October 27, 2013

Final Giveaway Winners

I put 5 names into a bowl to pull the two winners of the last two kits I had for my October giveaway.  Thanks to everyone who entered the drawings - I wish I could send a kit to each of you!


I don't have the patience tonight to figure out how to get these to load right so you'll have to get a little neck stretch!  Tessa gets the lady bug kit, very fitting given her blog name and Bev will get the love pincusion. 

Ladies, lease email me your mailing address and I will get your kits out to you this week!

October 26, 2013

52 Weeks of Happy-Week 43 & Giveaway Reminder!

I didn't take many photos this week so I only have a few happy things to share this week.

First off was finishing my mitts.  I knit the 2nd one tighter than the first and it fits much better.  I will probably try these again using one size smaller needles and see how they turn out. 

The color is gorgeous and I have already put them to good use as it's been down in the low 30s the last few mornings.  Ugh!  They are predicting 20s for the start of the week.

I was able to get pants on my male caroler and that made me very happy.  I just may be able to finish this block by the end of the month.  Or at least come really close!


And today I finally stopped procrastinating and washed and blocked my Cosette shawl which was finished earlier this year.  I hope it will dry quickly so that I can begin wearing it.  I like the colors I chose but if I knit this again, I will choose colors that contrast more sharply with each other.

The picot edging used up a LOT of pins and took quite a bit of time to pin out.  I sure hope it retains it's definition.

Tomorrow I will be pulling the final two names for my last breast cancer kit giveaway so be sure to leave a post if you're interested in being entered. 

October 22, 2013

Spooky Sunday Stitching

On Sunday I gave some attention to my PS All Hallow's Eve piece.  I was able to complete a good bit of the upper left corner.

Here's what it looked like the last time I stitched on it.  And here's what it looks like now!
I just love Prairie Schooler charts - not a lot of colors, fun motifs and just a great design!

I finally made it to the post office today and mailed out all 4 of the little breast cancer kits to their new owners. One is going as far as Australia so that might take a bit longer but the rest should arrive later this week.

October 21, 2013

Last 2 Breast Cancer Giveaways

Here are the last two kits from my October Breast Cancer giveaway.  I will draw the winning two names on Sunday, October 27 so be sure to leave a post if you're interested in winning one of them.  Good luck!

Lady Bug Scissor keep

Love Pincushion


October 20, 2013

Week 3 Breast Cancer Giveaway Winners

I put three names into one of my little antique tins and out came the following winners:

In The Pink goes to Anna/Stitch Bitch

and Lend a Hand goes to Melody/Bookwoman Stitches

I wish I had three to giveaway this week but there is still a chance to win.  I will be posting the last two kits tomorrow. 

October 19, 2013

52 Weeks of Happy & WIPocolypse Update

I only have a few photos for my happy things this week so I thought I'd combine it with my WIPocolypse update because my progress on it makes me happy too!

I started a new knitting project recently that wasn't a sock and I finished the first part this week - a fingerless mitt.  I also managed to start the 2nd one and I hope to get it finished quickly as the first one knit up surprisingly fast.
I also completed the week 3 stitching on Mary's Sampler.  I am looking forward to what will be added when the next part is released tomorrow.
 This is where it was for the September update photo and below is where it is currently. 

And finally, my WIPocolypse update photo of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow.  I am working very hard to finish this by the end of the month but I'm considering switching to my PS Halloween piece because it's October and tis the season!

October 17, 2013

Harvest Fest

I thought I would share a few photos of some of the activities that took place on Saturday as part of Kennebunk's Harvest Fest.  Unfortunately, the day was cloudy and pretty chilly - in the high 50s but the breeze made it feel a bit cooler I thought. 

I walked up to the library to return a book and then stopped at the farmer's market.  In addition to the usual stalls, there was a craft fair going on as part of the Harvest Fest activities and lots of kids in anticipation of the Halloween parade which was going to start at 11am. 

The town was looking very seasonal and you can see the brilliant leaves even though the day was cloudy.  Lots of people were picking out their viewing location and waiting for the parade to start.
They finally stopped traffic in the center of town and the parade began with a Scottish pipe band.  They were really good!
  And then came the kids and families all decked out in their Halloween finery. 
And at the very end, came this lovely couple riding in a black Courvette on the back of a flatbed for safety's sake of course!
And this fun old car decorated for Halloween.  Can yo make out all the creepy spiders?  Ugh...
This weekend there's a costumed 5k fun run and other activities.  I'm not sure I'll make it to anything more but I'm really glad I was able to view the parade!  Maybe next year I'll have to get my "kid" a costume and walk with him!  LOL 

October 14, 2013

October 20th Breast Cancer Kit Giveway

Okay, the next two kits have just been pulled from the box o'
stash and up for grabs this week are:

In the Pink

and 

Lend a Hand

It is very bittersweet to be giving away these kits in light of Cathey's passing.  It is just so wrong to me for children to be left behind as a result of deaths from breast cancer and Cathey's much anticipated, much loved and adored little boy and her husband are so on my mind.

Together we can find cures for this thing called cancer but we have to keep on fighting and funding to do it.  I hope you will consider making a donation locally to support programs and people in your area.

I will draw two winning names on Sunday, October 20th.  I hope your week is off to a good start!

October 13, 2013

Giveaway Winners and Plum Street's Mary's Sampler Progress

Okay, it's time to announce the winners for the 2nd week of my October giveaway for breast cancer month.  I had four entries so I wrote them down and put them into a ziploc bag. 

I had planned to have a friend draw the winning entries when we met for brunch today but we got talking and I forgot so I had to draw them myself this evening.

So, Kaye, you are the winner of Shoot for the Moon and PJ you are the winner of Rose of Hope.  Please get in touch with your mailing address and I will get these into the mail for you ASAP. 

I will be drawing the next two kits tomorrow and posting the photos so if you didn't win this week, there's two more weeks to try.  Thanks to all who participated!


And finally, I wanted to share my progress on Paulette Stewart's mystery stitchalong, Mary's Sampler.  I finished part two last night and will be starting part three tomorrow. 

I finally decided on a color for the sashes after trying three different ones.  It is Heron Blue by WDW.  I also had to double stitch the arch around the star to get it to show up enough on my fabric but I think it adds a little texture. 

I kind of wish I had chosen a darker color linen but I can always stitch it again.  I love how quickly these little motifs stitch up.  Are you stitching along?  It's fun!

October 12, 2013

52 Weeks of Happy - Week 41 & Giveaway Reminder

First off the REMINDER:  I will be drawing the names of this weeks winners of the next two breast cancer kits tomorrow so if you're planning to enter your name, now's the time to do it!

And now for this week's happy things. 

The leaves have started to come down and it makes our walks nice and crunchy!  I'm so happy I don't have to rake any this year. 

Even thought it's the 2nd week of October, these flowers on Main Street are still going strong despite several frosty overnights.  The town does such a fabulous job of beautifying Main Street and these beds are scattered all over.

I recently got a library card at my new library and this was the first book I took out.  It was written by a man with Tourette's syndrome and it's a wonderfully inspiring book about making a great life despite a very challenging health condition.  I LOVED this book and would definitely recommend it. It makes you thankful for your own life.



And finally, I have loved seeing the decorations around town for Halloween.  This town takes Halloween seriously!  Many home owners have decorated with pumpkins and every business on Main Street has some kind of "scarecrow" outside their storefront.  This couple really freaked Beau out - he was sure they were real!  I will share more Halloween fun as there was a lot going on in town today.

I hope your week was a happy one.  They are winding down quite quickly.

October 7, 2013

October 13 Giveaway

Okay I pulled two more kits out of the giveaway box and I will draw the winning names on Sunday, October 13th.  Anna, you will have to wait another week!

Shoot for the Moon

Rose of Hope

Hope your week is off to a great start.  It's Monday and that means The Voice for me and some Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow stitching I think. 

October 6, 2013

TUSAL and Giveaway Winners


I'm a little more timely with my TUSAL posting for September.  I had quite a few contributions in September as I had a Halloween exchange that needed stitching and I continued to stitch away on block 7 of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow.  I really need to take a photo of my progress but it's hard to put down!
It's very gloomy here today so I took this into the kitchen and photographed it on my dining room table.  I put out my Halloween decorations yesterday and the house is looking much more seasonal!

And on to the first Sunday giveaway I posted about on Sunday, Laura and Christina are this week's winners.  I will be posting photos of the next two kits tomorrow.  Hope you have a great Sunday full of stitching.  That's what I have planned!

October 5, 2013

52 Weeks of Happy-Week 40 and Giveaway Reminder

We had the most perfect fall weather week this week and it was just glorious.  I took a day off on Thursday and went to the Fryeberg fair which I will blog about separately.  My happy things for this week are as follows:

I found these news shoes at the JL Coombs store in Portland on Saturday and they are the MOST comfortable shoes. It is so hard for me to find shoes that look fashionable and are comfortable at the same time that I plan to buy this style in brown as well.  I know I will be wearing these A LOT.

This was the view out my sliding glass window on Thursday.  It's taken a while for the trees back here to catch color but the were much farther along this morning.  It's amazing how quickly they change once they start.  Many have already fallen and if you were planning to leaf peep in New England, you'd better get here soon!

I mentioned I went to the fair on Thursday and this is the only fair food I bought.  It was the most amazing apple crisp from a local church.  I ended up eating the whole thing and not having any room for other things.

I have a niece by marriage who is a sophomore at Bates College in Lewiston.  On Thursday evening they had a game against the University of Southern Maine in Goram so I took a ride over to watch her play. They won which was a much needed victory for the team as they've had a tough season.  It was a great night for watching a game.
 The Front
The Back

And finally, I was able to finish up the punch needle project from the class I took in August.  Now I just have to figure out how to finish it off.  I think the shape will really challenge my finishing skills but I plan to take it slowly.

And just a reminder about my October giveaway for Breast Cancer Awareness month.  I will be drawing the first two winners tomorrow and then posting the next two kits to be given away on Monday.

October 1, 2013

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

And I'm going to be doing a giveaway each Sunday during the month.

Several years ago, Lois at Elegant Stitch put together all these little kits as a breast cancer fundraiser and I purchased the series.  There are multiple different designers and the kits are complete with everything you need for stitching and finishing.



I only ended up making two or three of them and the rest of them have been tucked away in a closet for way too long.  I found them again when I moved and decided I really needed to get them out there.


My hope is that if you win one of the kits, you will consider making a donation to an organization that is working hard to find a cure for women's cancers like breast and ovarian, either locally where you live or a national organization like the Susan G. Komen foundation.  We've come a long way with survival rates, but there's still a long way to go.


So,  I will give away 2 kits to 2 different winners each week on Sunday. You can enter multiple times/weeks but only win once.  The first two kits shown in this post will be given away on the 6th and then I will pick two more out of the box and post which ones they will be next Monday.