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.

Slow Stitching

 I have finished all the knitting I wanted to get done for Christmas and they were gifted Christmas morning. The last stitches were put into Becca’s mittens at 10:30 pm Christmas Eve. Nothing like finishing at the last minute. She loved them.

So I’m back now to my regular knitting and stitching with a new addition. Gail, aka the Cozy Quilter, was showing me some of the embroidery her daughter has been doing and also Gail has a new cross stitch pattern from the shop Peppermint Purple. I decided to go have a look. Oh dear..... that was a mistake which has led to the addition of a new stitchery project. I picked the Mandala Millefiori Stitch Along. I went to the store Stitch It Central here in the city on Tuesday and picked up the supplies I needed for it. I got a very small start on it a couple of nights ago. I used to do cross stitch all  the time, before quilting took over my life. I’m slowly getting into other things besides quilting lately. I did a little bit on my Noah’s Journey, block 5 as well. The bunnies are done except for their eyes and noses and some of the grass is done as well. There is still quite a way to go on this one. And then there is my The Night Forest sweater. I’m well into the colour work around the bottom, so this shouldn’t take much longer to get the body done and then start on the sleeves. With our province being back in lock down until the end of January, there will be lots of time to get lots of hand work done.

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

Slow Stitching

 I’ve been feeling a bit better this week and so have been able to get more accomplished. I finished the stitching on the fourth Noah’s Journey block just in time for the new one to come out. Here’s the fourth, 
kangaroos and monkeys. The fifth has a couple of moose, perfect for Canada, and some hippos one of which is delightfully pink polka dotted.

I’ve also made progress on my The Night Forest sweater. I’m up to five inches done on the body which makes it much easier to get a picture of the colour work around the yoke. I need to do 4 1/2 more inches on the body and then there is more colour work to do before the final ribbing around the bottom.

It’s a lovely sun shiny day with cold blue skies. So I am going to spend the rest of the day resting and stitching by the window enjoying the light. I’m linking up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching.

Slow Stitching

 There hasn’t been a whole lot of anything happening in the stitching department in the last week or so. I’m in the middle of my annual November fibromyalgia flare up. It seems to always happen at this time of year. Probably a combination of the time change from daylight savings back to regular time and the resulting lack of day light. Add to that seemingly endless days of overcast grey clouds and here we are. So energy for doing anything other than watching stuff on TV or computer is sorely lacking. 

At some point I did get the colour work on the yoke of my The Night Forest sweater designed by Casapinka finished and the sleeves divided off. But nothing has been done on that since. 

I also got a little more done on the Noah’s Journey camels block. But again, that has stalled too. All that’s left to do is the ribbon on the camel’s hat, the monkeys and a little bit of grass.

Oh yes, I also made myself a new winter hat. I had some Aran weight 100% wool in a couple of complementary colours. Enough to do a hat and a pair of mittens. I really feel the cold, especially in my fingers, so I think I am going to do a pair of thrummed mitts. I already have the roving here, purchased years ago and discovered while cleaning out my yarn boxes.

I’m going to link up  to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching.

Slow Stitching

 How did another Sunday come around so fast? It seems like each week goes by faster and faster. It’s the middle of November already. Didn’t we just start the summer a week or two ago? It’s quite disconcerting how fast our days go by. It’s good to have these blogs to keep track of just what happens from week to week and see what is accomplished. I got the fourth of the Noah’s Journey blocks all coloured and the stitching started. 

I’ve also done some more on my The Night Forest sweater. The colour work for the yoke is almost finished. Six more rounds to do and then I’ll be able to separate off the sleeves at which point it will go faster. 

I’m planning on changing the colour of thread in my sewing machine to white so I can sew up the seams for Abbie’s Paw Patrol sweater. Then I’ll be able to pick up the stitches for the zipper band and do the duplicate stitches for the Skye picture on the front of the sweater. I really do have to get that done before she grows out of it.

So with that in mind, I’ll post this and link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching and then get at the sewing machine.

Slow Stitching

 I gave in this past week and started a new sweater. Is anyone surprised? Somehow I doubt it. And no, I haven’t finished Abbie’s Paw Patrol sweater. I did get the shoulder seams sewn, if that counts as progress. After I did that I tried it on her and it seems to be long enough, so I can go ahead and get the rest of the seams sewn. Then I need to pick up stitches to do a button band and also do the duplicate stitches for the figure of Skye that she wants. I think I need to start alternating projects again so that it will get finished. I’m also going to try and sew the side seams and the arm seams using the stretch stitch and walking foot on my sewing machine. 

So the sweater I started is by the designer Casapinka and it is called The Night Forest. I am totally enjoying this one. I love doing colour work like this.

I’ve also finished up the 3 little stitcheries for the third month of the BOM Noah’s Journey, just in time for the release of this month’s pattern. I traced out this month’s release on Saturday and got a start on the colouring. Another day should finish that portion of the process. 

Not much else to tell about what’s happening here. I’ll post this and link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching.