This is the first time I’ve participated and am slightly late posting. Although I didn’t get to stitch as much as I wanted I decided to concentrate on my new SAL with Shio which we started on the 15th November – Pear Orchard Farm. I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as I did and ended up completing a quarter of the chart. As it is quite an easy stitch I’ve decided to stitch on this piece on my IHSW. Here is my first progress pic

Stitch on 28 count cashel linen using DMC threads

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A lovely job done by The Nimble Thimble. ( no website but here are the details). I could spend hours browsing this shop she has so many things to choose from it’s difficult to come away empty handed…well that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!

I resisted this time and only bought a few pieces of fabric (White, cream and Christmas green all 28 count linen) but I’ll be paying another visit in the New Year with my Alfie Cat which I’m hoping to finish before the year end. Well worth a visit if you are able.

There are a few speciality stitches in the design and this will be a first for me but I am enjoying the challenge of learning something new. It’s my intention at sometime in the future to stitch either The Tree of Stitches or The Great Escape, or maybe both, which have been designed by Abi Gurden and are available for members of the Yahoo Group The Stitch Specialists. It’s a very active group with almost 500 members which is simple to join – just complete a short questionnaire (update – the Tree of Stitches has now been retired). I’ve been following a few stitchers who are participating in the Great Escape SAL but haven’t got the time to participate at the moment. My challenge for 2012 maybe?

The Great Escape – isn’t this cute

Here is my pic of week one and two stitched on 32 count silver linen, the tree stitched in DMC 3787 gray brown and the pine stitches in Weeks Dye Works Juniper which I had left over from a recent LHN finish.

I have to wait patiently until the 14th to find out what we will be stitching in week 3.

My second “stitch at your own pace ” SAL is with Shio and was such a quick and easy design I completed it over the weekend!

Stitched on White Aida fabric (not sure of the count, possibly 16) using DMC 310 and 815 ( left over from my Sampler Aux Chats)

Stitched on white 32  count Belflast linen using DMC thread 815.

Started June 2011
Happy Dance 25 October 2011

A trip to the framers is on the cards for this weekend and who knows -  I may be tempted to add a thing or three to my stash!

Good news is that a Happy Dance means a new start and Shio is organising another SAL very soon. I’ll put an update here once a design has been chosen and if you want to join in hop aboard. A new start is always exciting and the onset of darker evenings usually means more stitching gets done at this time of year.

Although I’ve been my usual quiet self on the blogging front I have done some stitching in the last few weeks and when I finished the SAL I treated myself to a new start. Claire’s daughter completed this a while ago and I had been following her progress. When I showed it to Ian he immediately asked me to stitch it as it reminds him of our dogs!. I know this is going to take me quite a while to stitch but the end result will be well worth it. I’ve only just started so very little progress.  To see what I’m stitching take a look and she what Lindashee has done with her finish – what a great idea – I love it!!

I’ve almost finished my Sampler Aux Chats which started as a SAL but has sort of fizzled out.  I ran out of thread at the weekend but have bought a couple of skeins today and will make my big reveal hopefully at the end of the week.

As I am on the subject of SAL’s I was invited by Shio to join International Hermit and Stitch Weekend which is being run by Joysze.

This takes place every third weekend of every month – just leave  a
link to your blog on her post and be ready to join in with the November
stitch.  I’ve just signed up and am number 84 and  recognise quite a few stitchers on the list.  Let’s see how long it takes to reach 100

I’m a few days late with my post but I have a good excuse this time due to the fact that I could not pick up a wifi signal where we have been staying for the last two weeks. I’m home now and am going to spend a few hours this afternoon catching up with blogs and kitting up another new start. Happy stitching!!

then deciding to make run for it – he doesn’t like posing.

By the time this post is published Alfie will be staying in the cattery whilst we are on holiday and when he comes home this is about the only time he is actually clean for a few hours, until he goes out and finds a muddy puddle to lie in! The good thing is that he loves to be groomed so at least I can keep his fur looking presentable. He never fails to have a leaf or twig or something stuck to him as well as a smearing of dirt/oil from hiding under cars. Until I had Alfie I didn’t realise just how dirty cats can get.

The design is one of four in a booklet by Cross My Heart Inc. called Feline Elegance with designs by Sherrie Awead.

I ‘m using DMC threads and stitching on 32 count linen shade oyster. I started this back in July and did a block then put it down and only picked it up in the last couple of weeks.

I’m not sure how this will look when it’s finished but so far it’s stitching up relatively quickly. There aren’t that many colours in the design (unlike HAED) and I thought the cat would look whiter. There are a few symbols which call for two different colours to be used so it isn’t quite as “black and white” as it seems (the dark colour to the right of the mirror is 3371 chocolate)

I’m going to try and do what I did with Queen Lily and leave the facial features until last and bring it to life at the last moment just in case I don’t like how it looks and it becomes a UFO but it’s enjoyable to stitch at the moment so I think I’ll stick with it. My next plan of action is to work across the top of the chart and down the right hand side enabling me to switch from blocks of 3371(there around 2000 stitches ) to the main part of the chart. I don’t think I could cope with stitching one colour continuously!

If anyone is wondering why the sudden surge of posts – I have finally mastered the art of blogging using my iPad with the Bloggpress app. I have also bought a camera attachment which enables me to download photos from my iphone, camera or Sd card directly to the iPad so no need to download to pc. Brilliant . Now I need to concentrate on trying to take clearer photos to give justice to my hard work as my stitching does look far better than my pics show. ( the pics in this post were taken with my phone in very poor light)

I’m already in the middle of drafting my next post…..