Dragon Pin Cushion

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Heather

I’m on a roll! My third finish from this past weekend is Dragon Pin Cushion from Dragon Dreams. It is one of the classes I took at the Creativ Festival back in October.

Dragon Pin Cushion, designed by Dragon Dreams

Dragon Pin Cushion, designed by Dragon Dreams

It is stitched on 18 count canvas, and used DMC thread, Kreinik #8 braid, and just a little bit of Caron Waterlilies. The purple line in the border is the Waterlilies, and will be different for everyone who stitches this. Jennifer brought in a big bag of Caron to the classes, and allowed us all to choose the colour we liked best.

What a sweet little dragon face.

What a sweet little dragon face.

I still need to finish this into a pin cushion, obviously. Unfortunately, it will be early January before I get a chance to get my sewing machine out. Still, I’m very pleased with this super cute finish.

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Elegant Reindeer

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Heather

Every year, my LNS, Gitta’s, has an open house on the first Saturday of December. Everyone who makes a purchase gets a little package of free charts and a kit for an ornament designed by Kathrin Ellison. (If you purchased the ornament issue of A Needle Pulling Thread, you can see several of the ornaments they have released.) This year, sadly, I missed the open house because I was sick. 🙁

Happily, Kathrin still had a kit for me!

Elegant Reindeer, designed by Kathrin Ellison

Elegant Reindeer, designed by Kathrin Ellison

The design is called Elegant Reindeer. The fabric is 22ct Meran in Navy. The fibres are DMC floss, DMC flower thread (antlers), and PTB.

Antlers, whipped and unwhipped

Antlers, whipped and unwhipped

I really like how the antlers look. They are done as wrapped back stitch. At first, I thought I would just leave them as back stitch, but when I started wrapping them, I decided that it looked fabulous!

Speaking of Christmas ornaments, don’t forget that the last check-in day for the 2013 Ornament SAL is December 30th. I’ve already got my ornament stitched. How is your stitching going? And there is lots of time to sign up for the 2014 Small SAL. All the info is right here.

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Snowball Fight!

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Heather

This past weekend we had our first snowstorm of the year. Usually, we don’t get large amounts of snow until after Christmas, so getting between 10 and 20 cm (4 to 8″) this early in the season is a sign that this winter might be bad.

Winter greenery covered in snow.

Winter greenery covered in snow.

In a lovely little bit of synchronicity, Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams released the first part of her holiday treat on Friday, just before the snow began. The subject of this year’s treat: a snowball fight!

Dragon Dreams 2013 Holiday Treat

Dragon Dreams 2013 Holiday Treat

I’m stitching mine on a Silkweaver Solo that I purchased years ago, back before they were taken over by Needleworker’s Delight. The colours and fibres are as per the chart.

If you’d like to stitch this too, head over the Dragon Dream’s Facebook page. The second part comes out tomorrow (December 17th), and the final part will be out on December 21st.

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Christmas Treasures

Posted on December 14, 2013 by Heather

Sometimes you’ve just got to call something done, even if it isn’t totally done.

Christmas Treasures, designed by Victoria Sampler

Christmas Treasures, designed by Victoria Sampler

I’ve been working on Victoria Sampler’s Christmas Treasures since 2008. But, to be honest, I fell out of love with it pretty quickly. I had purchased the lovely box that was on the cover of the chart, so I felt like I had to finish it. But I didn’t…

Christmas Treasures Santa

Christmas Treasures’ Santa

I dug out the project the other day and took it to a stitching night. There, with the encouragement of some of the ladies present, I decided to finish up a couple of motifs, and then call it done. I’ll be finishing it into a small pillow (eventually), and I’ll be using the lovely box for Jeanette Douglas’ Strawberry Stitches instead.

I think sometimes you need to just call something done and move on, rather than let it hang around in your workbasket (and mind) for years and years.

 

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Temperature Scarf Continued

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Heather

It has been a while since I’ve shared my Temperature Scarf. And, believe it or not, I haven’t given up on it!

Temperature Scarf through December 11, 2013

Temperature Scarf through December 11, 2013

Here it is! It is complete through to December 11th, with all the loose ends woven in. So far I’ve used about 400 yards of yarn, with a couple more weeks of knitting to go. (I haven’t weighed all the yarn yet, though.)

Temperature Scarf - close-up

Temperature Scarf – close-up

You will have to excuse the poor quality of the pictures. We’ve had very cloudy skies for the past week or so, and taking pictures is difficult. (I’m going to get a lightbox of some sort working after Christmas.)

Bad pictures aside, I am really pleased. And, honestly, I’m a bit surprised I’ve managed to stick with the project for the entire year. I did pit it aside for a couple of months, but it is all caught up now and I’m eager to finish it. In the end, I’m going to have one funky, really long, super warm, totally original scarf.

 

2 Comments | Posted in Knitting | Tagged , ,

TUSAL – December 2013

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Heather

Well, I’m more than just a little late with this month’s TUSAL. Somehow, I forgot to add the reminder to my calendar. Couple that with a cold that just won’t go away, and (as usual) I’m late with my post.

TUSAL - December 2013

TUSAL – December 2013

My little container is very full this month. I’ve been working hard on Christmas gifts, my Torah verses, and something for me once in a while.

TUSAL Jar

TUSAL Jar

And here is my jar for the year. It isn’t as full as last year’s, but I think it looks great. I got a lot done (and made too many new starts!).

If you’d like to know more about the Totally Usless Stitch Along (TUSAL), you can check out Sharon’s blog at It’s Daffycat. She has said that she will be posting the information about the 2014 edition soon. I’ve been taking part since the beginning (2009?), when it was hosted by Yoyo (who is greatly missed), and I plan to take part again in 2014!

SmallsSAL2014And, if you are looking for another SAL to take part in during 2014, may I suggest my Smalls SAL? You can check out all the info here.

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Stitchers’ Questions – Part Two

Posted on November 30, 2013 by Heather

Here are some more of those stitchers’ questions that I found over on Bonnie’s blog.

11) Who is your favourite designer?
Teresa Wentzler. But I also love Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams and Passione Ricamo.

12) Least Favourite Designer
Well… let’s just say I don’t like primitive designs or reproduction samplers.

13) Will you/would you support a designer whose personal beliefs offended/angered you?
Hmmm…. there are a couple of designs whose designs I don’t buy because of some of the things they’ve said. But, honestly, I couldn’t care less about a person’s religion, lifestyle, etc. It is only when a person goes out of their way to be offensive that I get riled up.

14) Do you have a lamp especially made for needleworkers/crafters?
Yep.

15) What brand of stitching lamp do you have/prefer?
I have a Daylight Lamp and I love it. I also have a rechargeable Ott light for taking to classes.

16) What kind of environment best suits you when you are stitching?
I like it to be quite and comfortable when I stitch. My preferred spot is on the sofa, listening to a podcast.

17) Have you stitched any design more than once?
I’ve stitched L&L’s The Wedding Twice, and one of the Mirabila baby designs (maybe the moon one) three times.

The Wedding, Lavender and Lace

The Wedding, Lavender and Lace

18) Favourite design you have stitched and finished?
My favourite is Teresa Wentzler’s The Castle, which hangs in our hall, and Mirabila’s Garden Verses, which hangs beside my writing desk.

The Castle, designed by Teresa Wentzler

The Castle, designed by Teresa Wentzler

Garden Verses, Mirabilia

Garden Verses, designed by Mirabilia

 

19) Least favourite design you’ve stitched and finished?
A spitfire that I stitched for my jerk of a high-school boyfriend. I got it back and it now hangs in my dad’s bedroom. It really is a great design, but the memories suck.

Spitfire

Spitfire

20) Last, but not least, what’s your longest running WIP?
I think it is Magical Night. It is going on 16 years, I believe.

Magical Night by Teresa Wentzler

Magical Night, designed by Teresa Wentzler

That was fun! I hope that you answer these questions too, if you haven’t already. Be sure to leave a link so I can read your answers.

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