Little Boy Blue - 14.04.11 - Happy Dance!

Firstly I am going to apologise for this picture heavy post but I am ridiculously proud that I have made something for my son to wear!!  It was my intention to sew it up myself but due to the fact that I've never stitched anything up before and that I wouldn't get chance to spend time with my mum showing me how to do it over the next 7 weeks, I decided to ask my mum to stitch it up for me so that it would still fit Samuel when it was finished.  I went over to my mum and dad's today and there it was finished.  Here's some pics of Samuel in his new jumper and the jumper itself.  The one's with Samuel are action shots as he wouldn't keep still for me to take a photo!

Blue Rose Fairy as of 12.05.11

This week it was the HAED BB QS SAL.  I'm really struggling with Blue Rose Fairy and only managed to do a little under 500 stitches on her.  But any progress is progress right!

I may not be able to update over the next couple of weeks or get much stitching done as I am doing a course that I need for work.  I'll be leaving home at 7am and not getting home untill 7pm so don't know if it will just be a case of eating my tea and going straight to bed or if I will have the energy to get some stitching in.  However the third week I have four days off work and my little boy will either be with his grandparents or at nursery so once I've caught up on the housework I can have four full days stitching!

Hickory Dickory Dock as of 05.05.11

I've been working on Hickory Dickory Dock this week and I just love it.  I did over 1,600 stitches on it and have completed 41.08% of the total design.  I'll honestly be quite sad when I finish this and might have to look at Nancy Faulkner's other designs (like I haven't got enough to stitch already!!).  Anyway here's the progress picture.

I thought you might like to see the card my mum made from the Brushstroke Butterfly I stitched for my colleagues retirement.  My mum makes some really great handmade cards but I think she excelled herself with this one.  I honestly just expected her to cut out a square and put it on a card but I love what she did.

I made the carrot cake again last weekend and am pleased to say that it actually turned out ok this time.  I did have to cook it a lot longer than it said in the recipe but at least it cooked through this time.  The cream cheese frosting didn't seem sweet enough to me but everyone else said they enjoyed it.  I'm a bit conflicted at the moment about my new hobby, I love baking and obviously love eating the things I bake but being diabetic this is obviously not the best thing.  So I've decided to limit my baking to once a fortnight and then will try and give the majority of the baking to my family so we only have a small amount in the house to tempt me.

The HAED BB has just released the new images for the upcoming Story Keep Stitch A Long.  I was determined that I wasn't going to take part in this SAL as I have far too many projects on the go already but now I've seen the pictures I think I'm going to have to take part.  The difficult decision now is which one to stitch.  The good thing is in the end I will end up with all four charts as long as I publish enough pictures of my work in progress but I know I made the wrong decision for the QS SAL as I am really struggling to stitch on Blue Rose Fairy - but I am determined to keep going so I can get those charts as well.  I'm just a chart addict and can't miss out on an opportunity for more stash (especially free stash!!).  So the pictures below are my choices, please let me know what your preference is and that might help my decision :-)

      



My New Blog

I have started a new blog regarding my diabetes and my hope to change my life for the better.  I'd love it if you would check it out and help me on my way.  I understand that this will not be of interest to some people but hope some may help me be accountable.  The blog is Diary of a Bad Diabetic (Who is trying to be good!)

I hope to see you there.

Masquerade as of 28.04.11

So I've been working on Masquerade again this week and finally feel like I am making progress.  I did 863 stitches this week which means she is now 83.01% complete.  I can finally see the end in sight.

On the knitting front I've not made any further progress with Little Boy Blue this week but I have managed to do quite a bit on the blanket for my cousins baby.

                                

 I also had a little more success with my baking this week.  I made triple chocolate cookies and Devon simnel loaf.  Everyone who had some said they were both delicious.  Might try making the carrot cake again next week (following the recipe properly this time!!)

A New Start & Finish & Carrot Cake Catastrophe

I'll start with the thing that went wrong this week.  I decided to make the Carrot Cake from Issue 2 of Baked & Delicious Magazine.  The recipe said to cook the mixture in two tins and then sandwich together with the frosting.  Well I could only find one cake tin so decided to just make one cake and then cut it in half after baking.  I didn't take into account that it would take a lot longer to cook one big cake than two small ones!  So I cooked the mixture for the required length of time, got it out to test and it was still liquid.  So I cooked it for a further 45 minutes and the top was quite burnt.  This is what it looked like.

So I left it on the side to cool thinking it was cooked.  But when I turned it out of the cake tin the entire centre of the cake was still liquid, this is how much cake mixture I scooped out of the middle.

And this is what the bottom of the cake looked like after having the mixture scooped out.

 It wasn't cooked properly all around the inner edge, I ate a bit of the outside and after picking the burnt bits off the top it was very tasty.  However I ended up throwing it away because I just wasn't sure if it was cooked properly and didn't want to risk poisioning anyone!  I was even more cross with myself the next day when I discovered two tins the same size at the back of a cupboard!!  Anyway it didn't put me off and I made some more Chelsea Buns the next day, I didn't put the glaze on top this time and they were a lot drier than the first time but still nice, I'll definitely use the glaze next time though. 

I discovered Stitching the Night Away recently and they are having a give away for anyone that sends photos in of a completed Brushstroke Butterfly.  This is a free design which you can download from their website.  A colleague of mine is retiring early in May and I decided that this would make a lovely card for her.  It is stitched on 25 count hand dyed Lugana called Apricot Blush from Crafty Kitten.  I used a variegated Anchor thread (1315) rather than the recommended colours and did tent stitch 2 over 1.  Rather than doing the rows in straight lines I stitched on the diagonal so the stripes wouldn't be quite so obvious.  I'm pleased with how it turned out and will probably stitch this design again as I think it is a very effective design.  I started this on 16th April 2011 and finished on 21st April 2011.  I'll add another picture when it's been made up into a card.

Some progress has been made on the jumper "Little Boy Blue" for Samuel.  I have now stitched one shoulder together and picked up all the stitches for the neck band and knitted the neck band.  I now face the daunting task of stitching in the sleeves which I will hopefully be able to do sometime soon but not without the help of my mum!  I've also been knitting a blanket for my cousin who is currently pregnant and will hopefully post a picture next time.

Giveaway

Check out the awesome giveaway at Cross Stitch and Cupcakes

Not much to update on for me at the minute.  I started a new small project earlier in the week and will hopefully get it finished this weekend and post a picture.

Also given in to temptation and bought myself some more HAED charts - just can't resist a bargain and the sale is awesome!

Shy Baby as of 10.04.11 - PAGE 3 COMPLETED!!

So lots of things to update on this week.

I decided to work on Shy Baby this week even though it should have been the HAED Freebie SAL.  I love working on Shy Baby and even though she isn't in my current rotation I just knew she would help me get my stitching mojo back and I was right.  I managed to do 2,500 stitches on her and completed page 3.  You still can't make anything out but when I compare it with the actual picture I can see images starting to form.

I've made good progress on Little Boy Blue, I've now finished the back, front and both sleeves. The sleeve was supposed to be all stocking stitch apart from one row of pattern at the top of the sleeve but I decided to add in a couple more rows of pattern one of which was in the main design and the other I made up myself. I love how easy it is to make pattern and texture by just changing whether you knit or purl.  So all I have to do now is pick up stitches to do the neck and stitch it up.  I'm going to wait for my mum to come back from holiday though as she is an expert at this and I don't want to mess it up by tying to do something I don't know how I'm doing.  I'm really starting to love knitting and have a whole host of things I want to knit. I absolutely love some of the colours that you can get in sock yarn and would love to knit myself some socks. I wonder though why it is specifically called sock yarn - can you use it for other items or only socks? Any experienced knitters who can answer this I'd be very grateful.

One of my 210 in 2010 goals is to bake all 196 cupcakes from the recipe book 200 Cupcakes. I know it doesn't make sense that there are only 196 recipes but there is a main recipe on each page and then an alternative recipe except for four recipes which are for things like cinnamon butter to dip the cupcakes in. So there are only actually 196 cupcake recipes. Anyway after all that waffle I showed my sister the book and she requested that I make the Mini Simnel Cupcakes next so as I am a good big sister and always do what my little sister says (apart from when she tells me not to buy anymore stash!) I made them a couple of days ago. They have mixed fruit in them and you put a teaspoon of cake mixture in the case and then a little round of marzipan and then put some more cake mixture on top, you then bake them, leave them to cool, top with more marzipan and toast under the grill. To be honest I was a little disappointed with these. I absolutely love marzipan so expected to love these and they were nice but they weren't delicious and I'm not sure I would make them again.

So I'm going back to Masquerade and hopefully I will be able to make some visible progress.

Baking, Knitting, Voting and Stitching

Well over the past couple of weeks I've wanted to start doing some baking.  I used to make cakes when I lived at home with my parents but haven't baked anything for years.  It may have something to do with a new magazine that is being published in the UK called Baked and Delicious.  I saw the advert on the telly and it looked really good and my husband agreed so we bought the first copy.  I made the cupcakes and they were lovely so we decided to subscribe to the magazine.  I then decided that I needed a mixer because I only have a hand held one that has one speed and when you mix with it everything flies everywhere.  So I got myself a Breville Stand and Hand Mixer.  So I decided today to make Chelsea Buns (recipe recommended by Dawn from http://www.craftykitten.co.uk/) because they used to be my favourite cakes but I haven't had one in ages.  Here's how they came out.  I haven't had one yet so can't say what they taste like but they look good! (Edited: Me and hubby have just had one each and they taste even better than they look!)

Onto the knitting update.  I've now finished the back on Little Boy Blue and am part way up the front.  I've bought more wool to make another one for Samuel in a large size and one for my niece Jessica.  I went to the library today and borrowed five Debbie Bliss knitting books and there are some really gorgeous designs in them.  I think knitting is going to get as out of control as stitching at this rate.  But hopefully it won't take me years to finish something I start knitting, and you don't have to find room on your walls for people to see them :-)

So the poll is over on which design I should start stitching next after I finish something and the outcome is the Gerbera Daisy Pillow which is three quarters complete so hopefully won't take me too long to finish.  But I have to finish something first before I can start finishing it!

And finally a stitching update.  It is the HAED freebie SAL this week so I should be working on Blue Rose Fairy but I'm really not back in a stitching mood yet so I have gone back to my old favourite Shy Baby.  I always love stitching her so I figure if anything can get my mojo back she can.

A New Start and my Third Finish for 2011

I really thought I had lost my stitching mojo as I'd not done any stitching for nearly a week.  I've been wanting to experiment with a different count and a different type of fabric for a while.  I decided that rather than start a big project on a new fabric and find out I didn't like it I would just do a small project.  So I have had a pattern for some Assisi Christmas cards for a while and decided to try one of them.  I started it last night and finished tonight.  It is stitched on 27 count hand dyed Linda from Crafty Kitten.  I did it 2 over 1 in tent stitch and I really enjoyed stitching it and am happy with the outcome.  The only thing I am not completely happy with is the back stitching but I don't think it looks too bad.

So here's the picture from the magazine of what it should look like.

And here's my attempt.

I've also finally managed to break the cycle of bad luck with Little Boy Blue and have made it over half way up the back.

And progress is being made on my first blanket for SANDS.  It currently measures 8 inches and needs to measure 22 inches so I've got quite a way to go yet.

I'm so happy as I feel like I am making progress now.  I have also conquered my fear of fabric that is not Aida and I'm hoping this means that I will be able to try different designs (like a Chatelaine!) but that might be a bit ambitious yet.  I think I'll try a few more smaller projects before attempting a BAP.

Masquerade SK as of 24.03.11

I am very disappointed with my lack of progress all round this week.  I've had Masquerade on rotation for two weeks and only managed to do 887 stitches.  I don't know if I've lost my stitching mojo or if I'm not enjoying Masquerade as much as I was or if it's just because I've been so damned tired the past few days.  I honestly haven't been out of bed later than 7.30pm for the last few nights.  Anyway I've now completed 78.44% of Masquerade and here is my update picture.

Also I've made no progress on the Little Boy Blue jumper.  I'd done about 30 rows and showed it to my mum and she asked if I had measured it or done a tension square, the answer was no.  So I measured what I had done and it was 10 inches wide and it should have been 10 3/4 inches.  So my mum suggested I try knitting it on a bigger size needle because this should make the difference in size.  So I have had to unpick it and start again, hopefully it will be third time lucky.  I'm really glad though that my mum told me know before I spent a lot more time knitting it and stitching it up.

On a positive note I have started knitting my first blanket for SANDS it is a very basic pattern where you start with one stitch and increase on the second stitch at the beginning of every row.  I currently have 50 stitches on the needle so some progress has been made here.  I find I am able to knit in the car while commuting to and from work.

Hopefully I'll get more stitching done over the next week and get some of the jumper done too.

Little Boy Blue

No cross stitching update this week I'm afraid.  I have been working on Masquerade and decided to keep on it for another week before I rotate and update. 

I have however started another project.  I am knitting a jumper for my little boy.  Samuel has become a lot more mobile over the past few weeks and I can no longer have all my stitching stuff out to just add a few stitches whenever I get a minute as of course he thinks mummy and daddy's toys (i.e. cross stitching, TV remotes, PS3 controllers etc) are much more exciting toys than his own.  So I thought at least with the knitting I can pull it out and put it away again a lot more easily then my stitching.

So this is the jumper I am knitting for him.

The pattern calls for Baby Cashmere Merino Silk 4 ply but as this was £4.70 for a 50g ball and I could get a 100g ball of ordinary 4 ply for £4.20 I decided my budget could only stretch to the ordinary 4 ply.  I decided to go for a beige colour as he has so many blue tops already and I wanted something different for a change.  I had done about 12 rows of the back and then discovered I had done half of the rows using one size of pattern and half of the rows using a bigger size so my pattern wasn't lined up at all so I've had to unpick it and will be starting it again.

I have done some knitting over the years and have made a cardigan for myself in the past but my mum has always had to sew it up into a finished article for me.  With this jumper I want to do it all myself and then maybe move onto making myself another cardigan at some point in the future.  I also hope to make some baby blankets for the charity SANDS they are very simple blankets and I hope to be able to do some knitting in the car to and from work every morning and evening as I feel this is a wasted part of my day.

Anyway I hope all my cross stitching friends don't mind me adding a bit of knitting to my blog.

My sister has recently started a blog about her cross stitching and knitting and I'd love it if you could visit her blog and follow her too - if you add a comment as well she would be very excited :-)

Blue Rose Fairy as of 11.03.11

This week has been the HAED BB SAL and this is my progress on Blue Rose Fairy.

I managed to do just under 1,500 stitches on it this week which means it is now 16.45% complete.

Only a short update today as I am feeling a bit delicate as I've been in bed with food poisoning for the last 24 hours.

Coming out of the stitching closet

I've been cross stitching since I was very young but have always been quite secretive about my hobby.  When I was at school I didn't tell my friends because I thought they would make fun of me and this has kind of stuck as I've got older.  I used to put photos of my stitching on groups on Facebook but would never add them to my news feed for fear of ridicule.

A couple of months ago I was asked to be on the reader panel for World of Cross Stitching Magazine and was amazed when after it was published about 10 people got in touch with me asking if it was me.  I didn't know that any of these people were interested in cross stitching.

It was this realisation that there are lots of people out there who stitch that made me more confident about coming out of the stitching closet.  So now I am trying to promote my blog more on Facebook and when I add photos I am making it so that they are visible to all my friends.

It feels really good to be able to share this part of my life which I've kept secret for such a long time.

Thanks for sharing my stitching life with me!

Samuel as of 04.03.11

I've been working on the picture of my Son for the last few days.  Here's the up to date picture.

It's still quite abstract at the minute but when I compare the photo to the stitching I can see his ear, his mouth and his eye.  I am still not sure about the colours that I'm using but I am putting my faith in Michele's years of charting experience that it will look right. 

I've done 1,905 stitches on this since my last update which brings it to a total number of stitches done of 4,421 which is 4.55% complete.  At this rate I'll have it finished for his 18th Birthday!!

I don't know if you've seen the poll on the left hand side but I'd be grateful if you could vote for which project I will start next.  As I write this blog post there has been 9 votes and 3 projects have each got 3 votes.

Still have quite a lot of items for sale or swap if anyone is interested.

Nx

Measi's Musings - Giveaway

Measi has been blogging for 10 years and is having an awesome giveaway to celebrate - have a look here

Measi's Musings

Also while you're here reading this post would you mind voting in my poll for which project I should start next.

Thanks xx

Masquerade SK as of 25.02.11

Well I have finally completed page 1 of the SK Masquerade, I've done a lot more than page 1 but to finally get that last stitch in and complete a page was a great feeling.  This week I've done 1,261 stitches which brings me to a total of 13,954 stitches done which is 73.76% complete.

I've decided to make this my main focus piece and will be stitching on it evey other week unless that clashes with the QS SAL.  I am desperate to start a new project but also want a finish.  Masquerade is the project I am nearest to completing so it makes sense to concentrate on this and get it finished.

Calling all stitchers of Chatelaine Designs

So I've been seeing loads of blogs where people are stitching Chatelaine Designs.  Now these are such gorgeous designs they really intrigue me but I can't seem to find out much about them.  So I am putting out a call for information - if you are familiar with these designs and can answer any of these questions I'd be really interested.  Or if you can just tell me your experiences with these designs, i.e which you stitched first, how you decide what fabric to stitch them on etc etc.

Are they cross stitch designs?  If you join in a mystery how does that work?  Is there a particular design you would recommend starting with?  Do they have to be stitched on linen or can you do them on aida?  Any other information you can share with me.

Thanks for reading and (hopefully) sharing your experiences!

Believe as of 20.02.11

Here's my latest update for Believe.  I've completed another two colours I've done just over 1,000 stitches which means in total I have now done 3,508 of 29,250 which is 11.99% complete.

Just to remind you as well I still have lots of items for sale or swap on the Sale or Swap page.  Thanks for looking.

Items for Sale or Swap

I've been sorting through my stash this week and have decided to be truly ruthless and try and sell or swap any item which I don't think I will ever get time to stitch.  It's breaking my heart to sell some of these items but I have so many more that I think there is more chance of me stitching.

Items for Sale or Swap
Please take at look and hopefully someone will get some enjoyment from these items.

Thanks for looking.

Hickory Dickory Dock as of 12.02.11 - PAGE 1 COMPLETE!

It feels like it has been so long since I have completed something and even though I haven't completed the total design the fact that I have completed one page feels great.  I love how you can just see the eye peeking out from the clock.

So I have now completed 10,347 stitches which is 35.37% of the total design.

Blue Rose Fairy as of 06.02.11

So here's my update on Blue Rose Fairy.  I've managed to do 2,235 stitches on this bringing the total number of stitches done to 4,194 which is 12.12% complete.  I'm really enjoying watching this grow as it is quite diffferent from any of my other projects.

Christmas Stocking at 03.02.11

This week I've been working on the Christmas Stocking for my son.  So here's the picture of my progress.

It's only been two colours up to now apart from the white snowflakes.  It certainly makes a change from all my other projects which have lots of colour changes.  So I've now completed 2,064 of 17,502 stitches so it is 11.79% complete.

Masquerade as of 26.01.11

Well I went back to work last week after my maternity leave so I'm not getting as much stitching done as I was.  I've been working on Masquerade this week and did slightly less than 1000 stitches on it which takes me to having completed 67.09% of this design.  My goal is to complete this design by the end of the year.  So here's the updated picture.

Believe as of 21.01.11

I've been working this week on QS Believe by Jessica Galbreth.  I am stitching on 20 count hand dyed aida called "Love in the Mist" from Crafty Kitten, 3 over 1, tent stitch.

I am using a different method this time for the stitching.  I've decided that as the fabric is so gorgeous I may not stitch the entire background.  I have therefore decided to stitch each colour one at a time over the whole design.  The first picture was taken after I had completed all the 310 and the second after I had completed all the 336.

I have to say that all the photos I take of this gorgeous fabric are in no way showing it at it's best.  The purples and blues are stunning and as much as I love the whole of the background of the design I want to leave some of the fabric showing.

Hickory Dickory Dock as of 14.01.11

This week I am really really happy with the progress I have made on Hickory Dickory Dock (sorry about the slightly out of focus picture).

I am really close to completing the first page.  I've now completed 26.33% of the total design.  I am really enjoying the colours and the pretty details on this. 

I am now about to start on my new project.

I am sewing it on a hand dyed fabric called "Love in the Mist" from Crafty Kitten.  This picture really doesn't do the fabric justice.  It is a gorgeous blend of blues and purples and absolutely perfect for this piece.  Dawn at the Crafty Kitten helped me choose exactly which fabric would be perfect.  I would highly recommend going to her if you need any hand dyed fabric or advice in choosing what would be the perfect fabric for your chosen piece.

This is all the floss in the piece.  I've never done a floss toss before and found it really interesting to see all the colours which will soon be blended together. 

I am stitching this piece as a memorial for a good friend of mine who  unfortunately lost her son last year to a congenital heart defect.  She and her husband are doing a sponsored sky dive in March to raise money for the hospital who cared for her son.  I hope you don't mind but below I have copied the e-mail she sent asking for sponsorship.  Should any of you be able to donate even a few pennies to help this extremely worthwhile cause it would be very much appreciated.

Dear all,


On March 11th 2011 our son Matthew should be here celebrating his 1st birthday, on 12th March Stephen & I are taking part in a Skydive to raise money for Birmingham Childrens Hospital as part of their heart appeal, I don't know if you're aware, this is the hospital where Matthew was looked after until he died. It is the most amazing place, the nursing staff are honestly heaven sent so we are trying to raise as much as possible, believe me when I say every penny counts.

I've unfortunately not been able to set up a JustGiving account as we have to raise a certain amount prior to the Skydive to pay for the jump itself, unfortunately the company don't offer these events for free :-( so I have set up a Paypal account and an email account so all the money is in one place and once we have raised enough to cover the costs, every single penny after that goes directly to Birmingham Childrens Hospital.

I appreciate not everyone likes having a sponsorship form shoved under their noses so please don't feel obliged to sponsor us, I just thought this was a way to reach a lot of people quickly and like I say, please don't feel obliged to do anything, but if you can spare even a few pennies please log onto Paypal and deposit whatever you can. The email address is skydiveformatthew@hotmail.co.uk I think if you send the money as a gift there isn't a charge.

If you would like to see the confirmation that we are actually taking part in this event let me have your email address, I'm more than happy to forward the emails confirming our places.

Thankyou,

Jo x

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope you don't mind me bringing this to your attention.  I know times are hard everywhere at the moment and especially at this time of the year but as Jo says every penny helps.

Blue Rose Fairy QS - 2011 SAL - as of 06.01.11

So this week I started stitching the 2011 SAL.  The chart I chose was Blue Rose Fairy and the finished item should look like this.

I am stitching her on 20 count white aida 3 over 1 tent stitch and here is a picture of the progress I have made so far.  I have completed 1,959 of 34,446 which is 5.69% of the total complete.  My BB goal is to complete 1 page and I have completed 24.99% of this goal and my blog goal is to complete 2 pages and I have completed 13.33% of this goal.

HAED BB 2011 Full Year Goals

A few days ago I set myself my stitching goals for 2011.  Having thought a bit harder about it I think the goals may be a little too much.  So today I have set myself a few less goals on the HAED BB, they are

1. Complete two pages in tent stitch of QS Believe not currently started
2. Complete two pages in tent stitch of QS Hickory Dickory Dock currently done 10.44%
3. Complete in full crosses SK Masquerade 2010 SAL currently done 61.83% 
4. Complete one page in tent stitch of QS Blue Rose Fairy 2011 SAL currently done 3.64%

I will still keep the original goals I set myself here on my blog but will be working mainly to complete the HAED BB goals.  Looking forward to seeing how realistic any of these goals are!