Lady of the Thread Cross Stitch

Lady of the Thread is overdue for an update. I haven't taken a picture of her in nearly a year! This morning I finally finished the large green part of her skirt. It doesn't look very big in the photo, but when you're doing it one stitch at a time, it's gigantic!

The Pattern: "Lady of the Thread" by Lavender and Lace.
The Fabric: 28 ct black linen from my LNS
The Thread: DMC Floss
Date Started: 3-10-09

SAL Progress

I was really on a roll last night with my Lady of the Thread. I finished her head, and did a few of the spots where there are only two or three stitches in a color, then two or three in another color. After I finish the bodice of her dress, I'll work on the ribbon down the edge of her housecoat, then work on the coat itself.
I'm pondering leaving out the red rose..things... on either side of her. They don't make a lot of sense, and look a bit odd. The one seems to be sprouting out of her back, and the other seems to pop out from behind her stitching. Opinions, anyone? (If you can't see them, there's a better photo in this post.)

Lady of the Thread - Post-Olympic Picture

I meant to post this earlier this week, but lost my camera card/USB adapter in the recesses of my messy desk. The adapter has been located, and the pictures downloaded, so without further ado, pre- and post-Olympic pictures of Lady of the Thread.

I was unable to meet my goal of finishing her skirt, due to spending a weekend in Penn Yan for my Grandpa's funeral, and taking a couple days to knit a baby hat. I almost finished it at my craft night on Thursday. I did manage to finish it this evening. My next goal is to complete the remainder of her dress and put in her head and the mirror. One of these days I'll remember to put the project picture in my progress picture so you can see how little I've really gotten done how much progress I'm making.

Too Many WIP's

Last night I was debating what WIP to work on, and became overwhelmed by all the options. I ended up cleaning my room, instead. This morning I was looking at the WIP list to the right, and realized that updating the list would at the least double it. I decided to write a blog post, rather than update the list.
Knitting: Although I have vowed not to have more than one knitting project at a time, this is an exception. A few weeks ago I was in between (knitting) projects, and finally decided to start a stash-busting afghan. I'm not sure how successful the stash-busting will be, but it should use up some yarn. The afghan is 'Beside the Seaside' from Debbie Abrams 100 Afghan Squares to Knit. As you can see, I've made marvelous progress! (not)



The reason for starting a second knitting project is that the little boy I babysit will be moving to Italy, and I finally came up with a going away present for him! I'm knitting another backpack in John Deere Tractor colours, and the pocket will look (hopefully) like the John Deere logo. The colours aren't quite perfect, but when it comes to specific shades of yarn, you have to go for the closest shade available. I wandered the yarn isles looking for colour, instead of brand. Progress on this project is much more promising. However, when I bought the yarn, I forgot that I will need fabric to line it with, so now I have to go back to the fabric store.

I seem to have a thing for afghans going. Besides the knitted one, I'm working on a crocheted afghan, have plans for another knitted one, and have started a cross stitch afghan. I finally finished the backstitching on the first (and only) motif. The motif is from Tiny Little Teapots, a booklet published by Cross My Heart, Inc. My plans for the afghan have gone through multiple changes; the current plan is to use all the motifs from the booklet, and fill in the empty spaces with quotes about tea.

Other cross stitch items: a stamped baby blanket, a stamped family tree, and Lady of the Thread. I couldn't get a decent photo of the baby blanket, and there really isn't very much completed. I talked myself into starting the family tree because 1) It's stamped, so it's not technically cross stitch; 2) It'll be quick - it's mostly borders, a few flowers and branches. 3) I always wanted to do a family tree.
Once again, I was quickly reminded of how much and why I despise stamped cross stitches. I figure it's old enough that the stamped colors won't wash out, so I have to make sure they are covered, and I want it to look like real cross stitch as much as possible, so I try to make adjoining stitches go through the same holes. Not fun.

My current embroidery project is a set of pillow cases. I am expecting them to take at least as long as the first set of pillowcases I embroidered. (Several years, in case you were wondering.) I can't seem to find a photo of them, but next time I feel like rummaging around in my hope chest I'll photograph them. Here's a picture of the current pillowcase. I've discovered that I don't enjoy satin stitch, and that's the stitch for most of the flowers.


Over the weekend I picked up a new hobby. What's that? Oh. Yes, I know I really don't need any more hobbies, but there was a sale...I got two patterns at 50% off! I'd seen Punch Needle Embroidery at the LNS, and was interested, but I never saw any patterns I liked. They were having a sidewalk sale, and I found two patterns I liked - a rose and a heart. I haven't made a lot of progress- it's a little harder than I thought. I also couldn't find any suggestions on a setting for the punch needle. I am using #3 for the border/outline and #4 for the fill-in colours. I think for the rose I will try settings #1 and #2.

Last, but not least, my current tatting project is a Flying Minor Norwegian Dragon. After several tries I have finally gotten my thread to stop breaking (thanks to whoever suggested thread conditioner!) and mastered the SSSR. (Single Shuttle Split Ring) It is my 'go anywhere' project, so I'm still working on the tail and back section.

So with all these WIP's you can see why I didn't know what to work on. (I didn't even mention or photograph my quilling and sewing projects). I think my first priority will be finishing the backpack. I have no idea what I will work on after that.
~Sarah

Various Projects

I've been writing this post in my head for several days, and figured it was about time to blog it.Warning: this is a picture-heavy post!



For starters, I'm planning on an Etsy update sometime this weekend. All my listings have expired, and I have some new items to list. These fan pulls will be among the new items.

My latest knitting project was this reuseable Swiffer cover. It's made with The Original Sugar & Cream yarn, the colorway was 'Potpourri'. The pattern is from Ravelry.







A couple of weeks ago in this post, I set a goal to finish the yellow rose and fabric in Lady of the Thread. I was able to finish the rose, and got the two bits of fabric connected, but not finished. In other cross stitch news, I finally took Ruth 1:16 to Hobby Lobby to be framed.

 

A while back I joined the Rochester, NY Crochet Group on Ravelry. I've been going to the bi-monthly meetings, and have progressed slightly on my Never Ending Granny Square Afghan. The afghan consists of 70 squares, and I'm doing one color at a time. There are 7 rounds to each square, and the white makes up the third and fourth rounds. After all the squares get sewn together, there are four border rows.
I  got the pattern from freepatterns.com and it appears to be copied from Crochet World Magazine Vol. 19, page 40.



I made two of these bookmarks for the Summer Missionaries that came to minister at our Church for the month of June. The pattern is one of my favorites for quick gifts. It's the Ribbon and Lace Bookmark from the Big Book of Tatting, page 14. My current tatting project(s) are the Facebook July TAL motif (the theme is Christmas in July), and finishing my second cross bookmark. The reason I have two is that I broke the thread on the first one and couldn't figure out how to fix it, so I started over. By the time I finished making the second one, I had figured out how to fix the first one.

I think that's everything I've been working on while I haven't been blogging. Hope you enjoyed the crafting gallery!
~Sarah

Lady of the Thread - Photo Update

My current progress on Lady of the Thread. I'm planning to get the fabric she's sewing on and the yellow rose done by Thursday, July 2.
~Sarah

Lady of the Thread Cross Stitch

This is my current large cross stitch. The design is by Lavender and Lace, and is called Lady of the Thread. I mentioned it briefly here. I am stitching it on 28 count black linen. For some reason I'm having more trouble with stitching over two than I have with my previous linen projects. My mini-goal for this week is to have the Ecru section at the bottom of the picture on the right finished by Thursday night craft night.
~Sarah

Cross Stitch Fingertip Towel

After finishing my Ruth 1:16 cross stitch, I decided to finish several smaller projects before starting another big one. One was 'Welcome Friends' from my last post. This was the other one. Many years ago I asked for (and received) some fingertip towels to cross stitch. I had planned to do both of them, but have had some trouble with the colors on the second one. This design is the Mission Blue Butterfly from the booklet 'Bordering on Extinction' Designs by Harry D. Hedgepath. I enjoyed stitching the butterfly, and have done the dolphin design from the book as well. Someday I plan on doing the seals. Anyway, here's the picture.
~Sarah
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Welcome Friends Cross Stitch

I finished 'Welcome Friends' a month or so back, but still have not found a heart-shaped frame for it. Despite several mistakes, I'm very pleased with the way it turned out.
~Sarah

Computer Woes

Last week the backlight in my computer screen quit working. I've ordered a new one that won't be here for a few weeks, so I'll be away from my blog for a while. When I get back to blogging, I have a finished two finished cross stitches to share and a newly started cross stitch.
~Sarah

Ruth 1:16 Cross Stitch

Just wanted to let everyone know I'm still here! I've been knitting, sewing, knitting, tatting, knitting..... in general, keeping very busy. Since I don't know if any of my extended family frequents this blog, you'll have to wait 'til after Christmas for pictures.
However, since you can't have a blog post with no pictures, here's a cross stitch I recently finished. I need to soak it to get the sweat stains out, and then I'm going to take it to The Great Frame-Up and get a really fancy frame for it.
Sarah

Goodies

I recently was given some goodies, and thought I 'd share them with everyone.
These two were given to me by the lady I babysit for. They are both stamped cross stitches, which are not my favorite, but I think I can stitch them at some point in the future.
The family tree is awesome - I've always wanted to do one but never had the inclination, or motivation to design one. The other is Psalm 23. It has a pastoral scene at the bottom done in crewel work, which I've also always wanted to try.











The rest of the goodies are from my sister who isn't as enthusiastic about crafts as she used to be. Thanks sis!

This is a dogwood flower cross stitch. She started it for our bathroom , but didn't finish it. It should be a quick stitch and good to take in my purse.

An extra hoop is always handy, and this kitty pattern will be perfect for the 'Kitty Korner' in my room.

Although I have a strong dislike of stamped cross stitch, I seem to be acquiring them at an alarming rate! However, I have a certain weakness for butterflies, and when there's the option to stitch in hues of purple...well, I just had to take it.


Now on to the knitting stuff! A book of knitting patterns and a pair of knitting needles, and yarn. The blue is Homespun and there a are 2 skeins. I'm going to make another triangle shawl with it. I have a pattern in mind for the purple (I think it's Caron's One Pound, but don't quote me on that) but have yet to look it up and see if it will work.

I have more goodies to show, but that's for another post.I hope you enjoyed this peek at my newly acquired projects!
~Sarah

Appomattox Courthouse: Finished

I almost finished this while on vacation - I probably would have if I hadn't run out of thread for the tree. Anway, here it is, unframed as are all my FO's.

 

Most of you have probably figured out that I have trouble doing one project at a time. For those of you who might be interested, here's a mini update on my cross stitch WIP's;

•  Ruth 1:16 - 95% done. Needs 2 lines of words, a few leaves, and some backstitching.
• Welcome Friends - 88% done. Needs backstitched vines with lazy daisy leaves and french not flowers. All in different colors of course, to make me work as hard as possible.
• Teapot Afghan - 2% done. I'm not even going to link to this one. I have finished one teapot, without the backstitching.
• Hand Towels - I've had a couple of hand towels for ages,and thought they'd be a quick stitch. One color for each towel doesn't work. I've chosen new colors, but still have to rip out the original colors.

Seems like a balanced list - I take the Welcome Friends with me when I babysit, and after I finish that will take the towels. The afghan and Ruth 1:16 are my 'big' projects.

~Sarah

Anglewing Needle Arts

I cannot believe that it has been a month since my last post! After returning from vacation, I started babysitting 3 days a week, so between that and trying to keep up with my responsibilities at home I havn't had much time for blogging.
Before we left Oak Island, we stopped at Angelwing Needle Arts. It's a cute little house that has been converted into a shop. When I walked in, I was amazed at the amount of stuff in such a tiny place. There was a small section of cross stitch patterns, an entire room of specialty threads, lots of yarn, a room full of fabric, and a very helpful owner. I didn't remember to take any pictures while I was there, but here are some pictures of what I bought.

For myself, I bought some sock yarn, Addi Turbo needles, ands Weeks Dye Works overdyed threads.

The threads are for a celtic bookmark pattern specially designed for overdyed threads. The socks will be knit up using the pattern 'Spring Thaw Socks' from the Summer 2008 Knitters Magazine.

You may have noticed that the Addis are not in the package - I've already put them to work. I recently bought the book 2-At-A-Time Socks and have started some practice socks.

The needles are great - I see why everyone likes them. Unfortunately, my yarn is yucky low quality stuff I got at a garage sale years ago. It's the perfect thing for practice socks, but makes for difficult knitting. Because of that, and needing to start on Christmas presents, they are in hibernation.

I also got my Mom some flat quarters. She does a lot of different things with them. She makes purses, and one of her patterns uses f(l)at quarters instead of giveing fabric yardage. She also uses them to finish her cross stitch projects.

If you're ever in North Carolina, near Oak Island, make sure you visit Anglewing Needle Arts. It is located at:
507 North Howe Street
Southport, NC 28461

~Sarah

On Vacation

I'm on vacation for a couple of weeks, and this is the last night I know for sure that I have internet access. I worked on my Appomattox cross stitch today, and have finished one of two trees, and most of the backstitching on the house.
After I get back I'll try to get back to posting regularly.
~Sarah

I'm Still Here

Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still here, knitting hats. I met my goal of ten, and have enough yarn leftover to make at least 3 more hats. I've started 2, one in the snowed under pattern, and one in the pattern I've made up. I will publish it as soon as I've met all my deadlines! Although I have yarn for 3 or more hats, I may only finish the 2 on the needles. My wrist is bothering me tonight, and I can only knit about 6 stitches before it starts to hurt. Hopefully a good nights sleep will clear things up.



I have 1.5 bookmarks done for the swap. The .5 should be quick and easy to finish, but I'm a little concerned about the third - it could aggravate my wrist.



Stitching is tomorrow, so hopefully I can get a lot done - I'll be going on vacation several days before both the deadlines, so my personal deadline is ASAP (or August 25). When I get back, I hope to have a finished cross stitch to share. I've been taking nearly finished cross stitches on vacation with me, and finished them by the time we returned home. I should take more vacations...

~Sarah

Saturday Shopping Spree

Last Saturday Mom and I went shopping. We stopped at a paint store for a paint chip, and discovered a Farmer's Market nearby. We wandered around and bought a few plants and veggies. Then we went over to Golden Thread Needle Arts to see if the chart Mom ordered had come in yet. It hadn't, but they were having a trunk show, so we looked, and I found this really neat pattern. It's called 'Take Time to Knit', and has some really fancy stitches. Mom has one by the same designer (Jeanette Douglas Designs) called 'Take Time to Stitch'.



We went to Michaels to get some more yarn for Kristy's Hat Project. I should have enough yarn now to meet my goal of ten hats, plus one or two more.











 Since Barnes and Noble was in the same plaza, we just had to stop in. Their used book section is amazing, and I found this book for $7. We were in the craft section later and saw the same book full price - $25! I've wanted to learn this method of knitting socks, but the one time I tried I couldn't make heads or tails of the directions. The directions in this book seem to be very straightforward, and are diagrammed very well.



On Friday night I came down with a Summer cold. It's one of those where you don't feel sick enough to go to bed, but not well enough to do anything productive. I think Carrie at Knitted Bear had the same thing.  I did mange to finish hat #4. I tried starting hat #5, but messed up and will have to rip it out and start over.

~Sarah

Crafty Pondering: Should I take my knitting or cross stitch to the craft night on Thursday? Knitting or cross stitch, cross stitch or knitting....Maybe I'll take both!

Buying Incentive

Mom and I visited the LNS and I bought some fabric for my next large cross stitch to help expedite my Ruth 1:16 cross stitch. See, the bonus (or downside, depending on your point of view) to having one large scroll frame is that you can only have one project at a time going. My Mom thinks I should just take one off and put the other on, but that's too much work. Besides, I'd never finish the current one if I did that. I have issues with DMC color 311, and that's the only color left. Let's just say I have some bad cross stitch experiences associated with the color.
Back to the fabric; yes, it's 28 count black linen. No, I'm not insane. I own three Lavender & Lace patterns. This is the only one on black fabric. I have a friend who just finished a project on black aida and nearly went cross-eyed. So, being younger than my friend, I figure that doing the black now while my eyes can cope is a good idea. And to really prove my sanity- I was originally going to get 36 count, but realized that I would only be able to work on it in front of my Mom's Ott-Lite. The design is Lady of the Thread - and guess what? It's got color 311 in it. It's only in three spots though, so I think I can handle it.

I also bought a chart that came with a pre-cut piece of linen. It didn't come with a photo, so here is a picture of my progress. Yes, I started it, and to help myself deal with the guilt of starting a new cross stitch without finishing one, I finished the Honey Teapot, sans backstitching. I'll post a picture after I finish the backstitching. I'm planning to do that after I finish the quilled picture for my friends.
~Sarah

Weekly Goals

I missed updating my weekly goals last week. My Dad had surgery to fix his dialysis catheter, and Mom and I spent all day Thursday at the hospital. I'd hoped to finish the cross stitch afghan square, but didn't get that far. Part of my delay in finishing it is being caused by a mistake, and I'm trying to get all the colors in places where they look natural.


Let's see, I didn't get near the Appomattox cross stitch, the only FO that needs a picture is the candlewicking, and I just took one. I used the auto-fix feature to make the stitching show up a little better.



As for the knitting, the only knitting I've done since finishing my sister's scarf was this evening. I knit the gauge swatch for my cousins' socks. For some reason my gauge has changed dramatically. I used to have almost perfect gauge, but lately it seems to be way off. I'm debating whether or not I should drop down a needle size. Since they're socks (and they don't have heels) the gauge isn't as important. Also, being a little larger, they would last my cousin a little longer. Any advice would be happily considered!
~Sarah

Weekly Goals

The past couple of weeks have been rather dull craft-wise. This week I'm going to try and make some progress.

My Goals are:

1. Finish Honey Teapot on Cross Stitch Afghan
2. Work on Appomattox cross stitch
   
3. Post pictures of any completed projects still on the WIP list
4. Knitting - that may need a subcategory!

I have not started any new knitting projects, although I have a very long queue. The 3 most important projects are:

1. Figure out the gauge and start knitting for Warm Up America
2. Knit socks for cousin Ally
3. Shawl for Mom

I have yarn for all 3 projects. I just bought the yarn for the socks this past week. They're made to look like Mary Jane style shoes, so I'm using glitterspun for the black to jazz them up a little.

~Sarah