Framed and dancing all the way!

I have framed this myself and I am very pleased with my efforts. I carefully pinned and stretched the piece of work and measured it in mm.  The frame is dark blue and really suits the stitching. Sorry about the flash on the glass but this was the best photograph  I could do. This is going to be my leaving present for the church I have been attending here in Coventry.

Thank you to Clare who told me about this frame shop in Coventry I think  I will be using it again.

Happy Stitching all

A RAK arrived!

Crystal in Canada was one of my RAK winners and on the 25th February she had Samuel.. I didn't know she was expecting, it was such a surprise as I have only been following her blog for a while. I had this wool and the pattern, which I had bought for a work  in school, whose scan according to them, was a boy. I think they were quite surprised when little Megan popped out! So I knitted a little pink cardi instead!

So when Crystal announced she had Sam I got knitting right away. The needle roll was a quick stitch as I had stitched one in a different colour a couple of years ago. It wasn't what I intended to do origially but I wanted Crystal to have the jumper as soon as possible.

It is not a baby first size as Sam was over 9 pounds born so I do hope it fits.
Love to you Crystal and Sam and all your family, I remember that your daughter is off on a trip, hope she is enjoying herself and you're not missing her too much.

Brought back lovely memories when I was knitting, as all my sons are very grown and tower over me and my DD has her own three children, all growning up very fast. I can't believe my GD will be 17 this summer.
I used to make all my childrens clothes and never stopped sewing and knitting... those were happy days.

Meet Up and a pressie

Today it was the Meet Up in Nuneaton of the Needlecraft Haven-ers.. there were 23 of us all stitching and maybe a small amount of chatting!! LOL

Lots of amazing finished work which was beautiful. Such talent I was in awe of the beautiful stitching.
This is Julie (bagpuss) and Tina and as you see stitching, their needles were smoking!

Clare organised the day and seen here with the blue scarf, Lynsey as well and all stitching!

Its Maggie hiding behind her tapistry

And when I got home after a lovely day, this was waiting for me.

And inside this beautifully stitched little pillow from Sue (As if by Magic)

She had offered a PIF on her blog and I won.

The stitching is exquisit and the colours lovely. I love it Sue, thank you very much.

I love the way she has added beads to the ribbon, very artistic.

Thank you again Sue. I offered a RAK instead of a PIF and I am stitching away.....
After a lovely day I am so tired so having an early night... all that chatting... no stitching has worn me out!
Happy Days everyone
Hugs Chris x

Happy dancing and a tra la la!

I have finished this in record time.. so off this morning to arrange for it to be framed. It is for the church I have been attending these last four years, the best part of Coventry!
I like it in all the different colour blues and His Name is Jesus in the darker colour so it stands out. I am very pleased with myself for getting it stitched in such a short time. ( I started it on 25th February)

And here is Sal Aux Bouquet all kitted up and ready to go. I am using 32C even weave in cream and the recommended DMC threads. I have down loaded the first two parts and will buy number III when it comes out. 

It is a SAL on the French web site hence the name, but I am in a SAL with Needlecraft Haven. It was planned to start on the 15th March, but I wanted to finish one of my WIPs before I started it. I might have a few things on the go but I like to finish one thing before I start another!
That way I don't feel so guilty starting some thing new even though I have others to stitch. Anyway my explanation is with a few things on the go I don't get board because I always have some thing different to stitch!
Tomorrow is  the Meet Up of the Needlecraft Haven-ers in Nuneaton so I am really looking forward to that!
Happy Stitching and aren't the spring flowers beautiful... gives me a boost when ever I see them.

Some pics at last and busy days

I have been having problems down loading photographs, so frustrating.. but today its worked Yipee!!

So here are some progress pics.. my 'His Name' design is coming along nicely and I hope to finish this by next week as I want to take part in the Sampler-au-Bouquet Sal..

I have down loaded the charts and have sufficient Antique White 32C even weave and the threads.. so can't wait to get started.

My Spring Quaker by Rosewood Manor is coming along slowly too.  I intend for this be my long term project so I only do one motif or part of a motif each week. So I finished last weeks big motif and did the small one next to it. I still love it.

I have completed one of my RAK pressies and it is ready to post. I don't usually complete just one when I am doing something like this, but there was a very special reason for doing this which will be revealed when it has arrived with the recipient.
My other stitching has gone into my WIPs bag and will have to stay there until  'His Name' design is finished, as I need to give it to my church before the end of April.. which seems an age away but it will have to be framed first.
We have been very busy in the house too, yesterday I part painted our front wicker fence. I say part as I was hours and it was dusk when I came in with the intention of finishing today, but  the sudden showers stopped me. This was just as well as all the bending over yesterday was not good for my back!! Poor ol' me!
We have a beautiful kitchen free of clutter with shining kitchen cupboard doors with new pine knobs and the new hall stairs and landing carpet looks very good. We have strips of the cut offs to protect where we walk!!
So we will soon be ready to go up for sale; At last!
We are off to my DIL's birthday meal on Friday and I have actually made a hair appointment! All her family will be there and so I don't want to let my son down.

                                We seem to be busy all the time and this afternoon was my Library ReadingGroup, which was very interesting

This was the choice for March and for once we discussed this for the whole hour! Quite unusual as sometimes we go off the book. I loved it and so led the group as some of the others didn't get it finished. 
A good read and worth persevering past the first two chapters as it was a
bit confusing at first!!

Happy Stitching all  

Hugs

It's a dog's life!

Does she look comfy on my Laura Ashley chair, resting on my silk cushion and my cross stitch one of ‘Cats,’ that took me a year or two to finish??


This little rascal girl Nell woke us this morning just after 4 am. Dh got up to see what the crying and wailing was all about. She had been a very, very little bit sick. He settled her and came back to bed, did she settle back down?? At 5 ish we were drinking cups of tea and she was on the bed in between us and sleeping!

I did doze but was extremely tired when we did decided to get up at 7:45 and she was still sleeping! Grrrrr

I didn’t go to church this morning because I knew if I sat still and quiet for any length of time I would doze off. Very embarrassing, I did it once in a members meeting and was woken at the end for the last song!

And where has Nell been all morning? Sleeping on the chair.

What a life she has and what a merry dance she sometimes puts us through! But we still love her.

I haven’t done any stitching this week as we have been very busy trying to get this house decorated and garden weeded and tidy as we want to go on the market to sell. We have had a new carpet laid in the hall, stairs and landing, which now looks a lot lighter. DH has removed all the broken handles and replaced them with pine knobs, on the kitchen cupboard doors and they look superb. Why we didn’t do this for us is a mystery! But it does all look very nice now.

I have also been knitting and unravelling a sock! I tried a mock cable stitch and the sock turned out to be too tight, even though I had cast on extra stitches to allow for the pattern. So I undid it, and knitted it up again, this time with the little mock cable as the rib and the rest of the sock just a patterned rib. I am half way through the second sock and if it is to be a February sock for the SOM I ‘d best get knitting!

Why do I give myself so much to do!

Happy days!!

Spring Sampler, Praying for a Cure and a new start..'.His Name' design.

I have only managed a small bit of my Spring Quaker this week because I have had other stitching to do..
So this week I have stitched February's christmas ornie, can't post a pic to day as we are in Essex and it is in  Coventry.
I also stitched this for a church friend as she has been diagnosed with breast cancer, so this was stitched with a prayer in every stitch and still praying for her.  Especially today as it is her op day.

And this will be for the church I am leaving in Coventry so must keep stitching this each evening till its completed.

Its on 32C Antique white even weave and the chart was a freebee from http://www.joyfulexpressions.us/.
I am using DMC all different colour blue threads. I think it is going to look rather nice.

What a bargain knitting book!

The new yarn I ordered arrived last week and I am delighted with it.. It will be used for the sock a month challenge for February and March. And just look at this book of patterns it was only £2.00.

 I saw it when we were shopping in Tesco and had to have it. It is absolutely gorgeous and has a variety of patterns, modern cardigans, socks, cushions, the sweetest little baby booties and scarves and hats. I could spend hours just looking through it!!

What a bargain...

And these socks are a must to knit, they are so, so pretty

Love this cushion and knitted ones are all the rage.

Oh for a 36 hour day to enjoy all these lovely things to make!  And doesn't the month seem to be rushing away? We are more than half way through it already and isn't it nice to see the sun, albeit still be a bit chilly in the early mornings; roll on spring!

And the winners are

My RAK winners are:-

I used a random number generator and the following came up...

Lesleyanne

Chystal

Rachael

Thank you to the other 21 for taking part...

Sorry I couldn't post this at the weekend, my computer wouldn't let me play!!

I shall be in touch for your addresses and you will receive some thing made by me within the next 12 months

Hope you're all having a great Valentine's day.. my DH made me a super card on his computer and his own rhyming verse.

I made a heart shaped short bread biscuit. It was quite big and we have had some and it was delicious. When I made it I didn't think about the taste, just that it was something different.

Each year I have made some thing different..

Year 1 was an ivy covered wire heart growing in a flower pot.

Year 2 was a flowery home made card

Year 3 Was a cross stitched heart(I gave him this when we were in Australia)

Year 4 was a wire shaped heart with buttons on it.

So this year it was something to eat.

That's my food plan out the window today!!

Happy Days and happy stitching

Spring has sprung!

How can I be miserable about the cold weather when I have these in my garden.

The first signs of spring... Tuesday's weather was warm and sunny and I was able to do some tidying up in the garden and tucked away under some dried fern fronds were these little beauties.

At last some real signs that the winter is on its way out.. sorry Australia and New Zealand but yours is on its way. At least you won't have the snow as we have had this winter. These have reminded me I have a cross stitch chart of snow drops some where, that I stitched years ago for a friend. I think I'll search it out and stitch it again! It will be some where in my stash, I wonder if I will be able to find it???
Happy Days every one..