January WIPocalypse

Bit of confusion on my part.  I signed up for both WIPocalypse and TUSAL noting that you had to post on moondates.  What I didn't spot is that WIPocalypse is on Full Moons and TUSAL is New Moons.  So opposite ends of the month and two dates to remember!!

Here is my first WIP for 2012, Joan Elliott's Green Goddess:

I started stitching her back in September 2011 almost as soon as I got the book-a-zine she was in.  The fabric is a piece of 32 count Murano dyed specially for me by Crafty Kitten (Hi to Dawn and her new Christmas Day baby!).  I'm using all the recommended DMC colours because Joan just picks the best combinations, I feel there is no need to change anything!

The face will be filled in but I only have half a skein of that colour and I'm paranoid of running out halfway through and getting a different dye batch so it will wait until I order some more threads (after payday).

My other two WIPS are The Dark Alphabet:

And My Lovely Sewing Tools from Gift of Stitching online magazine:

Neither of these have been stitched this year so far.  I am a OAAT gal at heart and enjoy my stitching most when I can keep on with a project until it's done.  Rotating is not really for me, I tried various forms last year and it didn't really do it for me.


I did take a picture of my TUSAL thinking it had to be posted too, so here it is:

As you can see it's a TUSAL dish at the moment and the jar is empty.  I put my ORTS in the dish besides the sofa and empty them into the jar periodically.  There doesn't seem to be much in there and it is mostly yellow, as I frogged one shade and replaced with another for the Needlecraft Haven freebie.  I think I must have emptied some of 2012's into 2011's jar as there is no red at all and I know I stitched red this year!

The WIPocalypse is run by Measi and by coincidence she is the latest member of the Stitcherhood of the Travelling Pattern.  This TP is the Lizzie*Kate Life's a Stitch, remember this post?  I asked you what stitch your life would be and Measi said:

"I think I would probably be the rice stitch - complex at first glance, but honestly quite simple underneath. :)"

So the Travelling Pattern is off on it's travels again, back to America.  I have to Google the address Measi gave me as I have no idea where in America it is going to!!

Advent Calendar Success and a Travelling Pattern Finish I can show you

The Advent Calendar is being a great success, I hope you're popping by each day to see the new addition then going over to the blog owner to read about their stitching and Christmas traditions.  There are still four days left if anyone wants to join in the fun.  All you need to do is email me asking for a day, post a stitched Christmas/Winter pic on that day, let me copy it onto my blog and tell us about a Christmas tradition in your country/home.

I shouldn't have favourites but I did love Cucki's How to Say Merry Christmas in several different African languages, fascinating!

Finally I have a finish I can show you - the latest Lizzie*Kate Travelling Pattern.  This came to me via Kate and here it is with Madame Muriel.

The card came with the pattern, it's great isn't it?  I decided to stitch the pattern in vaguely Christmassy colours and used variegated DMC 115 (red) and 92 (green).  I changed the flowers to bright red with yellow centres so they were a little like poinsettias.  But not much! 

What I want to know is - how come I can do the most complicated TW and Mira's with nary a frog in sight but a simple little simple thing like this and they come along in pairs?  First of all I stitched the entire satin stitch top border 2 threads to the left and had to frog it.  Then I found I had stitched the "L" 2 threads too high so the red border was too high and the side satin stitches were out by 2 threads.  I was not going to frog two whole sides so I jiggled the bottom two corners adding in extra stitches and no-one will know.  Except 159 of you and you're not telling!!

As this is a Travelling Pattern it must be moving on now.  To be in with a chance, leave a comment saying that you want to be in the Stitcherhood.

It has travelled well and had visited 8 homes before mine ~ you can check out all the gorgeous finishes at the following blogs:

Hooked On Stitches
Old Ragged Threads

Loretta Stitching Blog
Reflections In The Pond
Erica's Places
My New Perspective
Buttons & Stitches
Kate's Floss Box

If you would like to be part of this sweet Travelling Pattern here are the rules:

1. Comment on this post, saying you would like to be part of the Stitcherhood.

2. You agree (if you are chosen) to stitch the design and send it along to the next person in a timely manner. If this means dropping everything in your rotation to concentrate on this project...so be it. If you can't bring yourself to do this ~ don't sign up.

3. You must have an active blog to participate. If you have a blog but never post to it ~ you won't be chosen to be the next stitcher.

4. This is a giveaway-type Travelling Pattern. That means you must follow it from blogger to blogger to enter each time it is ready to send along. Commenting on this post doesn't make you a guaranteed part of the Stitcherhood.
I'd also like to know - if Life is indeed a Stitch, then which stitch is your life?

Mine would be the Serendipity Stitch, yes there really is such a thing.  I discovered it while deciding on a blog name.  I didn't want to use one which as already in use in the World unknown to me.  Here's a link to how to do the Serendipity Stitch.

This lovely card is from Shannon, she recently posted that she would like to exchange some ornaments this Christmas as she only received one card last year.  Well, ornie finishing is a "tried it once and didn't like it" thing for me so I offered to send a stitched card instead.  Here's what I received yesterday - a gorgeous little snowman in a snowflakey wreath.  He's stitched on perforated paper and is so sweet.  He's hanging off my clock at the moment as we won't put our tree up for a while.  He's my first ever stitched ornie present and I'm so pleased with him.

I'm also rather pleased because I have realised that I can now do ornie exchanges with people who don't mind perforated paper ornies.  I had it in my mind that an ornie must be a stuffed pillow but clearly it doesn't need to be!  Watch out next Christmas for exchange offers galore!

BTW, is anyone else thinking "that card would chart and stitch up nicely"?

And finally, I've mailed off all my cards and parcels to go overseas (yesterday was the last posting date) so if you get something from me, let me know when it arrives safely!  Now to start on the UK post...

Travelling Pattern Travelling Onwards

I put all the names of the people interested in Cucki's Lizzie*Kate Travelling Pattern into a bowl and asked hubby to pull one out.  The lucky person is:

Threadbear

Please contact me with your address and I'll send it on to you.

Here's how I framed the picture:

I used a sheet of scrapbook paper and some sparkly stickers of hearts and butterflies.  I think I might have gone a bit OTT with the smaller stickers, it's a bit spotty now.  The paper was perfect.  I think I might scrapbook more of my smalls next year.  The local shop has some gorgeous papers for sale and it's got to be easier than making ornies!  I'm not good at it and I don't enjoy it.  My first (and probably only) ornie is off to it's new owner this week so I'll post a picture when she receives it.

There were some lovely suggestions for names for the hand-coloured paper - Threadbear's was Gobstopper!  Other people suggested:

Light of Love

Shine of Ray

Neapolitan Ice Candy

Sunshine Skittles

End of the Rainbow

Psychedelic Love

Love's Rainbow

Aren't they all beautiful names?  OK, maybe Gobstopper isn't the most beautiful but it is fun!

The Advent Calendar idea has been a great success, people think it's a good idea and a fun thing to do.  The first half of Advent is full but there are spaces after the 13th so if you want to join in then please email me as soon as possible.

I'll be posting the doors up on the 1st December with everyone's link under the relevant door with a new picture appearing each day.

I have been stitching on presents for other people so I have no progress pictures to show you this week, maybe next...

Finally, the Joan Elliott Round Robin will be taking place next year, we have four people so far, if you want to join us then follow this link and sign up soon.



Travelling Patterns Travelling Onwards

I finished stitching Cucki's Travelling pattern earlier this week but the scanner bleached it out so I had to wait for the camera to be in the same room as the pattern!  Here is my finish:

What do you think of the fabric?  Madame Muriel asked for sunglasses!  The original is stitched in Sampler threads so I pulled the DMC threads as charted and thought they were rather austere.  This is a Cucki pattern and needed a kooky look.  So I got my piece of 16 count white aida and coloured it in with my fabric pens!  I've done this a couple of times before and have always been pleased with the result.  It's a nice cheap and easy way of getting coloured fabric especially when you only want a small piece.  The colours in the photo still aren't 100% true but I'll try again when it's framed.

I changed the colour of the bottom heart to the heather (778) used in the middle heart on the chart as it would have clashed with the stripes in the fabric.  Then I used 115 variegated to stitch the middle heart.  I do like the colours in 115 but it doesn't change enough for many designs.  I like a variegated to change several times in a length and this only changes once every length.  I am using it alot for some cards so watch for pictures later in December.

As this is a Travelling Pattern it's time for it to travel onwards.  To be included in the Stitcherhood you must follow these rules:

1. You must have a blog.
2. Comment on this post only, saying you would like to be part of the Stitcherhood.

3. You must have an active blog to participate,, if you have a blog but never post on it..you wont be chosen to be the next stitcher.

4.The stitcher who will receive the Traveling pattern must stitch it (within an acceptable time frame),finish it and display the finished piece for all to see.

5.Then the stitcher must offer up the traveling pattern for another stitcher to use and it will be off on its travels again.

I'm adding an extra bit to 2. - leave a comment suggesting a name for the fabric I created, as well as saying you want to be in the Stitcherhood!

If you can't commit to the Stitcherhood right now then still leave a comment with a suggested name, just for fun but tell me you don't want to be in the draw.

The second Travelling Pattern is the one I stitched earlier this year; Shakespear's Peddlar Count Your Blessings.  It is now with Kath in her Stitching Heaven and as yet there are no comments asking to be in the draw.  So get over there quick and sign up.

Here is my progress on The Gift of Stitching online magazine's My Lovely Sewing Tools:

Madame Muriel is enjoying this one - she's says it's just her cup of tea and likes the 40 count.  Of course, 40 count looks huge to her so she would like it.

The Gift of Stitching is having a big change right now, they are going over to bi-monthly next year but bigger issues so still the same price (US$24).  I think this is still pretty good value based on the issues I've received so far.  They are offering current subscribers a choice between 50% off their next subscription or a number of back issues.  So that's the dilemma - the sensible thing is to go for the 50% off but that means parting with some money now (which I shouldn't) but having some back issues is very tempting too and wouldn't cost anything.  I'm going to browse their database and see what catches my eye!

Finally I see I'm nearly upto 150 followers WOW!  I think a little treat is needed for that landmark.  Maybe not a giveaway but something nice for us all.  I also have a half-formed plan for a fun activity for everyone in December.  I need to find out how to "postdate" blog posts first....

Travelling Granny and Travelling Pattern

My Travelling Pattern arrived safely from South Africa, Cucki has been following the various TPs that are doing the rounds without winning one herself.  So she decided to start her own!  It's a lovely Lizzie*Kate design with a very appropriate motto - Love is Best when you Give it Away.  How suitable for a Travelling Pattern.  I have hand-coloured some fabric in a wild and kooky style to always remind me where the pattern came from.  I must just share the envelope:

Have you ever seen so many stamps on one small envelope?  It made me smile even before I opened it up.  Progress pics will follow.

Now, the Travelling Granny.  Here's her story:

This where we first met her :Stitch Bitch 2011/04

Then Connie had a great idea: Stitch Bitch 2011/04

So off she went to visit Connie here: Spinster Stitcher (Connie doesn't do labels but her blog is hilarious and well worth reading to find the right posts!)

Then onto New Zealand with Margaret here: Margaret's Blog - Madame Muriel Flat Flossie posts (Margaret does do labels so you can easily find all the relevant posts although her whole blog is also well worth a read).

And finally to me in the Old Country.  The idea is that I show Madame Muriel around, take her places, photograph her in those places then eventually send her on to somewhere new.  We have a few things planned and she will be spending Christmas with us too.  I have been warned she likes to take over the blog and make her own entries so watch out for those.

Here is the collection of lovely things she arrived with:

A lovely sheepie tote bag (I was rather rude about the sheep smell in my last post, I hope Margaret is the forgiving type!  It really truly doesn't smell of sheep at all.  And anyway the Butler did it, not me!!), some delicious New Zealand chocolate, a chart for a Blackbird Designs thread keep and the most exquisite needlebook with needles and pins included!  Plus a brochure for some weird place called Mishawaka, apparently it actually exists, I thought Connie had made the place name up to be humourous!

 Needlebook, outside and inside - isn't it just beautiful, I haven't counted to see what it's stitched on but it's very delicate and wonderfully made. 

Much better than I could have done, so don't expect anything this good, next Hostess!

And John James needles, size 26 which is fab as I have 24s and 28s but no 26s.  I think they will be perfect for 28 count evenweave as the 28s are a wee bit wee.

And also, this lovely chart: 

I don't have a scissor keep or a thread keep and this comes with a little antiqued split ring - perfect!

So, a big Thank You to Margaret and a Welcome to Madame Muriel.  Watch this space for more news on her adventures and travels here in the Old Country.

ps I have been stitching this week but some is for sending to people and some don't have much progress since last time.  I've done a little on several things but nothing worth posting yet.  I also went to the theatre and lost an entire evening's stitching.  We went to see Terry Pratchett's The Wyrd Sisters.  I thought my brother had the book so I phoned him and said "Do you have Wyrd Sisters?"  "Yes", he replied "Two of them"  hahahaha sibling jokes are soooooooo funny. 

Lucky, Lucky, Lucky, I have been so lucky!

First I win Cucki's Travelling Pattern, then I get to host the Travelling Granny!

Cucki's Stitching Cove can be found here.  She loves following the various Travelling Patterns around the world and decided to start one of her own.  This is a Lizzie*Kate design, a first for me, which says "Love is Best when you give it away".  How appropriate for a Travelling Pattern!

It's a very sweet, very Cucki pattern and will look great with some variegated reds and maybe some of the hearts charms I picked up.

The next VIP is Madame Muriel Flat Flossie, the Travelling Granny.  This very special elder person started her journey with Anna the Stitch Bitch, travelled to spend time with Stewie and his pet spinster then went all the way to New Zealand to see Margaret.  And now she's coming to the Old Country to visit me!  I'm a little nervous as Margaret has shown her all the sites of New Zealand and MM seems to be expecting to visit with Royalty on her UK trip, we'll have to see what we can do...

Read all about Madame Muriel Flat Flossie, the Travelling Granny here:

• Arrived in Pennsylvania to visit with the Stitch Bitch
• Had adventures in Indiana with Stewie and the Spinster Stitcher. (Her farewell to Indiana here.)
• Arrived in New Zealand to visit Margaret. A birthday dinner. A bus trip to the city. A trip to the farm. Out to see sheep and wool. A trip to Mickey D's. A visit to Devenport and another to the exhibition. Hanging out with needleworkers. Ready to go.

I have just explained to hubby about Travelling Granny, he was initially under the impression that Anna's actual Grandma was coming a-visiting!  Mind you, it would be great to meet Maggie in person.  I explained it's like the Bear at Primary School, a different child has the bear each weekend and has to keep a diary of it's actitivities.  If you're lucky the previous person took it to MacDonalds and watched TV, if you're unlucky then the previous child took it pony-riding and to the museum and the theatre then fed the homeless on Sunday so you feel rather inadequate!

I finished this little stitch last week, another PIF from Erica this time.  Erica's Places.  It's been quite hard getting a decent picture of it as it's stitched on black aida with LOADS of beads.  Probably 50% of the design is beads but that's Mill Hill for you!

Erica sent me the chart, the leftover beads and the threads.  There was plenty of thread and almost enough beads.  I had some of the purple and magenta but not the green so I subbed a slightly different green for the "O".  There was just enough orange and plenty of ice.  I didn't have a tiny star but I did have a witch!  This is one of the charms I got from Ang's Attic (remember when I ordered 1 of each charm but actually ordered 1 packet of each!).

I'd like to PIF again, there's some thread left but not enough to stitch again so I'll add the extra in from my stash.  I could also add a piece of black aida unless you are violently opposed to aida or prefer to stitch it on perforated paper.  I will also pop in a witch charm (I had 10 after all!).  You will need to get more beads however.

If you'd like this little chart and extras then leave a comment telling me your favourite myth about English people, for example that we all personally know the Queen, the whole country has tea at 3 o'clock, Northerners keep coal in their bath tubs etc.  You know the sort of thing.  Madame Muriel will help me debunk some of the myths when she arrives!  If you don't know any myths think of English films and TV programmes that make you wonder "Do all English people do that?"

If you don't want the chart then say so but leave a myth comment anyway, the more the merrier!

And finally, for those bobbin users who said they put the unused strands on the table, by the side etc until they need them - this is why I could never do that:

This is not a Quaker sampler, this is my carpet.  It was in the house when we moved in and is in perfect condition.  It is also very large (covers the entire Lounge and all the Hall and Stairs.  We could never afford to replace it with the same quality.  As you can imagine it is very difficult to find dropped items on it.  Unless you are the small boy and have dropped food in which case you can spot a raisin at 50 paces!  Lego is NOT allowed on this carpet as the pattern eats Lego.  Luckily the large boy has a plain carpet in his room.  What you can of it under the Lego carpet.

WOCS, GOS and RAK

WOCS is World of Cross Stitch the popular magazine and here is the cover kit from Issue 181, a lovely Margaret Sherry Christmas design.  Stitched exactly as it said in the mag with the supplied material - hard aida and non-specific threads.  Margaret's designs are very popular so I will be putting the chart and leftover thread into my 1st giveaway.

GOS is Gift of Stitching, another very popular magazine, but a virtual one this time.  I've had my 3 issues for $3 and have now subscribed for a year.  I made sure I did this in plenty of time and saved 5%, then 2 days to go until the end of the month I got a "Save 25%" offer from them.  aaaaaghhhh, so much for being organised.  Oh well.  The new issue is great, two whole samplers and a partworks one too which I will be stitching.  There's another Treasure Hunt later this month and more stitching competitions on the way.  If you do decide to sign-up then mention "joanne p" in the Tell-a-friend bit and I get a free month's sub.

RAK relates to the Travelling Pattern (which has safely reached the Mousehouse).  You may recall I asked you who your stitching blessing was which made very interesting reading.  I wrote down all the names of individual people (not groups or "everyone on the internet"!) and we put them in Chaffy's nest for the large boy to select one from.  Who is Chaffy?  I hear you ask.  Chaffy is a small fluffy creature who hides in various places around the Chaffy-verse.  A cuter version of Wally.  The large boy and his Uncle (my little bro) are obsessed with Chaffy.  If you look on Deviant Art you will find some of bro's plushies.  He made 10 different ones.  Strange things, boys.  In case you are worried, Deviant Art is alternative culture not something to do with BDSM!  If you don't know what BDSM is, don't Google it, you'll get a shock.

Here is Chaffy sitting on the scraps of paper:

 Here is the large boy removing one piece of paper:

 This is the name of the person whose Stitching Blessing will be receiving a little something from me (in the not too distant future, definitely before Christmas!):

Notice the one space in the large boy's room we found to do this.  The rest is covered in toys.  This space is by the door.

Finally two more framed pieces, the first is The Travelling Pattern itself, I added the names of the stitchers so far to the sides.  That was fun.  I carefully charted the names making sure the four on each side would be the same length when stitched (pair longest with shortest).  Then started stitching.  Then remembered the weird count which made the letters very wide, so I had to freehand them which is why they're not the same length but still look okay.

nb Charity shop frame - £1

The final picture is the September Challenge freebie from The Needlecraft Haven.  Each month they choose a freebie and we stitch it but have to save it for the Big Reveal in the last weekend.

From this blog

There’s a voice that keeps on calling me...

There’s a voice that keeps on calling me
Down the road is where I’ll always be

Every stop I make, I’ll make a new friend
Can’t stay for long, just turn around and I’m gone again.

Maybe tomorrow, I’ll want to settle down,
Until tomorrow, I’ll just keep moving on.

Down this road, that never seems to end,
Where new adventure, lies just around the bend.

Bonus points for anyone except Hannah who can name the tune!  I was going to use Whitesnake's Here I Go Again but somehow this one seemed more suitable.

It is, of course, the Travelling Pattern singing it's merry song.   Thank you to everyone who asked to be part of the Stitcherhood of the Travelling Pattern.  It was very VERY hard to choose just one person.

But before I announce the winner, there's this:-

IHSW was a great success.  I am (this) close to finishing Bluebeard's Mermaid, only half a seahorse and the treasures to fix then I'll be Happy Dancing round the room.  I also stitched my entry for the Gift of Stitching's Tape Measure competition which I won't show here as I'm not sure about the rules on that.  There will be a vote when all the designs appear in their Gallery next weekend.

I can show you this:

This is how I finished my two Loves from The Stitcherhood.  I wanted some red/black ribbon with hearts on it but could only find red with white hearts.  I tried using various pens to colour the white and it just didn't look right.  But I did find these heart buttons in my LNS which look good.  The design is posing with a statue which represents our family (I think it's called Circle of Love).  I bought one of a couple with one child when hubby and I moved in together to represent me, him and the large boy, then I bought one of a man holding a woman in a wedding dress when we got married (although we'd already done the whole carrying me over the threshold thing).  This one I bought when the small boy arrived on the scene and we became 4.

The carved love spoon was a wedding gift hand-made by a close friend.  She is a very talented craftswoman, as well as carving wood she makes stained glass pieces and has tried her hand at cross stitch too.

I suppose you're still waiting to see where the Travelling Pattern goes next?  I am pleased to announce - drum roll here - the Travelling Pattern will not be needing a Visa or passport for it's next journey, it is off to.....

Mouse

So if Mouse could let me know the address of the Mouse House, the Travelling Pattern will be off on it's travels once again.  Apologies for everyone else but there can be only one lucky stitcher, pop over to Mouse's blog for a chance next round. 

For I must be travelling on, now....

For I must be travelling on, now,
'Cause there's too many places I've got to see....

Yes, it is time for the Travelling Pattern to be travelling on (bonus points for first person to identify song lyrics).

This TP was started off by Daffycat (aka Sharon) who is having a giveaway at the moment, she is nearly upto 800 followers (WOW!) so pop along, see the home of the Travelling Pattern, enter her giveaway and follow her if you don't already (cannot believe that there are people who don't already follow her, she's like the matriach of stitching blogs!).

The TP is by Shakespeare's Peddlar and is called "Count Your Blessings".  I stitched it on the weird fabric I talked about before using random threads from my scraps bag.  The red brick for the house is the same red used on my Doll's House project (which is nice).  I added a fanlight to the door and a beak to the bird.  I also removed a row from the house so all the windows are the same height and changed the vine so the bird came down by two rows.  This was to stop the design falling off the edge of the fabric which I cut thinking it was 32 count not 26!

The rules of the TP are as follows:

1. Comment on this post, saying you would like to be part of the Stitcherhood.

2. By leaving this comment, you agree (if you are chosen) to stitch the design and send it along to the next person in a timely manner. If this means dropping everything in your rotation to concentrate on this project...so be it. If you can't bring yourself to do this ~ don't sign up.

3. You must have an active blog to participate. If you have a blog but never post to it ~ you won't be chosen to be the next stitcher.

4. This is a giveaway-type Traveling Pattern. That means you must follow it from blogger to blogger to enter each time it is ready to send along. Commenting on this post doesn't make you a guaranteed part of the Stitcherhood.

The Traveling Pattern has been stitched by:

1. Sharon of It's Daffycat, Oklahoma, USA

2. Karen of Karen's Handiwork, South Carolina, USA

3. Patty of Hanging On By A Thread, Florida, USA

4. Terri of Chocolates for Breakfast, Stitching for Lunch, USA
5. Lynda of A Cozy Little Place for Stitching, Oregon, USA
6. Nataly of Nataly's Needle Creations, Massachusetts, USA
7. Erin of Fairy Tales & French Knots, NY, USA
8. Jo of Serendipititous Stitching, Suffolk, UK

The links above are all for the posts where the TP appears in all it's glory so you don't have to rummage through the blogs to find them.  Aren't I good to you?

As the rules state, to be the next member you just need to comment on THIS POST only.  Just for fun I'd like to know "who is your stitching blessing?"  OK not a very grammatical question!  We all have much the same blessings in life - our partners, our kids, our grandkids, our furbabies, our health and the fact that we live in countries where we can indulge ourselves with this amazing hobby rather than spending 8 hours a day looking for clean water: SO - who do you count as your biggest stitching blessing?  For me it'd be Erin who passed the TP on to me!  If your stitching blessing has a blog please include a link.  I need to follow more blogs (hahaha).

Here's my progress on Periphaeria's Star SAL, I have nearly done all of Parts 1 and 2 and most of the middle so I'm quite pleased.  The fabric is 28 count Purpleberry Spludge from Sparklies who will be having a sale on the Bank Holiday Weekend.

Other news - it is one month exactly to my Sapphire Birthday and I currently have 88 followers.  I will be doing my first giveaway at either 100 followers or on my Birthday.  I need half a follower per day to reach 100 before the big day, so if you are half a follower please sign up and bring the giveaway forward!

Edited to say:
I will be choosing the next person on Monday 22nd August, so make sure you post by midnight Sunday.  And don't forget to tell me who your stitching blessing is.

This week's progress and Is it Just Me?

First of all the Travelling Pattern:

This was two steps forward, one step back this week.  I only stitched the end of the fence on Tuesday as we were busy but on Wednesday I realised I had missed out the central post in the gate and it looked all wrong as it is supposed to echo the Blessings curve.  So I unpicked and restitched the right hand side and voila, all fine.

The problem with choosing your own colours is that you do tend to try something, doesn't work, try something else and end up stitching twice.  The leaves are a good example.  Paler colours don't look good on this fabric.

Next up is my Mermaid, I've been concentrating on the boring border.  I've started to back stitch it but don't like it so will unpick it and leave it plain.  The eagle-eyed Mira obsessives may have spotted I've moved the border out.  This was advised on the Mira board and is a great idea.  I moved the top and side borders by 5 stitches each but left the bottom border and the seahorses where they were.  I've bs the seahorses in DMC500 not the 3371 recommended which I used for the crown but only in one strand.  Her skin will be bs in turquoise not 3371 (yuk).

Number 2 in the series "Doesn't Everyone Do This?  Oh OK Just Me Then"

These are my "scraps bags".  When I finish a kit I always have loads of thread left over and I just used to put it all in a large bag.  This year I spent time sorting it into colour groups and putting into individual bags.  Each length is on a piece of cut-up thread sorter.  I use spare cardboard as DIY thread sorters if the project doesn't come with one.  Even the threads which claim to be DMC colours go into this bag as I learned early on that things-are-not-always-what-they-seem-to-be.

Now when I need a thread for a small project I just go to the relevant bag and select a suitable colour.  There's usually only one length of threads from cover kits but from larger kits there is often half a skein leftover.

So do you do anything like this?  What's your "it's just me then" thing?

Sarah's Giveaway and the Travelling Pattern

The lovely Sarah at CraftyMoo is having a giveaway.  I love Sarah because she appears to be wearing a pink feather boa in her profile pic which always makes me smile.

This is my progress on the Travelling Pattern after 2 days of stitching:

I chose a piece of rustic fabric I bought when my LNS was closing earlier this year.  It appeared to be 32 count.  But I discovered it is only 32 count horizontally, vertically it is 26 count.  How random is that?  So the design is coming out much taller than expected!

The red and blue threads are DMC variegated but there doesn't seem to be much varience apart from the paler blue at the beginning.  The brown fence is a tweeded pair from my scraps bag.  I do like a bit of tweeding!

It seems from the comments on my last post that I am the only stitcher in touch with her inner-6-year old who marks her chart nicely with lots of pretty colours.  Next post I will show you my scraps bag and see if I'm a minority of one in that too!

Edited to add - a friend wants to learn how to make cushions, small decorative pillows and ornaments, things that involve sewing.  Does anyone have a tutorial page on their blog or can recommend a good one?  Thanks!

Charting, Mermaid and Inky Darkness

 It's funny how when you are self-taught and you find a way to do something you sort of assume that everyone does it that way too as it seems obvious.  Recently I've seen a few posts where people have referred to marking off their stitches on photocopied charts with a pen, so I thought they did it like me.  But it seems people only use one colour (opens eyes in amazement).  I have always produced a multi-coloured pattern as I go.  It just seemed logical, if you are stitching dark blue then why mark it in fluero yellow?  And you get a lovely coloured-in version of your work!  Here is my mermaid, she seems to have 4 arms because she's copied onto 2 A3 pages and I like a large overlap.

 And here's the stitched version.  I found a new setting on my camera which takes a more accurate colour picture.  I have started the metallics which I'm loving.  I can't believe I let blending filament put me off using Kreinik #4 for so long!  I was glad I saved some of the boring border because we had a two hour power cut one evening this week and I ended up sewing by the light of a 60W energy saving bulb hubby had wired to an inverter attached to the car!  He actually bought the inverter to keep the fridge-freezer going during such events but he allowed me one light too!  Large boy had a chargeable emergency light in his room, good job we're prepared!

This is the latest square on The Dark Alphabet.  Very intensely stitched and different in places to the chart.  I stitched the bottom /// in black and the top \\\ in 939 navy.  I did all the /// first and then all the \\\ as I thought it might seem quicker that way and I'd only have to count once!  I still miscounted in about 6 places and as I refuse to frog over 1 the last two branches are a little different to Julie's.  I also made one window into a door.  The large boy liked this square and used the house for inspiration for his latest drawing entitled "Bib-babs and friends in a graveyard".  Nice child.
For new followers this is a design by  A Note of Friendship in memory of Lisa Roswell.  they produce a new letter every few weeks and I'm stitching them as I go.  I seem to be the only person keeping up with the design but I have a plan....

I have managed to get Google Reader to play nicely this week.  Every time I've tried to use it, the entries are all squashed up and you can't see anything until you click on them.  But this week I'd got really far behind with my reading (the world and his wife blogged at the end of July) and tried again to use it.  One day I went into the Reader via my "history" rather than my dashboard and Hey Presto it looked great - I could see all the posts and everything!  I can now keep up with everyone's blogs and never miss a single vital post!

Finally, the Travelling Pattern arrived this afternoon.  Perfect timing as I've just finished "I" and am ready to start the next thing ("J" is nearly finished, only one day's work there).  This pattern started with Daffycat and came to me from Erin from Fairy Tales and French Knots.  I'm off now to choose some fabric and threads.

Travelling Pattern heading my way

I've been inducted into a Stitcherhood!  Not the Lizzie*Kate one I've been following since it started 5 blogs ago but a new (to me) one.  Now I always try to follow my followers in return, so when Nataly became my follower I popped over to her blog to return the favour.  There I spotted her passing the Travelling Pattern onto Erin.  So off I trot to follow Erin, comment on the TP post and it's coming to me now!

The pattern is by Shakespeare's Peddlar and is Count Your Blessings which is a great motto to live life by.  So watch this spot.  It will probably take a week to get here and a few days to get stitched depending on how much we are out and about each day then it will be off on it's travels again.

It's always nice to find new blogs because I really don't follow enough (ha!) and I do try to leave a comment saying how/where I found them.  This is a hint to my followers who haven't introduced themselves yet!  I'd love to "meet" you via your blogs so leave a comment.

Real World Question: when you're referring to something an online friend has said, what do you say "A friend of mine told me..." "An online friend ...", "one of my followers..."?  Saying followers makes me feel like Brian in The Life of Brian!  "She's not the Messiah!".

The Dolls House in the last post was super-popular so I may be sending it on it's way to a new home.  I've been watching my Follower's List grow so thought either 100 followers or my Birthday would make a good occasion for a Giveaway, whichever happens first.  My Birthday is in September so it won't be long either way.

Stitchingwise I'm working on a Round Robin for Sophia, it's a Teresa Wentzler band sampler and is GORGEOUS.  I'm also stitching I and J for the Dark Alphabet and have just completed a cat which has gone off to be included in a Cats Protection League raffle and a freebie for a new (to me) forum.  This is the Needlecraft Haven.  They have a monthly freebie challenge.  Christine chooses a free chart from t'internet and each person stitches it then there is a big Reveal on the last Sunday of the month.  July/August is ongoing so I have to wait til the end of August to show you.

There are no photos again, so I must find something to show you.

As the family link was so popular last time, here is the sampler I stitched for my Grandparents' 60th Wedding Anniversary.  They have both passed away now so it has returned to me.  It's currently in storage but comes out everytime someone asks what a particular Anniversary is.  We've just celebrated Flowers.  They had 60 years and "never a cross word" hahaha.  Lots of bickering kept their minds agile!  They used to spend alot of time arguing over who had owned each corner shop in each street, or the exact order of the names of a series of narrow paths called "The Scores" in our town.  Some of which no longer existed.

Finally a reminder of a special service this blog provides - contents pages for my favourite magazines to help you decide whether to look for them in your far-flung countries.  World Of Cross Stitch just added a little belatedly (oops).  Look at the tabs at the top.