Progress of one and start of a new cross stitch design.

How quickly the few days of Christmas passed. I hope you all enjoyed the time with family and friends.

The snow now gone, that  was lovely to look out on, has turned our garden to a sorry sight with growth all blackened and rather sad looking. Still I know there are snowdrops and daffodils all there waiting to burst through the sodden ground. Yesterday I planted some bulbs! Yes yesterday, I had bought some reduced at the garden centre we went to before Christmas, they were already sprouting so they are now in large pots on the patio.

A New Year stretches ahead with all those new cross stitchy things to do and some to finish!

This is my Summer Celtic Lady, I have been steadily stitching in the evenings. I really want to get this finished  by the end of January. I have stitched a lot of the gold, which I hate using as it is inclined to shred so I only use short lengths. It is begining to look good so I am pleased with how it is turning out.

And this will be a new start in January. It is my Quaker design by Rosewood Manor and I have bought the recommended Valdani hand dyed cotton floss. I have choosen a 28C Pale Grey cashel linen.

This is my piece for the quaker sal I have set up to start in January. Do leave me your email if you would like to join in with any quaker design, either new or one you have already started.

I can't wait to start this.. I also have quite a few charts ready kitted up and intend to start some thing new every other week, so no not quite the Crazy January Challenge where you start some thing new each day for fifteen days !!! I was tempted but I have pledged to  finish designs as I start new and that's enough for me. Just fancy having fifteen things on the go!

When I started blogging I had no idea how much my life would be made richer by all the blogging friends I have made from all over the world. Thank you for all the comments and nice things you have all said, it has been very encouraging and heart warming.
Things haven't been all yippidy do for me this year, living here in Coventry has its down side, but I try to remember to be happy as each day is a new day and made just for me!
So I wish all my blogging friends a Very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year, with lots of happy stitchy hours.
Bests

Happy and Blessed Christmas to everyone!

I hope all my blogging friends will have a wonderful Christmas and you are all able to share it with family and friends.

We are all ready, and are looking forward to tomorrow when we can all sit round the table and share our Christmas meal.
I have iced the cake and we have decorated around the house. We have once again been blessed with beautiful cards and there are lots of presents under the tree.
The one I bought for DH is too bit to wrap, although it has the packing on it from the shop so he can't see what it is. (I am looking forward to seeing his face when he opens it tomorrow!) I hope he will like it, I do!

Here is our side board with the cake and lots of goodies.

So a Very Happy and Blessed Christmas to all and all good wishes for Health and Happiness in 2011.

Birthday .... mine!

It was my birthday on Monday 20th Dec.. I hate it this time of the year, it seems sometimes to get in the way of Christmas. We had travelled to my house in Essex as it is nearer for my family to come to and we had planned a family get together on Saturday, but because of the snow, nobody could come. So I was disappointed but I didn't want them stuck on motor ways in snow or have an accident. So it was just my lovely DH and me! These are the lovely earings and the bracelet that he bought for me. And I love them.

We went out for an Italian meal together on monday. which was very nice and the red wine too.

And I have had loads of cards from friends so thats nice too and some lovely presents.

My son and his wife did come on Monday afternoon in between snow showers, and so we had mince pies and cups of tea and it was lovely to see them. And we drove back via a very snowy Cambridge to see my daughter and grand children. When we went in the two boys were out in the snowy back garden and hyper already and my lovely 16 year old grand daugher was still in bed but arrived half an hour later fully made up!

We are now back in Coventry and it is snowing hard, so once again I am indoors! I am afraid to walk out in the snow incase I slip. Last February my friend Peta fell and broke her shoulder and was off work for three months and couldn't even dress herself the first few weeks. And just think not being able to stitch for weeks and weeks, I couldn't face that so I am happy to stay inside!
We brought all the extra food back so we had plenty of  tea, milk, bread, cake, chicken, ham, a cooked potato with bacon and thyme in cream cheese sauce dish, coleslaw, trifle, (half eaten as we have eaten some,) crisps,tasty Indian bits to dip in sweet chili sauce, prawns in pastry, sausage rolls and ice cream and lots more! So if you fancy a party .....don't phone, just pop in!!! We have enough to feed an army!
Happy days!

Summer Celtic Lady

I have stitched this regularly this last month and fitted it in around making Christmas pressies. I would really like to get it finished in the New year.
I have other stitching to do and need to finish some of my WIPs. I did pledge to finish one WIP each month and although I did finish my 'Golden Gate Houses' in November, I have since then knitted socks and made Christmas cards so this could be finished end of January? Not as many WIPs as some, I  only have three, but I started this last August 2009! The fabric I am using is Polstitches Silversage 28 Jobelan.
And as we are in Billericay in the snow!! I have knitted myself some short socks these last two days, from the pattered yarn left over from the socks I knitted for my grand daughter last year, and matched with some pink yarn  for the welt, heels and toes. It seems such a waste not to use the patterned yarn and I like to think I am getting my money's worth!

The Quaker SAL now has 9 members so if you have a quaker design all ready started, or want to stitch one come and join us in this stitch-a-long starting in January. If it takes your fancy send me your email addy and I'll send you an invite.
Happy stitching all

Wanted some Stitch-a-long friends

I want to stitch this starting in the new year... so if there are any stitchers who have a quaker design as a wip or wants to start anew, I would love to Stitch-a-Long with you!

I see S&S are doing a SAL and although the design they have chosen is lovely, its not something I want to do.

So any one fancy a SAL?

To join in this SAL you need to leave me your email addy..

Thanks Chris x

A very happy dance and lots of finishes!

 My Golden Gate Houses finished!

I have loved stitching this and now it is finished I think I am going to get it professionally framed.

I love the design and the rich colours and am very pleased as to how it has turned out.

We actually saw houses like these in Sans Francisco on our honeymoon!

And all my crocheting and knitting for christmas are finished too. This scarf and hat was for my friend's birthday and in spite of the snow, she received them only a day or two after the date. And they have been worn already!

And how could  I let Christmas pass with our knitting some socks.

Two pairs, one for each of my grand sons.

I added another colour for the welt, heel and toe to make the yarn do two pairs!

And some chocs for my daughter in a decorated jar! I used glass paints for the lid and then stuck on some pretty blue buttons.

And that I think is all my making done, although I quite fancy a little crochet hat for my grand daughter; black of course with sequins and beads.
And I have  a new ball of self patterning yarn so I think a restful time over Christmas knitting socks!
Happy stitching n' knitting to you all.

I am now stitching my Celtic Lady and will post pics of my progress next time.

Snowed in!

We arrived here in Billericay Monday afternoon and woke up tuesday to snow! And it has continued to snow! We managed to get out to get some shopping bits as we had planned to do our food shop here  instead of bringing it with us. However although our road has just a slight hill, only four wheel drive and some bigger vans have made it up the hill! This is my little shed  I painted forgot-me-not blue to look like a beach hut and the snow has drifted up the side.

.

And look at the christmas tree I planted in the garden after Christmas 2005, it is huge now. It would be lovely with my outside lights around it come Christmas time

And here is Nell, she has been like a small child dashing aound in the snow and burying her nose in it having a whale of a time.

And us???? We are toasty warm inside and eatling winter vegetable soup made by myself.  The soup bowls were my grand mothers and about 60 years old!! Just two left of this design.

 Our plan was to return to Coventry tomorrow but if the M25 has problems we will stay till it is safe to travel. I hope we can, as I have commitments at my church over the weekend and I don't like letting people down.

Best thing about this weather is, it is  inside knitting, crocheting and stitching weather.!

Hope where ever you are you are happily stitching or knitting!


PS A fabulous give away here.. http://feathersinthenest.blogspot.com/