Christmas is coming

I have been a busy bee and can show these christmas cards and pressies because the people they are for don't blog!! I loved knitting the socks as I have made quite a few in my time so I can knit and watch TV! The same with the crochet little purse bags.

Here are just some of my cards; the socks are for my best friend and the little purse bags, one for my grand daughter Saskia and one for Lily who is the younger daughter of my son's partner.
I have made 24 cards some in these designs and some smaller.. great fun to make, now all I have to do is write them all! And lots more that will have to be bought

The socks are knitted in patterned wool and I think I will knit a pair for me in a different colour, forgive the feet, but this the best I could do to show the socks, my feet are clean. I know my friend won't mind me trying them on, well I had to see if they would fit her, we have the same size feet!

I lined the bags in different coloured fabric, the blue one was in my goody bag from Hazel (thank you Hazel) when we had a cross stitch get together back in October


Having completed these I can now get back to my stitching as yesterday my beads and gold braid arrived for my Celtic Summer! Wahooo!! Can't wait to have a go with the gold braid... will post some pics when I have completed some showing the gold.
Happy stitching everyone ... I love christmas so its been exciting making these gifts

WIPs and our beautiful Nell

Thank you to all of you that commented on my pressie for my DH, he has put it up although I still need to straighten it up in the frame, so thats a job for today.
It may not look as though I have stitched a lot this week but everything is moving along nicely and with all this I am working at my pieces for my PIFs, there are only so many hours I can fit in for stitching!! Shame?

LHN Prairie Sampler SAL, this is being run by Mercedes and I hope I can stitch the next section this week although I am still waiting for one colour as Thread Bear didn't have it and had to order it. Its lovely to stitch 28c Jobelan colour Mushroom and the recommended silk threads. Lovely colours and smooth to stitch.

My Blue Ribbon WIP, I still love this and this has now become my piece for the Step by Step 2009 SAL run by Gaynor.


My Summer Celtic Lady... and I have started this and isn't is beautiful, I can't wait to stitch this each week

And here is our lovely Nell sitting on my best Laura Ashley chair, looking as though it is hers! She is now 8 months old and weighs 15 pounds which is the same weight as I have lost so its great to lift her up as she feels really heavy and think... thats what I have lost!


Travelling Stitcher SAL now has 17 members so roll on January when we can all start..

Happy stitching all..Cold wet day here so a stitching day!! YES!!

LHN Coffee for a birthday pressie

Its my DH's birthday today, so I have stitched this for him as he does love his coffee and we sit at least twice a day in the conservatory having a coffee break.
I stitched it each evening when we were sitting together in front of the TV and he never once noticed what it was!!

It wasn't his only pressie as we had practically emptied the men's clothing section in M&S when we went the other day!! Well he did need it as he has lost 3 1/2 stones in weight.
Its slightly on the squish in the frame but I did it very hurriedly when he was out, but I did it so I could so I could adjust it if necessary and it is !!
Very satisfying to see something I have stitched in a frame, most are just in boxes all over the place. I bought the frame when we were in Brixham, it was reduced in a trinket shop with a print of teddies in it. I am a great one for buying pictures where I can use the frame for my own work!!

WIPs and new starts

Just two of my WIPs not that I have a lot on the go but do have quite a few to start!!
Here is my Blue Ribbon piece which is lovely to stitch


And of course my Beatrice Potter sal, I have made good progress with this this month and can feel a finish is in my sights!

As well as these I have completed a LHN which is a pressie so will show that again and I have been busy with my PIF pressies so all in all a busy month!
Our Travelling Stitcher sal now has 8 stitchers to take part and 11 followers.
I have my fabric cut and edged ready for LHN Prairie Sampler sal starting tomorrow and some one has kindly lent me a frame for my Celtic Lady and as I have all the materials I can feel a new start coming on!

Happily stitching
Chris

Travelling Stitcher SAL

Sue and I are starting this as a SAL January 2nd 2010 if you'd like to join with us just email me.
Hope you do the more we have the more fun it will be.

Because I'm worth it!!

So when you're feeling down, what do you do??? Buy, buy, buy ofcourse!
This is only part of what I have bought this past week, I am waiting for the fabric to arrive for my other buy.
This is for the LHN sal 'Prairie Sampler' which is to start Nov 1st.
I couldn't get cappuccino so I have bought the mushroom colour and it looks very nice too and all the Belle Soir silks.



And on a good note I actually lost a pound last week so not good good but ok! And as DH pointed out I have lost 2 1/2 pounds in the last 4 weeks, which is good for me, so trying really hard this week.

Thank you friends, I am trying!!

A very big thank you to all you who have written encouragement on my struggle to lose weight. I am very hopeful that at tomorrow’s weigh in I will have lost weight and if it is only half a pound, it will be half a pound less than I am now! Like my friend Mary says.. ‘Just chip away at it and it will go!’


I have been busy planting up my winter pots and very nice they look too. I love pansies such pretty, little faces looking up at you! And I had to have an ornamental cabbage although when it is going over it pongs a bit!



And of course here is Nell looking as though she could do with a bath and a good brush... any offers??? LOL

This Autumn sun is glorious and lovely to have as it staves off the long winter months that are to come. Although as a fanatical stitcher it means sitting in the warm and doing what I love best, well after reading

A bit of a downer!! But I can get up as long as I go down!!

Today was my weigh in at SW's group and after trying so hard all week I have only lost 1/2 pound. It is so hard to hear others say that they have lost pounds and pounds and had nights out eating and drinking and I haven't. I had one half a glass to taste one of Mike's home made ones which was very, very nice and that was all.
I did not (for once over indulge) on sunday which is my danger day!
But truth be told I haven't had a very active week, but it was too dry to plant my new pansies and then it was too wet to go out to the garden. So I am miserable but then this was my Proverbs 31 verse today.
Ephesians 2:10: "For I am God's beautiful masterpiece. He has created me anew in Christ Jesus, so I can do the good things He planned for me long ago."

So with new enthusiasm and knowing that it is already God's plan I can lose that weight I am encouraged to stay at the food plan, I don't want to be megga thin just out of the dangerous obese register.
I know what to do, I have had encouragement and ideas, but if I don't put those ideas into action I am not going to do it.

What a great day, not a lot of stitching done but lots of chat!

Clare taking time off from stitching and taking a turn with baby Keely(not hers!!)

Such concentration

Tina and sitting alongside her is Vicki of India Grace designs. I wish I had photographed her calendar that she had designed and stitched it was beautiful.

Hazel who is the Moderator of the Beatrice Potter SAL and who does a great job of it too and her friend Tracey

Lynn who organised the day, thank you Lynn...Just look at that concentration

Kathy who was stitching her Celtic Lady which was superb! Or was it a Lavender and Lace she has quite a few WIPs!

These were all that came: Jacqui and Craig, Kathy, Chris, (me) Tina, Hazel, Tracey, Maureen, Angie,Clare and Jan (Clare's mum), Vicki, and Lara and her mum.
The happy stitchers some stitching with tremendous concentration, some not!
But it was a lovely day to meet other stitchers and to see the fantastic work, why didn't I take photos of it??? Wish I had!
It has given me my mojo back for even my Cat Sampler, well maybe not that one but to see Hazel's Beatrice Potter for real you could appreciate the colours. Tina was stitching an LHN design on a darkish colour and given me some great ideas for a piece of evenweave I bought from ebay and didn't know what to stitch on it. (Well it was a bargain!)
I bought chart from Vicki (www.indiagrace.co.uk) and can't wait to get started. Seeing Cathy's beautiful Chatelaine stitching has pushed me to order the silks to do my Convent's Herbal Garden and Lynn has said she'll show me how to do a hardanger piece, so all in all it was a super day. I only did a little stitching which I had to frog!!! But I learnt so much just looking at the work of others and listening to their advice and tips.
Roll on next year when we will be meeting again in April.
Happy Stitching all and may all those blooming frogs stay in that pond!!
(Just taken these from Clare's blog)
Isn't fantastic work?

A Gathering of Stitchers

Great excitement as I am off tomorrow for a Stitchers Away Day! Organised by Lynn in Nuneaton. Lots of on line stitching bloggers to meet and some I met before as I went to the one in March and thoroughly enjoyed myself, so I have looked forward to this for a while... so which WIP shall I take??
My 'Cats Sampler' which I am doing for the 2009 Stitchalong that Gaynor started?
Its some thing I bought years ago and probably wouldn't buy today. Although it isn't difficult to stitch as it is 14c aida, its grubby and I don't like stitching it!
So not this one!

My 'Bea SAL' is coming along nicely and I like stitching it as it is all one colour, well a varigated Vicky Clayton HD called Dried Roses and although the colour doesn't show well in photos, I think it is lovely, shades of pink and brown.. but it is quite big and I need to concentrate stitching it, so can't chat while stitching so not this!

And then theres my Blue Ribbon, 'Between the Lines.' I started this while on holiday last month, but its quite big too so not this.

Then there's this Bothy Threads, 'Buzzy Days-Wishful thinking'which is pleasant but too many colour changes to do while talking, I'll end up with the wrong colour in the wrong place!

Which leaves my LHN 'Coffee,' which I love stitching and it has rows of the same colour so just right to do while keeping up a conversation, so this is the one.

Just got to sort out my goody bag to take and I shall be ready... wahoooo A lovely day planned stitching with stitching friends!