Crossing Stitches Is Soothing

October 14, 2020 My Time Stitching8 Comments

Hello again! Two days in a row! Wow! Yesterday I told you I would share what I am cross stitching. Cross stitching is very calming to me. I usually save my cross stitch time for evenings. But there are days that I just can’t wait to start making little x’s so I will stitch in the morning. But whenever I sit down to stitch, it always helps me to relax and let go of what is going on around me. So, what am I stitching on?

20 year anniversary from Passione Ricamo

When I finished stitching Lady Mirabilia, I pulled this WIP out and have been working on it ever since. This is the 20 Year Anniversary Piece from Passione Ricamo. I have finished the Prosperity block, minus the beads which will be added when the entire piece is finished.

Then I went on to stitch the Calypso block and the Once Upon a Time blocks.

I have started the last block in this row, but just barely, so nothing really to show. And since I have been so good the last 10 months in not starting any new cross stitch projects, I decided to treat myself to a mystery SAL from Autumn Lane Stitchery. It is called Dark Queen of the Seas. It started on September 1 and once I started seeing all the cute fish popping up in the facebook group, I could resist no longer. So I purchased the pattern from Autumn Lane’s Etsy in September and ordered the fabric and beads and specialty threads from Under the Sea Fabrics. I was so excited to get this and get started, you know, with the hint about a mermaid. People were tagging me in the post, too because they knew I love mermaids. But, after purchasing the pattern, and reading the welcome letter and the details, I was disappointed. In the details were instructions that if you wanted to post on social media, use the hashtag Dark Queen of the Seas or hashtag It’s not a mermaid. What? How? Why? Oh I was so deflated. I probably would not have purchased the pattern if this info was up front. I did receive my products and started stitching on it this week. I purchased Opalescent fabric from Under the Sea Fabrics and after stitching half of a fish, decided no way. I love the look of Opalescent fabrics, but I just can’t stitch on them. I think it is the light reflection in the sparkles and then it makes it difficult for me to see the holes. So I ditched that fabric and picked up a fabric I was originally thinking of stitching it on, 16ct Aida Iris from Fabrics by Stephanie.

I think it will look fine on this fabric. It is much lighter than the recommended fabric, but I think it will work fine. I had done a floss toss on this fabric when I first pulled it from my stash. I should have stuck with my original choice 😉

So I will continue stitching on it, even though it will be an Ursula type character and not a mermaid. The MSAL runs for a year, so a small section each month will give me a nice break from the 20 year anniversary piece. I have also ordered a special project bag that a lot of people have received and are using for this project. I can’t wait! I will share when I receive it.

I have received my September “Christmas Gift” project bag from Clevergirl Designs.

A fun travel themed bag. And yesterday I received my October Bag..

Love the October bag!! So cool looking. And my little pumpkin that I crocheted last year.

So that is what I have been up to. What are you doing these days to relax?

Craft projects · cross stitch · Elegant Ladies · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · Mermaids · Mirabilia · Project Bags · storage bags · yarn

Knitting, Cross Stitch and Vampire Diaries

August 24, 2020 My Time Stitching12 Comments

Hi! How are you? Are you still hunkered down? Are you finding things to keep you busy? For me, the answer to both questions is Yes. I have submerged myself into crafting and watching The Vampire Diaries on Netflix. I have been enjoying the series immensely and will be sad when I am finished. Which will be pretty soon, as I am on the last season. So I think I slowed down on the viewing, trying to drag it out as long as I possible can. So what have I been working on while I have been getting my Vampire fix?

Well, I finished stitching Lady Mirabilia. She turned out beautifully!

Just look at all of those sweet, sparkly beads!!

I love that the designer chose this design to commemorate her 25 years of designing Mirabilia designs.

I have pulled another WIP to work on, but haven’t stitched on it too much. I will post more about it in my next post.

I have done quite a bit of knitting. So much so, that my tennis elbow has flared up. So I have been wearing my brace and trying not to knit so much at one time. On July 28, I joined the Mermaids in the Waves shawl. It has mermaid in the title; I just had to 🙂

For this shawl, I decided on yarns from AJHC Wools. I chose colors Min and Blushing Bride (the variegated) both in Basic sock. I had it in my mind to do a Coral mermaid, and these colors are perfect.

I loved knitting this shawl so much. It took me 17 days, in between another knitting project. I will get to that one in a minute. It still needs blocking and I still have to figure out how to wear it, but I love it. I think I may need a shawl cuff. We’ll see. The pattern is by Softyarn Designs and is available on Ravelry.

So the other knitting project I started is the Sharon Show MKAL by Casapinka that started on August 7. I chose yarn from Miss Babs in some pretty pastel colors.

The yarn is Caroline, and I have mixed feelings about it so far. It has knitted up nicely, but so far 3 of the 4 balls have been a mess, coming out in hunks from the center. I have wound many, many cakes of yarn and this is the first time I have had this happen. That is why I am leaning towards it being the yarns fault 😉 This yarn creates some little fuzz balls that attach and tangle the yarn! How in the heck does that happen? And I have found some places where the double strand is broken 😦 So, I will see how this ends up. For now I will keep knitting.

I am now working on clue 3 and I will try to get a better picture when I am finished. I am really enjoying the knitting on this one and so far, I have been able to watch the Vampires while knitting without any trouble.

Did you notice the knitting bag in my photo above? I had Clevergirl Designs make it to match my June project bag. It is so cute and was just perfect for the mermaid KAL. And here is my July Project Bag. My special order knitting bag arrived with it.

July Project bag and Mermaid knitting bag

Another mermaid project bag! Squee!! I forgot to get a picture of the back of it. But it has lots of cute mermaids on it. I will have to get a picture for next time. I received my August project bag on Friday. A sweet Summer theme!

The back has the same fabric as the top. It is so cute and perfect for summer. I wonder what project I will put inside….

So this post has taken me many hours to do. WordPress has changed their format again, and I have no idea what I am doing. All these blocks keep popping up and boxes with a plus sign in them. I was just getting used to the old way. I really want the old way back. I do not like this block thing at all. But I got throughit with most of my now gray hair in tact. I had better hurry up and hit publish before I lose it all.

So that is what I have been up to. What have you been doing the last month and a half?

Bella Filipina Designs · cross stitch · Cross Stitch Patterns · Elegant Ladies · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · Mermaids · Project Bags · Storage · storage bags · WIP

Still At Home, Still Crafting

July 6, 2020July 6, 2020 My Time Stitching12 Comments

It’s been almost 4 months at home during this Pandemic. I am sad, frustrated, depressed, angry and lost. I am sad for all of those that have been sick with this virus and for those that have lost loved ones. I am frustrated and depressed because I can’t go out and do the things I used to do or go to the places I used to go. And I am angry because the numbers of cases are going up again and hospitals are reaching capacity in some states. I cry watching the news, wishing I could magically make everything ok. And I have periods where I just don’t want to do anything. My husband is going back to work tomorrow, and I am really sad about this. I will miss him being home and I worry about him being in a place where the risk goes up. So I turn to my crafting to take my mind off of things. So, what exactly have I been up to?

First, I want to talk about a product that I purchased on-line a month or so ago from a yarn shop. I saw this product last summer at a fiber fest, but chose to spend my money on yarn at the time. But it has been in the back of my mind as a great organizational piece. How do you store your circular needles? This is what I decided to use:

Sorry about the poor photo. It was the best I could get while it was empty. It is hand made by Wonderfully Made and I thought it was a great idea. So as soon as it arrived, I started pulling my needles out of their original packages and threading them onto the holder.

Now I am not so sure. Now I will have to put the needles in a needle gauge to find the size I want (which was included with this holder) and will have to measure to see how long they are. And I always forget if I am supposed to measure from tip to tip or just the cable. I think it was easier to flip through the packages in my accordion needle holder to find what I wanted. It looks nice and I love the concept. Maybe in time I will forget all of the packages. What do you think?

In my last post, I forgot to post my May project bag. It took 19 days to get to me by mail and from a driving distance of about 20 minutes. It really took the scenic route.

This is the front. I love the pink and yellow watercolor top of this one. And the striped border looks awesome with the Spring colors.

Here is the back. Just look at all of those pink boots! So fun and totally a surprise. And since then, I have received the June bag. It arrived in record time, getting to me in a day.

I was over the moon when I received this one. It is now my favorite 😉

And here is the back. SO SWEET! Kristine knows me well. And she does an awesome job with all of her project bags. Different shapes and styles for everything you want to store. She is Clevergirl Designs and you can find her on intsagram. Oh, and this bag is already filled with a project gifted to me from a very sweet friend.

I can’t wait to start stitching this beauty. I still need to find a fabric. So for now, I am still stitching on Lady Mirabilia and here is how she looks this morning.

She is getting there. She has been a joy to stitch and I find myself relaxing while stitching on her. Unlike my knitting project…

I pulled out the Wingspan yesterday and knitted 3 rows and was so done. This pattern is not hard, just requires my complete attention and I feel like I hold my breath and really tense up during every row. Ugh! But it is my only knitting project on needles right now and I really would love to get it finished. A few rows every day 😉 So far, I am very proud of myself that I have not started anything new. Still trying to get WIP’s finished.

I spent last weekend getting some of this and that done. And I crossed 2 bigger projects off of my to do list. I finally redid all of my cross stitch files. They were still mostly in boxes from when we remodeled the basement. They all wouldn’t fit in the 2 filing drawers I had planned, so they went into the old file cabinet and with a few more files added.

It took 2 1/2 drawers, but they are like I want them. And all patterns are filed. Woo Hoo!

I also reorganized most of my yarn. I put a lot of it in the 2 file drawers that would not hold all of my cross stitch files. the top drawer is all AJHC Wools yarn. Just love her yarn. The 2nd drawer is mostly 2 skein project yarns. It will be fun to rummage through the drawers when I want to start a new project.

My ottoman is also home to some pretty yarn, Mostly one skeiners.

So that is what I have been up to. Trying to keep myself a little busy and away from the tv, except to watch Vampire Diaries. How are you spending your time these days?

Bella Filipina Designs · cross stitch · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Knitting · Mermaids · Project Bags · Uncategorized · yarn

Shelter In Place and Craft

April 25, 2020 My Time Stitching20 Comments

Wow! It has been over a month since my last post. So much has happened in the world since then. Just 2 days after my last post, we decided to shelter in place. Hubby’s work suggested that people who can work from home, do so. The next week our state issued a stay at home order. Today is day 42. Home is my happy place, but I can’t say that it has been totally easy. There are some days that just get away from me without getting much done. I have so many things to do that sometimes I don’t know what to do and I do nothing. But I am trying to get something done everyday. Today, is my blog post 🙂 So I have pulled my pictures to share with you what I have been up to this last month. I actually have a couple of finishes! First, remember the black and white photo I shared of a project I had started last month?

Well, it is a baby blanket. The yarn is AJHC Wools in color Aether. It is so gorgeous and I knew it was the perfect color for a friend who was expecting a little boy.

The pattern is Simple Eyelet Baby Blanket by LeeLee Knits and is available on Ravelry. I really enjoyed working on this blanket. The pattern was nice and simple, but elegant looking.

Sadly, my friend lost her baby. My heart aches for her and her husband. I cannot even imagine what they are going through. I finished the blanket. It still needs to be blocked. Then I will tuck it away for now.

I also finished Aquamarina this last week and she turned out so beautiful and sparkly!

I am thrilled with how she turned out. She is my first Bella Filipina finish and I can honestly say she will not be my last. The fabric is 16ct Aida, a one of a kind from Fantasy Dyed Fabrics and is really is the perfect fabric for her.

So far I have not pulled another cross stitch out to work on, but I am really itching to. Instead, I have been knitting in the evenings on a cowl project I had started last September. The Wilma Cowl.

It is a project I picked up last September during a Shop Hop. The pattern is from a book and the yarn is Heritage from Cascade Yarns in colorway #502. It is supposed to have chevron pattern all around, but they really are not showing up well in this yarn, even though it is the yarn called for. When I stretch it I can see it somewhat, but for the most part it just looks like random knitting. The yarn is soft and the color is perfect for fall, so I will continue on with it in between working on this project:

Yeah, it is the Wingspan. And if I wasn’t turning gray from the Corona Virus, I would be from this project. I pulled it out and put in my second lifeline right away. Knitted 4 or 5 rows and had to rip back to the lifeline. Picked up the stitches and knit the rows back in. Now I am up to Section D, another transition section. So I add another lifeline. I hold my breath the entire row and UGH! I have 2 stitches left over. So I rip out to the lifeline and boy were they a bear to pick back up this time! Finally got them back on the needle and knitted the row again. Perfect. Thank heavens for Lifelines. But for now, the project is in a time out! I wanted to knit a couple of rows everyday so I can get this finished, but it is too stressful some days. So I will wait until later this week to take it out of time out. I thought I had been working on this project for 2 years, but turns out that I started in June 2019, so it hasn’t even been a year. Just maybe I can get it done before the year is up 😉 But then again…maybe not. There is a newproject start in my near future! More about that in a minute…

I have also pulled out my sewing machine and have been making masks for family and friends. I made 25 until I ran out of elastic. I received a small shipment of elastic on Thursday, so I need to get back to sewing to fill some more orders I have received. I will sew again until I run out of elastic and wait for my original shipment to arrive, hopefully soon. It is a little something I can do to help out during this pandemic.

Since I last posted, I have received my March and April project bags from CleverGirl Designs. They are so cute!

I love the knitting on the March bag on the left. And the April bag has such cheery colors!

This is the back side of both bags. March on the left with little kitties to go with the yarn balls. Fun, vintage typewriters on the back of the April bag. I love them both and have yet to fill them with a future cross stitch project. But don’t worry. I have a gazillion projects to choose from 😉 They won’t be empty for too long. I have really enjoyed getting these happy mail packages every month, especially now during stay at home.

So, this leads me to the very near future project I mentioned earlier. If you are a knitter, you probably have heard about Casapinka’s new shawl pattern that is out this weekend. This weekend was supposed to be National LYS day and she designed a pattern for the shops to give for FREE when purchasing the yarn for the shawl. This is the Breathe and Hope shawl:

I fell in love with this as soon as I saw it in my email!! I love the colors and the pattern. She is not telling us the yarn used, so that we can shop at the yarn shops. I do hope that someday she reveals the yarn used, as it definitely deserves recognition. The day before this photo arrived in my email, I had purchased a special bag and matching yarn from Tippy Tree Yarns. The spring bag made by Knit 2 Together, has a matching skein of yarn dyed by Tippy Tree Yarns. I contacted her after receiving the email from Casapinka asking if she had a solid color to match the yarn. She did and I ordered it and it should arrive this week. It is a dark coral and I think it will be perfect with the yarn I just received yesterday.

I am so excited for a new start this week. I know I shouldn’t, but the Breathe and Hope shawl is perfect for this situation we are all in.

So, that is what I have been up to. How are you spending your days while sheltering in place? Do you have any new projects started? Finish anything during our quarantine? I’d love to hear about it! And as always, be safe and stay healthy.

Bella Filipina Designs · cross stitch · Fabric · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Knitted Shawl · Knitting · New stash! · Nora Corbett · Project Bags · storage bags · yarn

Crafty Progress In January

January 31, 2020January 31, 2020 My Time Stitching16 Comments

Hello my blogging friends! It seems like I blinked a few times, and now January is just about over. Wow! But I was productive. So grab your coffee or favorite beverage and I hope I don’t bore you too much 😉

Early in January, I was reluctant to make a New Year’s Resolution list. I know that there are things I want to accomplish this year, but I didn’t want to call them Resolutions. So that first week in January I decided to go with a “word” for 2020 and that word is “conquer”. I want to conquer all of my started knitted, crochet and cross stitch projects. I want to conquer all of my scrapbook kits and photos. I want to conquer some things in my personal life also. So conquer is a good word for me for 2020. And I have made some progress. On January 16 I finished a cross stitch project that has been in the works since 2016.

I have to apologize for the photos of her. They are from my phone and are not the greatest. For some reason I forgot to photograph her before I put her in for framing.

Just look at that large, beautiful bead that was made in Italy! So beautiful. It is quite bulky and I wasn’t going to add it, but then couldn’t resist as it is beautiful.

Here she is at my Local Needlework Shop, looking to find the perfect frame that is also deep enough to accommodate that bead. I think I chose well 🙂 Can’t wait for her to go to the framer and come back. I will be sure to take photos with my camera 😉 She is stitched on 16ct Aida Pink Impatiens from Silkweaver. All the threads are hand dyed The pattern is Wherefore Art Thou from Nora Corbett.

I almost have a knitting finish. I am so close. Like tomorrow I will probably finish it.

This is the Rainbow of Hope shawl from AJHC Wools. It is the advent shawl that I started on December 1. I have 1 1/2 more leftover micro skeins to add and it will be finished, aside from blocking. It is so big and so beautiful. The colors are so scrumptious! The pattern is available on Ravelry and some kits are available on her Etsy at http://www.ajhcwools.com

A couple of months ago I knitted a baby blanket for a friend, but didn’t want to post it until it had been gifted. Then I forgot to take pictures. I do have one photo of it all folded up:

This was made with Plymouth Encore yarn, held double. The pattern book said all the patterns could be made in 8 hours. Not true. Not for me anyway, and I am a pretty quick knitter. Maybe it could have been made in a weekend if that was all I did. But it is a blanket that could be made pretty quickly if you were in a pinch to get one done. I love how it turned out. It is soft and cuddly and I do love how the striping came out on this one.

Back in November, I went to my LYS and Clevergirl designs was having a pop up shop there. I just love her bags. She had 1 bag that she was introducing that day. Just one of them. A flat project bag with a clear front. Perfect for my cross stitch projects! So I snatched it up and told her I hoped she would make more in the future. Here is the bag I purchased:

Here is the back of the bag. Lots of squares sewn together. So cool.

I love these bags so much! And Hubby was with me when I bought this one. So guess what I received for Christmas?

Hubby asked Kristene of Clevergirl Designs if she would do a bag a month for a year and she said yes. I was so surprised when I opened this on Christmas morning. Hubby also gave me this for Christmas:

This one holds my current cross stitch project that I am working on. And on my birthday last week, I received my January bag.

I just love these bags. the clear window in the front allows me to see what is inside without having to open the bag. And they are so pretty and Kristine does such a great job on them.

Here is the next WIP project I have picked up to work on getting finished.

This is Aquamarina by Bella Filipina Designs. It feels good to be stitching on her again. I am hoping she will be my first Bella Filipina finish, soon. I am stitching her on 16ct aida, a one of a kind fabric from Fantasy Dyed Fabrics. I love it and think Aquamarina is going to look amazing on it.

Since last week was my birthday, Hubby took me to my LNS where I belong to their stitchy club. Included in the membership is a 20% off birthday shopping spree during your birthday month. So I picked up a few things 😉 Hubby went next door and bought me chocolate and then took me to dinner. The Clevergirl bag in the back ground arrived in the mail when I got home that day. I thought it was a nice background for my photo.

And I finally had my white birthday cake last night 🙂

I also have scrapbooked 20 pages this month. So I think I have a pretty good start to conquering the things I want to do in 2020. Do you have a word or a list for what you want to achieve in 2020?

Tag: Project Bags

Crossing Stitches Is Soothing

Like this:

Knitting, Cross Stitch and Vampire Diaries

Like this:

Still At Home, Still Crafting

Like this:

Shelter In Place and Craft

Like this:

Crafty Progress In January

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: