'Need a Hand?'

Awww - isn't he cute?! Even if I do say so myself, my gorgeous bundle of fur sure knows how to pose for the camera!

My elder sister came round to visit last weekend (the same sis that rescued Fudge puss, along with my Bro-in-Law), as B-I-L was working till all hours, so F came round to have a natter. She is also a cross stitcher, in fact she is the reason why I'm stitching today! Anyway she is working on a design by Amathusia Needle craft Designs - (this one is particular is called 'February Amethyst') and decided to bring it along last weekend. We were chatting happily (i.e., putting the world to rights!) whilst working on our respective stitching projects.


Then out of the blue, up popped Fudge on the table, which had F's chart and assorted threads spread all over it, and got comfy on said chart whilst purring like a Harley Davidson. Then he started to stare intently at the threads and everything else that was going on. F then got her mobile phone out and said 'I have got to take a photo of this!'. Then later when she got home she sent it over to me. And the end result is this rather adorable looking photie!



Fudge keeps me company whenever I'm stitching and purrs his approval whenever I take a break and show him what I'm doing (it's silly I know, but I talk to my puddy cat!).

Thanks for dropping by - have a good weekend :)))

Knotowork Garden - Further Progress

As you can see, I have progressed rather well with my Knotwork Garden. I've been having crafty stitching moments as and when I can. I've even been going to bed early so that I can sit up for a while and do a bit before visiting the land of Nod. I'm concentrating on getting the main green outlines of the knot itself completed, before filling in the colour - I can't wait. I tried taking photo of the photo that came with the kit, but the end result wasn't very good, in fact it was rubbish - I haven't got a scanner, so taking photos with the mobile phone camera will have to do for a while. Anyway it will keep you guessing about the end result - all the more to surprise you with!

Have a good weekend :) x

WIP's In The Pipeline

Hello again. I hope you had a good Easter break, mind you I'm not glad to be back at work. So far I've had a rubbish week, and I wasn't going to post because I was so fed up today, but then I thought "why should those 'barstools' at work affect my home/personal time?" Anyway, I decided to give them the old 'Two Finger Salute' then I blew a few raspberries into the air (well it was the back garden actually - I hope the neighbours weren't watching - you can just imagine them looking at some mad old twonk of a woman, flailing two fingers wildly into space and making bottom burp noises!!) and logged on to my trusty PC!

So, as promised in my last post here are some shots (and I apologise for the bad quality as before - I've got to get a new camera!) of some WIPs. The first photo is the WIP that I mentioned a couple of posts ago, yes, this was the reason for my goldfish-induced daydreamings. It's by Mirabilia and it's called 'Mermaid of the Pearls'


I'm stitching it on 14 Count green/grey Aida using DMC threads. The chart also requires Mill Hill beads and Mill Hill Treasures. I've committed the cardinal sin of stitching on the beads before finishing the bulk of the stitching, but I was so excited to see what the fin part of the design would look like with the beads on, I couldn't wait! I'll probably regret it when stitching the other half of the design, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I'm using Madeira Glissengloss Rainbow metallic thread instead of the recommended Kreinik threads, as I've found Madeira is softer and easier to use, but I don't think it matters which brand you use, you still get the age old problem of getting the tension even and the slippy texture.

The next piece I'm working on is for my Big Sister's Birthday in July, entitled 'Knotwork Garden' designed by Mary Hickmott of New Stitches Magazine


It's on 18 count white Aida, using Anchor threads and Madeira Gold metallic thread. It is small enough for me to take in my bag to work, so I'm grabbing a few stitches in my dinner hour every day. Despite the poor picture, you can see that it's quite sparkly due to the gold edging around the green. I will keep you posted about how both of these are coming along.

I hope you're week is going better than mine - Roll on Friday at 5pm!

Take Care :)

Off Topic!

Yes...it is terribly off topic (and I won't make a habit of it), but here's a cutie that wants to say "Hello"......


This is my pride and joy and my little ray of sunshine...my 7 year old cat, Fudge. He was rescued by my Brother-in-Law from a couple of street peddlers who were threatening to drown him because they couldn't sell him. He'd overheard them saying this and to put it politely, he asked them to hand him over, no he wasn't going to give them payment and if they didn't disappear he'd have something to say about it. I wouldn't want to bump into him down a dark alley at the best of times, but if you can imagine a 'Hell's Angel' biker holding a kitten, you can see why the two horrors decided to scarper!

Fudge fitted into the palm of my hand when B-I-L and Sis brought him over to me. The poor thing, he was riddled with fleas, malnourished and half deaf because of the ear mites that had infected both of his ears. The next day I registered him with the local Vet and got him checked over. He was diagnosed with a heart murmur as well, probably due to the lack of nutrition. We cured his fleas and ear mite problem, but the Vet prepared me for the worst....that he probably wouldn't live until after the age of 4...but as you can see, someone out there is surely smiling on him. His condition doesn't stop him climbing trees in the orchard directly opposite my house!

So there you have it. Normal transmissions will resume!

'Past Stitches' and 'Happy Easter!'

I thought I would show you some of my past stitching achievements. Unfortunately, there aren't many (errr...only 2!!) because I've given most of them away to various family members over the years, but it will give you an idea of the sort of designs that I like to stitch.

'CELTIC CROSS'


It was designed by Mervyn Rogers from a company called Treasure Island Products based in North Wales. It was stitched on 18 count white Aida, using Anchor thread as recommended. I am quite proud of this, as it was my first large-scale project. I remember buying it at the annual Stitching Show, at the Olympia, London, in 1998. My best friend and fellow stitcher K convinced me that I would have no problems with it, and she was right! Apologies for the poor picture quality (will explain further on).

'CELTIC DRAGON'



This is another design from Treasure Island Products that I bought and stitched a year later. It is stiched on 14 count cream Aida, again using Anchor thread as the chart recommended. They also recommended to stitch with 3 threads instead of the usual 2, to bring out the colour. Unfortunately the picture doesn't do it justice, but I can assure you, it is very vivid in colour.

To explain the terrible pictures, my digital camera decided to go on strike. It's been on the blink for some time, but it decided it had had enough last night, so I had to borrow Hubby's phone camera. I waiting for pay day so I can go out and get a new one! In my next post, I'll show you my latest WIP (the reason for my 'empty-head' dreamings!), plus a few other WIP's that are 'in the pipeline'.

Thank you for dropping by, and have a great Easter :)

Oh dear!

I started a new cross stitch piece a few weeks ago, which usually means that I can't think of anything else. Sure enough, I'm suffering from 'I'd rather stay at home stitching than go to work' Syndrome.

The other day, a work colleague was talking to me, whilst I reciprocated with my best goldfish impression. Yes, I've been reliably assured that I was (and I quote) 'as vacant as a toilet door' for a good 60 seconds or so. But why think of financial year end procedures, when you can spend your working hours thinking about which thread colour you are going to start using next?! I know it's really sad to get excited about seeing a brand new colour appear on your fabric, but I can't help it. Anyway, when I apologised and explained why my goldfish impression was so good, to say that my colleague looked bemused was an understatement. You could actually see that her face was saying 'she really should get out more'. But non-believers (or should I say non-stitchers) will never understand. Can anyone else relate to that feeling?

Greetings!

Welcome to my blog! I have finally entered the 21st century (which is amazing as I can get lost going to my garden shed and back). I hope to entertain you and make you laugh while showing you pieces of my hobby, which surprise surprise, is stitching! I mainly do cross stitch but I have been known to do Needlepoint, embroidery and beading as well...so watch this space!