2018

Hello everyone! Can you believe it is 2018?! It hardly seems like 5 minutes since the beginning of December and I was looking forward to Christmas and now here we are in January. The Christmas decorations are down and everything is so dull and depressing! I am not longing for Spring though as I don't feel like we've had a proper Winter and those of you who know me well will know I love Winter! 

First off I'd like to show you what I stitched for my dearest friends Barb and Lisa for Christmas. First of all what I stitched for Lisa ( thank you June for the inspiration)

Lizzie Kate A Little Stitch

Fabric as kitted

DMC

Started 6th November 2017

Finished 19th November 2017

Christmas gift for Lisa.

I am happy to say that Lisa loved it and it made her cry happy tears :)

Next this is what I stitched for Barb.

Abby Rose Designs Tea for Two

32 count Permin Lambswool linen

WDW, GAST & CC

Started 2nd November 2017

Finished 29th November 2017

Christmas gift for Barb.

I added a couple of Lady Grey teabags but thought Barb could use it as a small stitching pouch too. I am happy to say that she loved it :)

Of course I still had WIPs that I would have liked to have finished by the end of 2017 to give me a clean slate but it didn't happen. I did, however, finish 2 of them so that was pretty good really.

The December SAL I was doing with Chris got finished.

Little House Needleworks No Place Like Home

28 count Permin Amber linen

Crescent Colours and DMC

Started 1st December 2017

Finished 24th December 2017.

I then decided to stitch on Lantern Lane as much as I could and try and get it finished. 

Little House Needleworks Lantern Lane

36 count Lakeside Linens Vintage Pearled Barley.

WDW & CC

Started 3rd September 2017

Finished 31st December 2017.

As always New Years Day can't go by without a new start and I joined in the New Start, Old Stash SAL on the Stitch from Stash group I belong to on Facebook. I've had this one in my stash for a while now. It is Mani Di Donna Winter Cottage in a Ball. 

I have had two new starts this year but I can't show one as it is a gift.

I picked up LHN Born in a Manger again and don't have too much more to do. Barb has finished hers but I am a little behind. Maybe I can get it done tonight!

I am also still plugging away on Lizzie Kate Christmas Sampler.

As Mini Jolly Old Fellow got finished before Christmas I decided to get my dragon SK out the other night and I'll stitch on it one night a week until it is finished. It took me a while to work out where I needed to be etc and, oh boy, I hated it! Once I get back into it I am sure it'll be fine but never again will I cross country on a BAP with so many colours! It WILL get finished!

Lisa and I have started our 300 stitches a week SAL on a BAP we already have started. Of course mine is Guardian but once the dragon is done I'll move it into my rotation properly then do 300 stitches a week on Tilton Crafts Always. Fingers crossed I get the dragon finished soon before it drives me mad!

I still haven't got my socks blocked but my blockers arrived! Here are my socks before blocking and I'll show a photo of them blocked when I get them done.

I started a hat and finished it yesterday. It should be blocked but I'm fearful that if I do it it will end up too big. I think I will give it a wash and see if I can smooth out the stitches without blocking. Once I've done that I'll make a pompom and sew that on. I didn't use the recommended wool in case I made a mess of knitting it!

Donna Smith Designs Baa-ble Hat

Stylecraft Special Aran 

This year I want to try my absolute best to buy as few charts as I possibly can. I signed up for the LHN Farmhouse Christmas series a while ago and they are going to be my only chart purchases I hope for 2018! If I need fabric and threads for a project I will allow myself those. It is going to be tough as I love collecting charts as much as love stitching them but it has to stop. I have been doing better over the past couple of years especially as I just feel guilty having so many lovely charts in my stash. 

Finally I received some lovely gifts for Christmas from my stitching friends. I've taken a photo and the angel needleminder is from Lisa, The sheep shopper and card are from Mouse and the tea towel is from Christine. Thank you so much ladies :)

So that is all from me for now. Here's to a happy, healthy stitched filled 2018 and lots of friendship too :)

Until next time. With much love,

Sally xxxx

My Birthday, Finishes and Father Christmas Framed!

Hello everyone! I'll apologise now as this is going to be a bit of a picture heavy post. I'll start with my two recent finishes.

First up is this lovely.

Little House Needleworks Christmas Angel

32 count Platinum linen

DMC

Started 31st October 2017

Finished 14th December 2017

Then this one.

Mani Di Donna Winter Days Sewing Basket

28 count Permin Silver Blue Linen

DMC

Started 26th August 2017

Finished 16th December 2017.

If I get chance I'll start making up the basket before Christmas!

As you may know I do a private ornament exchange each December with 2 of my dear stitching friends Chris and Barb. This is what I stitched for Chris.

Lizzie Kate Very Merry ( JCS ornament mag 2017)

32 count Permin Natural linen

DMC

Started 14th October 2017

Finished 17th October 2017.

Ornament for Chris.

And this is what Chris stitched for me which I love. I've hung it from my new garland on the mantlepiece. Thank you so much Chris xx

This is what I stitched for Barb.

Lizzie Kate Flora McSample's 2016 Treats Do You Hear

32 count Permin Lambswool linen

DMC

Started 14th October 2017

Finished 31st October 2017

Ornament for Barb.

And this is what Barb stitched for me which, again, I love! Thank you so much Barb xx

I am getting down my WIPs now and am hoping for an almost clean slate to start 2018 with! Haha! If it happens it'll be a miracle!

Chris and I started our annual December SAL. We are stitching LHN No Place Like Home. I am stitching mine on 28 count Permin Amber linen using some of the recommended threads. I have frogged the words more times than I care to remember!

Barb and I are still stitching away on our SAL pieces. For our Lizzie Kate I am stitching this one.

For our sheep one we are both stitching LHN Born in a Manger. I am loving this one!

I am still plugging away at LHN Lantern Lane and now have a wall and some railings! I can't see this one being finished for the end of the year!

My socks are finished but I didn't take a photo! I'm waiting for the sock blockers I ordered to arrive so that I can block them. Fingers crossed they arrive before Christmas! I have now started a hat. Call me brave or stupid but it's my first hat and I've chosen a fairisle one!

I framed Mini Jolly Old Fellow although I am not 100% happy with him. 

Finally it was my birthday last week and I was thoroughly spoilt by my family and friends. Abi took me out for lunch on Wednesday to Costa so we could try one of their festive sandwiches and hot chocolate. We were going on my birthday but some of the roads weren't too good after rain then a keen frost. Anyway I will let the picture do the talking as I've written on them who they are from.  The only one not photographed is the jacket that Jess bought me as I have been wearing it :) Thank you all so much for thinking of me on my birthday xxxx

Oh also ( I have so much to show you that I almost forgot!) I received some ornaments from Barb, Michelle and June for my tree :). Thank you so much ladies.

Well I think that is all my news for now. I know I won't get chance to blog again before Christmas so I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas. Stay safe and have a wonderful time. Thank you for continuing to visit me and leave such lovely comments even though I don't visit you all as often as I should.

With much love,

Sally xxxxx

Soon Be The New Year.

Well it won't be long now before 2017 is upon us. Where did 2016 go? It is so scary as it hardly seems like 5 minutes since this time last year!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We had a brilliant time with just the 4 of us for most of Christmas Day then DH's auntie came for tea. We laughed a lot, ate too much, didn't drink any alcohol and just generally enjoyed spending precious time together. On Boxing Day my sister and her husband came for dinner which was lovely as they rarely come. It was spoilt a little though by Jess having to work. I won't get on my high horse as I'm sure many of you know already how I feel about Boxing Day opening for retail and I think all shops should have to close. Anyway we made the best it though and still enjoyed ourselves but it wasn't the same without her. I miss the days of them being at school etc when they had 2 weeks off but time moves on and things change. Both girls are working New Year's Day.

I wasn't going to have anymore new starts until New Year's Day but I couldn't resist the temptation and started this on Christmas Eve.

I bought this last year so it's time I stitched it!

However I have chosen this for my New Year's Day start and my Dad bought me it ( with my DH's help ) about 5 years ago! I belong to a couple of groups on Facebook that are having New Year's Day starts so thought I'd join in. I usually do have a new start that day but it's nice to join in with others.

Just before Christmas I decided to get the rest of my ornaments from this year made up and on the tree. These are the last few and they are not very good as I did them in a bit of a rush! I still have my December one to stitch yet but I'll get around to that in January if I have time.

I haven't stitched on Mini Jolly Old Fellow since before Christmas but I did make some good progress on it with Barb and I stitching for a week on one thing. I am really pleased with what I have achieved on this as when I picked it up again at the beginning of the year for the first HAED challenge I had only stitched about 30 rows on page one and now I've almost finished 5. I'm aiming to get it finished in the first half of the 2017! 

Chris and I have been stitching away on our December SAL. It'll become a January SAL I think but I've got more done than I expected I would. It'll be coming out again this evening.

I have stitched a little more on Winter, which is my SAL with Barb, but I forgot to take a photo of it.

I received some lovely Christmas gifts from my stitching friends. They really are too kind to me and I can't say enough how stitching friends are simply the best. I feel very cut off and lonely sometimes ( partly my own fault ) so all those friends I've "met" via stitching and blogging are my lifeline sometimes.

First of all a simply gorgeous needle minder from my lovely surrogate sis Lisa. Just look how Robin sparkles! Thank you so much Lisa. I love it.

From my lovely friend June I received this beautiful Robin ornament which went straight on my tree! Thank you so much June. He is so sweet and I will treasure him always.

From my lovely friend Michelle this gorgeous wool to knit a snood, which will be lovely and warm, and a beautiful scissor fob/ key chain/ handbag charm with my name on and a sheepy! Thank you so much Michelle. I love them.

Last but by no means least from the lovely Christine a lavender pouch ( which smells divine ) and some Anchor threads. Thank you so much Christine. I love to have lavender on my bed side cabinet so that is where the pouch will be going. 

So soon I will be starting Stitch from Stash again and I am hoping to do well and only buy fabric and threads if I need them and NO CHARTS other than my auto ship for Snow Place Like Home. I've signed up for the first half of the year then I will see how I feel. I am really hoping to get through a lot of the charts I have in my stash. I didn't do quite so well with finishes this year. I had 32 finishes ( not many compared to other years ) and 11 of those were ornaments from the JCS mags and not charts from my stash! However I have worked on my HAEDs more so I guess something has to give. Maybe next year I will do better!

All that is left now is to wish you all a very Happy 2017. May it be happy, healthy, prosperous and stitch and stash filled ( unless you're doing stitch from stash like me!! ). Thank you for sticking me and see you all in the new year :)

With much love.

Sally xxx

Lots to Show.

Hello everyone out there in blog land! It has been 6 weeks since I last blogged and I will admit that I really don't know where to start! I have so much to show you so be prepared for a picture heavy post although I may end up forgetting some bits! I really need to blog more regularly. 

First of all you may remember me stitching Garden Bliss by Silver Creek Samplers almost 2 years ago. It has been languishing in my finishing pile waiting for me to to get my head around personalising it for my late Dad. Well I finally did it and had it framed. It's been hanging on my living room wall for a few weeks now.

Barb, Chris and I have been getting on with our ornament SAL. I managed to get another one made up, finished stitching June's and July's and started one for August.

I needed to order the eyes for my August one and the only place I could find them online in the UK was Sew and So. I couldn't just order those so I also ordered a DMC I had run out of, CCN's Merry Christmas My Deer, which is the one Chris and I will be stitching for our December SAL, and one of the CCN Gingerbread Village charts as Chris and I are planning to do a SAL of it next year and sharing the cost of the charts. I have been very good this year when it comes to stash buying and I have to say I am very proud of myself. Compared to other years I've bought very little and long may it continue!

I finished off With Thy Needle and Thread Sweet Violet as a simple pillow. I do love how it turned out even though it is a simple finish. 

I passed the chart onto Lainey and look what she sent me as a thank you.

Isn't it just so cute! Thank you so much Lainey.

Of course Sweet Violet was stitched with Barb for our sheep SAL and since then I've stitched 2 other sheepy designs and started a 3rd.

Barb suggested that we stitch on one thing for a week each month and I thought it was a brilliant idea. This week is the week and I decided to stitch on my HAED Mini Jolly Old Fellow. I feel very slow on my HAEDs compared to some of the people who stitch them but I do stitch on other things as well. 

I've made some good progress on my SK Dragons History too. I haven't stitched on it for a couple of weeks but I will get back to it! Those eyes are so cute!

OK what else have I been stitching? Hmmmmm. Oh yes! LHN Soft and Sweet! I finished that one then made a measly start on Season's Greetings. I guess it's a start though! I've had this in my stash for nearly 2 years so it was time I started it.

Another finish was the bonus sampler from the Lizzie Kate The Little Mystery. I wasn't keen on the colours as I was stitching it but now it's finished all the colours have come together nicely. I have the 3 charts and embellishment pack for sale if anyone is interested :)

I think I had finished the stitching on LHN Hands to Work last time I blogged and now I have it made up!

I think I just have 2 things left to show you. ( breath a sigh of relief! I'm so sorry but it has been 6 weeks!). I've been picking up Tilton Crafts Always ( Alan Rickman tribute ) a little bit and am still stitching black. Lol! Typing of Tilton Crafts if you've never seen Shelley's lovely charting and love stitching BAPs then please head on over to Tilton Crafts and have a look. If you're on Facebook search for her page as there is a coupon code to use for 25% off charts and there's only a few days left :)

Final stitching to show is the bonus block on my Anniversaries of the Heart piece. I haven't done as much as I would have liked but again this one hasn't been stitched on much these last few weeks.

We had been talking about having our bathroom done last year but just never got around to it. We'd asked one firm to give us a price a few weeks ago but they never got back to us ( one of my pet hates!) so we asked my DH's cousin ( we'd have asked him in the first place but we didn't know he did them ). He said he could do it before he went on holiday otherwise it would be 3 months after that meaning it would be nearly Christmas. Getting it done before he went on holiday meant a mad rush to try and get a bathroom suite and all the bits needed for the job and lots of stressful moments! Getting it done wasn't straightforward as he found problems that had be fixed but, having said that, it was a good job really otherwise it would have led to more problems and more than likely lots of damage! It's not quite finished yet but it is so good to have a new bathroom. We bought this house in 1988 and the suite was in when we bought it. Next job will be the dining room! 

Last week my DH and Abi were on holiday from work but we didn't do much. We had a couple of trips out so the girls could do a bit of shopping and I ended up adding 5 books to my collection! Oh dear I really must stop it for the rest of the year but Abi and I are still waiting for CL Coffey to do a signing in Hull for her new book and we keep hoping it'll be soon! I have also been looking for a Snape Pop Vinyl figure and have looked in every shop that sells them whenever we have been out. We walked into Waterstones in York and there he was! So I had to buy him! 

I think I now need to go hide away from books and get on with reading some of the ones I already have! I'm currently reading Sourcery by Terry Pratchett but have found it hard to get into. I am finally enjoying it, put my stitching away last night and had just starting reading the next paragraph when the power went off!

Well I had better stop waffling, get all these photos uploaded and publish this. I do hope you won't all have left me and will still visit.

Until next time.

With much love.

Sally xxx