Plush

Buzzard's Roost, Calico Puzzle and shopping!

2011-10-06T11:13:00.000+01:00

I did mean to post these earlier in the week, but after the excitement of Catkin came a day out in Cambridge shopping with Martin's mum. We had a great time (I do love going round shops with her), and as usual whenever I go out with her I came home with lots of goodies.

First up though are this week's blocks. It was a windy morning when I took the photos so here's Buzzard's Roost with corners that are flying in the breeze - appropriate for the name I guess!

Here's Calico Puzzle...

And here they all are so far.

And just for Nic, here are my new boots (and a handbag from the market and a puff from some Rowan Fine Tweed I also bought). I was so lucky with the boots. I would have probably bought some floral DMs at another shop if they'd had my size. But they didn't so we tried somewhere else and they had these - only made for this store so not available anywhere else. I'd seen the longer ones and loved them, but I have long boots already so was settling for the 8-hole floral ones. These were perfect - it was meant to be!

There's a big red winter coat on the way to me too! Had to order my size. I'm definitely set for winter!

Catkin

2011-10-04T12:25:00.000+01:00

I should be posting photos of this week's Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt blocks (yes, they're done and photos are ready to upload), but I unpinned this from the floor this morning and need to show it off! It's my finished Catkin and I'm so pleased with it.

Catkin by Carina Spencer

Knitted with Old Maiden Aunt merino in Bramble and Midnight Owl

It's a lovely size, perfect for autumn (once the incredible heatwave we've been having disappears) and so soft and squishy. I love it!

Buckwheat and Butterfly at the Crossroads

2011-09-26T15:48:00.001+01:00

I think this is the first time I've posted my two blocks of the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt before Nic! For those who don't know, we are stitching two blocks together each week (well, as together as you get when you're on different sides of the UK!) I stitched almost all day yesterday but still had a couple of seams left to finish off ths morning. Goodness knows why they took so long!

The first is Buckwheat - a browny block that will sit with a couple already done with lots of turquiose in them. I like this one more than I thought I might.

And this is Butterfly at the Crossroads. Pretty.

And the whole lot. It was a bit wet outside this morning, so indoor photos this week.

There are two blocks I'm unsure about - the ones with Lecien fabric in them. It's a thinner fabric and a different style of pattern and they stick out like a sore thumb to me. I may have to unpick and redo them. I keep thinking they will merge with the rest as I do more blocks, but they're bugging me. You know how when something bugs you that much it's all you can see?

An autumn project

2011-09-23T15:52:00.002+01:00

At this time of year I always get a desire for brown and berry coloured clothing - blackberries, damsons, plums - purples and rich deep pinks. I haven't found the right coloured purpley-pink yarn yet, but I have found the right brown and purple, and the right pattern to knit too.

This is my swatch for Catkin, a lovely shawl in two colours. I'm using Old Maiden Aunt merino in Bramble and Midnight Owl. (I'll leave you to figure out which colour is which - the names are a good clue!)

It's not a perfect swatch because it was done after a walk down the river to the next village, a lovely, relaxing, boozy pub lunch in the sun, a walk back and another glass of wine in the garden (with Lulu supervising of course). It was a gorgeous day and the river was stunning and so peaceful - one of my favourite places in the world.

Knitting of the actual shawl has started and it's ticking along very nicely thank you.

Broken Dishes and Broken Sugar Bowl

2011-09-22T15:32:00.001+01:00

Another week and another two blocks! We've been out and about quite a bit the last few days, so these have taken me longer than usual. We also had a spontaneous de-clutter session and I couldn't actually reach the computer to upload pics until we tidied up again!

First is Broken Dishes...

And this one is Broken Sugar Bowl. An odd name for a block but I do like this one.

And here they all are - a round 100 to go!

And here's my usual photography helper :)

Box, Bow Tie, and a little knitting

2011-09-13T10:56:00.001+01:00

Gosh, these weeks are going fast aren't they? Another two blocks done on the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt. These two were easier and faster than last week's and done while watching much rugby on Sunday (I'm already a little rugby-ed out and it's not even the end of the first week of the world cup!)

So, here's Box...

And here's Bow Tie...

And here they are all together - I'm happier with the colours now there are more blocks.

There's been lots of knitting too. I've almost finished a cardigan (just seaming and the neckband to do), started another (pic coming shortly), been hexipuffing slowly but steadily (up to 40 puffs now), and been ticking along on this - a stole that is the first pattern in the Knitspot Fall in Full Color Club. I'm knitting mine in laceweight merino/silk with just a hint of sparkle from Posh Yarn. Pretty!

Birds in the Air and Bouquet

2011-09-08T09:59:00.000+01:00

Here at last are rather belated photos of last weekend's Farmer's Wife Sampler blocks.

First up is Bouquet, which has turned out to be another of my favourites so far. It took me ages to pick the fabrics because I started thinking it needed a cream background. Once I switched to the turquiose one it went far better.

The harder block this week was this one - Birds in the Air. Lots and lots and lots of little triangles. Fun though :)

And here they are so far - just 100 or so to go!

Legolas

2011-09-02T10:35:00.000+01:00

I'm on holiday! Our first time off this year - it's been such a crazy year so far.

We're going to have some days out and maybe a few nights away, but mainly we're just going to spend time doing exactly what we want for a change. The main thing I want to do is finish some projects and start some others, so here's the first.

Legolas shawl by Susan PandorfKnitted with Old Maiden Aunt alpaca/silk/cashmere 4ply in Bitterbug

Bat Wing and Big Dipper

2011-08-29T09:53:00.001+01:00

It's been a lovely bank holiday weekend so far. Iffy weather (we had a massive hail storm on Saturday!), but time with friends, time with crafts and time with family later today.

Here's the result of yesterday's Farmer's Wife quilt stitching. Bat Wing...

...and Big Dipper. I think this one is my favourite so far.

And here are all the blocks. I need to add more red and different shades of brown but there are over 100 blocks still to do so plenty of time to change the fabrics round.

And as usual I had a little shadow helping me!

P.S. To answer a couple of questions, yes, I am hand piecing all the blocks (and for the person who asked it just means I hand sew all the seams, no sewing machine needed :) They're all just finger pressed at the moment too, so no iron needed either! I'll hand quilt as well, as my sewing machine is very basic and I have far more confidence in my own hands than in it!

Christchurch shawl

2011-08-25T10:29:00.000+01:00

I think I'll let the pictures do the talking today...

Christchurch Shawl by Bristol Ivy
Knitted in Dye for Yarn Tussah silk in colour Worn Jeans

Autumn Tints and Basket Weave

2011-08-23T15:58:00.000+01:00

Well, after enjoying last weekend's block for the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt so much, Nic and I decided to do two blocks this week. I was away at a wedding party for a fair bit of the weekend, but I took the first one with me and started and finished it at the hotel. The second got finished last night. So here's Autumn Tints (a little creased from the trip):

And Basket Weave:

I decided to do Basket Weave as the layout in the book, even though it does look a bit like a Nazi symbol. But I like the beige fabric arrangement, so it's staying.

I was going to post photos earlier, but I had problems taking any. It's wet and miserable so it had to be indoor photos, and Sarah has taken to following me around like a puppy!

She's fuzzy in this one because she moved, but oh so cute!

A week in the life of a hexi puffer

2011-08-19T13:54:00.000+01:00

Start each day with a nice cup of tea...

Take every available moment to knit a row or two...

And by the time a week has passed you'll find yourself with this...

Two new quilts!

2011-08-15T10:36:00.001+01:00

Here you go - photos of two new quilts! The first I've mentioned before. It's the first block in my Farmer's Wife Sampler quilt, which I'm stitching along with Nic. We're doing one block each weekend, though I think we both finished yesterday's block and promptly wanted to do a second one!

We're doing them alphabetically and both hand piecing. Mine is just finger pressed at the moment, but here it is with this morning's cup of tea.

The largest triangles are cut from a single charm square - a perfect size. I quite liked the way they look a bit different to each other.

The second quilt is complete madness. I present my first few puffs for The Beekeeper's Quilt

I said it was madness didn't I?

Eliza Mitts

2011-08-14T12:05:00.000+01:00

I finished the second of a pair of mitts for the MIL this week. So pretty. The stitch pattern is the same as the Miss Doolittle scarf so I plan to knit the mitts and scarf for myself some time.

Eliza Mitts by Anne Hanson
Knitted in Old Maiden Aunt merino/cashmere/nylon in Bluebells

Off to do more knitting and a little stitching - I've started two quilts this week so need to get on so I can share photos!

The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt

2011-08-03T11:15:00.001+01:00

As one WIP is finished, I may as well start another! With very little encouragement needed, I'm intending to start the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt that seems to be very popular at the moment. I've been wanting to make a sampler quilt for ages, so I've decided to give it a go.

The book is on the way thanks to a very naughty friend :) And I have some bits and pieces of fabric that seem to go well together and will do for a start. Most are precut jelly roll or charm pack pieces, so I'm hoping I can juggle them to get the most of of them without having to buy masses of new fabric. I'm going to hand piece it all and hand quilt too. I've realised I much prefer hand piecing.

The observant may spot a kitty shadow in the first photo. I'm finding it very hard to take any photos these days without Lulu getting in on the act...

I now have furry fabric!

The jelly roll is Heritage Collection for a Cause by Moda, there are two Old Primrose Inn charm packs (Blackbird Designs for Moda) and two batches of Lecien floral fabric.

Lulu loves Jaali

2011-08-02T17:13:00.001+01:00

I just had to add another photo...

Jaali

2011-08-02T09:12:00.000+01:00

I just couldn't put this down!

Jaali by Kitman Figueroa
Knitted in Old Maiden Aunt merino in Last Night's Red Dress

Shawls galore

2011-07-27T10:11:00.000+01:00

I started another shawl just before the weekend. I couldn't wait to knit some of the lovely yarn I bought at Knit Nation, so why not?! This makes three shawls on the go at the moment - all in middling stages.

First is Jaali by Kitman Figueroa - this is the newer start in Old Maiden Aunt Last Night's Red Dress. It's all bunched up at the moment and hard to see but it's going to be very stylish.

Then there's the Christchurch Shawl by Bristol Ivy. I bought the pattern for this after the big Christchurch earthquake in February - proceeds went towards the relief fund. It's knitted in Dye for Yarn Tussah silk in Worn Jeans. Again it's a bit bunched up as it's getting big now.

The last is Legolas by Susan Pandorf - one of her Lord of the Rings patterns. This one is in Old Maiden Aunt Bitterbug. The pattern is a little like the Christchurch shawl - leaves and spines - but it will be smaller and cosier.

I'll probably end up finishing all three around the same time and will suddenly have a surfeit of shawls!

Miss Doolittle

2011-07-22T11:18:00.000+01:00

A few days ago I finished the Miss Doolittle scarf I've been knitting. It was pretty before but blocking has really opened up the pattern. I'l be knitting another of these for me in a darker yarn (this one is a gift).

Miss Doolittle by Anne Hanson
Knitted in Old Maiden Aunt merino/bamboo in Dreich

Lulu liked it too - I had problems taking a photo of it as she wanted to be in them all :)

My feet still ache...

2011-07-17T18:19:00.055+01:00

...from a busy day shopping at Knit Nation!

Well, not all shopping, we did take a class, but it was certainly a fair bit of walking round the stalls. As there were only a couple of dozen stands we managed to spend an incredible amount of time looking at yarn!

I met up with Nic, who I have known from a stitching BB for ages, and I have to say it is SO nice to have someone to go round the stalls with. It would have been fun by myself but it really does make a difference having someone else to look at stash with. We have expensive tastes though - all our favourites had silk in them! We'd never met before but she is lovely and it feels like we are proper friends. Wish we lived a bit closer together - although at least we are in the same country, which is more than can be said for all the other blogging friends that I have met! We also met up briefly with Paula, which was lovely. I'm sorry it was so brief - time just flew by.

First up was shopping. We made a bit of a mistake by looking at yarn on the Old Maiden Aunt stand but going round the whole lot before going back to buy. It had sold so fast in the hour in between that some of the colours I wanted had sold out! There was still a fair bit left though (blurry phone pics):

We met Woolly Wormhead, who was lovely and got me to try on some slouchy berets that actually fitted my huge head and didn't look too bad on my frizzball hair.

We also got some lovely Fyberspates lace yarn and pattern books to go with it. Eventually we will have matching laceweight cardigans! (That might be a long time to wait on my side though!). Here's the lovely stash...

We had a class with Cookie A, where we learned how to read cable charts. It was good and worth it just to sit down at that point I think! She's also lovely. Knitting people all seem to be!

And of course we met Ysolda and I got a copy of her Little Red in the City book.

I started reading it on the train back home and I have to say it is well worth the money. In just 30 minutes of travel I learned why my ribbing looks a bit sloppy on the first knit stitch and how to fix it (if you want to know how you'll have to buy the book!) And each printed copy comes with a code that you enter online to get PDFs of the whole book. Amazing. And very trusting too.

It was a great day and I hope they manage to do it again. I may need to go for 2 days next time!

Flowers in thread and wool

2011-07-13T17:12:00.000+01:00

I've been dividing my crafting between stitching and knitting this week. It works well as knitting too long makes my fingers ache - especially on straight needles.

Here's Leanne's House block 2.

It's ticking along but there's still a bit of stitchery left to do - there's a lot on this block.

And here's just one of my knitting projects.

It's Miss Doolittle (as in Pygmalion/My Fair Lady) - a glorious scarf from Anne Hanson knitted in Old Maiden Aunt merino/bamboo in the colour Dreich. It's still on the needles so it will stretch out and open up more when it's blocked.

There are fingerless mitts and a neckwarmer to match this (the pattern is called Eliza) and I intend to knit all of them for various people at some stage.

Old Maiden Aunt is by far my favourite yarn and I'm really, really looking forward to seeing it all in person this Saturday when I visit Knit Nation in London.

Love...

2011-07-08T18:45:00.002+01:00

I love having time to sew again...

I love my Leanne's House blocks...

I love stitching while watching Le Tour de France (another win today for Mark Cavendish, who could ever doubt him, amazing. Very sad for Bradley Wiggins)...

Not another blog post!

2011-07-06T18:03:00.010+01:00

Thank you so much to everyone who's commented on my recent posts. It had been so long since I last posted regularly I'm amazed there is anyone out there still reading!

I'm suddenly getting a lot more free time. I've gone from working 60-hour weeks to actually having weekends and even the odd day off. Still plenty of work, which is good, but a bit of leisure time too. I'm still knitting but I've actually been stitching too - working away on a Celtic Sampler.

I started this last July but never posted a photo. It's on Lakeside Linen Sand Dune (I think) and it's halfway done. I'm actually not that enamoured of it, but I had the chart and threads at the time and I think it'll look good when it's done.

However, what I've really been wanting to do is some patchwork. This is all Isabelle's fault!

Readers of Isabelle's blog may have seen that she's started a podcast (I really recommend it). Well, I met Isabelle last summer (she is as lovely in real life as she seems on her blog), so I was especially pleased to hear her voice chatting away. In her first episode she talks about Amy Butler yarns and patchwork fabrics and I got to thinking about lovely fabrics and my neglected patchwork quilts that I haven't had time to get to. And this afternoon I got them out and finally did some stitching!

It took me ages to figure out where I'd got to and what needed doing next, but hopefully there will be some progress soon.

Laminaria

2011-07-05T14:17:00.008+01:00

I was really hoping someone would offer to take my quilt top off my hands. I guess it'll sit in a chest for another few years until I decide what to do with it!

Some knitting pics today. Ravelry friends will have seen this before as I finished it a while ago, but I never posted pics here. It was my first big lace project.

Laminaria by Elizabeth Freeman
Knitted in Dye For Yarn tussah silk in Ghost of a Lichen

I'm really proud of this. It took ages and I got very fed up with it towards the end but once it was blocked it looked amazing. So much so I have yarn to make a deep pink version for me.

It's a birthday present for my mum for later this year. She'll probably never wear it but she's impossible to buy for and I wanted to knit it, so she's getting it whether she likes it or not!

My oldest WIP

2011-07-03T10:34:00.000+01:00

I've been away from blogland for quite a while - not just in writing, but in reading too. One of the things I've noticed since I started catching up about 10 days ago was all the hexagon quilting going on. It's been started by Leanne Beasley's Hexagon Quilt in her Vignette magazine (I've got the first issue and may be starting her Vignette quilt when I get more time to sort my stuff out!) However, it's certainly not a new idea! I thought I should dig out my oldest WIP for you...

I'm pretty sure I've never showed a photo of this on my blog before, which isn't really surprising as I can't remember the last time I touched it. It's a hexagon quilt, hand stitched by me, and I starting it when I was 14. That makes it 20 years old!

It's a scrap quilt, made up of bits of old dresses and leftovers. Here we have two of my mum's '70s sundresses:

The pale blue here is from a bridesmaid's dress I wore when I was 11:

These bizarre pinky orange ones and the cream next door are from hideous school needlework projects that never got worn!

And on the back you can see the cardboard pieces from my teenage years - reused again and again. I recognise Kipling's apple tarts and Cadbury's chocolate cake (both my dad's favourites), Marvel milk (my gran had to have a fat free diet) and the back of a Batchelor's Cup-a-Soup box.

The trouble with it is, although it has a lot of memories, it's so not me in colouring. I don't actually like it very much and have no idea what to do with it. It's double bed size with more hexagons ready to add but it doesn't go with us or our house. I've even thought of offering it to someone who might give it a good home. It needs finishing, washing (it's crumpled and covered in cat hair) and a loving home. Any suggestions?

Many stitches

2011-07-02T11:58:00.001+01:00

You might have gathered that there's been more knitting than stitching going on around here recently. I did do quite a bit of stitching back in January though. I added an awful lot of stitches to an old WIP in fact. Although it still means I'm only a fraction of the way through Martin's picture.

This is Napoleon Crossing the St Bernard (a Golden Kite chart that has been on the go for about 6 years!) It got put away after a few weeks and hasn't been out again since. Maybe soon...

River Powder mitts

2011-06-29T19:34:00.002+01:00

Three blog posts within a week - whatever next?! Here's my latest finish - the mitts I mentioned in the last post that just needed buttons.

River Powder mitts by Laura Chau
Knitted in Old Maiden Aunt merino/cashmere/nylon in Berry Good

These are knitted flat and then buttoned up the side. The construction is clever - it looks a bit like cables but it isn't. Pretty.

Weekend knitting

2011-06-26T11:36:00.004+01:00

It's amazing what you can do when you get a weekend off! I'm refusing to do any chores, so the house and garden are still a mess, but I have actually finished not one, not two, but three mitts!

To be honest, two just needed buttons. The knitting has been done for over a month but I haven't had a chance to go shopping. But we eventually made it to Hobby Craft and they are now finished. I'll save a photo for another day and share the result of a couple of hours watching Wimbledon on the TV instead.

This is an Eliza mitt, again by Anne Hanson, and has been half done for ages. It's for the MIL for her birthday, so just one mitt and a neckwarmer to go. I had good company while knitting as you can see...

Lulu doesn't care what goes on above her head as long as she has a lap!

A little time

2011-06-25T10:48:00.004+01:00

It's been more than a little time since I last blogged, and it's been quite a long time since I had a little time. The lack of both blog posts and time go hand in hand!

The first half of this year has just been work, work, work. Back in February I worked out that my first available time for holiday would be the end of July/early August. I hadn't realised I'd only have about three weekends free too! This weekend is my first one not working since April - I'm not too sure what to do with myself...

I don't think I've done any stitching since January, the sewing machine hasn't been out of the cupboard since last autumn and the garden is a mess. The allotment is neglected and my seeds never got planted. It really has been a working 9 months - I've never taking on this much work all at once again. People keep telling me it's better to have too much work than be struggling, and I know they are right but it's not been fun! Martin and I had to work in shifts the other week as we needed the same computer. He worked til 2 am while I slept and I got up early and started work at 5 am!

I have been knitting. It's a real stress relief at the end of the day. Progress is slow, but here's my latest finish - Luciole.

Luciole
Knitted in Wool Candy Eclair Silk Sock in Plum Cake

This is a pattern by Anne Hanson and you can find it here, together with the patterns for the Tudor Grace Scarf and Curling mitts I showed you way back in January.

Sarah is settling in nicely. I don't think she's ever going to be best friends with the other two, but she's a little cutie. Here she is in her new favorite spot - on the roof of the back porch. I wish she wouldn't lie so close to the edge - but that's a typical cat for you!

Lulu has been stealing Trevor's bed on top of the wardrobe in protest at the other cat in the office!

Well, I really am hoping to get back to blogging again now work is easing off. Fingers crossed! Thank you to anyone who's still reading and following me. I appreciate it!

Introducing Sarah and other things

2011-01-29T10:52:00.011Z

I did tell you not to hold your breath for knitting photos didn't I?! I didn't plan on being away this long, but you know how it is...

It's been a busy few months here. Lots (and lots) of work, a fair bit of stitching and quite a lot of knitting and a new additon to the family. May I introduce Sarah... (please ignore the stains on the chair - ahe threw up a LOT in the first week we had her - very stressed kitty)

I saw a photo of Sarah just before Christmas and fell in love. She'd been dumped on the doorstep of a local animal shelter and they were looking for a new home for her. So off we went and she's now been with us for three months. She's still very nervous but she's a real sweetie. She follows us around, loves attacking our feet and bites ours hands a lot for attention. Trevor has been a complete angel and is slowly winning her over. Lulu is less sure, but we're all getting there! Last week was her first adventure outside - she's been too scared to go out - and she's slowly getting used to it.

I need to take a photo of my stitching, but here are some knitting photos taken over the last few months...

Annis Shawl knitted with Old Maiden Aunt 100% merino in Ysolda

Curling Mitts knitted with Sanguine Gryphon Bugga! in Pink Millipede

Tudor Grace knitted with Old Maiden Aunt merino/bamboo in Last Night's Red Dress

Holden Shawl knitted with Old Maiden Aunt merino/cashmere/nylon in Red Red Rose

Quaker Diamonds

2010-10-27T15:50:00.007+01:00

Quaker Diamonds by Rosewood Manor
Stitched on 40ct Mello from Picture This Plus using one strand of Valdani thread

It's been a long time since I last blogged hasn't it?! The summer was incredibly busy work-wise. I've come to the conclusion that all summers will be frantic - everyone else ~~buggers off~~ goes away on holiday, leaving the work for the poor freelancer LOL! Still, it was work and it'll keep us with a roof over our heads for a while.

In between work and a little allotment tending (sadly not enough - must do better) I did manage to stitch and knit. I finished the MIL's scarf (reasonably well received), a scarf for the SIL for Christmas (not sure how that will be received but she's hard to buy for), and this - Quaker Diamonds. It was such a lovely stitch. I couldn't be bothered to get the iron out, so you'll have to pretend it's not crumpled!

Knitting photos coming another day, but don't hold your breath!

P.S. I offered the chart to a fellow stitcher a long time ago, so as far as I know it's taken. But if she doesn't need it after all I'm keeping a list and someone will get lucky :)

And it isn't 1 over 1 - what was I writing! Just the tiny letters (and they were a pain I can tell you!) It's 1 thread over 2 on 40ct. Oops :)

Another scarf

2010-06-30T10:54:00.005+01:00

This one is for my mother-in-law. It's The Prismatic Scarf on Ravelry. I do have more wool - don't worry! This is just the end of the skein I used on my mum's shawl.

She's a scarf sort of person, so I do hope she likes it. Birthday presents are going to be so much easier this year!

Shore block 6

2010-06-30T10:51:00.002+01:00

Well, block 6 and block 7 are the single big block in the middle, so this is most of 6 and a bit of 7 I guess. Faster and easier to stitch than I expected, though I'm not really looking forward to all that sea!

And because it's summer and the weather is gorgeous, here are some pictures of the old rose in the garden. It's looking gorgeous right now.

Saroyan shawl

2010-06-30T09:50:00.004+01:00

I finished this a few days ago now but it's been too hot to bother with blogging! This is a birthday present for my mum. The pattern is called Saroyan and it's a free download on Ravelry. I made it a little wider and shorter than the pattern as my mum will probably wear it with the wide bit at the back and fastened at the front with a pin.

I love the leaf edging...

Next up is a scarf in the same wool (Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend) for my mother-in-law.

It really is hot and dry here. All three of my water butts are empty. We've just had hot day after hot day. No rain (apart from a slight sprinkle yesterday morning) for 10 days now, not much really for weeks, and no rain in sight either. Not good for the garden and too hot for the cats....

Variety is the spice of life

2010-06-17T16:34:00.003+01:00

Crafting is currently taking the form of knitting and cross stitch in equal quantities - depending what's on the TV. I'm finding knitting takes more concentration - probably because I'm not used to it - so will only do for TV programmes I don't have to really 'watch'. And I'm enjoying the cross stitch a bit more too, which is great.

In fact, here's a fair bit more done on Shores.

And here's my second knitting project - a shawl/scarf for my mum. She's so hard to buy presents for, so knitting her something is ideal. I get the fun of buying lovely wool and creating something, and I have a present she'll like at the end. The wool is Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend and the pattern is Saroyan (I love Bones and couldn't resist!)

Tapestry scarf

2010-06-13T14:57:00.002+01:00

One scarf finished in 2 days.

A free download from Ravelry - known as the Tapestry scarf as it uses one skein of Rowan Tapestry wool, which just happened to be what I picked up in Hobbycraft (it was on sale).

I should have bought more wool - I'm loving knitting again!

Evergreen

2010-06-11T17:19:00.004+01:00

Evergreen by Blackbird Designs
Fabric: 30ct St Valentine's Blend by R&R Reproductions
Threads: GAST Dried Thyme, Harvest Basket and Pomegranate

A lovely chart this one, though maybe I should have stuck to the recommended threads as in the end I'm not sure about my colour choices. The Pomegranate was recommended but the other two I chose because I had them spare in my stash. In fact, both use leftovers from several skeins and the colours don't quite match, so my perfectionist self is a little irritated. But by the time I realised (they looked more matching when I picked them) it was a bit late to change my mind. I expect I'll get used to it, and as Isabelle and I were talking about how the need to have things perfect has changed so much over the years (have a look at any antique crafts and you'll see what we mean), I will just think of it as my retro sampler!

You might not have noticed, but I am in a bit of a stitching slump. There have been days when I've not sewn at all and other days when I've had to make myself pick up a needle. Hobbies should be fun, so I decided to give something else a bash for a while. And here it is - I've started knitting!

I used to knit (my gran taught me when I was little), but the last time I did any was when I was a student. So I bought a ball of wool in a sale, dug out my Good Housekeeping craft book that Grannie gave me when I was a teenager, together with her knitting bag and needles (which have been carted round the world for the last 20 years) and retaught myself. I'd completely forgotten how to cast on but the rest came back instantly. And it was fun. I'm just doing a scarf right now because I wasn't sure I'd enjoy it again, but I'm already eyeing up other patterns and wools!

And just because, here's a closer peep at my gran's knitting bag with some amazing old needles and crochet hooks...

Shores block 5

2010-06-09T15:20:00.005+01:00

Wow - has it really been that long since my last blog post? Time has flown. After spending a good part of the beginning of the year waiting and waiting for work that was overdue, it (of course) all turned up at once and I've spent the best part of 3 weeks working non stop. Not fun but at least we can finally send out some invoices and won't now starve!

Too much work means very little gardening, no allotment at all and not an awful lot of stitching. But I did finish up Shores block 5...

...and am well on the way with block 6, which is surprisingly quick.

And I did take Monday off for a very special day - I went to the quilt exhibition at the V&A with Isabelle! We finally got to meet and it was lovely. Isabelle is gorgeous and I had a great day. I would have got someone to take a photo of us but we were chatting so much I completely forgot! I had my camera with me as well, which was handy as on the way to the train station I saw this:

Swans with four signets. One of our local swans died a few years ago when someone leaked some chemicals into the river, so this is a lovely sight. I'm so glad we have a pair and little ones on the water again.

A little of this...

2010-05-12T15:24:00.002+01:00

...and a little of that.

A little stitching on Shores (I'm loving this block - the house is such fun to do).

A little pampering of seedlings (tomatoes, courgettes/zucchini, peas, a pepper/capsicum, nasturtiums and squash indoors with more peas, cabbage, broad beans, runner beans and French beans braving the weather outside).

And a little new start...

Not so new now actually. This is Evergreen by Blackbird Designs and I started it about a week ago.

Life is not too shabby right now. The gas leak is fixed, work is coming in but at a good pace, the allotment is half dug, my seeds are growing and the weather might actually warm up by the weekend.

Shores block 4

2010-05-03T11:35:00.005+01:00

I finished this a couple of days ago - just in time for the end of the month - but didn't get around to taking a photo. So here's block 4 of Shores. It was a fun one to do.

On to block 5 now, which is stitch heavy and will definitely take all month. It's looking good though - if you ignore the lack of ironing...

I also finished this little thing. It's My Fair Ladybug from Just Nan. Again, not ironed as I haven't decided what to do with it yet.

It's not been a great week. We're still without gas, though we have found the leak. It's going to take all of Wednesday to replace the leaky pipe and might mean taking up the floorboards in all the rooms upstairs. How we're going to get around the furniture I don't know. And work-wise I'm still trying to get details of projects and getting a bit nervous about why everything is taking so long. All in all, it'll be good when next week is over.

Wool Whimsys part 1

2010-04-29T09:49:00.005+01:00

Back in 2005 (I think) I got a few of Heart in Hand's monthly Wool Whimsys in a sale, meaning to get them all and stitch them all together on one piece of linen. Several years on and the kits have been languishing. Full price for the rest is just too much for tiny kits, so I've decided to stitch the ones I have and maybe do something cushion-like with them.

Here's April:

And here's May:

So cute. And so small - each stitched up in a couple of hours. I have February, March and June to do still. I actually stitched the July one almost 5 years ago (wow!) - you can see it here.

It's a funny week so far. I'm waiting for details of 13 projects that I've agreed to take on. There's nothing I can to do for them right now so I'm just stitching, gardening and reading. What's the betting they'll all arrive at once and it'll be manic? And yesterday we discovered we have a gas leak. The neighbours have been smelling gas for a while so called the gas people. It took him a long time to work out which house had the problem so we all ended up sitting out at the front drinking wine. And now we're disconnected and waiting for another gas man. So more hanging around waiting...

Sampler Stocking

2010-04-26T11:23:00.004+01:00

Sampler Stocking by Carriage House Samplings
Fabric: 40ct Peddler's Moon by Lakeside Linen (a special colour for Shakespeare's Peddler)
Threads: DMC

I'm so glad the stitching on this is finished. Although I love the design, for some reason I didn't enjoy stitching it very much. But it's done and now I just need to do the finishing. Goodness knows when I'll get round to that!

I changed the date at the bottom to the month and year I finished the stitching.

We had a lovely week last week - a semi-official week off. I did a lot of gardening - including moving the arch we have on the path and digging out a tiny flower bed - and we had a couple of days out in London and Cambridge. Lovely!

Allotment photos

2010-04-18T18:18:00.004+01:00

Apologies to those who read this for stitching news, but some people wanted to see photos of our ~~patch of weed and grass~~ allotment, and I finally remembered to take a camera with me.

We have from the hebe in the bottom left to the patch of dry grass where a shed used to be in the top right.

Many hours of digging have got us almost halfway through one of the beds we plan. As you can see, it's been a while since anything other than dandelions was grown on most of this!

But for inspiration we're right next door to the site manager's plot, which apparently won best in country last year. It's huge and wonderful.

He even has chickens!

Mimi's Tape Measure

2010-04-14T12:59:00.003+01:00

Mimi's Tape Measure by Olde Colonial Designs
Stitched with materials from the kit

Isn't this cute? I've really enjoyed stitching it, and it wasn't as fiddly as I thought it might be to make it up. A lovely little kit. Thanks to Cathy for gifting it to me a while ago.

There's an over-one alphabet round the sides and more over one bunnies on the front and on the fob. Very spring-like.

I have the chart, instructions and leftover thread (probably enough to stitch it again) to trade if anyone would like it. I also have a few other charts for trade on my trade list.

P.S. Yes, I left off the tassel. I thought it looked good as it was and the little fob bit was enough :)

Christmas stash!

2010-04-10T13:56:00.003+01:00

I've nearly finished the stitching on Mimi's Tape Measure. It's so cute. I hope I can do it justice when I try to put it together. That'll probably be next week. We have a busy weekend with family, housework, work deadlines and gardening (I have some raspberry canes and strawberries that arrived this morning and need planting asap).

I need to get it finished because my Christmas stash finally arrived! I ordered this just after Christmas with a voucher and some Christmas money.

It's been a long wait but those threads are so worth it....

As soon as I finish the tape measure and my stocking I'll be starting this. My only problem is whether to do it 1 thread on 40ct or 3 threads on 28ct? The model is 3 on 28ct and I do have the fabric, which is lovely, but if I do 1 on 40ct it'll be smaller (and maybe more likely to get framed and hung up) and maybe I'll have enough thread to do the Quakers & Quilts sampler too (though I'm not sure whether I like that one enough to do it anyway). Decisions, decisions...

Well, posting and running today. The in-laws are coming for dinner so stuff to do. Including turning the first rhubarb of the season into a yummy crumble. Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Sunshine at last!

2010-04-08T12:47:00.004+01:00

The sun is shining for the first time for a while and it's really warm outside, so I took the chance to take a photo of my skinny stocking. A little further along. (Spot the cat paw next to it - Lulu had to come and see what I was doing!)

The bad weather and a few work issues, which I won't go into but let's just say there is one person I have to deal with who is very abrasive and I would gladly never ever speak to or deal with again (and no it's not Martin!), mean I've been a bit fed up recently. So of course I had a new start :) Here's Mimi's Tape Measure from Olde Colonial Designs. A really cute little piece.

And here are some of the first flowers of the year. I absolutely love hellebores. There are two plants here, transplanted from my father-in-law's garden, and it's the first year they've really flowered. Hopefully I'll get some seedlings from them that I can grow on.

Lots of green...

2010-04-02T10:55:00.003+01:00

Lots and lots of green! I seem to be spending a lot of time stitching in one colour these days - first the blue sea on Shores and now the green grass on my Sampler Stocking. It goes quickly though so I don't really mind.

I finally got some stash this week - just a little. Here's Honeysuckle Manor from Blackbird Designs. If you've been thinking about getting this but haven't - get it! I think it's the best book they've produced. Two lovely samplers and lots of little bits that are all very stitchable.

I'll be stitching Louisa Bell's sampler as soon as I can. It's just lovely. I think it would go well with Sarah Woodham from Shakespeare's Peddler - similar borders even if the main part is quite a different style.

Speaking of stash - for anyone who hasn't heard, Kathy Barrick of Carriage House Samplings has decided to close her business. It's sad news. Charts are available until July 1. I'll definitely be ordering ~~a few~~ as many as I can before they vanish for ever.

Shores block 3

2010-03-30T14:29:00.003+01:00

I finished it. Here's block 3 done before the end of the month - phew. It was a rather late night stitching last night.

I did the mermaid's tail in one colour, rather than the two charted, as the converted DMC colours just didn't go together well enough in my opinion. On to block 4 soon, which has far less stitching by the look of it.

I've been hoping to show you stash, but I'm still waiting for my copy of Honeysuckle Manor AND for an order I placed just after Christmas. I think that one is on the way. I hope so anyway - I'm getting itchy fingers for a new start!

I'll finish with a kitty photo. Here's Lulu trying to hypnotise me into giving her the treats she wants...

Slowly does it

2010-03-28T11:38:00.003+01:00

Slowly, slowly.... Another band or so on the stocking...

It's starting to come together.

And almost there on block 3 of Shores...

If I want to finish this block this month I need to get a move on! There's a lot of stitching in this one.

It's been pretty wet this week, so no gardening. And no real news on the allotment front yet either. Just waiting for the paperwork to be signed and trying to decide what to grow! We're now splitting it into three so we have a bit each rather than sharing everything. This has its pros and cons and I have to decide whether to just do something simple that takes up space - like potatoes - or a mixture of stuff.

Moon Garden

2010-03-18T14:02:00.004Z

Moon Garden by Blackbird Designs
Stitched on 30ct 18th Century Rook by R&R Reproductions with recommended GAST threads

Moon Garden is finished - the missing thread came this week and it just took a couple of evenings to finish it off. I love it. Such pretty colours.

Lulu isn't so impressed. Here she is sulking because I wouldn't let her sleep on it!

Thank you for all the allotment suggestions and well wishes. We're waiting for the paperwork to be completed so we haven't been back yet but I will take some photos if I remember when we're up there next. In the meantime, here's my little veggie patch at the end of the garden...

It's been a gorgeous week so I had a couple of days digging and clearing and repotting in the garden. And I eventually got round to sowing some broad beans and garlic (the netting is to deter the cats from using my nicely dug earth as a toilet!) The growing season is underway...

A white house

2010-03-14T13:11:00.003Z

A little more Shores and a lot more white.

For some reason I'm enjoying stitching white on this one - it must be the fabric (40ct Vintage Autumn Gold). And I don't seem to be having my usual cat fluff problem either (a fluffy black cat + white thread usually = disaster). In fact, I'm finding it hard to put this down. If it wasn't for a birthday present of Final Fantasy XIII I'd probably have finished the block already. But I'm finding it hard to put my new game down too!

In other news, I've become an allotment holder! Well, a partial one anyway. I'm sharing a small plot with two neighbours. We all put our names down last autumn and one of my neighbours has got a plot already. It's neglected and mostly grass, but it could be a lot worse. And as allotment novices it'll be plenty for us to start with. Any advice welcome!

Progress on the skinny stocking

2010-03-06T11:54:00.004Z

It's been a while since I showed you a photo of my Sampler Stocking, so here it is in all its skinny glory. Such great colours...

My favourite bit so far is the bird. It's supposed to have a big red eye, but I thought that was spooky so I made the eye smaller and left it plain.

And here are the lord and lady - waiting for some grass to stand on.

All rather crumpled as usual - I really do hate ironing!

Pretty flower

2010-03-04T17:08:00.003Z

I do love the way Moon Garden is turning out. The darker green leaves and leaf centres still need doing (just waiting for the thread to arrive), but apart from that the top half is finished and the bottom half is well under way. I thought I'd scan it for you so you could see the colours properly - photos just don't come out right.

And a photo of the flower - soooo pretty!

It was my birthday yesterday (thank you so much for all the facebook messages - they made my day), so birthday money means stash will be on the way. Watch this space!

I'll leave you with Trevor again. He's still being a monkey - a very cute one. Here he is telling Martin how to conquer the world. If you move these troops here...

Dreams and a moon

2010-02-26T13:07:00.007Z

Thank you so much for all the bird suggestions. I really appreciate them all and there are some great ones that will almost definitely get stitched at some point. A special thank you though to Melissa (whose own sampler wall was partly responsible for my desire to do one!) I had been thinking that Frederick from Carriage House Samplings was lovely, but I had no idea there was a Frederika too! How did I miss that? I think either (or both) would fit in perfectly.

We have a tiny house so I don't know where this mythical wall will be, but I'm enjoying dreaming! I want to do a ship/sailing wall too - Shores and 1797 Ship Sampler from CHS and Plymouth Sampler from The Sampler Company are lined up for that!

And of course one day in this mythical place with wall space I will also have a Blackbird Designs wall - I already have a couple stitched and framed and here's Moon Garden well on the way...

The Willow thread (the main stem and border) is a lot paler than in the chart photo but I decided I quite liked it anyway. It works well against the dark fabric.

Ah well, off to stitch and dream of wall space. Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Shores block 2

2010-02-25T09:28:00.005Z

Thank you so much for all the comments on Green Tree. I'm thinking of creating a 'bird' sampler wall with Green Tree, Their Song (already stitched) and I Love the Birds by Shakespeare's Peddler. Anyone got any other suggestions for me?!

Once I'd finished Green Tree I frogged that dark fish colour on block 2 of Shores and got on with stitching again. I used 612 instead and the block is done - a fast one.

It's funny, but I don't actually like this block too much as it is, but I love it with the other blocks. Weird.

Green Tree

2010-02-19T09:28:00.002Z

I finished Green Tree - such a lovely stitch.

Green Tree by Carriage House Samplings
Fabric: 36ct Haystack from Countrystitch
Threads: DMC

At some point I need to have a look at frames in the various shops in the town and see if I can get a few thing framed - this one included.

I did start Moon Garden and that's a lovely stitch too. Photo in a day or so. For those who asked, the fabric for that one is 18th Century Rook from R&R Reproductions. It's the recommended fabric and a lovely colour - browner than the photo on the chart suggests.

And another...

2010-02-17T12:24:00.004Z

What terrible people you are - trying to get me to start all of my kitted projects at once! LOL. I think Evergreen is my top choice, but then there's this...

The threads I ordered arrived - all but the green one, which is on back order. The first stash I've bought since 2008! So here's another option. And I think this might be the one I do start when Green Tree is finished, which will probably be this evening. I love the colours - so unusual.

I ordered the threads from a craft store in the UK that is up for sale. Sadly we still haven't won the lottery, otherwise I'd be buying it. But if anyone out there is interested, pop over to Thread Bear. They need to sell for personal reasons.

I'll leave you with a 'butter wouldn't melt in his mouth' photo of Trev. You wouldn't guess he's been a real fidget over the last few days - fighting with the sofa cushions, demolishing piles of paper and climbing the chimney!

Which one next?

2010-02-15T14:01:00.004Z

I'm waiting for some work to turn up, so I spent the morning playing in my stash. Which one should I start next? Two are completely kitted up and two just need one thread each.

Evergreen by Blackbird Designs (I'm using a greener green and a browner brown than the recommended threads here):

Diminutive Dutch Sampler by Carriage House Samplings (or Barrick Samplers as they used to be):

Scarlet Berries by Carriage House Samplings:

Blessings and Kind Wishes by Blackbird Designs:

There's a bit of a theme - it's been a long time since I stitched a Blackbird Designs chart and I have a craving. And I'm really enjoying my CHS stitching. I'm ordering a few threads today too, so there will be more choice soon!

A heart for Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T12:17:00.004Z

Well, half a heart. But it may be a complete heart by the end of the day as I just can't put Green Tree down. This is one of those designs that is just wonderful to stitch from start to finish.

The linen helps - I really had forgotten how soft and beautifully coloured Countrystitch linen is. And Haystack is possibly my favourite colour.

I hope you all have a lovely Valentine's Day, whether you are with a loved one or not. We've had croissants and pain au chocolat for breakfast - a delicious treat - and I'm cooking a romantic dinner this evening. And I have two new charms for my Pandora bracelet!

Edited to add: Countrystitch linen can be found here. It's based in NZ and don't be put off by the website - not all the links on the homepage work and it is convoluted. Click 'Go shopping', 'Fabric', 'Hand-dyed fabric' and 'Kiwi Illusions'. 40ct isn't listed but I've had some in the past and Green Tree is on 36ct, so I know she did do it. The 'contact me' link is on the homepage and Catherine is very friendly. Green Tree is on Haystack, which is my favourite, but I've used Oyster a lot (here and here) and Pipi (here and here) and Toitoi (here and here).

Redecorating almost done

2010-02-11T13:14:00.005Z

There are still a few things to do, but it's almost there. I had the old look for a long time - it was time for a change!

I'm glad you like the 'additional cat hair' bit - Lulu, being extra fluffy and medium haired, is particularly generous in providing black fur to include in my stitching. It's a nightmare stitching anything white, especially as nine times out of ten she's on my lap!

I've been stitching white this week - working on my Sampler Stocking. I'll share a photo of that in a day or so. Today it's the turn of Shores.

I've been happily stitching on block 2 but have a wee problem with the DMC conversions. The conversions on the block 2 page aren't all the same as those on the page with the master list. I've been using the master list conversions, but am going to have to re-think the fish. As you can see, the second colour is far too close, and darker than, the first colour. Out it needs to come.

I've also been admiring sampler walls on people's blogs. It got me wanting to stitch more samplers, so here's another new start - Green Tree by Carriage House Samplings (it's a complete coincidence all my latest starts are by CHS!)

It's on 36ct Haystack from Countrystitch - I'd forgotten how lovely their fabrics are to use.

I have my eye on a few more starts too - I seem to be making up for lack of starts last year!

P.S. If anyone has a sampler wall, or can point me in the direction of someone with one, leave a comment. I'm still looking for more inspiration!

Redecoration in progress....

2010-02-10T12:40:00.001Z

Don't worry, my blog will look better soon! I had to urge to redesign it but ran out of time. Back soon!

Shores block 1

2010-02-03T12:50:00.003Z

Here's the first block of Shores all finished - such a fun stitch! Does anyone else think those white blobs look like little leaping lambs? I'm not sure what they are but I just can't get the idea of lambs out of my head!

I can't be bothered to iron today so it's a little creased, but it is a scan rather than a photo so you get a much better idea of the proper colours.

Thanks Sally for pointing out the DMC 860 mistake on the page - I was a bit puzzled as to why I didn't seem to even have a floss bag for 860. It should be 830 if anyone else is using DMC.

Thanks too for all the sympathy about my aches and pains. My neck is still sore but much, much better. I think it must have been caused by stitching at an awkward angle with Lulu on my lap, so I have been stitching less, which is a bit of a shame. I also had to exercise a bit less too, so no weight loss this week. I have lost 10lbs in total so far though!

Cat lessons

2010-01-30T16:31:00.003Z

I just have to show you this. I don't think I'd stitch it - I'm not a big Lizzie Kate fan - but as we are the property of two cats, it did make me laugh!

SAL photos

2010-01-28T17:50:00.004Z

I've stumbled into two CHS SALs quite by accident, so here's an update. Both photos were taken at night because I keep forgetting during the day, so they are not great, but I wanted to update today.

First is my Sampler Stocking, now a SAL with Karen, who is working on the Quaker one.

And here's Shores - a SAL with Sally and Jane.

Stitching has slowed right down this week because I've got a muscle spasm in my right shoulder and side of my neck. I've no idea what brought it on, but it started on Sunday and is still very sore. In fact, I've been a mess of sore joints, sinusitis and muscle aches for the last few weeks. As we got a Wii with Wii Fit at the beginning of December and I've been exercising regularly (but not overdoing it) and losing weight, it's a bit irritating to feel worse!

More blue and purple

2010-01-23T10:13:00.003Z

All these new starts don't mean I have abandoned Shakaasha. Here she is - page 2 done and just 10 rows to go to finish page 3.

I've started to hit the purple and pink but still not bored of all that blue.

Not much other news, so that's it for today!

Light the Way

2010-01-20T11:34:00.005Z

I couldn't wait to show you my new start - although it's such a grey dreary day I've had to adjust the colour in Photoshop to get it anywhere near its true vibrancy.

It is, of course, Shores of Hawk Run Hollow, stitched with DMC on 40ct Vintage Autumn Gold. The fabric is gorgeous - a really rich colour that is more golden than here - and the DMC shows up wonderfully. I had been wanting to use NPI silks, but they are just so expensive for what they are. Then I saw Sally's lovely start and she invited me to join her SAL with Jane. And here I am...

New starts

2010-01-19T17:25:00.002Z

I've had a bit of a relapse. Having only started two things the whole of last year, I've now started three in the space of three days!

The first was purely due to indecision. Catherine Agnes was there, so I started it as I couldn't decide what else to do. But I soon realised I need all the threads, and I only have a few so it's been put away again until I can get the rest. No piccie as there's barely anything to show!

The second is a proper start - CHS's Sampler Stocking stitched with DMC on 40ct Peddlar's Moon (a special Lakeside Linen colour made for Shakespeare's Peddlar a couple of years ago). Loving it so far...

I'm glad I like Algerian eyelets. I didn't realise the alphabet was all eyelets until I pulled out the chart pages!

The last new start is a 'well why not' brought on by seeing a new start and little SAL on another blog. Any guesses? Picture coming in a day or so - just to tease you all!

A rather old WIP

2010-01-15T10:40:00.003Z

Here's the promised photo of my HAED stitching. This is Shakaasha, which last saw the light of day back in October 2006! I had done a tiny bit immediately after taking that photo, so if you want to see what she looked like before I started work last week, click here.

I'm really pleased with my progress - a whole page and a bit. The fact that I've had absolutely no work at all for the first time in 18 months has helped, though it is a bit worrying. It would be nice to have a better balance - it always seems to be all or nothing work-wise.

Frappuccino

2010-01-11T09:55:00.002Z

The first finish of 2010!

Frappuccino by Little House Needleworks
Stitched on 32ct Oyster from Countrystitch

I've made no goals or plans for stitching this year. I would like to work on all my WIPs at least once, and I would like to reduce them down a little, but I'm not worried if neither happens. I'll definitely have at least one new start this year as I need a little variation, but I only started two things last year (the two LHN coffee charts) and bought not one single bit of cross stitch stash! It just wasn't a good year.

This year will be better though. Right now I've picked up a HAED that hasn't seen the light of day since October 2006 - photos soon...

December stitching part 1

2010-01-07T11:37:00.005Z

I abandoned you back in November while I was working on Evening in the Park, so here's a update. I got all four bits of part 7 finished and even started on part 8 before my enthusiasm waned again.

So pretty but I seem to have a problem sticking with anything for more than 10 days at the moment! Maybe I need to start up a rotation again. I'm considering it...

We have several inches of snow here at the moment. And more due today and over the next few days. We so nearly had a white Christmas as well. Loads of snow right up to Christmas Eve, when it all melted. Typical!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-06T10:15:00.003Z

A very happy new year to everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that this year will be a great one for you.

I have a few new year resolutions, and one of them is to blog a little more regularly. I can't promise every day, or even every week, but hopefully more than last year!

First up for this year is a lovely ornament from Katrina that has been gracing our Christmas tree. Thank you so much Katrina - I love it!

I also have a small finish - the last for 2009 - and a start.

Caffe Latte by Little House Needleworks
Stitched on 32ct Oyster linen from Countrystitch

This is the second of the coffee series I have finished, so I started on the third one so I can frame them all together. They will probably be a present for my mum later this year.

Halfway there

2009-11-07T12:05:00.000Z

See, I HAVE been stitching! But this week I got fed up with Autumn in My Garden and got a Chatelaine craving. So out came Evening in the Park - suitably wintery as the clocks have gone back and it's dark in the evenings now.

I finally finished part 6 - the four blue corners and last night I started part 7. So after several years I'm halfway there!

A little autumn

2009-11-06T11:52:00.002Z

We've had a glorious autumn here - a real Indian summer. I still haven't needed a jacket, though it has got cooler over the last week. The leaves are turning, some of the trees are already bare, and a couple of weeks ago I got an autumn stitching craving. So here's progress on Autumn in My Garden - 1 over 1.

The fabric is R&R 30ct and I don't think I'll use this for 1 over 1 again - it's too uneven. I love it for 2 over 2 and slightly primitive designs, but not for this.

Belated thank yous!

2009-11-05T10:49:00.007Z

I'm taking this week off work and I had very good intentions of blogging lots and catching up, but here it is Thursday already and my first post!

This is the most important post though as I need to say some thank yous. First, a very belated thank you to dear Anne. I got a surprise packet in the post the other week and it's taken far too long to post a photo. A little RAK with some gorgeous threads, my favourite needles and a beautiful scissor fob in red and with a perfect kitty charm on the end. Thank you so much Anne - you know my tastes so well!

Also in the post was my Quaker Friendship RR - back from its trip around the world. Thank you so much to Anne, Katrina, Barbara and Karen for stitching along with me. Here it is - I have the task of trying to make it up now!

And to prove I have been stitching - the last round of Anne's RR:

Last but not least, some kitty love for Anne - Lulu enjoying an autumn morning.

More cute birdies

2009-10-18T11:53:00.002+01:00

I've had a patchwork craving over the last couple of weeks, so I've been stitching away on Tail Feathers. Here's block 2 complete. (Yes I know the top patchwork strip doesn't match properly - I should probably pick it apart and try again. It's hard to be accurate with the zigzag edges on the precut strips!)

Block 3 is almost done as well, so another picture coming soon hopefully - I just have to piece the mini blocks together. I'm halfway through the stichery on block 4 too, and I've been making some of the log cabin blocks for the border...

It's a beautiful day outside so I'm off now to pick the last of the tomatoes for green tomato chutney and dig up the veggie bed. I might sow some winter lettuce too!

Earth

2009-09-23T10:23:00.005+01:00

I have become a terrible blogger. But I really do think that this time I might start up again and write more regularly!

So what's happened since I last was here? Well, I've been working (too much), stitching (too little), reading (like a mad woman), and neglecting the garden.

Lulu went to the vet for her boosters and we discovered she had an overactive thyroid gland. It partly explains her weight loss and hyperactive behaviour, and could have contributed to her getting lost. She had the gland removed and she's fully recovered now, although all the fur she lost has come back grey. So we have a black cat with a grey belly!

We've had no holiday or time off, but we are earning enough to pay the bills, so I guess that's good!

And I had a finish...

Ladies, may I present my first finished Heaven and Earth Designs - Earth!

Earth by Sara Butcher
Charted by Heaven and Earth Designs
Stitched 1 over 1 on 28 ct Snapdragon luguna from Sugar Maple Fabrics

Help a good cause!

2009-09-01T09:22:00.003+01:00

Want the chance to win some money while supporting a good cause? To help raise money for the British Heart Foundation, a fellow stitcher has organised a rubber duck race to be held in Cardiff on Sun 6th September.

So that everyone else can join in the fun, there is a virtual duck race too. Anyone, anywhere in the world can take part. Just buy a duck online (£2 each via paypal) and you could win £100 - think of the stash you could buy with your winnings. If you win you'll receive the money converted to your currency via paypal or via another method if you choose (although be aware that fees may be taken out of the winnings via bank transfers and wires).

To buy ducks go to: www.cardiffduckrace.org.uk Please mention that you saw this on my blog and if you buy 3 you will also receive a 4th duck for free. Thanks for supporting a great cause.

P.S. I have been stitching - just very unmotivated to blog. Back soon with a finish!

Tail feathers block 1

2009-06-23T13:01:00.003+01:00

Block 1 of Tail Feathers is finished. Well, as finished as it is going to be for a little while. There is a patchwork strip to go along the top but I'll do that in a month or so when I have more fabric strips to choose from.

It's been such fun - I'm so looking forward to block 2!

And here's one log cabin block again - lots more to do but I'll build those up gradually too as the fabric strips arrive.

First two mini blocks

2009-06-13T09:51:00.002+01:00

My first cute little Tail Feathers applique birdie is done...

And so are my first just-as-cute stitchery birdies. I used French knots for the dots instead of satin stitch because I love French knots.

And the first log cabin block too. I just love this quilt so far!

Shaking those tail feathers...

2009-06-11T10:17:00.008+01:00

Yesterday the postie brought a fat envelope from the lovely girls at Buttonberry. I had trouble restraining myself from snatching it out of his hand while he fiddled with a recorded delivery for Martin. I knew it would be the first block of Tail Feathers!

You might notice that the fabric looks a bit, erm, used. That's because I promptly took a couple of hours off (I did work all weekend so I reasoned it was justified!) and started...

The three mini blocks were very quick to piece and the kit comes with transfers for the stitchery, so that is so much easier than tracing. And the applique uses bondaweb, so all-in-all a really fast start. Lots of stitchery to do though. Here's a close up of my cute bird - still a couple of tail stitchery bits to do.

Lulu is still doing well - she weighs 2.9kg now, so a lot healthier. And I'll leave you with our butter-wouldn't-melt-in-his-mouth Trevor. Only a couple of weeks ago he presented us with a bathroom of feathers and a baby rabbit in one day. The baby rabbit was fine - we had to chase it all round the garden but eventually caught it and released it. The bird was just feathers. The down side of cats!

Catching up part 2

2009-06-09T10:18:00.004+01:00

Here's long overdue photo - Holly and Ivy Sampler by Country Cottage Needleworks, which was actually stitched over the Christmas holiday while we were at my mum and dad's.

I've misplaced my little stitching notebook, so I can't remember what the fabric is, although I think it was a Lakeside Linen.

Catching up on photos part 1

2009-06-07T12:06:00.006+01:00

Time to catch up on some of the stitching posts that have been waiting to be shared since the beginning of the year!

Today it's St Reatham. I was stitching this on the train when I was working
in Cambridge and I have to say I haven't picked it up since I lost my job in February. Much as I love it, it's a bit sad to see it still. This is about a year's worth of train journeys and it's over halfway there. I will get back to it one day!

We're settling back to a two-cat life. Lulu is doing well. She is still too thin but has put on a fair bit of weight. She follows us round everywhere and thankfully shows no desire to go out apart from going to the loo. She's not even glanced at the gate at the end of the garden. She didn't relax or sleep much at all for several days but finally had a good sleep on Friday.

We had yet more bad news this week with a family member in hospital, but hopefully it's nothing serious. This year is really turned out badly. But the good news is that the freelance work is going OK - so much so that I signed up for a new block of the month! My Antique Flower Garden is coming to an end and I'm almost up to date with it, so shortly I'm going to be shaking my tail feathers!

Lots of tlc in this household!

2009-06-01T16:47:00.007+01:00

Lulu says thank you so much for the good wishes and prayers. She is constantly talking and very, very relieved to be home. And we can still barely believe we have her back. Look at her little pinched face. She weighs 2.5kg right now, so a lot of weight to put on. She's just bones and fluff.

Goodness knows what she has been through. I've hardly let her out of my sight! And she's hardly left us. She's been outside to go to the loo but no further than just into the garden. And we don't want her to go any further. Trevor is pleased to see her too - he's missed her. And there is constant tuna on offer right now, which he isn't turning down!

And she's straight back in on the photo action. Here she is wondering what I've been doing for the last 3 weeks. Not a lot really - I was too upset. But some patchwork did get done.

And here's some more!

Off now to sew while keeping an eye on my girl.

LULU IS HOME!!!

2009-05-30T18:41:00.003+01:00

After almost 3 weeks our beautiful girl is home! Very skinny and weak but alive. We are so happy!

I was stitching in the garden a couple of hours ago and suddenly there she was, going down the path to the back door. I barely recognised her - she was so thin and her face looked so scared and different with dull eyes. I grabbed her and ran for the door and the cat food.

A couple of hours later and she's lost the scared look and seems much better already. She's talking a little and just now rolled over and did a happy trill. She's eaten almost a tin of tuna and drunk lots. She was always a small cat but now she is really skin and bones. We rang the vet but they said just keep an eye on her and get her to drink lots.

We're sure she has been trapped - she is so thin and her back legs are raw at the back as if she has been trying to get out of something. She sounds hoarse too, as if she has been mewing for help.

But, she is home, and with lots of tlc, which she will definitely get, we hope she will get better fast. And we hope she never, ever, ever goes investigating again!

Thank you all so much for your support, best wishes, and prayers. It has helped so much.

2009-05-18T17:19:00.002+01:00

Just to let you know that Lulu is still missing. It's been a week now. I really can't describe how we feel at the loss of our two precious girls within 10 days of each other. Although it's possible she may return, this is so out of character we are really expecting never to see her again. I don't have the heart to do much right now and may be away for a bit. If there is any good news I will be back asap.

2009-05-12T09:12:00.003+01:00

Thank you so much for all the posts about Polo, I really appreciate them. We still miss her terribly.

Please can you now pray that Lulu comes home. She's been out for more than 26 hours now and we're seriously worried. She never, ever goes out for this long and most of the time she doesn't even go out of the garden. We need her to come home safe and sound.

Polo (2000-2009)

2009-05-01T14:20:00.005+01:00

Yesterday our lovely Polo gave up a short fight for her life. We are devastated.

She had had a cough for a couple of weeks and an X-ray suggested possible asthma, but she suddenly went downhill very fast. On Tuesday she was fighting for breath and we took her to the vet hospital. She was put on oxygen and various meds, but never recovered and slipped away yesterday just before we could get to see her. The vet suspects a type of lung cancer but we don't really know.

She was a gorgeous cat and we miss her talking to us, charging about, bouncing Trevor and being the monkey she was.

I hope to be back soon with stitching.

More RR stitching

2009-03-10T16:05:00.002Z

My mixed expeience with the Little House Needleworks round robin has not put me off completely. Last week I sent off the first round of a new RR - but this one is with some stitching bloggers I consider good friends and I know if something goes wrong it won't be anyone's fault!

Anne, Barbara, Karen, Katrina and I are stitching the Ackworth Friendship book together. It'll be such fun! It's almost the same group that stitched the Quaker Friendship sampler, so I'm using a similar pink so my book coordinates.

Karen's has arrived and I've already done a little bit as the colours she's chosen are so lovely - piccie soon!

Blackstone Fantasy Garden

2009-03-06T18:00:00.000Z

Thank you so much for all the comments. It does my heart good to have such a welcome back. It's been so long I wasn't sure anyone would still be reading! Your good wishes have worked already - Martin got a really nice bit of freelance work today. He's not had any proper work for months so it's fantastic news!

And thank you very much to those people who offered to stitch on my RR. I will probably take someone up on the offer - I stitched eight ladies at the top for the eight of us in the RR and it would be lovely to have eight names instead of seven.

On to photos - today it's a pic of my first big finish for quite a while...

Blackstone Fantasy Garden by Ink Circles
Fabric: 32 ct Golden Promise linen from Silkweaver
Threads: Dinky Dyes Desert Sands (main colour)
Silk n Colors Frosted Auburn (second colour)
Crescent Colours Colonial Copper (main outline)
Crescent Colours Manor Red (second outline)
Crescent Colours Clay Pot, Almost Auburn, Joshua Tree
GAST Claret, Gingersnap
WDW Bright Leaf
Finished on 31 January 2009

Huge thanks to Sue for originally gifting me this chart ages ago. It took a long time to finish but I'm so pleased with it!

I'm back!

2009-03-05T16:54:00.005Z

Don't faint in surprise! It's been a while hasn't it? Due to one thing and another I haven't had the heart to blog for quite a long time. Things are more settled now though, so hopefully I'm back!

In brief, the lovely job I had in Cambridge is no more. The office closed 10 days ago and I'm coming to terms with working from home. We were told just before Christmas (so a rather miserable and frugal holiday period) and it's obviously a worry financially. So far, I'm getting enough freelance work, but the only people I've spoken to in the last 10 days are Martin and our neighbour, so I need to start a craft group or something! It was a lovely job, with ups and downs of course, but about as good as you can get and I've been fairly depressed about it all.

Anyway, every cloud has a silver lining, and the fact that staff were treated pretty badly means I feel completely not guilty about using the last of the office's paper to print out stitching charts. This was a load of paper to carry home on the last day!

(Did you spot the cat on the roof outside!)

On to stitching photos. I've been too low to stitch as much lately, but I do have some finishes. I'll share them gradually over the next few days. Today you get a long overdue photo of a little finish for Joan's LHN RR. Joan has a gorgeous RR and her theme was needlework, so I stitched the Necessities Sampler for her. I'm afraid I didn't iron it before it went off, but here it is.

And here was the whole thing - isn't it great? I love the reels of thread round the sides.

I also received my own LHN RR back in the post. This round robin has been a bit of a trial I'm afraid. One of the stitchers had some major problems and not one single round reached me in time. In fact we thought three or four were lost for good as she stopped communicating. It made it all quite stressful and not what I hoped for! My RR is looking lovely though, so a big thank you to the ladies who did stitch on it.

There's one square unstitched from our problem person, so I'm not sure what to do about that yet.

That's the stitchy photos for today - more soon! I'll leave you with a photo of the lovely charm pack Karen sent me for my birthday. Thank you so much Karen!

I am still here!

2009-01-18T16:43:00.002Z

I'm still around and fine - just taking a little blogging break. I just don't feel like posting at the moment. I expect I'll be back in a few weeks and hopefully with some stitching photos! Take care everyone!

Winter exchange part 1

2008-12-28T13:10:00.006Z

We're back from Christmas in Scotland with my mum and dad and I have a wonderful exchange to show you. It turned up just before we left but I didn't have time to take a photo and post.

This is my winter exchange from Isabelle. I've seen it stitched on a few blogs and just love it. Thank you so much Isabelle!

And there were lots and lots of goodies in there too - so generous! (The table runner and cat are mine! Lulu loves being in on the photos!)

Thank you so much Isa - I feel rather embarrassed as my package was very small!

We had an OK Christmas. A M&S meal as my mum and dad can't do much these days! We would have loved to have them to us but they won't travel and my mum can't get up stairs any longer. They've got very elderly all of a sudden and it's hard to believe that only 4 years ago they travelled all round New Zealand.

Carriage House Samplings alphabet

2008-12-21T09:13:00.003Z

Z is for.... Zebu.

Which means I've finished at last! Hooray! Huge thanks to Karen for stitching along with me and sharing the charts. I know I'd still be stuck at the halfway point without someone to encourage me along!

Carriage House Samplings alphabet
Stitched 1 over 1 on 28ct Merino from Countrystitch with GAST threads

I'm not sure if I'll have time to post again before Christmas so a very Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful time.

Two more blocks

2008-12-20T08:50:00.002Z

As promised, a photo of the two latest blocks in the Antique Flower Garden quilt.

Back soon with the finished CHS alphabet hopefully!

More rice stitches!

2008-12-19T18:54:00.002Z

Getting there with Winghaven - my Brick thread arrived and one side is completely done.

And the other side is coming along too!

I'm working on the last (hooray!) letter of the CHS alphabet at the moment and also finished two more blocks of my Antique Flower Garden quilt this afternoon. Pictures to come tomorrow!

Christmas ornaments and cosy cats

2008-12-14T18:09:00.003Z

A big thank you to Katrina for a lovely surprise in the post. It cheered me right up. Here's a lovely Christmas ornament from pretty fabric to brighten up our mantlepiece (we don't have room for a full size tree and I haven't yet managed to get one small enough for the bit of space we do have).

Thanks so much Katrina - it's just lovely and the colours are perfect - lots of red and gold this year.

I've done a little stitching this week - it's taken all week but here's a Christmas ornament for a friend.

It's a freebie from Blue Ribbon Designs stitched on 32ct Strawflower from Lakeside Linen using a mixture of recommended threads and ones in my stash. I was inspired by Andrea's lovely posts of the ornaments she's stitched. If you've never visited her blog, pop on over, her stitching and finishing are amazing!

It's not been a great week here. I'm not allowed to give details but work is still uncertain. I don't think I'll know or be allowed to say any more until the new year. There are several people affected and it's been very sad and horrid at work this week.

On the bright side, we are healthy, we are so careful with our energy use the gas company gave us back £50 this week as we were so much in credit (!), my half sister is over from New Zealand and just spent a lovely day with us, and all the cats are very cosy and happy....

The Tilda Christmas presents

2008-12-05T12:44:00.006Z

Here's my dad's Christmas present - minus eyes as I've mislaid the pen I used for the girl's face and want him to match. I seem to be losing stuff all the time right now!

A couple of close ups...

I'm glad they're done and even more glad we decided on fairly cheap handmade stuff for everyone this year. The recession has hit and I had some potentially really bad news workwise yesterday. I can't say more - at the worst we could have no income at all in a few weeks, but work might carry on for a month or so or I might get other work. It's impossible to know. The future is very uncertain.

November stitching report

2008-11-30T13:57:00.006Z

My Mum's Christmas present is done. My first Tilda - made from a kit.

She was a little more fiddly than I expected and the instructions weren't so clear in places, but I'm pleased with how she's turned out.

I'll probably make her again in more Christmassy fabric for us to keep. Though I don't know if I'll have time this year.

I have the boy to make for my dad next.

Finished
Winter exchange for Isabelle
Christmas present for my mum

Started
Christmas present for my dad

Made progress on
St Reatham
Royal Holiday
CHS alphabet
Napoleon
Winghaven
Antique Flower Garden
Madeira pinwheel quilt

Total WIPs: 23
Total of unstitched charts in stash: 141

(My stash reduction isn't going so well! I haven't finished anything I can cross off my stash list for months and it's actually gone up by two - the new Loose Feathers and the Ackworth Friendship chart from With My Needle for a RR next year. Both are exceptions to my project challenge, so I haven't broken the rules, but it will be nice to start going down rather than up!)

November goals
Stitch and post Winter exchange for Isabelle stitched but not posted
Stitch and post Joan's LHN RR this only just arrived so not even started yet
Stitch a block on the CHS alphabet DONE!
Finish a page of Napoleon some done but not a page
Finish at least three blocks of Antique Flower Garden DONE!
Do the finishing for something - anything counts! er...no!

December goals
Post Winter exchange for Isabelle
Finish Christmas present for my dad DONE!
Do some finishing on Christmas ornaments
Start Joan's LHN RR
Finish CHS alphabet (hooray!)
Finish a page of Napoleon
Finish Winghaven
Start a baby quilt for my new nephew
Finish two more blocks of Antique Flower Garden
Finish piecing Madeira pinwheel quilt

PS. Pop over to Daisy Quilts to enter the draw for a gorgeous giveaway!

Lovely stash in the post

2008-11-29T16:39:00.004Z

What could this be, all nicely wrapped up....

Some Shangri La charm packs and fabric from the girls at Buttonberry.

Their customer service is great - just look at the lovely note. I had emailed them asking how many charm packs they had in stock. I want to use all this to make a baby quilt for a new nephew (I'm an auntie again!) Hopefully these colours will go with the nursery and the fabric with agree with a modern home.

I've got more stash too. I sold some stuff on eBay so I got a jelly roll with the money - Heritage Collection for a Cause. And the next Loose Feathers chart and fabric arrived as well. What a great stash week!

More rice stitches

2008-11-28T10:38:00.004Z

One half of Winghaven is almost done - and it would be finished if I hadn't lost my skein of Brick thread. I don't know where it's gone but I can't find it anywhere so I've had to order another. Hope it's not a completely different dye lot...

Lots more rice stitches done and lots more to do on the opposite half. It's a fun piece to stitch.

I'm off now to do some more sewing - need to make Christmas pressies for my mum and dad - so hopefully I'll be back with photos before too long!