Working My Needles

My First Hand Knit Shawl for 2010

2010-03-01T22:26:00.006-05:00

It's been a long time since my last post. Actually, it's been almost a year. I haven't posted, but I have been busy. I will eventually catch up, but for now I am posting pictures of my first hand knit shawl for 2010. I decided to join a group on Ravelry - 10 Shawls for 2010. Below are the results of shawl #1. I may not be able to complete all 10, but at least I will get more completed this way.

1/28/10 - I’ve worked charts A thru E since January 20th. I hope to complete it by the end of the month.

1/30/10 - I had to visit the frog pond today and rip 6 rows for Chart F. I guess too much tv watching will do that. The knitting was correct, but the beads were in the wrong place on the second half of the shawl. Finished Chart F and will start Chart G tomorrow..

2/1/10 - Everything is still on schedule! Working nicely thru Chart G..

2/2/10 - Oh No! I’ve run out of beads! I really thought I had purchased enough. This is going to set me back a couple of days :-(

2/4/10 - Finally got the rest of the beads and very close to finishing..

2/5/10 - FINISHED!!! OMG! She is so beautiful! I will block her soon as well as upload pictures. Her finished size is 63”x35” I still need to upload the final block shawl in all of her glory :-D

Total weight is 9.0 oz with beads.

Quaker Virtues Update #1

2009-04-21T20:54:00.003-04:00

At last...A Quaker Virtues update! Initially I started out stitching on the blue one, hand-dyed floss by me on 35ct flax linen. I was in love, but then along came a frog and I had to rip, rip and rip.. So, I decided to start stitching it again, but this time in my hand-dyed green floss on 35ct flax linen. I love both of them and hope to be able to finish them both. Thanks for visiting and I hope to see you soon.. Until then, happy stitching :-)

Faye

Moroccan Biscornu

2009-04-16T19:34:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone, I decided to stitch the freebie Moroccan Tiles. I added an additional row of stitching at the boarder to make it a little larger. I also chose a colour by Threadworx that resembled colours used in Italy and Morocco.

I'll see you soon. Happy Stitching!

Faye

Hannah Beeby Update

2009-04-14T15:44:00.005-04:00

I know.... I've been very lax when it comes to updating my blog, but I thought I would end that cycle and show a progress picture of Hannah Beeby. I am really enjoying stitching on her. I have committed to completing her by the end of May 2009. Yeap, I've said it, now let's see what happens. My friend LadyV and I have counted my wips and they totals 11! Next week I'll post pictures of them all.

Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you next time.

Faye

Oh Happy Day my PIF Arrived!

2009-04-05T20:27:00.009-04:00

Oh what a happy day it was on Thursday afternoon when I opened my mail and received my PIF (pay it forward) from LadyV I absolutely love, love, love it! It is a lovely pinkeep that is wonderfully stitched and very Springy in colour. My package was beautifully wrapped with a pretty pink handmade flower as well as an beautifully decorated Easter egg that I have displayed in my living room. It is such a nice feeling to get a picker upper at the end of the week.

Now, it is my turn of offer the pay it forward. Would you like to join me in a Pay It Forward? I agreed to do the same on my blog. If you are interested in receiving a handmade stitched gift from me in the next 365 days please leave a comment on this post and I will draw the names of two people on Sunday evening the 26 April 2009. In return please offer the same Pay It Forward on your blog.

Thank you for taking the time to visit and have a wonderful week.

Faye

Quaker Virtues

2009-02-27T22:19:00.007-05:00

I am so excited! I was visiting Vonna's blog the other day and noticed that she and a couple of her friends were stitching this in a SAL. I immediately emailed and asked if I could join. I have wanted to stitch this one for a while. I've chosen 36ct flax linen and I've hand dyed my own fiber that I've named "Old Demin". Well, soon and very soon, I will put in my first stitches! But until then, here is a sneak peak of my fabric and floss.

Quaker Biscornu

2009-01-31T22:23:00.004-05:00

Wow! I am finally finished! This was so exciting for me. My first biscornu ever. I fell in love with Quaker designs a couple of years ago, so this was my first choice when looking for a design to stitch. This motif was pulled from the Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler. I just mirrored one of the motifs so that it would work. I stitched it on 28ct salem cloth using DMC 814. Happy stitching everyone

Thank you to my Best Friend(LadyV)for your encouragement!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2009-01-03T00:38:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year Everyone!! I know, I know... It has been a long time. Actually too long.. I really promise to do better this year. My holiday season was absolutely wonderful. With family and friends around, who could ask for anything more. At the end of the year, I always like to reflect on my previous year and I must say, I am grateful for my loving family, my loving friends and most of all, I am grateful for my life and all the wonderful gifts that it has given me.

As many people do at the beginning of the year, they make New Year's resolutions. I've decided not to say that I will lose 20 pounds this year, but something else more important. Here goes:

This year I have committed to:

5 - cross stitch designs
2 - knitted pair of socks
1 - handknit shawl
spinning a lot of yarn
weaving classes

Wow! Now that is a tall order.. I will give an update every month to help keep me on schedule. My first cross stitch project is Acorns & Threads by Kathy Barrick-Dieter. A Picture of it is below. I will post my picture in the next couple of days. Again, Happy New Year everyone, happy stitching and may this year bring you lots of good friends, good health and many hours of stitching pleasure!!

Their Song Framed

2008-03-29T20:59:00.000-04:00

It's been a long time, but I'm finally back. It's amazing how life can take you in so many different directions within the course of one year. I finally found a frame for my last Black Bird design. In the process of my journey for the perfect frame, I finally realized that it was right in my basement. It was a frame that has been collecting dust for at least the last 5 years. I fell in love with this frame when I saw it, I just didn't have anything large enough for it, so I took it to my favorite framer and he cut it down to size for me.

This turned out to be one of my favorites and it is hanging in my foyer for me to admire on a daily basis. The picture doesn't really show the beauty of the finished piece. I'm also not the world's greatest photographer :-)

Currently I'm working on a Long Dog Sampler that I will post a picture of in the coming days. I hope that everyone is well, and I will try not to be such a stranger:-)

Their Song Finished!

2007-04-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

As you can see, I am not a photographer :-). I can never seem to capture the beautiful colours in the cross stitch, but I'm posting any how. I'm a member of the BBD Loose Feathers Club. We meet twice a month at Stitcher's Stash on Main Street, in Fairfax, VA. Last count, there were 12 of us stitching on this design. I loved stitching this one, the colours are vibrant and pretty! Now, what shall I do next?

BB Design Loose Feathers #23 Bluebird's Message and LHN Two Blue Houses Framed

2007-03-29T12:13:00.000-04:00

I was so excited when I picked up the two finished pieces from the Framer’s that I thought I would share them with you. Ozzie does such an outstanding job! Kodos to Ozzie; the owner of the Framing Outlet located in Woodbridge, Virginia. I don’t care what the project is; he has never failed to deliver his very best.

I just love stitching Little House Needlework pieces. They just come together so very nicely. This is my fourth LHN and was a fairly quick stitch, so now I have to find another one this weekend.

I’ve also included a picture of LHN Two Red Houses that I stitched in 2005. I hope that you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed stitching them. I’m starting my weekend early, so happy stitching everyone!

Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler Update

2007-03-22T07:45:00.000-04:00

I absolutely love the way this Beatrix Potter sampler is working up. I'm stitching on 32 count antique ivory linen 1 over 2 and I'm also using Chrysantheumum colour Weeks overdyed floss. The picture really doesn't do the piece justice. I'm at least 1/3 of the way through. I'm really committed to finishing this one, it will be my forth piece this year. Yeah!!!

Autumn Silhouette by Blackbird Designs

2007-03-20T10:58:00.000-04:00

If I were asked to pick a favorite time of year, it would be autumn. To me, this is the most beautiful season of all. This is when the trees show off their dresses of rich autumnal colours and the weather can range from a warm autumn evening to one with a slight chill in the air. So every year, I try to stitch at least one piece to represent the autumn season. This is a Blackbird Designs - Loose Feathers #10 called Autumn Silhouette. I will post again after it comes back from the framers.

Two Blue Houses by Little House Needleworks

2007-03-20T09:20:00.000-04:00

In the beginning, there were "Two Red Houses" by LHN and now we have "Two Blue Houses". I just love the LHN designs, they are a delight to stitch. At the beginning of this year I shared with my best friend Vee the need for me to complete at least 5 projects by the end of the year. To some, this may not seem like a lot, but to me with my hectic life, this will be a major accomplishment. Well, the list has changed several times, but the amout of items to be completed has not. Here is one of my first finishes of this year. It took me about a week to stitch this one and I also stitched the Two Red Houses last year. I have completed a couple others and will post them as soon as I have pictures.

A Brand New Journey

2007-03-14T15:26:00.000-04:00

Well, today begins a new chapter in my life. I decided to create a cross stitch blog! Initially I didn't want to blog because I felt that it may take too much time away from my stitching. However, a very good friend of mine explained to me sometime ago that this is a great journal to keep record of the things in life that make you happy and share it with others. So, let the journey begin!