Category: Cross Stitch

Cross Stitch, Finishes, Halloween, Ink Circles

Halloween finish

Anne S

It’s been a challenging week this week, so I’ve tried to make an effort to put a few stitches into fabric when I can in the evenings – I came across this ornie kitted up in my suitcase (which I still haven’t finished unpacking – oops), so it’s had a lovely trip around the world and back … I decided to just stitch it up rather than trying to find space for it in my WIP/kitted up ready to go pile.


“By the Full Moon” by Ink Circles
stitched on 32ct Pearl Grey Belfast linen
with GAST as charted, with the exception of Onyx being substituted with Anchor black

The rest of my day today was spent doing the laundry (my normal Saturday chore), and cooking up a big pan full of beef stew, along with a little batch of Chocolate Banana Brownies (of which there isn’t much evidence left – my elderly neighbour had some and I made a huge dent in the rest … more-ish doesn’t remotely cover it!!).

And on that note I’m starting to go cross-eyed with tiredness, so it’s time to fall into bed for the night – I have loads of things in mind to get completed tomorrow so I’d better rest up to have some energy to tick that list off!

Christmas Ornaments, Cross Stitch, Finishes, Lizzie Kate

A teeny tiny finish

Anne S

I seem to have got my old energy levels back once again today … I started the day off with spending an hour chatting to Mum on the phone for Mother’s Day, which was a wonderful start to the day.  Sadly, though, the phone call revealed that Dad has had another turn, and possibly has had a mild stroke, but we’re waiting for test results from his recent overnight trip to the hospital before we know 😦

The main part of the rest of the day has been spent doing housework – starting with the dishes, then cleaning the bathroom sink, bath and shower grouting … then I popped across the road to pick up some milk and basic essentials after dropping the bags of rubbish off to the bins.  While I was as the shops I noticed a huge cauliflower for $1.99 at the local fruit and vege shop – that sent me on a mission to make a very cheap meal … I ended up spending the rest of the night making a nice pot of Cream of Cauliflower Soup, which I just sampled for dinner … mmmmm, yummo 🙂

During the day I also managed to put a few stitches into a new start in-between cooking phases, and managed to get another little freebie chart finished up, with the final stitches going into it this evening after dinner.  I’m enjoying doing a couple of really quick stitches before going back to my larger WIPs … actually it’s been really wonderful getting my stitching mojo back in general!

LizzieKate-Peace Joy Love
“Peace Joy Love” freebie by Lizzie*Kate
stitched on 32ct Flax linen
with Crescent Colours Spinach and Apple Fritter and DMC blanc

This freebie is still available on the Lizzie*Kate website here.

Cross Stitch, Finishes, Prairie Schooler, Stitching Smalls

Mini finish

Anne S

Over the last two days I’ve managed to start and finish a small freebie called Coffee Break – such a cute little design, that’s for sure!  It’ll eventually be turned into a scissor fob when I have a finishing frenzy weekend … some day …

Cross Stitch Happy-Coffee Break
“Coffee Break” freebie
stitched on 32ct Lambswool linen by Wichelt
with recommended DMC threads

The freebie is still available from Cross Stitch Happy blog here 🙂

I also managed to find my ornie photo on my laptop, so I can update with that too 🙂

Christmas Ornaments, Cross Stitch, Exchanges, Finishes, Prairie Schooler

Prairie Schooler ornie received

Anne S

For the life of me I can’t find the photo I took of the “finished” ornie, but at least I have one of the stitching to hand – Margaret has let me know that it has arrived (albeit very very late) safely across the oceans, so I can now reveal my other stitching finish for April.

Prairie Schooler-Merry Christmas from Santas and Snowmen

“Santas and Snowmen” leaflet by The Prairie Schooler
stitched on 32ct Pipi linen by Countrystitch
with recommended DMC threads 

Bent Creek, Christmas Ornaments, Cross Stitch, Exchanges, Prairie Schooler, Works in Progress

Prairie Schooler Exchange received & Winter Snapperland

Anne S

Due to sickness I haven’t managed to get to either a Post Office to post off my Prairie Schooler Exchange to my recipient, or to pick up a couple of weeks worth of mail from my PO Box – finally this week, though, I managed to do both (and my PS exchange is finally winging its way across the oceans).

I was thrilled to find an absolutely gorgeous ornie from Edgar hiding in my PO Box – it is absolutely exquisite, both in its stitching and finishing, and it will be treasured on my Christmas tree every year.  Thanks Edgar for a really wonderful exchange! 😀

The other stitching news this week is that I managed to put a few more stitches into my “Walking in a Winter Snapperland” WIP with a new block well underway.  Sadly I ran out of DMC 3865 for the snow, but I managed to find a couple of skeins at lunchtime today, so I can continue with this one again shortly (it would be really nice to be able to continue with this one until it’s finished, although I have to admit all that white stitching is doing my head in, and I have to admit I’m not enjoying stitching this one as much as I have done the other Snapperland series that I’ve done).

When I went DMC hunting at lunchtime today I actually popped into Lincraft in the city, as it’s only 2-3 small blocks from where I work – as usual, though, they had a pitiful selection and didn’t have the colour that I needed (I so hate that store, it’s not funny!).  Anyway, I had to pop to Officeworks as well, so after I posted off some more mail I walked on the other side of the road further up the block … and lo and behold, what did I see?  Needlework on display in a shop window, that’s what!!  I cannot believe I’ve worked in the city for 6 months now and never walked that way in daylight, and had no idea that Morris & Sons was in the same block … well colour me stupid!!!  They may be a bit pricey, but I did manage to get the DMC I needed and at least know where they are now …

On another note, my flatmate will be moving out in a couple of months to move into a new flat with her boyfriend – which means finances are going to be critically tight from then on while I decide if I can continue to live here on my own (which is doubtful) or whether I’ll have to find a smaller/cheaper place to live … so, what do I do in the meantime, knowing that I need to be saving money?  That’s right, I go shopping!!!  I decided to take up a sale at Country Bumpkin which gave 50% off a floor-standing Ott-Lite … I have one in the lounge, but I’ve been stitching in my bedroom more than ever of late, and decided rather than having to move it between rooms all the time I can have the 2nd one in my bedroom permanently (and Mum can use one when she visits).  Not only that but I’ve also gone a bit mad buying a few extra pairs of Dinky Dyes scissors that are on sale this week at Colours Down Under … I figure they’ll make nice gifts for exchanges or gifts etc in the future … it also meant I could buy an extra WDW skein of Bark and Havana, which I’m going to need to finish off Walking in a Winter Snapperland … which means I really don’t have any excuse not to finish it now (except for lack of desire).

All-in-all that’s probably all from me for now … I’m sure there were a few other things I wanted to talk about, but I’m absolutely shattered and my head is a bit “all over the place”, so I figure I should leave it there … sadly I’m still getting over this stupid pneumonia so I’m getting really tired as the week’s gone on … but still feel so much better than I have been!! 🙂

Cross Stitch, Halloween, Shepherd's Bush, Works in Progress

Into the Night – new start

Anne S

My new start yesterday turned out to be Shepherd’s Bush’s kit, “Into the Night” … sadly, though, the kit contents were extremely frugal and I’ve managed to run out of two of the threads – even though I stitched right down to the last 2″ of thread of each of the strands.  So much for thinking I could get the whole project completed this weekend because of having ‘all the threads’ required.  Oh well, it means it’s now put to one side while I contact Shepherd’s Bush for some replacement threads 😦

For now I guess it’s time to return to an older WIP for the rest of the day – I can’t be bothered working out a new project again today so I figure that’s the easiest thing to do to keep me in the stitching mood for my last day of proper recuperation.

Next week my job will be to sit up at my PC and catching up on emails, of which there are well over 1000 unread emails 😦  I really do need to set up my laptop for my emails, as it’s so much easier to sit up in bed to catch up … it’s a real pain to sit up at my computer desk late at night when I get in (and when I’m not feeling well), so I find I tend to forget about reading them 😦

 

Cross Stitch, Just Nan, Works in Progress

Twenty Flowers – new start

Anne S

This morning I had a cortisone injection in my heel for my plantar fasciitis … not something I want to repeat again in a hurry – but that means following Dr’s orders by sitting with my foot elevated for 3 days.  Such a hardship having to sit up in bed with my stitching 😀

I decided that I wanted to make a new start, and silly me had to choose a project that I don’t have all the threads for.  This is the companion piece to one I’ve already stitched, so I wanted to use the leftover kit threads from that one before I could work out which threads I needed to order (I did a previous trade with a fellow stitcher with our used charts) … I’ve now reached the stage where I can’t go any further until I order the threads I need.  It’s a pain in the neck in that most of the threads I just need one strand, but I have to admit to absolutely loving stitching with these threads, so maybe I’ll continue to use those that I end up buying 🙂

Anyway, here’s my progress to date (Just Nan’s 20 Flowers):

Not sure what I’ll work on next – it’ll be as much as a surprise to me as you!

Cross Stitch, Dimensions, Finishes

Tiger Reflection finish

Anne S

It’s been an interesting week with a few GP visits – one which ended up with me having a CT chest angiogram at a local private hospital to rule out blood clots in the lungs.  Thankfully that came back clear, but it did confirm that I have managed to contract pneumonia … which explains why I’ve been feeling so crappy still.  After going into work yesterday morning just to attend a training session that ended up being cancelled, my boss sent me home and told me I don’t have to think about work duties this week, just to take time to get better.  It felt strangely exhilarating and soothing to know that I didn’t have to concentrate on anything ‘real’, but could just chill out at home and relax and concentrate on getting well again (at least until I have my cortisone injection on Friday, yikes).

So, what was the first thing I opted to do yesterday when I got home?  I pulled out 4 plastic tubs of kitted up charts to start stitching something new to cheer myself up … but then I glanced over at my current WIP and realised I only had about 9-10 hours of stitching left to go (I’d had a big stitching weekend where that’s all I did all weekend, sat up in bed in my jammies!).  In the end my WIP got the better of me, and I put aside any new starts … and I spent the entire afternoon in the lounge stitching.  I managed to put the final backstitches into the piece today, so I can cross this off the WIP list and move it into the Finishes list (it’s very lonely on that list this year!).

Dimensions-Tiger Reflection
“Tiger Reflection” by Dimensions
stitched on black aida fabric and thread from the kit

As for what’s up next?  I have an exchange ornie to do, so I think I’ll be kitting an ornament or two up to be stitched … then I may start something new that’s a smallish size … before I return to another of my WIPs – I don’t know why, but all of a sudden it’s bothering me that I have so many unfinished projects floating around the place and I’m almost becoming a “one project at a time” person again.  Knowing me, though, I’m sure that’s a short phase I’m going through LOL.

I get really tired on the computer, so still no updates from our trip written up yet … I’ll get around to it at some stage, I’m sure 🙂

And now it’s time to go and braise some beef to make a huge pot of soupy stew to keep me going over the next few days … and to dig out the next stitching project 🙂

Cross Stitch, Paris, Stash, Travel - France, Works in Progress

Stitching update & Parisian stash

Anne S

I’m still battling my flu bugs, so no big updates as yet from me – I’m sure I’ll get around to it over the next weekend or two, along with a write-up of our Paris and UK jaunts … but for now this will have to suffice 🙂

Following is the latest WIP piccie of my tiger XS – it’s been hard to see the black fabric when my eyes have been blurry anyway with being sick, so progress has been pretty intermittent and slow, but it’s progress nonetheless and it’s still closer to becoming a finish … for now, though, I may give it a break and try stitching on something a bit more enjoyable and easy on the eyes and come back to this one at a later stage.

Next I thought I’d show our XS stash spoils that Mum and I bought while we were in Paris recently – this is pretty much the only shopping we did apart from picking up a couple of pairs of Clark’s ankle boots in the UK, a new luggage back-pack with wheels, and a Parisian painting … and probably the only thing that we fully intended buying while we were away.  So, without further ado, here are our spoils from Des Fils et une Aiguille in Paris (we had such a lovely time during both of our visits there that Valerie and I are going to keep in touch via email – she’s such a lovely person to visit with!).  I’m sharing a quick photo of the outside shop-front and part of the shop interior – it’s a real treasure trove of French stitchy goodness, and I am guilty of spending some substantial Euros in there!  After going here we didn’t bother going to Le Bonheur des Dames, we were happy to just spending our money in this little piece of heaven! 😀

We also went to the Marais district one day and visited Entrée des Fournisseurs which had some wonderful ribbons and trims – I only bought a few pieces of scrummy felt from there, along with one length of trim that I couldn’t resist, and some ‘knit’ cotton for crochet in a yummy teal blue.

My dear friend Nicki kindly gave me a pair of her grandmothers crochet hooks and some wool to practice with to start learning to crochet while I was away, but sadly the lighting in the apartment wasn’t conducive to any form of crafts, and truthfully we got home too late in the evenings to really have the energy to do anything but fall in a heap and quickly upload the day’s photos to make way on the memory card for the next day … this is on my list to start trying shortly, though, as I have a beginners crochet book on my Kindle all set to work my way through – fingers crossed I’ll be able to master it, as it’s something I’ve wanted to try doing for many many years!

The last ‘crafty’ items that we bought were a couple of lace bookmarks from Bruges in Belgium (we took a day-trip there from Paris, which was wonderful).  Sadly Mum took hers home before I managed to take a photo, but I’ll try to get one next time I visit home, or I’ll get her to bring it back in October so I can take a photo of it then.  Here’s my one anyway 🙂

The only other stitching I’ve done lately I can’t take a photo of as it’s for an exchange, although I can show a little snippet, I guess …

And on that note, it’s time to take my snotty head (yeah, I know, too much information right!!) and ringing ears back to bed … with a nice simple XS project to cheer me up … I managed to go back to work for a day yesterday, but it nearly killed me, so I’ve decided to take one more day pottering around at home and resting up a bit more … what better way to cheer myself up than with a tiny bit of stitching 🙂