The Yarn Store Summer

okay, so it has been a while, and all the usual excuses apply.  Busy, busy, busy!  We have been here and there this summer, and I have made a point of dragging DH and DD to every yarn store we could find, where ever we were!  While in Calgary, we drove out to Custom Woolen Mills http://www.customwoolenmills.com/ near Carstairs.  If you plan on going, please follow the directions at the website – let’s just say that Google Maps lead us on a merry little back road way that was very scenic!  A gravel road around a prairie slough was a little more than I had anticipated – lol!  The Mill itself is amazing, if you like 100 year old machinery and a real down home, welcoming atmosphere.  We did a quick self tour of the working mill, made friends with the barn cats, chatted with some of the workers, watched a lady making socks on vintage sock knitting machines, and, oh yes, bought wool!  I found some lovely singles and sock weights, and a prize skein of wool with alpaca (the brown one) in the sale bin.

If you are planning a road trip, be sure to check out the guided tours offered on Fridays 🙂

Do you have

any of these charts that I am searching for?  I would love to purchase or trade for these items:

  Dimples Designs Wee Beasties 12

Dimples Designs Secret Life of Snow 6

Dimples Designs Young Professor Fizzby

  Dimples Designs Mini-Ladybugs 1 and 2

Dimples Designs Mini- Jewel Scarab, Mini-Scarab Duet, Mini Ladybug Duet, Yellow Ladybug Duet, and Red Ladybug Duet

The Prairie School Christmas Trees book 82

Heritage Crafts The Gatekeepers by Sue Hills

The Primitive Needle Salem Remembered

The Primitive Needle Witches Hollow

 

Leave a comment if you can help!

 

oh my…..

it is very dusty in here – cough, cough. Time to open up a window, tidy up, and get this blog started again! Stay tuned for more posts in the New Year!

Loose Ends from 2013, and Finishes in January

I spent most of 2013 working through a series of Santa ornaments from a kit by Donna Vermillion Gampian – and here are the 7 (of 9) that I liked and stitched:

In the last week of December, I also finished these lovely ornaments that I found stitched at a thrift store – Penguin Parade by Kym Bowles:

  I had planned on making a 2 x 3 quilted wallhanging, but the sideways ornament threw me off!  Aren’t they cute?

The stitching mojo has continued into January – I finished I Heart Halloween by Mill Hill in the first week:

  This is the first Mill Hill kit I have stitched and beaded, and I rather enjoyed it.  I backed it with felt.  And finally, I am trying to stitch up some of my accumulation of kits – this is Candlelight Noel, a Dimensions Gold ornament kit:

  Loads of backstitching, french knots, and other fiddly stuff in this piece!  I am also working on Maryse’s 2014 SAL – details are here on her blog: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fgrillesdemaryse.canalblog.com%2Farchives%2F2013%2F11%2F12%2F28416954.html

and I will show it off when I have a few more parts stitched. 

Here is what has kept me busy

For the past umpteen years, the front yard has been a wildflower meadow – much to the chagrine of some of our neighbours, I am sure!  But the grass has gradually taken over and choked the flowers out.  I have talked about digging it out the past few years, but this year, the talk ended.

We started out something like this in July

and we dug, and we dug, and we dug….. until, finally, today, we have this I will gradually transplant from the long edge once the weather cools this fall, and that last bit will be all dug up and replanted too.  See, I do have something to show for this summer!

Flat Ornament Tucks For Sale

Flat Ornament Tucks must be the easiest method for finishing off small ornaments!  I just made up a bundle for an online friend who is planning a number of pay it forward gifts this year, and thought that I would offer some custom finishing of a different sort for every one. 

   

This is how it works.  Request a color or pattern, and I will sort thru my fabric stash, pull some likely candidates, and send you a pic via Webshots.  You choose the colors and the size of the tuck.  The tucks pictured in the top photo have a 2.5 inch square opening (4.5 inches square) total, while the ones on the bottom are 2.5 inches by 3 inches (4.5 inches by 5 inches total).  A neutral lining is sewn in – you can see the white lining framed by the patterned fabric.  A cording or ribbon that matches the fabric completes the tuck.   All you have to do is put a small stitch in each corner of your stitched ornament thru the lining, and you are all done! 

Tucks are $3.50 each – or 3 for $10 US.  Postage is extra – I mailed these 15 tucks to the US for $3.90.  Payment via Paypal or gift certificate to the ONS of my choice.  Leave a comment if you are interested 🙂

Wanted: Stoney Creek Cross Stitch Collection Magazine July Aug 1997

I am trying to complete my collection of Stoney Creek magazines – this is the only one I cannot find: July/Aug 1997 –

I am willing to pay a reasonable price plus shipping, or can trade stash or finishing work.  Hope someone can help!

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 5,200 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Lynne Mc’s Surprise Post Winner

Back in January, Lynne Mc was the first person to leave a comment after the 22,000 hit on my blog, and she won a free ornament finish!  Well, it did not turn out to be an ornament after all – here is the piece Lynne chose:

This is The Rose Heart pincushion from Ewe & Eye and Friends. I used a mat for the base so it would have more stability, and so the pins could not stick thru. Cute, cute, cute!

Thanks for visiting and leaving comments Lynne!

Congratulations Meari!

You were the first person to post after the 23000 hit on the blog, and you win a free ornament finish!  Pick out an ornament and let me know how you would like it finished, and I will get it done and mail it back – simple as that!

See, leaving comments can pay off 🙂