A Lovely Suprise!

Unusually, I was working from home today. I was very surprised when the postman rang the doorbell - I wasn't expecting anything. It was a large envelope from Lindsay of Caring Stitcher.

A while ago I was asking for ideas for a birth sampler with a TW dragon theme. Lindsay offered to lend me her copy of 'you were hatched'. I opened the envelope, and there it was, complete with a little note (lovely card - very pretty!) and the required dinky dyes 'Fantasy Blue'. The real surprise came when I read the notelet - Lindsay was GIVING, not lending, me the chart. I actually had to text her to make sure I'd got that bit right!!! Thank you Lindsay, for a very generous gift - you really made my week!



I was very tempted to start kitting up the project immediately, but like a good girl I finished the work I needed to do. Just before going over to Louise's I popped over to Patterns online to buy Needle Guardian (I need an appropriate alphabet, right). What do you know, the dragon scissor fob wandered into my basket too....

My school friend Leanne is staying this weekend, so tomorrow after work I need to clean. A LOT (it's been neglected)... maybe I'll be able to get started on Sunday!

Holiday stash

I promised to share my recent stash purchases in my last post, here they are:



I bought the 4 kits at home handicrafts in Tenby. When I lived in Carmarthen, home handicrafts was my favourite LNS (even though there was one just round the corner from my flat, and Tenby took a while to get to by train, home handicrafts was my favourite). It used to be run by an old man (Eric?), was huge, very muddly, held an amazing variety if stuff and was brilliant for browsing. Plus they had their own range of blackwork charts of Welsh sights - I did Carew Cross years ago when we went to Tenby in my mid-late teens! When Eric retired, one of his assistants took over the shop (but moved it to smaller premises). It's not as good now, but they still have the amazing blackworks which I love - and they aren't available anywhere else. I don't know her name or how old she is, but she's certainly no spring chicken. As Eddy said, the shop may not be there much longer - he was encouraging me to buy more! But I'm feeling poor at the moment, so I was very restrained - but did pop back to get a card and to ask about mail order! We also admitted that we'd driven for 1.5 hours across Wales just to go to this shop (well we love Tenby, but the shop was a major factor in the decision).

So I picked out two of the Home Handicrafts Blackworks - Manorbier and Laugharne Castles - both were local to us in Carmarthen. I resisted Tenby 5 arches, Tenby Tudor merchants house, St Govan's chapel... and a smattering of other Castles and crosses... but they are on my mental wish list!

The willow pattern plate (Heritage Collection by Susan Ryder) jumped out at me - I thought it was a fun design, an interesting mix of xs and blackwork, and it really suited the pattern. This is going to be a present for Margaret (who collects plates).. Christmas or Birthday? Depends how quickly I stitch it!

I picked up the Poppy fairy because I love the flower fairy designs, and I may as well support a LNS!!




I found the books in 2 different shops. The Ehrman tapestry book was picked up in a second hand book shop in Aberaeron. I met one of the Ehrman designers at Harrogate K&S show, but sadly his work isn't included. I'm not sure if I will stray into needlepoint, and if I do if I'll stitch any of these, but it's a lovely book to look at!

The other 2 books came from a very cool 2nd hand, bargain and new book shop in Cardigan. We remember spending a fortune there last time we went to Wales. I'd not seen the Myth and Magic book before, and was amazed to find TWs the Princess and the dragon in it! Bargain! The Chinese book has some fabulous designs in, including a rather lovely Phoenix, which I'm itching to start.

Holiday orts!

We've just got back from a week on holiday in Wales, which is why I haven't posted in a while. I took FT with me, as it's been neglected for most of June, despite being my main goal, and I made great progress with the Knight Panel.

While I was there, I was inspired by the Totally Useless SAL, to keep my orts and take a photo at the end of the week - although this was also to stop the orts blowing away when I was stitching on the roof terrace! I'm not really one for keeping orts, so I won't be joining the SAL, but it does look fun and I'll be keeping track of some members of the SAL in their ort-collecting progress!



Orts for the holiday (less the first few which blew away)



The knight panel (which I started at the beginning of the holiday - not bad for a week of stitching!)



Fantasy Triptych

I'll post later with my July goals, stash shopping updates and some photos of the holiday!

Framing frenzy part 2! (and a HD)

Sorry, been busy with work (story of my life) and then just chilling over the weekend, mostly avoiding the PC and the temptation to check work emails...

Here are the other 2 pieces I got framed:



Wild Fairy Light by Who Knew!?!
Stitched on 'Fresco' cashel by PIcture this Plus in Razzleberry by Crescent Colors.




Dracolair's Phoenix, stitched in DMC and Krenik on 'Tundra' linen by Stitches and Spice.

I have a happy dance to post as well:



Elliot and Buttons 'Wedding Day', and Anchor kit, but aida substitued for evenweave. This is for my good Uni friend Jane, who got married in Vegas 2 years ago. The delay is partly because she didn't tell us she was getting married until they'd done the deed (Jane and Keith got engaged in about 1997!) and also because I tried to stitch a view of Vegas over 1 from a photo, on black thread. It's the only xs I've ever totally abandoned as being a REALLY BAD IDEA!!

All were photographed late last night, sorry they are quite dark, but I was having touble with reflections on the framed pieces.

Framing extravaganza...part 1

I've been really busy with work this week so very little stitching and no blogging!!

Over the weekend we went back to my home town to see some good friends. As always, we didn't quite manage to get all 6 of us together (it's been 6 years now... we'll get there eventually). In the afternoon, Julie, Leanne and I met up with Anne for lunch in Lincoln. I suggested my favourite tea shop, Pimento, and we had a great time, mostly in fits of laughter. Julie's just got back from a round-the-world tour, and previously was living in Finland, so it's been a while... but as with all good friends, it was as though we'd seen each other the previous week. We still laugh about the same stories. You'd have thought they'd become less funny with time, but some are still funny nearly 20 years later!! In the evening Julie, Leanne and I met Michaela for dinner along with Ed and Mikko (Julie's fiance), and did some more catching up! It was a wonderful day

Anyway, at the end of the afternoon in Lincoln I dragged them to the framing shop, to pick up 4 items I took in nearly 2 months ago - taking full advantage of a 25% off voucher that we got through the post. I only have photos of 2, the others are still bubble wrapped from the trip home:


Above the Clouds by Teresa Wentzler, stitched on some mottled blue linen I bought at the Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show a few years ago. Don't remember the name/make, but it wasn't hand dyed...


Dragon's Treasure by Gillian Brown. I picked up this kit at Harrogate once too...

June goals

It's June already??? what happened?

Last month I set some pretty ambitious goals, and did pretty well:

1) make progress on the border of FT - yes, I actually finished it!
2) bs Elliot and Buttons - most of this is done
3) do the finishing on my top secret project well I stitched the back...
4) stitch on another WIP - yes, Waiting for ships got a little love
5) finish the small lace project I started on Saturday - yes
5) make progress on my other 2 lace projects! - I did on the butterfly, but not on the sea creature

I also started 'coffin buzz'.

So what to do in June? I'm going to be a little more vague this month, apart from the first 2 goals, as I'm pretty busy at work and I'd like to have lots of flexibility!

1) finish Elliot and Buttons Wedding Day (hopefully this week)
2) do the finishing on my Top Secret Project
3) work on FT
4) work on at least one more WIP
5) work on at least one of my lace projects
6) maybe a new start?


Dani had some lovely photos on her blog of a bridge in Georgia - it reminded me so much of my trip to Savannah, Folkston and Jacksonville for Amanda and Phil's wedding. It's probably not one of the ones I crossed, but it was very similar - thank you Dani!

A weekend of sunshine

It's been so lovely this weekend that I had to spend as much time outside as possible! We spent most of the time in the garden, either doing some general maintenance, trying to reduce the number of pots on the patio by planting a few things (getting better but we have a long way to go) and drinking endless glasses of water and cups of tea. And the ice cream van conveniently passed by each days - I think we age ice cream van regulars! As we didn't do anything major I don't have any photos of big changes, so I thought I'd share this lovely bearded iris. We didn't even know it was there - although we probably had leaves last year it certainly didn't flower!



There's another one coming in to bud at the end of the garden - I'm curious to see what colour that one will be!

I did manage a little stitching, finishing the back of my top secret project, and also back stitching Elliot and Buttons Wedding Day. I was hoping to finish this in May, maybe if I do nothing but watch TV and bs this afternoon I'll make it, but I doubt it! It's an anchor kit, which means the bs NEVER seems to go in at a corner of a stitch. The finished effect is lovely, but it's a PITA to do... Anyway, here's a (terrible) photo of where I'm up to so far:



Happy stitching!