Not sure about growing fonder...

But I *have* been absent as of late. This can be accounted for in that over a week ago, we lost Charlie, our Maine Coon. The vet thinks he may have had cancer and he was declining fast, so we made the heartbreaking decision to put him to sleep. Then, as few days after that, my mother wound up in the hospital with a minor bug and her kidneys decided to not cooperate for a few days. The doctors decided to keep her for a few days as she is a diabetic and they wanted to keep her under observation. She came home this past Tuesday. I myself finally succumbed to sickness in the form of a sinus infection that was confirmed by the doctor yesterday. I am now on a course of antibiotics and have hit the headachy-grumpy-tired of being in bed phase. 


As consequence, what this means is that I have very little to show in my cross stitching efforts. I will however, mention that if you ever want 40 count to look big, stitch on 48 count for a while. To amuse myself, I pulled out some older projects to look at as I cannot concentrate on anything longer than 3 seconds, and so help me, the holes in the 40 count Picture This Plus Cashel linen looked big enough to hold a barn dance in. I picked up a project that I had finished, using a 14 count and I swear the holes looked big enough to drive a Mack truck through them! :)


At any rate, here is what I have so far:

Design: Summer In Bloom taken from the book Maria Selby Humphrey - 1831

Designer: Blackbird Designs

Fabric: 48 count Dower linen by Lakeside Linens in Magnolia

Fibers Used: Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 124, 126, 163, 197, 312, 447, 463, 705, and 773. 

Design: Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow

Designer: Carriage House Samplings

Fabric: 40 count Picture This Plus Cashel linen in Legacy

Fibers Used: Needlepoint, Inc. silk floss as charted

Well, I best be off. My head is starting to pound again and even posting this has worn me out. Hope everyone has a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there. The single Moms, the partnered Moms, the Rescue Moms, the Moms for a lifetime and the Moms like me who were Moms for just a precious few minutes. Thank you for everything that you do and continue to do. 

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Taken Leave Of My Senses

Ever have one of those times where you look back and wonder if your family shouldn't have you committed? This seems to be one of those times. Last night after watching the Season Three, Episode 4 And Now His Watch Is Ended episode of Game of Thrones (which was pure *win* by the way!), I decided to start a project on the 48 count Dower linen by Lakeside Linens in Magnolia that I had purchased a few weeks ago. For whatever reason, it was calling me and I kept searching for the perfect piece to stitch on it. I finally found it in the new book by Blackbird Designs entitled Maria Selby Humphrey - 1831. I am stitching the Summer In Bloom piece as I was craving sunshine and flowers, as I am tired of cold weather. 


Well, at any rate, here is what little I have so far: 

Design: Summer In Bloom taken from the book Maria Selby Humphrey - 1831

Designer: Blackbird Designs

Fabric: 48 count Dower linen by Lakeside Linens in Magnolia

Fibers Used: Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 124, 126, 163, 197, 312, 447, 463, 705, and 773. 

You can tell how tiny it is by the  Puffin and Company Needle Nanny Bunny that is up in the left hand corner. I am really enjoying my progress on this and it's a wonderful contrast to the Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow that I am plugging away on. 

Well, at any rate, I need to get going. Time for work, but it's my Friday today, so woohoo for that! :)

Hope everyone has a great week! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Another Block Two Update And New Goodies!

It's cold and snowing off and on here (this despite the calendar date!), so I picked Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow back up. I discovered much to my dismay that the roof on the East Wing of the house was one row off and had to be completely frogged. So, I bit the bullet and frogged that section out and went on to other places in the piece that needed attending to. I haven't yet restitched the roof of the East Wing, simply because at the bottom of this block, it is ALLLLLLLLLLLL fill in with Thread Gatherer's Silk n' Colors Mint Frost.  As in 23 ROWS of it. And that's not including the fill in of the windows of the house with Needlepoint, Inc. 871, which is an off white. Needless to say, I am stitching the Mint Frost  right now while the mood is upon me. Proper pacing procedures are being followed, however, I do anticipate a time where I get disgusted with stitching with so much white and off white. 



At any rate, here is my progress so far:

Design: Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow

Designer: Carriage House Samplings

Fabric: 40 count Picture This Plus Cashel linen in Legacy

Fibers Used: Needlepoint, Inc. silk floss as charted

And now for the goodies that came in the mail yesterday. First up is a Maia cross stitch kit entitled My Fair Lady. It is based upon the artwork of Karen Dupré. The original piece was titled My Fair Lady IV. 

This second one needs no introduction. I have been looking for this one for forever now and every time it comes up on eBay, it's in the $100.00 range and above. I managed to snag this at a VERY reasonable price and was overjoyed when it came in the mail yesterday. It's by Midsummer Night Designs, and it's the much heralded Memorial Sampler: 

I am probably going to stitch both pieces on my beloved Legacy linen by Picture This Plus. I think both pieces would really 'pop' on that fabric. I am also seriously thinking of converting the Gentle Art Sampler Threads to silks, probably to either Belle Soie or Au Ver a Soie's Soie d'Alger. Or, I may stitch this on my 48 count Dower linen I recently snapped up and stitch it with Gloriana's Luminescence or Tudor Silk threads. Lots of decisions to make. Which, I think will probably boil down to availability and pricing (!) of materials. 

Well, I best be off. The Hubmeister will be here with lunch soon and I need to get my desk cleaned off of all this stitchy goodness. Hope everyone is having a fantastic week! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Glory House Finish

Managed to get Glory House finished up just a bit ago. This was a really fun stitch. I decided to leave the borders off, as I thought it made the piece look a bit crowded and I changed the initials to the year of my country's birth. I stitched the numbers on the fly and I think it turned out fairly well. :)

Design: Glory House

Designer: Chessie and Me

Fabric: 36 count Vintage Pearled Barley by Lakeside Linens

Fibers Used: Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Attic Tea, Chocolat, Icing, Mer Blue, Puritan Blue, Red Fox, and Weathered Vine

Techniques Used: Cross Stitch, Rice stitch, Smyrna Cross, One Over One

Well, I best be off. Have things to do before work today. Hope everyone has a great weekend! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Glory House Update

Been plugging right along on Glory House by Chessie and Me. I am really liking the way it's coming together, however, I am seriously considering leaving off the top border. It would make it look less 'crowded' to me and more 'open', if you will. I think I am going to finish stitching the mini motifs within the design and then make a decision.


At any rate, here is what I have so far:

Design: Glory House

Designer: Chessie and Me

Fabric: 36 count Vintage Pearled Barley by Lakeside Linens

Fibers Used: Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Attic Tea, Chocolat, Icing, Mer Blue, Puritan Blue, Red Fox, and Weathered Vine

Techniques Used: Cross Stitch, Rice stitch, Smyrna Cross, One Over One

Well, I best be off. Have errands to run today. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Happy Easter

Hope everyone has a great day! :)


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Respectfully submitted,


C. 

Another tiny WIP

I had purchased this wee project a bit ago, put all of 3 stitches in it, and set it aside. I think it was because I am not too fond of the fabric, which is a really dull mousy color, and I really prefer my stitching to pop off of the fabric.  My feeling is, that if I spend the kind of time, effort and MONEY into what I'm doing, my stitching should grab you immediately by the collar, hollering, "Look at me! Look at ME!!!"


Well, I felt guilty about running off and leaving it, so I picked it back up and here is what I have so far. It's stitching up rather quickly, so hopefully, I will have it finished soon. I've added the same Kelmscott Designs' needle minder by the piece so one can see how tiny it is. 

Design: Glory House

Designer: Chessie and Me

Fabric: 36 count Vintage Pearled Barley by Lakeside Linens

Fibers Used: Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Attic Tea, Chocolat, Icing, Mer Blue, Puritan Blue, Red Fox, and Weathered Vine

Well, I best be off. I have stuff I have to do before work. Hope everyone has a great weekend! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

A tiny finish

So I got out Gessie's Flower kit  which was an exclusive to Needle In A Haystack. It was purchased during the Birthday Fest almost two weeks ago. I loved the colors and the design and I really couldn't wait to start it. I had initially started stitching it with two The Gentle Art Sampler Threads over two Lakeside Linens threads. I didn't get very far, when I realized the project was too big and bulky for me! It must a by-product of working on smaller thread counts. I have just become too used to stitching with one thread over two threads of tiny count fabric. 


So, I quickly removed all of the stitches that I had done (which was all of six) and restitched it, by stitching it one over one. I found that I was much happier with the outcome. AND I have the added bonus of having enough of the special fabric left over to stitch it again. Yay! 


At any rate, I finished this up late last night and I am excited to present you all with a finish. :D

Design:  Gessie's Flower

Designer: Unknown. The motif is inspired from an 1800 Italian Sampler in the private collection of friend of Needle In A Haystack.

Fabric: 28 count Graziano Milan in a Needle In A Haystack exclusive color Fagioli by Lakeside Linens

Threads Used: The Gentle Art Sampler Threads in as of yet unknown exclusive colors. 

Stitcher's note: I place a Kelmscott Designs' needle minders by the piece so you can see how small the stitching is. Stitched with one strand of The Gentle Art Sampler Thread over one thread of Lakeside Linens. 

Well, I best be off. Allergies are really playing havoc today and there's another project I'd really like to finish. Hope everyone is having a great week! :)



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Respectfully submitted,


C. 

Making headway

Managed to put in more time on my Oriental Courage Storykeep. I took today to 'clean up' all the confetti stitches and get that out of the way. I have huge blocks of DMC 817 to now fill in. I am stitching between pages one and two, so I can make sure that i have everything lined up correctly. One strand of floss over 2 on 22 count is no joke to have to frog out! 


At any rate, here is my progress so far: 

Design: Oriental Courage Storykeep

Designer: Based on the original artwork of Lee Ann Seed

Fabric: 22 count Antique White aida by Wichelt

Fibers: DMC in 154, 310, 321, 498, 606, 666, 814, 815, 817, 902 and 3371

When I get the pdf files from Heaven and Earth Designs, I generally get the large charts. It's only a buck or two more, and to me it's worth it. This particular chart is 8 pages in the large print format, but there's really only 3 pages to really be worried about. :)

Well, I best be off. Have stuff to do before work tomorrow. Hope everyone has a great weekend! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Courage Update

It's been a long time since I felt the call of a Heaven and Earth Design, but Courage had been calling my name and I've been working on it off and on. I just absolutely love this one. I've gotten a fair bit done since last time, and I am really enjoying seeing this one come to life. 



Here is what I have so far:

Design: Oriental Courage Storykeep

Designer: Based on the original artwork of Lee Ann Seed

Fabric: 22 count Antique White aida by Wichelt

Fibers: DMC in 154, 310, 321, 498, 606, 666, 814, 815, 817, 902 and 3371

Well, I best be off. Have some stuff to do before I can get to stitch. Hope everyone is having a wonderful week! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Nickles and Dimes (AKA- The Birthday Stash post)

Well, I haven't really been stitching any, but by Jove, I've been shopping up a storm! Nashville Market was at the beginning of this month and there were a LOT of goodies released. 


Teh Hubmeister took me to Monterey for my birthday. We speciffically went to go see the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was absolutely stunning. I could have stayed there ALLLLLLLL day! We went into San Francisco's Chinatown. Had a blast just wandering around and shopping. We purchased two sets of really nice placemats with matching chopsticks and some tea. 


Here is a picture of one of the giant sea turtles that I took:

Teh Hubmeister has better photos and I will try and get those later on. For my birthday, which was yesterday, he took me to Needle In A Haystack. What an absolutely WONDERFUL store! 

Teh Hubmeister also let me get whatever I wanted! He soooooo spoils me! Here is what I got:

1. Gloriana Threads Tudor Silk in Light French Blue #242. One ply is half the weight of a regular silk floss ply. Ideal for fine count work such as 40, 45 & 48 count linen. You can use multiple ply on less dense counts (e.g. 3-ply on 36 count, 4-ply on 32 count). 

2. Gessie's Flower kit. A lovely kit that is an exclusive to Needle In A Haystack.  The motif is inspired from an 1800 Italian Sampler in the private collection of friend of Cathe's. The kit contains everything, needle, a piece of 28 count Graziano Milan by Lakeside Linens in a Needle In A Haystack exclusive color - Fagioli, plus four colors of Limited Edition Gentle Art Sampler Threads. The colors have no names, but I plan on doing research to see if I can find any information on them. 


3. Lizzie Kate's A Bee C limited edition kit. 


4. A Mon Ami Pierre's Le Temps Qui Passe. For those that are contemplating buying the chart, but are hesitant over the $15.00 or so price, let me say that there are TWO charts in this chartpack. They are of VERY high quality printing and the paper is really nice. The instructions are in French, but you can easily figure out the directions. 


5. Just Nan's Spring In the Tulips. I loved this one, and this is apparently going to be a seasonal series. And I am nothing, if not a sucker for seasonal series. 


6. Puffin and Company Needle Nanny in the new Bunny style. I was pleasantly surprised about how strong the magnets are. I love the bunny. I thought it was just too cute to pass up!


7. And last but not least, a new pair of DOVO's! I got a pair if the Lion's Tail kind. They are 3.5 inches with a fine point. I love, love, LOVE these scissors. 



When I got home, I had some eBay winnings waiting for me. 


First up was Carriage House Samplings A Quaker Study: 

And the Holy Grail of them all, Blackbird Designs, Blessings Be Thine:

This one is loooooooooooooong out of print and VERY highly sought after. I couldn't believe it when I managed to score it! :) I may not get to stitch it this year, as I am still trying to plug away at my Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow. I am actually way behind on it, and need to get back to it. 

Well, I best be off. I have a ton of stuff to do today before going back to work. Hope everyone has a great weekend! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Stitcher, Interrupted

Stitcherus Interuptus: A condition affecting the Stitcher in which life happens when they're busy making other plans. 


I really truly wanted to be further along than what I am with Block Two of my Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, but I have been just socked with work and have very little to show for my efforts. But, I suppose that's the way love goes, yea? No job, no silks. Get the silks, have no time to stitch. Ah, well. Next month's block doesn't look as intense as this one is, so I am hoping to be caught up by next month. 



Here is what I have so far:

Design: Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow

Designer: Carriage House Samplings

Fabric: 40 count Picture This Plus Cashel linen in Legacy

Fibers Used: Needlepoint, Inc. silk floss as charted

Well, I best be off. Got tons to to today. Hope everyone has a great weekend! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

St John's Stitcher Giveaway!

Melissa over at St. John's Stitcher is having a giveaway for her birthday. Go here for more details. 


Happy birthday to Ms. Melissa! :)



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Respectfully submitted,


C. 

Block Two Update

Howdy, sports fans! Hope everyone is having a great weekend and is recovering from the Super Bowl and the Great Blizzard of 2013. It was supposed to snow buckets here as well, but we saw nary a flake. 


In the mean time I have been diligently stitching my Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow.  I am hoping to get the block finished before the end of the month, but I've gotten called into work a LOT this month and there is a metric ton stitches that are filled in. Well, if I finish I finish in time, if not, ah well. These things happen. :)





At any rate, here is my progress so far:

Design: Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow

Designer: Carriage House Samplings

Fabric: 40 count Picture This Plus Cashel linen in Legacy

Fibers Used: Needlepoint, Inc. silk floss as charted

Well, I best be off. I have chores to do before work. Hope everyone stays safe and warm!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Super (Puppy) Bowl Block Two Progress

Good Morning, sports fans! Hope everyone out there is having a great day today. It's Super Bowl Sunday here in the US. I have to work, but that's ok, as  it should be fairly quiet (knock on wood!). I'm a huge fan of the Puppy Bowl. I am a bit sad that I am going to miss it this year as I'm working nights, but if I can get the chance to take off early, that won;t be so bad. The contestants of the Puppy Bowl are picking the 49er's to win. But you know how that goes! :)

At any rate, I picked my Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow back up and I am loving it again. I am waiting on more floss to come in, as Block Two does not contain a lot of the threads I used in Block One. No worries. I have plenty to do in the mean time, in between time! :)

Design: Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow

Designer: Carriage House Samplings

Fabric: 40 count Picture This Plus Cashel linen in Legacy

Fibers Used: Needlepoint, Inc. silk floss as charted

I purchased a new Q-Snap cover to better fit my 11 x 11 frame. I was using one that was for an 8 x 8. Yikes! I purchased the one pictured from Barbara at TrulyN2Stitching Designs. She is wonderful to work with and I highly recommend her. This particular cover is in shades of turquoise blue and has kitty paw prints all over it. I love it! :)

Well, I best be off. I have stuff to do before I have to go into work. Hope everyone has a great day! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

One down, eleven more to go!

Woohoo! Just in the nick of time, I managed to get Block One of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow finished in time for the month of January. This went by super, super fast and I am so excited with the progress and the way it turned out. I am LOVING this project on the Picture This Plus Cashel linen in Legacy. It is really making the Needlepoint, Inc. silk floss pop on the fabric. I am planning on stitching just the outer block in the 993 Black and then setting it aside until February the first. Part 5 of Simone de Jong's 1905 Sampler has come out and I need to get that stitched up. 



At any rate, here's the first block finished:

Design: Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow

Designer: Carriage House Samplings

Fabric: 40 count Picture This Plus Cashel linen in Legacy

Fibers Used: Needlepoint, Inc. silk floss as charted

Well, I best be off. I have some stuff that I need to attend to. Hope everyone is having a fantastic week! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C.