New Starts & Finishes

Hello! Here we are in February and it has been chilly. We haven't had anything more than a few light snow flurries which has been so disappointing. Some parts of the country have had quite a bit but I'm still hoping! In the meantime I'll just stitch Winter.

So since my last post I've had quite a few finishes so that means a few new starts. First the finishes.

 

Lizzie Kate A Little Stitch

32 count Lambswool linen

DMC

Started 3rd January 2018

Finished 7th January 2018.

Birthday gift for Chris.

Of course this was finished when I did my last post but I couldn't show it as it was a birthday gift for my dear friend Chris. I am happy to say that she loved it :)

Another finish is this one.

Mani Di Donna Winter Cottage in a ball

Weeks Dye Works gingham linen

DMC & GAST

Started 1st January 2018

Finished 24th January 2018

Please excuse my photos. I think I had my settings wrong on my camera!

As you may remember Barb and I stitch on Lizzie Kate Designs on a Monday evening. I finished this one.

Lizzie Kate Christmas Sampler

28 count Amber linen

DMC

Started 20th November 2017

Finished 22nd January 2018

Then I started this one and finished it at craft group today.

Lizzie Kate Flora McSample 2016 Treats Do You Hear What I Hear

28 count Lambswool linen

DMC

Started 29th January 2018

Finished 13th February 2018

On Fridays Barb and I stitch on sheep designs.I popped the last stitches into this.

Little House Needleworks Born in a Manger

40 count vintage country mocha

CC & DMC

Started 10th November 2017

Finished 12th January 2018

Now I have started The Drawn Thread The Pastoral. No sheep yet!

As I said finishes mean new starts. First one is Country Cottage Needleworks Snow Place Like Home 1. I'm stitching it on 40 count vintage country linen using the suggested threads.

Barb, Sue ( no blog) and I are SALing on the new LHN Farmhouse Christmas series and we started it a week last Sunday. I am using threads from my stash for this one.

Lisa and I made a start on our stocking SAL. It is going to take us years to get them done but it's nice to stitch on it just one night a month. My start doesn't look much but this is 2 evening's worth.

My dragon is getting some love and I am now determined to get him done. It's going much easier now I've worked out exactly what I'm doing!

Of course Lisa and I are working on doing 300 stitches a week on a BAP of our choice and I'm doing well at keeping up with mine.

I almost forgot that I got my Winter Days Sewing Basket made up. It is far from perfect as I really struggled with it.

Finally you may remember my Baa-ble hat from my last post. Well I decided that it was too big and I was likely to lose it off my head so out it came. I had to order some smaller DPNs to knit it up again and it's finished and fits much better this time :)

So far 2018 has not been brilliant. Well it actually started Christmas Day going to a family meal and just went from bad to worse quite quickly. My eldest DD has been suffering with anxiety attacks and a couple of weeks ago it got so bad that she couldn't even leave the house to go to work. I rang our surgery to ask for a home visit but I was refused one because she's too young. I felt like screaming well what the hell am I supposed to do! Thankfully they were able to give her a phone appointment and she was given short term medication so that she could eventually get to the surgery. That was fun  trying to get her there last week as she had an anxiety attack but the staff were very good. Anyway she is now on longer term medication and seems to be doing that bit better. She is managing to get out the house now with me for short walks but the doctor has signed her off work for 3 weeks. It has been awful seeing her like this and it made us all very anxious but fingers crossed she's starting to improve. We know it's going to be a long haul and that there could be set backs.

That is all my news for now. Until next time.

With much love.

Sally xxxx

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

Stitching and Trying My Hand at Socks!

Seriously how did it get to be November already! Not only November but the 17th November!! Not long now to December!

So I have plenty to show since my last blog post but some bits that I can't show as they are ornaments for my private ornament exchanges with Chris and Barb and a couple of Christmas gifts that I'm stitching on too. Need to get those finished ASAP!

I've been doing a little finishing too. These bits were all sewn up and just needed the trim on so I gave myself a good talking to and got that done. 

I have had a finish :) Not sure I'll actually have anymore this month as I seem to be doing quite a bit of reverse stitching of late which is not good! As you will know Barb and I SAL together a couple of times a week and we have both finished our sheep SAL.

Country Cottage Needleworks Jump for Joy

32 count Permin Lambswool linen

DMC

Started 25th August 2017

Finished 6th November 2017.

It is just so cute!

So because we'd finished that we had to have a new start! well it would be rude not to wouldn't it?! We started Little House Needleworks Born in a Manger. I am stitching mine on 40 count vintage country mocha linen using DMC and Classic Colorworks. I love how it looks on 40 count and, of course, I love vintage country mocha linen. It is my favourite.

The new SAL on the LHN/CCN Facebook group has started so I've had another new start. It is LHN Christmas Angel. This is one I've had reverse stitching on! I didn't like the colour of the wings once I'd got a bit stitched on that so I took it out and used a lighter colour. Then I discovered I was out a little on one of her arms and it looked like it was broken lol! So that came out and I restitched it. Fingers crossed for no more mistakes!

I'm also using LHN Lantern Lane for the SAL as we can use Christmas/Winter ones that we have already started. I have also been reverse stitching on this one as I hadn't left enough space between one of the letters. I got them all restitched and a few more! 

I am still stitching away on Mani Di Donna Winter Days Sewing Basket and am so desperate to get it finished now. I am at the stage where I really don't want to stitch on it anymore. I don't know why as I love the design.

Final stitchy photo is..............................yep Mini Jolly Old Fellow. Ta-Dah I have finished page 8!!!! Just one more teeny page to go now :)

I was very lucky when my name was picked out on the LHN/CCN Facebook Autumn SAL group to win one of Vonna's gorgeous project bags. Let me tell you it is beautiful! It arrived the other day and I now have a project in it. This photo really does not do it justice. Thank you so much Vonna :)

I have picked up my knitting needles again. I haven't knitted anything since the aran jumper last year. I'd bought some tinsel chunky wool and a pattern to knit a snowman just before Christmas last year and had put it away in a cupboard. I decided it was time to get on with it and I now have a very cute snowman!

I think my plan is to use up my wool stash to give me room in the cupboard although I don't have much. So next on my needles is socks. I have had the kit for a few years and have been too scared to try. However it is one of the things that I really want to try so last week I cast on. I ended up having 3 attempts and on the 3rd attempt I was away thanks to a friend on Facebook who gave me a tip. I am now ready to do the heal and that is scaring me lol! Fingers crossed I can do it. I have heard many people say that socks knitting is addictive and I have already been looking at more sock wool! I am being good until I know whether I can complete a sock or not!

A couple of weeks my DH and I went up to Pickering to see my good friend Chris who has moved up there. It was so good to see her and her DH again and we had a lovely day. Then last Saturday my surrogate sis and dear friend Lisa was in Hornsea for the weekend so we had a stitchy afternoon. I don't think we've seen each other for 2 years at least so it was really good to get together and catch up. It makes me feel sad that my lovely stitchy friends live so far away but it makes it even more special when I get to see them. There are many I would love to meet that live too far away. 

That's all my news for now. I will catch up with you all hopefully over the weekend. Thank you for sticking with me even though my posts are few and far between.

With much love,

Sally xxxx

Stunning Sunset and Stitching!

Hello fellow stitchers! Yes I'm here again much sooner than I have been of late! I really, really want to become the blogger I used to be so I'm going to try really hard to make that happen. I just hope that you won't get fed up of seeing my WIPs as I certainly haven't had as many finishes as I have in previous years! Last year I had 60+ and this year ( up to now ) I haven't managed 30! However I have been stitching on bigger pieces this year.

You may remember me finishing an ornament the other month called Snow by Val's Stuff. Well I have got it all made up. I am so pleased with this! Those eyes are so funny!

No other finishes for me but plenty of progress which is always good. Barb and I are stitching away on our SB Frightful Halloween Rolls and are hoping to get them finished for the day. I thought that the 31st was on Tuesday but, of course, it's on Monday so this has to be finished this evening so that I can get it made up over the weekend!

I am continuing my house building on the bonus block of my Anniversaries of the Heart. I can hardly wait to get this finished, framed and on my wall.............if I can find a space lol! I could swap things out but lack of storage space makes that just a bit difficult! 

I forgot to take a photo of my progress on my dragon but I did take a photo of my progress on Tilton Crafts Always ( Alan Rickman tribute ). Justine was asking me how I was getting on with it. It's not much when you consider I started this on April 26th but it only comes out every now and then. I'm hoping that I can fit it into my rotation next year and stitch on it more.

My plan for October on Mini Jolly Old Fellow was to definitely finish the partial page and attempt to finish 10 rows on the next page. Well I did manage the partial page but not the 10 rows. I gave it a good go though!

Lovely Sotto La Neve is getting some love!

Finally a bit of knitting. I can't actually remember whether I've posted this on my blog or not but I've  been knitting an aran jumper ( wool and pattern from Seaside Yarns ). This is the front, back and one sleeve done! Hopefully I should have it finished just in time for cold weather coming! It isn't a colour I would normally wear but I fancied something different!

Last night I was cooking tea when I glanced out of my kitchen window and saw the most amazing sunset going on! I rushed into the living room where my DH was sitting, turned out the light and pointed out the window! We both grabbed our cameras and took some photos. These are a couple of mine. I don't think I have ever seen such an amazing sunset and it was just one of those moments that makes you feel glad to be alive! 

That's all my news for now. Thank you to those of you who are sticking with me and dropping by to see me and leave a comment. I truly appreciate each and every one. I finally made time to drop by and see you all and am hoping to keep that up too!

Take care everyone.

Until next time.

With much love

Sally xxx