Mystery Mitts - Knitting

I started a Mystery Mitts knitting on Ravelry -which is a knitting/crochet community 
It is called "Grand Right & Left"  - you can type that in the search box when you go to the Ravelry page.

I sort of lost my knitting mojo in the sense that I was extremely ill for 2.5 weeks.  I had the flu so bad that I thought I was going to die - it was just awful - I have not had the flu in over 20 years and never got the flu shot.  My immune system is pretty strong. Well, I don't know what happened but this thing kicked my butt - big time.

Anyway, having said that - being sick really takes away your desire for anything and I am a very active / busy person and love getting up early in the morning and planning / starting my day.  All those thoughts and desires go out the window when one is sick - 

Now I am back on track - even though I was sick for 2.5 weeks , it still took another week for me to feel close to 100%  - close - When April appeared - I think I hit 100%   I love Spring and all the anticipation and excitement that comes with it, nice weather, green trees, flowers peeking - all so good!

Feeling better has put me in the mood to start all the things!  
I have a new quilt I want to start (granny square quilt), a few embroidery patterns lined up , a few cross stitch items started from the Frosted Pumpkin - 
I am working on the Woodland Sampler - a chart comes out a month -
Just purchased the Spring Sampler - which I will not start until I get through April of the Frosted Pumpkin - hmmmm - this may take a while :)

Today - back to where this blog all began up above haha - I worked on Clue 1 of the Mystery Mitts - I have tons of yarn , tons, but did not have what I needed for this project .  Off the the LYS , to purchase Cascade 220 sport which I purchased in three colorways. One is teal ( which is what I am working with ) , one is a fushia pink , and the other a green heather.   Had to change the fact that I don't own any sport weight yarn.  
Also purchased the size 4 dpn - I only had them in metal and for me they are cumbersome to work with. These Knitters Pride Dreamz - are 5" and a joy to work with.   

Now for what you have been waiting for:  the photo:  My Supplies

Clue 1 Done:  Lots of texture - easy to follow and so much fun!  I really like how these are turning out!

This is worked from the cuff up and you are only seeing half of the pattern - the other half is on the other side of the needles  - If I did this magic loop you could probably see more of the pattern - but it is quite nice!

The photo shows the color to be blue -

it is actually a teal color - 

Thanks for stopping by and updates are to follow - look out for the Frosted Pumpkin Cross stitch updates!!!

Episode 3 - Cable Love!!!

Hope this works!!!  Sorry about all the background noise - ;(

Episode 2 - Craziness!!!!

Craziness!!

Show Notes:

Finished Objects:  Felted Clogs by fiber trends - second pair done!

WIPS:  1) Afterthought heel socks - Tutorial Afterthought Heel- click on tutorials link - awesome!

2) Rocky Coast Cardigan - on Ravelry

3) Multnomah Shawl - Multnomah

In the Horizons:

1) Daybreak Shawl - Stephen West - Shawl

Spinning- Fibers purchased from Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival in October 2012

Book Review:  Mostly Mittens -color work

KAL - All things Owl!  Get your Owls on!!! Post pictures - :)  Please -

Knitting Podcast Episode 1 - All Things Owl!

Welcome!  So glad you are here. I am hoping to upload a video twice a month regarding all needlework happenings.  Specifically - my addiction - knitting, spinning and all things yarn and fibery.
You can find me on Ravelry as ButterflyKnitter (podcast group, and Butterflyjones07

Enjoy!

Show Notes:

Finished Objects:  2 hats - Real Men Wear Beanies - free pattern on Ravelry
                               Fiber Trends Felted Clogs - one pair felted, one pair unfelted
                               Snow Cowl - free pattern found on Ravelry

WIPS:                     2 - socks - after thought heel socks -
                             
In the Horizons:     1 -Evanstar Shawl - pay for pattern on Ravelry
                               2 - Daybreak shawl by Stephen West - pay for pattern on Ravelry
                               3 - Color Work Mittens -

Listen in to see how you can join in for our Ravelry Knit all Things Owl thread - and prize drawing!
Thank you!

Knitting, Spinning and Kitten....

I am back, yes it has been a while - I have been spending time cleaning and sprucing up the outside and the inside of our home.  The inside to me is a constant process because I love to paint!  I cannot paint a picture for the life of me or even draw - not even a stick figure - but I can paint walls till no tomorrow and I love it.  I have been in my home for 10 years and have painted the whole house over 3 times already and some already their 4th time - and still painting.  Love the fresh smell and new color - I love color and I love a new look - maybe too much  !  Good thing hubby doesn't mind - he comes home and never knows what color a room will be.  Works for me.
Another thing that has been keeping me busy is this little guy:

This is Junior - He is 8 weeks old now - it all started when my daughter went to the APF (animal protective foundation) and picked up a gorgeous kitten - his name is Jasper - and he is adorable - playful and full of personality - I just love him.  I was jealous and two weeks later had to come home with my little one - of course he was 6 weeks old when he came home with us - neutered and has his shots - but boy was he tiny.  I could hold him in the palm of my hand.  He was so quiet and not playful at all.  Then two weeks went by and now he is into all his toys and playing and just loves to cuddle - I think that is his favorite thing to do.  He purrs forever and ever.  Sweet little boy.
Here is a picture of my daughters kitten - he is now 4 months old - I really think he is a Bengal tiger mix cat - the vet thinks so as well.

Is he not gorgeous!  Here he is 3 months old.

Okay so now on to some fibery goodness:  I have been spinning some coopworth fiber that I purchased last year.  It is a pound of fiber .  I split the batch in half and dyed in two different dye baths.  One with more black in it and the other a little lighter - , black, yellow and a purplish color - then I put each batch in a separate bag- carded them with my hand carders (doing this as I go)  and spun a ply of each batch and then plied them together.
Here is the photo of the before and after dye process:

The top photo shows the original Coopworth off the sheep and the bottom shows the darker of the dye baths.  This is 8 oz in this bowl.

Here is the fiber all spun up and plied.  The Larger skein has 160 yards, and the smaller skein is 75 yards , it is between a sport weight and dk weight yarn

I was unsure how the yellow would do in this skein but I actually like the way it turned out.!  Now to keep on spinning and plying.  I have a way to go!  

Yesterday our family spent the day in Saratoga NY just walking around and looking at all the little shops .

One of the indoor mini malls has a new soap shop with hand made soaps.  Just opened two weeks ago.  What a nice surprise - someday I will make my own but for now this is what I purchased at McGillycuddy's

So on the left is Complexion Oatmeal, the middle is Lavender Vanilla Oatmeal

on the right is Tea Tree Dermal.  

All good for the skin. Cannot wait to try these.  

The large Celtic round soap is Rosemary Mint made with Schoharie County Milk Soap.  Smells divine!

Next up went to Common Threads - yarn shop in Saratoga.  I have not been to the shop in a long time.  I went straight to the section where the sock yarn is and found this:

Malabrigo

I just adore this yarn , I have to say it is one of my favorites to work with.  I have a pair of socks on the needle right now from a previous skein I purchased that is a darker green colorway .  So soft and cushy.

I plan to make something very pretty with this yarn.  A shawl or something - this really needs to be shown off - I love making socks but I think this deserves a better showing! I love green and the golden rod color and all the orange (which is brighter in person) and all the different shadings of color makes this a fantastic colorway! 

Wish I could take a better photo of this .  I tried several times and this was the best I could get.  It has 440 yards and if my shawl is larger then I will add a yarn to it that I had spun myself for the edging that should compliment this yarn nicely.

Happy Feet and then not so happy ..

As mentioned in the previous post - I finished two out of the four pairs of socks that were in different stages of knitting.
The first pair - are "Plain Vanilla Socks" - originally I used size 2.5 circular needles so that I could try making them on one circular needles and see how I liked them and how quick they were compared to dpn's (double pointed needles) which happen to be my favorite.  I don't know what it is but I love dpn's.
As I finished the socks on the circular - my gauge was off  - sock was huge - casted on 64 stitches and knitting in plain stockinette stitch - created a wide - fabric
It took me a year but I finally ripped the whole thing out as I really love the yarn.  I picked up my 2.25 dpn and casted on 64 stitches, ended up decreases down the foot to 60 stitches which was a much better fit for me.  I tend to think I have fat feet - maybe I really do not.  I do have a size 8 foot though  - but I like a snug sock.
So without further ado:

Plain Vanilla Socks - using Regia - Kaffe Fassett - design line

Here you can see the heel - I picked up two extra stitches to prevent holes and it worked - I really like how there are no holes in the side - great technique - these are pre-blocking.
I have since blocked these and they are so cushy - really love this yarn.














Next up are the socks I made with yarn I won in a give away - it was hand dyed and 100% wool - not washable and no nylon but I wanted to make the infamous "Monkey" socks - this journey started like 2 or more years ago - but I picked them up and finished them

I made sure I worked on these with attention - came out perfect - but as I did soak them in the Eucalan wash and let them air dry - I did throw these two pairs in the dryer to fluff and finish drying - Big Mistake!!! These Monkeys felted - I was so upset with myself - I usually knit socks that can be washed - with sock yarn - but I thought I would remember these would felt - guess what - I didn't remember - I was so annoyed - so now these will fit someone with a size 6 or 6.5 shoe size - ugh
I guess I will have to make more Monkeys.....
till then.
have a sweet , wonderful weekend and enjoy the time with your family and friends.  Time is so precious!
Enjoy every moment.

So Proud....

I have been super busy the past month or so..
and this is why:

My daughter was in our local newspaper - she graduated friday 5/13/11 from Ellis School of Nursing in Schenectady, NY - her hat is being adjusted by her best friend / also her maid of honor in her wedding back in December.  I am so proud of her as she has had a tough time getting through this last rotation of nursing school - but she did it and I am so so so proud of her.
She has an interview this morning at Albany Medical Center  - Albany , NY  for the pediatric unit.  Her wish is to end up in the nicu  .
She will take her boards in July.  I am one proud mama - can you tell.

I have been knitting - really - I have - :) - I decided to take on smaller projects through all this - so I went back and found four pair of socks in all different stages of the knit process - I finished one pair and am on the toe of the second sock of the second pair - make sense?  ?  ha
I will share those with you tomorrow
Please , just share in my joy for now
Thank you so much for your patience and for listening !

PurlSoho Loot

Last Saturday I took a train from Upstate NY to meet my daughter and her husband who were already in NYC for the weekend  - We had an awesome time,  visited the Bodies Museum which was totally amazing and will definitely go again .  My daughter is in nursing school and will be graduating in May and taking her Boards - her goal as an RN is to work in pedes in a local hospital .  Quite proud of her.

Onto the real deal of visiting the city - yes I wanted to be with my kids but planning a trip to Purl/Soho was an absolute must!  So I had it all mapped out and how to get there and everything from the Museum.  It was so crowded down in the city on Saturday (I should have known)  So much to do that by the time we actually arrived it was 15 minutes to closing time.  Ugh!  Good thing I knew what I wanted.  It is a small shop but packed with such goodness I couldn't even begin to describe it.

My daughter walked away with a yard of  "Innocent Crush" by Anna Maria Horner - Westminster Fabrics
a bit expensive but she fell in love with it and wants me to make an apron out of it for her.  So pretty!

Here is the little card I walked away with from the counter:

If one has never visited their webpage or their shop - One must!  I have no affiliation with them whatsoever except that I am a happy customer.
This is what I walked away with:

Sashiko Anyone???

A couple of Sashiko panels to work on - never done this before but I have done hand quilting and embroidery and cross stitch and love the look of Sashiko - so I am willing to play with this and make them into pillows for my bed.  Someday!  Hopefully soon.  Maybe a nice summer project.  I have all the threads and special needles that help make this project a success

The threads on the left will be for my birds and flowers and the two medium blues on the right will be for the design on the right in the above photo.  I am not a blue person - I prefer green but I think it will be a nice change and the color blue in person is so pretty.  Hard to depict in the photo the true color.

Anyone else enjoy doing Sashiko - any suggestions or comments ??  Please post :)

Thanks for coming and visiting me at my blog.

Rose Hill Plantation = Finished!!

I am happy to say that I worked out the chart for 2010 and stitched it all up this morning!  Quite easy !

I am super happy 

 

I am super happy with the way this turned out!  The fabric is just a little darker than what the photo shows and it is hand dyed linen - 32 count - 

It really did not take long to stitch up.  I had started it back in Sept 2010 - ran out of one of the specialty threads and when I went to pick it up the shop was out of it.  Then I finally picked up the thread and didn't have the time.   Now that my daughter has been married three months I figured it was high time to focus on this project and get it completed.  So glad I did!  I already picked out the frame from the LNS - now all I need to do is give this a good pressing - - using a towel on the back side of the stitched piece and no water in the iron as there are dyed threads in the work and I don't want it to bleed  - patience will get me through the pressing .  Hopefully by Friday I can bring it down to the LNS to have it framed - .  Cannot wait to show you the final piece.

Next up:  I started the LHN  "Love One Another"  - moving quickly - quite cute - 

Isn't he sweet???? - Since there is no back stitching , I was afraid the little lions face wouldn't show up but it does - soft and sweet.  Cannot wait to work on the lamb - (sheep) since I am using Wisper - for the soft wooly look!  Stay tuned!

Also started a HUGE - project - it is a freebie I found on the web - by HAED  called "Dreaming" - will post a photo as soon as I put some stitches in it.  I also have all kitted up another freebie by HAED - called "Stolen" - done in mostly blacks / greys / .  I have the notion of changing the pointy ears so it is more human - I am not into elves - or things of that nature - to each his own :)

Cross Stitch Update and Stash

Hello again,
Yes I have been busy but I have caught up on my "Rose Hill Plantation" piece by LHN -
I had to graph out the chart so that I can put "Smith Hill Plantation" - and I still need to graph out the chart for 2010 which is the year my daughter got married - Dec 2010 - she went from a Jones to a Smith now! Gotta love it.

         

All I have to do is finish the flower in the lower right hand box at the bottom and to graph and stitch 2010 in the upper right.  I went to my local cross stitch shop and picked out the frame - it is gorgeous - it has roses carved out in it - cannot wait to have this framed - It is a surprise - my daughter has no idea I am making this and she never ever checks blogs  .  Not even mine :)  That is good I suppose!  I am really happy with this piece!









While at the shop I picked up a few things :  My next project will be "Love One Another"  also by LHN
This will be done on 28 -ct  Cashel linen - in natural - which I purchased today along with DMC 3865 which is winter white and Wisper - which will give the sheep a wooly look and feel.  Excited about that!  I love sheep!

 

Here are two new charts I picked up as well  

I couldn't figure out how to rotate the photo  - if anyone knows - please tell me :)  Thanks in advance
Anyway this is Just Nan - Bluebird Alphabet = and I purchased the two specialty threads that was needed - I just love greens - this is greens and blues.

OOoops!  Here it is again - turned sideways - cannot figure out how to change that...bummer.
these are really cute charts by LizzieKate - I fell in love with this one as it has a retro feel to it with that mushroom  - sweet!

I sure do hope you have a great weekend - I will be spending the day in Newburgh, NY at an all day Bible Assembly - cannot wait!

Lily's Quilts: Moda Bake Shop and a Giveaway

Lily's Quilts: Moda Bake Shop and a Giveaway

amy a la mode

amy a la mode

Check out this blog - and enter to win awesome fabric by the 2/28/11

Vintage...

I have had this awesome quilt top that a friend of mine gave me back in the fall - it is a 1930's quilt top that was given to her grandmother and her grandmother has had it in her possession for fifty years plus - she never did anything with it - I was shocked she would give it to me ( I am friends with her grandmother as well)  - She said since you like to quilt that I would appreciate it and could have it.  Wow!
I had it appraised and it is worth about $100 as is without being quilted  - it is all hand pieced and the pattern is called "Hummingbird Pattern" - Quilted it would be worth $500 or more - but I love it so much I am keeping it.
I had the appraiser who is also an avid hand quilter come back and show me how to quilt it and how it would have been done to match its time - larger quilt stitches and 1/4" away from seam - so that is what I am doing.
I am using wool batting which is a dream to quilt with and I am loving every second I can work on it.  I am using quilt quality muslin on the back.

Here it is:
It took me a week to hand baste the quilt.  One of the issues I had to deal with is that some of the blocks were not flat - so no matter what I did I could only baste it the best I could - that is the human aspect of hand quilting - love the fact that I am continuing on with what someone started oh so long ago - this quilt was appraised at the 30's - I am tickled!  I have such a warm feeling and sheer delight that comes over me every time I just look at it!  Handling it is awesome - has such a cozy feeling to it especially with the wool batting - nice loft!  Please slick on the photos to really appreciate it:

Just wanted to give you an idea of the different prints included in this quilt.  I am not a fan of yellow but I love it in this quilt and the white is refreshing .  There were no holes in this quilt at all - a few fingerprint stains which I tried to get out with a special cleaner from the quilt shop.  It didn't fully remove it but it is so light , it is hard to see it.





Now to keep with the vintage theme - this is a fat quarter piece of vintage sheeting that was sent to me along with a pincushion .  I just adore this fabric and now I have started my own collection of vintage sheets and pillowcases to make a quilt.

So many photos to share I have been so busy - but will work on updated this blog more often.  I have a new computer and trying to get used to how to upload photos from my phone to the blog.  It is easy , I just keep forgetting what I need to click on.

In reading news - I am trying to read Romeo and Juliet - never ever read it - time to catch up !  Also an interesting historical book - "A Midwife's Tale"    I am in for some good reads I think!


Please do leave comments :)  Love them!

Awesome Fabric Give A Way

Come join the fun if you love to sew or quilt.  Alamodefabric is having an awesome giveaway.  Go quickly it ends Monday 1/31/11

Best Wishes to you all!

Rhinebeck Stash...

I know you are all probably in shock.  Well, its been crazy busy at my house as I have a daughter planning a December wedding and so it goes with all the details of a bridal shower, fittings, decorations, you name it.  The shower is this Saturday and I have yet to get started on making the food.

So, I happen to have the day off and I am catching up on some necessary phone calls to make and arrangements for my car to have an oil change and whatever else it may need.  I do a lot of travelling with my job - my car needs to  be in good shape.

I finally am here to share with you some of the purchases I made at the Rhinebeck NY Sheep and Wool Festival   For the first time, hubby came with me and my two boys who are 15 and 14  , they really love it .  Hubby actually was in no rush to leave (as I was afraid he would be before I was ready) and even said on the drive home that he looks forward to it next year.  Is it possible they had a better time than I did??? No!  but I was so pleased to see everyone enjoying themselves.  It is truly a fun family event!

First purchase here

This is so pretty and so soft!  It is Peruvian Alpaca in white , I purchased 3 skeins and this is a vender who actually lives and works about 20 min from my home.  "A Touch of Twist" in Pattersonville, NY - great couple and fantastic fibery stuff to play with.  This is a 2-ply yarn sport weight.  334 yds per skein.

Next up:

Amazing merino/silk  lace yarn from Skaska Designs - this is the woman who wrote the books on Russian lace shawls - she is fantastic.  Loved chatting with her.  She has an awesome shawl coming out in Jan 2011 in the Piecework Magazine - cannot wait.  Anyway - this yarn is so pretty - in person - shading is a little off in the photo but the sheen on this yarn is amazing -  It is 18/2 lace weight and 1285 yards.

Next:

This is 4 oz of 70% Suri Alpaca / 30% merino   in a light plum color - from Flaggy Meadow Fiber Works
Soft, cannot wait to spin this up.  I am still looking to purchase a Turkish spindle - hoping to maybe use this fiber to try the Turkish spindle out with.  If not, I will be spinning it on my Russian Supported Spindle.

I also purchased some home made soaps, hand softening creams, and lots of food , naturally.  What a great day we had.

Next up I want to share with you a pair of mittens I made:

I made these mittens from some sport weight acrylic/wool yarn I had on hand and that little ball there is all I had left.  Worked out perfectly.  These are the "Susies Reading Mitts"  on Ravelry  a free pattern.  They are so cute and fun to make - I did the smallest size and they fit my adult working hands perfectly.
I actually made these for a young girl who works at my local Dunkin Donuts.  - one day she commented on another pair of fingerless gloves I had made - and she said Oh I want those gloves!!!! - so I went home and made these for her.  When I presented them to her she couldn't believe it - she was in shock that someone would even do that.  Two days later - she made me accept my coffee on her dime - she absolutely loves her mitts!  These are a light grey color - I was not sure what color she liked but figured these would go with anything.  Now I want a pair!  :)

Sheep and Wool Festival

No photos today :(  but, hubby decided he would go with me and the boys to Rhinebeck, NY - every third weekend in October - there is a Sheep and Wool festival being held - I didn't go last year and we are going this Saturday.  I cannot wait.  Supposed to be a beautiful fall day.  Not looking for anything in particular but hope I do get my hands on a Bossie spindle, and a turkish drop spindle.  Of course some fiber to spin, looking out for some pretty gray wool / wool blend yarn for a sweater.  Ok , so  maybe iI do have a few things on my mind, looking forward to a fun day with my family.
Rhinebeck - check it out!
I will share some photos when I get back!

I know it is not Monday....

Hello.  I realize I was supposed to post on Monday - yup..somehow the week got away from me and it is now Friday.  I do have a reason, really I do!  I started back to work with a new schedule - so it takes me a week or two to get used to the new routine.  During the summer work slows down and I am basically not working - so no schedule , no routine - not really - so I have been feeling very tired...
So now I decided to take a few pictures with my new Verizon Incredible phone and see if it would be easier to post pictures from my phone rather than my camera.  For some reason when I use my camera, I have to save it to a disk first, then upload pictures from the disk to here - too many steps , I think.
So without further ado:  here we go:

Before we headed down to the Cape, we took a day and went to Boston, my favorite shop there is Windsor Buttons - so many neat crafty things there - but I go for their yarn - cool hand dyed yarns , cool awesome top of the line yarns , wool, sock yarn - you name it.  So hubby purchased this for me

This is Dream in Color SMOOSHY - yum - this is the first time I have ever owned a skein of this yarn and it is heavenly - I knew exactly what sock pattern I was going to use and they are for me!!! Yeah.  This is 4 oz, 450 yards of goodness -  color is Shiny Moss.  I just love green - so organic - natural.

Here it is all wound up:

I cannot even begin to tell you the gorgeous colors that flow through this yarn - I was not sure how it would knit up but it is very soft and squooshy - (is that even a word)

I am using a free pattern from Ravelry  If you haven't joined - go ahead, so much to explore - it is free!  Free!
Oh yeah, I got carried away - it is a free pattern - Spring Forward socks from Knitty 2008 -  another awesome site for knitters, lot of tips too!

This pattern starts off with about 10 rounds of K1 tbl (through the back loop) , P1, then starts the pattern repeat - lacy and quite easy pattern to memorize - I got through one  - 24 row repeat and am now on the second repeat - I am using size 1 - 2.25 dpn (double pointed needles) - I tried to use 4 and knit with the fifth but this is way to fiddly for me - I prefer to knit using 3 needles and knit with the fourth one.  I move along much quicker and less frustration with me having to push the extra needle out of my way - these are shorter length needles than the standard 7" size you can buy.

There you go:  Cross stitch update on Monday and a new adventure for me :  soap making!
stay tuned.

Back From Vacation...

Just posting a note that our family is back from Cape Cod.
We left last week Monday for Boston for the day , took a ride on the Duck Tour - such fun!  Learned a lot about the history of MA - in that area.  Then left for Cape Cod , first off to offer Bible Studies to those in that area - then a few days vacationing - on the beach - gorgeous - white sand beaches - I wish we could have stayed another day - .  Came home on Friday , did laundry for two days - !
Then Monday night I was struck instantly with head pain - all on my forehead and top of my head , it wouldn't go away no matter what I did , I have never experienced pain like this before!  The pain was so unbearable I finally went in to the Dr - 8:30 am didn't leave till 1pm - they did blood work testing for Lyme - they did CScan make sure nothing was happening in my brain - (Clear)  :)  - finally concluded that the migraines I get 3 times a year on the right side of my head (hormonal Migraines) - are changing and for the worse - Great I thought!  So finally after years of asking for meds for the migraine they finally prescribed me some - I took one went to bed and woke up feeling Fantastic!
Haven't done much needlework at all!  But will post some photos of progress I made on my X-St soon -
I was able to knit up a few wash cloths for my daughter - came out quite nice - and trying to finish up a second sock I started for my daughter long ago.
Other news is that I go back to work at the college - starting on Tuesday so my free time is limited - lots and lots - my one day off is Monday - so you may see my postings on Mondays -
Thanks,
Have a Super Day

Rose Hill Plantation Update and More...

Oh what a great week this has been, I have been able to work on my LHN Rose Hill quite a bit since last Friday - in between here and there - and received both packages in the mail in the giveaways that I won.  What a special treat these gifts were :)

First off I am going to share my LHN update:

So here is the update from last Friday 7/31 to Monday 8/2.  I was able to finish most of the house , but ran out of the Crescent Colour "Dandelion Stem" - now mind you, if I didn't have to rip out the whole two smaller sections of the house on the right - I would have had enough thread to finish the left - but it was so worth it to have the stitches counted right and have my whole piece line up properly.  This will be a gift to my daughter and I want it done right :)

The photo above shows what I have done since Wednesday 8/4 and Thursday 8/5 - in between doing laundry, cleaning house and working on a five minute presentation I have on a Bible topic - Which I spent all morning yesterday working on and now need to refine it and type it up.

I am so happy with this cross stitch piece - it has been fun and easy to work up - the whole bottom is done except for the wording as I want to add a different name to it - but I will finish it all up and add the name later - then frame it!

I have yet to buy the Crescent Colour that I need as the owner of the cross stitch shop went into the hospital to have surgery and she is only open Wed - Sat - and I just didn't have the time to run over there on Wed - she had her surgery yesterday.   Most likely I will go into the shop on Wed of next week to pick some up - hopefully she has it in stock.  When I originally purchased the thread two weeks ago she only had three on the rack.  Hmmmmm!   A half finished house is no fun!

Ok so now onto the goodies I received in two giveaways:

First I received a package from Bette :

As you can see she sent awesome magazines of the Cross Stitcher which I have never had myself and some Shepherd Bush designs - a few were of Christmas themes - which I do not participate in but can use ideas of the sheep and things on the Shepherd Bush stocking - Love Sheep!  I do , I do , I do!

And those scissors - aren't they awesome!  Never treated myself to a cute pair before!

Here is another photo:

A closer look at the scissors - not the greatest photo - but hopefully you get the idea!

Now for the second drawing I won from MyFirstBambina

What fantastic threads and cross stitch and embroidery stash to be had here :)  I was delighted to open the cute Sunflower Book box (below in photo) to open up a treasure of layer after layer of fantastic fiber and fabric and projects to play with.  Linen threads. Valdani (which I have never heard of) and the light green Clover thread - what fun!

and look at those fabrics - so soft and pretty - I don't know where to start!  She too sent me an awesome pair of scissors - hmm , have I forgotten to post a photo of that???  I thought I had it in there - guess that will be for next time....

Have a great weekend!

Cross Stitching Stash

Just wanted to share some charts I have picked up in the past few weeks.  Two are Black Bird Designs Series Anniversaries of the Heart - I  have Charts 4 and 5 out of 12 - one for each month - they are about 5 X 5 in design size - may do them all on one piece of linen once I get a few more charts.

This is Pink Hill Manor - chart 4

This is Farm House - Chart 5  They are so adorable - cute and fun!












Last but not least is my favorite designer as well LHN - Love One Another!  I love sheep and the fact that God promises one day soon the animals will live in peace with one another along with humans.  Isaiah.

Happy Stitching!