Little Froggie

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Heather

My little man is starting to get to the age where he isn’t so interested in toys that I can crochet or knit for him. I’m a bit disappointed that I did make more crochet dinosaurs or more clothing for his Sheldon turtle. But, when he came home the other day and said he was doing a school project on the poison dart frog I knew exactly what I could make him!

Poison Dart Frog, designed by PlanetJune

Poison Dart Frog, designed by PlanetJune

The pattern is Poison Dart Frog, designed by June Gilbank of PlanetJune (who else, right?). I used Bernat Satin in Crimson and Teal. The best part? There are pipe cleaners in his legs, so he is posable!

Little man may not think crochet is cool, but he does love his new frog.

By the way? Are you ever curious about what I’m working on every day? (Believe me, I flit from project to project like a crazy person.) Well, now you can find out on Instagram. My handle over there is stitchinglotus.

7 Comments | Posted in Crochet | Tagged , ,

January Fox

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Heather

I remember, sometime back in early December, promising myself that I wouldn’t join any SALs in 2016. The Smalls SAL was enough to keep me busy, along with the stocking for my dad, and a whole bunch of other projects I had planned. Then I found out about the Snowdrop SAL and joined it. No problem, it is one small design over about a month or so. Then I heard about the Joyful World SAL.

Oh dear. It is a twelve month commitment, and each design is a fair size, about 100×70 stitches. If I did it all on one piece of fabric it would be huge. No, there is no way I will join.

Joyful World SAL January

Joyful World SAL January

I joined… Well, it is free and January’s design is so cute! I ultimately decided to do the French names for the month to help add to the “European” flair of the designs, and because I am still trying to improve my French. (It is as terrible as always.)

Luckily, I had the perfect piece of fabric in just the right size to stitch all the designs in a 3×4 layout. It is 28 count Lugana in the colourway Heritage from Enchanting Lair. (You may have noticed a theme with nearly all the hand-dyed fabric I use. I’d say that 90%, if not more, comes from Laura at Enchanting Lair. She has always done such a great job with her colours, and she is a nice lady too.) And, since I am trying to do this on the cheap, I’ve gone with DMC for the fibres.

So, if you are interested in succumbing to a year-long SAL, check out The Snowflower Diaries, or ask to join the Facebook group here. And if you are already stitching along, please let me know.

13 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged , ,

Snowdrop SAL – Step 2

Posted on January 12, 2016 by Heather

Oh dear, I’ve just discovered Making a Murderer. The biggest advantage to, and the biggest problem with, Netflix series is that all the episodes are available all at once. Yesterday I sat down and watched the first three episodes of Making a Murderer and didn’t get too much done around the house. I did, however, finish up step 2 of Esther’s beautiful Snowdrops SAL.

Snowdrops SAL, step 2

Snowdrops SAL, step 2

I love how the stitches look like delicate little piles of snow around the edges of the snowdrops. So different from the icy, blowing snow we have outside right now. I love winter, but I wish it was more snow fairies and snowdrops rather than ice and freezing winds. 😉

As before, the fabric is probably Sky from Enchanting Lair, and the fibres are DMC blanc and an unknown green silk. I’m guessing it is a Dinky Dyes’ oops based on how it feels and how nicely it stitched.

SAL SNOWDROPS by BB

If you’d like to know more about the SAL, you can find Esther’s blog here: Brodeuse Bressane.

10 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged , ,

2015 Smalls SAL Winner

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Heather

Hello, Smalls Stitchers! After far too long of a delay, it is time to announce the winner of the 2015 Smalls SAL giveaway. I’m very sorry I didn’t get around to it last week.

2015SmallsSAL

And the winner is:

Kate of Stitches, Scraps and Sparkles in the Sun

Congratulations, Kate! Her winning entry was for July, for a cute little design that says “My Husband has an awesome wife.” 😉 You can check it out right here.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2015 Smalls SAL. We stitched up a huge pile of designs between all of us; 391 in fact. (And that isn’t taking into account check-ins that were for more than one design.) Interestingly, but perhaps not unexpectedly, participation declined as the year when on.

Participation graph for the 2015 Smalls SAL

Participation graph for the 2015 Smalls SAL

Thank you so much, Smalls Stitchers, for all your encouragement and inspiration, and for all the accountability you provided for me and your fellow stitchers. I hope that you have decided to join me for the 2016 Smalls SAL. All the details can be found right here.

SmallsSAL2016

Speaking of the 2016 Smalls SAL, the first check-in is just around the corner. Be sure to come back on January 28th to share your small finish with everyone. I can’t wait!

8 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged ,

Snowdrop SAL – Step 1

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Heather

SAL SNOWDROPS by BB

I may have said something a little while ago about not join in any more SALs because I have so many projects to work on. Well, about that…

I decided to join in on the Snowdrops SAL from Esther over at Brodeuse Bressane. It is just a little design, 88×88 stitches and should work up pretty quickly. Sadly, the SAL has closed to new members, but the final design (along with a larger outside border) will eventually be available on her etsy shop.

Keeping in mind my desire to not buy any more stash than I need to complete projects already started, I decided to do a deep drive into my fabric collection to see what I had that would work. I ultimately decided on a piece of Sky from Enchanting Lair. I think it is 28 count Lugana, but I could be wrong.

For my fibres, I am using DMC blanc and some unknown silk that comes from my big mess of silk thread odds and ends (some came from Dinky Dyes oops packs, some from HDF, and some from other sources, so I really have no idea what it is).

And here is step 1 complete:

Snowdrops SAL

Snowdrops SAL, part 1 (from Brodeuse Bressane)

I think it looks delicate and lovely. I can’t wait to get started on step 2!

If you are stitching along with the Snowdrops SAL too I would love to know. Be sure to leave a comment below.

10 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged , ,

First Finish of the Year

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Heather

Yesterday I put the final stitches in my first project of the year. I began it on January 1st, and finished January 3rd.

I Love Canada, designed by unknown

I Love Canada, designed by unknown

The design is called I Love Canada, but I have no idea who the designer is or any other information about it. I was only given the chart and was told that it was a freebie design at some point. I think I remember being told that the designer has retired, but I really don’t know.

Canada-shaped map close-up; I Love Canada, designed by unknown

Canada-shaped map close-up; I Love Canada, designed by unknown

I used DMC 3865 and GAST Buckeye Scarlet. The fabric is 32 count Belfast in colour Heritage from Enchanting Lair.

Hopefully all the rest of my stitching this year will go just as well and just as quickly! 😉

2015SmallsSAL

Smalls SAL – The check-in for December 2015 closes on January 6th at about midnight Eastern time. So, you still have a little bit of time left to add your link.

SmallsSAL2016

The check-in post for the new 2016 Smalls SAL will go up on January 28th. Don’t forget: the check-in day has switched to Thursday this year.

9 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged , , ,

Happy New Year’s Eve!

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Heather

Happy New Year’s Eve, stitchy friends! In just a few hours (or maybe it has already happened where you are), we will be leaving the crazy year of 2015 behind and moving into the clean slate of 2016. I can’t wait! I love these threshold times of year, like when the kids go back to school or the start of summer vacation, but New Year’s Day is my favourite one of all.

vintage-new-years-eve-31

A new year means new goals, new plans, new dreams. I have no idea what 2016 will ultimately bring, but I can’t wait to find out.

11 Comments | Posted in The Outside World |