Holidays are almost over :(

One more day and then it is back to work!  :(  Holidays are over!!! We came home a day early (yesterday) because I came down with a cold (What a way to end a perfectly glorious holiday - Just my luck!!!!) I really enjoyed this the past two weeks doing the things I love - spending time with my DH, cross-stitching and reading.

I managed to finish a four projects in the past few days:

 Pattern:  Red Alphabet

Designer: Sheepish Designs  

Fabric: 28ct linen (1 over 1)

Thread: Unknown (misplaced tag)

 Pattern:  Hearts of Canada - New Brunswick

Designer: The Victoria Sampler

Fabric: 28ct evenweave

Thread: DMC, Kreinik

 Pattern:  Reading with Jane(freebie)

Designer: The Sampler Girl 

Fabric: 40 ct linen (1 over 2)

Thread:  Soie d'alger

Pattern: Starlight Ghost
Designer: Mill Hill

Fabric: 28ct evenweave

Thread: DMC, Kreinik

I also worked on a couple of Christmas Ornaments and added a few more stitches on It's Berry Time.

Don't Peek by Little by Little Designs (JCS 2004 Special Christmas Issue)

Deck The Halls by Little House Needleworks
 

 

Even had time to had a little time to knit some more dishcloths.  I didn't press them yet so they are a little off kilter.

 Ramen Noodle Knitted Dishcloth - Little House in the Suburbs 

Pattern came be found under "Crafts - Knitting Patterns"

 Rippling Diag by Janet Nogle

Daimonds with Moss Cloth by Janet Nogle

I listened to 3 audiobooks while stitching and knitting:

Simple Genius - David Baldacci
Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
Persuasion - Jane Austen

and read

The White Queen - Philippa Gregory

Well that was my holiday.   And outside of the cold (and now a bit of poison ivy - from the dog) it was everything I wanted it to be.

Take care and happy stitching!!!!!

Holiday Update

We came into the city for the day to cut the grass, do some laundry, go to the library and do some grocery shopping.  I just had enough time to upload the following pictures for this post and now we are on our way back out to the trailer.

I finished my stitched piece for the Tea Party in a Garden Exchange and it is now on its way to my partner.

I also finished the 1st part of the L*K Mystery SAL and the bonus pattern.  Here are the results.

This is stitched on 30ct WDW lilac linen with WDW Kohl.

I still need to add the embellishments.  I managed to forget those at home but I have them now.  I like how this is looking so far.

The following is the progress on some of my other projects.

First, I started another LHN ornament - Deck the Halls.

It I finished the stitching and now am working on the beading on this Mill Hill Halloween ornament.

A few more stitches added to

Red Alphabet

It's Berry Time

Reading with Jane (The Sampler Girl)

,

and Hearts of Canada - New Brunswick.

No knitting this time around (maybe this week) but did do a bit of reading.

Emma - Jane Austen (audiobook) - I have been inspired by The Sampler Girl Jane Austen designs to read and reread her books.
The Lady of the Rivers - Philippa Gregory
Catering to Nobody - Diane Mott Davidson
Cream Puff Murder - Joanne Fluke (ebook)

That's for now.  Take care and happy stitching!!
 

Any Corrie Fans???

My mother and I began watching Coronation Street in the mid-seventies - when Annie Walker still ran the Rover's Return and just before Deirdre Hunt married Ray Langton and  gave birth to the lovely Tracy. I have been a ardent fan ever since and rarely miss an episode.  Nowadays I have a weekly ritual of grabbing some stitching and curling up in front of the television to watch the Sunday morning omnibus.

We were out at the trailer again (another hot one) this weekend.   The hummingbirds were hungry during the week and the feeders were almost empty so I made another batch of syrup Saturday morning.  I wanted to take some pictures of the hummers but I accidently locked the SD card in my camera and didn't know how to unlock it until today. (I never realized that there was a switch on the side to lock and unlock the card - not quite a tech savvy as I thought I was.)  No baking this weekend but we did continue to enjoy the PB oatmeal cookies I made last weekend.

I finished my July ornament for Christmas All Year Round.   I just need to finish it into an ornament.

Pattern: The Second Day

Designer:  Plum Street Samplers (2012 JCS Christmas Preview Issue)

Fabric: 36ct Flax Edinborough Linen

Thread: DMC

I also finished the Cappuccino Milk Chocolate Truffle.  I am not sure how I will finish this one off.

Pattern: Cappuccino Milk Chocolate Truffle

Designer: Gingerbread Girl (Kathryn Drummond)

Fabric: 28ct Milk Chocolate Linen

Thread: DMC

Embellishments:  Mill Hill

I even found time to pick up my knitting needles and stitched up this cute little Mini Wash Mitt.

The rest of my stitching time I spent adding a few more stitches to the following  projects and starting a piece for the Tea Party in the Garden exchange.

I finished another audiobook this weekend - The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie.  I like to listen to audiobooks while stitching or going for a walk.   I thought I had read all the Agatha Christie mysteries back when I was teenager but lately I have come to the conclusion that I only read the Miss Marple books and so now I going to  read the Poirot ones.

I hope you all have a good week and happy stitching!!!!!

It was a hot one!!!!!

It was a hot and humid  Canada Day weekend here!  Thank goodness our trailer has AC.

For some reason or another my DH and I woke up at 5:00AM on Saturday morning.  We went for a 2.66km walk with the dog (or more accurately I walked and he ran - the mosquitoes were bothering him more than me although we both sprayed ourselves up) and afterwards he went back to sleep but I stayed up and before it got too hot I made the syrup for our hummingbird feeders (we have two that we hang behind our trailer so that we can watch the hummingbirds from our sofa.),

 

baked several batches of Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies and made a couple of liters of delicious Sweet Ice Tea:

and then I settled down to some stitching while listening to the audiobook First Family by David Baldacci.

I finished another piece from the Hearts of Canada Series:

 

 Pattern: Hearts of Canada - Nova Scotia

Designer:  Thea Dueck - The Victoria Sampler

Fabric: 25 ct Lugana Antique White

Threads:  DMC, Kreinik Braid #4

 and added several more stitches to the following pieces:

  It's Berry Time by Blackbird Designs (Loose Feathers Pattern 37)

Red Alphabet by Sheepish Designs:

The Second Day by  Plum Street Sampler (2012 JCS Christmas Preview issue).  I am stitching this as part of the Christmas All Year Round ornament SAL.  This month's theme is Birds.

Cappuccino Milk Chocolate Truffle by Gingerbread Girl (Kathryn Drummond).   I had hoped to start on the beading this weekend but alas it didn't happen.

and finally Husband or Wife's Sampler by Linda Myers.

As you can see, I rarely work on one piece at a time. I need variety. Only when I am close to finishing a piece will I work on it exclusively.

Sunday morning I donned my Canada Day T-shirt and hat and put the finishing touches on my Canada Day cake. (Okay, the Maple Leaf needs some work but the cake was good!!)

Despite the heat it was a wonderful weekend and my DH and I wished we could of stayed out longer but alas our holidays are still 2 and half weeks away. I finished 2 other books besides First Family - Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood and Gently Does It by Alan Hunter. All three were excellent reads.

During the evenings we watched the following DVDs - Midsomer Murders - Days of Misrule, Vera - 1st Season and He Knew He was Right.  I love our local library.  I was able to rent all this for $3.30 for 1 week. We only get 1 channel out at the trailer and so we rent DVDs to watch in the evening.

I hope you all have great week (Happy July 4th to all my US friends) and happy stitching!!!!!

 

Crazy Janaury Challenge 2012 - Day Four

I am ready to go to bed so this will be quick post. Today I started Red Alphabet from Sheepish Designs. I stitching it one over one.

Take care and happy stitching!!!!!!!!!