Monday, October 7, 2024

A finish and some progress

Here it is the start of another week, and I can honestly say that I was able to make some progress on my crafting this past week and that makes me feel good. 

The last week was a little quieter workwise, so I was able to spend a bit more time relaxing and trying to focus on getting things moved forward. It does feel good to be able to say that I saw progress on my different crafts in the last week so that makes me happy.

I am not certain what this week is gong to be like, but I am going to try and see if I can continue to get things moved forward even if it is just a little bit at a time. Seeing progress makes me feel good so that is what I am going to be trying to see this week.

Arabesque - here is the cross stitch project that I have been focusing on and it did get a lot of attention in this last week. It feels great seeing that I have been able to at least move it forward enough to get it finished.

This past week I decided that it was going to be the project that got the attention as I was working on pushing it to a finish and by yesterday afternoon, I was able to add the last few stitches to the piece and it is now completed. I really enjoyed working on this piece and am looking forward to finding a frame for it and then getting it frame and ready to hang on my wall.

It is now time for me to figure out the project that will get some attention now that Arabesque is done. I do know that there is another stitch along starting on October 15th, so the project I work on this week will be one of the projects that I already have on the go as I don't want to start something this week if I can't get it finished before the 15th of this month.

Beige Shawl - this is the knitting project that I have been focusing on as I would like to get it finished before too long. I have been trying to spend at least 30 minutes a day working on this project, and it has helped move it forward quite a bit in the last week.

The ball of yarn is starting to look smaller which is good and now to see how quickly I can finish up this project as I have a few other projects that I would like to start and work on. I have been trying to only have one knitting project on the go at a time so that means I need to finish this before I put something else on the needles.

Other projects - this past week I was able to pick up and work on my EPP a little bit and that made me happy because I was able to at least get some work done on it. Of course, I will show that progress at the end of the month.

This last week I didn't work on anything else because I was focusing on getting Arabesque completed so that is where most of my attention went. Now to see what this week is like because there are a few projects that I might pick up but will have to wait and see how things go.

I hope everyone has had a good week and you have been able to find that bit of time each day to relax and take time for yourself. Being able to focus on something that you enjoy does make a difference because it helps you regain your focus so that you can be there for others.

If things go well this week, I should have some progress on at least something to show you next week. I am not certain other than the beige shawl what I am going to be working on, but I will be picking up something. Have a good week and I will hopefully see you next week with some progress.




 

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

English Paper Piecing - September progress

Here it is the start of another month so that means it is time to talk about what I was able to get done with regards to my EPP. Well, I can honestly say that September wasn't a very productive month for me. Through the month of September, a lot of my crafting wasn't done so I am not surprised that I didn't get a lot of EPP done either.

Scrap Throw - this did get a little bit of attention as I was able to join one flower together so that is at least moving it forward so that is good. Hopefully I will be able to find some time and energy in October to try and move it forward a bit more.

Popsy's Throw - I was able to get four flowers joined together this month so yes, it is moving it forward but not very quickly at all. It was a different month for me, and I hope that I will be able to get back to working on my EPP a little more and maybe even see progress on things through October.

Other projects - I didn't pick up anything of my other EPP projects this past month so let's see how October goes. If you have been working on your EPP projects I hope you were able to make more progress than I did. 

In October I hope to be able to spend some time working on moving my projects forward, but time will tell. If things are good, I might be able to move something forward and feel good about that. Now I just have to wait and see what happens so I will post the results for October at the end of the month.
 

Monday, September 30, 2024

Moving things forward

Here it is the start of another week and yes it has been busy around here, so I haven't had as much time to sit and do my crafting.

The weather has started to cool down, so it is easier to focus on things and actually try and get things done. There are still lots of things to do around home so that is also taking some of my time, but I am happy with the progress that I am seeing on everything.

This past week I didn't get as much crafting done but at least I did find a bit of time most days to work on my projects so that is good. Now to see what this week is like.

Arabesque - I was able to pick up and work on it for a while and am happy with the progress that I was able to make on it. I only worked on this twice in the past week and have now got over 75% of it complete and am going to be trying to see when I can get it done.

I am loving how it is turning out and maybe I will be able to finish up the alphabet before too long. I only have three more letters to go and then I have the top section to do. I know that being able to focus on this a bit more this week would be nice and maybe then I might get it even closer to a finish. I had hoped to have it finished by the end of September but that isn't going to happen, but I will just continue to work on it and see how quickly I can get it finished.

Beige shawl - this is the shawl that I have been working on and am happy with the progress that I have made on it. The pattern is very simple as I am just increasing a stitch at the beginning of each row. I am not certain how large this shawl is going to be because I am just going to work on it until I have used up the ball of yarn that I have.

It does feel good having a project that I can just work on without having to look at a pattern. This has been fun to work on and when I have a few minutes I can at least get a couple of rows done on it. This project I hope to get more done on it this coming week as I would like to see how quickly I can get it done.

Other projects - I haven't worked on much of anything else this past week as I have been trying to get other things done. Hopefully I will have some progress again this coming week as I would like to see things moved forward. I did pick up my English Paper Piecing a little bit so at least I have some progress to show for this month when I write that blog tomorrow.

I hope everyone has a good week and you find the time to recharge your personal battery each day. Making sure that you can spend some time doing something that you enjoy is important for your mental health. We all need to take that bit of time for yourselves so that we can be there for those around us.

Have a good week and hopefully I will have some progress on things to show you next week.

Monday, September 23, 2024

Slow and steady

Here it is the start of another week, and it looks like it is going to be another busy week for me. The weather has been pretty nice here, so that has meant that we have been able to sit on the balcony some days before having dinner. It is always nice when we can do that because it gives us a chance to talk over the day and figure out what is ahead for the next days.

It is always nice when we can spend some time sitting and talking things over because it means we both know what the other one is working on and what our schedule looks like.

Arabesque - here is the cross stitch project that got a little bit of attention this past week. I was able to roll the piece up and have now reached the top left corner of the design.

I hope to be able to continue to work on this piece as I am excited to see what it looks like when it is all done. I am almost at 70% complete but there is still a lot of stitches left to go on this piece. Hopefully this week I will be able to find some time where I can work on it and move it forward again.

Simple Shawl - here is the project that did get quite a bit of attention this last week. I was able to work on this quite often and have just about finished the shawl. I had hoped to finish the shawl this weekend, but it didn't happen.

I have started to cast off the stitches now so it should be done within the next couple of days if I can just sit and work on it for a little while. You can see what a difference in colour that this piece looks, and it all depends on the lighting when I take the piece. The second picture is more like the colours of the yarn. It has been a lot of fun to work on and once this is finished, I will be picked up and working on another shawl. 

Other projects - I haven't done a lot of other things this past week as it has been a littler busier for me than normal. Hopefully this week I will be able to find some time to sit and work on my English Paper Piecing for a little while as it hasn't got much attention this month.

I hope everyone finds that bit of time each day to do something for yourself. It doesn't always have to be your normal things but at least taking that bit of time each day to recharge your personal battery is very important.

This week I am not certain what crafting I will be doing but I do want to finish the shawl as I am so close to having it done. I will also try and work on Arabesque as getting more of it done would be great.

If things go well, I should have something to show you next week. Have a good week and I will write again next Monday.

Monday, September 16, 2024

Some good progress

Here it is the start of another week, and I have at least been able to spend some time working on my crafting. I know that this last week was a little different so now to see what this week is like as I would like to continue to get more crafting done but there are work things that also need my attention.

We have had some nice warm days lately and that has been nice but we are going to be getting rid of the humidity after today so things should get back to normal on that front. It has been nice to spend some time sitting outside and enjoying the weather.

Arabesque - here is the project that I focused on again this week and am happy with the progress that I have been able to make on it. It has felt so good being able to work on moving this project forward even if I don't get a lot of time to work on it. 

I am looking forward to seeing what I can get done on this piece over the next week because it would be nice to continue to move this project forward. It has been a lot of fun to work on and each time I work on it I am getting closer to the top of the design. 

It is now time for me to scroll the design up again so that I can have more room to work on it and hopefully I will be able to get more of this piece done. I know that the left side of the pattern is getting closer to the top and maybe that is what I will try and achieve this week. If I can at least get part of the pattern up to the top I will then know the area that is left to stitch.

Simple Shawl - here is the knitting project that I picked up and work on this week. It is nice moving this piece forward and I am looking forward to having it finished.  

I still don't know how much bigger this shawl is going to get because I am just working on the ball of yarn and will use it all up on this project. It is fun not knowing the actual size it will be because it helps me want to continue to work on it to see what it looks like and how big it is once it's done.

Of course, I am thinking of starting another shawl so that I can have two on the go. It would be a different pattern but again it is using up some of the yarn that I have which is one of my goals for this year. I am enjoying working with the fingering weight yarn as a ball of yarn does last a lot longer than a ball of worsted weight yarn.

Other projects - I haven't been working on a lot of other projects lately as I have been trying to stay focused and get things done. Hopefully if I can continue to stay focused, I will get these projects finished up and then be able to work on some of the other things that I would like to do.

This week I am not certain what I have to try and get done but I do know that I am going to try and stay focused on my crafting projects to see if I can get them moved forward again. If the weather is still hot and humid I may take my knitting out onto the balcony and see if I can move it forward some.

I hope everyone has a good week and you find some time to do the things that you enjoy doing. Being able to spend that bit of time each day doing things that you enjoy is important as it does help recharge your personal batteries.

Next week I hope to be back with a bit more progress on my projects if things go well. 





 

Monday, September 9, 2024

More progress and a finish

Here it is the start of another week, and I am looking forward to seeing how things go. It is going to be a busy week, but I hope that I can continue to find time to work on some of the projects that I currently have on the go. We are dealing with the roller coaster of weather right now, so that means one day it is warm, and then the next one is quite a bit cooler. Hopefully this week, the weather will warm up just a little bit, as I would like to find some time to sit outside.
Arabesque - here is the cross stitch that I picked up and worked on this week. I am happy with the progress that I was able to make and hope that this coming week I can add more to this piece. I have reached the 50% complete, and now I am looking forward to seeing how much more of it I can get done.
If I can focus on this piece for a while I might be able to get it closer to a finish but will have to see how it goes. I do know that I am looking forward to seeing what it looks like when I can see the piece finished.

Easy Goes It Shawl - this is the knitting project that I have been working on and am happy with the progress that I was able to get done this last week. I was determined to see if I could get the piece finished by the end of the weekend and with some focus, I was able to accomplish that. This shawl was nice to work on and now I just need to block it and then it will be ready to wear. The yarn was nice to work with and now to pick up the next project and see how it goes.
I think I have figured out the next project that I will work on but that could change when I go to pick it up. I have been enjoying working on the various knitting projects and am looking forward to working on the next one. I do have lots of fingers and sports weight yarn that is waiting to be made into something so now to pick something up and get to work on it.
Other projects - I haven't worked on any other projects this past week and will have to see how this week goes. I do know that I have things that I would like to work on, but I am trying to keep a focus so that I can get things done.

The one thing that I have made sure I have done even when I have been busy has been to ensure that I take those few minutes each day to do something that I enjoy. It doesn't have to be a long time but even those 15 - 20-minute escapes can make such a difference.  This week I will see what I work on and hopefully next week I will have some progress on at least one project. 




 

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

Fox and Rabbit Mystery Sampler Box

Here is a blog that I have been looking forward to writing as I was fortunate to be able to get a Mystery Box from Fox and Rabbit when they came available on June 30th here in Canada.  I have delayed this post to make sure that most people that ordered the box should have received it and opened it.

Karen and Brendon Kirk are the owners of this company and they had been mentioning this box quite a few months ago on their Youtube channel. When they told us about the box, they had said that there would be a sampler pattern, fabric and floss in the box along with some other surprises.  

You can probably guess how excited I was when they went on sale, and I was able to purchase the box before they were sold out. It felt wonderful to be able to order the box but then there was the waiting until the box shipped. As the box was coming from Australia, I knew that it was going to take some time once it was actually mailed. The box was mailed on Friday August 12th, and I received the box on Monday August 19th so that didn't take too long to get here. I was tracking the box all the way on its journey and was excited to see it was out for delivery.

The box couldn't have arrived on a better day and when the postal carrier knocked on our door, I was quickly there to receive my box. The box was so nice to see with the Fox and Rabbit logo on it and on the side, it says Mystery Sampler Box 1. It was then time to open the box and see what we received and there was a lot of stuff in this box. Here is a list of everything that we received:

  • Half yard of Vintage Sand aida (colour created especially for this box)
  • Elizabeth Cheavins 1869 chart
  • Fat quarter of Baked Clay linen for chart
  • Elizabeth Cheavins Pinkeep chart and finishing instructions
  • Piece of Baked clay linen, finishing fabrics and LadyDot trim for the Pinkeep.
  • Cardboard templates for Pinkeep.
  • Pin pack for the Pinkeep.
  • Thread pack for both projects
  • Embroidery scissors
  • Fox and Rabbit enamel needleminder
  • Elizabeth Cheavins thread ring and charms
  • Bee wax waxer
  • Caramello Koala chocolate
  • 20% off voucher for PDF charts from Fox and Rabbit
  • Fox and Rabbit sticker
As you can see there was a lot of stuff in the box, and I am looking forward to working on these projects. The half yard of Vintage Sand aida will going into your fabric stash for now and it will be used for a special project or two in the future.  

I am excited to start working on some of these projects, but I am going to be good and wait for a little while to make sure that I can give these projects that attention they deserve.