I’ve been crocheting again! Here is a lovely little basset hound:
Basset Hound, designed by PlanetJune
The pattern is from PlanetJune (who else?). And the yarn is Bernat Satin. The picture is terrible. I used some very harsh winter afternoon sun. The colours are actually a lovely chocolate brown, black and white. The colour is really off in the picture. 🙁
Cutie pie!
I made him on commission, and he will be on his way to his new home shortly. I think I may need to make another one for myself.
I’m checking in for the Stitch from Stash SAL just a little bit early this month. We will be leaving to a vacation shortly (Don’t worry, the house will not be empty at all while we are gone), and I know I won’t be buying any stash while away. There aren’t many needlework or yarn stores on a cruise ship. 😉
So, for the first month of Stitch from Stash I spent:
Yep, I didn’t buy anything. Last week, I went to a bookstore to look for the latest copy of Cross Stitch and Needlework, but they didn’t have it. So, I didn’t buy anything.
Now, knitting and crochet don’t count for the Sitch from Stash SAL, but I’m also keeping track of what I’ve spent on those hobbies too. And, my total for this month is CAN$5.07. I bought a crochet pattern as part of a commission project. So, my entire crafting expenses for the year are $5.07. Not to bad, so far.
There is a yarn shop in one of the ports we are stopping at, but I think I’m pretty safe. I did a bit of a purge of my yarn at the beginning of the month, and I was so overwhelmed by all the yarn, that I swore I wouldn’t buy anymore until I knit a bunch of it. But, we shall see. 😉
I really didn’t feel to bad this month about not being able to buy anything. Anytime I wanted to look at patterns, I went to Ravelry instead and checked out what sort of promos there were over there. Lots of designers (mostly small, but some big) have been giving away paid patterns for free because of the Olympics or the snow or their birthdays or whatever. So, I get a nice pattern, and I also feel like I bought something, even though I didn’t. 😉
I can only hope next month goes as well. Stitch from Stash does allow for spending up to $25 a month, but I’m doing by darnedest to spend as little as possible. Goodness knows I don’t need a thing!
Who doesn’t need a little bit of positive thinking in their life? I know I do! And, as part of a small group of ladies, I’ll finally be stitching La Pensée Positive from Les Marottes de Nathalie*.
La Pensée Positive
Here are the fibres I’ve pulled to stitch it. I went through my giant mass of unlabelled silk that I have collected via Dinky Dyes Oops Packs and various other places. I did my best to sort of match the DMC numbers provided in the chart, and I went with DMC when I couldn’t find any substitutes I liked. I hope that the end result looks nice.
So, what does it say? Well, it is a quote from Norman Vincent Peale.
Keep your heart from hate,
Your mind from worry.
Live simply,
expect little,
give much.
Scatter sunshine,
forget yourself,
think of others.
I’ll be starting to stitch on February 1st, hopefully. If not, then shortly thereafter. And, I’ve decided to stitch the French version since I am learning (re-learning) French this year. I figure every bit of practice will help. Interested in stitching this design your self? Check out Les Marottes de Mathalie for all the info. She has posted the chart in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
If your French is as bad as mine, that translates to Positive Thinking and The Hobbies of Nathalie.
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. ~ Henry David Thoreau
Who doesn’t need a reminder like that once in a while? Those words ran through my head a few times while knitting this hat for my husband.
Thoreau Hat
It is the Thoreau Hat designed by Terri Kruse, and from the 2011 edition of Interweave Knits Accessories. I used Knit Picks Comfy Worsted yarn in colours Whisker and Blackberry. It took all of the ball of Whisker (I bought two thinking I would need that much), and just a tiny bit of the dark purple. The colours go well together. And, of course, it looks much nicer in person.
Thoreau Hat mock cable
It is a mock cable, which is very quick and easy to knit. (I had really hoped that my husband would pick an intricately cabled hat so I could show off my knitting skills. But, of course, he picked one with a simple mock cable!) I managed to knit the whole hat in well under three days. I’m really pleased with how it turned out. And, happily, so is my husband!
Now, I need to figure out what to do with the extra ball of grey yarn. 😛
After a productive start to the year, my stitching has slowed down a bit over the last couple of days. My latest round of Coursera classes has begun. (Modern Mysticism and Psychological Thought; Child Nutrition and Cooking; Introduction to Communication Science; Human Evolution: Past and Future; and Roman Architecture. Quite a mix, eh?) So I’ve been knitting in front of the computer, rather than stitching on the sofa. But, since it is the day it is, it is time for the WIPocalypse check-in.
Torah Stitch by Stitch (WIP)
I’ve still managed to make some progress on my most important WIP. The verse section of my Torah Stitch by Stitch is very nearly complete, and just in time. I’m coming up on my deadline of the end of February. I’ve still got the border to do, but I should still be able to finish it up (classes, trip, and jury duty 🙁 notwithstanding).
I guess that just leaves me to explain what WIPocalypse is. It is simple: work a “work in progress” (WIP) and post about it on the check in day every month. It is hosted by Melissa over at Measi’s Musings, and you can find out all about it here.
This year she has added some prompts for each month, and for January we are to introduce ourselves and talk about our goals.
Well, I am me. 😉 I’ve been posting as Silverlotus for about as long as there as been a reasonable accessible Internet (and even back in the BBS days), in various places including RCTN, the TWBB, the Wagon, etc. I stitch, knit, crochet and sew. Teresa Wentzler is my favourite designer, although there are many others I love (Dragon Dreams and Enchanting Lair come to mind right away, along with Passione Ricamo and Mirabilia).
My goals for this year have been laid out in a couple of other posts. But, in a nut shell, I want to finish my Torah Stitch by Stitch, a stocking for my mom, knit a hat for my husband (it is almost done), a sweater for my son (for next fall, so no rush), and then do stuff for me. 😉
January is just flying by, and before you know it it will be time for the first Smalls SAL check in. How is your smalls stitching going? This is a peek at what I’ve accomplished so far:
A little sneak peek.
Are you interested in joining the Smalls SAL? Then check out this page. Signs won’t end until the end of the year. But remember, for every month you enter, you get one extra draw for the end of the year giveaway.
Firefox isn’t just a great web browser, it is also a super cute little animal. The firefox is also called a red panda, and is found only in a small area of the Himalayas and China. The web browser, on the other hand, is found on computers all over the world. And this little guy is found on my desk.
Red Panda, designed by PlanetJune
The pattern is Red Panda and was designed by June Gilbank of PlanetJune. (You know how much I love her patterns.) I used Paton’s Canadian and Decor, and some Loops and Threads Impeccable to crochet him up and I am so pleased with the results. I think the thing I love most about June’s patterns is the fact that the finished result always looks like her model. She does such a good job of writing great patterns that it is almost impossible to make a mistake.
What a cute face!
I haven’t done much crocheting lately, but I really enjoyed working on this project. I think I might do a few more small crochet projects soon. I have jury duty coming up (the day after I return from my next cruise) and a crochet project seems like just the thing to take with me.
Needleworker, Knitter, Crocheter, Sewist, Paper Crafter, and more!
Also known as Silverlotus & Stitchinglotus
Located just outside of Toronto, Canada.
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