So close….

 I am so close to finishing Victoria’s Quaker now that I think I will make the best use of my three day weekend and work on it all day tomorrow with a chance of a happy dance…I hope Carol and Kaz don’t mind that it’s not Tuesday tomorrow (Carol is done, Kaz is very close too!)  I am enjoying this project so much – it has been a really relaxing stitch.

 

This is Carriage House Samplings – A Quaker Study, my ‘train’ piece which is also a very relaxing stitch.  I tend to agree with Carol – there is just something about the Quaker pieces which is rhythmic and soothing.  I am enjoying this one also.  I am also very happy with my fabric and thread choices on this one.

 

I’ve not stitched much on Paradigm Lost this week – only a very short session, but perhaps tomorrow night I will stitch a little.  Not much progress to show after last week – but there was a bit of frogging!

Thanks everyone so much for your comments on my ‘bad feeling’.  I rang the framer again on Friday morning and he didn’t respond to me until late Friday afternoon – it wasn’t completed yet and he promises me Tuesday.  He thanked me for the extra time.  I”m still feeling very uneasy.  I have 6 other pieces to frame and I think I will just try and work in a long round trip to my former framer (that sounds funny doesn’t it) with whom I feel VERY comfortable.  She understands me and the feelings of attachment I get to my pieces.

As for the stash diet, everyone who knows me is certain that I wont be able to do it – but I am a determined little git and I have wanted new sofas for a year now and we’ve been looking and found them – I don’t want them to get away 🙂  As I’ve mentioned I will be listing a heap of stuff for sale soon and perhaps we can work something out to make sure I don’t run out of stash….again anyone who knows me understands that the likelihood of me running out of stash is about the same as me winning a Grammy – NOT LIKELY!!!

Oh and did I mention I just ordered a new car also 🙂  A brand new Ford Territory!

And exciting Australian Open Tennis…the Frenchman (Tsonga) is doing really well….I am barracking loudly for him 🙂

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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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Victoria’s Quaker

Here is last night’s progress on Victoria’s Quaker which I am stitching along with Carol and Karen.  (I started a little later!) 

I love all the little motifs on this one. I’m looking forward to the little dog near the stitcher’s knee next time 🙂

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Progress Pictures

Today is “An Open Heart” Day so there will be a progress picture of that one tomorrow.

Last week was a bit all over the show due to my hospital visit, however here are last week’s progress pictures.  I didn’t get to stitch on An Open Heart or the needlepoint piece last week.

Saturday is Faith Hope Love (the Workbasket) day.   

 

Monday is “M” Designs…that “W” is coming along nicely.

 

Victoria’s Quaker (A Mon Amie Pierre) after 3 Tuesdays.  This is such a fun stitch.  This shot shows the fabric colour quite well, but not the thread colours *sigh*

 

And because I’ve not posted a picture of Puku in ages….
here she is just begging for her belly to be rubbed 🙂

I’ve not started stitching today yet.  I had a lovely visit with Marg and Alison.  Alison bought some of the gorgeous mailart she has received and Marg showed off a gorgeous red and cream blanket that she has made as  a gift for a friend!  Marg is also close to finishing her French Alphabet Sampler too – it’s stunning!

Those keeping tabs on my knitting – I am just starting the third ball on my candle flame shawl… 🙂

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Checking in…

I’m here and feeling pretty good!  Back to work as early as next week – how great is that!

I’ve done a bit of stitching although not as much as I had hoped…small amounts of progress on Victoria’s Quaker, The M Designs piece, Faith, Hope and Love, and An Open Heart.  

I also finished a gift and MOTH will post that off a little later today.  I wasn’t entirely happy with the finishing and I hope its recipient will like it – her finishing is always perfect ;(

Pictures a little later.

Thanks so much for all your emails and wishes – I really appreciate them.  All those prayers and good thoughts have really helped!

I’ve been reading Suzi Quatro’s biography “Unzipped“.  It’s a great easy read and she’s an amazingly talented and down to earth woman!  I’m learning a  lot about her.

Carra is off to the vet this afternoon.  She’s just not herself and I want to get her checked out.  Personally I think she was taken away from her kittens too early and she’s a bit skitty because of it.  She has scratched a heap of fur from around her ear.  We’ve ruled out ear mite, and fleas, and been putting steroid ointment on the area, but it’s not healing.  I think she’s stressed poor darling!  She also has a sore eye!

Now, it’s Tuesday so it’s off to Victoria’s Quaker for me.  Karen and Carol – I’ll be sure to post a picture tomorrow 🙂

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Rotation Day 3 – Victoria’s Quaker

I started this yesterday as part of a SAL with Carol and Karen and other than the fact that I forgot “G” comes after “F” (can we all spell “FROG”?) I did ok.  I’m a little behind, but I will try and catch up by stitching for a little longer next Tuesday as I will need to relax a ‘bit’ before I go to hospital on Wednesday.

I am using Needlepoint Inc silks (except for the black which is Madeira) and the colours are very much darker than Carol’s or Karen’s.  However, I like the look of it on the R&R Reproductions 32 count linen – Apple Brown. It looks very aged.

I love Madeira silks, they have very dense coverage, but if you’re not used to using them – be warned they are only 4 ply, and 5m in each pack – so you will need to make sure you get enough. 

Today is An Open Heart day.  Funny – I am kinda looking forward to it…weird isn’t it.

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A plan…

 OK.  I am going to have a go at a new rotation of sorts.  There are a few things I want to get finished and a few I want to start so in order to make progress on them I hereby endeavour to stitch on the following items on the following days:

• Monday – M Designs Piece – hearts and monograms (one more monogram left)
• Tuesday – Victoria Quaker SAL with Carol and Karen (starting this Tuesday)
• Wednesday – An Open Heart – DT (about halfway – a previously failed SAL – *gulp* sorry)
• Thursday – Needlepoint – Nancy’s Needle – Desert Star (about 90% complete)
• Friday –
• Saturday – Faith, Hope, Love – The Workbasket (started tonight)
• Sunday –

I don’t think I have set myself anything too hard, and rotations seem to work for others and I’ve never really seriously given it a go…honestly – I’ve said I would try but it never really gets going,  I figure if I start small, I might have more chance of success.   I will try and add something from the UFO pile (Dad’s Sampler perhaps) every second time I finish something and start something new occasionaly too!

I’ve left a couple of free days Friday (because I generally sing that night) and Sunday, so on those days I will just stitch somethign that screams at me, or gifts, or smalls or bead or something.  I will still knit on the train to and from work when I return so I will still get a knitting fix.

All in all – I think this may work. 

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