The Last Day of 2019

December 31, 2019 My Time Stitching17 Comments

Hello my blogging friends! It is the last day of 2019 and I think I am ready for 2020. Whether I am ready or not, it will arrive in a little less than 5 hours where I am. A few weeks ago, I was commenting on someone’s blog and I had said that I couldn’t even think of 1 thing I finished craftwise this last year. But looking back over my blog, I see that I did actually finish quite a bit. I finished the little mermaids SAL, a couple of shawls, the Spicier Life blanket, a Sunflower pillow and 48 Granny Squares for a blanket that I will finish in 2020. Our basement construction was a big part of 2019, with all the packing, purging and hauling out of the basement. Then there was the construction, painting, carpeting, unpacking and reorganizing everything. I must say, it is the best looking room in the house. Made me realize that the rest of the house needs new paint and carpeting, but that will have to wait as I am not ready to go through all that again. And we live in a quad, so there isn’t room to move furniture without moving up or down. Ugh

So, what have I been up to these last few weeks of 2019? Well, yesterday I finished the 2019 Mystery Sampler from Linen and Threads.

Sorry about the poor lighting. I promise to take a better picture once I get it framed. I am pretty happy with how this one turned out. It’s not my style of stitching, but I rather like it. I stitched it on 16ct Aida Grateful Grey from Wichelt. The threads are DMC 3810 and Gloriana Rain Forest. If you have never stitched with Gloriana threads, they are so smooth and silky! I really enjoyed stitching with them. The patterns for this SAL are FREE on the Linen and Threads website. And the 2020 Mystery Sampler started this morning. At this time, I will not be stitching the 2020 sampler. It is a Quaker style sampler, and I am not a fan of randomly placed designs. I do like the elements in today’s release. I will follow it in the facebook group just to see how everyone is stitching theirs.

I knitted one Christmas present. A winter hat for my Mom. She liked the pink one I made for myself so I made her one in purple, complete with fuzzy pom pom.

It was a very fast knit with size 13 needles and a chunky yarn, Rasta, from Malabrigo. The pattern is Chunky Cabled Hat by Destiny Meyer and is available on Ravelry. I gave it to Mom on Christmas and she loved it.

So now I am back to working on my Advent Shawl from AJHC Wools and loving it so much!

This was a photo from just after Christmas. I have started the larger skein and have about 10 rows of that in so far. My shoulder has been bothering me the last couple of weeks, so not much knitting going on at one time. It is feeling better today, so for the rest of the New Year’s Eve, I will be knitting on it 🙂 The pattern is now available on Ravelry.

For 2020, I have already made some New Year’s Resolutions. Pretty much some of the same I have made in years past, but truly want to stick with them this year. I have decided not to participate in any cross stitch or knitting SAL’s in 2020. Instead, I want to concentrate on finishing some projects I already have started – 12 cross stitch and several knitting projects and 1 crochet blanket. I also want to get a lot of scrapbooking done this year, and yes, scrapbook all of those page kits and mini books. Oh, that reminds me. I do have another finish for 2019. A couple of days ago I finished a wedding album for my youngest and his wife. I gave them a finished album at their rehearsal dinner last year. All they had to do was print the photos and glue them in. They were disappointed on their first anniversary that there were no photos to look at in the album. So they asked if I would add the photos a couple of months ago. I finally got to it and finished it on Saturday. I do hope that they like it.

There is a few more things I would like to accomplish in 2020, but I won’t bore you with them right now. So that is what I have been up to this last part of 2019. Another year has flown by and a new one is just about to begin. Or may have already begun depending where you are in the world. My wish for each and every one of you is that 2020 will be an amazing year with Health, Happiness and Love.

It has been snowing here most of the day, so my New Year will be wrapped in white 😉

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

cross stitch · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · mystery sampler · Nora Corbett · Sampler · Uncategorized

Summertime Stitching

July 18, 2019 My Time Stitching21 Comments

Hello my friends! The summer is getting away from me and I know it’s been a little while since I last posted. Our basement has come along nicely. The waterproofing is done, the construction is done, it has been painted and carpeted, finally. It is furnished with a couple of chairs and tv. Office furniture has been put together and the computer and printer set up and files in the filing cabinets. Mostly my cross stitch patterns, but some files, too, LOL. Book shelves have been put together and books on the shelves. They were filled pretty quickly with both hubby’s and my book collection. And my Scrapbook cabinets have been brought down and filled with the scrapbooks. The only thing left to do is get the doors sanded as they don’t fit now with the carpeting, and go through all the bins and boxes in the garage and bring down what we want stored in the storage room. That will be a slow process as it has been so hot in the garage, and up and down 3 floors is taking a toll on my knees. But it will get done.

I have been stitching whenever I get a chance. Mostly evenings and when I am not so tired. So I will share what I have worked on the last month or so.

Nora Corbett’s Wherefore Art Thou came out for a little bit and I got quite a bit done on her. Hopefully the next time I pull her out I will get her finished. I am stitching her on 16ct Aida, a one of a kind from Fantasy Dyed Fabrics. I am using all hand dyed threads on this one.

I haven’t worked on this one in a few weeks, but so far so good on this one. It is the famous WingSpan Shawl by Kyle Vey. There are about 45-50 rows on my needles, even though it does not look like it. I have finished row 24-1 and am looking forward to getting back to this one. I am knitting this one for someone and maybe I will get it done before X-mas, LOL. I have ordered yarn from Blue Brick to make one for myself, and hopefully I can get through this pattern without any problems and want to do it again for me. The yarn I am using on this one is Mirasol’s Qulla in Moonlight colorway. This pattern is available on Ravelry if you want to give it a go.

A couple of weeks ago I joined the Mermaid’s Garden MKAL from Softyarn Designs. At first I thought my knitting was too loose. I was getting gauge, but it just seemed off for me. Not sure why, as it is a mystery and I really didn’t know how it was supposed to look. So after about the 5th start, I decided to keep going and busted butt to get caught up this week. I am LOVING this shawl! I’ve learned some new stitches with this one like Sea Urchins, Little Sea Shells and stitches that look like mermaid scales.

I can’t wait for Clue #4 to come out tomorrow, and then the final Clue #5 next week. So there is still time to get in on this one. It is available on Ravelry. The yarn I am using is Mermaid’s Ass from A Whimsical Wood Yarn Co. How appropriate, right? I also purchased some yarn from AJHC Wools in DK in Tawaret colorway to make this one again. It is a mauve color with some blue/purples specks throughout, but more of a solid color.

I added the June section (lower left corner) to the 2019 Mystery Sampler from Linen and Threads. I am stitching this on 16ct Graceful Gray from Wichelt and using DMC 3810 and Gloriana thread in Rainforest.

And in between all the projects, I have worked on the pillow. I don’t want to show all of my progress because I want it to be a surprise for the recipient. This one goes slow, with so much confetti stitching. But it is really growing on me and I am liking the colors right now. So bright and cheery.

I have also put a tiny few stitches into a new afghan project, but there really isn’t much to show on that one, so I will share when I have more to show. I have also tried my hand at Tunisian Crochet, but not having a lot of luck with it. As with all of my crochet, my edges are wonky and I still struggle with where to insert my hook. I have 2 more classes left, so I’ll see what I can absorb and if it will finally click with me. My teacher, Jen, says I can do it, so I keep trying. Wish me luck!

So that is what I have been doing with my summer so far. What fun projects are you working on?

Crochet · Crocheted Wrap · cross stitch · Diamond Painting · Knitting · mystery sampler · Sampler · yarn

And Just Like That It Is June

June 3, 2019 My Time Stitching31 Comments

Hello, friends! I can’t believe it is the start of Summer, unofficially. Though today doesn’t feel like it as it is only 59 degrees. But that’s ok. So what have I been up to?

Well, I started this Willowy Wrap crochet pattern back on March 4. I know, crochet??!! The pattern is by JL Creations, the crochet expert at my LYS. It was released on March 3 at the shop in conjunction with AJHC Wools. I saw it at the shop that day and it was so beautiful and soft that I just had to try it. So here is how my progress went:

Just about finished!! So excited!

Finished, just needs blocking.

Just look at all of those luscious colors soaking in the water.

I am so geeked at how straight my sides are! This is the first project where my sides are not all wonky. And look how straight that blocking is! So proud of myself 🙂

And here it is all finished! I am so excited to get this one finished. It’s not perfect, but it looks pretty good to me. The pattern is Willowy Wrap by JL Creations and the yarns are by AJHC Wools.

I was also able to get my Peacock Garden Mystery Sampler from Linen and Threads all caught up and started the June section. This is a FREE Mystery SAL and you can get the patterns on their website for this sampler and the previous 2 samplers.

I am stitching this on 16ct Graceful Gray from Wichelt. Threads are Gloriana Silk in Rain Forest and DMC 3810. I’m not loving this one as much as the previous 2 samplers put out by Linen and Threads, but I like it. I am anxious to see what is going to be in the other blocks.

My basement is coming along. Painting was done last week. Carpet has been ordered. Then we can begin putting it all back together again and get our house back in order. Between the front door and the path to the basement, all furniture has been moved to another room or shoved over and all of my pictures have been removed from the walls. My diamond painting has been moved all over trying to keep it from being ruined. So I thought it was time to get it framed.

This diamond painting was a gift from my best stitchy friend a couple of years ago. The picture was taken from a photo I had taken in my front yard and had posted on Facebook. She had it made onto the canvas. It is now hanging in my dining room, which is just inside my front door. It really brightens the room and I will treasure it always.

And I have started a new project. Did you really think I wouldn’t have? But it is not cross stitch. It is a knitting project. It is the famous Wingspan Shawl by Kyle Vey and is available on Ravelry.

I fell in love with this one as soon as I saw it. I even ordered yarn from Blue Brick Yarns right away. The dyer, I am sure, has been overwhelmed with orders, so it will be a bit before my yarn arrives. In the meantime, I am knitting this one for someone else. The yarn is Mirasol Qulla in Moonlight colorway. It is more like a denim blue, and not the dark blue in the photo. This one took me 2 days to finally get the first row done. The pattern calls for “make1 left and make1 right throughout the first row, after the cast on! I didn’t even know it was possible to “Make1” on the cast on row. But a gal at my LYS pointed out that there is actually 2 threads in between stitches on my longtail cast on. Boy do I need new glasses! So home I went, trying to cast on loose stitches, but not too loose that my stitches sag. And struggling to get those Make1’s in and have the correct stitch count at the end. My mind tends to wander after so many repeats, LOL. After several attempts yesterday, I finally had my first row done to my satisfaction! I even held my breath and did row 2! Just skimming through the 17 pages of pattern is very intimidating and I have been a knitter for about 33 years. So, fingers crossed, wish me luck and send good vibes that I can get through this pattern. And that I can get through it a 2nd time once my yarn arrives 😉

So that is what has been going on with me. What fun things have you been up to lately? I’d love to hear about them 🙂

cross stitch · Fairies · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Mermaids · Passione Ricamo · Passione Ricamo SAL · Sampler · Shannon Christine designs

Stitching Is Keeping Me Sane

March 18, 2019 My Time Stitching27 Comments

Hi! I am still here, and stitching, packing, getting over a stomach virus and still cleaning out the basement. Hubby and I just about have the basement cleaned out in preparation for the waterproofing. Just a few pieces of smaller furniture left to bring up and the 3 bigger pieces that we won’t be able to bring up. Our garage is filled from floor to ceiling with lots of bins and boxes. A few weeks ago we had new gutters installed and for some reason we are now getting water in the basement when it rains. Ugh! We have never had water, just a damp carpet on one side of the basement. So one night, while hubby and I were both sick with a stomach bug, he had to go out at 10:30 at night to buy a shop vac. We were up until 1 am vacuuming up water. And we have bought a dehumidifier to help dry everything up. I will be so happy when this is all done with. And then we get to figure out if everything gets to go back into the basement. I’m almost to the point that it can stay an unfinished basement. We’ll see how long it will be until it is all back to normal.

Through it all, my stitching has been there to lift my spirits and take me away. So what have I been stitching on?

I finished the peacock on the 2019 Mystery Sampler from Linen and Threads.

I stitched the peacock in DMC 3810 on 16ct Aida Graceful Gray from Wichelt. I also finished the borders using Gloriana Silk Rain Forest. I love the colors in that thread!

I ran out of thread for the bottom middle block, but I have some on order and fingers crossed it will match what I have done. And I finished the March block in no time.

I am hoping I can complete this sampler with just the DMC 310. But if it turns out that I need to add more color, I can pull colors from the Rain Forest thread. I like the March block and wonder if all the blocks will be similar. So for now it is tucked away until the April section comes out. I have decided to work on some of my WIP’s and pulled this one out:

I love this piece and would love to get it finished. I completed the second block from the left and am working on the 3rd block. This is Passione Ricamo‘s 20th anniversary piece. I am stitching it on 16ct Aida Nantucket Sky from Fabrics by Stephanie.

I will stitch on this one until I finish the block I am working on and then pull another WIP out. I am hoping to finish a couple of projects this year.

This weekend I picked this up from the cross stitch store, all framed up by Way Cool Mats: Treasures of The Deep, by Shannon Christine Designs.

I thought I captured a good image of this one, but I didn’t. It really has a lot of beads. So much so, that in some angles it looks really gaudy, like in the top of the photo. And then from a different angle, it looks like the bottom of the image. Sometimes the mermaids get drowned out by all of the beads. I didn’t think there could ever be too many beads on a project, but this one I think may just have too many. I do love all the little mermaids though.

March 1 was my 7 year Blogaversary! I can’t believe I have been posting on this little ole blog for 7 years now! And I still love it. I just need to make the time to post more often. I will try this year 😉

So that is all I have for now. I do have a few knitting projects and crochet projects going on, too. I will post about them next time. So what are you stitching on today?

cross stitch · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · Mermaids · mystery sampler · New stash! · Sampler · yarn

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

February 14, 2019 My Time Stitching31 Comments

Hello my blogging friends, and Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you have a wonderful day however you celebrate this loving day. I can’t believe it’s February! I have been so busy and the days have just gotten away from me. I had so many days I wanted to post, and just didn’t get to it. So, this one may be a long one. Grab your favorite beverage and get comfy.

I suppose I should start with my birthday, that happened near the end of January. To celebrate, Hubby took me to a winery about 1 1/2 hours from our house. They just so happened to be having a Winter Wine and Wool festival the weekend of my birthday and I had decided that is what I wanted to do.

I was so excited to get there after the drive. If you know me, you know I don’t like being in a car on the highway. So nerve wracking.

This was my first time to an actual winery. This one was a very sweet, inviting place. Once inside, I made my way to the yarn and bag vendors. It was a very small place for an event like this. There was almost no room to get up and down the hallways. So I searched out the 2 main booths I wanted to shop at.

So many scrumptious yarns! See that yellow/orange and red cowl on the left? I picked up some mini skeins to make that. And a few other skeins to make a shawl.

Then I found the MidMitten Designs Project Bag Booth and purchased a bag and some small notions bags.

Love this new Sassy Style bag! There is already a project in it 😉 Then is was time for some wine tasting.

This was a Raspberry wine, perfect to pair with chocolate! Hello!! I came home with a bottle of this one and a Meade wine. Hubby spoiled me so much for my birthday. It was not so bad turning 55 😉

If you remember from one of my previous posts, we found out that we have to have our basement waterproofed. So hubby and I have been going through things, donating things, pitching things and putting things aside for our boys and hauling it all up and out to the garage. We have done quite a bit, but we are not going to be ready for the end of February, so we have moved it to April 1 with the contractor coming to remove the drywall and carpet the last week in March. I can’t believe how much we have accumulated in the 23 years we have been here. So we are still working on that a little at a time and in between, I am still stitching. So, lots to show you with that. First, I finished the Treasures of the Deep SAL.

Sorry about the blurry photo. Just couldn’t capture it right. But it is finished with all the hundreds of tiny beads. I have to admit, that looking at it from a certain angle, it looks a bit gaudy, but then from another angle it looks beautiful and sparkly.

I stayed up until 1:00 in the morning to finish it so I could take it to the cross stitch shop to put it in for framing. Here is the frame I chose for it:

I was not going to go with a gold frame, but nothing else seemed to work. I think this one will be perfect. And while I was there, a framing was ready to be picked up.

I absolutely LOVE how this turned out!! So beautiful. The frame is so perfect, too.

The weathering on this one matches perfectly with the variegated threads. Now I will need to find a place to hang this one, so I can see it all the time.

While in the cross stitch shop, I was inspired to start a new project; the 2019 Mystery Sampler. I had already ordered a piece of Graceful Gray 16ct Aida by Wichelt, which was there for me to pick up. On my last trip I had picked up a smaller piece of the fabric and a pink silk thread. I started stitching the peacock, but the pink was too light for the fabric. So I hadn’t thought anymore about color, until I was in the shop. And I saw the beautiful variegated thread that I thought would be perfect for a “Peacock Garden”, which is what the new sampler is called. The thread is Gloriana, a silk and the color is called Rain Forest. How perfect!!

I will use it for the borders. So I picked out a color that matched for my peacock. And this is what happened:

And look at that! I am using a Q-snap frame :O I am cringing that my aida fabric will be pretty wrinkled. I am not used to that with using a scroll frame. But I used this for the beading the last half of my mermaid SAL so I didn’t roll over the beads, and it worked pretty good. So I thought I would try it for this Mystery Sampler. Here is what the January and February sections will look like for this sampler:

It is different than the last 2 samplers. This one reminds me more of a Round Robin. I can’t wait to see what will end up in all of those squares. If you want to get in on this sampler (or the last 2) they are all FREE and put out by Linen and Threads. So sweet of them to do this. There is also a Facebook group where people from all over the world are stitching this and sharing and connecting. It’s awesome.

Now for my last project. On February 6, I started this project and was so excited:

By the end of the day, I was so frustrated with this project. It is the Floral Shawl from Woolenberry. I was just not coming up with the correct amount of stitches at the end of row 7. I knitted back several times, ripped out several times, and then just gave up. Then I decided to leave a comment on Ravelry for the designer to see if there was an update or to figure out what I was doing wrong. So after several emailings back and forth with the Sweet Janina Kallio, I kept trying. I arrived at row twenty something and thought I was doing well. My floral pattern didn’t really look right and I was still concerned about the yo ssk knit 3. It just wasn’t feeling right. I was ending up with a yo after the ssk. Anyway, a light bulb finally went off in my head yesterday and I finally figured out what I was doing wrong. I was knitting the ssk on the front needle instead of the back needle. What was I thinking? I knew better. All I can say is that it was a very senior moment. And after a week of frustration, I am happy to say that I am all straightened out and I have the correct stitch count and my floral pattern is looking lovely. I am using AJHC Wool’s Rhea.

If you look in the bag, I am almost up to the frogged strands.

So there you have it. I told you it would be a long post. I think I am all caught up now. If you are still with me, thank you 🙂 That is just about everything I have been up to. So now I want to hear what you have been up to? Have you started a new project? If not, what are you working on?

cross stitch · Knitting · Passione Ricamo · Sampler

What’s New In My Stitching World

December 24, 2018December 24, 2018 My Time Stitching26 Comments

Hello my blogging friends! Here it is, Christmas Eve. Are you all ready for the big day? I am. Though I blew off baking today to take my Mom to do some last minute shopping she forgot. I also spent some time with both of my boys this morning, so that is always good. Later today I will be going to the movies with hubby and #1 son. Then relaxing for the rest of the night. I must say, that getting all of my holiday stuff done a little early to have relaxing time is a must. I have to try this every year 😉

Yesterday I did laundry and started knitting myself a hat.

knitting new hat

I casted on this chunky hat using size 11 and 15 needles. I used Malabrigo Rasta in color Almond Blossom. I have never made myself a hat before and after going to the zoo last week to see the Wild Lights, I realized I needed a winter hat. So a few hours later, this is what resulted:

my knitted hat

It is so soft and such a pretty peachy pink color! All it needs is a pom pom, but I don’t think this yarn will make a good pom pom. So I will head back to the knitting shop after Christmas and see about getting a pom pom maker and figure out a yarn to make one with.

Me wearing my new hat

And here is me wearing my new chunky hat. It looks ok without the pom pom, too. The pattern is the Chunky Cabled hat by Destiny Meyer and it is on Ravelry in case you are interested. This will definitely keep me warm for the rest of the winter and next year when we go to see the lights at the zoo again.

Zoo lights

Us in a lighted Christmas ornament

This years big attraction was this larger than life lighted ornament that we had our picture taken in. So pretty.

This weekend I picked up this beauty from the framer:

I love the frame I chose and think she is beautiful! I am hoping to hang my Pink Princess in my craft room this weekend.

I am still working on the Mystery Sampler from Linen and Thread and am hoping to get the December section done by the end of the month. Here is where I left it yesterday:

mystery sampler december section

This section has been a little difficult for me to figure out where I want what color of the thread to lay where. So I am just winging it. So far it seems to be ok. I hope to post a finish of the entire piece soon 😉

So that is where my stitching has stopped for now. Going to go and enjoy some time with my family. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas if you are celebrating. And I hope that you able to get some stitchy time in, too. I’d love to hear all about what you are stitching these days 🙂

cross stitch · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Sampler · Winter

Only One More Section To Go

November 9, 2018 My Time Stitching26 Comments

Wow! I can’t believe that there is only one more month to go with this Sampler! I finished the November section last night. I have enjoyed stitching on this one and I am looking forward to seeing what the December section is. In case you are interested, this is a FREE pattern from Linen and Threads. This one is the 2018 Mystery Sampler and you can download all of the patterns to create this beauty. I believe the 2017 Mystery Sampler is still on their website, too and I am hearing that there will be a 2019 one also. All for FREE. So wonderful for them to do this. I am stitching this one on 16ct Aida OOAK from Fantasy Dyed Fabrics. It is more of a peach color with gray. I just can’t seem to capture the true color of this one on camera. I am using DMC threads 53 and 310. I love the look of the threads on this one and I can’t wait to unroll it and see all of it at once. But next year I am thinking of using just one color. What will it be???

And this morning, this is what I woke up to:

And it is still snowing 😦 I am definitely not ready for winter and this white stuff. It’s a good thing that I have lots of projects to work on 😉 Now to decide what project I will pick up this afternoon…I am still nursing the elbows, but I am really itching to pick up the hook and crochet on the blanket…

So what are you working on today?

cross stitch · knitted cowl · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · Mermaids · Mirabilia · Sampler · Shannon Christine designs

Lot’s of Stitching Going On

August 1, 2018August 2, 2018 My Time Stitching16 Comments

Hello my friends! Can you believe that today is the first day of August? Where did June and July go? Oh yeah, I was recovering from knee surgery. Still am, but it is getting better. Today it is 10 weeks since my surgery. Doc says full recovery in 3 months. So in just a few more weeks, we will see where I am. In the meantime, I have been stitching…alot. So grab your favorite beverage, this may be a long one.

First up is the Linen and Threads Mystery Sampler. I finished the June/July section in June and I must say that I am pretty pleased with it.

My fabric is more peach than the photo shows. Just can’t seem to get the color to show. Anyway, the August section came out yesterday and I started it last night. I will update when I get it finished. Next up is the mermaid SAL.

I have finished the June mermaid and the July mermaid as well as all the gold outlines for the future mermaids. This is the Treasures of the Deep SAL by Shannon Christine and can be purchased through Fiberlicious. All of the mermaids and all of the gold sections are minus the beads, which will make them so beautiful and sparkly. I will add them all when I am finished the stitching, probably in January after the last mermaid-my birthday mermaid 😉

Next up is lots of yummy knitting! First we have the Funny Rainbow Cowl that I have been working on since April. It is my car travel project since it is straight knitting with an increase at the end and beginning on the one side.

This cowl is so beautiful and the yarn is so soft. I hope to do more with this yarn in the future. The ball is getting smaller, so hopefully soon I will have a finish. I started this with 3 stitches (I think) and am now over 215. I definitely recommend this yarn if you haven’t tried it. Beware, it does split, but worth the work 😉

Next up is a beautiful shawl-my first. My local yarn shop decided to do a Make A Long and meet once a week through the summer. I have only attended the first week, but am hoping to make it tonight.

The pattern is Sea Grass Shawl by Woolenberry. I am just past the first section of lace pattern, so I can breathe a bit while I do some straight knitting with a some increases. I am enjoying this one and can see more Woolenberry patterns in my future 😉

And the last knitting project is an heirloom baby blanket:

I am taking a class at my local yarn shop for this one that started last week. Not that I need a class, but that was the only way to get the pattern that was created by the teacher. It is beautiful! The yarn I chose is nice to work with, but a bit pricey. This will be an expensive blanket. I will tuck it away for a future granddaughter??? Or keep it as a lapghan for myself 🙂 After all, it is pink and matches my craft room 😉

I have one more project to show…I started another cross stitch. Come on, did you really think I could resist starting another project? Well, I couldn’t, LOL

Sorry about the crooked picture, but I was trying to capture the sparkle of the silver DMC E168 thread. So pretty. She is Mirabilia’s 25th anniversary piece and I just couldn’t resist starting her as soon as I received her. I am stitching her on 16ct Aida Custom piece from Hand Dyed by Stephanie. I received this fabric a few years ago and Stephanie called it Banshee Brown. I thought it perfect for Lady Mirabilia.

That is all of my stitching for now. Last weekend hubby and I took a trip to Indiana to the Ft. Wayne Museum of Art to see my favorite photographer’s work. We took a trip to Wisconsin last year to see her show and when I found out it was even closer, I just had to go back.

The photographer is Kirsty Mitchell and her Wonderland series is amazing. If you get the chance to see her work, do it. She also has 5 of her amazing photos on display in Italy. Too far for me to go, but I am so geeked to have gotten to see her show again in Indiana.

So, that is what I have been up to. What are you up to these days? I will leave you with a beautiful sunset hubby and I saw at the beach this last weekend.

cross stitch · knitted cowl · knitted scarves · Sampler

Forced Finishes

April 27, 2018April 27, 2018 My Time Stitching39 Comments

Hello Friends! 11 days ago I tore the meniscus in my knee, so I have not been able to do much. I see a orthopedic surgeon on May 1, so fingers crossed he can fix it. So, while sitting, I have been able to do a few finishes. First, I finished my Diamond Painting.

Sorry about the fuzzy photo. I was trying to stand on my one leg and capture the sparkly of the tiles. This was a wonderful, thoughtful gift from a dear friend. It is a photo I took right outside my front door a few years ago. It is a favorite of mine. I love how it sparkles and can’t wait to frame it. I have recently started a Diamond Dotz, which is the same concept, but the dots are circles rather than the square tiles in the Diamond Painting. I definitely think that the Painting gives a better coverage than the Dotz, but both are beautiful and sparkly. I am addicted 🙂

Next up is a scarf I knitted on the way to and from a mini vacation hubby and I took before I hurt my knee.

I love knitting this type of scarf in the car. It’s a no brainer. One more to add to my stash for gift giving 🙂 And one more skein of yarn out of my stash.

I also finished knitting this cowl:

I LOVE this one! The pattern was a bit tricky to follow as far as what rows to do, so I had to be careful where I was. In fact, in the beginning, I do think I left out a full 4 rows of a pattern, but it is not really noticeable. And when I wear it doubled up around my neck, no one will no for sure. It is knit with one ball of Ella Rae Season. Very soft and squishy and very easy to knit.

And lastly, I finally started the 2018 Mystery Sampler from Linen and Threads.

My fabric is a OOAK from Fantasy Dyed Fabrics and is more of a peach color with hints of gray. I am stitching with DMC 53 and Black and I absolutely love how the stitching looks on this fabric. It is weird how the lighter rows appear to be lines. I am not too sure about the black border yet, but that design really didn’t look well with the variegated thread. I tried it several different ways, but it just didn’t look right, so I decided to go with black. I probably should have went with a dark gray, but I am not ripping out now. I will add more black sections and hope to balance it out.

I have a couple of other projects I had worked on, but it is too difficult to get to them right now for photographing. So they will have to wait until they come back out. So, what are you stitching on today?

cross stitch · knitted cowl · Knitting · Passione Ricamo · Passione Ricamo SAL · Sampler

A Little Fairy

February 16, 2018 My Time Stitching31 Comments

Hello blogging friends! It is mid February already and I feel like my ambition in January is stuck in January. But I am making progress on things 🙂 First up, I have a little Fairy!

Boy did she drive me crazy! Not sure if it was because the designer made the large fairy a lot smaller to fit into this space or what. But the backstitching was so crazy, that I ended up doing it my own way. Too many zig zags within a stitch or 2 that were just not possible on the Aida, so I did my own thing and I think it came out pretty good. I am not that happy with her face. Her green eyes are not that visible, but I will leave it for now. I am just happy to have her finished. Not sure if I will continue with this piece or put it away for now. We’ll see how I feel tonight. This is the 20th Anniversary SAL from Passione Ricamo that was put out in 2014. Yeah, I slacked on this one, but I am hoping for a finish this year…maybe…Anyway, I am stitching her on 16ct Aida Nantucket Sky from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie.

I also have a framed finish! Yep, I picked up from the cross stitch store on Feb. 3. I still don’t have a place to hang it, but it’s home and I love it!

Sorry about the crooked photo. I was trying not to get the glare from the window and maybe my head was tilted, too. What a truly remarkable piece! I loved every stitch of this one and am so proud of myself for keeping up with it and finishing it in the month of December when the last section was released. I love my color choices and where I placed the colors. I would not change a thing about my choices on this one. So, for all the info on this one: 2017 Mystery Sampler from Linen and Threads. Stitched on 16ct Aida Castleview from Silkweaver. Threads are Sullivan’s variegated London Fog and DMC 3888. I am hoping that my color choices for the 2018 Sampler make me as happy as this one. I haven’t started it yet, as I am waiting on a bigger piece of fabric and some threads. I will be sure to share once I get it started. If you are interested in the 2017 or the 2018 Mystery Samplers, you can find the info about them on the Linen and Threads website. They are both FREE patterns, so that is even more amazing!

When hubby took me Birthday shopping in January, one of the things he bought me was this:

A cute Cowl pattern and a very soft, squishy skein of yarn. So I started it 🙂

Oh my gosh! Those colors are so gorgeous!! Very nice pattern, too. I do have to pay attention, at least until I get the hang of the pattern. I am in love! And I can’t wait to see more of the color variations. The pattern is Aspen Cowl by Javori Designs. The yarn is Ella Rae Seasons Yarn color #52. One ball will make the cowl using drop and eyelet stitches. the yarn is 76% acrylic, 14% Wool, 10% Nylon and has 219 yards. The yarn almost looks like a crocheted chain. Gives it that nice squishy texture. According to the pattern there are 280 rows and I have 32 completed rows. Long way to go to a finish, but it is going to be gorgeous when finished.

It is another cold day outside today, but the last 2 days were warmer so our snow is melting. I will leave you with a picture of a sparkly icicle with the sun shining through. So pretty, but glad they are all melted now 🙂

What are you up to?

Category: Sampler

The Last Day of 2019

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And Just Like That It Is June

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What’s New In My Stitching World

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Only One More Section To Go

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Lot’s of Stitching Going On

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Forced Finishes

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A Little Fairy

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