My own Olympic challenge... and an Happy Dance!

Hello Stitching Friends!

I thought I'd pop in here and post my latest stitching update before the Winter Olympics kicks off for real tomorrow. I have a feeling I won't have much time for blogging during the next couple of weeks since I'm a crazy sports fanatic as well as a crafter and passionate dog lover. 

I've decided to set my own stitching challenge during the Olympics. 

I have picked one of my long-time WIPs, Welcome to Christmas Town by Emma Congdon, and decided that I'm going to stitch an hour or two a day on it every day before I move on to my favorite projects. I would really like to finish some of my old WIPs and I hope this can be a good way to do it. If I can stay disciplined, that is😉🤞.

So, I actually started my 'challenge' last week when my my own Christmas Town looked like this... 

Welcome to Christmas Town by Emma Congdon
Cross Stitcher issue 285, November 2014

Since then I've added some more wooden details on the houses...

...and some more Christmas trees.

I also spent some time on the large area of blue sky, so in one week the project progressed from this...

...to this: 

I really have high hopes for this project... and if I can finish it soon I don't have to feel guilty about starting even more projects in the near future🙈😉.

I haven't made that much progress on the wolf...

...but the bright elephant is slowly taking shape!

And guess what...? I have even had time for a finish!!! Who doesn't love a happy dance moment?! It's the smaller January design by The Prairie Schooler and I'm really, really pleased with it.

JANUARY
The Prairie Schooler, Book No. 177.

I made a couple of changes to the pattern. I chose to stitch the phrase Snow Day in red thread instead of brown (not too fond of brown) and I also added some more snowflakes to the design❆❄❅!

Speaking of snow .  . . we had some more snow yesterday and my oldest furbaby (he turned 13 in January)  happily wore his knitted wooly sweater to keep him warm. I've lovingly knitted 'only' five sweaters for him so far😂😍🙈.

Happy Stitching,

Annie

YAY- I'm back stitching again!

 Hello Stitching Friends!

I'm back😁🙌! And it makes me really happy💝. 

So, what happened you might ask...??

Well, I certainly did not plan for this extended break from cross stitch (as well as blogging about cross stitch) since last summer, but other things just happened in my life...as they do sometimes. I suddenly found myself knitting and crocheting lots of stuff for friends and aquaintances which kept me busy for several months, and then there were plenty of Xmas gifts to be finished. And before I knew it 6 months had passed since I had threaded a cross stitch needle...😲!

But now life has slowed down again and I have finally been able to dug out my cross stitch stuff again, yay! And I know you won't be surprised when I tell you that the very first thing I did was starting some new projects😂. During the autumn I saw this gorgeous silouette of a wolf designed by Durene Jones in Cross Stitcher magazine issue 375...

...and I knew that as soon as I started stitching again I wanted to stitch this wolf. 

As it turned out, this design was then joined by two more in issue 379...

...so obviously I had to make a start on all of them😉😁.

Since the wolf is my favorite design of the three I made a start on it first, and it's also the one closest to being finished.

The other two I have just started, and here's the elephant...

...and the polar bear.

Even though I'm back stitching and enjoying it, I have found it extremely difficult to stick to one project. Nohing new there really, but I'm more restless than ever and I'm a bit frustrated with myself because of it. I spend an hour or two on a project and then I loose interest. Maybe I can blame the covid situation...or the menopause...? Part of me just want to keep starting new cross stitch projects and hope that one of them will grab my attention for longer than a day, but that's obviously a bad solution😉. So I've looked through all my WIPs desperately hoping that one of them might grab my attention again...and only The Prairie Schooler projects called out to me.

One of my WIPs is the smaller design from the book No. 177 called JANUARY and inspired by the snowy Swedish season I decided to bring it out again.

This is where I'm at with this one...

I also found this pattern book No.143 with another snowy theme so - surprise, surprise - I started this one too.

My progress so far...

Finally I have to show you my 2021 calender from Cross Stitcher issue 365 which is now - AT LAST - framed and up on my livingroom wall!! As usual I did it myself and used a low cost frame from IKEA.

2021 calendar, Cross Stitcher issue 365.
Design by Cheryl McKinnon (Tiny Modernist)

I just looove this project!!! Soo much fun to stitch and looks great on my wall too😍😍😍! Now I've spotted a similar calendar with little doggy pictures 😍🐕🐶😍 and I'm dying to make a start on it, of course😂. But first I'm going to TRY to finish a couple of projects; hopefully the Winter Olympics will provide me with plenty of time and inspiration for that🤞🤞🤞.

My constant joy and reason for living😍🐾😍...
and a dear old Santa that mum made over 50 years ago🎅😍

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Lots and lots of love to you all and I hope that 2022 has treated you well so far💝.

Annie

A dangerous discovery

Hello Stitching Friends!

Hope you are all ok? I've been very busy this month watching all the fotball/soccer games in the ongoing UEFA EURO 2020, and although I've been cross stitching every day I haven't found the time to write about it. 

But now Sweden is out of the tournament and with only 8 countries remaining for the quarter finals I have some time to spare again😉😁. Until the Olympics start...but that's another story!

Except for the fotball, my wonderful niece graduated from school this month which is a very big deal of course! 

And we were able to have a family celebration to mark the occation. (Luckily the older generation in my family are all fully vaccinated now and I'm getting my second shot this month.) Of course I stitched a card for my niece Linnea and the chart is designed by Emma Congdon. I used my own colours for this one.

I really had every intention to try to finish some projects this summer, but who am I kidding😂🙈?? Of course I still have those intentions, but I just HAVE to start some new projects; life wouldn't just be any fun otherwise😉😊! And then there is Christmas coming up in (only) six months which might require some new projects... There's just always a good reason to start a new project, isn't there?!

So this month I started work on this cute picture which I plan on displaying in my hallway, for obvious reasons😁🐾🐕🐕! 

It's designed by Durene Jones and I found it in The World of Cross Stitching issue 291. 

And I have been stitching some small designs like this dream catcher letter which I plan to turn into an ornament for myself at some point.

Dream catcher ABC by Amanda Gregory from
The World of Cross stitching issue 277

I decided to have some fun with this little design and added some beads from my collection and I think it turned out great.

However, the best thing (or worst thing depending on how you see it🙈😂) that happened to me this month is that I discovered cross stitch patterns on ETSY. Oh boy, what a treasure trove for cross stitchers! I'm probably the last one to find my way into that world, but now I cannot tear myself away from it, haha! Soo many gorgeous patterns😍😍😍😍😍! And so easy to get hold of too! 

I want them ALL of course, and I just had to get a few that were on sale...🙈. And of course I just HAD to start a gorgeous Christmas project from VladaXstitch...

...and I've gotten this far. It's a bit difficult to see the gridlines in the digital pattern so it's taking me a little bit longer than I planned. 

But overall it's an easy pattern to stitch and I'm enjoying  the process!

I'm in this crazy creative flow right now and I cannot stop thinking of crafting and cross stitch. Sleeping seems a waste of time and all I want to do is watch sports and stitch😁. It's quite a wonderful state of mind to be in actually😊. I just wish I had arms like an octopus and double the amount of time available to do all my creative stuff😂!

Now I'm going to take my furbabies for a sunny walk and then I'm going to get some stitching done. I haven't had time to pick up the needle yet today and it's really beginning to bug me, haha! 

Love,

Annie 

My WIPs, part 3

 Hello Stitching Friends!

Finally we had some sunny and warm weather for a couple of days, and me and the furbabies enjoyed a wonderful long walk in the countryside.

Sadly the rainy and cold spring weather is back now but at least it's perfect weather for stitching😉.

But first it's time for some more of my WIPs. 

This first one I started last summer for The Spring into Summer New Start Binge 2020. I'd had this chart by Ursula Michael in my stash for a good while, since I fell in love with her various backstitch motifs. 

I wanted to have some fun with this design, so I'm stitching it on a lime green aida fabric which meant I hade to change some of the thread colours too. Even though I'm a bit tired of backstitch at the moment, I stitch a little bit on this one every now and then when I feel like it. 

* * *

This next one is from the period in my life - quite a while back - when I thought I could stitch ANYTHING... As soon as I saw this gorgeous design by Sheila Hudson in Cross Stitch Collection magazine I fell in love! I've always wanted to stitch a fairytale castle...but maybe I shouldn't have gone for one of the larger charts around😂🙈😂.

I don't think I even have to show you my 'progress'...since it's basically non-existant😂. Just stitching the guidelines took forever and I haven't even finished that😳...oh boy.

However, now that I actually pulled this project out of my neglected WIP box and had a fresh look at it, the 'only' problem is the size. Most of the stitches in the background are actually half cross stitches and should be fairly easy to do, and there isn't much backstitching going on either. Handling the project might be a problem though since I always stitch in hand and there's A LOT of fabric to handle😂😱. Like I said...what was I thinking?!!

* * *

This stunning Santa project by CeWeC has a sweet little story attached to it. I was looking for an old fashioned Santa to stitch, and when I saw this project I fell in love, again. But it was a table runner where you stitched the Santa twice, and that would never happen in my nook, no sir😉😂. However, I knew that my mum liked to stitch these kind of Christmas motifs too, so I thought: why not buy it for Christmas and divide all the material into two and give my mum half of it as a Christmas gift?? Then we could stitch a Santa each, and the motif would definitely work as a picture instead of a table runner. So I did, and my sister helped me to photocopy the chart and the front picture so I could turn it into a proper kit for my mum. And I think she was very happy with her Christmas gift.

I made a little start on it after Christmas, but instead of using the 11-count aida fabric that was included in the kit, I decided to stitch it on 14-count aida so I could use the loop start. I'm sure I'll get back to this gorgeous project when Christmas draws nearer.

* * *

When I got back from England 15 years ago and picked up cross stitching again, I wanted to stitch cross stitched gifts for everyone that I cared about. It took me a few years to realize that not everyone appreciated the time and love I put into every cross stitched item I gave away😌. In fact, these days I know that there are only a few people in my family and circle of acquaintances who truly treasures my cross stitched items. 

And this motorbike is one of those items I planned to give away...but then realized that it probably wasn't a good idea.

Maybe there will be a time where I can give away a stitched motorcycle to someone special and know that it'll be appreciated🙏. And whilst I wait for that person this project will remain a UFO...

* * *

Those of you who read my blog last year might remember me working on these lighthouses designed by Cheryl McKinnon. I stitched one of them and gave to my dad (who grow up with boats and the sea in his life just like I did) for his birthday, and my plan was to stitch another one for him for last Christmas.

Sadly I had to change my plans. My wonderful dad has alzheimer's disease 😢 and is slowly getting worse, and when I gave the lighthouse picture to him on his birthday last autumn he couldn't immediately tell which way was up on the lighthouse😨😢. Obviously I realized that there was no longer any point in stitching another picture for him... 

My plan has been to stitch these gorgeous lighthouses for myself too, but at the moment it's all just a bit too sad...

At present my total count of WIPs on my WIP page are up to 35...and there are quite a few left. Bet you cannot wait for the next installment😉😁! All I'm going to say about it for now is that the situation is actually not as bad as I thought😂🙈😂. And if you need more details on any of my WIPs, you can find it on my WIP page.

Hope you have a lovely stitching weekend!

Annie

All My WIPs - part 1

 Hello Stitching Friends!

I'm constantly amazed and impressed with how organized some of you are when it comes to your WIPs and your stash🙌! That is far from the way things are over here in My Little X-stitch Nook 😂🙈. I have a couple of boxes overbrimming with stitching projects in varying stages of completion in no kind of order whatsoever. I have another box with mixed fabrics and yet another box with threads. Sometimes I try to organize the WIPs by removing (ie stuffing in a box or bag) those that I don't feel like working on, but it doesn't take long before various WIPs get dragged out again and the WIP piles on the sofa and on the livingroom table grows out of control and they all get shoved into the boxes again😂. Just pure wonderful and chaotic crafting chaos🙈😉.

One of those overflowing WIP-boxes...and a furbaby!

However, my family recently helped me to replace my old brokendown and scruffy sofa with a new one and now I'm feeling quite inspired to try to organize my stitching chaos which at the moment surrounds my new sofa. And I'm thinking that the first thing I want to do is to count all my WIPs; who knows, it might not be as bad as I'm thinking, haha. And of course that includes listing and recording them all here on the blog under the page named MY WIPs. At the same time I have also removed a couple of other pages that I don't use anymore. 

I tend to keep most of my WIPs in these extremly handy and large plastic zip bags...

...which I buy quite cheaply at our local IKEA store.

So today I have started this organizing process - I'm so pumped😁!!! - and I thought it might be fun to show you a few of those old and new and big and small and just started or almost finished WIPs in the next few posts, at the same time as I add them to my WIP page. You will probably recognize a few if you have followed me for a while, but who cares, right?! All the details of the charts/designers are available in the WIP page.

* * *

This one I started a long time ago, before I got my beagle 9 years ago. The original pattern is from Cross Stitch Crazy issue 137 and designed by Gail Bussi. I wanted to do the words in Swedish which made it a lot harder and I also added the names of my (then) two furbabies. Then I decided to add a couple of flowers (using threads from my stash) but the flower on the right looks awful 🙈😂😩and needs to be frogged...and that's where I ran out of steam... It could be cute though...some day...

* * *

This is an old one too, and from the period in my life where I loved to stitch animals. Of course this one is impossible for me to finish before I get new glasses (because of the black fabric), but I've made quite good progress and one day it'll hopefully be finished and look stunning on my wall.

* * *

This snow globe design by Emma Congdon only needs a day or two more of stitching and I'm hoping to get around to it before next Christmas.

* * *

And the same goes for this beautiful Swedish Christmas scene. The one little issue with this project is that I have to use three threads with the 11-count fabric, which sadly rules out the loop start😒

* * *

So I'm pretty sure you can understand why I chose to start this project😁😍.

It reminded me of my precious furbabies, especially before they got old and their faces turned all white😍💝. I would like to get around to finishing this one too; maybe I'll sew one thread every day like some of you do...🤔?

* * *

This one is probably my oldest WIP which I started when I still lived in London 15 years ago, and it is far away from being finished... All those fractionals and backstitches in the bouquet are really putting me off. However, it does make me smile when I see the LARGE piece of aida I chose to stitch it on😉. I earned a lot of money back then and could afford more fabrics and threads and cross stitching magazines etc. These days I'm always quite stingy with the fabric...😞.

* * *

This Lavender Fairy by Joan Elliott still needs a lot of bling! I've started with the Kreinik braid but there are are also a lot of beads to add and other details missing. Maybe when I get new glasses I can get around to it. It's very pretty though, isn't it? 

* * *

So these projects (and more) have been added to the WIP page for now. There isn't even a dent in my stash though, so I'll be back with many more WIPs soon. Anyone want to guess how many there are in total??? For your information I have no idea myself so I'm enjoying this process with mixed dread and delight😲😂😂😂.

Hope you have a lovely weekend with lots of relaxing stitching!

Annie