Recap of February

With the start of a new month, it's time to look back at last month's goals and see how productive I was. Here were the goals I set for myself in February along with my results as of today:
1. Finish Block 2 of CAHRH - Not Done 2. Finish CHS The Gilded Cage - COMPLETED! 3. Stitch an ornament - Started 4. Finish an item of the Acorn Sewing kit by With My Needle - Never touched!

Despite a heroic attempt to complete Block 2 of C@HRH, I did not manage to complete it. Here is my progress as of last night. There is a LOT of stitching in this block.

And although I didn't finish it, here is the progress on the Christmas ornament I started. I don't have too much to do to complete it so I hope to get back to it soon.

And I have made progress on the Oscar Mittens however I did not take a photo. I will try and do that tomorrow.

We had some incredible weather here on Thursday with torrential rains and unbelievable gusts of wind. The clocked 94 mph about 45 minutes south of here which is above Cat 1 strength! Here is a photo of the front section of the fence that runs between my house and the rental next door. As you can see, I lost the very first section - it is the one not protected by the side of the house next door. It had blown to the left into the front yard but the next door neighbor's son dragged it back to where it started before I had a chance to do it myself. My wonderful neighbors behind me have offered to help me install a new panel this spring.

And this is a photo of a tree in the front yard of a house I pass on my way to work. Many homes were left without power - some just came back on line yesterday evening and the goal of CMP was to have the remaining customers up by tonight. There is still a lot of tree damage to clean up as well. I am very thankful I had so little damage. Isn't the sky incredibly blue behind this tree? So welcome after such terrible weather. But the good thing was that it wasn't snow!

Small Update

I have not been very productive on the crafting front this week but here are a few photos of the progress I've made so far.


Barbara's Oscar mittens are coming along slowly while I watch the Olympics at night. I try to do at least 5 rounds a night but the last few nights I've been too tired to do much more than sit on the couch like a zombie. I intend to have these done by the time Barbara and I get together next month. This yarn is so much prettier in person and they are so warm!
And here is my very very slow progress on C@HRH. This is a very stitch heavy block and I've resigned myself to having to complete it in March. Hopefully I won't fall too far behind on this project.

Thank goodness the Olympics are over after tomorrow because I really need to be more productive! Hope you've had a great week and enjoy your weekend. I fear it will be a soggy one as we are stuck in the middle of an incredible rain storm at the moment. Thank goodness it's been too warm for it to turn to snow or we'd be buried!

A great way to spend a Saturday!

If you've read Barbara's post already, you know we met up in Belfast yesterday. It was about the 1/2 way point for both of us, me from down south and Barbara from down east. We had fabulous weather, sunny and warm for February so it was perfect for walking around town and checking out all the neat shops. Barbara and I hadn't seen each other for at least 3 years but it didn't feel like that long. We didn't get any stitching in this time but I did get to see her new pieces for the Gift of Stitching magazine - I hope we won't have to wait for too many more issues to be able to stitch them - the two I saw are wonderful!

After meeting at the Belfast Co-op and having something to eat - I had a chocolate croissant that was still warm from the baker's tray-we toured the city. Barbara surprised me with these lovely vintage magnets that are already being put to work on the refrigerator! Blogger is acting up so you'll have to turn sideways to see them!

Along with all the shops Barbara mentions, we also visited a great shop, Coyote Moon. I ended up leaving with this book which caught my eye. Belfast is a very arty town with lots of galleries. Here is one that we visited that had some really neat items. We also stopped at The Good Table where I finally found a red dish soap dispenser which I've been hunting for.I also bought this really cute laptop skin at a very cool store we visited called Yo Mama's. They had some great gift items, jewelry and home goods; one of those places you could find something new every time you visit.

Since Barbara so comically named my new mittens "Elmo mittens", I thought it only fitting she should have a pair of her own. She picked out this gorgeous skein of mohair which will become "Oscar the Grouch mittens" shortly. I started them while watching the Olympics last night.And finally for some stitching related stuff, here is my progress on Block 2 of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow. Now I'm off to see if I can find some updates from this weekend's cross-stitch market-I have a gift certificate that's burning a hole in my pocket! Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

C@HRH Update

Here is my progress on C@HRH to date. I had to frog a bit this morning because I miscounted the window openings on the right side but luckily it wasn't too bad. I've been watching the Olympics (at the expense of housework) so that means time to sit still and stitch as well. I love the Olympics - so inspiring. I wish they would show more and talk less but I guess that doesn't sell commercial time.

Have you seen the full Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow? A change in the layout which makes it longer and narrower than previous designs. It doesn't call to me immediately as Christmas did so I won't be rushing to order it. I think I need to study it a bit more. Is it a must have for you?

Thank you for all the offers with regards to Floss Away bags. I'm going to try the Michael's in SoPo first and then will likely order them online. It just seemed so funny not to be able to find them all of a sudden - maybe it is an inventory thing! I guess I will need to buy two bags to have one in reserve. Off to watch the men's skating and stitch some more. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

Where have all the Flossaway Bags Gone?

So is anyone else having trouble finding Floss-away bags? I've been to two different AC Moore stores and a JoAnn's and I can't find any Floss-away bags. What's up with that? Is it only me? I'm going to try one more Michael's in S. Portland and then I will resort to ordering them on line. It just shouldn't be that hard if you ask me!

Well, on to stitching progress update. I started a new piece - a Christmas ornament from the 2008 JCS ornie issue. It is called A Christmas Song by Full Circle designs. I fell in love with the cute little birds immediately as I love cardinals. And it's fun to stitch something on a large count of fabric (32 ct) after working so much with 40ct lately. This is going quickly.
And here is my update photo of C@HRH - not coming along as quickly! I've made some more progress since taking this photo but there's a lot more to go. Not sure if I will be able to finish this by the end of the month but I will do my best.
Hope you enjoyed the long weekend - I had President's Day off today and it will be tough to go back to work tomorrow. However it will be a short work week and then I get to meet up with Barbara to welcome her back to Maine!

A Knitting Happy Dance

I now have two "elmo" mittens as Barbara dubbed the in the comments! Here are my first ever completed mittens. I finished the last one last night while watching the Olympics so it took me a week to knit the pair. This was a really basic pattern and they fit perfectly. I will most likely use these with my work coat as the mohair is not likely to stand up to dog walking. They are wonderfully warm!

Tonight I will take a break from class reading and start a new project - a Christmas ornament. I have also been working on C@HRH and will post a progress photo tomorrow. Thanks for all of your kind comments on my CHS Gilded Cage. I'm going to gingerly work on ironing out the creases so it's ready to finish once I decide on my choice.

First Finish of 2010

Yeah, I have a stitching happy dance! Last night I put the finishing stitches in on my CHS The Gilded Cage. I am thrilled to have this one done. I am trying to decide on how to finish-finish it. I could frame it but I'm also considering putting it on one of these stands from Bloom Woodworks. I received a gift last year mounted on one of these and it's so pretty. The pieces are about the same size so I know it would work. I'd mount it on a piece of foam core board and add some decorative trim I think. I will have to think about it for a while. Riona, I will get this chart out to you in the mail next week! I hope you enjoy stitching it as much as I have.

Just because it's on clearance,

doesn't mean you have to buy it. I was not going to buy any new stash this year and I've already fallen off the wagon pretty badly and it's barely the middle of February!
This is my loot from ABC Stitch Therapy's clearance sale. The lure of a bargain got a hold of me and sucked me in and this is the result. Here's what I got: The top photo shows three Erica Michaels Random Thoughts charts - Spring, Autumn and Winter. I actually bought two of the autumn in my enthusiasm so I will be adding this to a giveaway.

The photo below shows Homespun Elegance Vintage Inspired Sewing Stands I, La-d-da Love Thy Neighbor, Stacy Nash Primitives Winter Woolens Cupboard Sampler and Brittercup Designs Spring is in the Air - I absolutely love the little robins in this chart.

And the final photo shows three HIH Medley charts - Winter, Spring and Valentine Medley. I already had the Winter medley so that will be part of a give away as well. The final two charts are Waxing Moon Designs Autumn Minis which I thought would be good for exchange stitching and another Homespun Elegance, Autumn Button Sampler. All of this was under $50 so I don't feel I did that bad. Can you tell I'm trying to talk myself out of the guilts? LOL

Weekend Update

I don't have a whole lot of stitching progress to show you because I got a little obsessed with this:

I took a magic loop class in Portland on Saturday and the instructor had made a pair of mittens using this wonderful purple mohair yarn. Well, after learning the basics of magic loop knitting, I just had to try my hand at knitting a pair of mittens. This is the first one, completed at 11:00pm on Sunday evening! I am really proud of myself because I've never done one before. With a little help from the ubiquitous YouTube on how to knit the thumb, I carefully picked up stitches and pulled out my anchoring yarn and away I went to finish the thumb. I love, love, love it!!! I'm hoping to cast on for the second one tonight in the hopes of having a pair by this weekend.

But I do have some stitching updates to share. Yesterday was UFO Sunday so out came my HAED Story Keep. I put in 200 stitches and have only 100 more to finish the first page. I've kept this out in the hopes I will get the page done and move on to the 2nd page.

And here is my progress on Block 2 of C@HRH. I worked on this a bit this morning so the Quaker motif is now filled in at the top and I've moved on to a chimney to the right of the one in the photo.

And I got a few more stitches into my CHS Gilded Cage. I should probably focus solely on this right now to get it done but I'm not sure I can. I do have Monday off for President's day but I plan to work on my thesis so we shall see. Sorry for the wonky sideways photo but blogger won't load it in right. Consider it a neck stretch for those of you who have been sitting in front of your PCs too long in one place!

Thank you to all who have visited me lately. I see some new names and faces and I appreciate your taking the time to comment. I look forward to visiting your blogs if I have not already! I hope you're having a fantastic week and getting lots of stitching in.

Fluttering toward a finish!

This morning I managed to get out of bed a 1/2 hour early so I had time to stitch. Last night and this morning, my focus piece has been CHS The Gilded Cage. I am confident I'll be able to get this completed before the end of the month. In a way I will be sad to move onto something else because this has been a pleasure to stitch and I really love the colors. However there are tons of projects waiting to be stitched from my current stash and more on the way because I fell off the wagon in a big way over ABC Stitch Therapy's clearance sale. Have you checked it out? I warn you, it's dangerous!

January Progress and February Goals

Thanks everyone for your very kind comments on my finish. I'm really happy that I was able to get it done. Going forward it will be harder to stick with my goals as I'm back in school and really need to focus on my final paper which will be delivered in October.

I don't think I posted an official goals list of January but here is the one that was in my head along with my progress:

1. Finish Block 1 of CAHRH - Done!
2. Finish CHS The Gilded Cage - about 2/3 done
3. Stitch an ornament - NOT
4. Finish an item of the Acorn Sewing kit by With My Needle - NOT

Here are my goals for February:

1. Finish Block 2 of CAHRH
2. Finish CHS The Gilded Cage
3. Stitch an ornament
4. Finish an item of the Acorn Sewing kit by With My Needle

I hope you all had a successful stitching month in January. February is a short one so it's going to fly by quickly so get those fingers flying!

Block One is Done!

Yeah! I'm happy dancing with the first block of C@HRH done! I just finished up the last little motif and after carefully checking my piece against the chart, I took the hoop off of the fabric. Thanks to all of you who have cheered me on with this. It feels like a finish even though there are 11 more blocks to go! LOL I've already pulled the colors for the next block and made a working copy of the chart for block two.

Now I can say that at least one of the goals I set for this month was accomplished! But more about that tomorrow.

Heading for the finish line?

The last few days I've been working diligently on my C@HRH piece in an effort to get it finished by the end of the month. Here's where I am so far. I still have a lot of the smaller motifs and flowers to finish not to mention the border but I'm very hopeful I will be able to get it done in time. I'm off to stitch on it some more to inch me closer to that finish line.

A bird of a different color

Last night I did not feel like picking up CAHRH again after stitching on it so much this weekend. So instead I pulled out my other CHS bird related project and worked a bit more on that. I'm almost done the border on the left. I'd say I'm about 2/3rds of the way done with this project and with a few more dedicated days stitching on it, it will be ready to frame. However, tonight I plan to get back to CAHRH in an effort to finish it off by the 31st.

Thank you to everyone for your kind comments on CAHRH. This is such a neat project. I'm almost afraid to see what her upcoming Autum @ HRH looks like because I don't need to be buying anything with the stash I currently have. However I have a feeling I will be really tempted! I can't wait to see what next month's market brings.....

CAHRH Update

Here is my progress on CAHRH. I was able to stitch a fair amount this weekend and got farther than I thought I would. I'm still not sure I'll be able to finish it by the end of the month but I'll be pretty close I think. I am enjoying the different colors in this particular block - many that I'd never picture putting together the way Kathy does but they always seem to work don't they?

Thanks to those of you who responded about skin care. I really appreciate it. I'm spending a bit of time researching on the web as well as checking prices too! I think I will use up all of my current stuff - I know I will with what it costs!! - and then try a new line.

It's rained buckets here today which makes for some treacherous footing in the driveway as everything under the water is turned to ice. I almost landed on my butt again in the driveway this morning. Sigh..... I'm so longing for spring! I hope you had a good Monday today!

Non-stitching Post - Skin Care

Okay all, I would like to know what skin care line you use and why you like it. I have been using a line called Obagi which I get through my doctor's office. I've been using it for about 2 years now and it works great but it is prohibitively expensive. I'm looking for another good line that might be kinder to my budget yet still good for my skin. I'm looking for something that exfoliates and helps with wrinkles, is fragrance free and preferably organic or natural. I've been looking at the new Olay line ProX and Regenerist but I'd love to hear what others are using that works. So let me know please! Thanks for your help!

I will have a stitchy post tomorrow as I've been working on my CAHRH piece this weekend.

Making Progress

I had hoped to finish this block by the end of the month but I'm not so sure I will accomplish that goal. I am making progress but I've also been working on other things. I think if I'd only worked on this, I'd make my goal but this weekend is the last one before classes start up again so I'll have to see what I can do.

Today was the first day of the week where it did NOT snow - YEAH! The snowbanks along the sidewalks are so tall you can barely see the tip of the dogs tail above them and he's not that small of a dog. It felt really great to have a sunshiney day for the first time in way too long. I hope you enjoyed this Thursday. Tomorrow is Friday and for that I am very grateful.

Creation and Devestation

Some of us were into devestation over the weekend hence this photo of my living room floor on Saturday morning. The pup feels the need to disembowel anything that has stuffing and/or a squeaker in it. And of course you must have all of your things out at one time whether or not you play with them or not!
On a creative note, here is my progress on CHS Gilded Cage. Unfortunately, as I was completing the top motif on the left hand side (I had turned the piece upside down to stitch bottom to top) I noticed that I was one stitch off from where the flower should line up with the inside border. There was way too much to frog in order to get it correct so it's going to stay like it is. I may have to fudge the top a bit but I'm just not willing to unfrog so much stitching. The error is at the very bottom of the cage where I neglected to put in one stitch. Oh well!And yesterday I was in the mood for stitching on my HAED piece. I put in another 300 stitches and have only 300 more left to finish the first page. I may even be able to finish it this month but I've been neglecting CAHRH and I was planning to try and stitch a block a month on that so I'd better get back to it.

We had a good 14+ inches of snow over yesterday and today and I'm tired from shoveling. The plow guy called this morning at 7:25am to say he was behind - of course after I had shoveled myself out because I needed to get to work for 7:30. And then I had to reshovel the walkway and bottom of the driveway thanks to the snowplows. Sigh... I'm so over winter.

Giving

Please consider giving to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. It will help all of those in need in Haiti and the need is so obviously great.

Another form of giving is the various giveaways that have been popping up in blogs across the internet. Katrina is having what I think is a great giveaway - a custom sewn item and you can even choose from three themes. I've put my name in for the "Shake & Bake" theme. I've already been mulling over what I might choose if my name gets drawn. Please be sure to check out the wonderful dresses she made for her two daughters who are so adorable.


On a stitching note, here is my progress on Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow. This is a great piece to work on although I wish I could show you more progress. There just doesn't seem to be enough time in a day to read blogs, stitch, keep up to date on email. And my free time is running out as classes will start again in two weeks and I should be working on my literature review for my thesis. Sigh.......I'm going to stitch for a bit!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to go visit Katrina! And stay tuned for a giveaway here as I've been pulling things from my stash for just that purpose.

Easy Access

First off, many thanks to Nicole who was kind enough to help me out with some confusing symbols on my CAHRH piece. I will have an update on that piece for you tomorrow after I make a little more progress on it this evening.


I was looking at my JCS Ornament issues, thinking I should be stitching an ornament when I got the rather brilliant idea to take all of my issues to Staples and have them spiral bound to make it easier to lay them flat for stitching. I have 8 issues so I had them bound two at a time chronologically. I'm really thrilled with how they turned out. There is a clear plastic cover on the front and a sturdier piece of card stock on the back so they should be fairly protected from wear and tear. And now it's so much easier to lay the magazine on my lap to stitch from. That is it would be if I were stitching an ornament. I will get to that, hopefully sometime this month but my idea will make it that much easier once I get around to an ornament. The girl who quoted me a price actually got it wrong and all four of these cost $27 but I think in the long run, it will be money well spent.

Too many options

Today I took a class on crocheting granny squares at an LYS in Portland. I have done them before but I've had problems with them coming out square so I thought this would be a good opportunity for improving my technique. This is the little practice granny square we made. It was a good class and I'll be going back for an advanced class in a couple of weeks. With so many project options, it's really hard to decide what to pick up and work on.

Here is a little more progress on my CHS Gilded Cage. I'm debating if I should just work on this and get it done or alternate between this and C@HRH. I also have BOAF Kindness Sampler ready to go and now I should be practicing my granny squares. What's a crafty person to do?



Here is my 1st progress photo of C@HRH. Unfortunately, I can't get it to load horizontally no matter what I try - sorry! Not much compared to Nicole's and other stitcher's I've seen out there but I'm pleased with my progress.


Thanks for everyone who has stopped by and been so encouraging. It's nice to be able to share my progress and to see what everyone else is working on.

Waiting in the wings...

The reference to waiting in the wings is for the materials that I pulled over the weekend for BOAF's Kindness Sampler. I bought the chart and materials at a LNS in Plymouth, MA ages ago. For whatever reason, I never got around to stitching it and had kind of put it out of my mind until recently. It was on the wish list of a stitching friend I was in an exchange with and I sent her the chart and threads. Cheryl has started hers already but I've yet to put the first stitch in mine.
The fabric is a 32 count Lakeside Linens called Gypsy Gold that was double dyed. I think it will look great with the Weeks called for in the pattern. I wish BOAF was still designing because I really like their stuff.

I have not done much stitching so far this week as I've been kind of tired in the evenings. I have put a few more stitches in both my current CHS pieces and will share updated photos soon.

New Year Stitching

This past weekend was a 3 day one for me as we had Friday off for the holiday. I spent the largest part of my long weekend stitching. I put a start into C@HRH, worked a bit on my CHS Gilded Cage piece and yesterday was UFO Sunday so I pulled out my HAED Storey Keep which had not seen the light of day in quite a very long time. I also pulled fabric for BOAF's Kindness Sampler which I have had in my stash forever. I'm going to try and stitch along with Cheryl (no blog) but I have a feeling she will be done way before me!

First up is the Gilded Cage. I finished the inside and started on the outer border. It's coming along! I'm really sorry about the photo. It was very gray and snowy all weekend and I need to learn how to work my camera to take a decent photo. I'm very hit or miss in that department and it seems the more I fidget with it, the worse the pictures are!

Here is my HAED piece. The last time I could find a photo is from January of 2008 which likely means I did not work on it at all last year. No wonder I am so far from finishing. I put in 450 stitches yesterday and the photo shows how little that is on an HAED over one project! But it felt great to get back to work on this and I think I will try to make it a regular Sunday project.












I did not take a photo of my C@HRH but I completed to top border and first line of the first block at the top left. I will upload a photo later this week as I hope to make some more project on it.

Happy 2010 Everyone!

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's celebration. My neighbors invited me over for a wonderful dinner and it was a great time-good food, good libations, good conversations and good friends.

Here is my wish for myself and all of you this new year:

A little more laughter,
A little less worrry.
A little more kindess,
A little less hurry.

I have this on a sign in my kitchen and I read it every time I'm in there to remind myself to slow down and appreciate all of the blessings I have in my life. I hope you do the same!

Sewing Treasures

Over the course of this year, I began collecting sewing implements like scissors, needle packets, thread bobbins, etc. Here are two of my most recent finds. I found this pair of cross Solingen scissors with the cute little sheath and the apple measuring tape in an antiques store near my sister's house in NH. You pull the little apple leaf to get the tape measure out which I think is totally adorable.

I'm really pleased with the finds, especially the scissors which were very reasonably priced. The bottom photo shows the cross better. I checked online to see if there was any history to the cross scissors and found they had not been in production for a while but the company recently started making them again. Based on the wear of mine, I'm pretty sure they're original. Either way, they are very neat.

Bad Weather Stitching

Yesterday was a miserable rainy day so much of it was spent on the couch stitching. I made some decent progress on my CHS piece and watched a lot of home improvement shows on HGTV. All the shows that are filmed in California or over the summer make me so envious of warm weather. It's been really weird here lately - bitterly cold for almost 2 weeks and then in the 40s so that a lot of the snow melted and then snow again today with the bitter cold coming back again. And someone mentioned a snow storm for Wednesday that's supposed to be the worst so far this year. Oh Joy! Can you tell I'm bone tired of winter and we still have the worst 3 months to go?

I see many people are updating their blogs after the Christmas festivities so I'm off to see what everyone's been working on! Thanks for stopping by!

The Aftermath

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas celebration. At Casa Pearl, we celebrated with good food and a long nap.


One of us also found time to stitch a little bit more on CHS's The Gilded Cage. I just love the colors in this piece and plan to stick with it a while longer this weekend. I still haven't made up my mind as to what piece to start next. There are so many possibilities, it's making it hard to decide.

I hope you are finding lots of stitching time. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS

Decisions, Decisions

Now that I've finished my Alexandre piece, I'm trying to decide what to start working on next. I have the fabric and threads to start the CHS Christmas at Hawkrun Hollow or I could also start this

which is kitted and ready to go. I've never actually stitched a LHN design -blasphemy to many of you I know! - so this might be the winner. In the meantime, I've picked up my UFO/WIP of CHS The Gilded Cage and am working on that.

I am planning to draft a UFO/WIP list of projects to work on in 2010. I've got a number of pieces I'd like to finish stitching and a number of stitched pieces that need finishing so I plan to focus on getting them done this coming year. I'm going to try to be really diligent about keeping a stitching journal to record progress and other details for projects, something I have not been that great at lately. Anyone else started to formulate a stitching plan for next year?

I'm Done!

This past Thursday I gave a presentation in my last class for 2009 and now I have only three classes left plus the completion of my capstone project. I have filed to walk in graduation on May 15th! I won't officially be done my degree until I give my final presentation for my capstone in October but I have a feeling that the time is going to fly right by! The end is in sight. And last night I put the final stitches into my SAL Alexandre piece. I'm done!! And I love how it turned out. I still have to stitch all the accessory pieces but plan those projects for 2010. Now to get the backing fabric for the inside of this piece and get it started. Here is a photo with all four panels completed.I'm not sure what I will start next. I have two projects kitted up and am mulling over which to begin. I will blog about those tomorrow-maybe you will have to help me choose!