to my blog and this time I also have the excuse that my internet connection has been playing up. I am in a bit of a knitting frenzy at the moment and have managed to complete another baby blanket, several squares and a sock.

The baby blanket was knitted using a single 100 gram ball of James C Brett Magi Baby DK yarn. As I did not want to knit a plain blanket I added a border of feather & fan stitches to the short ends and a garter stitch border along the long sides. I love knitting but hate making up so a self-edging baby blanket is great since the only stitching needed is to finish off the ends.
The squares where a means to use up a ball of variegated DK yarn that I had no idea what else to knit with and will be sent along with the blanket to Loving Hands. I am very pleased to find a UK based organisation to send knitted items to for distribution to various charitable causes. I will definitely by sending more items to them in the near future.
The sock is just a basic plain sock knit from Rico Hobby Print yarn. I would not normally pick such a vivid colourway but love the way it has knitted up. The yarn came in a kit containing two 50 gram balls, a sock pattern (which I did not like the look of for some reason) and a set of dpns. I think I have enough yarn left from the first ball to knit a trainer or very short ankle sock, so instead of casting on the second sock to complete the pair I have cast on a sock to start a new pair just to see if I can knit two pairs of socks from 100 gram of yarn. I also have this yarn in two other colours and am itching to start socks in them as well but am trying to be good and not cast on more than one sock at a time. I just have this feeling that I could end up with a dozen unfinished socks if I am not careful.

I have not completely abandoned my stitching and am still working on Awake the Dawning Day by Blackbird Designs and hope to have made enough progress by the end of this week to justify posting a progress picture.

Yarn Yarn and More Yarn

2008-06-24T19:09:00.005+01:00

In order to help with my de-stashing I decided the other night to start a re-organsation of my stash. The first stage of which was to pull together all the knitting yarn and I was a little shocked at the size of the mountain (all the crates and bags pictured above are stuffed full of yarn, the lid on one crate only closes because the other crate is sitting on top of it). I have also put away all my other crafting projects with the exception of Awake the Dawning Day, Spring Bird & the UFO round robin pieces and I plan for the time being to concentrate on turning a few of the many skiens of wool that I have into something usefull. To this end I have started a baby blanket and some blanket squares. I have however decided to wait to count the skeins of wool until after I have finished a few since there are not enough hours in the day.

Flying By

2008-06-21T21:21:00.011+01:00

For some reason this year is flying past, yesterday was the longest day of the year but it hardly feels like summer. Since my last post both my father and my friend are making good progress towards making full recoveries from their illnesses although the doctors are still puzzled over the reasons for my friends ill health. I have been busy both with work and my crafting (I have managed to finish the baby blanket pictured below) and have been away on holiday.

The first weekend in June was spent in a lovely cottage in Derbyshire in the company of several fellow stitchers. It was great to get away for a few days although spending a weekend in the company of other crafters has resulted in me gaining several charts to add to my collection thanks to the generosity of Sheila, Lindsay and Paula. As well as gaining stash the other problem with spending time with other crafters is that they bring along things to share and to show which results in the need to start new things. In this instance I have decided to finally give in to the desire to learn quilt making so on the way home I called into a quilting shop and have started my quilting stash with the purchase a three pieces of fabric and a book. Two kits to make chickens also decided that they needed to come home with me. Now all I need to do is find the time to learn how to make a quilt.

Lazy Sunday

2008-06-01T16:38:00.003+01:00

I am having a very lazy day today, I am spending a lot of quality time with my sofa and doing nothing more energetic than a little bit of knitting and some stitching. The last couple of weeks have been a real rollercoaster ride and I need some down time. I finally got myself back to what passes for normal for me when one of my closest friends and neighbour became very ill - she still has not had a definate diagnosis but is scheduled for exploratory surgery this coming Tuesday. And then on Thursday my father was rushed to hospital in extreme pain, after a sleepless night for all the family he has been diagnosed with gall stones and an infection. Once the infection is under control he will need an operation but is feeling much better now he knows what is wrong.

All this has left me with little time for the internet but I have been crafting. Since I last posted I have completed several braclets (apologies for the poor photographs)

and have added a few personal touches to a plain plastic pot that I had lying around which I am now using to contain my finishing reward fund.

Yesterday I put in the last few stitches and added the buttons to Spring House by The The Trilogy but forgot to take a photograph before taking it to my framers. While at the framers which doubles as my LNS I purchased five charts by Heart In Hand Needleart, the border for their Monthly Markings series and the first four months. This is my first purchase since I started my finishing reward fund. I now just need to finish a few more things so that I have some money to spend on more stuff.

I've Been Thinking (again)

2008-04-25T11:37:00.002+01:00

Firstly thank you for the kind comments on my last post, I promise to try and post more regularly from now on.

Secondly I have been thinking about my stash and have decided that being on the crafting wagon is not for me but on the other hand I really really want to reduce the amount of stuff I have lying around the house waiting for me to create something with it. Not only do I have loads of stuff for my long-term hobbies (cross-stitching, knitting and beading) but I also have a very bad habit of deciding that I am going to try a new hobby and then going wild buying supplies before actually doing anything. For example when my niece was born 5 years ago I decided to take up card making and scrap booking. I promptly went out and purchased 4 large crates full of supplies and to date have created 1 scrapbook page and about a dozen cards. So in order to help me stay focused on finishing projects and not buying large quantities of new stuff I have decided to set up a “finished it fund”. The idea being that each time I finish a project I will put aside a pre-determined amount of money. This will then be the only money that I am allowed to spend on crafting related purchases. The sum of money set aside following each finish will be determined based on the type and size of project plus time taken to finish but within the following limits:
Card – 25p to £1
Scrapbook page – 50p to £2
Gift Tag – 10p to £1
Gift box / bag – 50p to £2
Pair of earrings – 50p to £2
Bracelet - £1 to £3
Necklace - £2 to £5
Knitting or stitching projects – £1 to £10
Note: Stitching projects that are to be framed will count as a finish once all the stitching is complete. Stitched pieces to be finished by other means (e.g. flat folds, pincushions, bags etc.) will only count once stitched and finished.

For Margaret

2008-04-19T09:31:00.005+01:00

A progress picture of Awake the Dawning Day:

Sorry I have not been around much but I have been struggling with a neck injury which is resulting in loss of sensation or severe pain (I am unable to decide which is worse the feeling that the arm has been amputated at the shoulder or intense pain) in my left arm. This has led to, in part to a bout of the blues and a massive round of comfort eating which means my weight has sky rocketed and has led to me feeling even worse about myself. I have also had to restrict the amount of time I spend stitching, knitting and gardening as all of these become painful after awhile. However yesterday after months of seeing doctors and various consultants at the hospital I had an appointment with yet another specialist but this time came away feeling that progress has finally been made towards sorting out my arm and maybe getting back to normal. Last night I got a good nights sleep in for the first time in months and have woken in a much more positive frame of mind and really feel that a corner has been turned. So no more feeling sorry for myself just postitive thinking from now on.

January Results and February Goals

2008-02-03T11:19:00.000Z

January was a good month for stitching. I managed to exceed my goals and finished a total of 6 projects. The last of which is Spring Banner by Lizzie*Kate pictured above. I also managed to complete the first two squares on Springology by The Trilogy and to make some progress on the two Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers projects that are current WIPs.

Awake the Dawning Day by Blackbird Designs.

Stash wise I have managed to limit purchases to a new pair of scissors, a single skein of GAST thread, a packet of needles, some mount board and three fat-quarters of cotton fabric. The last two are to be used to finish the Lizzie*Kate months that I finished the stitching in January as flat folds. On the downside I have been seduced by the siren call of a new hobby. While in my LNS picking up some framing (one good thing about not buying stash is I now have money to pay for long finished projects to be framed) I purchased a needle felting kit. I made a start on it over the past weekend and think I am going to be addicted. However I have promised myself to only buy the supplies for one felting project at a time and not to build up a huge stash pile.

I have decided to leave February’s goals as originally planned (even though I have already completed one). If I finish Feb’s goals before the end of the month I will put in some extra hours on some of my WIPs.

A Trio Of HDs

2008-01-19T17:30:00.000Z

I decided to start on my spring stitching so that I have some pieces ready to go on display on the first day of spring. So far I have managed to finish these three designs from the Lizzie*Kate A Year With Charm series. At the moment I am undecided on how to finish them, originally I was going to get them framed but I am now considering turning them into flatfolds. I have never finished anything as a flatfold but I have found some very good instructions so might give it a go. Finishing them as flatfolds will give me a great excuse to visit my local quilting shop for some fabric.

A Little HD

2008-01-06T10:51:00.000Z

I completed this late last night:

The Littles Snowman by Bent Creek.

New Year New Starts

2008-01-05T19:09:00.000Z

Since it is January I am allowing myself to indulge in some new starts. Normally I would start something of significant size during January but this year I am limiting myself to medium and small projects. So far I have started:

Beneath The Sunlit Sky by Blackbird Designs, started 01-Jan-08.

Springology by The Trilogy, started 02-Jan-08.

I have also started The Little Snowman by Bent Creek but am so close to finishing it I thought I would not photo it will its HD. I must apologise for the very poor quality of the photos, I waited till this morning to take them in daylight but still needed to use the flash and it seems to have washed out the colours & my camera is very old hence the blurry images.

Setting Goals

2008-01-04T12:10:00.000Z

I have decided that in order to maintain my focus throughout 2008 I need to set myself monthly goals. I have planned the whole year but am only going to post the first three months since I intend to review my progress every quarter and amend the following months as necessary.

January Goals

Start and finish Snow by Heart In Hand Needleart (a bit of a cheat since I have alreay completed this goal)
Start Beneath The Sunlit Sky by Blackbird Designs (also already done)
Start and finish Littles Snowman by Bent Creek
Complete two squares on Springology by The Trilogy
Progress Awake the Dawning Day by Blackbird Designs
Start and finish A Year With Charm March by Lizzie*Kate
Start and finish A Year With Charm April by Lizzie*Kate

February Goals

Start and finish A Year With Charm May by Lizzie*Kate
Start and finish Spring House by The Trilogy
Complete two squares on Springology by The Trilogy
Progress Awake the Dawning Day by Blackbird Designs
Start and finish Spring Bird by Heart In Hand Needleart

March Goals

Start and finish Easter Bird by Heart In Hand Needleart
Complete Springology
Complete Awake the Dawning Day
Start and finish A Year With Charm June

A Happy New Year and A Happy Dance

2008-01-01T20:42:00.000Z

Snow by Heart in Hand Needleart, started 31-Dec-07 completed 01-01-08.

The flash has washed out the colour of the fabric which is a pale blue but I did not want to wait till the weekend to take a photo in the daylight. This was a really fun and quick stitch. I wanted to get 2008 off to a great start as it is my year for stash reduction. If I am to get below 100 fully kitted projects in my stash before the end of the year I need to finish on average 4 projects per month - unless I buy anything extra during the year. I am going to try and buy as little as possible this year after the bumper Christmas I had.

I would like to wish everyone who reads this blog a happy and helathy new year. I would also like to say thank-you for all the lovely comments that are left here, I truly appreaciate each and every one.

The Last HD of 2007

2007-12-31T16:14:00.000Z

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

2007-12-31T12:01:00.000Z

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

2007-12-30T13:18:00.000Z

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

2007-12-28T14:13:00.000Z

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

2007-12-28T09:38:00.000Z

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

2007-12-26T09:49:00.000Z

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

2007-12-21T13:25:00.000Z

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

2007-12-13T10:00:00.000Z

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

2007-12-11T11:55:00.000Z

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

2007-12-08T10:51:00.000Z

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

2007-12-02T11:21:00.000Z

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

2007-12-01T10:21:00.000Z

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:

CA Wells - Cottage Etui Pincushion (just needs finishing)
Country Cottage Needleworks - Ladybugs and Bumblebees
Forget-me-knot-in-stitches - Album (just needs finishing)
Heart in Hand Needleart - Wee Santa '97
JBW Designs - The Reindeer Sampler
Just Nan - Celeste
Just Nan - Grace
Little House Needleworks - Paper Whites
Lizzie*Kate - A Banner Year Spring
Sue Hawkins - Pansy Pincushion
Sue Hawkins - Zebra Bookmark
Sue Hawkins - Zig Zag Scissor Keeper
The Sweetheart Tree - Lavender Luminescence
The Trilogy - Bucky the Snowman
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.

A Little Happy Dance

2007-11-26T19:57:00.000Z

The Littles Santa by Bent Creek.

Started and finished in Novemeber 2007.

Class Report

2007-11-23T20:46:00.000Z

Last weekend I went down to London to attend CA Well class arranged by Susan Albury of Hanging by a Thread. While the hotel I choose to stay in was a huge disappointment the class more than made up for the bad nights sleep. The class, venue and lunch was once again wonderfully organised by Susan and Sara. The teacher was delightful, patient, informative and encouraging. I am fast becoming addicted to CA’s designs and am sure that I will be doing many more. It was also amazing to see all the peacock needlecases, which the other attendees had stitched, and to meet up with friends old & new. Needless to say I did not finish my needlecase but hope to do so before too long.

I must confess to two new purchases – Acorn Harvest First Stitch Finders by Historic Stitches and Needle Cottage by CA Wells and that I have just ordered two Lauren Sauer kits (Melon Bag and Drawing Lady’s Portfolio) from Susan. These take my stash total to 132 fully kitted stitching projects, and I am currently refusing to consider how many beading and knitting projects I have. I have a very nasty feeling that the grand total will be over 200.

Since getting back from London I have not got much stitching done but want to try and complete Little Santa tonight since I have a trip to my LNS planned tomorrow and I would like to take it with me to get it framed. It can then be the first piece to be hung on my seasonal stitching wall. Talking of my seasonal wall I have realised that I have got very few seasonal projects in my stash. This has got me thinking (at the moment I seem to be doing more thinking, and talking, about my crafts than doing anything productive) that I need to buy a few more projects. However, since I also want to reduce my stash pile I have decided that I will purchase 4 small summer themed projects then for each one I complete I will purchase an autumn themed project and so on through the seasons. I have decided to start with summer rather than Spring as I then have a better chance of getting a couple of projects finished and on the wall.

So far the 2008 plan is to work on my rotation with a few seasonal pieces added to the small / finishing project list. Once I have finished either Awake The Dawning Day or Noah’s Ark I will allocate at least one slot to seasonal projects. For each season project I finish I will purchase a new one, and for every 6 other projects finished (of any type) I will purchase one new project. This way I can make progress on my seasonal wall and also reduce my stash piles. There is no point only restricting my stitching purchases as this will only lead to a massive growth in my knitting & beading stash I have to restrict all purchases.