Turtle Trot – January 2014

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Heather

It’s time for the first Turtle Trot check-in of the year. I actually had a really hard time deciding which projects to focus on. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I like to jump around quite a bit. And, other than my ornament of the month, I really don’t get very much finished. This year I really, really want to get some bigger projects completed. So, I went through my WIPs with an eye towards picking projects that 1) I really would like to have done and 2) have some significant progress already made on them.

Here’s the list I ended up with. (Pictures are below.)

  1. Torah Stitch By Stitch
  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
  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

I don’t expect to be able to finish all of them, but it is my goal to complete at least numbers 1-3. Wish me luck!

Torah Stitch by Stitch

Torah Stitch by Stitch

Santa's Journey Stocking by Dimensions

Santa’s Journey Stocking by Dimensions

12 Days of Christmas by Victoria Sampler

12 Days of Christmas by Victoria Sampler

Tradewinds by Teresa Wentzler

Tradewinds by Teresa Wentzler

Down the Garden Path by Lynn Nicoletti

Down the Garden Path by Lynn Nicoletti

Chinese Dragon by Pinn Stitch

Chinese Dragon by Pinn Stitch

Namaste by Ink Circles

Namaste by Ink Circles

Jim Shore Monogram Birth Sampler by Mill Hill

Jim Shore Monogram Birth Sampler by Mill Hill

Into the Deep by Passione Ricamo

Into the Deep by Passione Ricamo

You Add Magic to My Life by Dragon Dreams

You Add Magic to My Life by Dragon Dreams

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Snowball Fight!

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Heather

It has been a very white and cold winter here in Toronto and in lots of other parts of North America. We are in the middle of another cold snap, and the ground is covered in a nice blanket of white. What better design to have finished than Dragon Dreams’ 2013 Holiday Treat?

2013 Holiday Treat, from Dragon Dreams

2013 Holiday Treat, from Dragon Dreams

Truth be told, I actually finished this up just before New Year’s Eve, but I hadn’t got around to taking pictures of it. 😉 It is stitched on an old Silkweaver Solo, using the threads called for in the pattern.

What a sweet little unicorn!

What a sweet little unicorn!

If you’d like a copy of the pattern for yourself, head over to Dragon Dreams’ Facebook page. Jennifer has shared it there, along with several other really great freebies.

4 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged , ,

Preparing for the Smalls SAL

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Heather

I love to plan. I don’t always follow through on those plans, but I still love making them. While planning for the Smalls SAL, I made a list of all the designs I would like to stitch. And, to make it easy on myself, I gathered together all of the supplies I will need to stitch them.

My Smalls SAL supplies.

My Smalls SAL supplies.

That’s all the floss, patterns, and fabric for all the designs I will stitch for the Smalls SAL this year. You may remember that I did the same thing last year. Having everything all in one place meant that when the beginning of the month rolled around, I didn’t need to toss my stash looking for floss and fabric, possibly delaying my stitching for a week or so before I could get all the supplies. (And, since I am taking part in Stitch from Stash this year, this early organization had the added benefit of ensuring I don’t need to dip into my 2014 budget.)

How have you prepared for the Smalls SAL? Will you be stitching whatever strikes your fancy, or do you have a list of designs ready? Have you got your supplies, or will you be getting them as you need them? Do you have any other hints for fellow stitchers?

Oh, and speaking of lists, here is what I plan to stitch (in no particular order):

  1. Cutwork Compass Rose
  2. Delightful Dragon Scissor Fob
  3. Holiday Jar Lids
  4. Child’s Heart
  5. Fire Dragon
  6. Weather Vane
  7. Dragon Rampart
  8. Jeanne Love’s Angel
  9. Geometric Pincushion
  10. Tulip Basket
  11. Along Life’s Way
  12. Happy Holidays!

SmallsSAL2014For more information on the Smalls SAL check out this page.

 

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Ornament SAL Winner

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Heather

It’s finally time to announce the winner of the draw for the Ornament SAL. Every link left at a monthly check-in earned an entry into the draw. Want to see the prize?

Prize!!

Prize!!

The winner of this lovely prize is Wilma! Yay!!

Congratulations to everyone who took part! Some people managed an ornament a month, some managed two or more, and some participated only occasionally. I was so happy to have you all along for the ride. It provided me with a great deal of motivation, for which I am very, very grateful.

SmallsSAL2014Want to continue the fun this year? Then join my Smalls SAL! You can stitch ornaments, biscornus, or any other small design that strikes your fancy. I’ll be having another end of the year draw for this SAL as well. Head over here for all the details.

Tomorrow I’ll be sharing some info on how I’ve prepared for the Smalls SAL. It worked for me last year, and I know it will keep me happily stitching this year too.

6 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged , ,

The Year in Scarf Form

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Heather

Last year I knit myself a very, very long scarf. It isn’t quite Doctor Who long, but it sure is big.

My 2013 Temperature Scarf

My 2013 Temperature Scarf

This is my completed Temperature Scarf. Each colour represents a temperature range, from about -13C to around 29C. (I didn’t take into account wind chill or humidex. The temperature range in that case would have been between -30C and 42C. Crazy!)  It’s final length is around eight feet. I knit it using Bernat Satin, with some Mary Maxim Starlette for the grey ends.

Temperature Scarf - close-up

Temperature Scarf – close-up (from December)

I am super, super proud of myself for keeping up with the project for the whole year. I didn’t even procrastinate in finishing it up, since I did the last couple of rows on the morning of January 1st, 2014. Yay, me!

I don’t have any year-long projects like this planned for this year, except for the SALs I’ve mentioned before. And, speaking of which, I will be announcing the winner of the draw for the Ornament SAL tomorrow evening!

7 Comments | Posted in Knitting | Tagged , ,

Winners and TUSAL

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Heather

Happy 2014! I hope your New Year’s Eve celebrations where exactly what you wanted, and that you greet the new year happy, healthy and optimistic. I know that I’m looking forward to this year. So far it is shaping up good with a cruise in a couple of weeks (followed right away by at least a week of jury duty), and a bunch of other great plans. I’ve also got a full plate of courses on Coursera, and I can’t wait to get started on them.

100DaysCoverOn to the winners of the 100 Days of a New Year giveaway. They are Kathy and Lynda. I’ve already sent out emails to those two ladies, and they should have their copy of 100 Days of a New Year very soon. If you’d like to buy a cpy for yourself, head over here. Remember to use the code 100DAYS3OFF to get the ebook for only US$5. The code is valid until January 15th.

Now, onto the Totally Useless Stitch Along (TUSAL). This is a non-stitching stitch along, sort of. You collect all your bits of floss and other leftover threads from your stitch and post a picture of them once a month. Why? Why not? 😉 You can check out all the information on It’s Daffycat.

TUSAL - Orts from December

TUSAL – Orts from December

This is everything I’ve collected since I lasted shared my orts (thread bits) in December. Not too bad considering that the holidays (and power outage) meant I didn’t get to stitch as much as I usually do.

Ort jar from 2013

Ort jar from 2013

And this is my jar containing all of my orts from 2013. I think it looks lovely, and it is so fun to poke through them and remember everything I stitched last year. I’ve emptied the jar so that I can work on filling it up again this year.

Now, its back to stitch. One of my traditions is to do as little as possible on New Year’s Day. I hope you are able to take it easy, put your feet up, and make a couple of stitches today too.

2 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch, Memes & Collabs, Site News | Tagged

Happy 2014!

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Heather

Happy New Year! May this be a year of joy, peace and good health for you and your family.

newyearsbirds

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