Fully Dressed!

Well, no, not me - got to love blogging in your jim-jams - but my lady of the Sisterhood. Dressed in a very cheerful yellow, her hair and eyes have been coloured to match mine, but I think I'd need pretty heavy duty corsetting to get her figure! :o) Tonight I actually have an evening in so I'm hoping to get some of the lettering worked on. And last night was my last Uni class for a month, so that is going to free up some more time too! Yay! I love my course, and the tutor I have for both my classes is *fabulous* but I do need a break...

I'd like to get this finished at the weekend - I wonder where the pattern will go next?

News, Update and Replies to Comments

Exciting news first! I've just found out I'm going to be the 21st stitcher in the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pattern! Carol has emailed me to say the pattern's coming to visit, so I'll be sure to update and keep you eyes out for when I offer it on my blog! This is a lesson in perseverance - I've been following the pattern for ages... and it's lead to me discovering a number of blogs I wouldn't have otherwise found, so it's all good! I think I might change the pink dress though ... oh, and if you haven't discovered Carol's charts yet, go check them out ... I'll wait ;o)

Lovely, aren't they? I'm only holding off buying them until I get some more of my UFOs finished, but at least that number is smaller thanks to my ruthless "Finish or Fling" decisions. Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions, they are appreciated, and those people who've offered to take pieces from me, they will be in the post over the next week or so. A lot of people have said how much they are enjoying this ...and don't worry, there's more to come!

I'd like to say "thank you" to everyone who has  made a donation to the MS Trust via my Justgiving page. I've had a lovely email from the Trust thanking *me* - but it isn't really me, it's you guys! I set a target of £100 for the year, and I'm nearly a third of the way there already - which is amazing considering it's only January, and that there have been other demands on our money, such as the disaster in Haiti. It's thanks to donations like yours that new treatments are being developed - just this week, the news was that oral meds are on their way, so that the prospect of daily injections (which have some yukky side effects) could be a thing of the past.

I've been busy with a lot of Uni work, so haven't really been stitching, but I am nearly done with my version of the January Biscornu and Fob. Despite designing it for a dark blue fabric, mine is stitched on white, as my navy aida seems to have disappeared - I have a sneaking suspicion it went to my friend H. (Miss Shine) when she came and took some stash off my hands! (hmm... wonder if that's it in that last post of her's...) Anyway, my plans for today include finishing and making these up, so hopefully there will be pictures tomorrow!

Knitting wise, I've been making a head start on the Innocent Smoothie hats, as the Colonnade shawl is needing to be frogged back three rows - ggrrr! And I'm in a bit of a dither, because I'm not sure why I chose this colour - grey and black near my face don't do anything for me, especially in winter - so I don't know whether just to frog the lot and to use the yarn for something for The Hermit - well, it would match his beard :o) And the two pairs of socks on the needles are going nowhere either ... :o(

Thanks must go too to everyone who is leaving comments - they are all appreciated!

Heidi - get out those PS charts and join us on the PS ABC Stitching Bee - you know you want to!

Riona - yes, blackwork is usually worked on white or cream linen, but my big samplers were on cream, and my little obsessive self didn't like the white based one hanging near it, so I tea dyed it ... hence the fate of this one! If I remember, I'll post a picture of the wall where they are hanging ...

Blu - I think there's an eagle in the D block of the PS ABC because it fits with the patriotic theme. I'd be a bit scared if there was an Eagle with the Embroiderer in the E block ... they're big! :o)

And if anyone is waiting for a chart - I will be mailing them out later this weekend. I had another Uni deadline on Friday, and was a bit tied up - fortuntely, my "Finish or Fling" posts were all pre-written and scheduled in - love that feature! If you don't have your chart by Sunday, please check that you've left an email address either in the comment or that it's accessible from your profile!

Right, I think that's all the news that's fit to print - you really don't want a blow-by-blow account of the cold I've got - so I hope you have a happy weekend, everyone, and happy stitching!

Prairie Schooler SAL Update

I'm still working on this - not much, to be honest, because I'm working on my own freebie January Biscornu and Fob - and I had to take a break to do a bit of re-design ...

So far, I've been lucky - my borders have matched up first time on each block - hope this continues!

Slow progress... the colours on these pictures aren't great because of the artificial light - the low energy fluorescents give a very yellow cast...

This next picture shows the first change I've made - the eagle is now a Golden Eagle, and not a Bald Eagle. Apart from the fact that in the UK, we don't have Bald Eagles, I'm afraid I can't take them seriously - too much Muppet Show when I was young! Basically, I've swapped the colour of the eagle and the arrow - so this block with have less 3371 than most of the other blocks, but I don't think it will throw the balance off too much.

The other amendments I'm going to make are to put a Scottish flag in the box, and a Lion Rampant in the shield - these are all charted out, just need to be worked now!

Prairie Schooler SAL

I've not had a lot of time for stitching over the last few days as I've had work and Uni stuff piling up. This is where I'm at with D is for Drum, the next letter I'm working on for the Prairie Schooler ABC SAL. I have to confess this is my least favourite of the designs. It's just so very American and flag wavingly patriotic, and I'm not. I wish designers would realise that they sell to international markets ... Anyway, I have been working with my design software and have come up with some amendments. The flag is going to be a Scottish saltire, the drum will have a Lion Rampant in the shield (and that took some doing!) and the Bald Eagle will change species and become a Golden Eagle.

Prairie Schooler SAL

Hey Diddle Diddle

The Cat and the Fiddle

The Cow jumped over the Moon...

Here's my cow in space rather than on a lush green field - she looks a little startled, but I've found cows take most things in their stride! I'm pleased with how quickly this is working up, but I hope I don't go off like a rocket and then burn myself out! However, I'd like to get this part finished before Christmas now, rather than the end of the month...

End of the week update

My Happy Sock is coming along nicely - I'm currently on the toe decreases, only a few more rounds and the dreaded grafting to do and then it's done! I'm already planning my next pair, I love having socks on the go, they are so portable!

And only one more band to do on the Antique Hearts Needleroll too, although of course there's quite a bit of hem stitching needed at this point. The picture is 'fresh off the hoop' - I'll iron it next time!

Somehow - probably because it got stuffed in my bag - Petites Lettres Rouges met with either ink or eyeliner ...

However, with my trusty bottle of Stain Devil and a cotton bud ...

I'm very relieved, because it really is a pretty piece. I've also washed it in dish detergent and warm water and the colours stayed absolutely in place, which is always a relief when dealing with hand dyed threads!

So, hopefully this weekend, in between completing a Uni assignment, I will have at least one happy dance!

Works in Progress

This is my current focus stitching piece - Summer into Autumn by The Drawn Thread. I'm really enjoying it, but because the linen is 32 count, I need good light to stitch by, and a steady hand, so I'm mainly working on it at weekends, which is slowing the progress. No matter though, as it will make the joy last longer :o)

I am going to finish this as a bellpull I think, and display it with Winter into Spring - which I have yet to stitch!

This is my second pair of socks - one is already finished, and I've just turned the heel on this pair. I'm making them for my closest friend (who doesn't read my blogs) for Christmas, so I should have them completed in plenty of time. The yarn is Italian and lovely to work with, but knitting black has some of the same issues as stitching on black, especially counting! I work on these mostly on the bus, it's quite surprising how much I can get done - it works out at a sock a week.

And because I saw the yarn on Saturday, I just had to start a third pair ... these are for me. I love how the stripes are working out.

Knitting has been very soothing - Colin the guinea pig, star of the recent post, has been rather ill with a respiratory infection so has needed nursing, vet attention and some hand/syringe feeding - and knitting helps dispel the worry somewhat. He has another checkup with the vet today, but appears to be recovering - fingers crossed!

Update - Mostly Knitting...

Work has been busy - fun, but busy. There are a few issues which need sorting, but what workplace doesn't have those? I solved one of my issues with dealing with the volunteers - I sent them all out yesterday :o) - I got so much more work done... LOL

Today is one of my days off, but I have some stuff to organise, not least a knitting and stitching retreat for the stitch n bitch group I'm in. We had a meeting last night at a member's house, and in my efforts not to make a noise and wake her baby up, wasn't concentrating on my feet and fell down the stairs pretty much from the top - I'm covered in bruises this morning, but I didn't wake up Freddie! :O) I think I lost my concentration because I was tired - and when I lose that, because of the MS I'm more likely to trip or fall but - touch wood - I generally bounce :o)

I'm going to catch up on posting my finishes here too, as I'm so behind. The new computer is making it a lot simpler and quicker as we can use the up to date versions of the software :o)

I haven't been doing a lot of stitching though, my current addiction is knitting! I was taught to knit as a pre-schooler (*cough* 35 years ago *cough*) but never mastered knitting in the round on double pointed needles. After an interview last week for a company based close to a wool shop in the city, I picked up some sock yarn, needles, and a pattern and set myself to the task. It was awkward at first (very!) but I stuck to it for longer than my previous attempts, and here is the progress on my first sock, turned heel and all:



I've been working on the simple bits on my commute to my new job (much longer than the old one, it's one of the few downsides) but I worked the heel at home in peace and quiet ...

I'm also participating in the Innocent Smoothies Big Knit.

Basically, each winter, bottles of Innocent Smoothies are sold in a major supermarket wearing little wooly hats, to raise money for Age Concern and to raise awareness that each year in the UK, 25 000 older people die from cold related illnesses. Isn't that shocking? And of course with the huge rises in fuel bills this year, I'm sure many more old people will die as they simply won't be able to afford to heat their homes. My paternal grandparents had free coal as grandad was an ex-miner, and my maternal grandmother might have been frugal in other areas, but she always made sure she was warm, and I'm so thankful that they never had to feel the cold unnecessarily. Each bottle sold with a wooly hat will mean Innocent gives 50p to Age Concern. I've already knitted quite a few (28), and I have nearly a month to make more.



Sweepstakes: Make a comment guessing how many hats I will have knitted by 14 October (when I will mail the package to Innocent) and the person who guesses closest to the total will win an item knitted by me!

Stitching Update

I've been working on Random Thoughts lately - and loving every stitch of it! Even the over-one sections are working well and I'm doing them as full crosses - unusually for me!

The colours are muted and work well together - and they are working on the fabric I chose, which was a piece of vintage Belfast from Zweigart - I think the colour has been discontinued, which is a shame.

I've had to call a temporary halt though - yesterday the silk kept snagging on my fingers, which I think are a little rough from housework *sigh* - so it was on with the handcream, and onto a 'new'project. Well, I say new, it was actually an old WIP I had forgotten about - I traded a chart years ago, and when it arrived, it came with a piece partially finished. So yesterday, I finished it! And I also started the other project on the chart, so hopefully by the end of today, I will have two pinkeep sized finishes :o)

After that, I'm going to work on one of my quilt blocks and I'm also going to make a pot of soup. What are your plans for today?

Lovely Mail Day!

I had a great mail day on Friday :o)

First of all, Sally sent me the chart for Bee Charmer by Indigo Rose which she completed earlier this year, and which I loved - I love things with bees on, and this is a charming biscornu. Thank you Sally! Then there was another envelope from Carol and it contained a PIF gift - a personalised fob, from Nature's Alphabet by Elizabeth's Designs. It is beautifully stitched and finished. I will show a photo on Monday when I get back to work - as I've left the USB cable for the camera there ... Carol was also very thoughtful and included a whole host of Little House Needleworks freebies so that I can take part in the exchange on Hooked on Exchanges - thank you Carol!

I had a stash fondle and sort out yesterday as I had a day indoors, the weather wasn't great and The Hermit hasn't been well. Everything is need and tidy, and I kitted up my remaining goals for the month. My WIPs are going well, so I had a new start ;o) - the Buzzing Around biscornu from Barbara Ana Designs. It's going to look really cute :o)

I'm opting out of making a cushion cover for my dad, because I found the perfect one in a local discount store, so I'm going to attach the finished Celtic B to that - which should save some time, and the cover will look more professional. So I'm on track with finishing that. Of course, no sooner is his birthday over than Father's day will be upon us... but he's worth it! :o)

Today is SAL with Sally, so Just Nan's Morning Song will be getting an airing - I want to finish the rooster band and the floral band below it - hopefully it won't take too long, I have an essay to plan. This is for my American Literature course, and I think I'm going to use the title which talks about the portrayal of women in the books we've studied - and I'm going to talk about how needlework is used symbolically in that. Not that I'm obsessed or anything...

Hope you all have a good day, I'll be back tomorrow with progress pics (although probably not of the essay, that'd be dull...)

Little and often...

One of the reasons Celtic B became a UFO was that I was bored of all the backstitch. I really don't like doing backstitch once I've finished cross stitching - I like the shapes to stand up for themselves. And that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it...

Anyhow ... I decided to make a start on the back stitch, as I'm up against a deadline on this which can't be missed, and I'm working on Celtic B as my travel project. I only have a short commute - less than 25 minutes each way on the bus, including waiting at the stop - and I've discovered that the backstitching is totally tolerable when broken down into such small bites, but the fact that I'm doing it twice a day is really making inroads into it.

There's probably a moral there somewhere... LOL

I popped into the LNS in town today, to pick up a skein of DMC. Why is it that the colour I run out of is never one of the spares I have on hand? Anyway, I saw the new "Satin" range from DMC. Looks just like their old rayon threads to me - am I missing something?

Talking of DMC, I was speaking to the owner of the very-L LNS on Friday (I was buying card mounts and peel offs, didn't realise I needed the thread...)Apparently, DMC have shut their long established warehouse in the UK in order to rationalise and save costs, so all stock is now coming from France, hence longer lead times and more out of stocks. Looks like DMC are just sorting themselves out to be here for the long haul, there's no need to start hoarding yet!

I've sorted out the projects I want to stitch for both the freebie exchange and the biscornu finishing challenge, I've been awfully organised this month :o) Once Celtic B and these two projects are finished, that's all my goals for the month done!

SAL and an update

Yesterday was my usual Sunday SAL with Sally. I got quite a lot done as –despite the numerous colour changes – it’s a pretty easy stitch, not too much fiddly detail. I have one small row to do – another darning pattern “path” and then I will be at the half way point – not bad for three sessions work! If I keep this rate up, I should be finished at the end of May, but I have a lot of gift stitching to do next month, so it probably won’t work out like that.





This is the project I’ve been calling the “Sludge Monster” – it’s actually not a very fair name for it, because although the colours are muted, and mainly browns, it’s quite warm in tone. I had hoped to have this finished for the end of the month, but that won’t happen now due to my evening commitments over the next couple of days, and I will be laying this aside whilst I work on my gift stitching.





This is the first block in my rather ambitious quilting project – a sampler quilt! I’ve not stitched this in the usual American pieced way, rather the old fashioned English way, using papers, as I’m stitching it all by hand (and without a rotary cutter and stuff). This block is called Rail Fence, apparently.





And this is a work in progress – the second block, called Maple Leaf. Given the fact that my partner is Canadian, I had to work this one in! Again, it’s pieced using papers. The green cotton I’ve used to tack (baste) the papers in with was some from my late gran’s stash, which I inherited. Actually, I’m using a lot of thread from her workbasket – it’s nice to have that connection to her.

As you can see, the colours are quite warm and bright - I will be introducing a moss green at some point, too, and another accent colour. I've chosen fabrics with abstract patterns or mottles rather than (say) flowers or leaves - I want the fabric shapes to be the pattern, not the print on the fabric.

Saturday is Stash Day ...

Well, perhaps this should read "Saturday after pay day is stash day..."

I went to the Patchwork Garden, intending only to buy some fabric to make a gift for M, my niece, but somehow I came out with half a dozen fat quarters to start a sampler quilt, using the book by Lynne Edwards, which I have on my shelf ...

It's going to be a long job, as I will be entirely hand piecing it (sewing machines make me stressed) but I did finish a simple block yesterday, only another 24 to go :o) Or possibly 19, it depends on how big I'm going to do it ... The colours are my favourite jewels and autumn tones, so it will be ... bright, I think is the word for it. There was a class at the store about to start, and the ladies were all very interested in what I was planning, and I got lots of compliments about my colour choices and "eye", which was nice ...

I'd love to do another block today, but I'm stitching on Morning Song with Sally as it's SAL Sunday, so it might have to wait. I want to stitch at least two bands...

Sow Kind Seeds - Bent Creek and an update.

Design: Sow Kind Seeds
Designer: Bent Creek
Threads: DMC Perle Cotton 5
Fabric: 10 count Tula

This project came together from a random assortment of bits, really!


The chart was a trade, and originally belonged to a kit. My swapper enclosed the left over threads, which weren't enough to stitch the whole piece again - I used what I could, subbed what I could from my stash, and only ordered one skein - to complete the border. So some of the colours are what the designer wanted - and some aren't :o)


The fabric was an unknown fabric I bought ages ago from a shop in London which is no longer there - a real shame, as it had been on the site for donkey's years, but I guess rents near Oxford Street are too high to support such a specialist retailer. Given the fact that I left living within shopping distance of London nearly ten years ago tells you how long this fabby has been waiting for it's chance to shine - and there was nearly a yard of it! I can't tell you how often I was tempted to eBay it ... but I didn't really know what it was. I've since worked out that if it isn't Tula, it's as near as jazz, and I've kitted several projects with it.


This was a nice quick stitch. All I need to do now is press it and attach a heart shape button to the hand. I'll either frame it or make it into a pillow.


Currently, I'm catching up with Neat Country Stuff. It's the last goal on my list for April, and it would be wonderful to get everything finished, for once :o) I've done nearly six squares out of the nine, so even if I don't finish it, it will be a very close run thing. I'm making life harder for myself by changing one of the squares - the sheep in the bottom right square looks nothing like a sheep to me (or to The Hermit) so I will be charting my own - I'm going to use the sheep from the same designer's Sheep Button Sampler as a starting point, but it needs completely re-sizing, and re-colouring, plus I want to keep the bird from the original chart - so it's get the graph paper out time. I'm a lot more confident that I used to be in changing motifs. I never had trouble changing colours, but I was always scared I'd wreck the balance of a design if I did things to it - now I no longer worry. Partly because I have a reasonable grasp of design concepts so I know I won't make a total hash of it, but partly because I know that as long as I'm happy, it doesn't really matter...


I've already decided on May's goals - I think the subtitle for the month should be "Selfless Stitching" - with the birthdays of two people very dear to me, plus two exchanges, I'm not going to have a lot of time for other things! My sister has said not to put pressure on myself making things for M (The Tot) but I want to - she really loves getting gifties, and I think when she's older, because she's been born into a crafty family, she will really appreciate getting something handmade and personal. And of course, I want to make things for my Dad, too - it's so hard buying gifts for a man, anyway, and my dad especially - if I don't make the effort, he gets the same old thing birthday after birthday. Not that he minds - he's a creature of habit, and receiving a nice bottle of Single Malt Scotch and some nice smellies is fine by him, but it doesn't seem enough for someone so special.