Update!

Welcome to my first post of this year... and it's an update of where I am and why and all that stuff.

My primary focus is working down my stash to a level that fits into my home.  I have lost an attic, garage, shed and a few extra rooms with closets.  Bummer!

I have been assisted by a minor flood in the room I was using for storage - the 2nd bedroom, maybe 12x11 or so less a closet almost the width of the room with floor to ceiling doors - off their tracks.  That problem was repaired as the maintenance personnel had to get into that closet because it appeared to be the source of the water.  It wasn't but both doors now slide - sort of.  I will need some silicone spray or something to help them slide.I

I had to empty the room and a month later, after the carpet was cleaned, started moving stuff back less excess junk and sorted so all handspun is together, sock yarns, yarns to be gifted or used for those who don't sort laundry, and so on.  A huge amount of books are to be run to McKays (an institution in TN and with those who have lived here).  Projects that can be called WIPs were gathered to be worked on and completed.  Items which cannot be matched up with their patterns were frogged and the yarn moved to its home - handspun, etc.  Not yet started items were also gathered.  Their final fate has yet to be determined. 


I'm not yet done - but I'm down to the tedious stuff - paperwork.  'Nuff said.

So progress of items since last year.

First, I found and completed a washcloth.  It's five petals, worked separately then joined and the center decreases down and is tied off.

The other 2 petals are there, it's just this is huge - almost 10" across.  It's knit in a 10-ply cotton yarn.

If anyone is interested in the pattern, leave a comment and I'll dig up the link.  It's a free pattern out of Canada.

Next knitted WIP was a pair of socks called Shazbat.  I finished them and have worn them - they fit beautifully and I love them.

For some reason the colors are wonky in the photo.  My walls are a pale gold and the socks are a dark green.  The good part?  The pattern shows well.  I'm not a contortionist so I can't show the pattern that goes up the back of the socks - this older body just doesn't allow me to do things like that any more.

Now for the stitching.  First up the Stitch-along (SAL) which started January 1.  This is a HAED BB SAL and people could choose one of four designs.  I chose Undercover and did start it on January 1.  It is a section of a larger retired design and has a lot of color changes in a small area (stitchers call this confetti)  So here is my progress after two weeks of work.

For those who can't see the whole thing (most of which isn't stitched yet), it is a fawn laying down in the forest.  What isn't part of the SAL is the trillium around the fawn.  This will be for my younger granddaughter when it is done.  I have also found three free Skylander characters in cross stitch for her three brothers.




Next I have progress on Pink Spotted Orchid, another retired HAED design. I don't think I've posted a 'before' photo so I'll post the last one of 2014 followed by the one showing where I am now.

 The photo at left was taken 11 December.

And 6 February.  I realize for some this is as exciting as watching paint dry, but it allows me to see that I am making progress.
















The non-HAED I decided to work on this year is Blackstone Fantasy Garden by Ink Circles.  It is a Celtic Knot in cross stitch with the resulting spaces filled with blackwork.  Rather than using black threads, this garden is using some beautifully dyed floss.  Here are the before taken in 2013

and after:



Finally there is Fireside Fairytales, another HAED design.

The before is from mid-December 2014.  I'm not going to post an after one as the change really isn't visible right now.  I've completed page 1 and am working on page 2.  There are 6 pages across on this design and maybe 7 rows (can't remember right now).  The only goal I've set on each of the HAED designs is to complete the current page and one other, except for the fawn, which I want to complete this year.

Other projects?  Well I have been weaving more.  I hope to have at least one of the towels completed in February.  I've also done some spinning and taught a person to spin on a spindle just last week.  I've told her to let me know when/if she wants to learn more or other types of spinning.

Next knitting WIP will be a pair of socks I've been working on forever.  They are 2-color knitting and a design from Janel Laidman called Granada.

I'll be at work again on these (the above is only the first sock) probably starting this weekend.

So that's it for this month.  We're having snow and ice in small amounts but have more forecast for Friday afternoon.  So I'm staying in and staying warm.  You do the same.

Plans for stitches for 2015

I have been watching all sorts of cross stitch videos on YouTube.  Most are from people participating in Floss Tube (I'm not) and also planning on various stitch alongs (SAL) which start January 1, 2015.  So I'm going to try to set some goals for myself for 2015.

First of all, the reason for this is I am downsizing.  I've gone from about a 1765 sq ft home with an attic and 2-car garage AND a shed to less than 1100 sq ft, no attic, no garage, no shed.  40+ years of accumulated stuff that was never really cleaned out nor sorted was basically stuffed into one room until a month ago.

One month ago I had been in and out of that room, unpacking books and moving them to a bookcase or to a countertop.  I finished a box, tore it down and sat down to knit.  I was not feeling any joy with the knitting so frogged the thing and tried to decide what to knit.  I need more socks.  I went back to that room and my feet got wet with COLD water in the same place I'd been walking back and forth a few hours earlier.  Well today the room is basically empty of all the 'stuff' and the people are supposed to be here today to clean the carpet.  The plan is to sort out everything that goes back into that room into bins based on what it is (supplies vs project, important papers, etc) and those bins will be, hopefully, stored in the closet, which is about 8' wide with sliding doors.  Then I can assemble a table to use as a project table for sewing or cutting or finishing.

I expect to make a trip or two to the Goodwill donation trailer about 1/2 mile away from me as well as several trips to McKays.  McKays is a wonderful shop located in 4 cities in Tennessee (here along with Memphis, Knoxville and Nashville) which will buy or give credit for books, cd's, dvd's, VHS, electronic games and records.  There are some rules but they are pretty reasonable and common sense.  Those books rejected by McKays will go to the library so they can sell them or, in the case of a few, maybe use them in their collection so others may enjoy them.

Some knitting things may be frogged and returned to stash.  My current knitting projects include a pair of socks called Shazbat that are being knit 2 at a time, magic loop, in Cascade Heritage in a very dark green.  My mother gave me a kit she had purchased and asked me to knit it up for her.  That needs to be finished off and blocked then returned to her.  That is a priority this coming year.  I have my Magic Carpet Ride which is not being frogged due to all the beads.  I want to finish the socks by the end of January and do more work on MCR.  I have a pullover about half done and a cardigan which only needs the front band/collar to be completed.  For the pullover, it is probably going to be finished sometime in 2015.  The cardigan needs some work as I don't like the way the band is created then attached.  I believe I want to make it more as you would a border on a shawl, knitting and attaching as you go.  I'll need to write or chart out the band and plan the attaching stitching.  That also is to be finished in 2015.  There are 2 other sweaters which will be frogged and started again in the future.

Spinning will be strictly from stash - no new purchases of fiber.  I have 11 5-gallon buckets currently crammed with fiber plus other fiber such as a few pounds of cotton, a batt from Loop, some silk and some alpaca.  Plus I found one of those giant zip-locks with some fleece that may be older than my grands. 

There is a lone star quilt that needs to be finished.  I've been hand quilting it and I want to get one more point of the star finished and the adjoining fill-in done.  I have a quilt top I gave to my daughter.  That needs backing and then tied as a comforter, bound and returned to her.  I'll need to decide on backing and binding.  I believe I have batting available to use for it.  I should have yarn I can use to tie it as well.

Weaving - there is warp for 2 dish towels currently on the loom.  I ran into an issue with the pattern which is now corrected.  The weaving that was on the loom was unpicked and started again.  I hope to finish this before the end of January.  One grand wants a scarf and I think I'll warp the loom and make a faux-Burberry scarf for that person.  That should take maybe a month to do at most.

That leaves cross stitch projects - which are very numerous.  None will be frogged or trashed.  What I will do is pick some out to focus on.  When they are done, other oldies will be chosen to complete.  There will be one new start on January 1.

Heaven and Earth is having a free SAL for the bulletin board participants.  Sign-ups closed at the first of December.  I chose Undercover.  If you click on the Heaven and Earth link, it will take you to that design's material pack.  The design is no longer available.  The SAL will only be a portion of that design, basically a portrait look for the fawn.  I purchased a material pack with fabric and it is here and ready to go.  I'll work on it for one week a month.  I need to get at least 1/2 page finished to get another one of the SAL choices free.  There is one of some golden retreiver pups that I would like.  The other weeks of the month will be used to work on my Fireside Fairytales, the Pink Spotted Orchid and one of my oldies.  First up will be Heirloom Christmas Sampler as it is the closest to finished.  There is some stitching, all the beadwork and all the other embellishments to add.  Then it will be framed to appear at Christmas time.  After that will come the Desiderata.  I want to finish 5 more bands on it.  If it is completed, I'll pull out another UFO and work on it until it is done.

I had a computer hiccup and so there are no photos today.  Hopefully I can fix the issue and insert the photos in a few days.

Meanwhile I wish you and yours all the joy, peace and love this Christmas season brings and may you have a wonderful New Year.

Enjoy!

Oops!

I just realized that I missed posting around the first.  Big oops! So now I can play catch up and show what I've been up to.

First of all, cross stitch.  I spent most of my time working on Fireside Fairytales from Heaven and Earth Designs.  I think this was about where I was when I last posted here.

 I am almost done with this first page of stitching, almost 10,000 stitches.   So the second photo is where I am today.  My goal this week is to finish this first page and continue on page 2. 

 It's pretty nice to see just how far I have come on this.  Oh, the sparkly stuff?  That is Sulky Sliver in Silver, that I'm using to show vertical columns of 10 stitches.  There is also a line across the top.  In addition there is a line of stitches on top of over 2 under 2 and on the side marking off 10 stitch sections.  I love the way the colors show more now - except what looks blue is actually purples.

The non-HAED stitching I worked on is a piece by Mystic Stitch called Blue Faery Moon.  I'm stitching this with 2 strands of floss over 2 threads, again using 28 count evenweave.  I had started this long ago and shortly after starting, my world went topsy-turvy  and this was put away.  There are only 26 colors - mostly blues - and it's really fun to do.  So here are where I picked it up and where I was after a week of stitching:  Before:

 and After:

Hopefully future pictures will be much better in quality.  

My knitting progress photos would be similar to watching paint dry - just more of the same - so no updates this time around.  Spinning is the same.  

The other things that occurred are that I found more of my WIPS so there will be a bit more variety showing up and that I have started a class sponsored by Etsy.  Etsy, for those sheltered souls, is a website dedicated to craftspeople.  A craftsperson can set up a shop and sell their wares internationally if they desire or just in their own country.  The class will give the basics on setting up the shop, marketing your products, and other relevant topics.  There will be one class to photograph our products so we can post them for sale.  Chattanooga is one of 10 US locales for this class (guinea pigs anyone?) and the others in the class do a variety of things - from making books to painting watercolors.  

More later when things get going.  

I will be back somewhere around November 1 with another update.  Until then: ENJOY!  Photo below - our local sentries.

Let's do an update...

I've finished my first rotation in the Heaven and Earth Designs Bulletin Board so I can update my progress.

First of all, Fireside Fairytales.  I've just picked up this one again as week 5 is for new starts and discontinued patterns.  I have neither so just picked up the biggest.

 I've posted the photo from August 8th and then from August 14th.  While it doesn't show there are two vertical columns in purple family colors and in the most recent one, the start of the arch bringing you into the room.

 The following week was confetti.  I broke out Seasons Winter but discovered too many errors and frogged  the whole thing and started again.  This chart is 75 stitches across and 231 rows tall.  I've completed 5 full rows and some partial rows.

The background material is actually white - I guess the phone or the night lighting caused it to look funky.

The funny looking area above the top row is hem stitching as the top and bottom will be fringed when this is done.  Hem stitching will hold the fabric and not allow it to ravel further.

The final week was HAEDless stitching - non-HAED designs and I broke out an old start of mine, Big Red by The Silver Lining.  I adore Marc's flowers and lighthouses.  I have five designs of his in process but Big Red will probably be my focus for a while.

So below are my start and end -  August 22nd and August 28th.

 This starting photo represents 1 page, though incomplete, of the pattern.  The ending photo is with the addition of a 2nd page (to the left of the first page) and the start of pages 3 & 4 which sit over.  These will complete most of the stems and begin the lowest of 3 poppies.  

I do the backstitching before the cross stitch so that I know where I am in the pattern.  The needle slips under that backstitch and it does look good after stitching.

 There is not a lot of other news.  I will be going to a knitting night at Genuine Purl, my local yarn shop (LYS) on Thursdays to get me to finish some socks I have in progress.  There is also a mystery sock knit along (MOCK) starting today on Ravelry.  The pattern is Shazam in memory of Robin Williams.  I will be joining that and have downloaded the first clue.  There are 4 clues, one per week.  I need to split a skein and wind so that I can do each clue for each sock.  At the end of the Mock, I'll have a completed pair of socks.

So crafty stuff continues and the 90+degree weather seems to have wandered elsewhere so that does mean fall is coming.  

I have two family members living in the northeastern portion of the country.  Both are reporting the first changes toward fall.  I'm not seeing anything here, but don't expect to for a few more weeks.

Off to stitch some more.  Enjoy what you enjoy doing and I'll be back with more updates in about a month.
 

A Very Quick Note

Just a very quick update to say after a hard drive crash, repair and now getting things back to normal.  I need to update and find my backup of some of my photos and then can post updates.

I'm now doing more cross stitching and spinning (cotton on a tahkli) with some earring design and creation taking place as well.  Hopefully will finish some projects along the way as well.

I'll be making this more about my progress in the crafts and as motivation for me to get out of this slump and make some progress in my healing.

My plan is to have something worth posting next week, by Saturday.

 

New Year, old goals, new and old again

Welcome back.  Last time I wrote in this I had just arrived in NJ. I've been and then moved to TN.  It was a good trip except for some construction sites in VA.  Closed on the condo and discovered today that it is 1080 sq ft instead of the 950 I thought it was.  That's good news.

I had to update a few things after I somewhat moved in (meaning everything is here but not 100% unpacked).  I replaced the dishwasher, added a disposal, installed a new water heater, and replaced the light (one bulb) with a light/fan combo (3 lights) in both my bedroom and the dining room.  

At some point I will need to fix the lighting in the kitchen and add small task lights under the upper cabinets.  I'll also need a new stove at some point - this one is not self cleaning and the heating elements on top all list to one side or another.  None are level nor do they appear to be able to sit level - the clips to hold burners in place are not positioned the same as the holes in the stove top and it also appears someone made them fit.  They work which is all I need at this point.  I will also need to replace the apartment-sized washer/dryer unit with a new one. This one is old, the ventilation does not work well and the dryer doesn't do a very good job.  Eventually the clothes do dry, so it stays until it doesn't work.

Next project - work on closets - getting the materials to let me use shelving where I need to and to hang clothes without catching on a lower shelf.  Then I need to get closet items into the closets and also set up system for completing some of the WIPs (works in progress) in quilting, counted cross stitch, knitting, one embroidery project, and to set up the craft area so I have a place to put my sewing machine, drum carder and other stuff such as an inkle loom and a rigid heddle loom.  

I've found a primary care doctor, an opthamologist, and a counselor/therapist.  I'm extremely happy with all of them.  The primary care physician (pcp) adjusted my medications and I'm feeling a lot better but still having some setbacks.  Nowhere near as horrible as a year ago, but enough to rattle my cage and cause some problems.  The counselor is a neat person and we get along well.  I've outlined what I expect to achieve with my sessions and she feels they are doable and we are starting to work on those.  The eye doctor has put me back on eye drops for the glaucoma as I meet 8 of the 10 criteria he looks at for glaucoma.  The next appointment I had with him had my pressures down to 13 and 14.  That is terrific as that is the goal other doctors had set as a target pressure.  So I'm all set in that area for a while.

Now for something a bit different.  I was loaned a book by a friend who thought I would like it.  I read it earlier this month and fell in love with it enough that I bought my own copy.  It is Down This Road by Holly Young.  This is her first book.  I can't give specific reasons easily but the main character is one I can identify with along with some of the challenges she meets.  It is through reading her journal that we are told her story and meet and love or hate the people around her.   

Holly states this is based on a true story.  I wish I could have known the actual people used as the spark for the story.  If they were anything like the characters, they would be some wonderful people to know.  Not many books can have that said about their characters.  I believe most people will enjoy the story.

On to other things.  I'm test knitting a pair of socks for a designer from Great Britain.  I'm having fun with it.  The yarn is Opal, Sweet & Spicy in color 636, Peach.  The sock on your left is from the beginning of the skein and the other from the other end.

I'm happy with  this as my most recent start was yesterday.  I've also learned a new trick. The increases for the toe are done with a make 1, front and back.  at the beginning of the row, this is done on the first stitch but at the end, you stop 2 stitches before the end, do the kf&b and k1.  The neat thing is that the kb part of the stitch puts a small horizontal bar at the base of the stitch.  Doing the kf&b in the first stitch of the row puts that bar on one stitch in from the end.  Doing the kf&b 2 in from the end has the bar also one stitch in from the end.  Something so small does make a bit of a difference.  I'm making a 64 stitch sock and will do Eye of Partridge (EoP) for the heel turn and heel 'flap'.  

This is my progress on a Kustom Kraft SAL called Early Fall.  SAL is Stitch A Long. This reminds me of Lake Nickajack, just a bit west of here on I-24.  The river/lake shows along with mountains in the background.  I'm doing a method called Parking.  I'm working in columns now since I learned another 'new' trick.  There are 2 fairly recent videos on YouTube showing how one woman works her parking.  Then I also am using another person's method of doing the first leg of the cross, in this case \ and then bringing up the needle in the lower left where I can park the thread.  That way I can know for sure where I am with the parked thread.  The videos also show the stitcher using one marker to block out portions she has completed but using a 2nd color to mark where these parked stitches are.  I'll try to get more detailed photos for the next posting.  

Last, I'm finishing my first Bullseye Bump from Loop.  Stephanie does a magical process of turning wool and other fibers with bling or sparkle and makes them into a roll where things pull from the center and you end up spinning progressive colorings.  This first one was called First Blush and what you are seeing are the outside layers.  This started as a medium peach color then moving out to white and then gray.  Sounds boring and maybe it is - but I'm having fun spinning it.

The little pieces that look like errors in the picture do not mean I had a dirty lens but are the bits of sparkly stuff.  You can see parts of the color changes and I have a soft ball of between softball and volley ball size to finish. I think I will Navajo ply this.  That way the colors stay together and I won't have all sorts of bits to add to the yarn.  I do have 2 weaver bobbins that have parts of the two previous spinnings.  They will be worked in as I ply the yarn so I preserve any color progression.  The next one I have is more intense color in it so will be a bit more dramatic when it is done.  But that one is on the back burner. Next up in the spinning will be to finish almost 3 lbs of corriedale roving.  One lb from Halcyon Yarn is super soft.  2 lbs are from Spunky Eclectic in Maine and will be used in a sweater of some sort.  After those are done, washed and dried, then I will start 17 oz of cotton.  You may think that's not much but it's about a 2 gallon bag overfilled.  I'll also do the handpicked cotton from Cotton Man, which is 2 lbs.  It's not quite as much as there are seeds that are heavy with oil.  The lint (unspun cotton) is just fairly short and very fine.  

When the socks are done, I'll grab one of my WIP knitting and finish it, then another and so on.  The SAL will take the longest and I will hope to finish by 1/1/15.  The other part of the SAL is that we get one page of the pattern each month.  I believe we have 5 pages of 12 so far.  I'm still stitching page 1.

So this is most of what's going on.  There's more but that will be coming in the next entry. Take care and Enjoy!