Slow Stitching

 This past week has been all about cross stitching and knitting. The next pattern for Noah’s Journey won’t be out till next week sometime, so I’ve had to change up my rotation system a bit. Rather than alternating days. I’ve been doing cross stitch earlier in the day. By the time mid to late evening comes around my eyes get tired, so I switch over to knitting. I followed a link a few weeks ago from one of our slow stitchers and found the Victoria Sampler web site. That was an eye opener. What beautiful stuff! I have ordered 2 of their sampler kits. While looking around on the web site I also found that they have a facebook page and have a free monthly stitch along. So while waiting for my kits to arrive I’ve been working on the freebies. The first is a calendar type stitch along. This is January’s. I worked on it exclusively this past week so I could get it done and be ready for the February release. The clues for each month are released in three parts, a week apart. I found on the same Facebook page this little free pattern. The cross stitch finished at 2 1/2 inches square. It was fun learning new stitches. I’d never done Colonial Knots before. After doing them I have decided I like them much better than French Knots.

I bordered it with some coordinating fabric and made it into a mini pincushion.

I’m making good progress on the shawl. I’m on row 104 with a stitch count of 305 on the needles. There are a total of 147 rows in the shawl design with a final count of 425 stitches on the needles at the end. Each row is taking longer and longer to knit across. But it will be so soft and warm for under my coat when it is done.I have plans this afternoon to get the ends sewn into my Night Forest sweater and then get it blocked. I’m linking up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching.

Slow Stitching

 This week has seen the finish of a couple of my projects. Block 6 for Noah’s Journey is done. 

Block 7 doesn’t come out for a couple of weeks yet.

The knitting on The Night Forest sweater is done. 

I have to weave in all the ends yet though. Here’s a close up of the top colour work and the bottom colour work. 

I did start a new knitting project. It’s a shawl using double knit weight yarn called Gravity Shawl. There isn’t a whole lot done on it yet.

And then there is the Millefiori Mandala. It’s a stitch along type design that has sections released every 2 weeks. So this one will be going until March. This close up section is part 2. 

I am still enjoying rotating through different projects on different days so I think I will continue with this. I need to get something going for the days that were assigned to Noah’s Journey now that it is done until the next month. I have a few ideas involving new cross stitch designs. I picked up some 28 count fabrics from our local stitchery shop yesterday. Now to figure out how and what to do. They are awfully tiny.......

I’m linking up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching

Slow Stitching

 I continue to work on my 3 hand projects, alternating them per day. I am enjoying doing this. I can make good progress each day per project. None get neglected and I don’t get tired of just working on one thing at a time. 

First off is Noah’s Journey. This month it is ostriches and armadillos and peacocks. The ostriches are done and the armadillos are started. I love the little touches like the bows in this design.

Next up is my sweater. One sleeve is finished and the second has 2 or 3 inches done. There was supposed to be colour work on the sleeve down near the cuff. I had started the colour work but I didn’t like the way it looked so I ripped it out and did just plain.

And last is the Millefiori Mandala. It is much slower going than the other 2 projects, but I am enjoying the process. It is so different from anything else I have done in the last few years which I think is part of why it is so enjoyable. This is today’s project. So I will link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching, check out the other Slow stitchers and do some cross stitch. We may get out a little later this afternoon for a walk, just to get out of the house for a bit.

Slow Stitching All Week Long

 I mentioned last week that I had set myself up a rotation for working on my 3 hand stitching projects. It seems to be working well so far. I have made good progress on all three projects. First is the Noah’s Journey block. It is so close to being finished. But I ran out of one of the floss colours for the pink hippo, so I had to order more. That will likely take a week or so to get here. I can finish off the birds in the meantime when it comes up for its turn tomorrow. And the next block is out, so I can get it started as well.

Then there is the cross stitch sampler. Two of the Mandalas are done. And I started the third, but I have discovered that I have the wrong colour going in those little circles, so I need to take those out and get the right colour in.

And then there is the sweater. I have finished the body and gotten a good start on one of the sleeves. Today is the sweater’s turn, so I hope to get a few more inches done on it this evening. I will link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching in the morning.

Slow Stitching Sunday

Here it is, a brand new year and the first Sunday of that brand new year. I really hope this is a better one than last year. I hope we can get to the point where we can be out and about with people more. And for an introverted home body like me to say that, it is a sure sign that we’ve been isolated in our homes for way too long! Once more I am so grateful for our multi generational home where we can spend time with family here in our household. I am daily conscious of the blessing that is when so many people are alone and isolated now. 

I spent considerable time on New Year’s day on the Ontario Parks web site, looking at camp sites, dreaming of warm weather get aways that we completely missed last year. The place where we store our trailer phoned us back in October wanting to know if we wanted them to winterize our trailer. I told them there was no need. It hadn’t been out since the summer before so it was still winterized from the year before. I really do hope we can get out this year.

In the meantime, while we continue to isolate, we who are slow stitchers have plenty to occupy us. I have 3 projects on the go right now and I have set myself a loose schedule for working on them, spending one day each and rotating through them. 

First is block 5 of Noah’s Journey. I have the moose almost finished. There are still the rhino’s to do.

Next is my Millefiori Mandalas. I’ve made a lot of progress on it this week. This project was my New Year’s present to myself that I started before the New year started. 

And last is my The Night Forest sweater which is also making good progress. I have 9 rounds left of the bottom colour work. After that it’s the bottom ribbing and I can move onto the sleeves. This is today’s project and I hope to make a lot of progress on it. I bought a couple of new audio books so I can stitch and listen to a new book at the same time. 

Kathy was asking in her post whether we had plans or goals for our New Year stitching. At first I thought that I didn’t really have any firm plans, but then I realized that I actually do. Both Noah’s Journey and the Millefiori Mandala are stitch along type patterns that are released at regular intervals. So I guess my goal would be to keep up with them and finish each step before the next is released. However that isn’t necessarily realistic since the next block for Noah’s Journey will be out in the next few days and I have quite a way to go on the current one before it is done. But that’s OK, since this is supposed to be enjoyable and I don’t want to be doing the pressure on myself to get stuff done thing. So I’ll see how it goes. 

I’m going to link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching and then get a refill for my coffee.