January SFS

We are almost at the end of January so time to report on my SFS for this month as well as show my finishes, WIPs etc. There are 130 of us taking part in Mel's SFS 2014 and we each have an allowance of $25 a month but I am only going to use that for fabric,  threads and finishing items if I need them.

So if you will just bare with me for a paragraph or two I'll show my finishes etc further down.

I have had three starts from my stash this month so far. I started both Snowflower Diaries Angela and Lone Elm Lane Snow Angel on New Years Day and then Little House Needleworks Little Sheep Virtues Kindness.  I haven't stitched on Angela since my first few stitches but hope to get  back to her soon. I'm a bit disappointed that it's only 3 new starts from my stash but there are a few days left yet to start more lol.

I have worked on several WiPs this month and actually finished 3 of those WIPs as well as finishing one of my stitch from stash starts.

As for buying stash I have been very good. I haven't bought any charts, fabric or thread other than my autos which don't count. I have, however, bought a bag of stuffing at a cost of £7.99.

Admittedly I was desperate to buy myself some stash on the first anniversary of my Dad's passing but I thought it's not going to make me feel any better and I'll just feel a failure as,  even though we have an allowance each month, I don't want to buy new charts when I have all these in my stash.

 

So that's my round up for January's SFS. Onto my finishes now!

Tuesday was my dear friend Chris' birthday and here is what I stitched for her.

Nebby Needle True Friend

36 count flax linen

DMC

Birthday Gift for Chris.

I am happy to say that Chris loves it :)

Last Friday I popped the last stitches into my one of my SALs with Barb. This is Jardin Prive La Pensee Positive which I'm sure you will have seen on many blogs of late. I just love the words on this. I plan on getting a hanger from Sew and So later in the year when I'm need of something else! Barb and I will be starting The Little Stitcher 12 Days of Christmas this Friday :)

Jardin Prive La Pensee Positive

32 count white fabric

DMC

Started 20th September 2013

Finished 17th January 2014

Monday evening and another SAL with  Barb saw me finishing this one. Ignore the year on this. My mind went into 2013 overdrive!

Little House Needleworks Little Sheep Virtues Kindess

32 count vintage country mocha linen

DMC

We'll be starting Gratitude next week :)

Next finish is my December SAL with Chris.  Yes at long last I have finished!  I just love this piece!

Country Cottage Needleworks Silent Night

32 count linen unknown colour

DMC

Started1st December 2013

Finished 21st January 2014

Final finish, which means all 4 that I hoped to get finished are done, is this one! I actually stayed up last night until gone 11pm to finish this! However had Abi and I not been standing at the landing window watching to see where the firemen were earlier on in the evening I wouldn't have had to stay up later! Apparently someone a couple of doors down had accidentally severed an internal gas pipe. Hmmmm could have been very nasty.

Little House Needleworks Song of the Seasons

36 count WDW Straw linen

WDW

Started 8th July 2013

Finished 22nd January 2014.

So that's almost all my WiPs finished. What shall I do now? Of course Snowflower Diaries Angela will be getting some attention and I'll be carrying on with Snow Angel. I want something to replace Song of the Seasons in the parlour at Needlecraft Haven so I'm thinking of starting LHN The North Wind but I will have to change the robin for a British robin! I am also hoping to bet back to the Garden Journal series.

I joined in  the monthly challenge at Needlecraft Haven and Christine chose The Little Stitcher Sheep Day to stitch for January.  It's stitched but I have to make it up yet and have no ideas! Can't show it until reveal day and I hope I get it done before then.

Knitting now. Unfortunately I had to take back the block I was knitting right to the beginning of the pattern. It just would not go right and I was getting ready to scrap the whole thing and sell my wool! Anyway I set off again and managed to knit 20 rows without a problem so took it to craft group and knitted about 26!

So that's all I have to show for now and I'll,  hopefully, be back next week with WiPs to show and a finish that I can't show just yet. I'm feeling really pleased at getting those finishes done before the end of January. Tonight is Snow Angel with Shirlee and I am hoping for no frogs this week! I need to be stitching on winter designs seen as we still don't have snow here. We had a couple of lovely frosty mornings this week but that was it.

Until next time take care everyone.

With much love

Sally xxxx

Some Almost Finishes!

I am queen of the almost finishes this week! You know how it is you can see the finish but it's not quite there yet and no matter now much faster your needle goes it doesn't happen!  However by this time next week I * should * have 3 finishes or maybe even 4! Wow! To  be fair 3 out of those 4 were started last year.

So first almost is Little House Needleworks Song of the Seasons. Just have some leaves etc and the  bottom part of tbe border to do. Hmmmm not sure I can get all that done on my next session on this one but I will try very hard!

Next one is Jardin Prive La Pensee Positive. I am hoping that when I pick this up this evening I can get it done. Barb has finished hers so we'll be starting The Little Stitcher 12 Days of Christmas next Friday :)

Neither Barb or I finished Kindness on Monday but we don't have much more to do so we should get done next Monday then we can start Gratitude.

Look what arrived yesterday!  The last sheep and November's Garden Journal chart. So that's one auto done and one more to go on the garden journal auto.

I also had a couple of bits from Crafty Kitten. Dawn said she could get me some finishing forms when I asked about them on Facebook a while ago and they arrived just before Christmas along with the autographed chart I won on the Norden Crafts Facebook page. As I'd ordered a piece of Winter Skies opalescent fabric I had to wait for it all to be sent to me  but it was paid for in December so does not count as money spent during Stitch From Stash!

I think I went a little off the WIP track there! Here is another one I am hoping to finish soon. My December SAL with Chris. I just have snowflakes to do and finish another bit as I ran out of thread.

Lastly here's my SAL with Shirlee. I had to frog a little last night and, boy, this house seems to be taking forever lol!

I do have the one finish I can show now. Yesterday was my surrogate sis Lisa's birthday and this is what I stitched for her. I changed some of the colours to ones we both like and I added two hand charms to represent hands of friendship. I am happy to say Lisa loves it. I always get in a panic when stitching gifts!

The Primitive Hare Sister Stitcher

36 count flax linen

DMC and DMC Variations

After over a year of being away from it I picked up my knitting this week. Let me tell you it had become so close to going back in the bag! I took it to craft group with me and managed to get a couple of rows done no problem but then ended up having to take a row back and reknit it several times! Then I couldn't work out hkw to do yarn overs before a purl so asked the lady next to me. I got going with it only to discover I was somehow making 2 stitches with my yarn over each time! So I told her what was happening and she got the lady who runs it to help me out. So in two hours I only got 4 rows done! By the time I got sat down late in the afternoon to try it I'd forgotten what she'd shown me but I worked it out in the end!

That's it from me today.  I really must apologise for not visiting and commenting on your blogs. I will get around to it one day!

Take care everyone.

With  much love

Sally xxx

Stitching From Stash Has Begun!

Happy New Year everyone! The New Year is here and stitching from stash is now in full swing! Admittedly the charts I have started haven't been in my stash for long but it's still 3 from my stash! I have had a couple of finishes but can't show them yet. I managed one final finish in 2013 which was this one.

Little House Needleworks Little Sheep Virtues Frindship

32 count Vintage Country Mocha linen

DMC

SAL with Barb.

We both made a start on Kindness this week. I stitched the tree and the wording. Can't believe we only have 2 more to stitch after this one. It has been a brilliant SAL and thank you so much Barb for not only being my stitching buddy but also a very dear friend.  Of course we are still SALing throughout this year as well :)

So my new starts first I think! New Years Day saw me having two new starts. Shirlee and I had decided to pop just a few stitches into Lone Elm Lane Snow Angel on New Years Day then make Thursday our actual day for stitching it. I didn't get a massive amount done and will admit to having a wee crisis with this fabric and wondering if I had made the wrong choice! It is 40 count Newcastle linen in Sand but as I am stitching the Garden Journal pieces on 40 count I should be OK.

My other start was The Snowflower Diaries Angela on 32 count Crafty Kitten Muted Garden opalescent using Nina's Threads and DMC. The lettering isn't showing up too well in this photo but I think it will be OK.

The 5th and final part of La Pensee Positive SAL came out last week so Friday saw Barb and I stitching on that. Here's my progress.  I shall be sorry to see this end but we will still be Friday SALing with The Little Stitcher 12 Days of Christmas. I am looking forward to stitching plenty of Wintery designs this year!

I've been trying to get Little House Needleworks Song of the Seasons finished but when I picked it up last night I stitched the word Autumn then realised it did not line up with Summer! Hmmmm! I checked Winter and it was positioned correctly which meant Autumn was as well. I was a little puzzled to say the least but then discovered that the I in Spring was not right so had to frog Summer and part of Spring!  Thankfully it wasn't too much and it didn't tKe me long to restitch it and carry on. I'm aiming to finish this by the end of the month. 

Finally my December SAL with Chris which is another one I'm hoping to finish by the end of the month. Chris has finished hers.

I'm hoping to get back to a proper rotation soon if I can as it's been a little hit and miss.  I have so much I want to stitch this year while I'm stitching from stash. Also want to get to the  bottom of my finishing pile too. We took some old frames to the charity shop a while ago and I kept one back to frame Curly Q Ewe. Can I find it?! Nope! I will have to have a good look. I thought I'd put it under the bed but.........

Thank you to those of you who voted in the poll in my side bar. There is still time to vote if you would like to. I haven't had a look lately but last time I looked the NYD one winning!

Last Saturday the 4 of us took a trip to Sheffield. We spent a couple of hours in an extremely busy Meadowhall before driving about 10 minutes down the road to the reason for our trip. At the beginning of December DH and I decided to book tickets for Sheffield Arena to see the FIM World Indoor Motorcycle Trials. We all love seeing it on TV so thought what the hell! We had a fantastic evening and what those guys can do with their motorbikes is no body's business! Unfortunately one rider injured his hand/ wrist and was unable to continue. The winner was God knows how many times world champion Tony Bou. He is amazing!

That's all for now. I'll try and get caught up on blogs soon. I've been getting tidied up after taking the Christmas decorations down and the post Christmas blues have now set in and games on my tab seem to be my best friend at the moment and the first anniversary on my Dad's passing is coming up and I have been struggling with that.

Take care everyone wherever you may be and whatever your weather is doing.

With much love

Sally xxxxxx