Monday, January 11, 2010

Some Progress

With all the snow that we have had, I have been staying home stitching a lot more. Last week, beginning on Wednesday, we got another 4.4 inches of snow. So far this year we have had 25.9 inches and the average for an entire winter season is 20. We are way ahead. This time there was lots of wind like around Christmas. After the snow quit, the wind continued to blow sending wind chills waayy below zero. The schools were closed for at least 2 days, along with many offices and businesses. Various activities around town were cancelled. Since I don't like going out in the stuff or driving on snow-packed streets, etc., I have been home quite a lot. My car has been out of the garage 2 times since December 23rd. Lots of time for stitching and othe little jobs around the house. Have to admit that I have spent a lot of time on the computer playing games, doing Facebook and Yahoo groups.

On January 1st, I started two different projects as a part of SALs in 2 different Yahoo groups. Jenny Bean Halloween Sampler by Shakespeare Peddler was the January 1st SAL for my STO Yahoo group.
Jenny Been Halloween Sampler
by Shakespeare Peddler
28-ct R&R Lt. Cappuccino
GAST Limited Edition Thread Pak

My Kansas Stitchers Yahoo group was doing Quaker Christmas by ByGone Stitches as a January 1st SAL. Since I have already stitched QC, they allowed me to use another quaker design for the SAL. I am doing Quaker Gone Spooky by Michelle Ink Designs. My start does not look like much. You will not be able to tell that what I have stitched is part of a craggy tree in a cemetery. It is stitched with Thread Gatherer's Silk 'n Colors Mississippi Mud. The instructions were to stitch it up and down instead of back and forth across like I normally stitch. It has been rather difficult to do that since one is so used to doing it the other way. Had some counting issues and had to frog out about 80 stitches. I told someone that stitching up and down is kinda like stitching in a foreign language.

Quaker Gone Spooky
by Michelle Ink Designs
30-ct R&R Lucky Penny
Various Silk Threads

I will be doing some substituting on threads when I get to some other parts of the design. The tree is the called for Mississippi Mud from Thread Gatherer.

Here is my progress on the Retreat Sampler design by The Sunflower Seed. This is the project I started on Christmas Day since we were snowed in and did not travel as planned for the holidays. The photo makes it look like one of the houses is leaning, but it really is not. The first person across the bottom is me. I made a little change in the color of the dress to my beloved purple. The color is a little more purple than it was charted for. This has been something really fun to stitch. It is being stitched on 30-ct R&R Antique Cotton with DMC and Anchor floss.The final thing that I have been rotating through during my snowed in day is LHN "Under The Prairie Moon". Since this photo was taken, I have finished this. That was accomplished about 4:30PM today. Will get it pressed and take in for framing tomorrow on my way home from the dentist. Ugh!! Hopefully I will remember to take a picture before I leave it to be framed.

Under The Prairie Moom

by Little House Needleworks

30-ct R&R Irish Creme

Belle Soie Silks called for

One other thing that I have been playing with is using up some leftover yarn to make crocheted potholders that when you are done, are diagonal. I have 2 done and one more started. Will include pictures later. Some of them might be fairly ugly due to the combination of miscellaneous yarns. My mom used to make them all the time and I was getting to the point that I was needing some. Now I have it all figured out, I will be making more. The church kitchen is very much in need of some good potholders. Several may find there way there.

Off to get some stitching done probably on the Spooky design. Watched my basketball team win tonight and was not able to settle down enough to stitch while watching. Now I need to get busy. Thanks to all who stopped by and those who commented. It is always fun to hear from everyone. Stay warm and out of the snow, if that is what you have in your area.

Happy Stitching!!!!!!!!!!