I SAY......LET THEM EAT CAKE !!

I love it when I get all the yarn wound into cakes!!  Gray yarn on the bottom left is more of Cascade's Eco Duo.  I'm making a hat for my son.  The ecru yarn is Cascade 220 and I'll be knitting a pair of mittens for my oldest granddaughter.  The colorful yarn cakes and knitted piece are Berroco's Borealis.  I'll be making 3 more of those cute pointy hats.  And the black fiber is Prime Alpaca...mmmmm yummy and soft.  I'll be making another hat.  Between hats and socks I've always got something in the knit basket.

I finished up some stitching projects too.  My sister's, Joan and Cathy, have birthday's in January on the 20th and 21st.  I stitched both of them these boxes.  The design is called 'All is Calm' by Amy Bruecken Designs.  I liked the 'black' sheep big sister watching over her little sister.  The boxes are from Nordic Needle and yes, they are the same box that Shepherd's Bush used in their last two designs. 

 This was the first time I used DMC's memory thread.  I thought it added to this stitch!!

And inside....the newest Kelmscot Design needle minder.  If you look closely, the needle minder is snuggled in some fabulous dark plum roving.  

It was fun making these for my sisters.  I love them dearly and I know they love me.

Happy knitting and stitching to everyone!  Stay warm.

Blogging Withdrawl.......

My goodness, I think I went through some blog withdrawl yesterday!!  Here's a pic of the 'Crazy Challenge Basket' I put together.  I want this close at hand.  

And of all the wonderful pieces I selected I chose to work on this beauty yesterday!  

And I finished this hat earlier in the week for a dear friend.  It's knitted using Cascade Yarns Eco Duo - 70% Undyed Baby Alpaca and 30% Undyed Merino Wool....yummy soft and warm.

So, now I feel better.   

Ta...Da....

Drum roll please..........

O, Beautiful by Shepherd's Bush.  Half the fun of working on a Shepherd's Bush piece is fingering all the silk threads while separating the colors.    

I have thoroughly enjoyed selecting the pieces for the Crazy Challenge.  Even more, I have loved reading all of your comments.  I look forward to reporting on my progress and checking on yours!!  

Hugs to all and have a simply fabulous week!!

You're Going to Love This One !!!

From the Summer 2008 issue of Sampler and Antique Needlework magazine the Sampler Sewing Slipper.  An antique Quaker sewing shoe served as the inspiration for this sampler-style slipper.  The sole of the sampler slipper is hinged to reveal flannel pages for storing needles.  Adorning the heel of the slipper is a quaint cottage with a Florentine-stitch yard and queen-stitch flowers.  Accompanying the slipper is a fan-shapped scissors sheath that doubles as a pinkeep. 

The kit includes Lakeside Linen 40ct light examplar linen, Needlepoint Silk, Gloriana Silk, Kreinik Braid, Gloriana 4mm and 15mm peach blush vintage silk ribbon and ivory silk dupioni.  Plus various supplies to finish the pieces.  These threads and fabrics are simply to die for!!

I am blessed to have had a mother that taught me how to sew.  Once the stitching is completed the real work will start with the finishing into the shoe and scissor keep.  This one is going to be a lot of fun.

The Sparrow's Song

New's flash:  I LOVE COLOR !!!  I started to pull the charted floss from my stash and said out loud to the cats...I don't think so.  Then I pulled my Belle Soie and did my very own conversion.  Now I'm happy.  This design is being stitched on 29ct. Glenshee Natural linen with 1 strand of floss over 1 thread.  The finished design will be about 3.5 inches X 3.5 inches...darling.

The Sparrow's Song by The Goode Huswife.

His eye is on the sparrow and each tender thing that grows.

The Next Sock....

This stocking so suits my daughter-in-law Barb....she's watching over her husband Brent and two adorable daughters, Corinne and Carly.

These stockings will be so much fun to stitch and give next Christmas.  

Stay warm my friends and enjoy your day !

For My Son

For my son Brent, a wise man indeed.  He is a wonderful man, husband, father, brother, son and friend.  He has a tender heart, a great sense of humor and is an excellent cook.  

This Shepherd's Bush stocking is stitched on 18ct Natural Linen using 1 strand of #5 Perle Cotton from DMC, Weeks Dye Works and Crescent Colors over 2 threads.  

Color...Color...Color

 Could a Monday morning get any better than this??

I'll be working on Sadie for my daughter Chauntel.  

I stitched Shepherd's Bush stockings for my granddaughters Corinne, Taylor and Carly years ago.  Now is the time to stitch for my children.

Sew Much Fun !!

I'm just about finished.  I'm down to stitching the last 6 stockings.  Whoo Hoo  Look at all that floss.

Stitching and finishing these Blackbird Designs stockings has been a very fun and rewarding process. I have a couple of wire trees to hang them on depending on the season.  They make great gift tags too.  I stitched the December stocking to add to the ribbon on my sisters Christmas presents.

Merry Be

What's not to love about these fibers, fabric, beads and silk ribbon?  Tina and Teri at Shepherd's Bush have inspired and enabled me for at least thirty years.  Their stunning designs hang in EVERY room of my home...yes, even in the bathrooms!

It's All Relative....

Here's Strawberry Shortcake, a counted canvas piece, designed by Kathy Rees from Needle Delights Originals of Pensacola, Florida.  I'm using all the yummy called for fibers.  

So ladies, whether it's 1 over 1 on 40ct OR 1 over 1 on 18ct....it's just simply the same but different!!

Try it... You'll like it

If you haven't stitched on silk gauze yet, indulge yourself with one of Erica Michaels counted thread designs.  'Stitching Mends my Soul' is worked on 40ct. gauze, 1 over 1, using the continental stitch for the motifs and the basketweave stitch for the background.

Woof.......

You had to know this was coming....  Boris will be leisurely watching Olga chase the Robin all the while thinking....stupid cat !!

Stitched on Lakeside Linen 40 count Vintage Magnolia using called for threads.

Purrrrrr

If there's a bird in the sky....there must be a cat nearby !!

Olga will be stalking her prey from Lakeside Linens 40 count Vintage Magnolia.

Gone to the Birds

The Christmas Doves and Cardinals flew the coop and the Robin flew in on The North Wind to nest on Lakeside Linens 40 count Misty Rain.

Enter the three Witches

   William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

                      from Macbeth

A dark Cave. In the middle, a Caldron boiling. Thunder.

                Enter the three Witches.

       1 WITCH.  Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd. 

       2 WITCH.  Thrice and once, the hedge-pig whin'd. 

       3 WITCH.  Harpier cries:—'tis time! 'tis time! 

       1 WITCH.  Round about the caldron go; 

    In the poison'd entrails throw.— 

    Toad, that under cold stone, 

    Days and nights has thirty-one; 

    Swelter'd venom sleeping got, 

    Boil thou first i' the charmed pot! 

       ALL.  Double, double toil and trouble; 

    Fire burn, and caldron bubble. 

       2 WITCH.  Fillet of a fenny snake, 

    In the caldron boil and bake; 

    Eye of newt, and toe of frog, 

    Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, 

    Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting, 

    Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,— 

    For a charm of powerful trouble, 

    Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. 

       ALL.  Double, double toil and trouble; 

    Fire burn, and caldron bubble. 

       3 WITCH.  Scale of dragon; tooth of wolf; 

    Witches' mummy; maw and gulf 

    Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark; 

    Root of hemlock digg'd i the dark; 

    Liver of blaspheming Jew; 

    Gall of goat, and slips of yew 

    Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse; 

    Nose of Turk, and Tartar's lips; 

    Finger of birth-strangled babe 

    Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,— 

    Make the gruel thick and slab: 

    Add thereto a tiger's chaudron, 

    For the ingrediants of our caldron. 

       ALL.  Double, double toil and trouble; 

    Fire burn, and caldron bubble. 

       2 WITCH.  Cool it with a baboon's blood, 

    Then the charm is firm and good.

WOW

Boy oh boy has the time gone by quickly this month!!  It's been a wonderful holiday season with friends and family.

Here are some pics of my tree.  I have paper doves and paper cardinals.  I think they are so much fun.  Then while decorating I noticed my balled scraps of yarn and thought they'd make nice ornaments...and they did !!  They were also great fun for the cats if the tree got bumped and a 'ball' happened to drop to the floor.  A great chase always ensued.

And my new most FAVORITE Christmas Candy !!  OMG ..... so good I bought a box of them.  Milk Chocolate covered Mint flavored marshmallow PEEPS!!  Yes I shared but I hogged some too!!  They are yummy.

A couple of family pics:

 This is a pic of Corinne, Barb, Carly and Brent.  We had such a fun Christmas Morning.

And Taylor and Chauntel.

Now on to the 2011 Stitching Challenge of one start per day for the first fifteen days of January.  I had such a good time going through my stash. Here's my start for today:

The beginning of Anna's Bird on 32 count Black Belfast Linen.  I decided to do my own conversion of the called for Weeks and Gentle Art thread to my personal favorite....BELLE SOIE .  So far, so good.

I so enjoyed stitching June Morning with the Belle Soie conversion provided by Jean at Attic Needlework that I decided to try it myself.  It's coming right along.

Hang in there with me as I update my blog for the next 15 days.  And mind you that before March 1st I have to knit 5 hats and as many mittens as I can for a family trip to Chicago!  Plus I am continuing to stitch on the Blackbird Design stockings.  I have 6 left to stitch and then finish the last 24 into hanging stockings.  I'm also determined to finish Garden Glade, And All Was For An Appil and Molly this year.  I'll post some progress on those as well.

Thanks to all of you who have left comments on my last post of the fabulous framing from Jill Rensel.  Here's Jill's address and phone numberjust in case you might like to contact her with your framing needs.  She never disappoints !!

Jill Rensel Fine Art     (801) 627-3594
1225 32nd Street
Ogden, Utah 84403

One individual who left a comment wanted to see the entire 'Tis the Season' frame and here it is.  It's my favorite!!

And so dear friends another year is upon us...and that's a very good thing !!  Hugs and Happy Stitching