Slow Stitching

 I’m continuing the rotation of projects. I must confess that I really enjoy doing my projects this way. Each one gets its assigned day and none get left behind. I finished this month’s blocks for Noah’s Journey. Finishing that means I get more time to work on my Mandala Millefiori and more excitingly, my Family Sampler. 

Here are the sheep and the goats from this month’s Noah’s Journey.

The Millefiori Mandala step 5 is up in the top left corner of the finished design. I worked on it a bit last night after my eyes started going all wonky. And here is the Family Sampler.

 I worked on it quite a bit yesterday until I finally had to stop due to the previously mentioned wonky eyes. I’m working on another pulled thread section and looking back and forth between the fabric and the stitching instruction diagrams were the cause of those wonky eyes. The pulled thread section is at the bottom of this picture. I have to say that before I did this piece I had never done pulled thread work before. There are some really good youtube videos put out by the Victoria Sampler ladies which were a huge help in doing this. This is currently section 18 out of 29.  Not bad considering I started this at the beginning of February. 

I’m going to post this and link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching.Then it will be time for lunch and more stitching. I suspect having fresh eyes and daylight will help with finishing that section of pulled thread work. 

Slow Stitching All Week Long

 I’m back to rotating my projects again and it continues to work well. I have two more circles done on the Millefiori Mandala. I’m really enjoying seeing the different designs and details form inside each circle. I’d never done anything quite like it before, which was the original attraction of this piece.

I’m working on the goats for Noah’s Journey. It’s fun that one of the goats has spots that are heart shaped.

My favourite project though, is this Family Sampler. I am loving every minute and every stitch. I’m learning so many new stitches in it. That makes it fun and challenging to do and not a bit boring. I’m sad when the end of the day comes and I have to set it aside. But I’m determined to not let anything turn into a UFO and sit unfinished so I will continue to rotate through them. 

I’m going to link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching and then get to my own stitching. Today is the family sampler day. I’m looking forward to seeing how much further I can get on it. The next section is #9 out of 29. Yes I freely and willingly admit to being insane.

Slow Sunday Stitching

 I’ve worked almost exclusively on cross stitch and embroidery this past week. I have four projects going now, one embroidery and three cross stitch. It’s a good thing I never committed to only doing one at a time because I would have broken that commitment by now. But I know myself well enough not to say that sort of thing.

The seventh release of Noah’s Journey came out at the beginning of the week. So I got it traced out and coloured. This is a two block section. I have one of them almost finished. I just have to do the flowers and leaves on the top of the sheep’s head.

I’ve also made progress on the Millefiori Mandala cross stitch project. I’m keeping up with this, so far. Part 4 was released a week ago and I am part way through that.

The Victoria Sampler Facebook group is doing a monthly sampler type thing. A small portion of the monthly design is released weekly on Fridays for the first 3 weeks of each month. I finished February’s yesterday.

And then there is the new project, also from Victoria Sampler. One of our slow stitchers is also working on this and when I saw the picture of hers I sort of fell in love. It is a challenge to do. Lots of new stitches and also lots of different type threads from what I’ve used before. But I am loving doing it. There are nine little tiny birds in the tree. They are done with a single strand of silk thread over a single thread of fabric. I have never done anything that delicate before. I have one more bird left to do before I can move on to the next element. I am finding the instructions with this sampler very good and am planning on doing it step by step as it is presented in the instructions. 

And now for our big news that has been going on in our lives. We live with our daughter and son-in-law in a granny flat type apartment. Our son-in-law started a new job in January. The job is in the Muskoka region of Ontario. So we are all going to be moving. The house we are in now sold this past week, so there is a new adventure in our future. It’s very exciting, especially since we all love that area of our province. They are now on the search for a new home for all of us up there. 

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

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.