Something Old, Something New and Something Blue

Unfortunately there isn't a single wedding in sight, despite the title of this post.... but keep on reading to find out what it does actually refer to. :0)

First up is the something old: it was update time on the Weekly SAL blog on Sunday so it's time to bore you with yet another pic of my progress on that. Persevere though, as there's more to see after this. LOL

This time around I filled in a little more of the background area to the right of her arm, knocked off a few more of those confetti stitches in various places and made a start on Her dress. I am so glad I joined the ladies over at the SAL blog with this piece as it's really helping to keep me focused. :0)

As promised in my last post I have something new to show you. Well, actually, a couple of new things, thanks to a new start, an enabling JA/S&S Forum member and a little stash acquisition. :0) First up is the new start of A Bouquet for Cheryl:

Unfortunately I had to take a pic of this on one of the many dull, grey days we've been having lately..... and the digicam objects to taking close ups too. I'm quite pleased with how this is taking shape. The Thai silk is lovely to use and the colours in the variegation work nicely. I worked on this exclusively last night (Sunday) whilst watching Larkrise to Candleford and the Seven Ages of Britain and an episode of the new series of CSI Vegas. Yep, I got a serious case of Stitch Ass! LOL I made quite a bit of progress but the next reveal isn't until the beginning of March so I'm afraid you'll have to wait until then to see it. Sorry!

The new stash acquisition, which arrived last week, was a rather gorgeous piece of fabric from Sparklies called Pumpkin Patch.... so apt, considering the design I'll be using it for:

I haven't yet got the required thread for this so it won't be a new start just yet. I think it calls for WDW but I've spotted another one of those Thai silk threads that might just do the job instead..... am saving a few pennies so I can have a splurge. Well I don't want to go buying just one skein of thread when I can get several for the same amount of postage, now do I? Being a typical Yorkshire lass I do like to make sure I get full value for my money. ROFL

DH and I went shopping on Sunday, once again descending on the Edinburgh Woollen Mills shop within Brigg Garden Centre. This time I came away with two zip-up cardigans (can be used as a lightweight jacket on warmer Spring/Autumn days or cooler Summer evenings), two one-button cardigans (dress up or down type), a dressing gown and for Summer: two denim-look cotton blouses with pretty flower embroideries on them and denim-look cotton trousers. I'm all set for woollies now, so I can now Charity bag the last of the too-big ones left in my wardrobe. Yay! DH treated himself to a DVD and a CD. Whilst we were walking back through the Garden Centre I spotted some Paper Mania BOGOF bargains in the craft section:

As you can see they were just too pretty to resist. LOL I thought they would make great finishing trims for ornies...... so now I just need to stitch ones in appropriate colourways. :0)

And the something blue of the title? Well it isn't any rude jokes or links to porn sites, in case you were beginning to wonder ROFL. It's the stash for yet another new SAL I've joined. Yes, you read that right: another SAL I've joined. I'm not taking full blame for this though...... if Julia hadn't posted a progress picture of her completed first three parts of this gorgeous blackwork piece on JA/S&S Forum and her blog then I would have remained blissfully ignorant and just carried on plugging away at the same old pieces. But she did, along with a link to the Seba site.... so I went along for a nosey (as you do) and ended up joining the site and downloading the parts.... and a couple of other freebies. Of course, once I printed out the charts it led me on to thinking about what colour scheme I'd like to do it in........ which led on to delving in my stash for fabric and threads........ which resulted in this combination:

Another gorgeous variegated Thai silk and a DMC threads and 32ct Zweigart Vintage Blue fabric. The only thing that has stopped me from making a start on this is the indecision on which way round to use the threads: plain for the cross stitch borders of the blocks and Thai silk for the blackwork infill or vice versa????? Maybe I'll just toss a coin. LOL

I had hoped to be able to post a pic of DS's new wheels.... but it didn't stay in the drive long enough in the daytime over the weekend for me to take one. Hopefully next time.

So what else did we get up to over the weekend? Not a great lot. We stayed in Saturday and DH did a little more to the flooring while I did a few jobs and did some catching up with blogs on my reader (still some ways to go with that - I will get round to you all soon!) and some stitching. Sunday was the shopping trip in the morning. In the afternoon DH had a theatre tech meeting to go to for a couple of hours so I chilled with some more blog reading after putting some scrag end lamb chops in the oven to slowly braise, ready for our evening meal. Our evening meal was followed by that serious Stitch Ass session whilst DH laid the first two lengths of edging strip on the flooring. He's not as keen on Larkrise as I am, can you tell? LOL

Today (Monday) has been my regular jobs day and I was pleasantly surprised to realise that my stamina/energy levels have improved some: I managed to do all my jobs and two lots of laundry, then also vaccumed upstairs and the stairs plus made a start on sorting out the pantry (cupboard under the stairs) by binning some tatty old containers and washing a shed load of decent ones. I'd forgotten I'd got some of those storage containers so it was a voyage of discovery..... and there are a few there that will come in real useful for cardmaking stash storage. Score! I'm putting them to one side, ready for when the Craft Room is (finally!) finished and I start organising things as they go in there. If I'm not too tired tomorrow I shall finish washing the rest of the stuff that's still on the slab, wipe it all down and put a few of the bits back - then the rest of the shelves will be tackled later in the week. Slowly but surely this house is being decluttered, cleaned and organised. Yay!

Thank you for taking the time to visit and especially for the lovely comments you leave. Hope you are all having a good and productive time whatever you are doing. :0)

Slowly, Slowly.....

No, not catchee monkey....... slowly, slowly getting back to my usual self as things heal, the pain recedes and the painkillers are dropped, thus helping my befuddled brain gain some semblance of normality. Well....... what passes for normality for me, anyways. LMAO I am getting really fed up of seeing the same four walls now, so I guess that's another good sign of improvement too. :0)

I have to show you the fab decoupaged card that Julie kindly sent to me last week:

Unfortunately the scan makes it look all flat and lifeless and it's not like that at all IRL: the nurse and teddy are 3-D and the whole is very beautifully made. Thank you again Julie, I love it. :0)

I have also been slowly, slowly trying to catch up with some of those things that went on the back burner whilst my mojo took quite a long holiday without me. When I checked I got a bit of a shock....... I haven't actually completed any ornies for the JA/S&S Forum's Monthly Christmas SAL since May! Ooooooppps! As it so happens I had a bit of a stitchfest after my first hospital stay and completed two small designs suitable for ornies....... it just took me a little longer to get round to the finishing..... as you do. ;0)

So, for your delectation, here is June's Ornie:

Design: Blackwork Partridge, kit
Designer: Carol Leather, for X-Calibre Designs
Fabric: 14ct white aida, as provided
Thread: black and gold metallic, as provided
Finish: pillow style ornie with ruched ribbon edging.

Here's a pic of the back view, so you can see the gorgeous gold on black fabric that I got from Thread Bear:

The chiffon ribbon was a 5m reel of Anita's Ribbon that I got from The Range for 99p - bargain! There's plenty left of both the fabric and ribbon for finishing more blackwork ornies, which I plan on doing at some point as I really like the combination. :0)

For July's ornie it was a reasonably quick little DMC design - I bought the kit from a shop in my local High Street that sells some cross stitch goodies, back when I had my first venture down that way earlier in the year. It was designed to be finished as a card but I had other ideas as soon as I saw it:

Design: Snowflake, from the Mini Kit Christmas Range
Designer: DMC
Fabric: good old white 14ct aida, as supplied
Thread: DMC 825; 932; 3752; 3756
Finish: Prairie Schooler style ornie

I added some glass bicone beads (another eBay bargain) and Mill Hill seed beads to the corners to give it a little festive sparkle. And yes, that is some actual, genuine sunshine you can see in that pic........ but, despite it being sunny out, it is also decidedly chilly, as the deep frost we had last night is still on the ground in the sheltered places, like my garden. Ise a stopping in today, where it's nice and warm! LOL

I've also picked up a needle again and have been making headways into the JA/S&S Challenge piece that was supposed to be done in October (I think), then there's November and December's pieces to do...... they are all lovely festive designs, so they will double up as pieces for the Christmas ornie SAL............ and that will take me up to October for ornie's. So that leaves two more to complete to make it a full year of ornies. Reckon I'll manage it? Nah, not too sure either but will give it my best shot. :0)

In the meantime I had a think (yes, it did hurt - my poor brain wondered what was happening! LOL) and decided that my HAED Mother Earth piece has been very sadly neglected of late and is in real danger of becoming a UFO....... to rectify that I asked to join Gaynor's Weekly SAL Blog for 2010 and she very kindly let me sign up and nominate Mother Earth as my SAL piece. Now I have to make progress on it. Yay! That leaves the JA/S&S Tuesday UFO Night and I reckon Sea Stars should put in an appearance for that......... plus there are a couple of other pieces that have been waiting to have beads added for some time, so they would be good candidates for then too. Slowly, slowly the stitchy bug is returning. :0)

As for other news: DH is in the middle of the big Outage thing at work so he's been working late all week, though has been compensating by going in a little later in the morning's so he can make sure I am up and safely downstairs and has chance to do any bits of shopping or jobs for me. Thankfully he still has a job: he has essential knowledge on the Instrumentation side (please don't ask what that means - I don't know!) that the steelworks can't afford to lose, as he's one of only a few remaining chaps that have it, so they aren't letting him go..... yet. DH prefers it that way - it should be a better package when he's 55 years old..... he's got another 2 years to go. Hopefully there'll still be a steelworks here for that long.

DS is busy with rehearsals for the Pantomime, as well as seeing his DGF and friends. I am getting lots of quiet evenings and you know what that means folks.......... yes, I am in charge of the TV remote! Mmmmmwwwwwaaaaahhhhhaaaaaahhhhhaaa! (evil laugh, in case you were wondering). Unfortunately there hasn't been an awful lot on in the evenings worth watching lately and the plans to watch all those DVD's just hasn't happened...... it's either been reading (finished a couple more books - see side bar), a minor trawl of eBay or sleep that has won out. Hopefully, now the stitchy bug seems to be returning, I shall be sitting and stitching a bit more instead, so I may well get to see those DVD's after all. LOL

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to visit and for all the lovely comments. I will be stopping by to visit blogs in the coming days, as I have a catch up with all your news. :0)

October Challenge Reveal

As it's Breast Cancer Awareness month this month the October Challenge over at JA/S&S Forum consisted of a wide variety of breast cancer freebies from which we could make our choice/s. They were all lovely designs but, as I love blackwork, the piece from Kristine Herber of Dragonfly Stitches was a must stitch for me. This is how I finished it:

I split the design and used the design for the front and the wording for the back and finished it as an ornie:

Design: Cancer Awareness Blackwork

by Kristine Herber - Dragonfly Stitches

Fabric: 22ct white hardanger

Thread: Carrie's Creations Hot Pink

Stitched 1 over 1

I chose two different fibers in pink and attached the trim to the sides by oversewing it in the Carrie's thread, to give it the "bobbled" look, whilst plaiting the hanging loop and adding a bead to the base dangles.

Originally I was going to finish this piece as a scissor fob but it seemed to have it's own ideas about that, especially after I was browsing the latest posts on the Stitch Pink blog and spotted a link to the Stitching For a Cure blog. What a fantastic idea thought I...... and the intended scissor fob turned into an ornie instead, in the hopes that the blog owner will accept my offering for her fundraising Christmas tree. :0)

Well last night's Most Haunted Live wasn't half bad. I'm still not that enthused about the resident medium but the guest medium, Billy Roberts, seemed to be pretty good - like David Wells he was able to name names that were direct hits that could be verified, so I'm looking forward to seeing how he shapes up over the next six nights. As predicted, my DH did enjoy the extra computer time he got so I'm not expecting too many complaints from that direction at all..... but if he starts feeling deprived of the TV there's always the big widescreen set in DS's bedroom to watch, along with a vast collection of DVD's. :0) It was also a good night for stitching as I completed snowman number three! Tonight I shall add the bottom and final band of algerian eye stitches, hearts and trees and hopefully make good inroads into the beading and adding the charms. :0)

Sometimes, I know, I waffle and some of that waffling isn't stitching related and, therefore, might not be of interest to some visitors to this blog. Nevertheless, there are times I'd really like to write about all kinds of other things which are important to me, though totally unrelated to my needlework.......... but I know not everyone will want to be bothered with reading all of that. After all, this is supposed to be a stitching blog, isn't it? LOL So..... I am playing around with the idea of starting a second blog that will allow me to waffle away to my hearts content about whatever I feel the need to waffle about: such as some of the every day things that affect me and mine, my beliefs, the state of the world and anything and everything that has caught my interest on any given day. If I decide to go ahead with this it will be under the alter ego of Moonglow Magick........ it just seems the most suitable for this particular venture. When the time feels right I'll post a link. :0)

Many thanks for all the kind comments and for your continued visits. Hope you're all staying warm and dry and having a good weekend. :0)

A Final Fanfare, Please

Yes, please stand for the final Fanfare for Her Majesty Queen Guenevere. Thanks to Julie, Mr Stick and the girls on the JA S&S Forum Tuesday UFO Night yet another UFO has bit the dust....... or, should I say, finally turned into a finish. :0)

Here's Her Majesty in all her unwashed and unpressed glory:

I reckon she'll look good as a wallhanging in my hall, so I shall be keeping my eyes open for a suitable medieval style fabric for that. Meantime, those Egyptian bellydancing CD's have had another outing so if there's any news reports of earth tremors in the UK you'll know why. LOL
There are several other candidates for next weeks UFO Night waiting in the wings, so watch this space.

Night Watchman has grown nicely but I shall do a little more on him before posting a pic - will leave that until next time.

It was the Monthly Challenge Reveal Day on JA S&S Forum at the weekend. The design was a lovely one by A Mon Ami Pierre and once again there have been some gorgeous finishes - some novel finishing ideas and lots of inspiration there. The selection for this month is up for voting (which I've done) and it'll be some early Christmas stitching this time round. Looking forward to seeing which one wins and I'm determined not to have to drop out, like I had to last month. Got my fingers crossed for one particular piece to win as I've already got a thread colour in mind for it. LOL

We had a good day at my DSis's on Sunday: we went to a garden centre for dinner, then had a shop. DSis bought an ivy plant for one of her pots and some bags of glass nuggets for decorating the tops of her pots. We bought a couple of metal toadstool decorations as part of her Christmas present - they look quite magical and make a lovely sound when the wind rattles them - as well as some cyclamens for our pots, to replace the violas that have died off, and a kneeling mat for DH to use inside the house. While we were there DH removed the radiator from her front bedroom and sealed the pipes, so she could get on with wallpapering the room this week (she's off all week) - she's got a shorter double radiator to replace it with when the decorating is done. A local gypsy kindly took the old one away, saving her a job and a rupture from moving it (very heavy).

I had quite a nice surprise yesterday afternoon: I was sat at the computer when I heard a skittering noise on the sun lounge roof. I almost ignored it, thinking it was Poppa blackbird, until I realised he'd have to have clogs on to make quite that amount of noise. Glancing up made me realise it wasn't a bird at all and a double-take had the realisation hit that it was a squirrel! I shot out into the garden to see he had jumped off the roof and into the neighbours garden and as I watched he scampered across their garden and shimmied up a concrete fence post to stand on the top of the fence. Unfortunately the kids in the next house were making a bit of noise, startled him and he shot off along the fence like a rocket, soon disappearing from sight. It's the first sighting of an urban squirrel I've had round here in many years and it was such a thrill.......... but I've been kicking myself ever since that I didn't once think to grab the ruddy camera to take a pic! I shall be keeping the camera to hand from now on, in the hopes that the visitor will be back again some time soon. :0)

DH is off to Italy tomorrow (Wednesday) morning with several work colleagues, on another trip to Buttrio, due back Friday night. With a little forward planning (for a change) we did a Tesco's online shop last night and had it delivered tonight, so DS and I can eat while he's away. ;0) As DS will be busy with rehearsals in the evenings I shall be on my own more than usual but the cupboards are now stocked, the TV remote is mine and there are plenty of stitching projects waiting to keep me busy, so the time will be filled quite nicely. Hopefully the weather will behave during the days (had rain in the afternoon and a thunderstorm around 6pm today) so I can get those cyclamens in and have a potter round as well. Who knows, I might even feel inspired to have a trip to the library and back! :0)

Karen: I heard about the Ozark Mystery SAL via Jayne's Stitch & Stash Forum & signed up for it there (there's an actual Ozark Forum but I never got round to joining it and don't know the link). Jayne is currently taking sign ups for the 2009 Mystery, if you're interested. :0)

Well I'd better go and make sure DH has packed everything he needs for his trip.

Thank you for visiting and thank you for taking the time to comment - all are very much appreciated. :0)

Deja Vu?

You may get a slight feeling of deja vu between this post and the last one, as Guenevere puts in yet another appearance.......... those Tuesday nights seem to be whizzing round at a seriously fast rate of knots (who can believe it's almost September already!). There are some differences though: she's now gained a chain stitch collar to her dress and about two thirds of the border has been stitched since the pic in my last post.


Both are in sparkly metallic rainbow thread, so it was slow going...... which means the anticipated HD won't be happening just yet. Hopefully there will be one next week - I've even got a new Egyptian-style music CD for the occasion. :0)

As for other stitchy things:

1. I've completed all of the stitching on the plastic canvas Santa, got all the pieces cut out and picked out a backing fabric but haven't managed the finishing, so far, as things got a bit busy over the Bank Holiday weekend.
2. I couldn't start the next part of the Ozark SAL as the charts were too small to see clearly so I had to wait until DH could get them enlarged for me - he's brough them in with him tonight, so I may start that tonight.
3. No start on the Monthly Challenge piece either and I'm fast running out of time - I love the chart but think I may just have to bow out this time round.
4. I picked up Night Watchman a couple of nights this week, saving him from neglect, but there's not really been enough progress to make a pic worthwhile.
5. Have now got everything for Ink Circles Sea Stars and the SAL starts tomorrow (Thursday), so the next job is attaching the fabric to the scroll frame.

I've almost caught up with all my blog reading and commenting - only a couple more to get to now. Quite an achievement in itself, as there was loads to read.

Hope all in the UK had a good Bank Holiday weekend, as we did.

Saturday was Brigg Farmers Market, so DS was up and out to that with Alex first thing. DH and I went to a Mind, Body and Spirit event over at Elsecar Heritage Centre, near Barnsley. The centre itself would be worth a day trip on its own (we plan on doing that some time) but all our time was spent at the event. We didn't have any treatments - it was too busy and neither of us would have felt comfortable being on show to so many folks - but we did do a little shopping. I treated myself to a lovely incense burner from the Spiralling stall - where I also buy my incense from - and a 2009 desk top diary from the Magik Thread book stall; DH bought a second hand copy of a Culpepper's Herbal book; there were two blouses from an ethical clothing stall (this particular Cinderella shall be able to go out in those) and I couldn't resist a crystal wand of rose quartz and fluorite. An unusual combination and a talk with the stall holder revealed why I was drawn to it: fluorite is good for working on bad shoulders and neck and rose quartz is good for emotional balancing. As a 40-something pre-menopausal female who regularly suffers from shoulder and neck pain it explained why I had to pick it up and then felt an instant reaction to it - it is also a very pretty piece to look at. :0) I also had my Tarot cards read but with a different reader to usual (she was fully booked). It was interesting: many things she mentioned tallied with what I'd been told by the reader I usually go to and it was also good to compare someone else's style/technique. That night I handled the crystal and used it on my shoulder and neck as I laid in bed - I went on to have the deepest, soundest sleep I've had in a long time. :0)

Sunday DS was up and out early for a swimming session with Alex and her kids. DH set to changing the tap on the bathroom sink......... it took him most of the day, as he was feeling a bit "off". I pottered doing jobs in the house and garden, supplying DH with warm/cold drinks and having a blog reading catch up.

Monday we all went to a local garden centre for dinner, then had a look round: I'm still looking for a tree for the back garden and some of the pansies have now died off, so we wanted something to replace them. We came away empty handed because the sun was so hot it made us all feel a bit iffy. DS spent a quiet afternoon on his lap top (well, as quiet as any shoot 'em up strategy game can be) whilst DH went for a lie down and I sat out in the back garden, in the shade, with a cool drink. Still can't believe that: Bank Holiday Monday and it was sunny and hot! LOL Refreshed by his nap DH then went on to taking out the bathroom sink plug hole and replacing it with a new one that has an integral pop up plug.

Tuesday: DS was back to work and DH (he gets an extra day off for this one) nipped to Screwfix first thing for some bits to finish the plumbing job, then finished it. We've now got nice, shiney new fittings on the sink that all work properly - unlike the bits he took off! ;0) He then got ready and went off to a fishing pond out at Messingham for another of those man-bonding sessions with his work colleagues. He's getting a dab hand at this fishing lark too, catching 7 or 8 reasonable sized fish this time out (which made up for the zero catch on holiday). Meantime I was busy doing all the jobs I usually get done on a Monday, as Alex was coming round for a natter a day later than normal. Alex stayed a couple of hours and left around 6pm then DH got back around 6.30'ish feeling nicely chilled out. As all the fish he caught went back into the pond at the end of the day we had smoked salmon from the Farmers Market for tea instead. LOL

DH was back to work today, so it's back to being on my tod again. I've been sorting through all the stuff DH took out of the bathroom cupboard so he could do the sink jobs and all I can say is: how on earth did we manage to fit all of that in there? Plus: yuk, time for the congealing out-of-date stuff to go before it gets up and walks out all by itself! If I don't post again you know it's got me. LOL

Thank you for taking the time to visit and for all the lovely comments - very much appreciated. Hope you're all having a good week. :0)

Stitching - Yay!

You will all probably be relieved that this blog will now be getting back to the more relevant and serious things in life once again: stitching! LOL

Another JA/S&S Tuesday UFO Night has been and gone and Guen was glad to receive some attention after two weeks of neglect (got a queenly strop on about not coming away on holiday with us LOL). This time around I managed to complete all of the outlining of the dress and the folds:

That called for stem stitch - not whip stitch as I kept thinking (in brain fart mode again!). Good job I checked the instructions before starting or I would have been spitting - and frogging! I managed to find a bookmarked link to a site that has short video clips for various embroidery stitches, so I watched it a couple or three times before starting: glad to say it helped and I felt more like I knew what I was doing and made a much better job of the stitch this time around. :0)

Next Tuesday there's a chain stitch collar to do in metallic thread and some background, which I think is also in metallic. A HD is so close now I can almost taste it! LOL

I haven't, as yet, started the JA/S&S Monthly Challenge piece for August due to technical problems: my printer quit just before our holiday and it looks like it'll be having a one way trip to the great printer graveyard........... more commonly known as the electrical goods skip at the local amenities site. :0( DH is dithering over whether to network my PC to DS's printer or give in and buy an upgraded model that scans and does a few other things and sounds like it's only just short of having a built in coffee maker. ;0) Hope he decides soon because a printer is desperately needed now for a backlog of chart printing that's fast beginning to resemble a full-on log jam.

Wednesday got off to a good start with a pinkie from Jayne. Inside was:

On the left is this month's COM fabric called Gladioli, which is much more vibrant IRL (the digicam flash has washed the colours out a little). The goodies on the right are the fabric (Chocolate Crush - yum!) and threads for Jayne's new SAL piece called Friends Count that's due to start shortly. Can't wait to receive the pdf and start it, as it's a beautiful piece and sentiment......... and that's another reason for the urgent need of a printer!

Inside the pinkie was a sample swatch for another of Jayne's beautiful hand dyed fabrics that she kindly sent to see if it was what I was looking for for Sea Stars. It's perfect: just the right colour mix, shade and mottling (to suggest a moving sea) that I wanted. In fact it's so spot on I'm beginning to wonder if Jayne is psychic, as it isn't the first time she's been able to come up with the perfect fabric for me just when it was needed.......... it's getting spooky now. LOL I'm going to be a tease and not share a pic though - will wait until all the threads are chosen and it's been started. Well, a girl has to have some secrets. LOL

Thanks for all the kind comments re: my knee etc. The knee is now down to a dull ache (so long as I don't kneel on it or crouch down) and I only occasionally feel the need to take pain killers. I can even tackle the stairs without too much hassle - good job really, with the amount of laundry/ironing I've had to ferry up and down them this week! Oh for the convenience of a separate ground level utility room - a girl can dream! LOL

Angela: Fortunately our 'van wasn't as scarily propped on bricks as some were. Mind, if I'd known the site was like that I wouldn't have booked it (despite DH and DS). Would go back to the Valley again (out of season) but doubt we'll stay at the site again. BTW, you're already doing what Book Crossers do. :0) Registering and adding books doesn't take that long, plus you can even get an explanatory bit to print out and stick in the front of the books before you launch them into the wild. So hope someone picks Labyrinth up soon.

Thanks for all the kind comments - hope you've enjoyed your visits. :0)

A Goal Reached

I set myself a goal earlier in the month: to have the dress pattern on Guenevere fully done before going off on our holiday. I managed to stitch all of the remaining black work pattern and all bar about seven of the metallic infill bits during Tuesday UFO Night and was determined to achieve the goal, so I sat and did those last few infills on Wednesday night. Here's a now fully clothed Guenevere:

I am hoping that Julie and Mr Stick will grant me permission for two weeks leave of abscence from UFO Night. :0) I promise to come back refreshed and ready to tackle the whip stitch that edges the dress and defines the folds in it. LOL

Actually, I had planned on doing the stitching on Guen in the afternoon but a combination of a walk with DH down our local High Street in the morning, when it was that sticky, breathing treacle kind of muggy, and the bright sun we had in the afternoon did for me: not long after sitting down in my armchair I fell asleep and didn't properly wake up until after DS got in from work. How bad is that?

The High Street visit was the result of the optician phoning the day before to let me know that my glasses broke as they were attempting to take out the old lenses, so could I come in to choose a new pair (at a discount) and have them fitted. As these are having much-needed transitional lenses in them and I want them back in time for my holiday doing this was pretty urgent, so DH took the morning off to take me there. I was really boring and chose my usual beigey coloured frames in a similar shape to what I've had countless times before, although these ones have a bit of gold fancywork where the ear post hinge meets the frame. I just don't like anything too flamboyant - the glasses are there to help correct my vision so I can see OK to stitch etc, not take over my face. LOL They've said the glasses should be back Friday afternoon, so fingers crossed! After that it was a trip down to the Building Society, then back up to Tesco Express to get some shopping on the way home. DH left me to put the shopping away so he could get to work.

The Mini is still off the road. Finding a replacement arm thingy has been difficult, thanks to the old style "real" Mini's parts being classed as obsolete by most parts stockists and getting what we need from the place we bought the Mini from is too much hassle this late in the day. Luckily a chance chat DS had with one of the drivers where he works turned up trumps: the drivers DS runs a small garage and he has the part we need, so it's being delivered to DS at work today. DH was hoping to get it fitted tonight but the weather has now broken and it's raining. DS and DH are both off work tomorrow but DS is having a trip to Meadowhall with his friends, to do some clothes shopping, and DH will be helping me pack and doing the thousand and one things that have to be done before we go away.......... so it's doubtful it's now going to get done this side of our holiday. Talk about carp timing!

Yes, I did say the weather has finally broken today. It's still somewhat muggy but is getting gradually cooler as another lot of rain falls. I can almost see the flowers doing a Happy Dance and the lawn seems to get greener each time I look at it! LOL I also feel like doing things again, so have made a start on the non-clothes packing and putting bits we need to take in the hall, ready to go in the back of the car. Plus I am going to finally sort out the stitching projects to take with me: Night Watchman is definitely going and I shall take Alchemy's Copper Beech, in case I fancy a change from cross stitch, but fancy taking a small new start as well. Mother Earth keeps calling too........ do you think taking four projects is a bit O.T.T? Bear in mind that, as well as keeping busy with some evening stitching, DS has said he'd like to go fishing at least once, so I'll need something to do while he and DH are doing that, plus DH and DS plan on doing a couple of bigger walks that not even in my wildest imaginings could I tackle these days, so I shall be spending those times on my tod - no computer access (*sob*), so it's got to be stitching. I don't want to get bored by just stitching on a single project for the fortnight............ hhhmm, maybe I should take a fifth project, just to be on the safe side? LMAO

Many thanks for the kind comments re: the Ozark mystery piece. There seems to be a mixed response to my question about mysteries. I guess it's all down to a case of either not doing them at all, or making a judgement call going by a designers previous pieces - I only decided to do this piece once I knew who the designer was. I've mostly enjoyed this mystery, have been happy that the thread colours have been some of my favourite colours and the patterns have been interesting to stitch and pretty to look at but I think it was a lucky choice, so will still remain cautious about signing up for any more. Call me boring but I definitely prefer seeing the whole design before choosing to stitch it. :0)

Many thanks for taking the time to visit (*wave* to newbies) - hope you're all having a good day, whatever the weather and whatever you're doing. :0)

Another Royal Visit

As yesterday was that time of the week again - Tuesday UFO Night - Queen Guenevere had another outing. I got into the flow of the pattern quite nicely, so that meant I had a good stitching session on her. Here's how she looks now:

This time I also stitched the metallic thread infill, rather than leaving it for next time, which makes it feel like I achieved more. Another couple of sessions and she'll be fully dressed. LOL

My plans to finish the third Christmas ornie on Monday night didn't quite work out, not even getting as far as sorting the right colour beads for it, because after I'd had my tea I promptly fell asleep. When I eventually woke up I just wasn't in the mood for much more than watching a bit of TV before going to bed. Sheesh, sometimes I am more like a geriatric then a woman in her 40's! Am hoping to make up for it tonight.......... that's if the warm day and hanging out and bringing in two loads of laundry hasn't totally wiped me out, so I end up falling asleep after my tea again. LOL

To be honest, when I've had the chance, I've sat with my feet up today (in an effort to stop my ankles from ballooning in the heat) reading my latest book: The Ambassador by Edwina Currie. First one of hers I've read and it was an enjoyable one - although the concept of genetic manipulation being used to that extent and it being considered not only the norm but highly desirable, within a consolidated Europe of the future, was pretty unnerving. Will definitely be keeping an eye open for her other books now. I shall have to choose another read for bedtime tonight...... hmmm, wonder what to go for? :0)

Ooo, nearly forgot: after we saw Alex off on Monday night my neighbour called to us. He's now a proud Dad for the third time, this time to a bouncing baby boy......... and I say bouncing because he was a whopping 9lbs 13oz at birth! (Makes me wince!) Must admit I'd suspected baby had arrived: I knew she was due this month, had heard a baby crying last weekend and we'd spotted there were a lot more visitors than usual. Not that I'm seriously nosey or anything - it was a no brainer. ;0) In true Blue Peter tradition I sent round a Congratulations card that I'd made earlier. LOL Hoping we'll get to see the little one soon - he's no name yet, as they are still trying to decide.

I am now off to get myself yet another cold drink and look for something to make for tea.

Hope those in the UK are enjoying the change from rain to good weather. Thanks to all for visiting. :0)

Here's The Proof.....

that I did actually stitch on Guenevere this Tuesday UFO Night, after a lack of stitching on her during the previous two weeks: I don't fancy tackling lots of metallic thread stitching right at the end of this, so decided to do all of the infill with it this time around - it really sparkles IRL.

Actually I stitched on her Wednesday night too, as I had numerous interruptions on Tuesday night and didn't get much done. DH kept wanting my input for various things on the computer - shouldn't complain, as he was sorting things out for me but it did get frustrating as I only got the odd few stitches in here and there.
Then I had a long phone call from my DSis. She was all traumatised from having a large beetle drop down her cleavage while she was sat watching TV! Apparently that had had her jumping around like a whirling dervish and speaking in tongues, although I reckon what she yelled would have been far from Biblical and the racket she made would definitely have had her next-door neighbours wondering what on earth she was getting up to. She said it was a good thing that the blinds were shut, especially by the time she'd done fishing the beetle out. When I stopped laughing for long enough I rather helpfully pointed out that she probably wasn't as severely traumatised as the poor beetle......... what she said next was most definitely Anglo-Saxon in origin. LMAO
Actually she was quite restrained: after she'd put all her clothing back in place, said beetle was scooped up in a newspaper (not flattened with it) and rapidly evicted from the house into the garden....... so he lives to tell the tale to all his pals. Wonder what they'll make of all that, then? ROFLMAO When my poor DSis rang off she went to have a bath. :0)

By the time I'd done with Guenevere last night there wasn't time to pick up Cleo again, so no HD just yet. I plan on making up for that today though, so watch this space..........

Pics of my Monthly Challenge piece have arrived with Karen and gone in the album - now it's a case of waiting for Reveal Day to see all the finishes. Can't wait!

Helen: hope you enjoyed the coffee, toast and peanut butter. :0) The optician told me that my eye muscles were doing something they shouldn't be doing (over compensating or something) and that was likely responsible for some bad headaches I'd had (in the eye exam it also meant that the vertical black line didn't stay central to the white dot but kept looking like it was wandering off). The prisms are to stop that from happening and help the eye muscles go back to doing what they are supposed to do. Despite the weird optical illusion with flat surfaces my eyes are much better now and there's been no sign of a headache since the first couple of days of wearing them (touch wood!). I'm a happy bunny because I can, once again, see to stitch and watch TV when there's a really good programme on, like Lewis or Bonekickers. :0)

Thank you for taking the time to visit and especially to those who leave comments - it's lovely to get the feedback and know I'm not just rambling away to myself. Hope everyone is having a good day. :0)

Thank You's, A Queen and a Card

To all you kind folks out there: many thanks for the well wishes. Thankfully whatever I had was short-lived and I'm now back to normal (well..... as normal as it gets round here! LOL)

Also thank you for the nice comments about my Challenge piece - they made my day. :0)

After my nasty start to the week I decided to slide back gently into my regular routine. So, after doing a couple of house jobs, I took time out to watch Dawn Bibby's two hour slot on QVC yesterday afternoon whilst completing the first corner motif on the Ozark SAL piece. An enjoyable session as I usually only stitch in an evening. I'll fess up now: I did give in to temptation - only once though. ;0) I've ordered an embroidery on card kit that has brass stencils, metallic threads and a booklet on how to use the goodies - it'll go with the other kit I bought a while ago that I haven't used yet as it didn't have a book explaining the techniques. I'll enjoy experimenting with it all when it gets here.

As it was Tuesday UFO Night yesterday the Queen came out for another outing in the evening:

Am happy with the progress made but I reckon I'll be seeing that dress pattern in my dreams before it's completed! Think I may have a break from the black next week and start on the blending filament infill in those gaps instead - it should brighten it up quite nicely.

Thought I'd also share a pic of a card I made and sent to Dawn last week:

Hope the house move went smoothly and she's nicely settling in by now. Has anyone heard anything?

DH had a brain hurting start to this week: he was on a two-day course, held at the Admin Centre on the Works. He didn't object as it meant an early finish each day, although that didn't mean him getting extra time to chill at home, as he also had Governor's meetings to attend both evenings: one at the Juniors and the other at the High School. It did mean I was in charge of the TV remote, as DS was also out both evenings, so I avoided the usual mix of Dad's Army/Pie In The Sky (DH) and Scrubs/Fresh Prince of Bel Aire (DS) repeats. Yay! I'd much rather be watching a good documentary. :0)

Did I tell you that DS decided, in the end, to go for a small part in the LTC's production of Shakespeare's Henry V? He got it. Not sure how happy he is about it but it'll keep him busy and out of mischief and, who knows, all that flowery Shakesperian language may just grow on him. LOL

My stitching plans for today are to get the second corner motif on the Ozark SAL stitched and, if that doesn't take too long, either do a bit more on the other Queen (Cleo) or put some stitches in to Night Watchman, who has been sadly neglected just lately.
Non-stitching plans are to have a catch up on blog reading/commenting and have a few minutes pottering in my garden, in between the rain showers, at some point today - I need the fresh air and to get close to nature to re-charge myself, so I can work up to having that library trip before too much longer. :0)

Thanks again for all the lovely comments and for taking the time to visit. Hope you are all having a good week and are stitching up a storm. :0)

Fanfare, Please!

No, not for me...... for the Queen........ and not Lizzy II either but Queen Guenevere. Although she hasn't been a particularly long term UFO (I think I started her some time last year) she is now my officially designated Tuesday UFO Night project. Here's a pic: I completed the sleeve cuff and made a good start on her dress pattern - the other bits were stitched previously. There's more work there than it seems: the rest of the dress has to be filled with the pattern; then the plain gaps have to be filled with some cross stitches in blending filament; then the collar of the dress is done in blending filament and finally the dress outline and all the folds are whip stitched. My first go at whip stitch didn't go very smoothly, although it was in blending filament around the sleeves, so am hoping when I come to it again with the cotton thread I do better this time round. I'd nearly forgotten just how much I love blackwork..... think I'll have to add in another design to my WIP round soon.

Well I started this post yesterday (Wednesday) but was interrupted by my two coming home and never got back to it. Men! They do insist on wanting to be fed. LMAO

I've been playing with my cardmaking goodies again. This time around I made a Father's Day tag for Dad, to go by the name plaque at Rosehill:

It was a simple but enjoyable one to make: I used VersaMark ink to stamp the image on the tag, then dabbed brown chalk over it to give that sepia effect. The two dome stickers I chose say free and spirit: Dad was something of a free spirit, especially whilst growing up, and now his spirit can soar freely, released from his body and the pain he suffered. :0)

Next up was an anniversary card for my DBro and his wife:

This one was another easy make, although it took a bit more time to get those paper roses wrapped in that flippin' piece of ribbon so it looked right. My fingers struggle with fiddly these days. *sigh*

I was in an odd mood last night and couldn't settle to any of my ongoing projects so decided on a new start. (I can almost hear the cries of: Oh, no, not another one! LMAO). I don't think I'm in danger of becoming a serial starter (well..... not yet, anyway), as this wasn't another BAP but a quickie: the Twisted Oaks/Dinky Dyes Breast Cancer Needle Nanny. It was quick too, as I started and finished the stitching last night - not bad going for a 1 over 1 piece with my eyes - and today I plan on doing the finishing............. if I ever actually manage to get my butt off this computer chair! LOL Will share a pic next time I blog.

The Monthly Challenge piece has stalled meantime: I've got to work out the positioning of the wording on the back, so it looks right, and keep putting it off. Don't ask me why, as it shouldn't take too long to figure out, but I keep getting a mental block with it. (Another reason for that new start last night). At least I more or less know what I'm doing with it, finishing wise, so that "should" be fairly straightforward.

As for other things: DS went to a reading last night at the LTC. The next production is Shakespeare's Henry V and DS went along to see if he could get along with it enough to try for a small part. He came home muttering, so I don't think he was so keen, but he's now bored and wants to get involved with another production. Sorry folks, you can call me a philistine if you like, but I can't abide Shakespeare: I've tried reading it and watching TV plays and films of all kinds, including modern "updated" versions of it......... and it just leaves me totally cold (a real Snooze Fest, the best insomnia cure ever!) Even if DS does get a part in Henry I will definitely not be going to watch it.

DH is having a silly season again: between work and School Governors he has more meetings than he can physically manage......... unless they clone him, but the busier it gets the happier he is. Oh, and remember the bum pinching, sliding loo seat in my downstairs facilities? Well he's now fixing that for about the sixth time because it keeps sliding and working the screws loose. This time it's serious stuff: he's had a trip to Screwfix, took the seat and lid down to the workshop last night and was re-drilling holes, moving one of the rubber fittings and glueing bits. The loo seat was clamped up and left out there overnight for the glue to set properly and he'll be re-fitting it tonight. Guess who gets to try it out first? Yup, muggins here. Guess who thinks it would have been a whole lot less hassle to have gone to Screwfix or B&Q for a new seat and fitted that instead? LOL

Right, I am off to have a go at some Needle Nanny finishing while I'm still in the mood. If I'm not back blogging to show it off tomorrow then you'll know it didn't go so well. ;0)

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy days to visit and for the kind comments - it's very much appreciated. :0)

A Royal Wednesday

No, I haven't been visited by any of the Windsor family! LOL
Here's the update on Queen Guenevere who now has hands, a golden belt and rainbow sleeves.

Thanks for the tip about the Guttermann's Julie, I will have to remember that for next time a project calls for metallics or filaments.

Here's a scan of The Princess in a posh frame. Sorry it's so bad but DH hasn't been around to take a pic (problems at work keeping him late, again) and I couldn't wait to show it off.
The frame is actually a mirror finish in silver, very shiney, so Erin will be able to see herself in it, and the strips up the side are bands of Mother-of-Pearl. It's probably a bit overly sophisticated for a three year old but the other frame I liked, which had sparkly diamantes around the inner edge, hadn't got a deep enough rebate for the thickness of the mounted stitching. I think she'll like it though. Tuesday was UFO Night but I wasn't able to stitch at all, thanks to having a bad head and stomach. I knew I was feeling rough when the sight of a pink parcel on the doorstep didn't have me rushing to grab and open it >shock< I went back to bed. In the evening I felt too frazzled to concentrate and I didn't fancy a visit from the frogs, so left the stitching well alone.
I did open the pink parcel though: it was the Alchemy chart for the Stitch'n'Stash/Attic Humbug SAL - can't wait for that to start as it's such a lovely cute piece.

Thankfully I'm feeling much better today and, as it's been Craft Day on QVC, I've spent some of the afternoon vegging in front of that whilst stitching - perfect day or what? LOL Although the TSV and some of the Pergamano kits were mighty tempting I didn't succumb to anything.
I've also received my partners' details for the Stitched Christmas Card Exchange on S'n'S Forum. This will be my first ever exchange (I've always been too paranoid about my stitching to join in before) so I hope I get things right. Now all I've got to do is choose a design to stitch........ methinks it may take a while......... I keep changing my mind >roll eyes<.

Tonight was the Little Theatre Club's casting night for their panto Sleeping Beauty and DS has come in from that practically bouncing off the walls: he auditioned for and got the role of Eddie he wanted and it's a much bigger part than he's had in previous productions. It also involves some dancing, a singing duet (which he's apprehensive about) and a whole scene with his character talking to a glove puppet (well, it is a panto!). I am so looking forward to seeing him in that..... and to taking the mickey about his mate the glove puppet. ;0)
BTW Julie, getting him to go shopping is pretty easy as: 1) it means he gets a free feed and 2) he uses Dad's taxi service, so it doesn't cost him petrol. Guess that's his Yorkshire genes outing - his Grandad would be proud! LOL

Well I am off back to stitch on Egyptian Tablet so it'll be worth doing an update pic tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by and for leaving comments, it's much appreciated.

A New Start and New Stash

Not much to share yesterday as I was busy with house jobs and gardening. The front garden has benefited by having another couple of hours spent on it, clipping dead growth and weeding - I knew I'd got some nice plants in there somewhere and it was good to find them again. ;0)

As a reward for all that industry I made a new start last night. Was it one of the two Christmas designs I mentioned in my last post? Nope! Was it one of the Halloween designs? Nope! It wasn't a seasonal design or even a cross stitch piece but something totally different: a blackwork kit I found when rootling round in my stash boxes yesterday afternoon. Here's a pic of last nights progress :
She is called Queen Guenevere and is by Holbein Embroideries. It's a bit different from the other (charted) blackwork I've done, as you first have to trace the outline onto the fabric using a transferable red paper. I must say I'm not overly impressed with this method because, despite being very careful, the paper shed slightly across other areas of the fabric leaving it looking like it's had some rose wine sprinkled on it (not that I'd ever be daft enough to ruin fabric & thread by doing such a thing.............. or waste good wine, for that matter!). It does say it comes off - I sure hope so!
The instructions are a tad basic, as in: just picturing certain areas and with only a small piece of pattern to follow, so I guess it assumes only experienced stitchers will want to stitch it........ which is why, over the years, I've had this out of my stash box on several occasions and put it straight back in again. Guess maybe I'm up for a challenge at the minute! LOL

Today started nicely too: my grumpy postie is back delivering mail again (not complaining: a grumpy postie is waaay better than no postie/mail at all) and the HAED charts I bought from Sally arrived first thing. Am I a very happy bunny. Thanks Sally. :0)
So which two did I succumb to? They are White Magic Storykeep by Jessica Galbreth and Victorian Angel Quick Stitch by Meredith Dillman. Although I have several HAED charts these are the first Storykeep and QS chart additions to my stash.
I guess I really must invest in that light/magnifier very soon to give my eyes a chance at coping!
Plus I really should go join the HAED forum at some point. Although I've been avoiding doing so in an act of desperation...... if I don't go over there I won't see any of those gorgeous charts that the members are stitching (or accidentally stray onto the main site), then I won't be tempted to add any more to my stash.
The theory seemed good but it's just not worked......... has it Sally? ROFL ;0)

I'm hoping tonight will be a good night too, as DH is taking me out to a local pub for a meal - no special occasion. DS will be out babysitting our friends' kids so we'll be on our own and I don't fancy cooking.
OK, I'll hold my hands up: I overdid the gardening bit, am aching all over, and was so shattered last night I kinda forgot to get some meat out of the freezer for tonights tea. By the time DH got in from a works "leaving do" he wasn't up for remembering much of anything either. LOL
Not sure where we're going yet but there are plenty of eating places in and around the town to choose from.

Thank you to those who drop by and for taking the time to leave a comment: it sure is good to know that I'm not always rambling away to myself. Hope you all have a good weekend. :0)

Torrential Tuesday

The weather has been appalling so far: torrential rain for much of the night and morning - we've got a paddling pool in the front garden again and the poor flowers are drooping under the weight of the rain drops on them. It's stopped now but it's so dank, cold and dreary it makes you want to curl up under a fleecy blanket and hibernate....... methinks those hedgehogs have the right idea! As I've got a bit of a cold and my throat is painful (flare up of an old problem) I may just succumb to a fleecy blanket snuggle this afternoon.



I'm still minus a scanner and printer but do have all my previously scanned pics on this computer now, so thought I'd share one of my blackwork Renaissance Angel. I love this piece, which is a Mary Hickmott design from an issue of her New Stitches magazine, and it was an absolute delight to stitch (although, strictly speaking, it should probably be called navy blue work LOL). I have plans to finish it as a wall hanging when I find a suitable fabric for it....... and finally tamed my flippin' sewing machine. That has a nasty habit of galloping off at top speed at the slightest touch of the pedal, scaring me half to death and giving me palpitations in the process, so I tend to avoid it........ which means I have a drawerful of pieces awaiting finishing >roll eyes< and I will get around to them one day.
Just watch out for that low flying squadron of pigs ;0)

I'm once again having fun re-homing stuff via my local Freecycle group.
The mouse hunt and clean-up meant I delved in areas that haven't been delved in for some time and it unearthed a few bits that are now surplus to requirements - well, if I've lived without them for this long, then chances are I can permanently do without them, can't I?
One person's clutter is definitely another one's treasure as just about everything I've ever posted on there has had a taker. Today's offerings are: some cake decorating items; some cutters and some vacuum cleaner bags.
A result already: there's a chap calling for the cake decorating items some time today.
If you're in urgent need of a de-clutter and are desperate to get stuff off your hands, then I can highly recommend using your local Freecycle group. :0)

As today is UFO Tuesday on the Stitch'n'Stash Forum (boy, does that seem to come round quick!) I'll be stitching on Egyptian Tablet again today. This is starting to show the benefit of having some extra time spent on it these last few days and is coming on nicely. DH says he'll be sorting out my scanner and printer tonight, so a pic should be forthcoming soon. Hurray!