Some Slow Stitching

Well time is moving at a slower pace this week since I closed the shops the day before Christmas Eve. Still there were many packages to pack and ship for the items that were waiting and a few that were pending, not to mention labeling 24 boxes of inventory to send off to Amazon so the store would be fully stocked.  It was crazy right up to the last moments but as the dust settled I was able to slow down and stitch.

I pulled out the Celtic Cross piece which has been patiently waiting for me to get back to it, rather I have been waiting to get back to it, I did.

While it may not look like much progress was made the hours passed pleasantly enough while I found my groove and felt the tension leave my body.   I left off here last night:

I didn't just manage to get in hand embroidery this week, I finally finished the mystery novel I began in November and after unraveling the start of a shawl I was crocheting I restarted it adding a stitch marker to the bottom so I wouldn't make the same error I did when I put it aside for a time. So now if I get to the stitch marker I know I went wrong again and won't have to tear as much out.

The original start of the shawl

the restarted shawl

So progress was made on the crocheting which I tend to pick up when my fingers start to ache from holding the embroidery needle or when my eyes just can't see the fine lines to embroider.

Yesterday morning I bake some strawberry scones, another mix from the Sticky Fingers Bakery, I love the ease of just adding water and baking.

The weather yesterday was gloomy and humid so the dough was sticky but still dropped okay

and the end result was just wonderful.

Today is another rainy day here in Florida and while my plants are getting a nice watering I am a bit tired of the rain.  We have had rain just about every day for two weeks and this is our dry season.

Despite the rain the hibiscus gives me blooms of sunshine even on a cloudy day and these quite surprised me because most of the time the rain knocks the flowers off.   

The New Year is fast approaching so I spent some time searching for a few online groups and challenges to start in 2020, the first is a FACEBOOK group Journal Threaders which can be found here  https://www.facebook.com/groups/journalthreaders/?ref=nf_target&fref=nf   if interested check it out closing sign up is January 14th.  The concept of stitching as a way to journal is interesting to me, not sure how I am going to layout my piece but the idea seed is planted.

I have rejoined the A Year of Stitches for 2020,  the link is

here if you are interested in joining.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/ayearinstitches/?notif_id=1577580593742356&notif_t=group_r2j_approved&ref=notif

I participated in the Year of Stitches for several years which kept me motivated to stitch each day or as often as I could in the early days of rediscovering hand embroidery, when I go through my clearing out the groups I don't participate in I purged this group in error, thinking it was 1 Year of Stitches.  Do you ever do that?

I will continue to do the at home challenges put out by the San Francisco School of Needlework and Design and hope to have my piece completed for the current challenge deadline of January 15th.  You can find the info here on the website https://www.sfneedleworkanddesign.org/

Well it's getting late and I need a bot more coffee before I pick up my needle and stitchery, my post today I'm linking up at Kathy's Quilts for the last Slow Sunday Stitching of the year. Take a few minutes to see what other bloggers are slow stithcing https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2019/12/slow-sunday-stitching_29.html

Thank you all for your comments, for taking the time from your day to stop and read my blog. I wish all of you a Happy New Year! 

February Birthday's Sofa Shopping and Slow Sunday Stitching

February is usually a busy month for me with several birthdays my son on the 6th, great niece on the 13th and other events going on including drum circle and Renaissance Faire, to add to the hustle and bustle of the month yesterday I began the day with some crocheting, I am starting a new project a new afghan title Virus blanket, this is what the pattern looks like in different colorways none of which are mine

I love the browns above, I will be using fairly neutral colorway for mine, this purple yellow and blue is kind of pretty. I love the lacy look of the pattern and turns out lovely using those mandala yarns. I bought the pattern for on hand instructions rather than watch one of the you tube videos available which will come in handy if I get stuck.  These completed blankets are not mine and the maker's name wasn't available, However, the pattern is by Joanna Martinez and can be purchased at her Etsy shop or via Ravelry links at the end of my post.

Here is the start of my Virus blanket using Lion Brand Wool Ease in the Athena colorway and I hook.

The top photo was taken with my cell phone and the bottom photo was taken with my digital camera of the same ball of yarn and same starting crochet, the color of the actual yarn isn't that yellow.

More hustle yesterday afternoon I went shopping for a new sofa and came across some very lovely and comfortable leather power sofas like this blue one though I didn't like the pillows, this sofa does it all: reclines, head rest adjust, it has lumbar support and massage function as well as heats the seat.

This one also has all those functions and can be ordered in blue if I didn't like the gray.  I was very

very close to purchasing one of them when practical me showed up and debated those controls and the life of them, the thought of replacing a computerized sensor or plugging in my sofa which wouldn't be a problem now but I am house hunting and perhaps the space where the sofa would go didn't have an outlet.

 So as much as the adjustable headrest and massage function was nice I went with the practical sofa above, just about identical to my current chocolate brown one, but in a nice shade of sky blue which you can see in the swatch on the table slightly curled. (I almost bought it in red). My current love seat has swirls of blue in the paisley print so it will work for now but eventually I want to ditch the love seat  buy a chair or two but that will wait for now. (or at least this week). This year it's all about blue.

Slow stitching is continuing on the drum and dance piece which is almost completely stitched, I finished the stitching on the last figure.

I will be linking at Kathy's Quilts today here: https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2019/02/slow-sunday-stitching.html

For the Virus Blanket pattern
https://www.etsy.com/listing/579633130/crochet-virus-blanket-pattern-blanket?
ref=shop_home_active_2

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/virus-blanket

October is moving along

The weather has been lovely these first few days of October, while still in the low 90's and upper 80's the air has been drier and this morning while pulling my trash can to the curb the breeze was cool.  I'm posting the image of sunshine to reflect my mood today.

I worked on a cute little stitchery yesterday it's a free pattern from Lori Brechlin of Not Forgotten Farm, I'm a member of her Facebook Group and every now and then Lori shares one of her lovely designs.  Here is a link to her Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/notforgottenfarm

I think it will either be a little sachet or the start of a needlebook.  Here is a link to the Website
https://farmhousenotforgotten.blogspot.com/

I won a give a way last week on Facebook,  I had been waiting on the new Faerie Knitting book by Alice Hoffman and Lisa Hoffman, since I first read about the book in an issue of Faerie magazine, for a few years Alice Hoffman has had lovely stories grace the pages of the magazine and last Autumn issue was dedicated to the release of her book The Rules of Magic. The Faerie knitting book is just lovely, each fairy tale written by Alice Hoffman is woven from the knitting pattern designed by Lisa Hoffman.

Faerie Knitting

Charm Bags pattern

Since my knitting skills are a little rusty I am going to start with the Charm bag and then tackle a few other patterns but first I must read the stories.   I have to say I have read many of Alice Hoffman's books and happy to say there are a few that I haven't read yet, Practical Magic is one of the few books I have reread, a rare occurrence for me and lat year right before after I read The Rules of Magic I went onto Practical Magic. Check out Alice Hoffman's books here http://alicehoffman.com/

 I also indulged the pages of the 2017 autumn issue of Faerie magazine and all the love photographs and article to get me in a festive mood.  This year the autumn issue of Faerie magazine is focused on Outlander, the book was made into a television series as I understand though I never saw it.  I did

start reading the first novel years ago when it was first published though I never finished reading it at the time and returned it to the library, so when I mentioned the issue of Faerie my friend sent me her copy of Outlander to read, she just finished it recently, she has watched the series and decided to read the book series.

I'm just about done reading The Library at the Edge of the World so I may give the Outlander novel a try when I finish it.  Speaking of finishing things, I am currently putting the finishing border on the Granny Square afghan I am crocheting for my sister.

It will be a round of single crochet and two or three rounds of double crochet. I will begin working on this long vest, the pattern is from this Etsy  shop  https://www.etsy.com/shop/TAInspirations

I will be posting today at  https://www.gsheller.com/2018/10/yarn-along-october.html  for the October yarn a long. Where bloggers share what they are reading and making with yarn.

The End of Days Uh August

Well I have to say this month has kicked my butt big time and it's showing no signs of letting up.  I know we all experience these when it rains it pours moments in our lives and this month I'm having one. 
Just when I thought things were turning around that dark cloud found me again, so I am pulling out my trusty sword and paused to do battle this time it's computer crashing time.  The continuous mystery of my car's problem, and lightning striking much of the essential electronics in my household not to mention the one going mystery of my son's car problems a computer crash just wasn't on the list of things to do this month. Rant over.

the dreaded message

Aside from all that aggravation I have managed to get some Slow Stitching in this week on the Greenwoman #2 piece.

I should have snapped another photo I started on the second eye last night so I am much farther on this piece.  I will link up to Kathy's Quilts today for some Slow Sunday Stitching here: https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2018/08/slow-sunday-stitching_26.html

I am also making crochet progress on the afghan for my sister, I am working a simple granny square using Mandala yarn by Lion Brand this is Spirit colorway, so far just two cakes have been used.

I have 6 cakes of this yarn which should give me a nice size afghan once it's done, the one I made for my little great niece was made with 4 cakes and the finished size is 60 inches square.  I am also working on an afghan using the shell stitch in Mandala yarn Wishing Well colorway for a beachy look.

It's funny I had forgotten how easy this stitch works up, its one of my favorite crochet stitches, speaking of crochet this week I picked up a two of Betty Hechtman's crochet mysteries and two of her yarn retreat mystery books.

These should just about bring me up to date on her books until the newest books come out in paperback.  So in between stitching I have some light reading to keep me busy and entertained for a while.