WIPocalypse – March 2014

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Heather

Well, it was a much busier week than I expected. The weather is (sort of) improving, so I’ve spent this week running errands like getting the little man new boots. So, time has flown and I’ve forgotten to post.

WIPocalypse 2014 largeI’m also late for this month’s WIPocalypse post. March’s topic is our favourite place to stitch. This is mine:

My stitching spot

My stitching spot

I nearly always stitch on the sofa. Usually I’m listening to podcasts (Stuff You Should Know; Stuff You Missed in History Class; and Revolutions are my current favourites), and once in a while I’ll watch TV (Doctor Who, Sherlock, or BBC Documentaries).

Soon, my favourite stitching spot will be changing. We have decided to move, and will be starting to view houses next week. Hopefully, by early July I’ll be stitching in my new home. Probably on the same comfy sofa. 😉

SmallsSAL2014

Don’t forget: The smalls SAL check-in for March is on the 26th. I’ve had my piece done for a little while now, and I’m looking forward to sharing it. I think it is right on theme for this time of year.

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

Brucie

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Heather

It is Sock Madness time, which means I’m back to knitting socks. How’s this for a start?

Brucie and friends

Brucie and friends

The pattern is Brucie, the qualifying pattern for Sock Madness 8. It is knit to very specific specifications, which is why the leg is much taller than what I normally knit. When you are a hair over 5’1″, a sock leg of about 7″ is more than halfway to being a knee sock! The yarn is on of my favourites: On Your Toes Bamboo, in the colour Tropical Dusk. It is a very light purple grey, and is some ways it reminds me of a shark’s skin colour.

Oh no! A shark!! But I'm always happy.

Oh no! A shark!! But I’m always happy.

The textures within the sock represent shark related things. The triangles near the cuff are shark finds. The curves below are scales from the shark’s fish dinner. The heel flap looks a bit like a giant shark tooth pointed to the side (trust me on this), and the front of the sock is actually supposed to look like a Gansey sweater, like fishermen wear.

This pattern needed to be knit within two weeks for the knitter to be placed on a team. I’ve managed to make the deadline with several days to spare. (The first people to finish the sock had it done in about a day. I know there is no way I can win Sock Madness when I am going up against speed and skill like that, but I still enjoy the ride.)

Soon it will be on to round two, where I am competing against my own team for a chance to move on to the next round. If my hand behaves, I should be able to make it at least a couple more rounds. Wish me luck! 😉

6 Comments | Posted in Knitting | Tagged , ,

Turtle Trot – March Check-In

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Heather

It is Turtle Trot time again. This month I only made a few stitches on one of my original Turtle Trot pieces: Down the Garden Path by Lynn Nicoletti.

Down the Garden Path, designed by Lynn Nicoletti (WIP)

Down the Garden Path, designed by Lynn Nicoletti (WIP)

I stitched the tops of two of the eggplants and then I put it down and took a good look at it.

Eggplants (I think...)

Eggplants (I think…)

Then I folded it up, took the floss out of the bag, put the floss away, and filed the pattern away for good. I’ve decided that I don’t want to stitch is anymore. My son is much older now than when I began it (why do they grow up so fast?!), and I also don’t really care for my fabric choice. So, away it goes. (If you think you might like this pattern, send me an email. Maybe we can work something out.)

So, my Turtle Trot list now looks like this:

  1. Torah Stitch By Stitch – finished
  2. Santa’s Journey Stocking by Dimensions
  3. 12 Days of Christmas by Victoria Sampler
  4. Tradewinds by Teresa Wentzler
  5. Down the Garden Path by Lynn Nicoletti – abandoned
  6. Chinese Dragon by Pinn Stitch
  7. Namaste by Ink Circles
  8. Jim Shore Monogram birth sampler from Mill Hill
  9. Into the Deep by Passione Ricamo
  10. You Add Magic… by Dragon Dreams
  11. La Pens̩e Positive by Les Marottes de Nathalie Рstarted in February

I thought about adding another pattern to the list to bring me back up to 10 active projects. Goodness knows I have enough WIPs, but I’ve decided against it for the time being. I want to focus on the patterns I’ve picked, and I’m also planning on stitching up LHN’s My Needle’s Work next month as part of a SAL. I figure that is more than enough to keep me busy. 😉

If you’d like to know more about Turtle Trot, please check out Claudette’s blog BAP Attack.

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Beaded Stawberries

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Heather

I adore strawberries. They are my absolute favourite fruit. Although, I am always very annoyed by how quickly they go bad. But this one will always stay fresh:

Strawberry Sewing Emery Pincushion

Strawberry Sewing Emery Pincushion

The pattern is Strawberry Sewing Emery Pincushion from Naomi Smith of Black Tulip Designs. I bought it nearly two years ago at the last Needleworker’s Marketplace, which took place just outside of Toronto in Port Credit.

I put off working on it, because, to be honest, I wanted the red version of the kit. (See the picture below.) She taught it as a class at the retreat that accompanied the marketplace, but I wasn’t able to attend. The finished pieces were so beautiful, and I really wanted one just like them. But, you know what, the blue version is just as lovely. I’m so pleased with it, and I’m a bit surprised by how easy it was. I wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up making some more of these.

Strawberry Emery Pincushion from Black Tulip Designs

Strawberry Emery Pincushion from Black Tulip Designs

And that is one more project that I have been putting off working on. I need to poke around a bit more and see what else I need to finish up.

Spring Giveaway- Kim over at Wisdom with Needle and Thread is having a giveaway for a wooden thread keeper and a beaded scissor fob. Head over here for all the details. And, if you enter the giveaway, don’t forget to mention that I sent you. 😉

6 Comments | Posted in Crafts | Tagged ,

Five Year Socks

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Heather

Have you ever had a very small project that you kept putting off because you knew it wouldn’t take you very long to do it? Well, guess how long I put off knitting this tiny sock.

Mini Sock Blocker Sock

Mini Sock Blocker Sock

Almost five years! I bought the kit in April of 2009, and finally knit it last week. And, it took me all of 30 minutes from start to finish.

So, you know that small thing you’ve been putting off doing? Take my word for it, today is the day to tackle it.

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Mobius Earrings

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Heather

My adventures in chainmaille continue, although not as smoothly as I would like. Last month I ordered some supplies from Art Beads with the intention of making several pairs of earrings from instructions on Marilyn Gardiner’s website. Unfortunately, a lot of the rings turned out to be the wrong size. I don’t yet grok how interior, exterior and wire size all work together. (And Art Beads doesn’t list all the sizes the same for every item…)

Mobius Earrings

Mobius Earrings

Anyway, I still managed to end up with these very pretty earrings.

The pattern is a slightly modified version of her Mobius Flower earrings. I used silver-filled rings (which actually means a brass core covered in 925/10 silver) and sterling silver hooks. The new pliers I got for Christmas made putting these together so much easier than putting together the bracelet from the other month. With the supplies I have on hand, I should be able to make one more pair, and maybe a couple of other pairs of earrings. And then, well, it might be time to buy some more supplies.

6 Comments | Posted in Jewellery Making | Tagged ,

Christmas Mice

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Heather

Our Christmas tree has been down for what seems like ages, and I’ve even manged to put away all the Christmas things that inevitable get forgotten. (Okay, except for that one reindeer ornament that is still sitting on a bookshelf.) But, I’m still thinking about Christmas. Take a look at these sweet little mice.

Gingerbread Mouse

Gingerbread Mouse

 

Gingerbread Jingle Mouse

Gingerbread Jingle Mouse

The patterns are Gingerbread Mouse and Gingerbread Jingle Mouse from Just Nan. They are stitched on 32 count Raw Belfast, using the floss called for. I did change out the Kreinik since the pattern called for the newer prismatic stuff and I didn’t have any.

For those curious, here is what they look like before they are put together.

Gingerbread Mouse - before

Gingerbread Mouse – before

I thought about saving these for my March Smalls SAL finishes, but since I finished the stitching in January and finally sewed them up this week, I really didn’t want to save them any more. And, besides, I’m kind of going to a Teresa Wentzler theme for my smalls this year. 😉

Speaking of the Smalls SAL, if you stitched something for February, be sure to head over to this post and add your link. I’ll be closing the link list sometime around this Wednesday.

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