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Lots of WIPs

Hi Everyone!    Another month is gone!  When did that happen?  :)

I am now having WIP overload.  With the holidays not so far away I am working on some extra pieces while trying to keep a hand in the projects already started!

First up is SDW.  I am working on the last few pages of this pattern so I know the end is not so far away.  I really want to finish it before year end....

Next is my start on GigiR's Saxony ATS.  The silks are just so amazing on this one.  I am using the Attic's silk conversion which includes so many different silks, Gumnuts, Gloriana, Belle Soie, and Dinky Dyes.  It is fun to try so many different ones.  I think so far my favorite is Belle Soie but they are all so gorgeous!  I am really amazed at how the one strand of silk covers so well.  

This past week I decided to try knitting up some scarves for holiday gifts.  I am definitely a beginner knitter, but found a pattern called the '2-hour' scarf!  The pattern can be found here.  And while it has so far taken me 8 hours and still counting I am enjoying it!  Two hours must be for the speed knitters!  lol! 

I had a very looooooong wait yesterday having my car repaired so I spent quite a few hours on it.  It is made using the Homespun Lion Brand yarn.  SO SOFT!

And last but not least, I have pulled the threads and linen to make Heartstring Samplery's Ever Blessed.  It is such a sweet SAL that Beth designed and is perfect for this time of year.  You can read more about the SAL and see Beth's finish here.  So I am already to go with 32 ct vintage buttercream and a combo of overdyed cottons.  I am looking forward to putting a few stitches in this weekend.  

A few weeks back I got to see a preview of the new movie About Time.  It is from the same people that did Love Actually (another fave of mine!) and you come away with that same kind of happy, feel-good feeling.  About Time made me smile, laugh, and cry, and stirred up memories from my own life.  I loved it and hope to get to it again while it is playing.  I hope you get to see it.  

This weekend I am going to New York City for a show and hope to get further on my WIPs!  

I hope whatever your plans you have a fantastic weekend!  

Keep stitching and smiling!  xxx

September Stitching

Wow!  A whole month has breezed right by!  Where did September go??

I have been giving my focus to SDW and finished a few more bands....

It almost looks like those deer are breathing fire!  

When I am stitching I cannot believe how long this sampler is!  If this continues into winter I could use it as a scarf!! 

I will forge ahead on SDW but will also make some time in my days for this beautiful sampler!!  The gorgeous Saxony by Gigi R!  I will be doing this one on 36 ct Lakeside Linen in Vintage Lentil with silks.  I am so very excited to be working with silks!  

This past month I also got to a book signing.... Michael Symon, Iron Chef and host on "The Chew"!   It was so fun to meet him, I just love his laugh!  The book is chock full of great recipes that look so easy to make.  Only 5 ingredients seem easy-breezy! :)  

And this is the latest book I just finished, in fact, today!  Another by one of my favorite authors, Elin Hilderbrand.  Silver Girl takes place on Nantucket.  I really enjoyed this one.. some drama, a little romance, and true blue friendships.  

And that about sums up my September!  I am so happy we are in my favorite season.  I love the crunch of leaves under my feet.  I wish you a wonderful week full of stitching and smiles!  Enjoy all the beautiful colors of Autumn!  xxxxx

Pumpkins for Cathey

Wishing a Happy Blogoversary to Cathey of Pumpkin Patch & Co.  It is so wonderful to see all the pumpkins today posted for Cathey.  

Cathey, sending you lots of pumpkins and lots of love! xx

Summer Lovin'

Hello All!  Here we are at September already!  How was the rest of your summer?  We had a gorgeous August here in the Northeast, so unexpected!

Stitching update first... I continue on SDW.  I know, when am I going to get to the END?!  LOL!  I hope soon!!  Every time I pull this sampler out I cannot believe how loooooooong it is!  and that I have stitched it all!

I am working on the lower alphabets.  Love the pop of RED in the crown.  I love all the colors, although hated all the thread changes!

I also did give the peacock and mallard some ground to walk on...  

It has been a quiet month.  I enjoyed spending time at my favorite place, by Candlewood Lake.....

Got to see the new film, Blue Jasmine.  I give it two thumbs up, Cate Blanchett is awesome in it!

Here are a couple of feathered friends we had wandering around the town green at work...hope they find a hiding place before November!  

I did some summer reading and finished the book Summer House by Nancy Thayer.  I really enjoyed this one!  It takes place on Nantucket and the story is told by three generations of women, all from the same family about their secrets and the dramas of the family.  

And today, I went Oktoberfesting!  I always enjoy this annual event.  German weiss beer, German food, German strudel, German music, and German dancing... all great fun!  

Here is a video I took of the Schuhplattler dancers doing a traditional dance.  They are so lovely dressed in their lederhosen and dirndls.....

                                 

Enjoy the rest of this holiday weekend!  I have definitely gotten lots of primetime US Open Tennis watching in over the last few days!!  I love night time tennis in NYC!  

Have a wonderful week filled with miles of smiles!  

Happy stitching!  xxxx

Summer Stitching and Fun!

Hi Everyone!  I hope you are all having a great summer so far!  We have been lucky to get some relief from all that heat we had a couple weeks ago... it is almost bearable!  I am already counting the days until Autumn....only 56 days to go!!

After posting my last photo of my SDW Sampler progress I felt compelled to backtrack to the church band and get that completed before going forward.  

I have veered off from the pattern and made some of my own architectural details..... I made the doors brown and I used a 3 x 2 cross stitch on the roof which I think gives it features that are reminiscent of old European churches... dark, wooden doors and a tiled roof.  I also picked up the pattern in the berry trees to the right and left of the church and used it to give the windows a stained-glass effect....

SDW Sampler

So now I can keep marching forward....I feel a finish is not so far away now!

I also just finished reading a wonderful book.... The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier.  It came recommended by Marsha on the Scarlet Letter Year Blog, so when I saw it on the shelf at my library it was my new pick!  A wonderful story about an English Quaker girl who travels to America to live in Ohio in 1850.  It is a perfect book for a quilter, there is so much detail about the craft.  I found it so interesting to learn more about Quaker life and religion.   What I also enjoyed was the letters throughout the book that the main character writes back to her parents and friend in England.  Definitely two thumbs up!

I did get to a concert a few weeks ago.... I saw Lyle Lovett with his Acoustic Group.  Do any of you know Lyle Lovett's music?  Most know him from being married to Julia Roberts, lol!  I have seen him many times.  He is one of my favorites so when he is in town I am there!  He has a wonderful voice that I could listen to all day long.   He is great at storytelling and the stories are reflected in his music, kind of folksy, jazzy, country, a bit of everything.. with a pinch of humor too!  

Lyle Lovett

Lyle Lovett and Acoustic Group

I hope you are having a fun summer too!  

Have a great week!  Happy Stitching!!  xxxx

  

We're having a heatwave!

Is it HOT where you are??  Just too hot for me, I wish it would snow! lol!

So what's a girl to do in all this heat?  Well, keep cool and STITCH!

I finished another row across, the peacock and duck, except for the grassy ground underneath!  Looks like they are kind of floating along.  So funny, how the size of the birds are so disproportionate to each other.

SDW Sampler

Hope you are all having a wonderful week and keeping cool!

Gigi and I wish you miles of smiles and happy stitching!!   xxxx