Stitching Update

  

Sorry for the lack of updates last week – I was stitching though and I am making great progress on ”A Quaker Study”.  This is my train project and it’s  benefiting from long and arduous train journeys (they’re not really that bad but definitely made much better by being able to stitch!)

I am hoping for a January finish for Victoria’s Quaker.  There are three more Tuesdays left (the last one is the 29th) and if it looks like it’s close, I will keep going so I can finish in January.

Paradigm Lost is coming along nicely – I would have hoped to be able to say I’ve finished page 1 -  but as you read earlier the frog visited me and I had to restitch quite a large chunk.  Hopefully after tonight’s stitching effort I can put page 1 to bed.  The motifs on this design are lovely – quite different to others I’ve seen – I am really enjoying it.

Once VQ is done, I am going to replace her on Tuesdays with An Open Heart which has been languishing.  I want to be able to finish that During February so will give her a lot of attention during that month.  I hope to finish one UFO each month or two during 2008.

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Progress pics.

Even though I haven’t been posting – I HAVE been stitching.

I concentrated a little bit on Lettres a mon Chat (see earlier post) before Christmas so I could get it done as a gift – but I also made some progress on Victoria’s Quaker.   This picture shows the colour of the fabric quite well.  I am using Needlepoint Inc Silks and I really enjoy stitching with them.

 

I also started Paradigm Lost (Long Dog) as part of the Snowbirds SAL.  Funny thing is I’m not really a snowbird as it’s summer here in Aus – but I can dream.  I’ve never actually seen snow.  I’m using Cafe Au Lait 34 count Heritage Linen and Vicki Claytons’ OMG Red 1153 premium silk which was a lovely gift from my good friend Marg (who STILL doesn’t have a blog).  This is a wonderful design to stitch and VERY hard to put down when you start!  The linen is gorgeous in the hand too.  I’m not really sure about the VC silk though – I am finding it’s fluffing, knotting and tangling quite easily.  I am going to try slightly shorter lengths and see if that helps.

 

On the down side, I have to do quite a bit of frogging on The Workbasket’s Faith, Hope, Love.  I have to frog all the progress i had made on the “Love” section as I missed out an entire column!    Not to worry – I will get that done today and I hope to make this one my last finish for 2007. 

I am hoping that VQ follows in January!

I am really pleased with what I have accomplished this year craft wise.  I’ve made a lot of jewelry and other things for gifts and they’ve all been well received. 

It’s been a good stitching year!

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Can Somebody Please Tell Me Where November Went?

Last time I looked it was November.

Now I wake up and my birthday and Christmas have passed and we are heading fast into a new year!

Good news – I got a great new job and I start 2nd January.  It’s still in the city though so the train trips are not finished for the time being.  It’s a much better job, more responsibility, more opportunity for growth and just a better atmosphere.  I will miss some of the people at my old job – that is always the way, but I am sure I will settle quickly into my new role.

I am managing to stitch quite a bit on the train so that is a bonus.  I managed to complete Lettres a mon Chat in time for it to be a Christmas gift.  I really enjoyed stitching this and I will stitch it again for myself.  I used 32 count Bay Rum evenweave (Silkweaver I think), NN 153 Razzle Dazzle Red and Black DMC.

In other stitchy news, I started Paradigm Lost.  I am using VC premium Silk in OMG Red on 34 count  Heritage Linen in Cafe au Lait - I am happy with this choice.  I did make a bit of a boo boo though – I started the stitching in the top left corner, but I had my fabric around the wrong way – I counted and measured and re-counted and re-measured though and I will have enough fabric this way around too!  Phew!

Victoria’s Quaker got a little stitching on Christmas Night (it was after all Tuesday)  I was hoping to get this finished this year but now I am pushing for a January 2008 completion – my first perhaps!

I also made a heap of jewelry for Christmas gifts but forgot photos – I will have to get some and post at a later date

   

The Kitties had a great Christmas too!

Cara fell in love with the tyres on the Little Princesses’ new bike! She rubbed herself against the rubber for a good half an hour I think.  I think she just liked the roughness of it!  Was very funny to watch here – she was enraptured with it!

Banjo (remember he is a teenage boy!) decided it was fun to try and unwrap what took me hours to wrap and also thought that the glass of milk left for Santa was just too much temptation!

  

Both kitties were very well behaved around the tree and mostly spent a lot of time napping underneath it.  We didnt’ lose any ornaments at all. 

Puku also had a great Christmas and here is a pic of her enjoying one of her gifts    You can see that as it gets warmer down-under, she loses great chunks of the last of her winter fur.  We’re getting a large bag full of hair from her every couple of days when we brush her!  She doesn’t like it much!

Too everyone in blogland, I hope you enjoyed a wonderful Christmas day filled with love and laughter.  I also wish for everyone a tremendous 2008 that is filled with every joy you desire.

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Busy-ness, Biscornus and Big Dogs

I’ve mentioned before, I am job hunting.

Looking for a job is almost a second job in itself.  Writing applications, addressing selection criteria, interviews, profiling, it takes so much time, for little or no result mostly.  One thing that really peeves me that agencies and employers on the who are very slow to respond to applicants either to say, “You’ve been selected for interview – but it will be a couple of weeks”, or “Thanks but you’re not what we’re looking for”.  Most of the time it’s nothing…weeks of waiting and no response at all.  Most of the time now I don’t bother applying to agencies at all.  It really is a waste of time.  Usually you get a phone call much later on asking if you’re interested in contract or temporary work.  Makes you wonder if the jobs you apply for actually exist in the first place.

I just want a job closer to home.  *sigh* Bah!  I’m disenchanted with the whole process.  MOTH also I think.

I do have interviews next week and one is a promotion with a state government agency (rather than Federal where I am now) and that one is very promising…but still in the city.  Bright side – still 3 hours extra stitching time each day AND a slightly higher salary

I received a lovely gift in the mail last week from my good friend Marie-Luise (who also doesn’t have a blog…..yet).  M-L sent me a finished sampler “Adorn Thy Heart” and when it arrived she had included a gorgeous angel ornament, isn’t’ she beautiful (the angel AND M-L).  I have two of M-L’s samplers now and I must admit I love having things stitched by others almost as much as I love stitching myself   I also have Sandy Orton’s Spanish Sampler (from the very short-lived Treasures in Needlework Magazine) stitched by M-L – it’s also stunning!  Thank you so much Marie-Luise – I just love having beautiful things like these in my home and I can’t wait to get them framed and hang them somewhere special.

   

You may recall previously that I’ve posted piccies of M-L’s lovely big pooches Tibeaux and Gigi.  So for the viewing pleasure of all my readers who put “big dogs” into their search engine and end up here…M-L kindly sent me some new pictures  – these are Dogues de Bordeau, (like the dog from Turner and Hooch)!  I just love them – they’re beautiful!

   

As I also received my Xsers biscornu exchange – isn’t it pretty?  I was also very fortunate that my ‘secret’ exchange partner (I know who you are lovely woman!) added a pair of red and purple Dinky-Dye scissors to replace my lost ones (the Rosemarkie train incident).

 

On the stitching front – I’ve been stitching up a storm!

On Sunday I decided that I would start something new as a gift for The Little Princess’ mother for Christmas.  They have an adorable black cat called creatively, “Blackie” and so I decided Isabelle Vautier’s “Lettres a Mon Chat” would be the go.  I am using the leftover Razzle Dazzle red from the M Designs piece, the leftover linen from Faith, Hope, Love (Bay Rum 32 count linen) and black DMC for the kitties.  I started it on Sunday night after dinner, stitched on it Monday and this morning on the train ride to work, and this is where I am at right now – it’s stitching up quickly and is really fun to stitch – I’m 25% done!  This should be done in time for Christmas although framing will have to come later.  I want to frame it with a picture of Blackie (we’re not sure how long she will be with us – she’s sadly getting very frail and skinny).

I’ve also had 20 responses to my work Christmas Ornament exchange so I have to make 20 ornaments for all the participants.  Luckily they don’t’ have to be stitched although I will stitch the one for my partner.  I am making 20 of these adorable angels!  They don’t take long and they look very cute!  I bought kits from the beading shop but the instructions aren’t really clear so I am going to rewrite them and take some pictures – perhaps I will post it here   We will see   It’s not difficult to make them!

I have decided that rather than re-start Rosemarkie (I’m still grieving), I will join Wendy in stitching Long Dog’s Paradigm Lost.  I am just trying to decide which colour/fabric combination.  I am thinking of using Madeira silk as it’s such a lovely lush silk and I think on 32 count I could use just one strand – I’m not sure.  That will be my big 2008 project.

I think that is about all I have to tell you today…enough don’t you think….?

A Blessings Counted Today: 
I am blessed to have a wonderful family that loves me even if I’d rather be stitching.

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A Long Overdue Update

I’ve been flat out, working, being mum, partner, manager, commuter, painter and decorator, cricket supporter, grocery shopper, chef, laundry maid, etc, etc, etc…

I have more than 300 unread posts in my blog reader and a host of unanswered emails for which I apologise profusely! 

Stash wise I’ve managed to find the last three issues of Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly that I needed to complete my set and that has made me one happy woman!  This magazine is one of the best – I just love every issue!

That said I’ve done a bit of stitching.  Victoria’s Quaker is coming along nicely although I’ve almost run out of the dark red (Needlepoint Inc Gothic Red – the darkest one).  I am almost down to the big motif that Carol says seemed to take a long time.  The top of that motif is around half way I think.  This is the only stitching that I am making a real effort to do during the week – tired or not I spend ‘some’ time with VQ each Tuesday!  That swan is a finished bird this week if nothing else!

I’ve done a little more on The Workbasket Faith Hope and Love – this is so much fun to stitch and I think it’s looking great in plain old black DMC.  Sometimes the simpler things….

My M Designs Initials are almost done – I need to frog a bit of a train-travelling-boo-boo but I should have those done this week and will wait to post a picture till then.

I’ve managed to complete a biscornu for an exchange so you can’t see that until it’s received by its recipient…perhaps next week.  I tried something different with this one and I’m not ‘quite’ sure if it was successful or not – I look forward to your comments on that one!

Rosemarkie has been given a little attention…but so I can get the M Designs piece finished quickly I’ve been taking that on the train this past week – Rosemarkie will be back traveling with me when that is done!

It’s a four day weekend here this weekend and while I’ve been busy the first two days, the next two are filled with stitching, stitching and more stitching – I am looking forward to it!

Oh and my knitting (shawl and Irish Hiking Scarf) are both coming along nicely – I did knit at cricket but then it started to rain and I had to stop!  Bugger!

Had a quick visit from Mel today with Niamh and Finn (gorgeous kiddies) and I was also lucky enough to see Anne before she toddles off to that place a little north of here (Sydney – ppppfffft!) and finally I got to meet Sharon   Always nice to meet in person!  I’ve not had a ‘bad’ meeting yet!

I had a lovely visit with Marg yesterday and saw her completed French Alphabet Sampler – absolutely stunning!  Marg is the queen of BAPs and her next is Long Dog’s Moulin Rouge in black silk – lovingly referred to as Moulin Noir

The carpet is not in yet so no piccies of the almost finished living area yet!  We did however take delivery of the BEST red rug ever – it’s a lovely long shag-pile rug in a dark red colour and it’s wonderful under foot!  Banjo has taken ownership and is guarding it like nothing else! 

Thanks for all the nice compliments on our choice of colour scheme – I can say that Mother of Mine (MoM) isn’t quite as complimentary!  Hmmmmm.

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Back to work…

Yesterday I returned to work after my prolonged sick leave!  After the hour-thirty on the train and the tram ride up St Kilda Road, I was exhausted by the time I got there!!! I stayed until 3.00 pm or so then left for the long trip home again. 

I did knit a little on the way to work – another 3 pattern repeats on my Irish Hiking Scarf but the train was too crowded to do anything on the way home…schoolkids!

Rosemarkie got a little attention on the way to work this morning and I think I can stitch on the way to work and knit on the way home – this should work!  Here is the small amount I have achieved since last time I posted a picture.  It should grow a bit faster now I am back to work!

Next is Saturday’s progress on Faith Hope Love!  This is moving along quite quickly!  I am really enjoying this one and it’s such a relaxing project to stitch in front of the telly or when the kids are around!

Unfortunately I didn’t stitch last night on the red piece – I was just too tired.   I was tucked up in my little bed very early last night!

Tonight is “Victoria’s Quaker” night and I am feeling not quite as tired as yesterday so I will be able to achieve a little this evening – this is an enjoyable project too

As an aside, I am slowly building my set of Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly – another two ebay issues arrived today and I think that I only have about 7 issues to go now to have the complete set. 

One of the issues I received today has the first part of a sampler I dearly want to do!  It’s Sharon Cohen’s Millenium cutwork sampler!  If you’re perhaps interested in doing a very leisurely stitch along on this project – leave me a comment!  I wont be able to start till the new year perhaps so you have a while to think about it.  I thought abotu writing to Sharon to see if she could provide a chart for the number 7 or 8 or 9 (depending on when I finish it LOL)..I’ll let you know how it goes!

Now, it’s off to spend some time with Victoria!

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Good morning…

It’s been a glorious weekend but very busy.  I am back to work tomorrow after quite a long time off and I am both dreading and looking forward to it.  However, I have so much to do to be ready to get my 6.55 train in the morning!  Ugh!  I’ve decided my train piece will be Rosemarkie on the way to work and I will knit on the way home   I’ve almost finished my Irish Hiking scarf!

Last night LHM had a couple of mates over and they stayed up very late watching Japan being trounced by Australia at the world cup…who knows what time they went to sleep!  They were really good – not noisy at all.

I made excellent progress on Faith, Hope, Love and will post piccies later.

Wednesday’s An Open Heart progress was very minor – lots of frogs,  Those woven cross type motifs are very tricky – but I think I’ve finally got them!  Also there were frogs on Thursday when I realised that I had stitched the outside border of the needlepoint piece in the wrong place and had to tear it out and start it again…I’m almost done with that again now though.

Friday I started a gift.

Progress pics in one batch a little later   Sorry

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Quite a bit to show….

I know I promised you stitching piccies last week but I didn’t get around to it so I have a couple of VERY bad pictures today.  I’m not sure what is going on with my camera – but the piccies are not very clear – oh well…..better than no pictures at all….perhaps! 

Firstly though, I  MUST say a big thankyou to the very gorgeous Carol who sent me a lovely parcel in the mail most unexpectedly.  A beautiful stitching cherub fob and some lovely stork scissors together with a lovely card featuring a kitty who so reminds me of one of my fabourite kitties ever, Felix, who was with our family a few years ago!  Thank you Carol – you’re really very thoughtful and kind and the world can only be a better place with you in it!  I have a perfect pair of Dinky Dye scissors to go on the fob you stitched and currently I am stitching the perfect fob for the blue ones .   The pictures on Carol’s blog are MUCH better – I am so sorry Carol – I didn’t really do the stitching justice did I?

   

Secondly you may recall that it was recently LHM’s 11th birthday and he decided he wanted a disco party at home…..well here are a couple of photos of the evening.  One of the mothers told me that her little princess had been dolled up and ready since 3.00 pm!!!  How cute!  All the kids looked fantastic and they had a ball however I was surprised at how much they ate!

The ‘disco’ included lights, smoke machine, mirrorball (at my behest – can’t be a disco without one) and the associated glitter, black curtains, smoke tunnel and thumping music!  It was very successsful and all the kids had a great time. 

MOTH decided we needed a bouncer for this night and he certainly looked the part didn’t he? Please take note of the ‘bling’!

I’ve also done a bit of stashing but overall I’ve been pretty good.  From Dragonfly Dreams I got a stack of Blackbird Designs including the Loose Feathers 23 and 24, some Blackbird Designs freebies, and A-Z of Whitework (sensational book), and the Rebecca Blake Needleprint Sampler which is beautiful.  I also got a chart with some cute little houses and sayings on for gifts for family.

   

I was also very naughty and stashed up on some kitty related items from Colours Downunder, one from Isabelle Vaultier (Le Chat) together with Isabele’s Owl and JBW’s French Country Cat and French Country Love.

Now for progress.  Not a great deal to show, but a little nonetheless.

Firstly Rosemarkie (which is my travelling project) has suffered somewhat because I haven’t actually been to work that much in the past few weeks and the two hours or so per day on the train is perfect time to stitch on it (except when the train is packed to the hilt which is often!  This picture is REALLY awful and doesn’t show the colour well – you will need to look at previous ones if you want to see them better – sorry!

This is a picture especially for Bren…don’t feel bad Bren – I’ve not had much time for this one either lately although I hope to spend a little time on it tonight.  I must admit I am enjoying needlepoint for a change and I can’t wait until Dragonfly Dreams gets some new designs in…hint hint….

I’ve been reading all your blogs but not commenting much – sorry – but sitting at the pc is not the most comfortable place for me at the moment.

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Rosemarkie 3

I know I said that this project would be my “work project” but I’ve not actually been to work for a couple of days so I’ve not made as much progress as I would have liked.  I am getting used to stitching on the train – it’s about 1 hour and 15 minutes each way, notwithstanding any rail dramas like last week when  a truck hit a train on my line!   I am really enjoying this project – it’s fun to stitch.

 

Tonight I am going to attempt to finish my little hedgehog into a Thimble Holder like the one on this site.  I wandered into Spotlight this past weekend and bought some patchwork fabrics that I thought might suit and some ribbon so stay tuned for the results!

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Rosemarkie 2

This is my progress after the second night’s work on Rosemarkie (Long Dog).  I am really pleased with my colour choices.  I think the fillings look good in the more solid colour and I am liking both colours on the platinum Lugana.  It’s not as quick to stitch as I thought it would be – you really do have to pay attention   Those chequerboard fillings took forever considering the size of them!

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Rosemarkie 1

Here is my first progress shot of Rosemarkie by Long Dog Samplers.

I am using Needle Necessities 183 (goregous colour and I’ve been wanting to stitch ‘something’ with it for ages!) and Dinky Dyes 55 Dreamtime for the fill in and blackwork areas.  The fabric is 32 count Platinum Lugana.  Is it true that this fabric is discontinued?  I really like the feel of it and although I am much more of a linen girl now, I still really like Lugana!  

I also really love this platinum colour and I have some 25 count linen in a similar colour – but what to use it for?  Perhaps cushion covers one day – I am not sure!

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Only a little bit naughty….

I started something new last night.  I know I know I have so many things on the go but I just couldn’t help myself.

I started Long Dog’s Rosemarkie….I will stitch a bit more today perhaps and post a picture of my thread and fabbie choice this evening.

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