Naughty November Week 3 - 2009 Prairie Schooler Santa

 It's the end of yet another weekend in November, which seems to be flying by. I don't think any of us are upset about that though. It's been quite a year. 

I decided to pull out another ornament that I've had hanging around for a while. This is a Prairie Schooler, of which I have very few, and it's a little larger than the previous weeks' ornaments. It will look close to this when I'm finished: 

And I made it this far:

2009 Prairie Schooler Santa

stitched 2 over 2 on 28ct Haunted

with DMC threads

I'm brightening it up a bit and will hope to get this finished up this week as well. I have a couple extra days off with the American Thanksgiving holiday later this week. 

I also started a new knitting project this weekend! Berroco, a yarn company, sends out a weekly newletter that usually includes a free pattern. This week's newsletter contained patterns for 3 different stockings. A couple were a little adventurous for me, but this one seems like I could make it work:

There is actual colourwork, which I've never done before, but this is a fairly simple colour work design. Here's where I'm at so far:

Comet stocking by Berroco yarns

knit on size 10, 6mm needles in the round

with stash yarn from Lion Brand, Green Mtn Spinnery, Bernat and Yellow Dog Farm

It's just like knitting an enormous sock and the next part will be the heel. It goes quickly with bulky yarn too! I'm kind of hoping to make more to use up my stash and maybe donate them? This one will be for DD though. 

Happy stitching and stay well! Happy Thanksgiving if you're in the US!

Tiffstitch

Fully Finished Gallery - November Edition

 I finally made it! I've been meaning to post on Rachel's FFO gallery for months now, but kept not quite managing to get a post up in time. This month I'm determined to do it. I even have multiple things to show now too. 

First up, this has been finished for a while:

Siberian Forest QS by HAED

stitched 1 over 1 full cross as charted on 28ct Monaco 

I had a few 6x6 inch frames for Mill Hill finishes and turns out this fits just about perfectly! I even washed it, since it was a little grungy after being stitched on since 2012. There wasn't any bleeding of colour thank goodness. 

And I'm really excited about my next finish. I gifted it to a friend who is also a bibliophile:

Sleep is Good by Circus Stitches

stitched 2 over 2 with Caron Waterlilies Plum and Soie Cristal green

on 28ct Bacchus by Chromatic Alchemy

I found these bags at Michael's. They're canvas, lined inside with something silky-looking. They have handles and a zipper. I think they're intended to use as bridesmaids gifts, that kind of thing, but it works pretty well for this. It didn't take very long to complete and I think I even managed to pin it on straight, enough that my friend took a sec to realize I had put it together instead of purchasing new. That's always a nice feeling that you did it well. 

Someone had a big birthday around here, and since things are such that there's really no ability to have a party, I wanted to try and make something special. I found these in Issue 13 of the XStitch magazine as part of a pattern for a slot machine. 

Are You Feeling Lucky? by Stitchfinity

stitched 3 or 4 over 1 with stash threads on silver perforated paper 

I chose rainbow colours since DD loves rainbows and is always drawing and painting them. I had some idea of making 7 of these with individual colours, but that didn't quite work out. I had some Dinky Dyes Down Under Blues left to make 2 sections on these and I thought it was a good indigo colour. 

I still need to finish up lots of other projects, so let's switch to knitting as well, since they are easier to fully finish. :)

I managed to complete 2 pairs of socks in the last few months for gifts:

Sweet and Tartan socks by Traci Millar

knit with Fiberstash Fire Engine Red and Charcoal

These were completed for a friend who loves red/black plaid. I'm so glad they turned out well. It's all mosaic knitting, and the heel is a little different from the usual gusset, which I thought made them a little tight to get on when I checked the size. No complaints from the recipient, who has slightly smaller feet, so perhaps not an issue for her feet. If I make them for me, I'll just be sure to use my normal heel. 

"vanilla" socks, no particular pattern, cast on 64 stitches per sock

Yarn is If I Wanted Exposure by Blue Moon Fiber Arts

These have been mailed, so hopefully they will fit as well when they're received. I enjoyed how the yarn knit up and sort of striped a bit. I've had this for a couple years from when Countess Ablaze released a dye lot for any dyers interested as long as they were going to contribute some of the proceeds to charity. It's a nice yarn, with a good twist so you don't catch the threads. This is the only Blue Moon yarn I've owned/used so far. 

And that's everything I've finished so far. If I can get myself in gear, maybe there will be more for next month. 

Stay well and Happy Stitching!

Tiffstitch

Naughty November Start 2 - Little Girl with Ornament

Another weekend in November is gone already, and here is start (and finish!) number 2! Please check out Rachel's post so you can see who else is joining in the fun. 

Last week I'd started on Handblessings Little Girl with Teddy Bear ornament, and I managed to finish it since it was so close. I still need to add the charm:

Little Girl With Teddy Bear by Handblessings

stitched 2 over 2 with DMC Variations 4210 on 28ct Rubescent by Chromatic Alchemy

And the piece of fabric I had was just big enough that I could also fit on another Handblessings ornament. This past weekend I started Little Girl with Ornament:

I used the same fabric and thread, although I ran out of what I had with this much stitching left:

Fortunately my work isn't that far away from Michael's and despite the fact I was a little nervous going on with the increase in COVID-19 cases around here, I found what I needed and got in and out quickly. 

And then another finish besides needing the charm:

Little Girl with Ornament by Handblessings

stitched 2 over 2 with DMC Variations 4210 on 28ct Rubescent by Chromatic Alchemy

I'm still debating a bit for this weekend's start. I might pull out something small again since the last weekend will give me a bit more stitching time because it's Thanksgiving in the US and I have Thursday and Friday off. I have something that's been hiding in my stash for a while that's been waiting for a good excuse to start and I think this Naughty November challenge is it! 

I hope you're all staying healthy and safe and happy stitching!

Tiffstitch

Naughty November - Start 1 - Little Girl with Teddy Bear

 Here we are again with another month of new starts! Let's forget about that other new start last month... At least I finished it, right? Anyway, Rachel and I definitely didn't have enough of our new starts from April through August, so we had to sneak a few more in before the end of the year. Rachel had hers set for a while, and some lovely fabric choices as well. I thought I wanted to try and keep things small, and hopefully get 4 finishes with the 4 new starts as well. 

First up, I've had this one in my stash for at least a couple years and have wanted to stitch it for DD. Her favourite stuffed animal is a teddy bear that she was gifted on her 3rd day of life while we were still in the hospital. She carried it everywhere! It's been almost lost a couple times, and now that she's a little older, he stays home when she goes out, just so there's no more incidents. 

Here's what the chart looks like:

and I've changed up the colours a bit:

Little Girl with Teddy Bear Under the Tree by Handblessings

stitched 2 over 2 on 28ct Rubescent by Chromatic Alchemy with DMC Coloris 4210

I plan on finishing this up tonight, then next weekend might be another Handblessings, or possibly something from the latest XStitch magazine. Stay tuned! And happy new starts to everyone else joining in!

Stay well and Happy Stitching!

Tiffstitch

Halloween Trick or Treat Blog Hop 2020

 It's that time again! Head over to Jo's blog to find out where to start the Halloween mystery phrase. Once again she's hosting so we can have a little fun over Halloween, even if you don't celebrate it much. We can check out everyone's spooky or fall stitching and add to our wish lists. 

I managed to finish off the new Durene Jones SAL before Halloween! It's not fully finished (quelle surprise!) but I have an idea, so hopefully it will be before next Halloween at least. Here it is:

Halloween SAL by Durene Jones

stitched 2 over 2 as charted on 28ct Poseidon by Chromatic Alchemy

And if you're ready for your letter, here it is:

And please continue your journey over at La Coeur Celtique and visit the lovely Mary!

Happy Halloween! Stay safe and Happy Stitching,

Tiffstitch

Dark October Stitching Update, and a Little Bit Derailed

 Hello again! It's been an eventful month, and there's been a decent amount of stitching despite everything else going on. I had plans to post weekly in October, but clearly that didn't happen, so once again, it's a bit of a catch-up post. 

If you check back to this post, I talked about what I hoped to work on in October. I've stuck with the basics of that post, but got a bit derailed because I also have a new start! Yes, despite the planned 4 new starts for Naughty November. It's so fun though, I had to start. 

First, I managed a couple small finishes that had been hanging around:

Boo! By Brittercup Designs stitched 2 over 1 as charted except the border in WDW Trick or Treat

on 14ct opalescent Galaxy by Jodyri Designs

Haunted House by Heart in Hand, stitched with stash threads 2 over 1 on 14ct scrap aida

Two solid finishes is a good way to start. This was all on October 1st, and I even had a little stitching time left to get myself started on my first Dark October WIP. 

and after a little spelling mishap:

I managed to get a little more completed:

Spooky Halloween by Durene Jones (Lakeside Needlecraft SAL)

stitched 2 over 2 on 28ct Icarus by Chromatic Alchemy

And speaking of Durene Jones, she had the audacity to come out with a free SAL right after I'd had all my plans laid out! It's on her Facebook page here. 

Durene Jones 2020 Halloween SAL Parts 1 and 2

stitched 2 over 2 as charted on 28ct Poseidon by Chromatic Alchemy

After I spent a week (or less) on Spooky Halloween, I pulled out In the Gloaming to see what I could accomplish despite being distracted by the shiny new SAL. This is where I started:

and after a week, I managed to start on the gate. The first page (of 2) is complete, which is a nice feeling. I really don't think this would take more than a solid week of stitching to complete since it's very few colours, but best laid plans, etc...

In the Gloaming by Whispered by the Wind

stitched 2 over 2 on 28ct Mirage by PTP

I've also started part 3 of the Durene Jones SAL, which has kept me from starting back on my third Dark October WIP. Here's where I'm at now, just need some back stitch and I can get a couple days into Witch's Gate. 

The last part of the SAL will be out on Friday, October 23, so I will have some time to work on Universal Monsters SAL as well if I can finish up part 4 a little quicker than I've managed with part 3. 

I hope you're all well, and apologies for the numbers, etc. on the photos. I decided I would just get the post up for goodness sake instead of fussing as much making everything perfect. I'll work on the photos next if I can. 

Stay well, and Happy Stitching!

Tiffstitch

September Crazy Domino Event - Projects 13-16

I'm a little late posting about the end of the September event. I'm sure you're all very surprised by this with my sporadic blogging in the last couple years. 

I really enjoyed this event and it was great to get some good stitches into some WIPs that haven't had much attention in the last year or more. 

First up is yet another dragon project. For Project 13 I picked up Do Not Meddle because it also has dragons, like Mini Winter Magic (Project 12). I started here:

and although I only needed to stitch 1300 stitches, I ended up stitching 1420 because of some other FB games. I ended here:

Do Not Meddle by Dragon Fire Designs

stitched 1 over 1 on 28ct Monaco as charted 

If anyone remembers this one, I'm stitching it for someone that can't stitch much any more and I'm taking much too long getting it completed. I'm glad to get almost one half of the dragon complete, so hopefully I can get this one out again and get some more progress. 

For the next project, I linked them by saying I'm also stitching it for someone else. I chose Princess and the Dragon so I can get a little more done on it. It's so close! Here's where it was:

another 1410 stitches gets this moved along to here:

Princess and the Dragon by Charting Creations

stitched 1 over 1 on 28ct Amarinthine by Chromatic Alchemy

Unsurprisingly, I had yet another dragon project I wanted to work on. This time I linked them through the fact that each dragon has a hoard. The above one has a hoard on the far left of the project, and this newer project you'll see some of it on the end point. Here's where I started on Project 15:

and after 1500 stitches, this is fairly close to a finish:

Messy But Mine by Dragon Dreams

stitched 2 over 2 as charted on 16ct Cirrus by Chromatic Alchemy

I feel like I need to go through my WIPs and see which ones just need about a week to finish. I feel like there's a fair number of them now and maybe that will be the December plan. Focus on a finish for as many as I can. This next one won't be in that category. It's still years away. And that is Bailey Basset. Those with good memories may note that I did make it to 16 projects this month, which is one more than my goal of 15. I'm very happy with that. I linked to this next project by saying I'd like to have a dragon as a pet, and I did have a basset hound as a pet. Here's what Bailey Basset will look like some day, and where it started:

and 1600 stitches, or 3200 tent stitches, moved it along quite a bit:

Bailey Basset by HAED

stitched 2 over 1 tent stitch on 25ct gray linen

And there we have it! The end of the September event and lots of stitching completed on several neglected WIPs. It was a thoroughly enjoyable event and I will definitely participate next year. Hopefully it won't be all the same projects. :)

I hope you're all well and Happy Stitching!

Tiffstitch