Stitch from Stash – June Check-In

Posted on June 24, 2014 by Heather

It is Stitch from Stash check in time again!

Stitch from Stash 2014 buttonThis month we had a special bonus of an additional $50 beyond the monthly allowance of $25. But, after having items sitting in various online shopping carts for the entire month, I ended up spending only $16.54. $2 of that amount was the Threadworx for Love (if you remember, I ran out), and I believe that doesn’t count. I also purchased the issue of Cross Stitch Collection magazine that I was featured in for $14.99. That brings my total for the year to:

$70.01

To be completely honest with you, I am very surprised I’ve managed to control myself so well. I did have a bit of a knitting related splurge this month, thanks to a Knit Picks gift certificate that my lovely friend Erica gave me for my birthday. (Her birthday gift accidentally got packed up and is currently in my in-laws basement…) To get a deal on shipping, I had to spend a bit more money, but I did get some lovely yarn for a sweater for my little man, and some knitting needles. I also splurged on a knitting magazine and a sewing magazine. :/

June magazine purchases

June magazine purchases

So, what project from stash did I work on this month? Lily of the Valley Fairy from Nora Corbett.

Lily of the Valley Fairy by Nora Corbett (WIP)

Lily of the Valley Fairy by Nora Corbett (WIP)

I haven’t made as much progress as I would like since I kept making mistakes in the wings. (Have I mentioned that the whole selling the condo thing has me really stressed out?) But, she is finally coming along nicely.

Smalls SAL – Don’t forget, Wednesday is check-in day for the Smalls SAL. I can’t wait to see what you’ve been working on.

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Needlework News

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Heather

It is time for another round-up of needlework news.

  • Stitching time – Eastern Daily Press has a short piece about Fine Cell, a company that works with British inmates to produce needlework for sale. Four hundred and fifty inmates take part, and approximately 97% of them are men. You can find their online shop here.
  • Saving stitches – The Pakistan Tribune has a profile of Shukrat Bibi, a 79-year old woman in Karimabad. She is trying to keep traditional embroidery alive by teaching local women and running a small shop. Sadly, the article doesn’t show any of her work, but a Google image search for do sutti kadai embroidery turns up many beautiful pieces.
  • Throne stitches – Metal band Throne has released a music video for their song Tharsis Sleeps that is fully embroidered. The song may not be to your taste, but it is worth watching for the really cool visuals.

THRONE – ‘THARSIS SLEEPS’ (OFFICIAL VIDEO) from Nicos Livesey on Vimeo.

And, in more personal news, I’ve been told by my doctor to lay off the knitting for a little while. She isn’t sure what is wrong with my elbow, and I am to take it easy until we figure it out. 🙁

2 Comments | Posted in The Outside World | Tagged

May Fairy

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Heather

We still have our condo up for sale, which means that I can’t really get started on my packing. (There is no place to pile boxes except in the living room/dining room, and that is a bad idea when you are trying to sell your home.) So, in order to feel like I’m still trying to prepare for the move, I’ve been doing some more decluttering. The other day, I dug out my all-but-forgotten-WIP bin and gave it a bit of a stir. Nothing made it into the donation bag, but I did find some projects that I’d like to finish up now that I have an idea of where they might go.

Lily of the Valley Fairy from Mirablia (WIP)

Lily of the Valley Fairy from Mirablia (WIP)

The first one I rescued was Lily of the Valley Fairy from Mirabila/Nora Corbett. I started this back in 2009, and I probably haven’t worked on it since. I’ve made a bit of progress on her hair and wing, and I am so glad I found her. She is lovely and will look right at home in my new craft room.

Have you ever come across a WIP you forgot about or wish that you hadn’t packed away? I’d love to hear about it.

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From Bonnie

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Heather

A little while ago, I won a giveaway from Bonnie at Bonnie’s World. And, it arrived earlier this week. Yay!!!

Giveaway gift from Bonnie

Giveaway gift from Bonnie

Bonnie sent me an absolutely wonderful package: beads, needles, fabric, a pouch (exactly what I needed), hand cream (I love this kind!), and a fabulous scissor fob that is perfect for one of my favourite pairs of scissors. Thank you very much, Bonnie.

A perfect pair

A perfect pair

And, speaking of giveaways, I am getting close to celebrating 10 years of blogging. 10 years! I’ll be running a giveaway next month in celebration. I hope you will stop by and check it out.

6 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch |

Knit in Public

Posted on June 14, 2014 by Heather

Today marks the start of World Wide Knit in Public Week.

kiplogo

According to their website, World Wide Knit in Public Day began in 2005, by Danielle Landes, as a way to for knitters to come together. Since then, it has grown into a worldwide event, with Knit in Public days taking place in over 30 countries. (Check out this page to see if there is an event near you.)

Knitting at the park

Knitting at the park

I’ve been known to knit in public on occasion. Usually, when I take the little man over to the park I will bring along a bit of knitting to keep myself entertained. I also like to take knitting along if I know I’m going to be stuck in a waiting room for a while.

Do you knit or crochet in public? Are you planning on taking part in any WWKIP Day events this year? Leave a comment; I’d love to hear about it.

If you stitch but don’t knit, don’t worry. There are Stitch in Public Days too. They don’t seem to be as organized as the WWKIP day, but I did find some information. For example, it looks like the EGA holds their Stitch in Public day in September, although no date has been set for this year as of yet. If you know more, please let us all know.

3 Comments | Posted in Knitting |

Small small

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Heather

Hey, did you notice that the month is about halfway done? Do you know what that means? It means that the Smalls SAL check-in is getting closer. How is your stitching coming along?

Smalls sneak peek - don't like the colours fool you

Smalls sneak peek – don’t like the colours fool you

That’s a little peek at what I’ve been working on this month. I’m pretty sure I’ll be done in time for the check-in on June 25th. Will you be ready?

If you’d like to learn more about the Smalls SAL, head over here. Happy stitching!

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Happiness Complete

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Heather

It has been another busy week. It seemed like every time I wanted to take some pictures and write a blog post or two, something else would come up. On the bright side, we had several showings, but, unfortunately, no offers on our condo you. Please keep your fingers crossed for us.

La Pensée Positive from Les Marottes de Nathalie

sfhnv

I also managed to find some time to finally finish up La Pensée Positive from Les Marottes de Nathalie. I decided to use the French version because I am working on improving my terrible high school French. (In Ontario, back when I was in school, we all took French from grade 3 through to grade 9, with the option to take more in later years. I stopped in grade 9, but I did take a year or two of Japanese in university.)

Sheep and flowers

Sheep and flowers

The fibres are a mix of Dinky Dyes oops packs, Hand-Dyed Fibers detritus bags, and DMC floss. The little sheepies are stitched in Rainbow Gallery Fuzzy Stuff.

I’m not totally happy with my colour choices; the dark green is perhaps too dark, and there is too much contrast between the two pinks. But, over all, I am pleased with the finished design and I can’t wait to finish it into a bellpull and hang it in my new craftroom.

And, since we are talking about happiness, why not leave me a comment and let me know which cross stitch design makes you the happiest? For me, it would be The Wedding. I love looking at the finished piece and remembering my wedding ceremony in Mexico.

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