Rush, Rush, Rush

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Heather

Goodness, the year really is rushing to its end, isn’t it? Christmas is just around the corner, and I’ve still got a lot to do. (I bet you have too!) Thankfully, I finished up my Christmas shopping this past weekend, and I’ve got my Christmas card list in order. Now I just need to find time to finish the three gifts I still need to make.

Want some more peeks?

Yikes. That is a lot of ends!

Yikes. That is a lot of ends!

This just looks like a mess, doesn’t it? Trust me, if I can figure out the pattern, it should be something amazing.

That looks weird...

That looks weird…

And this cross stitch is in the home stretch. Depending on how my week shapes up, I might have it done by next Monday. Cross your fingers for me! 😉

How is your Christmas crafting going? Got any tips for planning (for last minute gifts or for getting a jump start on next year)?

Also, don’t forget, the penultimate Ornament SAL check-in is coming up. November 27th is the day, and I hope to see a whole pile of ornaments!

1 Comment | Posted in Cross Stitch, Knitting | Tagged , ,

Rememberance Day

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Heather

Lest we forget.

poppy

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Canvaswork Coin Purse in Progress

Posted on November 9, 2013 by Heather

Between jewellery making and working on Christmas gifts, I have found a little bit of time to work on one of my projects from this fall’s Creativ Festival.

Canvaswork Coin Purse, designed by Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams (WIP)

Canvaswork Coin Purse, designed by Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams (WIP)

The project is Canvaswork Coin Purse, designed by Jennifer Aikman-Smith. She provided the pattern, some alternative stitches, some neutral Caron Waterlilies (I picked a black) and a choice of Krenik braid (I picked silver), and we chose the rest of the colours ourselves.

Close-up of Canvaswork Coin Purse

Close-up of Canvaswork Coin Purse

The purple for the border is DMC perle cotton #3 in number 327. Unfortunately, I’ve run out (one skein is enough, but I lent some to Erica, who left her’s at home, much to her horror). The interior colours are Waterlilies in colourway Amethyst (thank you to Erica for giving it to me, since the Waterlilies I brought wasn’t going to work at all) and the black shade that Jennifer provided. (I forgot to ask what colour number it is…)

Jennifer provided some finishing instructions, but I’ve been thinking of a different way to do it. I will probably line the purse some purple floral fabric and then use rare earth magnets for the closure. As to when I will get it finished, who knows! lol!

3 Comments | Posted in Canvaswork | Tagged , , ,

More Christmas Peeks

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Heather

This time of year can be so hard! I’m working on some things I really like, but I can’t share pictures just in case I spoil someone’s Christmas surprise. 🙁

What is this?!

What is this?!

This week I’ve been working really hard on getting a piece of stitching done. It has piles of backstitch, which I always procrastinate on, so I know I need to get the cross stitching portion done ASAP. (I’ve edited the picture so the colours don’t give anything away.)

Looks like it might be knitting...

Looks like it might be knitting…

I’ve also been doing some knitting. I haven’t made much progress yet, but I think this project will go quickly. My gauge is off, though, so I’m a bit worried about the final product. Hopefully it will turn out okay.

How’s your Christmas crafting going? I’d really love to hear more about it. Leave a comment below. But please don’t tell me you finished all your Christmas gifts months ago! 😛

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Smalls SAL – A Work in Progress

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Heather

Ladies, I have received a lot of great feedback about a stitch along for next year. Thank you so much to all of you who have said how much you enjoyed this year’s SAL, and how it was helpful in getting you to work through all those ornaments you’ve been meaning to stitch. While I toyed with the idea of doing a finishing SAL for next year, so we can get all these lovely ornaments ready for our Christmas trees, gift giving, or what-have-you, I decided that that didn’t sound like very much fun. I’d rather stitch than finish, which could be why I have a giant pile of things waiting for me to do something with them…

A pile of partly-stitched smalls.

A pile of partly-stitched smalls.

But I digress. It looks like a Smalls SAL is a very popular choice for next year. So, I’m working on putting that together. I will have a sign-up sheet, badge for your blog, and more information for you by the end of November. It will work similar to this year’s SAL: you stitch one small a month (ornament, pinkeep, small design, whatever) and share it with everyone else on check-in day. Then, you head over here to leave a link (enter a draw?), and take a look at everyone else’s stitching.

All most done! Now I just have to stitch the back...

All most done! Now I just have to stitch the back…

What makes a small? Well, I thought about setting some rules. For example, it should be no more than 60×60 stitches. But, I think it ultimately should be something you can stitch in about a month. I also thought about limiting the projects to new ones only, but I think if you have a WIP with only a few stitches done, it will still be just fine to stitch for the SAL. This isn’t a contest about who can get the most done in 2014. It is about working on all those smalls we have been meaning to stitch, sharing our results with fellow stitchers, and getting inspired. (And me stitching up a bunch of Teresa Wentzler smalls…)

So, let me know what you think. And, don’t forget, we still have two Ornament SAL check ins left for 2013. The next one is on November 27, and the final one is on December 30th. I can’t wait to see more of your stitching, and to hear from you about the 2014 Smalls SAL!

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

Chainmaille

Posted on November 6, 2013 by Heather

I think I may have found a new hobby…

What am I up to now?

What am I up to now?

Hmmm, two pairs of pliers, some jump rings and a little bit of a bracelet. Any ideas about what I’ve been making?

My first chainmaille bracelet. It isn't perfect, but I still love it.

My first chainmaille bracelet. It isn’t perfect, but I still love it.

It is a Byzantine weave chainmaille bracelet, made from a kit I picked up from Hyperlynks. I had so much fun making this, even though I had to fight with my tools a little bit. (I only  have one good chain nose plier. I had to use a substandard round nose plier as well, and it caused a lot of issues.) Some of my jump rings aren’t closed all the way because I was struggling with my tools, but the result is still lovely.

Close-up of B weave

Close-up of Byzantine weave

Chainmaille is my type of jewellery making, for sure. I do really love all the jewellery with Swarovski and pearls and bling, but it isn’t really me. I love simple chains and silver (real or coloured). There are also chainmaille patterns that incorporate a little bit of Swarovski that I may eventually try (a girl does need a bit of sparkle once in a while). I’m looking forward to trying more in the future. Hyperlynks is supposed to be at both the spring Creativ Festival and the Toronto Bead Society Spring Fair, so I’ll have lots of chances to get new kits and decide what I like making. Maybe some pieces will eventually show up on my etsy shop.

If you are interested in giving Byzantine weave a try yourself (and, really, it is super easy), there are some great tutorials on Youtube. Or, you could check out the tutorial on The Daily Skein. I’ve also started a Pinterest board of weaves and projects that look interesting to me.

5 Comments | Posted in Jewellery Making | Tagged , ,

TUSAL – November 2013

Posted on November 5, 2013 by Heather

Why am I always late? I was sure that today was Totally Useless Stitch Along (TUSAL) check-in day. Unfortunately, for various reasons, I’ve fallen behind on reading blogs (and, goodness, do I ever miss everyone!), so I didn’t realize that I had missed the right day, again. I really need to get my act together!

TUSAL - November 2013 - My mini ort container

TUSAL – November 2013 – My mini ort container

At least I have an ort container full of goodness! There are lots of bits from my Creativ Festival classes, from Christmas gifts I’ve been working on, and from other projects I’ve been flitting between. (I have a lot of trouble focusing…)

My large ort container

My large ort container

And here is my jar for the year so far. I think it looks very pretty. In fact, I think everyone’s ort collection looks pretty. I love seeing all the colours jumbled together.

If you are interested in taking part in the TUSAL, or want to  know more about it, check out DaffyCat’s blog here.

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