New Stitching

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Heather

Oh no, I’ve been talked into starting another piece. It doesn’t take much, does it? And, again, all of it comes from stash!

A little chicken

A little rooster

This is my progress on Little House Needlework’s My Needle’s Work. I’m stitching it on hand-dyed linen from Enchanting Lair, in the colourway Heritage.

I have to admit, I get a big chuckle out of the rooster. I mean, don’t we spend a lot of time telling people we don’t cross stitch things like ladies wearing doilies and ducks on their heads? And yet, here is a design showing a girl stitching a rooster. Still, it is cute, and I have been meaning to stitch it for ages. I’m also toying with the idea of changing the colour of her dress. We shall have to see how that works out.

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TUSAL – March 2014 the 2nd

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Heather

Oh, late again. Same old story every month, isn’t it? Somehow the Totally Useless Stitch Along (TUSAL) entry on my calendar disappeared. Every other one is there, except this one. *sigh*

TUSAL - March 2014 (the second)

TUSAL – March 2014 (the second)

This is what my ort container looked like at the end of March. I knew that I had missed the correct date, so I’ve been keeping aside my orts from the past couple of days.

Orts for the year

Orts for the year

And these are all my orts for the year. As you can see, it is another dull early spring day, but at least there is snow in the background! 😉

House hunting update: one we wanted sold, another one we wanted is just too small, and a third one we wanted sold before we even got to see it. Hopefully things improve. 🙁

Want to know more about the Totally Useless Stitch Along? You can find all the information you need right here.

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Stitch from Stash – March Check-In

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Heather

It is Stitch from Stash check-in time again!

Stitch from Stash 2014 buttonMy total for this month is:

$0

Yep, I didn’t buy anything cross stitch-related at all. Not even a magazine. (Given that the two bookstores closest to me have closed within the past month, that isn’t much of a surprise.)

A rainbow of yarn!

A rainbow of yarn!

I did splurge and buy myself some yarn for Sock Madness, though. Without shipping, it came to CAN$28.80. That is a bit dear, but it is lovely hand-dyed yarn, and exactly what I was looking for. That brings my total for all craft purchased to around $60. I have to admit, I’m sort of impressed with myself. I wonder if I can keep this up all year.

And speaking of Sock Madness, I had to drop out earlier this week. The pain that I had in my arm and hand has returned, making it too painful to knit socks. It seems that I can knit with larger needles with little to no issues, but if I knit with smaller needles and a tight gauge, I’m in for problems. I didn’t have much pain when I knit Brucie, but casting on a second pair of socks so soon afterwards was clearly a bad idea. I’ll let my hand recover, and then I will finish up the pair of socks I’m currently working on, Diamond Shreddies. I’ve got one done so far, and the second one is partly down the leg. Check out the cable, it is beautiful!

Pretty Celtic Cable

Pretty Celtic Cable

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More Happiness

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Heather

I’m still working away on La Pensée Positive from Les Marottes de Nathalie when I’m not busy knitting socks, looking for a new house, or doing any one of a hundred things that aren’t stitching. 😉

Happiness - WIP

La Pensee Positive – WIP

I’ve finished up section one and two, and I’m happily 😉 working away on section three. There is a row of wee sheepies at the bottom of this section, which I think I will stitch using some fuzzy thread.

A pretty, happy lady

A pretty, happy lady

While I’m stitching this, I am trying to bring to mind things that make me happy. I’m also thinking about how I can do things differently in order to follow the advice of this piece. I’m not the world’s happiest person, but you could almost say that striving (and failing) to achieve happiness is a hobby of mine. I’m a big fan of Grechen Rubin, the author of The Happiness Project and Happier at Home. I also enjoy reading other books about happiness, and I do things like journaling in an attempt to discover what makes me happy.

Speaking of journaling, you may remember that I had a giveaway for some guided journaling goodies from Adventures in Guided Journaling a while back. Well, Christie has just released some new journaling packages in her etsy shop, and moved her blog to a new URL. Why not check it all out? (She is a really lovely lady, and her journal pages are super great too.)

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Smalls SAL – March Check-In

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Heather

Welcome to the last Wednesday of the month! It is time for the Smalls SAL check-in! This month I stitched Teresa Wentzler’s Tulip Basket, another design from way back. It comes from the May 1989 issue of Country Stitch Monthly. I’m not even sure I was cross stitching when it was released. I was too busy playing with Barbies, probably. 😉

Tulip Basket, designed by Teresa Wentzler

Tulip Basket, designed by Teresa Wentzler

It is stitched with DMC as per the pattern on white evenweave. It was pretty quick to stitch, although the backstitching was a bit hard to follow. I have forgotten how confusing some old charts can be. The print quality just isn’t as nice as more modern charts.

SmallsSAL2014

So, what have you stitched for this month’s Smalls SAL? I can’t wait to see. Be sure to leave your link in the form below. (That also gets you an entry into the year-end draw.) And, while your here, please leave a comment if you’d like, and maybe visit some of the other participants.

Next check-in: April’s check-in will be on 30th. You’ve got lots of time, but don’t forget Easter will be happening next month. Plan your stitching accordingly. 😉

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Christmas Kitty

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Heather

Ugh, why do I have no will power at all? I’ve managed to fall into another SAL, this time for Brooke’s Book’s Advent Animals. (Charts here, Facebook group here) Thankfully, keeping in mind my stitch from stash goals, I was able to find a piece of fabric in my stash. Here is my progress so far.

Katie Kitty, designed by Brooke's Books (WIP)

Katie Kitty, designed by Brooke’s Books (WIP)

The fabric is a Meadow from Enchanting Lair, and I’ve decided to use DMC for the fibres. Again, I’m trying to stick to my stitch from stash goals, so buying a bunch of lovely silk threads just isn’t in the cards.

She isn’t done yet because I got interrupted by the next sock pattern for Sock Madness. Once that is done, I’ll finish her up and then wait patiently for the next pattern, which is due to be released on April 8th.

Is anyone else stitching this cute little charts?

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Finishing Things – Royalty ABC

Posted on March 23, 2014 by Heather

Sometimes it takes me a while to get around to doing the final finishing on a piece. For example, I finished stitching Jeanette Douglas’ Royalty ABC in August 2011, and then I sewed it into a bellpull last summer. But, I didn’t make the tassels, cord, and wrap the bellpull hardware finials until just last week. (I made a lot of changes to the design, most of which are noted in the post I linked to above. Basically, I didn’t stitch any of the rows with crosses, and I moved a couple of things around to keep it balanced.)

 

Royalty ABCs, finally hanging on my wall.

Royalty ABCs, finally hanging on my wall.

Not too bad, I think. I didn’t follow her directions, since I see no need to finish the back and roll it up and tie it with a ribbon. It is hanging on my wall. And I don’t mind having my stitching visible on the back.

abcsIt is actually quite a lovely design, even though it isn’t my usual style. You know, I say that an awful lot. Maybe things like this are my style? You know the saying “You aren’t what you say, but rather what you do.” Perhaps for stitching we should say “You aren’t what you say, but rather what you stitch.”

Do many of you think you have one particular style, but find yourself stitching things that aren’t your style often? I’d love to hear about it.

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