Cats & SALs

Finally finished Chillin' Out (again)!

Chillin' Out: Round 2

I've almost finished it into a flatfold; I just need to glue on some ribbon.

I've also made Wedding Bells into a flatfold, but I can't find the proper sized silver ribbon. My mom did help me pick out some beautiful fabric, though. It's light blue with silver circles made of dots. Pictures to come once I find the elusive ribbon.

Standing in Michael's one day, staring at the Perle cotton, I got the bug to try more hardanger. Kim on Stitcher's Village posted this beautiful picture of her Song of the Weather: April square, and the perfect opportunity fell into my lap!
I've just finished January, and since February requires cutting, it will probably take a bit longer! I was going to use blues and grays, but DH intervened & convinced me to do red & orange-yellow. I'm really pleased with the result, especially since orange-yellow was always one of my least favorite crayon colors!

Song of the Weather: January

Star stitch

Tulip & Satin stitches

Kloster blocks, Lazy Daisy, Herringbone, and Colonial Knots

Can I just say....Colonial knots- YUCK

I haven't done much on Around the World, just a few Queen stitches, a Ray stitch, and the Kloster block heart. I want to do the cut version of the heart, but I will wait until I am more comfortable with cutting, which appears in Song of the Weather: February.

Finally, a gratuitous cat picture! I couldn't resist.

Best Stitches & Wishes,

Around the World in 80 Stitches, Part I

I finally finished Part I of this SAL! Without further ado, I present to you the beginnings of my autumn themed piece:

Part I: Beads have since been removed

I decided on bead colors, too- I'm on a roll! I'm going with Purple Passion (Mill Hill 03053) & Victorian Gold (Mill Hill 02011). I did a bead toss & these colors really add to the piece without overwhelming it.

The right side looks so bare now!

The Stitches

Partial Eyelet Stitch (Red) & Cross Stitch (Green)

Berwick Stitch (Green)

Norwich Stitch Variation (Yellow, Brown, & Metallic)

Lazy Daisy Flower (Red), Ray Stitch (Green- N/S/E/W/), & Partial Eyelet Stitch (Green)

Scotch Stitch (Brown)

Lindisfarne Stitch (Oranges)

Lazy Daisy Flower (Brown) & Ray Stitch (Green)

Best Stitches & Wishes,

Odoriferous Orchids

Last weekend, DH, my dad, & I went to an orchid show. There was such a variety of shapes, sizes and colors! It was truly amazing what people were able to breed.

Cybidium Huell Howser

This orchid was created for Huell Howser when he visited the orchid show in 2010; he died last year, so there was a small memorial for him near the entrance.

Here are some of the more interesting flowers (though, really, I have over 100 pictures- I loved all the flowers!). Enjoy!

Spotted orchids

Brown orchids: DH's favorite

Interestingly colored orchids

Orchids in a starburst

Oddly shaped orchids (that's the flower)

Little tiny orchids

Big giant orchids

Brand new orchids

Candy corn colored orchids

I have gotten a bit of stitching done on my Around the World SAL. Still stuck on the Berwick stitch, though. A giant thank you to everyone who has given me advice on Berwick stitch success!

Thisclose to being finished!

I started a new project: French Country Wedding Bells by JBW Designs.

For DH & me

I had thought about getting this pattern to celebrate my wedding but put it off due to cost; I stopped in to Needle in a Haystack when my mom & I went to San Francisco to see The Girl with the Pearl Earring exhibit. (My mom bought it for me, so technically, I did not break my stash diet!)

The San Francisco trip was a lot of fun! I took far too many pictures, as usual, so here are some highlights. No GWTPE, though, as pictures of the special exhibit paintings aren't allowed.

Guy walking down the street juggling at 7:30 a.m.

Lunar New Year celebration

Crabapple blossom at the Botanical Garden

SF from the Observation Tower at the De Young Museum

Modern Art: I'll never understand it.

People: I'll never understand them, either!

Buddha at the Japanese Tea Garden

 

San Francisco Mission

This sign was in the kitchen in our hotel room. Is the city of San Francisco encouraging me to waste water??







Best Stitches & Wishes,

Of Babies, Frogs, & Beads

The best news first: Debi M sent me the loveliest piece of stitching!

I saw this piece in her photo album, and when she said she would send it to me, I thought she meant the pattern. So I was quite surprised when the finished piece arrived!

I was drawn to it because I don't see many patterns related to the theme of stitching, and this one is really cute. Thank you so much, Debi!

Two baby carriages finished this month! I started the pink one in...*cue blushing*...2009!

My friend's favorite color is silver, which was a difficult color to match to fabric. I started on black, but it seemed very doom & gloom and required a change.


 I ended up with the pink & white striped aida out of sheer desperation. I simply couldn't think of another fabric to use.






The backing fabric, on the other hand, was a breeze! Perfect for any baby, don't you think?

Another friend of mine had her baby at the beginning of January. French Country Baby Carriage is the only baby pattern I have, so I made another! Plus it's cute. I used Carrie's Creation silk in Aurora.

I've started my Around the World in 80 Stitches SAL, and (so far!) I love it. The Lindisfarne stitch- the orange flowers- was a real joy; the Lazy Daisy flowers...well, they're stitched.

I did the second heart first because I'm a left to right stitcher.

The fabric is 28ct. Mushroom lugana, and I'm using these flosses: WDW Moss, Grasshopper, Guacamole, Cayenne, Aztec Red, Sweet Potato, Autumn Leaves, Marigold, Squash, Chestnut, & Hazelnut; GAST Chalk; & Rainbow Gallery PB49.

I'm contemplating changing the beads; while the blue is a lovely shade and I like the gold beads, I don't feel confident in this choice. I have some frosted beads in gold and purple that I am going to try out on the first heart. Compare the hearts; make a decision; live with it!

There is one small mistake- one flower is a half of a stitch off.

Can you see it?  
I CAN!

It will have to be changed. I just can't stand it!


If you do find it, email me (Anne.Sans.Tete@gmail.com), and I'll give you an extra entry in the giveaway [see below].

While planning this piece, I've relied on Ruth's sound advice about fabric count and arranging the color palette; while stitching, Carole's close-up photos of the various stitches have been of invaluable assistance!

At the moment, I am stuck on the Berwick stitch.  I find it, um, frustrating, to say the least.

I was on a frogging needle/scissor fob roll for the last part of the month. It was all set in motion by Jane, who saw my needle/fob offer and asked me to make her one.

She likes blues and seashells, so I created a beach themed needle for her: brown for the sand, blue for the water, and white for calm & simplicity. The beads are rather sparkly, which really adds to the feel in person.

Since I had all of my tools out, I decided to play around a bit, and these were the results:



I wanted something a little more fun & festive for the reindeer than the usual straight line, and I added the jingle bell for a little lightheartedness.

Definitely keeping these!

I made this needle as an extra, just in case the ladybug needle gets lost. Since I had a needle, I had to make a matching fob!

 
 
I made this chatêlaine last month, but I needed a scissor fob to go with it. After hemming & hawing about what to do, I finally settled on the grey squirrel with a mini jingle bell.

You may have noticed there are jingle bells in all of the pictures- I love the mini jingle bells!

To celebrate Valentine's Day, I'm giving away this needle & fob set to one lucky winner!


Just leave a comment with a way to contact you, and I will put your name in the drawing. International entries are more than welcome.







The giveaway will end on Valentine's Day, and I will announce the winner on 15 February.



Good luck to everyone, and thanks, once again, for reading my blog!




Best Stitches & Wishes,