Crazy January Challenge 2012 - Day Thirty-One - Last Day, Theme-a-licious, Oldest UFO update and January Reading LIst

Reports! Reports! Reports!

Report # 1
Today was the last day of the (Modified Ultimate) Crazy January Challenge 2012.  For today's start I made another change  and pulled out another Mill Hill kit. This one has a Halloween theme - Starlight Ghost. Here is my progress:

Report #2
Today is also the day to update on my January Theme-a-licious stitching.  Without really trying I managed to stitch on quite a number of flowers this month.   All the Hearts of Canada charts had Provincial flowers on them and a couple of my other starts and WIPs  contained flowers.  In the collage below are some of the Provincial flowers I stitched along with Sew Gigi (iStitch  Designs) and part of a piece I stitched for an exchange (the full piece and name of the chart will be announce once my partner has received it).  The section I am currently working on in the Castles in the Air is called Formal Garden.

Next month's theme is Fangirl February

Send a Valentine to your favorite designer...or at least work on his or her designs for the month!

I will be devoting my stitching during the month of February to Little House Needlework designs with a little bit of Teresa Wentzler thrown in (I want to continue making some progress on my oldest UFO - Peacock Tapestry).  I have 2 LHN WIPs - Home Of A Needleworker and Home of A Needleworker, Too plus I have another chart - Snowflakes - and a number of her ornament charts that I want to stitch.

Report #3
I managed a little bit of stitching on my oldest UFO - TW Peacock Tapestry.  I have the left hand border almost done.

 
Well it is getting late and I need to get some sleep.  Take care and happy stitching!!!!!!!!


PS.  Below is a list of books I finished reading (or listened to) this past month.

January Reading list
1. Track of the Cat - Nevada Barr (ebook)
2. Apple Turnover Murder - Joanna Fluke (ebook)
3. As the Pig Turns - M. C. Beaton (audiobook)
4. Agatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came - M. C. Beaton (audiobook)
5. The Nesting Dolls - Gail Bowen
6. Murder with Peacocks - Donna Andrews (ebook)
7. A Red Herring without Mustard - Alan Bradley (audiobook)
8. Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener - M.C. Beaton (audiobook)
9. Blueberry Muffin Murder - Joanna Fluke (ebook)
10. April Fool Dead - Carolyn Hart (audiobook)

Crazy January Challenge 2012 - Day Thirty

Today I was going to work on another WIP but I decided to work on something new. I picked a Mill Hill beaded kit - Kris Mouse.

Thank you for all the lovely comments. Take care and happy stitching!!!!

Crazy January Challenge 2012 - Day Twenty - nine

I spent most of my stitching time today finishing up an item I am stitching for an exchange so I didn't get today's CJC 2012 project until later in the day. This is a Box Top and a set of Bride's Tree Ornaments I want to stitch for my niece who is getting married later this year. The chart is by The Victoria Sampler.

The first picture shows how far I was before I started stitching on it today.

This is how much I managed to stitch today.

Tomorrow it is back to work so I guess I better get some "beauty" sleep.

Take care and happy stitching!!!!!

Crazy January Challenge Day 2012 Twenty-three to Twenty-eight ++++++

It has been a busy week and I haven't had a chance to update my CJC 2012 challenge. So here it is all at once.

Day Twenty-three:

I pulled out another start form CJC 2012 - Nutcracker Christmas from X's and Oh's.

This is how far I got in 2011.

and this is what I manage on Monday.

Day Twenty-Four:

On Tuesday I put a few more stitches into Lanarte's Seaside Sweethearts (another CJC 2011 start).

I managed to stitch on this a couple of times last year so I am a little further on this on than some of my other starts.

This is how it looked as of Janaury 8, 2011

and this is where I am now.

Day Twenty-five:

Wednesday's start was a WIP from last year - LHN's Home of A Needleworker. This was the first LHN chart I ever purchased and it started me on my love of LHN designs. The owner of the ONS I purchased it from provided a conversion of the DMC threads to GAST and WDW and that it what I am using except for DMC 729 since it is only used for one stitch.

Day Twenty-Six:

On Thursday it was another 2011 WIP - Blackbird Designs (Loose Feathers #16) - Garland Fair.

Day Twenty-Seven:

Friday was devoted to working on my oldest WIP - Teresa Wentzler's Peacock Tapestry. I am still working on the left hand border.

Above is how the border looked on  December 31st and below is how it looks now.

Day Twenty-Eight:

Today was reserved for Papillon Creations' - Castles In the Air Mystery SAL.  I scanned it this morning before I started stitching.

I only managed to stitch a little bit of it today.

I stitching it using silk floss from Hand Dyed Fibers.


You can go here to see completed pictures of it.  This can be stitched with cross stitch only or with specialty stitches (as you may of noticed I am doing the specialty stitches) and with either a fantasy or flower theme (I haven't decided which I will be doing yet.)

I had another finish this week - Hearts of Canada - Prince Edward Island.

Design: Hearts of Canada - Prince Edward Island 

Designer: Thea Dueck (The Victoria Sampler)

Fabric: 25ct Antique White Lugana

Thread: DMC, Kreinik #4 Braid 

And I also managed to finish Santa, Please Bring Me......into an ornament.

I really love how this one turned out.  I will be keeping this one for my own tree.

Well, that is it for this week.  Tomorrow I am pulling out another WIP (VS - Christmas Treasures Collection) - a wedding gift for my niece and I  also hope to finish the piece I am stitching for an exchange - I just need to add the beading.

Take care and happy stitching!!!!

Crazy January Challenge 2012 - Day Twenty, Twenty-one and Twenty-two and other things

Day Twenty:

On Friday I worked on Monopoly. This was a chart that I started last year for the Crazy January Challenge.

This is how far I got last year.

This is what I managed to do on Friday.

Day Twenty-one:

Yesterday's start was the last of the Hearts of Canada I have left to do - Ontario.

Day Twenty-Two:

Today I pulled out another WIP from last year's CJC. This one is Becky Boo's "Let it Snow". I managed to finished the stitching on the first of 4 snowmen.

But first this is how far I got last year.

And this is today's progress.

From now until the 31st I will be working on WIPs.  Tomorrow it  will be the Nutcracker Christmas stocking by X's and Oh's.

The following are the 2 dishcloths I stitched this month through the Monthly Dishcloths (Knit-A-Long)
Yahoo Group.

 Side by Side Cloth copyright Janet Nogle

Moss and Leaf Dishcloth copyright Andy Worthy 2006

It was the IHS Weekend  and besides the stitching I did for the CJC 2012 I also managed to finish up 3 of my previous starts.  It was a good weekend for IHSW.  Since I have a cold, I wasn't going anywhere.  Sleeping, stitching and reading was all I wanted to do.

Designs:  Hearts of Canada - Yukon Territory, Saskatchewan and Nunavut Territory

Designer:  The Victoria Sampler

Fabric: 25ct Lugana Antique White

Threads: DMC and Krenik #4 Braid

I also worked on a piece I am stitching for an exchange - no pics yet.

Well, that is all for now.  I hope you all had a good weekend.  Take care and happy stitching!!!!

Crazy January Challenge 2012 - Day Seventeen

Today I went back to another in the Hearts of Canada series - Yukon Territory. Since I was home today with a bad cold I(the cold my DH had last week finally caught up with me) I managed to get quite a bit stitched.

Tommorrow I will be pulling out an WIP from last year's CJC - Linda Myers Husband or Wife Sampler

Crazy January Challenge 2012 - Day Fourteen, Fifteen and Sixteen (including 1 finish)

I was quite busy this weekend so I didn't get a chance to make a post.   I did manage to find time to stitch and even finished  one of my starts. I am also continuing on with the challenge until the end of the month. However, from now until the 31st I will be working on a few WIPs along with some new starts.

On Saturday I started on VS Hearts of Canada Newfoundland and Labrador.

and early Sunday morning I finished it.

Hearts of Canada - Newfoundland and Labrador © 2003 Thea Dueck (The Victoria Sampler)

Fabric: 25 ct Lugana Antique White

Thread: DMC, Kreinik #4 Braid

I also started on the Northwest Territories.

Today, I was going to start another Hearts of Canada chart but decided I wanted a break and started on Sew Gigi by iStitch Designs.

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

Crazy January Challenge 2012 - Day Thirteen

Another day, another start. Today it was Alberta.

I can't believe we are already at Day Thirteen. Tomorrow I will be back with Newfoundland and Labrador.

It has been long day and I am ready to go to bed. I have a busy weekend ahead. On Sunday my SIL and her family coming over brunch so tomorrow I will be doing as much preparation as I can. After they leave, I intend to start putting a way my Christmas Trees and the Nutcrackers (Yes, I still have them up. I enjoy the lights when I come home from work and I wanted to keep everything up until after my in-laws were over. Normally, I would have started taking them down last weekend after the 12 Days of Christmas.)

Good night all. I will be back tomorrow !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Crazy January Challenge 2012 - Day Twelve and another finish

Today I started the VS Hearts of Canada kit - Saskatchewan.

Tomorrow it will be Alberta.

I also managed to finish another one of my starts - Santa, Please Bring Me.

Design: 2008 Santa Ornament - "Santa, Please Bring Me"

Designer: Sandra Sullivan - Homespun Elegance

Fabric: 32ct overdyed linen 

Threads: DMC, WDW, CC

Scissor charm included with chart

I hoping that sometime over the weekend I will have time to "ornamentify" this piece.

Well, that is it for now.  Take care and happy stitching!!!!