Goodbye TW

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Heather

It’s a sad day for cross stitchers.  Teresa Wentzler has just announced that she will no longer be designing, and that all of her designs are now officially out of print.  TW Designworks is closing its doors.  You can read all about it here and on her blog here.

There are a lot of designers who’s work I really, really like: Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams (who is only doing a little bit of designing these days), Thea Dueck of Victoria Sampler, Lynn Nicoletti (who has been ill for a while and isn’t designing much), Kat Rocha of Cross Eyed Kat, Laura Dickson of Enchanting Lair, among others.  But, honestly, my cross stitching heart belongs to Teresa Wentzler.  And, I hate to admit, but reading that she is giving up designing has made stitching seem a little less fun for me.  It’s not like I don’t have enough TW designs to last me the rest of my life (and still a few more to buy from PatternsOnline *cha-ching*), or that the other designers I like haven’t got great things to stitch.  It’s just that there won’t be any more TW designs to look forward too.  No Spring and Summer mini samplers, no giant Illuminata, no more TW dragons with their twisting tails.  (And not chance in hell that I will ever score a copy of You Were Hatched now.)

My stitching will go on, but there will always be an empty spot for TW.  She is a lovely lady, whom I’ve had the pleasure to meet a couple of times.  I wish her all the best in whatever she decides to do next.  I will hold out a little bit of hope that she will pick up her designing needle again one day.

In the meantime, I think I will look over the TW’s I have started and pick one out to work on once my current projects are done.  It seems only right.

And, on a happier note, I have three people to PIF!  Zeb of geekchixxx, Debra of  Debbie’s Stitch and Stuff, and Kat of Kat Gets Cross Eyed (and Cross Eyed Kat).  I’ll be sending you ladies an email later this evening, once I get Baby Man to sleep.

Here are the rules for the PIF again, as a reminder:

  1. Send no less than 5 stitching related items per person within the next 365 days.
  2. Items can be DMC, other threads, stitching needles, straight pins, buttons, scissors, ribbons, etc. – a combination of items such as 3 threads, 1 pack of straight pins and 1 pack of stitching needles or just 5 threads.
  3. The items must be new and not used. (Send things you’d be happy to receive.)
  4. If you win, you must be willing to post this PIF on your blog and do the same for at least 2 people.
2 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged ,

November 2009 Goals

Posted on November 1, 2009 by Heather

November already.  October was over in a blink of the eye, what with all the birthday, events, and goings on.  November is a little quieter. There are three birthdays this month, and a couple of events. It is a month spent racing the clock to get Christmas stitching done.  It’s also when I start to review the year, decluter, and get ready for the holidays.

Before I set my November goals, I should review my October goals:

  1. Finish all stitching except backstitching for Baby Man’s stocking
  2. Stitch and finish the La-D-Da design for the JCS Halloween issue (my SALsuffit project)
  3. Finish a Christmas gift
  4. Knit Baby Man a pumpkin hat
  5. Find a copy of the JCS ornament issue
  6. Stitch Voodoo Girl, and hopefully get her finished too so Voodoo Boy can have a girlfriend for Halloween
  7. Cast on another pair of socks so I have an on-the-go project again

I’m happy to report that I did fairly well in October.  In my post yesterday I shared my finished Halloween ornament/pillow from La-D-Da and Baby Man’s pumpkin hat.  I did find a copy of the JCS ornament issue, and I will be stitching some this month.  I finished one sock of a pair, but still need to cast on the second.  The Christmas gift I wanted to finish is getting there, but I got sidetracked by making Baby Man a scarf.  Voodoo Girl just didn’t happen, I ran out of month!

That leaves Baby Man’s stocking.  And here it is, with only the back stitching left to do:

Naughty or Nice by Dimensions

Naughty or Nice by Dimensions

I put the last few stitches in yesterday afternoon.  I’m going to let it rest for a few days before I tackle the back stitching because I am a little tired of it.  I spent the rest of the 31st working on my Sampler de Noel and a new shawl.

So, on to November goals:

  1. Stitch and finish at least three Christmas ornaments
  2. Finish the back stitching on Baby Man’s stocking
  3. Finish that Christmas gift
  4. Finish a second Christmas gift that is also ready started
  5. Finish the Pink Ribbon Socks
  6. Cross off at least one more design from my 2009 Goals list

I’d love to add getting caught up on Castles in the Air but I know that won’t happen.  Christmas stitching and knitting are the main goals for this month.

Don’t forget, you have until noon tomorrow to add your name to the list of people interested in my Pay It Forward.  Check out this post for more information.  I’ve already picked out some goodies to send.  And remember, you have an entire year to send out your packages, so don’t let the time of year hold you back.

Comments Off on November 2009 Goals | Posted in Cross Stitch, My Life | Tagged ,

Happy Halloween

Posted on October 31, 2009 by Heather

Happy Halloween, Blessed Samhain, or just have a great day if you don’t celebrate either of those!

happyhalloween

I got him to hold still for just long enough to take a picture!

Comments Off on Happy Halloween | Posted in My Life |

October SALsuffit

Posted on October 31, 2009 by Heather

As you may remember, Anne of Tempus Fugit shared a new SAL this month: SALsuffit.  The goal is to finish (as in make into a pinkeep, frame, etc.) items we all have hanging around using only items already in our stash.  I signed up because, like many of you I’m sure, I have a pile of things to be finished.  This month I manged to tackle three, and ran into problems with the fourth…

Project one was Sweetheart Tree’s Dizzy Busy Bees which I made into a cube-it.

Dizzy Busy Bees by Sweetheart Tree

Dizzy Busy Bees by Sweetheart Tree

Project two was Halloween from La-D-Da, which I turned into a small pillow using some faux velvet I’ve had for years.

Halloween by La-D-Da

Halloween by La-D-Da

And the third project was framing my Letters from Nora – H.

H by Nora Corbett

H by Nora Corbett

My fourth and failed project was framing my Trick or Treat Nora Corbett fairy.  I cut the foam core too small and didn’t notice until after I had the piece perfectly pinned.  Next time I will know to double check my cutting.  And I’ve also learned that a self-healing board bought at a dollar store isn’t self-healing.  (Not that I’m particularly surprised by that, mind you.)

I have one other project to share today.  On Wednesday I whipped up a little pumpkin hat for Baby Man using this pattern.  He wore it, dancing around the house, for about an hour.  And, of course, now I can’t even get him to leave it on long enough to take a picture.  Thankfully it is big enough that it will fit for a another couple of years.  (Actually, since it is a stretchy rib, I can just about wear it.  But I have a small head.)  It was knit using Bernat Satin in colour 04610 Sunrise for the body and Vanna’s Choice 174 Olive for the stem, in other words what I had hanging around in my stash.

Pumpkin Hat by Susan Esser

Pumpkin Hat by Susan Esser

I’d also like to remind everyone that I’m offering to send 3 people stitching goodies, if they agree to send stitching goodies to three other people.  Head over to this post to leave a comment if you are interested.  So far only two people have signed up, and that makes me a little sad. 🙁

In happier news, today is the final day of Missy Ann’s 13 Days of Halloween giveaway.  Pop over to her blog to see the final prize and to enter.  It is an amazing prize, and I have my fingers crossed.

Comments Off on October SALsuffit | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged , ,

What’s In My Basket

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Heather

Anna over at Stitch Bitch is trying to get a new meme started.  She’s asked us all to dump out our stitching bags and share pictures.  I don’t have a stitching bag.  I use a lovely little basket that I bought from Pottery Barn several years ago after Halloween.  It has a lining decorated with a spider and a web, and of course I forgot to take a picture of it once I emptied everything out.

Here’s my basket as it came out of the closet:

Overflowing Basket

As you can see, I don’t sort by craft. There’s Baby Man’s aborted entrelac scarf, a sewing pattern for a dragon toy, and a whole pile of cross stitch stuff.  (I also have a knitting bag  which holds my current project(s), knitting needles, and yet  more cross stitch projects.)

Here’s everything that was stuffed into my basket:

All My Stuff

Let’s see, there are empty bags from completed projects, the kits from the 2008 Creativ Festival (2009 projects are elsewhere), rings and eyelets for floss tags, the magnifier from my lamp, an empty tub of FrayBlock, a tape measure, card stock and perforated paper, a knitting pattern, ball bands from yarn, lots and lots of cross stitch projects, the Dinky Dyes for Stitcher’s Trove and DMC for the Wheel of the Year pillow from Bewitching Cross Stitch, DMC colour card, and oh so much more.  I’m a little embarassed by it all.  All the more so since my husband sat in the living room and watched me pull all this out. Yikes.

That lone bag in the background is what I am using to store Baby Man’s stocking.  I’m very close to finishing all the stitching, so hopefully I will meet my goal for this month.

Please share what is in your stitching bag, and don’t forget to go to Stitch Bitch and leave a link in the comments.

Also, in my last post I offered to send stitching goodies to three people as part of the Pay It Forward chain.  So far I’ve only had two people say they are interested.  I can’t do a draw with only two people!  And surely there are more of you who read my blog and are interested in receiving and sending out stitching goodies.  Please head over to this post if you’d like to take part.

And, lastly, today is Day 10 of Missy Ann’s 13 Days of Halloween.  Stop by her blog to enter!

3 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch, Memes & Collabs | Tagged ,

Pay it Forward

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Heather

Mel, over at Epic Stitching, has chosen me as one of the people in her Pay It Forward (PIF) chain.  I’m very excited, because honestly, who doesn’t like getting stitching surprises in the mail.

Since I am now part of the PIF chain, I’ve agreed to  choose at least 2 people to PIF myself.  These are the rules:

  1. Send no less than 5 stitching related items per person within the next 365 days.
  2. Items can be DMC, other threads, stitching needles, straight pins, buttons, scissors, ribbons, etc. – a combination of items such as 3 threads, 1 pack of straight pins and 1 pack of stitching needles or just 5 threads.
  3. The items must be new and not used. (Send things you’d be happy to receive.)
  4. If you win, you must be willing to post this PIF on your blog and do the same for at least 2 people.

So, are you interested in being part of the PIF chain?  Would you like me to send you some stitching goodies in the mail?  If so, please leave me a note in the comments.  You have to agree to follow the rules above, and to love whatever I send you. 🙂

I’ll be choosing 3 people, and plan to mail out the surprises no later than the beginning of January (hopefully much sooner).  I’ll have Baby Man pick the names from a hat (if enough people show interest) on November 2nd.

Also, don’t forget that today is Day 9 of Missy Ann’s 13 Days of Halloween.  Stop by her blog to enter!

8 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged ,

Ribbons and Scarves

Posted on October 26, 2009 by Heather

It has been ages since I’ve posted about my knitting.  I’m working away on small projects, like I normally do.  Hopefully once all the Christmas gifts are done I will tackle something big again.

The entrelac scarf I was knitting for Baby Man has been put on hold.  My parents bought him a new snowsuit that is grey and blue, and I found hat and mitts I forget we had that are red and grey.  These are not good matches for a blue and brown scarf.  It was coming along nicely though, and there is enough yarn yet to be knit to make it into an adult scarf.  I’m glad now that I made it too wide.

Baby Man still needed a scarf, so I cast on a reversible cable scarf using this pattern: Palindrome.  Unfortunately, I’m not the sharpest tack in the box anymore, and I grabbed one US10 and one US10.5 needle tip for my interchangeable needles.  Even so, the scarf turned out fine, and Baby Man isn’t quite 2 yet so I figure he doesn’t care.  The yarn in Bernat Berella 4 in colour 08893 Dark Oxford.

Palindrome, October 2009

On the sock needles is still Pink Ribbon Socks by Lloyd Designs.  I’m done the first sock, and it is looking really nice.  Their website is down, or I would repost the link to the pattern.  The yarn for these is Sirdar’s Calico in 0719 Bikini, which is a lovely pink just right for Breast Cancer Awareness month.  This is a cotton/acrylic blend yarn, and it is so soft and squishy.  I’m looking forward to knitting a sweater with it next winter,  perhaps.

pinkribbonssock

And that’s all I can share! The rest is secret, Christmas knitting. Shhhhh!

And don’t forget, today is Day 8 of Missy Ann’s 13 Days of Halloween. Her prizes are so cute! Stop by her blog to enter.

1 Comment | Posted in Knitting | Tagged ,