Shawlette Finish and a New Start

March 25, 2023 My Time Stitching17 Comments

Hello my blogging friends! There is a lot of different weather going on outside of my craft room window today. Everything except the sun. It’s cold, very windy, raining, sleeting, snowing. The perfect day to be inside and hanging out with you 🙂 Since the calendar says it’s Spring, I am still hoping that it arrives soon.

So, earlier in the month I started the 22 Little Clouds shawlette using the February Wonderland Ocean series yarn. This is where I left off when I first posted about it.

The yarn was so nice to knit with, and the pattern was one of those that you really only needed to glance out every now and then. So I watched a lot of tv while knitting on this one.

I was so happy to see the subtle fade emerging. It is so beautiful and I couldn’t wait to see more. So I kept knitting.

Wow! I really love how this yarn gently fades into the next color.

I loved it so much I finished it about 2 weeks ago. It still needs blocking, but it is finished and it turned out so cute! It was a great, quick one skein project. I don’t have a new project on my needles, but I did start a new project last night.

After all of the Flosstubes I have been watching, I decided I needed some small projects in my life. Things I can finish rather quickly, and into something other than a framing to hang on the wall. Especially since I am really out of wall space. So I ordered this one and it arrived a few days later. I dug into my stash for a piece of fabric and found a piece of 16ct Aida. I believe that the color is Dirty Aida.

And in a hoop! Wow! I can’t tell you the last time I used a hoop. I am a 2 handed stitcher, so using a hoop or Qsnap makes me feel like I am stitching very slowly. But it is relaxing and I am enjoying the stitching while watching more flosstubes, LOL

This is where I am at with this one. I just love all of the colors in this one. I really would have loved to stitch this on a white or light fabric, but since the birds and bunnies are white, I needed to go darker. I think I will be making this into a little pillow, but I may try my hand at framing it myself. The design area is about 5.5″ x 5.5″ so a small table top frame would be perfect. I am hoping I can get it finished by Easter.

So that is a little bit of what I have been up to since yesterday. And that brings me to my Giveaway #2 for my 11 year Blogaversary.

Since I also like to Crochet, I have hung onto this yarn for a special giveaway. This one I will have to limit to the US as I don’t know how the International shipping will be. When I special ordered yarn for my Nature’s Walk blanket, I way over bought and had all of this yarn left over. All full skeins except for the light pink at the top, but I don’t have a use for it so I threw it in.It is Comfort DK from Berroc and is so soft and squishy. Use code word YARN in your comment if you are in the US and would like the chance to win this. Tune in tomorrow for another giveaway. Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Stitching,

Ginny

Bella Filipina Designs · cross stitch · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · Pixie · yarn

Sunday Stitching

March 5, 2023 My Time Stitching13 Comments

Happy Sunday, my blogging friends. We had a snowstorm on Friday with a dumping of 10″ of the heavy white stuff. There was Thundersnow and lightning and white out conditions. The sun came out on Saturday and quite a bit of it has melted. Today was just an easy Sunday inside, doing a little laundry and some stitching.

I spent quite a bit of time stitching on Holly Berry Pixie. The designer is Bella Filipina Designs and I am stitching her on a one of a kind 16ct Aida from Fantasy Dyed Fabrics (she is no longer dying fabric). When I last posted about her, I had her skirt done and the berries at the bottom.

Since then I have added many stitches.

Look at that beautiful face! I have added some back stitching and more of the ribbons along the sides.

I have so enjoyed seeing this sweet pixie come to life. The colors are so bright and vibrant. And this is where I left her today.

Just a few more berries and then filling in of all the sparkles and draping strands of blue Kreinik, which I may need another spool of. I am not sure I started with a partial spool or not, but I don’t think I will have enough left for the amount of strands I need to stitch. And then I can get onto the beading. Lots of beautiful, sparkly beads. I will pick this up again tonight and maybe get my berries finished. I like to do most of my cross stitch at night. A habit I fell into after I had my children and while they were growing up. I like to spend my morning knitting with my coffee and I do have a new knitting project.

I recently purchased this yarn cake from The Yarn Garden. The Head Gardner there, Lindsay, talked about this yarn on her Feature Friday video a little over a week ago. If you are looking for something to do on Friday mornings, her facebook videos are great and I always learn something from her. You can find her videos on her facebook page The Yarn Garden. Her live videos are on Friday from 11:00 am to noon ET. Anyway, she talked about Wonderland Yarns doing a year long series with their Garden Club Blossoms called Ocean. Each month will include a Blossom Cake, a pattern and a stitch marker. This cake is the February cake and the color is called Great Barrier Reef Anemones. It came with a hat pattern that is cute, but I didn’t feel like making a hat. So I spent a lot of time on Ravelry looking for a shawl or cowl pattern that would work with this yarn. I wasn’t coming up with anything and sought the help of a friend. She came up with a couple of great ideas and I decided on the 22 Little Clouds pattern by Martina Behm. It is a free pattern on Ravelry and I think it is more of a shawlette, a smaller shawl.

I got started right away and couldn’t help but notice that my nails matched my knitting again. I like when that happens 😉 And here is where I left off this morning.

I am enjoying this knit and am really looking forward to seeing the color changes. I like knitting with this Mad Hatter Sport yarn. It is soft and knits up nicely. I did find a shop online that had 1 skein left of the January cake and I will show that one in a future post. Oh, I did forget to mention that each month comes with a post card with some beautiful artwork on one side and project tracking information on the other. Here is the February card.

So that is how I spent my Sunday. Doing what I love; Stitching. What did you work on today?

Happy Stitching,

Ginny

Knitted Shawl · Knitting · yarn

Some Knitting Finishes

June 1, 2022 My Time Stitching11 Comments

Hello Blogging Friends and Happy June! So sorry I have been absent for a couple of months. I have been doing a lot of stitching, but also a lot of thinking, reflecting and soul searching. I have come to the conclusion that you just can’t please some people, no matter what. I have accepted it and am now moving on.

So let’s talk about what I have finished. First up is the Liva Cardigan.

I am pretty happy with the way this cardigan turned out. This photo is before blocking. The sleeves are a tiny bit short, but since they are knitted in garter stitch, I think I can stretch them a bit when blocking.

I do love how the back of this cardigan looks. The Mitered squares look so awesome. This was a new technique for me and I enjoyed knitting the squares. This sweater has been on the blocking boards since yesterday, so I am assuming it will be a few days before it dries.

Hopefully I have stretched the sleeves enough and not too much. I can’t wait to wear this in the fall or on a cool night to the lake. The Liva pattern I used was in a book put out by Berroco and the yarn is Topaz by Berroco. The pattern is also available on Ravelry.

Next up is the Fairy Correspondence Shawl. This one turned out so pretty and I loved all the different stitches. So fun.

This one turned out beautifully! The designer, SoftYarn Designs, never disappoints with her mystery knit a long’s. I used 3different yarns for this shawl. The 2 purple yarns are From Jilly & Kiddles in colors Tour de France and Bonjour. The pink is Ishtar from AJHC Wools.

The drape on this shawl is just gorgeous and I am so pleased with it.

Next up is a Baby Blanket for a special little someone arriving this summer.

I have been wanting to use this yarn for quite some time. The very large skein is actually 4 different yarns tied together and they are so soft. The pattern is Making Waves Baby Blanket and was on the inside of one of the ball bands. I believe that it is also available on Bernat’s website.

The pattern was easy to remember, so it made for easy knitting. Except that 3 of the 4 yarns are quite bulky and using a size 11 needle did cause my hands to cramp at times. But I pushed through, and knitted in short chunks at a time.

This blanket is so soft and warm and cuddly. And it really is a quick knit.

I am going to miss knitting on this beautiful blanket. It did keep me warm while knitting and it is so soft. It will keep a sweet little baby warm and snuggled in. The pattern called for 3 of the very large skeins, but I only used a small amount from the 3rd skein. So I will have to find something to use up the rest of the yarn.

So that is what I have finished stitching. In the month of May I also created or finished 32 scrapbook pages. Woo Hoo! Next time I will share what I have been cross stitching.

So that is what I have been up to the last couple of months. What have you been up to?

cross stitch · Fabric · Fairies · Floss · Fox and Rabbit · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · Mirabilia · yarn

Juggling Four Projects

April 9, 2022 My Time Stitching11 Comments

It is April 9 and it does not feel like Spring yet. I woke up to a dusting of snow this morning 😦 I had planned on going to a Spring Fiber Fest today, but too many other things came up this morning and then it just seemed to be too late for the drive. Hopefully tomorrow I can get there. Even though I really do not need to add any more yarn to my stash. I did find out that there will be a booth carrying not only yarn, but cross stitch products too. Oh yeah, gotta go 😉

So as my title indicates, I have been juggling 4 projects lately. I have juggled 2 in the past, but not 4 that I can remember. Usually I knit in the morning and cross stitch at night. But I am all over the place with 4 projects. So, first up is the Liva Cardigan.

Yep, this one is still on my needles. This is a pattern in one of the Berroco books and can be found on Ravelry. I am using the called for yarn, Topaz by Berroco. I have picked up stitches along the left and right front and for the collar. I have to knit 6″ on about 300 stitches. I think I have 4 1/2″ stitches in right now. So, it is going slow, but I am getting there. Once that is finished all I will have to do is to sew on pockets (of course pockets) and weave in ends. It has been a few days since I put any stitches in. The Fairy Correspondence Shawl is the reason why.

This is section 2 and my least favorite of this one. The bobble row took me over 3 hours to get across :O Wow! They are not perfect either, but they are staying as is. There is a little v at the top of them that I don’t think is supposed to be there, but I’m ok with it. The Weeds and Thickets section before and after the bobbles were not fun either. None of these sections were hard, just very time consuming. I love the look of the Weeds and Thickets, but I am really hoping that there are no more of these or bobbles in this shawl. I am loving my color choices. That pop of pink is perfect with the purples. Purple yarns are Jilly & Kiddles Tour de France and Bonjour and the pink is Ishtar from AJHC Wools. Yesterday I finished section 3 and love it!

This section was called Conifers and it was so rhythmic and relaxing to knit. I was even able to watch tv while knitting this lace pattern. Though I guess I did get a little too into the “Bridgerton’s” as I forgot a yarn over a couple of times and had to unknit several rows. But I didn’t mind as this pattern was wonderful to knit. Section 4 doesn’t come out for a few days, so hopefully I can get the Liva cardigan finished.

The other 2 projects that have captured my attention are cross stitch. You know I can’t not have a cross stitch project going on in my life 😉 So now I have 2 going, LOL First up is Blossom by Mirabilia.

This one is a joy to stitch. The colors are so vivid. There are more than a few stitches in each color, so it isn’t like confetti stitching. I am stitching her on 16ct Busy Izzy from Fabrics by Stephanie. It is such a pretty fabric and I am loving watching Blossom come alive on it.

A special piece of fabric finally arrived for a project that I have been wanting to stitch since February. It is not the normal Aida that the dyer usually dyes so I wasn’t sure it was going to work. It is a rather flimsy Aida and the sizing looked to be off. One of the reasons that I use Aida is that I am a tight stitcher and having a flimsy fabric like Lugana or linen does not work for me. This Aida feels like a Lugana, so I am trying to be conscience of my stitches not being too tight.

Yes! I finally started the Fox and Rabbit 2022 Mystery SAL. The fabric is Winter Wishes by Fabrics by Stephanie. Like I said, this Aida is different and the Winter Wishes is a bit lighter than normal. But it is working. The floss I chose is DMC 115. I went with a color way out of my color comfort zone and I feel like I made the right choice. The way the colors change in this floss is awesome! I really like the continuous stitching with one floss. This is where I left this piece last night.

This project is quite large, using a 29″ x 29″ piece of fabric. I am not sure when I will be caught up with this one. The section that is stitched above is the February section. So I have all of the borders of the January section, the March and the April sections to do. I think after this section that I am stitching on now is finished, I will stitch the April section and hopefully have some time to do some catching up before the next section comes out May 1. This pattern is the 2022 Mystery Sampler and is a free design from Fox and Rabbit.

So that is what I have been up to. Juggling these 4 projects has been fun. I am enjoying each of them when I work on them. How many projects have you juggled all at once? I’d love to know.

And now I leave you with a most glorious sunset that I just saw out of my craft room window ❤

Ginny

Knitted Shawl · Knitting · yarn

Happy Blogaversary!

March 25, 2022March 24, 2022 My Time Stitching19 Comments

Hello blogging friends! Today my blog is 10 years old! Yep! 10 years ago today I started this little blog to document my cross stitch, knittng, crocheting and whatever else I have been up to. I have really enjoyed it and have met so many wonderful people from all over the world. Yesterday I spent a lot of time looking at my older blog posts and reading the most wonderful, loving, supportive, encouraging and sweet comments. I thank each and every one of you who has visited my blog. I also thank you for taking the time to leave me a comment. I read each and everyone and love hearing about what you have been up to, also. I look forward to many more years of blog posts and sharing my love of crafting with you ❤

So, what have I been up to? The past couple of months have been a rollercoaster of emotions and I have immersed myself into crafting and cleaning and more crafting. I won’t bore you with the details, but in the coming days I will share with you what I have been crafting. Today I will start with what I am knitting.

First up, the Liva cardigan. Yes, I am still working on it and I can happily say that I am into the final stretch with this garment!

This chaos is the reason I have been slowed down on this project. Double Pointed Needles! They are not my friends. This is sleeve one, and I did get through it. With many starts. FYI: When the pattern says to end the yarn after stitching up the side, but not to cut the yarn…cut the yarn. I tried several times to get the sleeve going on the DPN’s and every time I ended back at the beginning of the round, I had a long length of yarn between the stitches. Now I have knitted with DPN’s many times and I just couldn’t figure out what in the heck was going on. After about the 7th try, I cut the yarn and started with a new length and what a miracle! I had no problems. So I won’t be doing that again. But I made it through and then knitted the right side. And then it was time for sleeve 2.

Sleeve 2 went much easier and much quicker, but I am still not a fan of Double Pointed needles. I will be learning magic loop before I have to deal with them again.

I have added the hem and am now knitting the collar and front bands. I have about 1 1/2″ done. About another 4 1/2″ of mindless, soothing knitting in between the sections of the Fairy Correspondence Mystery Knit Along from Softyarn Designs that I have started.

I have chosen these yarns for my mystery shawl. The purples are Bonjour and Tour de France from Jilly & Kiddles and the pink is Ishtar from AJHC Wools. I am loving these colors! The Knitalong started this past Monday, but you can still join if you want to get in on the fun. You can find it on Ravelry and if decide to knit this, don’t forget to join the group on Ravelry and get in on the chat. With this knitalong, we could sign up to write an actual letter to someone else that has signed up. Lena matched people up and our first correspondence is due in the mail today. Mine went out yesterday and I can’t wait to hear back from my “knitting pen pal”. So here is my start on the mystery shawl.

I am loving my color choices with this first section of the shawl. My little pink flowers look a little wonky, so I am calling them Fairy Dust. Maybe they will look better once it is washed and blocked. Section 2 comes out later today and I can’t wait to get back to knitting on this.

So that is what I have been knitting on. What are you working on today?

Knitted Shawl · Knitted Wrap · Knitting · yarn

My Advent Knitting

January 3, 2022 My Time Stitching9 Comments

Good afternoon, my blogging friends. It is cold where I am and there is about 5 inches of snow on the ground from a weekend storm. I should be cleaning the house and taking down what little decorations I put up for the holidays. But instead, I have decided to hide out in my craft room for a bit. There is quite a mess on my desks, so blogging it is! I want to catch up on my projects from the last couple of months.

About mid November I received my advent package from Speckled Finch Studios. All of those cute little numbered bags; Each containing a mini skein; begging me to open them all! But I refrained.

It was so hard waiting for December 1 to roll around so I could open that first bag containing a surprise mini skein of yarny goodness! But I was a good girl. I did open the large skein as it was not part of the advent, but an added goody with the cost of my advent. There was also a yummy candle and handmade bar of soap for wool washing.

The yarn is so beautiful! It is called Winter Wonderland and is pretty perfect for what I am seeing out of my window today. The candle smells so delicious! I’m not sure if I like the bar of soap. It has a very strong odor, but may not be so when it is used to wash a knitted garment. I also received the Ravelry code to download the advent project; The Margot Wrap by Yvonne Poon. And I love how she made the photo black and white so she would not spoil what the yarns look like. So I gathered all of my supplies to get started; pattern, needles, stitch marker, progress marker, post it notes and highlighting tape. On December 1st, I opened bag #1 and instantly fell in love with the beautiful pastel mint green color! So I rolled it into a ball and settled in to knit.

I spent each day of December opening the appropriate bag, ooohing and aaahhhing at the beautiful skein, winding it into a ball and knitting that day’s section. I knitted most mornings, but some evenings were spent catching up on the days rows. I love each and every skein and added surprise that I opened.

The pattern was so relaxing and a joy to knit. There were 2 rows that were “criss cross” rows that were a little nerve racking, but I soon became quicker at them. They look a bit wonky and loose, but I am sure they will be great with blocking.

I love how all of the colors look together and do hope that I get to see some of them in full skeins in the future.

The wrap continued to grow everyday and each day I loved the new color and looked forward to seeing what color would be added next.

There are so many beautiful colors that I just can’t pick a favorite! I want them all!

Even the yellow skein is so beautiful! So far I have to say that day #19 and day #20 are my absolute favorites together. They are the teal and tan/brown colors below the top yellow color in the photo above. I am calling them Sand and Sea; you know, for the mermaids 😉 On December 25, 2021 I finished the wrap, ending with the first color.

Wow! What a beautiful wrap! I love it! I still need to block it and weave in the ends. Hopefully I can get Christmas put away and pull a table out to block it on. It is quite long and I can’t wait to block out those Criss Crosses. And I have a quite a bit of yarn leftover to do something with in the future. Maybe a thinner scarf, maybe additions to a scrapghan someday. Who knows. Whatever I use them for, they will be perfect. This was a wonderful advent and I am so happy I purchased it and I am proud of myself for keeping up with it every day. I LOVE Speckled Finch Studio yarns. You can find them Here The shop is not open util later this month, but there is a link there to her Instagram so you can see some of her scrumptious yarns! I will post pictures of my wrap when it is blocked. I can’t wait to wear it!

Well, that was my big project for December. Come back soon to see another big project that I finished as well as some little in between projects. What have you been up to? I’d love to hear about your projects.

Ginny

Knitted Shawl · Knitting · yarn

Welcome 2022!

January 1, 2022 My Time Stitching12 Comments

Happy New Year! Is it really 2022? Will it fly by as fast as 2021? Well, however it goes, I hope that it is a better year for all of us. I had hoped to make a post before 2021 ended, but that didn’t happen. Too much going on I suppose. I do hope that my day today is not an indication of how my year is going to go, because it is not going so well 😦 Deep breaths.

So, when I last posted, I was working on the Marit Shawl. I did finish it and blocked it and it came out very well.

I wasn’t so sure about adding the fringe, but I am glad I did. It really looks lovely with the fringe.

It was sent to my Mother-in-law for Christmas and she loves it. The yarn is Berroco Topaz and was a little rough while knitting and thick and thin in places. I was not sure I was going to like it or not. After blocking , it did get softer and the drape is really nice. I am glad it turned out to be a nice yarn, as I had purchased several skeins in a different colorway, for a cardigan for myself. I hope to get to it this year some time.

I have several more finishes to share, but I will save them for other posts. For now, I hope that your holidays were wonderful and I wish you a fabulous 2022!

Bella Filipina Designs · cross stitch · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · Mermaids · Project Bags

Stitching, Knitting and Shopping

November 12, 2021 My Time Stitching8 Comments

Hello blogging friends. The temps are getting cooler here after a few days of surprisingly wonderful warm and sunny days. The dreaded white stuff is coming though. About an inch or two of snow is predicted for this weekend 😦 Are you a fan of snow and cold weather? I am not looking forward to winter and can only hope that it will fly by as fast as my summer did.

I need to plan out some projects for the winter. But for now, let’s talk about what I am stitching on right now.

I finished the tail on Pearl of the Orient Seas, minus the beads. I have moved scrolls to the middle of the design to work upwards.

While I am enjoying the stitching on this one, the colors are starting to bring me down and I am getting the itch to start something new. I am trying really hard to resist, but I do see some smaller projects creeping into my plans. For now, I stitch on 🙂 Just to remind you, the design is Pearl of the Orient Seas by Bella Filipina Designs. Fabric is 16ct aida, a one of a kind dye from Fantasy Dyed Fabrics.

The Marit Shawl by Amy Christoffers is still on my needles. It is going well, but still looking a little small to me.

I am actually on the decrease tier now and making half triangles for the top edge.

Maybe blocking will give me the size I need. This shawl will also have tassels.

Now onto the shopping as mentioned in my title. Last week Shop Hop started at local yarn shops. I decided not to shop hop this year, but just visit my very local shop, The Knitting Nest. I picked up some yarn for the newly published on Ravelery, Urchins and Scallops shawl from Soft Yarn Designs. This one should definitely be put into my winter knitting plans 😉

After getting home, I realized the yarn colors are very similar to the colors used in the pattern. I think they are perfect. The lovely shop owners also pointed out that they had some new stitch markers that they knew I would be interested it. Mermaids! Yes, please. And I couldn’t help but pick up another Project Bag by CleverGirl Designs. This one is a little bigger than the bags I usually order from her. It just fits into the bin I keep them in, but is taller than the other bags. I don’t think I can ever have too many of Kristine’s bags. Hubby ordered me another year of the Bag of the Month from her in August. I have received August, September and October, but I cannot find the pictures. Today I was surprised with the November and December bags and they are Awesome! Here is my November bag…ready?

Oh my gosh! It’s Gnomies!! so stinking cute! I LOVE it! And here is the back;

My December bag was just as awesome.

She knows my love for mermaids and I do love this one. In fact, it matched the mask I was wearing when I went to the yarn shop to pick them up. Did you catch that cute Seashell zipper pull/progress marker? So cute! And check out that cute wallet looking matching piece! Have to show the back and the open wallet, too!

Just look at that cute little Floss Catcher! I just love all of Kristine’s bags. They are so well made and her attention to detail and choice of fabrics is amazing. You can find her on Instagram @clevergirldesignsco

This is how I store my CleverGirl Project Bags.

There are 20 bags in these bins. It doesn’t include the one I am using for Pearl or the 2 new ones I picked up today. I can still use some more, LOL

This been is full of not so pretty bags filled with wonderful projects. Some day it will be filled with pretty CleverGirl Design bags.

While at the Yarn Shop today, I was looking for even more yarn. This time for a sweater. Yep, a sweater, not a shawl! I haven’t made a sweater in years and I think I need to add one to my winter stitching plan 😉 I didn’t buy any, as I need to figure out what I want to use. So, I am off to make a swatch. What are you up to? What are your crafty plans for the weekend?

Bella Filipina Designs · cross stitch · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · yarn

A Mermaid and A Shawl

November 4, 2021 My Time Stitching17 Comments

Hello, friends! So today I am going to chat about what is on my needles now; both knitting and cross stitch. Let’s start with the knitting. When my Mother-in-law visited in September, we went to the local yarn shop. The shop was having a Berroco Trunk show, and MIL found a shawl that she loved. She asked if I would knit it for her. Of course I agreed. I already had the book that the pattern was in, and she purchased the yarn. Last week I started it.

The pattern is the Marit Shawl and is in Berroca Book 428 – Topaz. It is also available on Ravelry. So I started it and it is the weirdest construction I have ever done. I am told it is Entrelec knitting. It is a little confusing at first, but I have learned that if I look ahead to see whether the next row is knitted on the right side or the wrong side, I am good to go. I think I just start second guessing myself and then confuse myself. The diagram included also helps. So I started knitting away on a 7 US needle.

I was getting the hang of the pattern and enjoying the knitting. I am not so sure about the yarn. It is Topaz from Berroco. It goes from thin to thick, hence the lumpy look in many spots. I need to grow to love this yarn as I purchased quite a bit of it in another colorway for a cardigan for myself. And then I happened to look up the pattern on Ravelry (I don’t even remember why) and noticed that my squares were a bit smaller that the picture. So I started looking at the stats and the Ravelry pattern suggests a size 9 US needle. What?? The book pattern suggests a 7 US needle. Oh my gosh! So I had to rip it all out. Yep, frogged the whole thing, and it was not easy. This yarn is a bit fuzzy, so it took me quite some time to try to carefully rip it all out. OK. On to start number two.

So on Tuesday I re-started the shawl. My squares are definitely bigger and it is going faster this time around.

This is where I left off last night. I will say that this pattern is so fun and at times, I say to myself, “one more block.” And then I have knitted 3 more. I just want to keep going with it. But usually I knit in the morning while having my coffee. I didn’t get to do that this morning, so I may be knitting “a few blocks” tonight. But evenings and nights are usually reserved for cross stitching. Which brings me to talk about what I am stitching X’s on these days.

When I finished The Dark Queen, I immediately went to my WIP stack and pulled out Pearl, of The Orient Seas from Bella Filipina. I started her in August of 2019.

This is what she looked like when I picked her up in October.

This pattern is very heavily beaded and has lots of Kreinik threads. So there is going to be lots of holes left for adding many, many beads in the end.

She has a very skinny body leading down to her tail. Oh good, that should go rather quickly. And then there is beautiful tail! Here is where I am at now.

She is coming along nicely and I am determined to stick with her until finished. I am stitching her on a one of a Kind 16ct aida from Fantasy Dyed Fabrics.

So, that is what I have been up to. What are you working on?

cross stitch · Fairies · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · Passione Ricamo · yarn

Catching Up With Some Finishes

November 3, 2021 My Time Stitching11 Comments

Hello friends! Today was a lazy day and I didn’t get much done. It looks cold and gloomy outside, maybe that explains my mood today. Anyway, I promised a photo of my finished 20 Year Celebration piece.

Please excuse the wrinkles. It was on the scrolls for a long time. I can’t tell you how happy I am to finish this piece. It is so beautiful in person. I love the Round Robin feel to it. A little bit of 12 different designs by Passione Ricamo. I am still looking for a framer, but this piece definitely has to be framed. Another one out of the WIP pile!! I stitched this on 16ct Aida Nantucket Sky from Fabrics By Stephanie.

While I was finishing up the Jolie shawl, a local yarn dyer, AJHC Wools, posted a picture of her yarns in a pink to black fade that I absolutely fell in love with! So I checked my stash and ordered what I needed to make the Grevillea Shawl by Ambah O’Brien. Here are the yarns in all of their gloriousness:

Isn’t it just fabulous? I couldn’t wait to get started on it.

With every repeat of this pattern, I fell more and more in love. The pink section was so long. I was so happy to have added my first mini skein, Blizzard. And did you happen to see that adorable progress marker? A Starbucks coffee cup from my Best Stitchy Friend ❤

The colors are looking so awesome together! Four out of 10 so far!

Almost finished! Just one more mini skein to go!

I am so in love with this shawl! I love the long section of the light pink and the fade is so perfect! Just the blocking left to do. This shawl is the perfect example why blocking is necessary. The pattern is so blocky and lumpy. Here is a close-up.

The pattern is broken up into puffy squares and the lace pattern is barely visible. Blocking allows the fabric to lay flat and opens up the lace pattern. And here is the finished shawl, which I have already worn and LOVE it!

See how that lace opened up and the pattern isn’t puffy anymore. Love how this one turned out. Again, the pattern is the Grevillea Shawl by Ambah O’brien. Yarn is from AJHC Wools.

So that is it for my finishes from over the summer. Stop back again soon to see what is on my knitting needles and what I am cross stitching now. What are you stitching?

Category: Knitted Shawl

Shawlette Finish and a New Start

Like this:

Sunday Stitching

Like this:

Some Knitting Finishes

Like this:

Juggling Four Projects

Like this:

Happy Blogaversary!

Like this:

My Advent Knitting

Like this:

Welcome 2022!

Like this:

Stitching, Knitting and Shopping

Like this:

A Mermaid and A Shawl

Like this:

Catching Up With Some Finishes

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: