A Few More Stitches

Here are a few more stitches that have happened this week.

This Christmassy Cat will, in the next week or so, be made into a hanging decoration and posted off to someone special for a very special greeting.

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My Summers End Mandala Madness Part 14 is done (the fawn bit). Hope to get part 15 started this week too.

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And I enjoyed making my last garden inspired weaving, so I've started another fiberart weaving to match it using the same warp, and it has begun with an even plain weave at the bottom for a reason, which will be revealed at a later date when a bit more has been completed, and some more of my freeform style has been added.

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And, after a joint effort (hubby & I), we got all the lounge furniture out of the lounge so that we could get that carpet cleaned before putting up the Christmas tree and decorations. It looks so much better now, and we can put the furniture back in tomorrow.

We also went shopping for two days to select a houseful of furniture for the new house we bought for our son to live in while at Uni in another town a few hours away from us.

Phew!!! It has been a very busy week.

This has been another YOP post.

Happy Stitching

New Leaf Freeform Project

Last week I showed you the flower scrumbles that were the start of this New Leaf Project.

This week I have made a good start on the 'greenery' background to this project.

I warped up my rigid heddle loom with a coarse random variegated yarn, and now I'm on the fun part.

The weaving, so far, consists of 'normal' loom weaving using the heddle and shed, and I'm also using needle weaving and various knots in a spontaneous way to create an abstract garden scene.

After viewing this photo on my phone/camera (and here in 2D) I think it could also be interpreted as a country landscape scene, whereas I was imagining it, while making it, as a birds-eye view of a garden, I can now see it's dual perspective.

I shall have to just carry on and see where my muse takes me.

A little bit of stitching has been made on my Crazy Quilt block, but not enough to take a photo.

More tidying/unpacking in my craft studio has given me a much better workspace.

Mid-week, I actually baked two cakes. Not very often I get the urge to make a cake, but I thought I would give Tony a treat now that he is back home again.

Saturday morning just after 10am we had a bit of an earth quake here. It rocked me in my armchair from side to side, and if my cup of tea had been full it would have spilled on the side-table.

A lovely sunny day yesterday saw me in the garden catching up with some weeding around the paths.

That was my week.

Happy Stitching

Click HERE to see what others in the YOP group on Ravelry are doing

When is it going to be Spring

 When it's spring again 

 I'll sing again 

 Tulips from Amsterdam  

Winter has dragged on here (New Zealand), and I'm longing for spring to arrive. I need more sun in the days please. Today was a teaser of what is to come. I managed to actually get three loads of washing on the line and dried. First time I've been able to do that for a long time.

Anyway, enough of my dribble - here's what I have been up to this past week.

I attended an online workshop by JThouse to learn how to make her motif called 'Dione'.

I played YARN CHICKEN with it .... and lost. I ran out of thread just before the very last three picot edgings to the very last 'leaf'. How very annoyed I was (hah! I won't repeat here what I actually said).

But at least I now know how to make the motif.

 Embroidery on my Crazy Quilt block #8. 

Filling in details on some motifs.

Craft Room Organising

Since moving into our new home back in March, this room was 'earmarked' for my craft studio, and also as a spare tv lounge.

This part of the room is my sewing area. All my craft books will be on the bottom shelves, and then all my sewing equipment will be on the top shelves close at hand for my sewing/project table.

The three red stacked boxes on the floor on the left have more of my books yet to be unpacked, I hope they will all fit on the shelves ok.

I'm looking forward to having this place sorted soon so that I can plug in my sewing machine that I have not been able to use for well over a year now.

All this in the photo has been in storage all that time as well. Unpacking it is like Christmas and lots of birthdays all arrived at once and I am being reunited with long lost friends here too, lol.

I hope to have the table clear by next week and carry on sorting the other parts of this room, some of which will be the art & designing area. Lots more unpacking yet.

So that was my busy week.

And this has been another YOP post

Happy stitching

YOPping along

It's Sunday - and this is a Year Of Projects post.

  Summers End   crochet mandala.

3 rows added since last Sunday. One row of orange, two rows of yellow.

As this gets bigger it takes longer to complete one full round, hence only three rows rows done this week. It also takes a fair bit of concentration to follow the pattern (peace and quiet helps too, but there isn't much of this available at my home at the moment).

  Crazy Quilt Colour Journal  

This is a portable project that I take to meetings to work on. 

Each block has a selection of neutral fabrics for the background hand stitched together, and each block is a different colour scheme. 

This block will predominantly read as lime green (I hope) and is number 8 of 12.

Each block will include a paisley or two.

Each block will include a crochet motif or two.

Basic stitches to these seams were done while I was travelling/living in caravan since selling our farm last year. Additions and embellishments have been added this week.

And my new graphic for YOP

Green Necklace & Pink Necklace

Happily working away on the freeform necklaces. 

Crochet UFO's - Coffee & Cream

I have picked up my crochet UFO's again this week.

The Freeform Coffee & Cream Cape-let is progressing nicely.

Here are the updated stitching photos with the piecing together of some of the parts.

I really surprised myself with how much I managed to do on this project.

Still a little way off from completing it though, but with a bit of perseverance (and people leaving me alone) I may be able to get it finished before we go away for on holiday.

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One more fun project - started and finished - this week.

White Crocheted Basket, no reason other than because it was fun.

(Tutorial for this coming soon on my blog)

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I also picked up the Lovers Knot Tunic project.

This would be great to wear over a summer dress, t-shirt or camisole, and I really want it finished to take with me when we go off to our forest/mountain retreat in two weeks.

I shall probably be working on this over Christmas.

This is the back of the tunic. About half way.

I ADORE the yarn. Just look at all those scrumptious pops of colour.

It is the most fabulous yarn I have ever seen ... which is why THIS tunic is for ME.

Sometimes it's just too hard to say 'no'.

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Tony and I had a day out on the Awhitu Penninsular, which is only a ten minute drive from home.

We took a picnic (complete with table and chairs) 

Sea views at every turn, and isn't that a beautiful blue sky and with clouds only forming over the water.

It was a hot day.

The next photo is where we set the table and chairs for our picnic. 

The shade under the trees was welcome, and there was a gentle breeze blowing from the east.

And then we strolled along the beach following this inlet.

You can't actually see our house from here, but it would be about central in the picture and about 2ks inland.

Am I Mad ....or.... Am I Knot Mad?

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  AM I MAD ... OR ... AM I KNOT MAD? 

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("Yes, you ARE mad", I hear you all shout in unison)

I distinctly remember saying ,only last week, that I did not want to put a lot of time or effort into this UFO Celtic Knot quilt. Mainly because I was not enamoured with my original stitching on the central knot (all those years ago).

Last week I showed the finished central knot, along with a design for additional knots in the four corners.

Just look what I did with the stitching on one of those corner designs, and you will see why I think I have gone mad.

Knots within knots.... braided knots to create the knot motif.

And then outlined with chain stitch.

The completed corner Knot.

I am Knot impressed.

Thimble in pic to give an idea of the size of the motif.

It took me three days just to do this one knot. 

I DO KNOT want to invest time on this quilt (so why the heck did I do that?)

Now I have to do a similar thing for the other three corner knots.

Even 'I' think I am mad.

I have a scary feeling that this quilt is going back in the UFO pile.

On another note......

Now I have learnt to knit, and understand 'Knit-speak', I have taught myself to knit cables.

This is my very first cable test piece. Even hubby was impressed with that, lol.

    Happy Thanksgiving to all my wonderful friends who celebrate it    

    I am thankful to have you all in my life   

Happy Stitching

36 Years Wedding Anniversary - Celtic Knot

Haha - I have just realized the 'connection' in those two title subjects, lol.

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36 years ago I married my sweetheart

Every love story is great...... but OURS is my favourite.

Happy Anniversary Tony

xxx

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Celtic Knot Quilt update.

Just a little bit of stitching done on this quilt this week.

Two of these corner Knots outlined and ready for filling.

Two more of these corner knots still to stitch, and then what? lol

Happy Stitching

Shawl Scrumbles and Celtic Knot Quilt

Update on the Shawl - I only have the loose ends to weave in, and then I can call it finished.

...and here are some closer pics of the latest additions to it

The fluffy 'orange' yarn isn't really that orange. It's much paler IRL.

So, while I was nearing the end of the shawl, I was planning my next project.

UFO's have been piling up over the years, and I have had a search through my cupboards (while packing) and have re-discovered a Celtic Knot Quilt that I started about 10 or 12 yrs ago.

I had got as far as designing and appliqueing the yellow frame and had all that stitched down. The purple Knot fabric is my own hand dyed fabric, bias cut, and about a 6 inch portion stitched in place.

This week I have finished stitching the rest of the Celtic Knot in place.

I'm not sure what comes next now though. I had originally planned on dimensional flowers appliqued onto, and around, the yellow frame...... but now I think I need to stay with the Celtic designs around this quilt.

It has been another enjoyable week.

Happy Stitching