Sunday Slow Stitching, What's up for October

This is the last Slow Stitch Sunday for September, is it me or did this month go by in the blink of an eye? It sure seems that way to me. 

I finished the hand embroidery on the Green-woman #2 piece, held my breath while I rinsed out the stitch and wash product hoping the over dyed floss wouldn't run, pressed it lightly so I could snap a nice photo.  

I am going to finish her either in a frame or hoop not sure yet which so I will shop around for a frame to my liking. I used mostly Weeks Dye Works and a few Gentle Arts floss in colors named after herbs and other vegetation, DMC floss for the flowers and the pine cones and the eyes are done in Weeks Amber. She is stitched on 100% cotton muslin.  I'll link my post to Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching here:https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2018/09/slow-sunday-stitching_30.html

I do love checking out the other bloggers that link to the site each Sunday there are so many creative people crafting some lovely quilts, embroidery, a bit of crochet and knitting too.  

I will also be linking up at Supermom No Cape here https://www.supermomnocape.com/gratitude-embroidery-pattern/

This week has been eventful my car went back to my mechanic who once again address the oil leak problem, he didn't do the initial work but was able to de-grease the leaky mess that was left and he tightened the gasket that was supposed to be done at the other shop I had the car at.  I also needed a new tire that's the fourth tire I replaced so I sent a copy of my receipts to the place I bought the original 4 tires requesting a refund for defective tires they sold me.   Then Friday afternoon as I was leaving the car wash I noticed the rear window was down a little bit, you guessed it another regulator will need to be replaced so I will drop the car off this week for that to be done. it seems the heat of the Florida sun melts the glue that holds the window on the track my son has had to have all of his windows redone.    

There are 16 new floss colors available from DMC as individual skeins that were once offered as a set in 2013.  They came in the mail last week.

The colors are numbered 3880 through 3895, I think I might have the set so now I'll have two of each which is fine with me.  Sometime in October DMC will be releasing a new floss with a sparkle I'm hoping it will handle better then the light effects.  

I just love these New Age Muslin fat quarters 26 colors in the stack, I love using muslin when I do

hand embroidery, with 26 colors to choose from it could take me forever to plan a project, I'm sure not all of it will be used for embroidery I see potential autumn projects just begging to be made, something with a pumpkin or two.  These came through Craftsy's sale last week arriving in 2 days.

October is just a few hours away and I have a few projects I plan to get started on this week. I need to get the afghan I'm crocheting for my sister done this week so I can start on this long vest pattern I purchased from  Etsy   https://www.etsy.com/transaction/1492612640

I have a few embroidery designs ready to trace onto fabric today so I can start stitching them, there are a few patterns in the new Kathy Schmitz book I think will look nice done on some of the new muslin fabrics above. 

In between stitching and crochet I have been reading to give my hands a rest they have been very achy this week. I finished reading Grandma Greenwood Takes a Walk  by Ben Montgomery which I enjoyed thoroughly.

I just started On the Beaten Path by by Robert Alden Rubin and so far it has my attention which is a good thing.

I have through hiked the Appalachian Trail alone several times in my life the first time at age 20 and reading other accounts of walking the trail brings back those memories as if it were only yesterday, I have been tossing about the idea of doing it one final time maybe when I'm 65. 

I finished reading The Bookshop of Yesterdays and while I liked the story I did not like the main character, has that ever happened to you?

 I'm nearly through reading The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes McCoy I'm

enjoying it very much which I had my doubts because a friend recommended it and usually the books she suggest just don't hold my attention after the third chapter in the 30 years we have known one another we have rarely ever read the same books.

I have decided starting in October to change my walking routine up a bit and go for a few longer walks perhaps a few day hikes, my usual walks in the park are nice but I need a change of scenery so I plan to find a few new places.

I'll leave you with a lovely bit of sunshine to brighten your day.

Sunday Slow Stitching and September's TUSAL Report

Well here I go again with a big bout of bronchitis and coughing so hard it feels like I'm choking to death. If it's not one things its another.  It hit me Thursday evening out of nowhere I just started to cough and feel tired no warning like a sore throat which my son had at first. My son keeps passing me these bugs and I am just about ready to lock him out, he's 37 he should know better.

On the Slow Stitching front I made a little progress on my Greenwoman and will be moving the hoop hopefully later today. I will be linking up at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday stitching today here is the link  https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2018/09/slow-sunday-stitching.html

Greenwoman

Here are my orts for this months TUSAL report and right on time with the New Moon, there isn't much in the pile this month. https://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/2018/09/totally-useless-box.html

September Orts

As you can guess most of the threads are from the greenwoman and a few snippets of yarn from my crocheting.   The Shell stitch crochet blanket throw is coming along nicely I decided to keep using just the Wishing Well colorway.

Shell Stitch throw

So I picked up 3 more cakes for a total of 6 which should make a nice size throw for the cooler weather we do get some cool evenings here the yarn is fairly lightweight which makes it perfect for a Florida throw.

Speaking of the weather I have noticed the mornings this week are quite foggy with the nights getting cooler fog is usually in the forecast until about 10 a.m.  Well that's all for this post now its time to see what other bloggers are stitching today.

September a Slow Stitching Sunday, Some Crochet and a Few Things to Read

September is National Sewing Month how are you celebrating?  I am working on the early planning for a new project for the next San Francisco School of Needlework and Design's Stitch at Home Challenge which has the Theme of Make Do & Mend for more information please click the link   https://www.sfneedleworkanddesign.org/rules-and-entry-form/

Sadly enough my entry for the last challenge didn't make it to San Francisco, it was returned to me the package damage and the frame broken, lucky for me the embroidered piece was undamaged so much for paying for priority shipping, I can tell you that package was not handled with care.  It's unfortunate that our postal service seems to get worse with every passing year.

My Greenwoman #2 piece is progressing slowly but than that's what slow stitching is all about isn't it.

I will be linking up to Kathy's Quilt blog today for Slow Sunday Stitching so click the link and have a look.
https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2018/09/slow-sunday-stitching-photo-challenge.html
Also Kathy has a new photo challenge of where we like to do our stitching when the weather is good.  For me my favorite place for slow stitching in good weather is always at the beach.

hoop and sun rise

my chair and essentials

My last trip began at sunrise with a nice long walk along the water's edge picking up shells and stones and just enjoying the sounds of the beach, gulls and sea birds calling, the ebb and flow of the water and the breeze blowing through my hair before sitting down to stitch a little beach motif.

Issue number 99 of Inspirations magazine finally arrived, it was due in July but somehow was lost in the mail, after contact via email the issue arrived a few weeks later.

There are some lovely projects in this issue I would like to give one or two a try, like the little bag on the cover.  My subscription runs out with the next issue (I won't be renewing) which should be arriving soon, it would be nice not to have to request a replacement copy out of the 3 issues I received so far only one was mailed to me on time, I find this quite frustrating and to be honest while the projects are lovely most are not something I would make myself and since it's an Australian publication the shops and events listings are pretty much useless to me.  But it is a lovely magazine if you love embroidery.  I'm going to use the free pumpkin pattern from Supermom No Cape and get a start on autumn stitching.  Click the link and have a look at what other bloggers are stitching.
https://www.supermomnocape.com/pumpkin-banner-embroidery-pattern/
The Shell stitch afghan I am crocheting is coming along there is 14 inches in length so far using just one cake of the Mandala yarn.

When I first saw this wishing well colorway I thought it looked beachy and decided to make this up in the shell stitch. I am planning to combine it with the colorway on the left.

There are some similar colors so I'll give it a try and if I don't like it I can unravel and just keep using the wishing well that I started with.
I started reading Samhain Secrets yesterday, I had pre-ordered it from Amazon and it came 2 weeks earlier than expected, its the 4th book in the series and I pre-ordered the next book due for release March 2019, I will link my post here https://www.gsheller.com/2018/09/yarn-along-september.html

for the September Yarn Along, click the link to see what other bloggers are reading and making with yarn.
Well before I sign off to get some stitching done I will leave you with a few more photo beach photos

hag stone and sunrise

sand dollar and sunrise

Have a Safe and Happy Labor Day Weekend

Slow Sunday Stitching, August TUSAL, a New Granny Square, and a Few new Reads

This week has flown by with a few projects underway and a few in the design or planning stage life is good.

I finally got my car back from the repair shop with a nice little surprise which had me slightly irritated but what can you do.  The mechanic nicely pointed out the drivers side door was hit by a piece of equipment which left a nice little dent in the door so I need to get an estimate for the shop owner will be paying for the repair.

The following morning on my way to the post office I notice the window control panel was sunken in the buttons still work which is great because the long buttons control my door locks and the round on adjust my mirror.

I don't think it happened at the shop because the bottom buttons looked a bit recessed a few weeks ago, I believe the Florida heat melted the glue that holds it in place. one of the reasons automated window come off the track is the glue disintergrates in the heat or at least its the most common explanation we are given.  So that will need repair next which will be some time this week or the next but not at the same garage.

On the up side of things we finally got a good soaking rain yesterday afternoon, and the hand embroidery for this Green Woman project has been started, it's not my design it's from a decal I purchased a while ago and enlarged.

So once again I am working with mostly green floss. Yesterday was the New Moon for August which means it's time once again to post a photo of my Orts for the August TUSAL which is the Titally Useless Stitch Along.

You can see all those green threads with a few snippets of pink and purple yarns from the Granny Square afghan I crocheted for Tessa my 5 year old great niece. It measures 60 inches square.

 I started another Granny Square for my sister which was slow going over the weekend because my hands we aching so I put it aside for a while.

This one is being done in the Mandala yarn Spirit colorway, I may have mentioned this yarn has quickly become a slight obsession I just love the colorways and the way the flow when worked.

In my last post I mentioned having to abandon my shopping cart the other day after being overcome by an odor that left me quite breathless.  Well I went back on Friday morning to see if those cakes of yarn were still in stock and to my surprise they were.

The six on the left is the Magic Moon colorway with lots of luscious purples in the mix, the 6 on the right are actually 2 different colorways 3 Echo Caves and 3 Wishing Well, I am going to combine them for an afghan. The Wishing Well looks very beachy,  the Echo Caves has 3 of the same or nearly the same colors which should work up very nicely.  I want to try my hand at knitting with one of these yarns.

I am linking up my post to these wonderful blogs today:
https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2018/08/slow-sunday-stitching_12.html

https://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/2018/08/august-orts.html

On my reading table I have a two new to me publications I am reading, the first feeds the earthy side of me and the second one feeds my love of plants and natural dying.

http://www.ravenous-craft.com/zine

https://rebeccadesnos.com/plants-are-magic-magazine/

 These are just what I need to lose myself in when my fingers and hands are too sore to pick up a needle or a hook. I included a link below each photo if you want to check out the sites.

And finally a recent jewelry making project is my stone cairn pendant with a small piece of green beach glass dangle from the bottom.

The ORT report for July's New Moon

Today is the new moon which is also time for the TUSAL ort report, now if you aren't familiar with what a TUSAL is jump on over to the link here to read what it's all about and perhaps join in the fun https://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/2018/01/a-totally-useless-stitch-long.html

In a nut shell TUSAL stands for Totally Useless Stitch a Long but to me it's so much more than that, it is sharing with other bloggers what we are stitching and showing off our orts.  If you aren't familiar with the term orts its those little snippets of thread, floss, ribbon yarn etc. from the project you are currently working on.  Here are mine for July so far.

July New Moon Orts

There are a variety of snippets this month so far, I have been working on hand embroidery, some crocheting and even stitched up few Barbie doll dresses for my great niece Tessa.

All the green orts are from the Green Woman piece I recently finished stitching, the purple and pink shades of yarn are from the granny square afghan I am crocheting.

The blue metallic ribbon is from the piece I am making for the Stitch at home Challenge hosted by the San Francisco School of Needlework and Design.

Kreinik Threads provided a Bag o' Bits to each participant for this challenge and each of us has to use some of the threads in our design. As soon as I saw the blue metallic ribbon knew exactly what I wanted.

I didn't have too much trouble threading it through my needle and it stitched easily through the fabric and the stabilizer with no fraying and I plan to work with it again in the future.

Earlier in the week I came down with a summer bug, fever, sore throat, cough and now a tight congested chest which feels like bronchitis again so my stitching is slow going for the most part I am getting as must rest and sleep as I can so I can shake this bug fast. 

We had a brief but very drenching rain this afternoon so I don't need to water the plants

Well that's it for now I need a cup of tea and a place to rest my head for a bit.

Slow Stitching, TUSAL and More

Well the month of June is just moving right along our summer thunderstorms have moved in so everything gets a good soaking most days.

I have been taking longer morning walks and much earlier pretty much a long with sunrise. I have made an effort to get to the library weekly again so I always have something on hand to read, which is silly since I have hundreds of books on my shelves I could read.  So a task for the upcoming weeks is to purge those books on my shelf I know I won't read.  Does that happen to you? you find a book that sounds like a good read buy it, take it home then put it in the to read pile and never get around to reading it.  I happens to me quite often then when I get around to it I find I am no longer interested so I put it on the shelf and then it goes in the donation box when I realize I'm never going to read it.
Here is what I am reading this week:

I finished Queen Anne's Lace which I really enjoyed last week during a rainy day while my fingers were resting from too much stitching.

And speaking of my stitching, I finished a little piece from the DMC Stitch a long group, it was one of the first pieces possibly as far back as January available free I think it was in the Girl Power set of patterns, I printed the pattern, traced it and put it aside for one of those between projects I like to have on hand. I finished it about a week ago experimented a bit leaving loose strands of floss for the ends of the hair.

My latest project piece I am working on is a new piece coming along nicely, so far I've used Weeks Dye Works floss and oh how it loves to knot while stitching so I am keeping the length of threads as short as I can and still put in a decent amount of stitches.

There is knot work, spirals,leaves and an acorn or two most are being stitched in shades of green, though a brown or two will be tossed in. 

These are the colors I will be using, I love the over dyed colors with names of herbs and other fine greenery.

all those greens

While I missed posting my June, TUSAL report on the new moon last week here it is better late than never.  I will link this post at Its Daffy Cat if you are curious jump on over and check out what the TUSAL is all about. https://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/2018/06/totally-useless-sneak-up.html

Most of the green orts are from my current project The Green Woman which is progressing quite nicely despite the annoying knotting of the Weeks Dye Works floss.

green woman in progress

I did the eyes in a variegated amber DMC floss 111 and not one single tangle or knot.

close up acorn and eye

 Here is a close up of one of the acorns, her eye and some leaves. Despite the tangles and knotting I do love the colors of the Weeks Dye Works floss.  I will be linking my post today over at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching feel free to take the link and check out what Kathy and other talented bloggers are slow stitching:
https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2018/06/slow-sunday-stitching_17.html