Time Flies... (Pic Heavy)

when you're having fun - 'specially when it's of the stitchy kind!

For those of you who might have wondered if I did squeak in that final finish for 2012... I did it!  I put in the final beads for the "L" as the fireworks went off over Sydney at midnight.  I was also correct that the first thing out of the Lilybug's mouth in the morning, was, "Did you finish my L, Mama?"  Needless to say, I had a very excited little bubble New Years day.

New Years Day, I started my 15 day rotation of the remaining five pieces from the 2012 Crazy January Challenge.

Day One, I picked up "Woodland Enchantress."  I had done some work on her during the year but she is a big piece.  Wall to wall stitching - not an HAED by any means but still a hefty 43 008 stitches.  I'm at least an eighth of the way through it now and managed 600-odd stitches on New Years Day.

This is where I started Tuesday morning:

 



and by Tuesday night, this is how it looked:

Wednesday morning, day two.  I revisited "Train of Dreams."  Now this one IS an HAED.  I haven't touched it since last January but it was calling to me big time over these last few weeks.  Wednesday, I answered that call and put in about 400 stitches.  Mainly black but there is some navy blue in there too. 

Wednesday starting point:

 

Wednesday, after:



 

Day Three, Thursday.

 

I pulled out the afghan I'm stitching the EMS Garden Alphabet onto.  I completed the A earlier in the year and had almost finished B.  Thursday, I finished the B - wasn't much to do but Thursday was a busy day.  We went swimming at Manly Dam and had a picnic lunch.  Ended up spending most of the day there - this holiday business really seems to eat into precious stitchy time!  LOL.



Finished B, with backstitching done.

 

and the A and B together...



 

Friday, day four.  Back to "O Holy Night."  I love, love, love the shading in the Stoney Creek designs.  The confetti this automatically creates drives me insane but in the long run, it's worth every single stitch.  I hadn't touched this since that first day last year but last night, I got to spend a decent amount of time on this.  The colours are just stunning!

 

Before:



After:



 

Tonight, I'm back on Woodland Enchantress.  Yes, I know this is only four, not five.  I'm going to do three days on each of these four and then the final three days of the fifteen, I'm going to do solidly on my Celtic Christmas conversion.  When I pick her up, she's very hard to put down and she needs a lot more thought than these four.  With these, follow the chart and you can't go wrong.  With the conversion, I feel like I've been thrown in the deep end, well and truly!  I may need someone to call the lifeguard around the 14th of January. LOL!

 

Phew!  I hope I haven't exhausted you with my photos.  I'm off to do some more stitching.

 

See you all 'round :)

 

xxx

K

Should Auld Aquaintance be Forgot...

Happy New Year Everybody...

 

I think if we were all together IRL, we'd be standing together, arms linked singing in the New Year. 

 

Where once upon a time - in the not too distant past - I felt so isolated as a cross stitcher, I now feel as if everybody I know stitches!  They don't, of course, it's just that I've met so many people on line who share this stitchy obsession, that there's no way I could ever feel isolated again,  Firstly, to the ladies whom I originally met on the about.com cross stitch board - you all hold a very special place in my heart.  We've walked through a lot together over the past few years.  To the stitchers I have met in the blogosphere and in the facebook groups - it has been fun getting to know you all in the last two years and I look forward to getting to know everyone better in the time to come.

 

Ok, must stop or I'll get all mushy and end up crying!  LOL.

 

We're being very boring tonight.  The kids are in bed.  No company over.  Just DH and I watching tv and DSS playing x-box... I'm stitching.  Correction.  I will be stitching.  Desperately trying to squeak in one more finish, so I can say I finished 12 in '12!  LOL.  I've been "almost finished" Nora Corbett's "L" for almost two years.  Tonight is the night - and there's a little Bubble upstairs who will be demanding in the morning; "Did Mama finish my "L" last night?"  She's been very patient but is not willing to wait any longer.

 

It was supposed to be finished for her fifth birthday...ummm... *cough, cough* ...in May 2011... Mama got a bit sidetracked with other stitchy business.  I know, I know, I'm hanging my head in shame.

 

I'm ending 2012 feeling very satisfied. I've finish 10 of the 15 pieces I started as part of the Crazy January Challenge. I had one extra start and finish and have put in a few stitches here and there on other WiPs, even though I didn't end up participating in the WiPocalypse after all.

 

So... the outstanding WiPs would be...

From CJC2012

• Celtic Christmas (Conversion with cape and hood)
• O Holy Night
• Train of Dreams
• Woodland Enchantress
• EMS Garden Alphabet (Afghan)

WiPs started prior to 2012

• Lizzie Kate ABC for Parents
• Dimensions Precious Moments Advent Calendar
• HAED Queen of Hearts
• Joan Elliott's Little Summer Fairy

The 2013 Crazy January Challenge begins in a little under three hours but I've decided to do things a little differently this year.

I really love the five WiPs that are left from the 2012 challenge.  I've decided to spend the first 15 days of January giving those pieces some love.  Then once we hit January 16, it's all on!!!  LOL, I WILL be starting another crazy 15 pieces.  If you're interested in my list for the year - click on the tab at the top of this blog page. 

Happy New Year to you all.  Be safe, be merry and above all, be blessed!  May all your hopes and dreams for the year ahead come to pass and I pray your fears amount to nothing!

Much Love.

XXX

Kirstin

Super-Duper Happy Dance!

I'm pretty simple to please, really. (My DH might disagree...)  It doesn't take much to keep me happy.  The thing I've most wanted of late, is time.  Just time.  Time to myself.  Time to stand in the shower without having to rush so that I can't enjoy the hot water.  Time to move leisurely 'round the supermarket and not have to dash in, dash out. Time to do stuff without having to yell at the kids to "Hurry up, Mummy's got to go to work!"  Most of all I've wanted time to stitch...

Amazingly, time is exactly what I have had over the past week! 

You all know I finished "Hope" a few days ago.  Well, last night (actually 12:50am, this morning) I finished "Imagine".

Wooooooo Hoooooo!!!

I didn't think I'd get a chance to do any more to Imagine this year, let alone actually finish it!

Remarkably, against all odds,  here it is:  Joan Elliott's "Imagine" on 32ct Blue Whisper linen.  DMC floss, Kreinik 032 BF added for a little sparkle in the starbursts (I did that for all four words - I do love sparkles!) and Mill Hill beads attached with YLI invisible thread.

 

All four words on the one piece of fabric...

 



 

 

 Like I said, it doesn't take much to make me happy...

 

LOL!

 

xxx K

 



Happy Dancing!

'member how I wished for more stitching time for Christmas??? 

Well, guess what Santa brought me? 

Woo Hoo!

I actually had time Christmas Eve, Christmas Night and then again this morning to sit down and stitch.  I've finished "Hope!"

I didn't think I'd be done before the weekend but not only have I finished my Crazy No 9 but I've got a recognisable unicorn appearing on No 10!

Thank you Santa.

"Hope"  Joan Elliott's Inspirational Words
Crazy January Challenge 2012
Finish number Nine
32 ct Antique Blue Whisper Linen

Here's "Imagine".  We're going away for the next two days.  I don't expect to get much stitching done but I didn't think I'd get my stitchy Christmas either.  I'd like to finish this one at the weekend... Fingers crossed... or maybe not fingers, that would make it difficult to stitch!  I'll cross my legs instead. *wink*

 

 

Finally, here's the three completed words, all together.

 



I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas.  I'm looking forward to re-connecting with all my stitching friends here in the blogosphere.  I have missed you in the past few crazy months.

xxx K

All I want for Christmas...

...is some extra stitching time! It's not going to happen but a girl can wish, can't she?

I'm very close to the final Happy Dance of the year. I really wanted to finish the final two Inspirational Words but finishing three of the four words this year is a reasonable achievement.

 At least it is in my very humble opinion, LOL.

I stitched and frogged (and stitched and frogged and stitched and frogged) and finally stitched again and finished the left hand dove on "Hope"

 

 

aaand then I realised that the dove's back looked really weird.  *sigh*

 

I really didn't want to frog again, so I stitched the right hand dove, then went back and fixed the poor deformed bird. No, I didn't re-frog.  I bluffed.  I clipped a couple of backstitches, put them in the right spot and voila, looks okay. *wink*

 



 



Last night, I made some headway on the starbursts and I'm hoping to finish them tonight - if hubby will help with wrapping pressies then I'll definitely get them done.  That will only leave the beading, which I'll get done at the weekend.

 

 

Final pic... Believe hidden on the scroll, Dream finished, Hope nearly done and Imagine to come...

 

 



It's the End of the World as we know it...

and I feel fine!

I love that old REM song - especially the version they performed on MTV Unplugged...

Well, we're still alive and kicking down-under in the Antipodes.  How 'bout all you Northerners?

I guess this means I've still got a shot at finishing my 10 out of 15!

Wish me luck, I'm off to set my needles afire.

x K

Christmas Is...

I got itchy fingers a few weeks back.  Even with a bazillion WiP's to choose from, I still wanted to do something new.  I figured if I started something little, then at least I'd get it finished and it would be enough to satisfy those itchy fingers.

I ended up pulling Lizzie*Kate's "Christmas Is..." out of my stash, hunting up some suitable thread from the stash to substitute for the Weeks Dye Works that is charted - I've never yet bought any WDW.  Don't know why.  I'm sure I'll get around to remedying that this coming year *wink*

It was a super quick and easy stitch.  Loving the Crescent Colours I used - They're a little brighter than the original charted colours. Stitched on 32 count Lambswool linen by Permin.

 

 

IHSW and Finish number Eight!

Woah, hold me up!  Two blog posts in a row!

So, I just realised that I've come back just in time for the last hermitting weekend of the year - yay!

I stitched for several hours both nights of the weekend and as a result have now completed crazy number eight.

Here is "Holly and Ivy" from Shepherd's Bush.  It came in kit form with gorgeous silks and linen provided.  I've never used such a beautiful piece of linen.  It's so soft - it's a 30ct R&R, I believe and I think I will be saving my pennies to invest in a few pieces.  It's hot off the hoop, please excuse the "un-ironed-ness."



 

 

The words are stitched one over one.  The crosses in the top part are one over two...except for the moment I realised I had stitched the centre motif using two threads!  Aaargh!  It was a moment of panic and then a realisation that my stinginess with thread really is a blessing in cases like these!  I had plenty of silk to spare and am already planning on using these leftovers to substitute in a LHN piece next year...

Time Flies...

...when you're having fun - and also when you're so ridiculously busy that you don't have time for the fun stuff!

I cannot believe it's this close to Christmas.  I also cannot believe I kept my blog for a whole year, hit my first blogoversary and then promptly disappeared from the blogosphere!

For those of you who have stayed on my list of followers, thank you! 

I've had a very, very busy year and although my opening sentence was a whinge about no time for fun stuff, there actually has been some very cool fun stuff in among the exhausting work schedule.

You all know I joined the Crazy January 15 challenge.  Well, I've managed a few finishes. Seven actually.  I'll finish the eighth tonight.  So there'll be a happy dance here around midnight.

(I will post photo's, promise.  Just thought I'd get something at least on the blog before we see December out.)

I joined the WiPocalypse and although I haven't managed to make the required posts, I have managed to stitch on all of my WiPs at some point during the year.

So - the fun stuff... well, aside from stitchy fun (eg the aquisition of OoP Mira TTAS) I got to go home to New Zealand for a week, my sister came over from NZ to visit us in Sydney and we had a family trip to Melbourne to go to the Phillip Island MotoGP.

Ok... so, photos...

These are the seven finishes of the fifteen starts.

#1

Ink Circles
"First Bass"

 

 

#2

Ink Circles
"Alto Gether Now"

 

#3

Ink Circles
"Here Comes Treble"

 

#4

Joan Elliott
"Believe"

 

#5

Joan Elliott
"Dream"

 

#6

Nora Corbett
"Lilly Pixie"

 

#7

Mirabilia
"Christmas Elf Fairy"

Happy Blogoversary to Me!

LOL,

I missed it.  Apparently it was yesterday.

D'oh!

*smacking forehead*


I've been berating myself for neglecting my stitching and my blog so badly these last couple of months but today I realised just why I've found it so hard to keep up with basic stuff like housework, let along fun stuff like stitching and blogging...

I added up my actual face-to-face teaching hours over the past 10 weeks.  I didn't realise but I've put in a 45 hour week, every week for 10 weeks straight.  This doesn't count travelling time between lesson locations, preparation time or "make-up" lessons...  No wonder my house looks like a tip, my stitching hasn't progressed and my kids wonder who on earth this person demanding to be called "Mama" could possibly be!

So, my dear fellow stitchers, please forgive me for my lack of participation in those activities we all hold so dear: IHSW, WIPocalypse, TUSAL...

Our school holidays begin on Friday - Two whole weeks off, beginning with Easter.  I'm looking forward to hanging out with my kids, doing a heap of stitching and maybe even cleaning my house!

xxx

K

A Little Bit of Progress and an Award!

Wow!  Wow!

Adrienne from Trylla Craft has awarded me the "Liebster" blogger award! 

Liebster is a German word, meaning favorite, dearest or beloved, and the Liebster is awarded by bloggers to other, newer bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers, to spread the word and help the new(er)bies gain wider recognition.

Thank you so much.  Such a surprise - I feel truly honoured. 

I'm now required to post some previously unknown facts about myself and also pass the award on to four other bloggers... I'm going to take some time to think this through carefully so watch out for my next post or two...

...and it seems that plodding along really does make progress! 
I've finished all the stitching on the Christmas Elf Fairy.  The final crosses were in Rainbow Gallery White Wisper.  I've never used Wisper before and really didn't know what to expect.  I've read many different opinions and find I'm still somewhat undecided myself.  I'm yet to try "fluffing" the Wisper, figuring I'll wait until I finish beading, to get the final "fur cuff" effect. 

I love the Kreinik #4 braid in the Christmas tree.  Mixed in with the Crescent Colours variegated green, it has a lovely effect.

I've only just started the beading and I was a little worried that they might disappear on the white opal lugana but so far, I think I really like the subtle bling...



If I can stay focussed, I plan to finish the beading on this in the next night or two, then onward to Crazies five through eight!  I need to order some beads though... 123stitch, here I come!

Have a fabulous stitchy weekend everybody!

xxx

K

Plodding Along

Huge apologies for my extended absence!

Life has been crazy busy and stitching has had to take a back seat.  I've been plodding along on my Crazy January number four - the Christmas Elf Fairy - and I feel like I've finally got something worth showing you all.  Getting near to the home stretch!

This is how she looked when I put her away last night:

I hope you are all well.  I've very much missed all the goings on around the blogosphere and will be endeavouring to catch up asap.

Apparently I have my blogoversary coming up in 22 days - might need to do something about that!

Happy Stitching everyone.

xxx

K



IHSW?

Ummm... ok, so I think I stitched myself out over December and January.  I've done nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Nothing.  The mojo has left the building.  I sat on the couch next to my stitching and didn't even open the bag.  I did take said stitching to work on Friday, I did open the bag.  But I realised upon opening the bag that it didn't contain my hoop.  Can't stitch this one without my hoop.  D'oh!

Ah well.

I must confess that although I haven't been stitching, I have still managed to add to my stash! 

My name is Kirstin and I am an addict.  A cross stitch addict.  It's been 18 hours since my last purchase...
I finally, finally made a decision on a piece of fabric for Winter White Santa (Mirabilia) - so I have made my very first Polstitches purchase.  It's a 32ct Opal Belfast - Blue Moon. 

I bought the Evening in the Park PDF - but I think I might have told you that already.

I visited my favourite (Not So Local) LNS - they who have The Basket and I once again just had to have the contents of said basket. I got a heap of Mill Hill charms for 50c each - I think 11 different packets. That's a fortune's worth in Aussie Dollars for just $5.50! I also ended up with a couple of Little House Needleworks charts that had been reduced to $2 each - can't leave those just sitting there feeling lonely and rejected...and whoops - a couple, well three, actually, Shepherd's Bush charts just kind of fell into my hands too... I have to confess they were not in The Basket.

Oh, and I stopped off at my other (NSL) LNS and picked up two pieces of fabric - This (NSL) LNS don't have a "Basket" so I have to be very well behaved when I visit.  I bought a little piece of 32ct lambswool linen and a piece of ...oh no!  The name has escaped me.... aargh!  Brain fart!  Um... it's ... oh help, I'll go grab it...    .... *phew* it's 28ct "Sambuca".

I now have two largish pieces of this Sambuca stuff.  I've got lots of ideas but so far none of the charts I've had "a-ha!" moments for have actually fit the squares.  They are 47 x 47 if you stitch over 2 and 94 x 94 stitching over 1.  Everything is either too big or too small!

I'm going to stalk all your IHSW posts tonight.  I'll use this as an excuse for not stitching myself and just keep my fingers crossed that you can all motivate me to kick start my mojo :)

Ooo, and as a little Off Topic snippet, I just got back from visiting the Harry Potter Exhibiton which is currently in Sydney.  It's moving along in three weeks or so but DH and I had a very rare morning off together and decided to go.  It was fabulous.  If you're a Harry Potter fan and you get the opportunity to go - DO!

Right, back to work now, there's no rest for the wicked.  Seven music lessons to teach back to back this afternoon.

Happy stitching everyone!

xxx
K

Didn't I just have a Holiday?

Well, I want another one!

I feel I've worked a half years' worth already and It's not even halfway through week three of term.

Next to no stitching - a little done but not much. Hoping I'll get some in tonight so I've at least got something worth showing for WIPocalypse.

One the stitchy front, even though there's not been much actual stitchery, I bought Evening in the Park!  The PDF arrived in my inbox last night.  So exciting!

I'm flying out the door but thought I'd better poke my nose in and say "Hi".  All is well, just hectic and crazy as it always is getting the school year underway.

Happy Valentines Day to you all!



Newton's Law
18ct white aida
Anchor floss
For my daughter, Lily.

xxx

K

So this is Summer?

Ummm... yeah, right. Not.

For some reason, Summer appears to have almost completely bypassed Sydney.  It's February.  The children all went back to school this week after our supposed Summer Holidays.  Typically, Tuesday, the day most started school, it was a scorching 34 degrees Celcius (that's 93.2 F) but now here we are on Friday, it's only 17 degrees  (62.6F) and it's pouring with rain. There are severe floods in the north of the state and even here on the coast we are getting rather soggy.

I'm still keeping up with my stitching.  I haven't done anywhere near as much but there has been at least a few stitches each day.  I'm currently working on my Mira Christmas Elf Fairy, which was my #4 Crazy start.  Not much to show as I'm working on her wings and it's just an endless sea of white...

The past eight nights we have watched our way through the entire Harry Potter series.  Of course we had seen them all before but thought it might be fun to watch them all back to back.  We did and it was.  Even picked up on a few little things we'd missed on prior occasions.  If you're a HP fan and you've never done the marathon, it's worth it.

I hope you are all well, I'm so far behind on everyone's blogs!

xxx
K

Here Comes Treble!

I finished my Crazy #3 this morning!

Here Comes Treble

Ink Circles "Here Comes Treble"
32ct antique white lugana
Crescent Colours overdyed floss

All three, ready for framing!

(Sorry, not the best photo.  Looks a bit washed out.)

You Enabler You! (and a Happy Dance)

Thank you so much for all the replies encouraging me to have a go at a Chatelaine.

I will be saving up my pennies to get the chart and supplies for Evening in the Park.

Now for opinions on fabric - 28ct or 32?  I prefer 32ct but have no experience with Delica beads or Swarovski crystals - how closely embellished does Martina design these? 

Ooo, now, just 'cause I feel the need to justify to myself that it's ok to add another new start to this year's list, I finished "Alto Gether Now" last night!

Alto Gether Now



Ink Circles "Alto Gether Now"
32ct antique white lugana.
Crescent Colours overdyed threads.

First Bass and Alto Gether Now

Here Comes Treble is on the same piece of fabric, off to the right...
I wasn't happy with the ends of the stave lines.  The chart has them
all uneven lengths.  I re-did the lines on First bass and changed them
on Alto, so they are all even and square off the designs.  Much
happier with the look now.  It didn't look finished to me before.  Now it does.

 I also made a little more progress on Here Comes Treble, so I'm anticipating another finish before the end of the month. 

Uh-huh, uh-huh, see, I can do enough to be allowed a Chat!

LOL

Happy Stitching

Kirstin

Q's?? for "Chat" Stitchers...

I've been lusting after, drooling over, admiring the Chatelaine designs for a while now. I've seen so many incredible WiP's and HD's on various blogs and boards and now I think I'm going to take the plunge and have a go myself.

I've spent way too much time reading through old threads on the yuku board. I've googled and found umpteen bazillion blogs belonging to "chat" stitchers but I'm still left with a couple of questions though...

*  First one, specifically to those of you who have stitched Evening in the Park:

• This photo, on Chatelaine.net, appears to have a stitched centre.
• Yet This photo, on ECC, does not.
• And This photo  has a crystal star in the centre.

I'm intrigued... I love the stitched centres of the other mandala gardens and I want to know what's up with this one.  Does it come with an optional centre?  Is it 'cause it came out as a mystery?  Did it not have a centre originally and now does - or vice versa?

EitP is the design that's yelling at me most loudly but I don't want to spend a bucket load of money and not have a charted centre when that's one of the principal things drawing me to the Chatelaine designs.

*  Secondly, the yahoo groups.  Are the past groups still there and do you have to join the group to stitch the piece?  I can't get the hang of the yahoo boards.  I joined the Specialty Stitchers and the Crazy January Challenge but I just can't negotiate my way round the board.

*  Thirdly, There's no way I'd keep up with one of these and get it all done to a schedule.  For me, a "Chat" will be a long - very long - term project, so if there are rules and regs about stitching them, I probably shouldn't start...

*  Should I start with a "mini" or "micro" or is it ok to just jump right on in with a biggie?  I've never really been a "beginner" stitcher.  I leapt in at the deep end when I started cross stitching.  My first stitch had fractionals and tweeding, my second had fractionals, tweeding and blending filament and my third had all of the above and was on linen... I'm not overly experienced with specialty stitches but I don't have too much trouble learning something new if I've got decent written instructions or a good you-tube vid.

TIA!

I know there's plenty of support out there if when I do take the plunge.  I just want to make sure I get it right from the beginning!

xxx

K

IHSW Sunday

and the end of SWAT too.

It was really hard to get the mojo revving yesterday.  I'm feeling the fatigue.  I've stitched every single day since Christmas Day - including Christmas Day - and I was stitching almost daily in the run up to Christmas.

The thought of achieving another Happy Dance before the end of the month is spurring me on, however, so I summed up my stitchy courage and got cracking on "Alto Gether Now."

This was my CJC day two start and it really does stitch up quickly. 

I love the Crescent Colours floss and I'm pretty happy with the 32ct lugana.  I did spend a little time wondering if perhaps I should have gone with linen after all but I like the heavier look of the lugana with the pieces.  If the clefs were delicate and lacy then linen would have been the right choice.  These remind me of  old Illuminated letters.  I think the lugana echoes the heavy parchment pages of those old books and scrolls...

I'm over half way with Alto... if I can get the mojo bubbling again, I might get close to finished.  I have a rehearsal tonight, so definitely not as much time today but enough to get close...

Alto Gether Now

Ink Circles "Alto Gether Now"
32 ct antique white lugana
Crescent Colours Cotton

I hope you have all had a thoroughly successful IHSW.  I'll head off and start stalking blogs from the list soon!

Have a fabulous stitchy day!

xxx

K

Humbled...

I want to say thank you to all of you who have become followers of my blog.

I have just seen that there are now 100 of you...

When I started blogging, I didn't seriously think I would manage to keep it up for more than a couple of months.  I underestimated the level of support, the friendships and the sheer joy that could come from the blogosphere.

Thank you all. 

xxx
Kirstin