This year I concentrated (almost exclusively) on Miss A’s blanket. So, apart from that, I really didn’t finish much.
One pair of socks, a chicken (and a duck), and I worked on A’s quilt and my halloween cross stitch.
Next year I will be working on Miss P’s blanket, so once again not much will get done.
We went to Rottnest for a few days, and I took a little cross stitch away with me
14 count Aida done in the hand. And it reinvigorated my love of cross stitch, so I have been working on my Halloween Cat (by Satsuma Street).
Miss P turns 18 in early 2023, so I have started her blanket. It’s the same as Miss A’s but in purple shades.
The last is my Christmas sock, which is going to be short – for wearing in summer. It was 44 degrees yesterday (that’s 112.2 for you Fahrenheit people), so you can see why I need short socks. The yarn is Poinsettia from Daffodil Road Yarn. I bought it last year, but I imagine they do something similar every year.
I have tried to do an interesting rib – I used Gaughan’s Twisted Stitch Source Book and did a K2P2 rib, but the K2 has a right twist every second round. I think it is very effective.
Filed under Cross Stitch, Cross Stitch, Knitting, Sock Knitting
Progress is slow and I seem to spend a lot of time unpicking. I should have gridded the fabric.
The pattern is from Satsuma Street, and I am using DMC threads and a 25 count linen (two over two).
Filed under Cross Stitch, Cross Stitch
I have been having chemotherapy and now have neuropathy in my fingers and toes. I wasn’t sure how this would affect my embroidering, but it hasn’t made any difference. I have been able to work on my Halloween Cat project.
This is a Satsuma Street design. I am using DMC threads and a 25 count linen (2 strands over 2 threads).
Filed under Canvas Work, Cross Stitch, Cross Stitch
I finished! This project languished because I struggled to see the stitchers clearly. I got new glasses and while that helped it didn’t solve the problem. However, I bought this magnifier and it has made a huge difference.
The pattern is My Lady’s Quaker from Jardin Prive. I did it on a 32 count Belfast linen (from Zweigart). The black is standard DMC 310 and the red is a variegated DMC 115.
I started it in February 2018, so 18 months to finish it (although it’s about the process).
Filed under Cross Stitch, Cross Stitch
Christmas Sock and Live Simply Cross Stitch Progress
It’s a new year! Happy New Year everyone. I don’t have any resolutions for this year (I never stick to them anyway), nor do I have any crafting goals (they don’t happen either), but I do have a word/theme – Simplify. I hope to finish a few things and not buy anything more (because I am finding my collection of yarn, fabric, embroidery supplies and books over-whelming and anxiety inducing).
I wanted to make a Christmas sock – I didn’t get the idea until a week before Christmas, so it was quite hard to find yarn (or yarn that had some chance of getting to me in time). I bought peppermint pie from passioned flower on Etsy. Great service and the yarn is beautiful – I will definitely be purchasing more for next Christmas (maybe in October?). I am just knitting a plain-vanilla sock – I contemplated attempting an after thought heel, but I wanted something easy that I could knit while sitting by the pool, watching TV etc.
You might notice in the above image that I am using Addi Crasy Trio needles – they’re fabulous. I don’t really like magic loop and when I use dpns I get ladders at the jump between needles, but these are brilliant.
I have also been working on my Live Simply cross stitch. This is the project from the Craftsy class. This is the first time I have used linen (32 count Belfast) and I love it. I prefer the way this looks to Aida. One thing I am struggling with is stitching path – I want to have as few jumps as possible (and I am not even that keen on weaving through the back of other threads to get to the next spot). It is a bit like the network Travelling Salesman Problem. Is there any technique or method I could use?
Filed under Cross Stitch, Cross Stitch, Knitting, Sock Knitting
The start of my Live Simply cross stitch
My supplies arrived from the Crewel Gobelin – great service, I will definitely use them again – so I have started working on the chart from my Craftsy course.
This is the first time I have worked on linen (32 count Belfast) and although I haven’t done much, I really like it. I am using a Gloriana silk (Bellagio) – so nice. So two firsts – linen and silk!
I am rail-roading and stitching in the hand. I am quite slow, but I am sure that with practice I will get faster and besides, for me, cross stitch is all about the journey and not the end point.
Filed under Cross Stitch, Cross Stitch
Little Houses Progress
Blackwork Sampler
I went to the Perth Writers Festival on the weekend and one thing really stuck with me – it is OK to get started on something and then decided it is not really working and to start something else.
I was at a session called New York Dames and Natasha Lester (author of A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald) said she was 85 000 words into her third novel and decided to write a different novel.
I have this thing about finishing what I started, but what really happens is that I finish nothing – I procrastinate on the thing I should be finishing and won’t start anything new.
However, Natasha has inspired me to pack in the Little House (for now at least) and to work on blackwork.
Filed under Canvas Work, Cross Stitch
Little Houses
I know another new project – does anything ever get finished around here?
I found this project in the Christmas edition of the Family Circle magazine. I thought it might be something that the girls would like to do. You can find the project sheet here.
I have purchased supplies (I have no idea if my plastic canvas is the right size, but it was all I could find), wound the DMC thread onto the cards and now I am ready to go.
Filed under Canvas Work, Christmas Decorations, Cross Stitch
I have done a practice stitch out of my sampler.
Stitching away
Here is the finished version …
Finished Sampler
My sewing machine had a bit of a moment at one point – the bobbin and top threads got all tangled, there was a horrible noise and it ground to a halt, however, I am happy with the final results. I think more stabilisation and a nicer fabric and it will be fine.
Filed under Cross Stitch, Digitizing, Machine Embroidery
