Last Starts and Finishes

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Heather

Well, we all made it to 2013. Yay! But I didn’t sit on my hands during the last few days of 2012. I may be up to over a month and a half of having one cold after another, but I’m still working hard on getting projects done.

Tea Time, from Gitta's

Tea Time, from Gitta’s

I finally put the last background stitches into Tea Time, a small design from Kathrin Ellison of Gitta’s. It was my first real taste of needlepoint in many, many years. And, I hate to admit it, but I don’t think needlepoint is for me. Filling in the background was just too boring. Anyway, the fibres are DMC for the tea cup and lettering and Anchor for the background.

Two Silk Scarf from Sweater Kits

Two Silk Scarf from Sweater Kits

I also finished up my Two Silk Scarf from Sweater kits. It is a very simple garter stitch triangle, knit with two alternating rows of their Silk Jewel and Silky Mulberry yarn. I love the way the beads in the Silk Jewel yarn twinkle, and look a bit like drops of water sitting on the scarf. It is very pretty, and long enough to wrap around my neck at least twice. I think it will keep me quite warm.

Friends Stitching Together (WIP)

Friends Stitching Together (WIP)

I’m taking part in WIPacolpyse again, and so I needed to start a couple of projects in 2012 so they would count for this year. ;)The first (above) is a collaboration piece from a getaway my LNS held a couple of years ago. (I didn’t attend, but I did manage to snag the design.) It features cross stitched designs by Jeanette Douglas, Laura Dickson (Enchanting Lair) and Kathrin Ellison of Gitta’s. The bottom tassel was designed by Brenda Franklin (who also designs lovely cross stitch patterns, too).

Santa's Journey Stocking (WIP)

Santa’s Journey Stocking (WIP)

The second start is another Christmas stocking, which may end up being for me. It is a Dimension’s kit, and I’ve decided to use the adia that comes with it. I hope I don’t regret that a few months down the road. :/

Along with my ornaments from the Ornament SAL and one or two other smaller pieces, these are the pieces I’d really, really like to complete this year. Wish me luck!

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Happy 2013!

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Heather

Best wishes for a wonderful new year!

Comments Off on Happy 2013! | Posted in Site News |

Stitching Lotus

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Heather

Several months ago this blog moved from a shared URL to its own: stitchinglotus.ca. I kept the old blog name for a while, but now it is time for a little bit of re-branding.

stitchinglotus

So, Reflections in the Pond is being renamed Stitching Lotus. Don’t worry, I’m not moving it again or making any other changes. I’m just changing the name to mesh better with the URL, and to further disassociate it from my other website (which has nothing to do with stitching or any other crafts).

Also, check out the logo for the Ornament SAL. It will find a permanent home on the SAL page. Please feel free to use it on your blog to link back to the SAL page.

logo_stitchinglotus_2013_ornament_sal_200x231

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2013 SALs

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Heather

Look: another finish!

Trimming the Tree by Lavender Wings

Trimming the Tree by Lavender Wings

The pattern is Lavender Wings’ Trimming the Tree. The fibres are DMC, and the fabric is Meadow from Enchanting Lair.

I almost got enough done this year to make me feel like I should take part in every Stitch Along I’ve come across. You know, I’m not sure if participating in SALs helps me get more done, but I sure do have more fun!

In 2013 I plan to take part in three Stitch Alongs. The first is my own Ornament SAL, where we stitch an ornament for any holiday once a month. Finish finishing them is optional. 😉

SAL number 2 is DaffyCat’s Totally Useless SAL. It is as easy as can be to take part: save your little bits of thread in a container and post a picture of it every new moon. Simple!

SAL number 3 is Measi’s WIPocalypse. The whole point of which is to work on all those works-in-progess (WIP) that each of us has stashed away somewhere. I did fairly well with it last year, and I’m looking forward to getting much more done in 2013.

There are several other SALs out there in blog-land. There is the International Hermit and Stitch Weekends, which is great for those of you who are able to take time on the weekend to just stitch and ignore the heck out of your family. 😉 I’m envious, believe me, but an almost-5-year old doesn’t understand mommy’s need to just stitch and not feed him, so I will be passing on that one again this year. And there is also Geeky Heather’s Theme-a-licious. Every month stitch along to the themes Heather has laid out. This year she is also offering ornament themes, which would complement my ornament SAL quite nicely. And who could forget the ever popular Crazy January? Spend the first 15 (or every) days in January starting new projects, and then finish them up during the year.

What SALs will you be taking part in?

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Ornament Preperations

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Heather

Christmas is over and New Years Day is just around the corner. Soon it will be 2013 and time to start new projects and plans.

Ornament supplies!

Ornament supplies!

This is my pile of floss and materials for the ornaments I plan to stitch next year. One nice thing about picking the same designer for all the ornaments is that they use a lot of the same colours.

Are you thinking about stitching a bunch of ornaments next year? Why not join my Ornament Stitch Along? Lots of stitchers have already signed up, and the more the merrier!

 

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Merry Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2012 by Heather

I hope Santa brought you everything you deserved, and a few things you asked for too.

I hope you have a very merry Christmas day.

2 Comments | Posted in Site News |

Join the Ornament SAL!

Posted on December 22, 2012 by Heather

Who doesn’t love stitching ornaments? Decorating Christmas trees, Halloween trees and even Easter trees with stitched ornaments is a great way to show off your work, and to give yourself a quick finish. And, of course, stitching with friends is much more fun than stitching alone.

(As an aside, I still need a sidebar/post graphic for the SAL. If you have any ideas, please do let me know.)

Christmas, Halloween, Easter or everyday. There are lots of different ornaments you could stitch.

Christmas, Halloween, Easter or everyday. There are lots of different ornaments you could stitch.

Rules

The rules are very simple:

  1. Stitch an ornament every month. It can be for any holiday, in any style, and using any needlework technique you choose.
  2. Post a picture of your completed ornament (stitching done, but the actual finishing is optional) on the last Wednesday of every month.
  3. Hop over here to my blog and add a comment to the current month’s check in post to get an entry into the end of the year draw.

Dates

The dates for check in are as follows:

  • January 30th
  • February 27th
  • March 27th
  • April 24th
  • May 29th
  • June 26th
  • July 31st
  • August 28th
  • September 25th
  • October 30th
  • November 27th
  • December 30th

Note that the last check in is a little later in the month, to help account for the Christmas rush and to allow for an end of the year wrap up of all your finishes.

Prizes

There will be a draw held on January 1st, 2014 for all the participants in the SAL. To enter, just make a comment on the check in posts with a link to your ornament of the month. For every month you post your pictures and make a comment you will get an entry into the draw. And I would love it if you would link back to the Ornament SAL page. (It’s permanent home is at this location.)

What will the prize be? A surprise, of course! But, rest assured it will be stash that will help you stitch your 2014 ornaments! And maybe a stitched ornament, too. If you’d like to donate something towards the prize please send me an email. (And thank you very much!)

Need a Reminder?

Want to make sure you never forget a check in post? Sign up for my mailing list, and I will send out an email every month after I post up the check in post. Don’t worry, I will never sell, share, trade or otherwise abuse your email address. Heck, I’ll be doing the mailing list manually!

Participants

Interested in joining up? Just add you link to the list below. If you can’t get the form to work, please send me an email and I will add you manually.

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