Another update

Garden Verses got quite a bit of attention on Monday, but not so much yesterday. I'm really enjoying working on this one. I'm going to do some more on it today, of course, but after that, I think I might just have to start something new. I have a lot of smalls that are calling my name. ;)



I also got some good mail this week-- the jewel for Malachite Maze arrived! :) I'll be taking this one to the framer soon.

The most wonderful time of the year...

That's right... WIMBLEDON!!! I watch plenty (okay, probably too much) of tennis, but this is the big one. The bonus is that I'll probably get lots of stitching done. I'll need something to do if I'm going to spend that many hours in front of the television. ;)

I've gotten back to work on Garden Verses, so that project will probably get some attention over the next two weeks. Actually, I've been working on it quite a bit today while watching a rebroadcast of the 2008 men's final. I even took a couple of recent update photos.

This is from Wednesday, June 16:



And here it is today:



I also started a new project this week, Secret Pumpkin Patch by the Trilogy. I would probably have finished this one already, if my cats hadn't absconded with some of the floss. I wish I knew where they buried it.

Counted Canvas

While on vacation in April, I checked out a wonderful shop (Weaver's Webb, in New Bern, NC). I went in intending to purchase some new sock yarn, but instead got distracted by their wonderful collection of counted canvas patterns and supplies. I could have gone absolutely wild in that shop, but managed to show some restraint, just in case I wasn't wild about stitching on canvas. I chose a few patterns, mostly by Laura Perin, and had one of them kitted up.

The pattern I decided to kit-up and stitch first was Malachite Maze. I couldn't wait to get started, and I rapidly became obsessed with stitching it. This was a nice change from my usual stitching, and the fibers were absolutely yummy. I finished it on Monday, except for one tiny jewel that I need to replace. The photo is a bit lop-sided (photographer error) and it really doesn't do the piece justice.



Since I've had a few finishes recently, I decided to treat myself to a new start... The Decorator by Full Circle designs, from the 2007 JCS ornaments issue. The fabric in the background is what I plan to use for finishing. All I need to do is drag out the sewing machine. I wonder how long that will take? LOL

A couple of finishes

Wow... it really has been a long time since my last post. I finished a couple of things in the meantime. Both of them were UFOs that had frustrated me YEARS ago, so I'm quite happy about having them out of the way.

The first finish was a Dimensions Daydreams kit. I'm not fond of working on Aida and had the extra problem of having miscounted one of the squares. Of course, I didn't know this until I had stitched most of it, so major frogging was necessary. At the time when it happened, I simply couldn't stand the thought of it and put the project aside. At any rate, it is finished now. :)



The next finish was much more challenging. This came as a kit-- one of three that I've purchased from this designer. I've had nothing but trouble with every one of them, but this was by far the worst of the bunch. The design was apparently done for the 1998 CATS festival, as it has this charted on the design, although it is not shown on the kit photo. The kit photo shows a blank space where the "CATS 1998" would be. Since the top & bottom three bands are identical, it looks like they simply left something off. Try to imagine a blank space between my bottom two rows, and you'll get the idea.

Kits from this designer are widely known for their shortages. I was aware of this when I started, thanks to first-hand experience with the two previous kits. Even so, I wasn't quite smart enough to check thoroughly before starting it. Silly me! I found out, too late, that the fabric was too short. Not just a little too short, but WAY too short.

Disgusted, I put the thing down. Fast forward about 10 years, and I pulled it back out again. I decided to start over. But, as I had already stitched about 1/3 of the design, there wasn't enough overdyed silk to start again. (There was barely enough in the kit to do the entire design once, much less make any mistake along the way.) This necessitated a color change. I decided to use Waterlilies "Harvest" floss on Apricot linen. Unfortunately, the colors didn't show well in my photo... poor lighting, and perhaps the wrong lens filter, I think.

Starting over wasn't so bad. The new colors suited me a bit better. But of course, there were more kit problems. First, there wasn't nearly enough #8 perle cotton. I had plenty in my stash, but that doesn't change the fact that this was a kit and should have had the correct supplies. To make up for the shortage of #8, there was WAY too much #12 perle. The instructions also had various flaws, mostly instructions that didn't match up to what was on the pattern. Easy stuff to figure out as long as you're paying attention, but just one more thing that shows poor quality control.

Aside from the kit issues, I also had several stitcher-created problems along the way. I took this project on a vacation in April and did a lot of the work on it then. Not being very bright, I decided that it would be a good idea to work on the Hardanger edging in the evening... in poor light... while I was tired from a day of sight-seeing. BAD idea! I ended up cutting the wrong threads (of course) and got to do some really fun (NOT!) Hardanger repair.

In case you haven't guessed, I am really, really glad this is done! LOL

Just a quick post...

I have lots of updates to share, but no time to post all of them. The short version...

Wee Spring is finished, or the stitching is, anyway. I still need to figure out how to FINISH it.



I haven't done much lately on Garden Verses, but LindaK requested a pic, so here 'tis. Hmmm... looking at it now, I realize that it has grown quite a bit since the last time I took a photo of it. I really need to be more regular with progress pictures.




And, a picture of my TUSAL, taken on March 19... a few days late, and even later with posting it.



There's more, of course, but it will have to wait until later.

Thinking Spring

Our crocus are blooming! That always puts me in the mood for spring. The only drawback is that my fondness for flowers translates into a LOT of work. Lately, I've spent more time on my hands and knees in the flower beds than I have stitching. By the time I sit down to stitch, I'm too sore & tired to hold a needle.

With the improved weather, I thought some spring-themed stitching was in order. So, I started Wee Spring, by Heart in Hand. The photo isn't very good-- poor lighting. The fabric is really a much prettier shade of yellow than shown here. I'm not 100% happy with the way the white is (or isn't) showing up against the fabric. Perhaps a bit of backstitching will be in order.



I also took a photo of the needleroll that I stitched last month. The stitching is complete, but it still needs charms. I didn't have anything suitable on-hand, so the actual "finish" will have to wait a bit longer.

February Review

Wow... where did February go? Or March, for that matter?

First things first-- my TUSAL progress. This was supposed to be posted on February 15. I took the photo on time, but never managed to get it online. I still haven't figured out how to get a decent picture of a brandy snifter.

My TUSAL container is a bit fuller now, but not by much. I haven't done a whole lot of stitching so far this month. For whatever reason, I just haven't been very motivated lately.

As for my February goals... they didn't go so well. Here's the review-- with accompanying notes/excuses.

1. Finish Lacy Ribs socks - not finished. I have about 1 1/2 socks so far. I planned to do these in boot length, but after completing sock #1, I realized that I really didn't like the length, so I had to UN-KNIT (ugh!!!!!) half of the sock. After that tedious bit of work, I lost most of my motivation to work on these socks. I'm pretty close though, and should have them finished this month.

2. Spend at least 10 hours on PIG - DONE!!! It doesn't look like much progress to me, but it was a good 10 hours or more.

3. Work on Adia at least once (this is a real challenge, as I have sort of hit the wall with this one) - Okay, I'll be honest... I never even took it out of the drawer.

4. Continue working on Garden Verses - At last, a goal I can actually meet! This was one of the few things I actually worked on in February. It's coming along quite nicely. Updated photo soon.

5. Assemble one FUFO - I really had to force myself, but I did assemble a FUFO. I chose Sekas' Valentine Heart, a project that has been completed for years but never assembled. I'm not altogether thrilled with the way it turned out. I used a pillow form, but think it would have been better just to use fiberfill.



6. Start & finish a needleroll (assembly included!) - Close, but not quite. I stitched a cute little snowman piece during the February blizzard. The stitching is completed, and the ends are finished. I need to find two charms for it, though. Other than that, it just needs to be sewn & stuffed.

All in all, I'm less than thrilled with my February progress. For March, I think I'll just try to finish the uncompleted February items.

January Review & February Goals

I'm not sure how I feel about my January goals. It isn't a bad start, I guess.

1. Start a new project - started two: Mirabilia's Garden Verses and ST's Snowflakes in the Pines
2. Finish Prairie Garden - NOT done, due to missing floss issue. The floss still has not turned up, btw.
3. Finish Boo Jack - completed January 15
4. Work on PIG at least once - done, but only by a technicality. I didn't work on this until January 31, but I did work on it.

I also completed Snowflakes in the Pines, just so that I would have something finished besides Boo Jack for the month of January.

Garden Verses is still quite blob-like, but I'm making progress.



For February, I'd like to be a bit more ambitious:

1. Finish Lacy Ribs socks
2. Spend at least 10 hours on PIG
3. Work on Adia at least once (this is a real challenge, as I have sort of hit the wall with this one)
4. Continue working on Garden Verses
5. Assemble one FUFO
6. Start & finish a needleroll (assembly included!)

The Lacy Ribs socks that I'm currently working on are from the book Socks from the Toe Up. This is the first time I've tried knitting socks this way, and I'm not sure I like it. I'm also not sure how I feel about knitting socks on circulars. I guess I'm a bit old-fashioned in my fondness for DPNs and Kitchener stitch. LOL However, I do like that I can try the socks on easily as I go. That has been especially important for this pair, as I have decided to do them boot length.

If anyone knows a good way of photographing socks-in-progress, please tell me about it! I'm never happy with the way these photos turn out, and short of taking the picture with the sock ON my foot, I'm not sure how to improve it.

Revenge Stitching & a New SAL

I was so irritated at misplacing my threads from Prairie Garden that I decided a bit of Stitcher's Revenge was in order. What better way to make oneself feel better than to start a new project? I was determined to finish one more project this month and wanted something small. Snowflakes in the Pines by Sweetheart Tree fit the bill perfectly.

The fabric is a 28 ct. from my stash... Cafe au Lait, maybe? I had to change the floss colors a bit. The snowflakes were charted in ecru. Really. Ecru. For snowflakes??? That just wouldn't do, so I replaced it with B5200, which naturally meant that the beads would need to be white rather than the cream that was charted. Because I didn't use the recommended fabric, the green (502) didn't work... so that changed to 895. Overall, I'm quite happy with the way this one turned out.

So many of these small projects have piled up in my FUFO drawer that I really do need to set aside some time to work on some finishing. Stay tuned...

Meanwhile, I signed up for the Totally Useless Stitch Along (TUSAL) on Yoyo's blog. The "challenge" is to collect orts for the entire year, showing progress pictures along the way. The concept of an ort-collecting "stitch along" was rather funny, and I figured that it was one SAL that I actually might be capable of completing. More details on this fun SAL are here.

I was planning to use a plain ol' quart jar but decided that a large brandy snifter would be more fun. It was just sitting around collecting dust anyway; better that it should be used to collect orts. If you look very closely, you'll see a few snippets of thread. I also added some petite seed beads from Snowflakes in the Pines.

AAARRRGGHHHHH!!!!

Ever have one of those days? I'm having one right now, thanks in part to Prairie Garden and my complete lack of organization. I was all set to work on Prairie Garden, with the plan to finish it over the weekend. I pulled out the project & the pattern and then realized, much to my dismay, that the threads are missing.

I searched and searched, with no sign of the threads anywhere. They're somewhere in the house, I just don't know exactly where. I was more organized than usual with this project. Rather than the usual tumble of threads, I actually used a floss sorter for these. Somehow, the floss sorter (along with all of the floss) is not with the rest of the project. To make matters worse, this project is stitched with silks, not DMC, so it isn't as though I can just run out and get more floss. I'm sure the threads will turn up at some point when I'm least expecting it, but until then... I'm stuck and can't do a thing on this project.

I guess that is one January goal that will not be met.

The Blob

...has grown a bit. When I started this, I was concerned that the fabric may not be large enough. It's a fat quarter, and just fits with about 2" to spare on the sides. At this point I've stitched far enough toward the left side that I'm now certain it will fit. I may need to attach strips of muslin for framing, but there is plenty of room for the stitching, at least. :)



So far, I seem to be on-track with my stitching goals for January. I've started GV and finished Boo Jack, which means I am half-way there. All that's left now is to finish stitching Prairie Garden and work on PIG.

First 2010 Happy Dance

I finished Boo Jack last night! :)

Lazy

That is the word that best describes me today. I had good intentions of going to basketweaving this evening, but I talked myself out of it. It has been a while since my last basket and I really should go, but I'm just not motivated to go out into the cold.

I think I'll stay home and stitch instead.

Boo Jack is nearly finished, though it isn't exactly a pleasure to work on. I'm not sure what it is that I dislike. Perhaps it's the relatively large blocks of a single color, stitched over one. That type of stitching has never been a favorite. At any rate, it's nearly finished and won't be a problem much longer.



I also realized that I never bothered to post a picture of my last 2009 finish. The design is Itty Bitty Honey, by Twisted Threads.



This little thing has been a UFO for ages. I'm not sure exactly when it was started, but I finished the companion piece, Bitty Bee, in 2001... or so says the date on the project. The bee was a quick stitch. The hive, not so much. The dreaded frog visited the hive a couple of times, and we all know what it's like to frog over one. Not fun!



Initially, I thought these might be the front & back of a scissor fob. Now I'm not so sure.

New Project & Goals

The new year wouldn't be complete without a new project start for me. I did so little stitching last year that I felt that I needed to begin 2010 with something large. Mirabilia's Garden Verses seemed to fit the bill. I started this on January 1, so there really isn't much to show. I've included the pattern photo, so that you can see that it will be more than just a big blob when finished. Thankfully, this is an older Mirabilia and does not have so much of the UFO-inducing metallics, beads and embellishments, just a bit of gold DMC for a bit of sparkle.



I've also decided to go back to my old habit of setting monthly stitching goals. This has fallen by the wayside over the last few years, and I feel as though I accomplish a lot less without setting some goals for myself. For January, I'm starting small.

1. Start a new project (done!)
2. Finish Prairie Garden
3. Finish Boo Jack
4. Work on PIG at least once

End of Year Finish

I managed to squeeze in a couple of finishes before the end of 2009. The first was All in a Moon, by Miss Crescent's Crowne. I still need to figure out what I'm going to use for the buttons, but at least the stitching is completed. I also finished Itty Bitty Honey, but there is no photo as yet.

This was stitched on 28 ct. linen from Silkweaver, using WDW and GAST floss that I had on-hand.



The snow has melted, but I can't resist sharing a couple more pictures of it. I actually made BF drive me around a day or two after the snowstorm, on a bit of a photography expedition. Every so often I shouted "STOP!" at which point, I hopped out of the truck and started snapping pictures like a maniac. A couple of them were even worth keeping!

SNOW!!!!!

We're in the midst of the big 2009 snow that hit the eastern US. It started Friday evening and kept going well into Saturday night. I haven't measured it, but looks like about 18" to 20" of white stuff. Thankfully, we have plenty of supplies and don't need to go anywhere, so we haven't done much to dig ourselves out.

My camera frustrations got the better of me last week. I broke down and ordered a Nikon DSLR. It arrived just in time for the snow. :) Things were sort of gray on Saturday while the snow was falling, but we woke up to sunshine today.








All this snow has been great for staying indoors with my hobbies. I'm in the midst of some socks, and even have some more stitching planned. I'll have pics of all that stuff soon.

Holiday Exchanges

I was the lucky recipient of two holiday exchange packages this week. The first was from Jayne, for the Year-Long Prairie Schooler Exchange. I really love this cheery little guy. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a decent photo of him... YET.** This was as good as I could manage at the moment. :(



The second ornament that arrived in the mail was stitched by Vickey, from one of my online groups. This also arrived with a package full of goodies**, which I am enjoying tremendously.



**I don't want to rant in an otherwise happy post, but I am experiencing HORRIBLE issues with my digital camera. This is why I do not yet have a decent photo of the lovely ornament that Jayne sent, or the package of goodies from Vickey. It has become a major struggle to get a single decent picture off of my camera.

November... so soon?

I have no idea where the time has gone. One day I just looked at the calendar and saw that Thanksgiving is right around the corner. When did that happen?

We spent last week in Hilton Head Island, SC. It was a lovely week, but I have to admit that I haven't quite gotten back into the swing of things since we returned home. This is a really difficult time of year for me... I simply don't do well during the winter months with the shorter days. I'm fighting it by trying to stay busy and keeping up with my assorted crafts.

I've been busy stitching, but not with anything that I can share. I'm currently working on two exchanges. One is the winter installment of Becky's year-long Prairie Schooler exchange. I didn't participate in the others this year, but I really love PS designs and decided to MAKE time for this one. The other exchange is a Christmas ornament for an email group that I've belonged to for many years. I love doing ornaments, but always seem to have a hard time choosing the one I want to stitch.

I can share a photo of my latest finish. This is the Mill Hill kit that I was working on last month. I completed it on November 3. All I need to do now is pick up a frame.



There haven't been any new baskets lately. I missed the last couple of classes, and there won't be another until after Thanksgiving. There are some new socks in the works, though. I've finished one already, and have started the heel of the second one. It won't be long now! :)

New Addictions

After finishing the cuffs on both socks, I simply couldn't put it down. I gave in to temptation and decided to try a heel flap. Not too bad. Once the heel flap was done, I figured I might as well try to turn the heel. All I had to go by were the printed instructions, so I didn't really expect that it would go smoothly. It did. I kept knitting and all that is left now is to graft the toe. I'll knit the second sock along with the class. There are still two sessions left, and I need something to do.



This week's attempt at basket weaving was successful, but only barely. This silly little thing fought me every step of the way. The handle is a single piece that goes all the way down & across the bottom-- the basket is woven around the handle, rather than having it simply inserted at the end. Following the shape of the handle as it flared out proved to be challenging for this novice basket weaver. I got it all under control just in time to have trouble with the lashing (the bit at the top that holds the rim in place). I'll probably end up re-doing it later, because I'm just not happy with it.

The good thing about this basket (now that it's finished) is that it is just the right size to stow a small stitching project. Right now, it's holding my current WIP-- a Mill Hill autumn-themed Buttons & Beads kit.

One-eyed Jack

Jack is missing an eye, but at least he has one, along with a nose & mouth. This project has stalled a bit. I haven't worked much on him in the last 10 days or so. Other stuff keeps getting in the way. I have big plans to work on him this evening and still hope to finish it by Halloween.



One of last week's many distractions was a quilt show, held at a local plant nursery. I have never been to a quilt show before but thoroughly enjoyed this one. The quilts were absolutely gorgeous, and I was surprised how many were actually hand-quilted. One of these days, I'm going to take a quilting class. I learned to do it when I was a kid but could really use a refresher.

As lovely as the quilts were, the thing that really got me into trouble was the one small table occupied by someone from our local yarn shop. They had some yarns on display, along with a few sample items... including socks. I've wanted to learn to make socks for a while. And yes, you guessed it-- the shop offers a knitted sock class. I signed up immediately! It's a three-part course; the first session took place on Saturday.

The pattern is a simple rib knit and is knitted with sport weight yarn on #5 needles, so it works up fairly quickly. We started the first cuff and are supposed to knit the rest before the next session, on October 31, when we will do the heel flap. I finished the first cuff quickly and have nearly completed the 2nd one.



I don't know what I am going to do when I finish the second cuff. I'm torn between starting on the heel flap, or simply buying more yarn in another color and starting a second pair of socks.

There is also a new basket in my house. :) It actually took two sessions for me to complete this one. It has a "fancy" bottom, which I'll have to photograph later after I've removed the tomatoes. I'll be making the next basket this Thursday. I didn't attend last week's class, so I'm itching to get started on another one.