I did a bit of work on Live on Little last week.
Wednesday 17 April 2024
A Bit of Progress
Monday 8 April 2024
Eclipse Day
There was tremendous hype about today's solar eclipse. We were in the area of 99% but it was pretty cloudy.
I didn't have anything fancy rigged for taking photos but at one point the sun tried to peek through the clouds so I was able to get this shot on my iPhone.
Very different conditions from the last partial eclipse we experienced in 2017.Thursday 28 March 2024
Not a Confident Crocheter
I have started crocheting a Hobbes - a stuffie for Skip. It's a free pattern on Ravelry.
There were several patterns to choose from, including a couple of knitted ones, but the instructions for this one seemed the most decipherable. I had to do some research on joining ends of rounds so as not to have a jog when changing colours. I also am quite challenged when deciding what chain to go into at the beginning of a round. However, I persevered and so far have the head and body knit. I started the tail last night. It requires 13 stripes of each colour.Saturday 16 March 2024
Finally Finished the Fringe
While watching TV last night I finally finished twisting the fringe on my scrappy worsted Excavation blanket.
For the fringe, I took both yarns of one colour and both of the colour beside, using two clips of my fringe twister.I'll add it to the pile of Excavation blankets I've knit. This is my 5th, I believe. This was an excellent way to use up a bunch of ends of worsted weight yarn. Knitting it is a breeze while watching TV as it's all garter stitch. It's primary benefit was reducing the pile of random balls of worsted weight yarn in my stash.
Thursday 14 March 2024
A Day of Sloth
Yesterday was a PJ Day. I'd had an upset stomach in the middle of the night and slept late. I didn't have any errands to run so completely took it easy. Of course, I completed another puzzle.
Thursday 7 March 2024
I'm Obsessed!
Marilyn loaned me her Frank Lloyd Wright jigsaw puzzle.
Friday 1 March 2024
I Changed My Mind
I was going to crochet the checkerboard blanket in strips then sew the strips together but Jennifer at my Tuesday evening craft group mentioned she hated to sew in ends. I'm not a big fan of that either. I then recalled watching a video on attaching along the side as you crochet and decided I would pursue that option.
My technique varies from the video because I don't mind a gap between squares.
Tuesday 27 February 2024
Enjoying Fabulous February Weather
This has been the best winter to get stuck in the north. We've had record-breaking temperatures - into the teens!
Yesterday Skip and I ventured down Hall's Road to see what we could see. Chickadees were out and I saw a red-bellied woodpecker. The red squirrel was not afraid of us at all. It knows we humans leave food for them.
A little while later we saw one at another feeder. They are so cute!Back at home, I finished my worsted weight Excavation blanket. Now I need to twist the fringes. It's about 3 feet wide and 4 feet long - nice and cozy and squishy.
I'm crocheting another blanket. 7" x 7" squares, alternating darks and lights. I'm doing six, 8 block strips and will sew the sides together to create a checkerboard pattern. Crocheting should use up a lot of my remaining acrylic worsted yarn.Friday 16 February 2024
Prepping for Another Stitch Day
Some of us are getting together on Sunday to stitch. I've been beavering away on my Live on Little, especially on the filling in of large areas. In preparation for Sunday, I'm doing some of the counted bits so I won't need to count when I'm visiting with my stitcherly friends and just do filling in.
I'm almost done the waves below the house - only a couple more 'til I reach the left border. Then I can fill in all the 'beach' above the waves.Then I got most of one of the whales done. I can fill in the rest while gabbing on Sunday. There is a lighter grey on the whale's tummy and one blowhole stitch which I'm going to change to a lighter thread. I've got the second lobster stitched except for its antennae as well.
Monday 5 February 2024
A Lot Can Be Accomplished on a Stitching Day
This year my guild has implemented a fun stitching day every first Saturday of the month. 19 of us showed up last Saturday! One group spent the entire day on Barbara Kershaw's Schwalm piece. I'm sure they were exhausted after all the intensive work.
I took several projects but really was motivated to get lot done on my Live on Little piece. The light is so good in that room I didn't even need my lamp.
I had done a lot of the green of the border the previous couple of days but finished the flowers for what border had been completed, then did a lot on the grass at the bottom, and the first word in the saying. The rest of the weekend I finished some of the windows and started the doors.
I had planned to fill in the windows at stitching today but started in on the water below the grass instead.Friday 2 February 2024
Sampler House
A couple of weeks ago on a Thursday, I got a text from Lori at Pansy Patch Quilts & Stitchery asking if I could stitch a model for her with a quick turnaround. It wasn't a very big piece, I had a stitching day planned for that weekend, and was free a couple of other days around it so I agreed to do it.
We met at a location equidistant between our homes the next day. I stitched that evening after supper, most of the next day, Sunday at my stitching day, and finished it up on Monday evening. Lori and I met again the following Saturday for the handoff.
She fashioned it into a pillow as are the others in the series. It has just been revealed to the public and will be released the first weekend in March at the 2024 Needlework trade show in Nashville TN. Today she posted the finished item in Instagram.
Sampler House from the series, Houses on Wisteria Lane.
Lori is, first and foremost, a quilter so a distinctive feature of her cross stitch patterns is an iconic quilt block - often on the door. In this case it is the churn dash block.
It was a pretty fun stitch and made up pretty quickly.
Wednesday 31 January 2024
Lots of Backstitching
One of my nonagenarian stitching friends, Alda, stitched a beautiful piece to give to her daughter. She got all the stitching done but when it came to doing the backstitching, she found it quite daunting. There are several different colours of backstitching - greens and blues - all those different coloured lines!!!
Alda was struggling so I offered to do the backstitching for her. There are about a dozen different coloured lines on the chart. One of the blue lines is dotted. There are also dark pink, red, and fuchia lines. Some of the lines disappear between vertical or horizontal stitches but I think the overall effect was successful. Backstitching just makes the stitches 'pop' and defines the hydrangea petals.I did the French knots, too, as they were good landmarks for many of the backstitch lines.
I think I'm finished but will have another look before I return it to Alda.
Any stitching I did last week was on the backstitching on this piece. Today I did what I think is the last of it.
The model on the cover also didn't have the dark markings on the birds. I like mine better. Also, see how the star doesn't show well with the light threads on the points?