Finishes and keeping up. Oh and Lily's poem.

I have to say this.... I am struggling to keep up with blog reading. I really don't know how you guys do it. Is it that you all have super duper whizzing computers that never go on the blink and crash in the middle of your programmes? It seems to take me forever to wade through the securities for comments. I am trying - you know I am. I just seem to be losing control. I am following more and more blogs each day which is GREAT as I get more inspired with each new one.

So.... plan is, I will always prioritise adding comments to folks giving me comments. I read all the blog posts in my followers section and try to comment where I can but sometimes I just cannot get time to comment. I keep going on blogs and seeing comments by people who I recall as having visited my blog in the past and I think "Oh I remember her, she did that gorgeous sampler". And so I return there. Blah blah you get the idea. Blogs are morphing into some sort of metaphoric virus - albeit a nice one (for a change). So please please don't be offended if I don't comment or seem to take ages to comment. I'd love to be Superwoman or even Mary Poppins would do but I'm not so bear with me. ;-)

Okay. I have decided that the "finish" I finished I will show you. I have decided on something else for my exchange and not this piece. I just love it too much. It was such a joy to do. Here is "Netherfield Park" by The Sampler Girl.







Stitched on Lilac Cashel Linen given to me by Janet
Threads - DMC

You see I even took time playing around with the fuzzy wuzzy thingy - more time consumed!

The knitting bug has been lurking as well.





Wristwarmers by Sirdar
Yarn - Crofter (knits up like fair isle - amazing)

I just love these and they were so easy to make. Only took a few days. They have a bit more pinky purple in them than the pic shows. My dd wants a pair now.

Lily came down the stairs the other night with a poem she wrote. She likes to write it seems. The first bit didn't relate to the rest of it so I am not including the first bit she wrote. I am also deleting the copious amount of speech marks she put in it but here are the exact words she wrote:

In winter Lea said,
Peace is sliding, riding, full of speed.
And Peace is a seed greedy to grow
As you gather up speed
Lip-reading the winter wind.

WHAT?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is 7 years old and she is writing metaphorical poetry. I was stunned. Now, I am aware of the bias involved but come on! This deserves praise indeed. I am needless to say, VERY proud of my little girl.

So there you go. I think that's all for this week folks. Still awaiting some parcels to land at their destinations and holding my breath they will get there in one piece. Have a good week everyone.

Some stuff.

Look what came through the post for me the other day!



Joanne (Aussie Stitcher) had emailed me and said she would like to gift me with this chart off my wishlist as she had it and was finished with it. Of course I said I'd love to have it. I am finding these LHN "scripture" based charts really hard to get hold of. I was so surprised to find that Joanne had sent me a few extras too! So sweet and kind and she must know me really well as Lindt is my absolute favourite chocolate.

I have finished my secret new start but I am undecided now as to whether to use it in an exchange with someone I am in or just to keep it to myself. Hmmmm..... So no pics yet till I've made my mind up.

Here is a picture of my Dad's progress on I am Half Sick of Shadows:



It was taken on my dh's mobile phone so not a great pic but just look at that detail! It is looking amazing. I don't know how much of it he will continue to do or whether he will soon pass it back to me but he is doing a wonderful job don't you think?

Oh and I nearly forgot, this is what I made Elisa for the Stitch it and Pass it on blog. Cindy stitched and sent the chart to me then I stitched and sent it with the chart to Elisa and now Elisa will stitch it and send it witht the chart back to Tracy. I stitched it over 1 on 25 count using one strand of Crescent colours of my choice. I used double ribbon for the bow and outside edge and Moda sampler fabric for the back.





Four Friends
Brightneedle

Thank you for all the lovely get well wishes. I am nearly there. Just another day of antibiotics left. Still very tired but feeling a lot better. xx

Back from Ireland!

.......and looked what welcomed me home:



This is the gorgeous pinkeep exchange I received from Vonna. I love it. Just look at the rouched ribbon edge:



It was a design from off my wishlist and Vonna thought it would be nice to stitch it for me. How kind. I just love it. Thanks Vonna.

I also was the winner of Laura's giveaway in the One World One Heart blog event and this is what she sent me!:



This huge batch of cardmaking / scrapping stuff! Brilliant! Thanks Laura. I will surely put it to good use.

And.... drumroll please..... here are my first pair of socks!



The sock workshop, run by Debbie Tomkies from DT Craft and Design, was a success and I finished the first sock in the evening and then did a second sock whilst in Ireland. Very quick to do and quite easy. We were taught on 5 needles. I made a couple of mistakes in the second sock but I know where I went wrong and so will not make tem again. They feel lovely and thick and warm. This hopefully won't be my only pair that I make. They were really fun to make. The yarn is a double knit yarn with a mix of alpaca (i think) and nylon to give the durablility.

I also finished my first punchneedle design this month too. Oh it has been a month of firsts! This design/kit is by Rachael's of Greenfields. I don't think it is perfect by any stretch but for a first go I don't think it looks too bad. I am going to make it into a little hanging cushion thingy.



Ireland was great. I was not. I was very ill. I had contracted conjunctivitis and a chest infection from the boy before I went. It is a good thing we stayed in and stitched most of the time. The foto of me and my friend doesn't look too good (of me I mean!). You can see my puffy face and eyes. Still feeling bad but got antibiotics now so hopefully it will clear up soon. Some of the pics are of Bangor and Dunaghadee - very pretty seaside towns. Some of the pics are of the murals you can see in Belfast from different terrorist groups. Taking them was quite scary. We couldn't hang around for too long. I heard some dreadful horror stories of the things that have gone on there in the past. Really quite horrible but it was good to see there are some really pretty areas and some wonderful people there. My friend's mum and Granny were fab and fed us really well. We ate lots of traditional Irish food like champ and wheaten bread.



Ireland trip March 10

I did have a new start whilst away but I am saving it for another post. Thanks for all your lovely comments. They really make my day. Now I need another week away to catch up with all the blogs I have missed. x

A few things to share

It's been a long week and I thought I'd better write an update. Little boy has been ill again - chest infection, ear infection and conjunctivitis. Poor fella. His temp was a raging 40 degrees the other night. He is on antibiotics now and seems much better already. I started with the sore eyes yesterday and felt a bit rotten today. Very tired. I am off for a much needed break in Ireland with my friend next week. Hubby is home and having the kids. I am hoping to come back very refreshed and ready for the next round!

Nic was my partner for the Friends Through Threads Pinkeep exchange and this is what I made for her:







Design - Carriage House Samplings Folk Art Pincushions
Backing Fabric - Moda Blackbird Designs
Threads - DMC

Nic says she really likes it and the shrug the lady is wearing is just like her own! Glad you like it Nic.

I won one of Lynn's Bottle top pincushions that she was giving away a while back. Now, if you have never visited Lynn's blog, I say to you now, GO GO GO. Her work is lovely and so inspiring. I was really pleased I had won one as when I saw them on Lynn's blog I started collecting bottle tops with the intention of making some. She has a link to some great instructions but there is nothing like seeing one in real life to "show you". So here it is:



Isn't it beautiful?

I started my first Just Nan design this year gifted to me from Barb called Snowfire Christmas and I am absolutely loving how this is turning out. I got so into it that I freaked out when I realised I had ran out of a colour of thread. I found a great link to a site that sells DMC for 28p a skein. That, in the UK, is unheard of. In fact the last time I went into Hobbycraft for just 2 skeins of thread, I paid £1.80! So if you are in need of DMC then head over to Kat's Cross Stitch. Even the pnp is reasonable at 85p. You would pay more than that in petrol and parking. So I now have my missing skein and plan to get to work on this again very soon. Here is where I am up to on it:





I was really trying to get a close up to show how sparkly it is but cameras never really do them justice do they?

So.... what else.... I have started my first punchneedle kit! I started but I did it wrong at first! READ THE INSTRUCTIONS YOU IDIOT!!!! Yes well, after I re read the instructions, I made pretty good progress on it but I will save the pics for another day. It is quite addictive but my dh hates it as he says the PUK PUK noise of the needle punching the fabric sounds like a chicken. HAW HAW HAW. I'm a getting him back for all the bad music he keeps playing round the house. Naaa, it is good to have him home, really.

On Saturday, I am going to a sock workshop at my local wool shop. Apparently you can't go home until you have completed at least one sock!!! Eeeeeeek. I'm not that fast - it could be a late one.

I have finished my Stitch and Pass On and it is ready to go to Elisa now but she is in the middle of a house move so I'll hang onto it till she has moved I think. No pics till she has got it. It is nice to have surprises.

Oh and lastly, I bought a GripnStitch frame. It was quite expensive but it is really, REALLY good. Fabric is very tight. I will give it a go and leave more feedback as and when.

Oh, I am sure there is more to say. It will have to wait for another day.