Tag: Rainbow of hope shawl

Craft and Stay Calm
Bella Filipina Designs · cross stitch · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Knitting · Mermaids · Nora Corbett · Project Bags

Craft and Stay Calm

My Time Stitching19 Comments

Hello my blogging friends.  With the Corona Virus news everywhere, it is hard to not wonder and worry.  So I craft and try not to think about it too much.  I do hope that you are safe and healthy where you are.

I have gotten out of the habit of getting on my computer and checking my mail and blogs on a daily basis and I do miss it.  Can you believe that it is already about mid March?  The year is flying by so quickly.  One thing I am glad of is that Spring will be here soon.  We have been flirting with 40’s and 50’s, but I am looking forward to the grass turning green, trees and shrubs budding and flowers breaking through the softening soil.

So, what have I been up to?  Well, I finished the Rainbow of Hope Advent shawl.

Rainbow of Hope shawl finished

Rainbow of Hope shawl finish

It still needs blocking,  but it is finished.  It is so beautiful.  AJ Wools did an awesome job with this Advent shawl.  I am proud of myself for keeping up with it and finishing it on February 2.  Another finish for 2020 😉

Remember the Travel shawl I was working on?  I finally finished that one, too!

Travel Shawl

travel shawl finished

I used the Rainbow Shawl pattern from Katia, but I am not as thrilled with this one.  I had trouble trying to figure out how to wear it.  Lots of fabric at the back of my neck which I don’t like.  But I love the colors and it is so soft.  I used Knit One, Crochet Two Kettle Tweed in color Winter Blossom.  I started this project in October 2018 and finished it March 1, 2020.  So happy to have this one off of my needles.

I picked up a framing from the framer on February 15. Here is Wherefore Art Thou by Nora Corbett.

Wherefore Art Thou framed

She turned out so beautifully!  While this piece is not one of  my very  favorites that I have stitched, she is one of my favorite framings.  Because of the large bead in the middle, it had to be framed almost like a shadow box.  Juanita from Way Cool Mats did an awesome job, as usual.  I just love it so much.  I did find out a few days later that Juanita will be retiring from framing in May.  I have no idea where I will take my stitchings to be framed in the future.  She has framed just about all of my pieces for the last 25 years.  I wish her well, but I will sure miss her.

That brings us to my current projects.  I pulled out Aquamarina on January 17 and have been working on her as much as I can. I am stitching on 16ct Aida one of a kind fabric from Fantasy Dyed Fabrics.

Aquamarina in progress

I have been loving stitching on her.  Her tail is massive and I didn’t think I would ever get through it.  But I did, and here is where I am at with her today.

Aquamarina progress 1

Her colors are much brighter than my photo.  Not sure why they look like that.  The photo on my camera is much brighter.  Anway, I am hoping to finish her in time to get her to the framer before she retires.  I would love for this one to be framed by her.

I am also working on a new knitting project.  I know, I am on a stash diet.  But I have a good reason for buying this yarn and starting this project.  It is a baby blanket for someone special.   And since she may just see this post, I have to turn it black and white. But believe me, the yarn is gorgeous!!  It is from AJHC Wools and it is not your traditional baby color 😉

Baby Fallon blanket black and white

I will show more of this one later.

I received my February Project Bag and it is so pretty and already filled with a future project.

February Project Bag front

I think this is my favorite bag so far.  It is pink 😉  And here is the back.

February Project Back

Febrruary Project bag filled

I am anxiously awaiting my March bag which I am sure will arrive any day now.  I will be sure to share in my next post.

So…that is what I have been up to.  And what I am doing to take my mind off of what it is out there in the world.  What are you doing to keep yourself busy?

Crafty Progress In January
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

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.

Wherefore art thou finish

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.

Wherefore art thou 1

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.

wherefore art thou at framer

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.

rainbow shawl in progress

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:

baby blanket

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:

project name

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

back of proect bag 1

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

xmas gift

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:

project bag from christmas

back of christmas project bag

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

project bag January

back of january project 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.

Aquamarina

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.

Birthday shopping stash

And I finally had my white birthday cake last night 🙂

birthday cake

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?