Remembrance Bookmark

Because I still have a lot of stuff stored at Mum's and DBFs I don't as yet have all my beading patterns here and almost all the  ones I do have available are all Christmas ones which I'm not in the mood to work on right now I was getting a bit fed up with what I could work on.  So having grumbled about this to Mum she piped up and said that I could do some of her kits for her so I agreed.

First one I was given to do was this Poppy Bookmark from Pandorion Beads

Started on Monday and finished yesterday I gave it back to Mum today and when Mel saw it she asked if I could make another one for her but as a bracelet!

Second one was the Kerenza Bracelet from Oak Tree Crafts

Your probably sat there thinking that's there's no clasp to do it up and your right there's isn't.  It come with large facets in the kits to make a toggle clasp but Mum decided she would prefer a 'normal' metal toggle on it instead so I've given it back to her as it is so she can add it and make sure she gets the length right.

Sunflower Sampler

Last week while waiting for my Santa's Village fabric to arrive I started Forever in my Hearts (after I'd started and finished Cold Snowman for the same reason) Sunflower Sampler.

The fabric arrived this morning so it's been put aside while I stitch Santa's house but I did manage to get the alphabet done

I'm using 40 ct Newcastle and I've subbed all the called for colours for one's I had on hand

Runekeeper update time

Here's this weeks progress pic, you'd think with having tendonitis in my foot I'd of got more done but I spent time beading as well.

First thing I need to do next weekend is a bit of frogging :( the middle bit of green on the next block is in the wrong place but at least it won't take me long to fix

Cold Snowman

I've had this guy kitted up for years and this week I finally got round to starting him.

He turned out to be a very quick stitch and I was finished in well under 10 hours.

Bent Creek's Cold Snowman

I used all the called for colours apart from switching to WDW Snowflake for the white instead of GAST Oatmeal and he's on Sparkling Glacier from Sparklies

I was checking my feed on Facebook this morning and saw that Julia Pretl has released a new box design        

Overlook so I wander off to her website and find that she's also got the pattern for a fir tree.

I'm in love with those two never mind Tetris that I've been dreaming of making since last year!

Orchid Tassel finish

Recently a bag of stuff made it's way down here from ExH and in it was a Mill Hill tassel kit that must of been bought 10 years ago.

Monday I decided that I was going to make it up so I got to work, I did mean to take a pic of just the stitching but I forgot :(

So you'll have to make do with these.

This is with all the stitching and beading done

Whip stitch the edges to hide the perforated paper

Then you fold the paper and whip stitch the edges together.

I did take pics of that but they all turned out fuzzy so here's the finished tassel instead

And a couple of closer ones

Runekeeper progress

Here's this weeks progress on Runekeeper.

The eagle eyed among you will spot that the inner border isn't finished well that's because I've run out of another Krenick so it'll have to wait till I get round to ordering it along with the other one.

I came across this stitched but unmounted while unpacking so yesterday when I put the flying Santa together I mounted it in the card it came with.

Ornament finish

Strictly speaking it's not an ornament but it is a Christmas decoration.

I was tiding up my finishes drawer last week and moving some kits out of it at the same time and this was one of them.

It's one of those Dimensions kit's that has everything in it and claims it's doable in a weekend only it wasn't in my case! It took me all week to stitch it.

The plastic canvas was a pain to work on and I broke a few needles but it's done and a kit has been used from my stash which is always good.

After trimming the canvas

Fully assembled

He's now gracing the top of Baby's viv for a while until he gets put in the box I'm going to use this year for ornaments.

Runekeeper progress

What happens when......

A-- You live alone

B - Your DBF is sick

C - It's snowing

Answer - you spend most of the weekend when your home sat on your arse finishing the block on Runekeeper your working on 

And just because I can an overall view of it

I've worked out that there are 10 weekends till Easter Sunday and with 5 blocks to do I think aiming for an Easter finish is doable 

2012 Bead Mat complete

I spent the first few days of the year finishing off the diamonds for my bead mat and I thought I'd got them all until I was looking for something else and found another couple that needed to be done from the Dragon Box.   Yesterday I sat down and made the diamonds up and this morning I added them so it's now finished.

There are 168 diamonds in 86 colours in it and it was quite a learning curve to in some respects.

After I thought I'd finished it I picked up my mad idea for a while before I started a new project so I went with 2 of the colours for it to do the date diamond for this year's mat.

It took me a couple of hours and lots of searching for free alphabets with numerals online to get it right and then another couple of hours to bead it.

I put 4 'normal' sized diamonds together to have one big enough (I never thought of that last year and that was a bit of the learning curve) and I'm counting it as my first beading finish of the year

First finish of 2013

Having to move the the file box with all the charts in I've saved to stitch for SOLAK (Stitches Of Love And Kindness) I decided it was time to start getting them stitched.

So my first one was decided on and a few hours later here it is.

The only thing I can tell you is that it's called White Rabbits and I think it came from an early copy of Needlecraft (anyone remember that?) because way back then I used to photocopy the XS charts they printed in the middle of the magazine so I didn't have to take it apart and I used said photocopy.

Runekeeper progress

When I pulled Runekeeper out this afternoon I realised I didn't post a progress pic from last weekend so here it is.

Plenty of progress was made from last time I worked on in back in early December before moving and Christmas arrived and it got left untouched for a month.

There are a few bits to do on the Maiden block but I've run out of the krenick for them so they will have to wait till I get round to ordering more

4 Seasons Sampler finally!

I fininshed it about 7pm on Dec 31 but it took me till yesterday to press it and take pics, yes I know I'm useless.

First I'll show you Winter which was the last bit to be stitched and also the month that convinced me I really needed to stitch it even tho this really isn't the sort of thing I normally go for.

Here's the rest of it

4 Seasons Sampler

Sally Hesketh

2011 JCS issues

I loved every stitch of this one and have to say a huge thank you to Daffycat for helping me get the issues I needed when I couldn't find them here.

TUSAL last and first

It's that time of the month again when stitchers all over the world share a pic of their ort jar for the Totally Useless Stitch A Long (aka TUSAL)

First here's mine on Dec 31st before having it's annual bath and of course Rosie wanted in on the pic that day

This is the one that lives at DBF's and so far it's still empty this year

So onto this year and here it is.

I've added orts from Esther Sleepe, Runekeeper, The Birds and The Bees, a SOLAK square and of course some KO from beading.

Jan 1st start

As is normal for me I had a new start on New Year's Day this year I went with a kit that's been in my stash for a few years.

This is Esther Sleepe who was Frances Burney's Mother.

I do have info on where the original is but it's in the kit which is upstairs and I'm too lazy to go and get it!

I did also manage to finish my 4 seasons sampler on Dec 31 but haven't yet pressed it and made it presentable to the world (being rather ill last week put a stop to that!)

Dragon Box Finished

Once I'd got my beading stuff unpacked I settled down to do diamonds for my bead mat for a day or two as it helped me to work out where I wanted furniture putting and in what order I was going to start unpacking.  But then I turned to the Dragon Box in the hope that I could get it finished by the end of 2012 and on New Year's Eve morning I did just that 

Dragon Box

Julia Pretl

Little Bead Boxes

It's the first box I've done with feet and it's turned out OK but the sides bow quite a bit and I added an extra row to the lid to help close the gaps up.

This has been one of those projects that if it could go wrong it did which is why it took me all year to complete it as I had a spell of having to unpick all I'd done because of a mistake a few rows back, having lots of broken beads and on one or occasions the fireline broke!!

Dec 25

I'm slowly getting caught up on things I would of posted had I had internet, only a few to go :)

Teejay came to stay over Christmas :)

This was Christmas morning, his mum was stood behind me clicking her fingers to get him to look at the camera which is why he looks a little puzzled

Remember these? They started to hatch last May and the first one that did is now fully grown and doing well however the second one to hatch is still very small (would be classed as he runt) and was nicknamed Baby.

When Mel moved out and all her lizards went with her I said I'd take Baby once I'd saved up for the viv etc.

Christmas Eve arrived and so did Mel, Dan and her Dad with a viv for me.

Baby was a present off Mel and the Viv was off her Dad!

Still too small to sex so for now the name of Baby stays

Ornament exchange

Way back in November I took part in the ornament exchange at Needlecraft Haven we had an opening date of Dec 1st but of course with moving and no internet I couldn't post about it but I can now :)

Here's the one I sent to Ursh but I can't remember what it is but I do know it's from a JCS ornament issue maybe 2003.  When I unpack them I'll come back and update.

This is the beauty I received from Dusty in the US

It's double sided and you can just about see that this side is a little smaller.

I have no idea how Dusty did it but it's lovely and stiff so hangs fantastically on the tree, I was a little gobsmacked when I opened it up I can tell you.

2012 Goals report & 2013 Goals

For 2012 I said 

Finish a TW  No but I did work on one a little
Finish Mary Wigham  Yes, Done mid year

Stitch an ornament a month and finish it Yes although some month's they were beaded

Stitch or bead at least 12 Dragons in honour of 2012 being the year of the Dragon  I managed 6 :(

Keep up with the TUSAL  Done

Get my PHD number to below 25  No, failed again :(

For 2013 I'd like to

Finish a TW

Stitch or bead an ornament a month and finish it

Stitch at least 6 squares for SOLAK

Start and finish Santa's Village

Finish more projects than I start

Keep up with the TUSAL

Get my PHD number to below 25

Overall in 2012 I stitched for 918 hours 47 minutes which averages out to a few hours a day so although it sounds a lot it's no more than average really I'm just a bit odd in keeping track!

I had 30 new starts and 32 finishes and I ended the year with 30 PHD's

December Progress & January goals

Happy New Year

For December I said

Move house without to much hassle  It went OK although some of the promised help didn't turn up

Finish Namaste  No, I forgot to put the thread box to one side for it 

Finish 4 Seasons Sampler  Yes

Finish the Dragon Box  Yes

Sort out my Jan 1st start and get the fabric ready  Sort of I went with a kit in the end

For January I'd like to

Start no more than 5 GFJ (Guilt Free January) projects

Do a square for SOLAK

Stitch an ornament 

I'm keeping my Jan goals small as I still have lots of unpacking and sorting to do over the next few weeks.

I stitched for 57 hours 5 mins in December, not bad when you think I moved and most of that was done in the last week as I finished 4 Seasons.  I had 2 new starts and 2 finishes and 3 days of no stitching.