Knight progress

This week I've really focused on the knight panel of FT. I've now finished all of the cross stitch, back stitch and over one stitching:


Fantasy Triptych, (c) Teresa Wentzler

The bs looks tricky - I'm struggling to work out what colour goes where, so I've switched to Postman Pat for a little light relief. Last night I finished his head and hair:


Postman Pat, designed by me!

I've just got his hat to finish and then the personalisation. Hopefully he'll be finished by the end of the weekend, it would be nice to get another project ticked off the list - this is the last of my obligation stitching!

WW went well last week, another 2.5 lbs off. That's 6 in 2 weeks. Not bad given I had a leaving do with curry to negotiate. This week I am accruing saved points - I'm just not very hungry, and at work not having time to eat much. I enjoyed a dairy milk on Tuesday (and still saved points). Today I have lots of points left too (plus I earnt some by going swimming -making use of the expensive grym membership!) - which is good as I really fancy pizza! So tomorrow we are enjoying a Domino's... while still on plan. I'm quite impressed. This diet seems so much less faddy than anything else I've ever done before. We'll see if I stick to it though...

February goals

At the start of January I was very engrossed with Pommegramates and Pears, hoping to make great progress, but also to actually pick something else up (which took up goals 1-3). I did start P&P (goal 1), make good progress (goal 2) and I did work on somehting else (goal 3)... I also finished it!

My other goals were:
4) finish the knight panel on FT - not quite. I did all of the cross stitch, but none of the half stitch, over 1 or back stitch
5) stitch an ornie - yes, a sticking by Blackbird designs
6) make significant progress on Postman Pat - yes, getting close to finishing him now
7) stitch on another WIP, if I find the time - no. I didn't find time, but more importantly didn't have the inclination!

So, what do I want to achieve in February?
1) Finish Knight panel of FT
2) start the maiden panel on FT
3) finish Postman Pat sampler
4) stitch an ornie
5) work on a different WIP
6) make some lace (not done any for AGES!!)

Still here!!!

I am still here, just rushed off my feet! I've been meaning to post for over a week, and even took photos ready to share, but just didn't find the time. Work has been busy (it always is!), but this semester I'm also busy advising an archaeological excavation - which means a long day once a week driving to site (2.5-3 hours), advising, excavating (if I get chance) and having meetings before driving home - 13-15 hour days, which do leave me a little tired for a few days afterwards. Not that I'm complaining - it's years since I've worked on an excavation, and I am loving it!!

The other thing that's kept me busy is planning our trip to the US in April. Yesterday I finally got our flights booked (and from our local airport at a not too bad price, which is unusual - usually I have to drive to Manchester). The bad news is a 6am departure, which means we should be at the airport by about 3am... thank goodness it's only 15 mins away! My conference is in Albuquerque, and this seemed a good opportunity for a road trip to see some of the SW. So we are flying to Vegas, visiting the Grand Canyon, Mountain Valley and the Mesa Verde, then Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Ed's coming along for a 2 1/5 week holiday... hopefully he'll find things to do in Albuquerque while I'm working. Any tips on places to visit (and needlework shops especially) gratefully received!!!

I also joined weight watchers. 2 weeks in (I weigh in on Mondays). I lost 3.5 lbs last week, and now my (admittedly always baggy jeans) are so loose I can take them off without undoing them. I don't think they are decent enough for anywhere other than in the house now!! Hopefully my smaller jeans will start to fit soon - most now do up, but are a little snug!

Anyway, with all that going on I've not done a huge amount of stitching, but I have done more than these photos, which I think I took last Saturday:


Fantasy Triptych - I've been working on the background today, and will go back to it as soon as I have posted this


Postman Pat - worked on this during the week (a little) - he has a face now!

In my last post I said I'd share my latest 2 framed projects:

Elliot and Buttons Wedding Day - for Jane and Keith. I really love the way the 'aged' silver frame sets this off


You were hatched birth sampler for Jamie and Matt - again I'm delighted with the framing job

I'll take new photos of FT and PP when it's light - I forgot today. But they are coming along brilliantly. Neither will be as far along as I hoped at the end of the month (ie bedtime!), but both are much further along than at the start.

Pat Progress

This weekend we made a flying visit to my parent's, via the framing shop in Lincoln, where I picked up a few things - which I'd left to be framed back in October... luckily they know me in Speed Frame (I've been using them for nearly 20 years I guess), and they know we travel there from Leeds, so there was no problem. I've not had time to take pics yet though.

I took Postman Pat with me - I've been working on this since Friday (before pic here), and have made some good progress:


I'm not a fan of stitching blocky areas on aida, so he's getting a little tiresome, but I am determined to finish him this month... Hopefully this week I'll finish his feet, his other hand, and mnake progress with his neck/face. I still need to chart the personalisation, but that won't take too long.

Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts and comments on the last post. I think it would have been much scarier had Eddy been back in Nottingham as he should have been - thankfully for me he was also off sick (tonsilitis), so I wasn't on my own... now that WOULD have been scary! All better now :)

January Happy Dances

I've not been blogging much recently - last Monday night I had an allergic reaction to something, not sure what, and had hives across my entire body for a week. Not a pretty sight! The highlight came late on Wednesday when my face started to swell up... not sure if this was the hives or a reaction to one of the many drugs I'd been prescribed, we had to trawl across Leeds (by taxi - I was in no fit state to drive) to the out of hours doctors, with strict instructions to call for an ambulance if I started to have breathing difficulties ... £30 in taxi fares later I had yet more meds and a diagnosis of 'probably the hives, perhaps you have had an allergic reaction to a cold virus'... I can safely say the trout pout is not a good look for me!

Anyway, Thursday the hives were getting worse (cue more meds...) and worse of all I don't know what to avoid to stop it happening again. I've been told I probably never will but the 'best guess' is a virus... how do I avoid viruses??? Anyway, all in all a terrible week (I was too itchy to stitch... now THAT'S a bad sign), but I am totally fine now...

As I started to recover on Friday night I decided to start an ornament - something little and not too taxing, and on Saturday I finished this little stocking by Blackbird Designs (from the 2008 JCS ornie issue):

(c) Blackbird Designs, stitched on bone Jobelan from my stash in the required speciality threads.

The I picked up Pomegranates and Pears again... I had a short break while waiting for beads to arrive from Sew and So, no doubt held up slightly by the snow, but I finished it last night:


Pomegranate and Pear Stitches (c) Jeannette Douglas. Stitched on Sparklies Parchment in the required speciality threads.

I even put a few lengths in to Fantasy Triptych, but not enough to photograph...

Even compost bins look good in the snow...

Having a snow day today... I took this about 1/2 hour ago. The snow is deeper now. Hmmm, my meeting in Birmigham tomorrow is not looking cracking...

January goals

Hmmm, I didn't have time to set any goals at the beginning of the month - too busy recapping the last year! I also didn't set any in December, so I'll take my November goals as November/December goals:

1) Finish waiting for ships yes
2) stitch an ornie yes, two for the TWCOE
3) work on Fantasy tripych yes, finished the knight, apart from his face
4) work on Gaelic banner yes
5) a new start, yet to be determined! yes, two - Postman Pat and Wild Thyme Fairy

January goals:
1) start new project on Jan 1st yes, Pomegranate and Pears Stitches :)
2) get 1/2 of Pomegranate and Pears done almost there already...
3) Pick up SOMETHING other than P&P for stitching this week...
seriously...
I'd also like to
4) finish the knight panel on FT
5) stitch an ornie
6) make significant progress on Postman Pat
7) stitch on another WIP, if I find the time

So, guess what I was unable to put down yesterday:


I had a long first day back at work today, but after I've posted I'll pick up some stitching. It's Monday so it should be FT, but I suspect it will be P&P...

While most of my WIPs haven't changed since I last photographed them, I did make some progress with Wild Thyme Fairy over Christmas, mostly with the left foreground...



Thanks for popping by :)