Now to try to get back to normal

Christmas is now over and things are starting to get back to normal for most people.  Some are still on holidays until next week but at least the craziness of the season is winding down.

As promised here are the items that I made as gifts this year.

The teal wrap was for my sister and it was a pattern from a kit that I bought for myself in October.  My shawl is going to be gray but knew that the teal would go with a lot of clothes that my sister wears.

Close up of shawl for my sister

 Here is a picture of the full wrap once my sister opened it on Christmas day.  It has pockets on both ends which is what made me want the wrap for myself.

Mary Maxim kit - Tweed blanket wrap

 I am really enjoying making these curly scarves and decided that my mom could use one so made her one for Christmas.  I bought the wool-ease white-multi which had a metallic thread in it so it made it a little dressier.

Curly scarf - white glitter yarn

Besides getting a bit of a chance to craft this week I haven't really got a lot to show for what I did.  I was able to sew in ends on some projects.  My ufo count is finally starting to go down as I worked through finishing a few knit hats that I had on the go. 

Oh, besides a bit of crafting I also did a bit of craft shopping.  I know I have enough yarn to last for a few years but had to pick up some more black yarn for joining lapghans together.  I also picked up some gray yarn to make three more curly scarves for people.  Will take a picture of the one I just started as it is using two yarns instead of just the one I normally use.

First I need to work for a while today and then will sit and craft until the new year.

Holiday Spirit

It's now two days before Christmas and I am very happy to say that my handmade gifts are now complete and ready to be wrapped and given as gifts.  I sat this morning and finally finished the last gift and love how it turned out.  I will take pictures before giving it away.

Last night I finally sat down and worked on some cross-stitch which I haven't done for quite a while.  For those that know me you know that I don't normally stitch on Aida cloth anymore but decided to take it very easy and do some ornaments.  Yes I just started some Christmas ornaments so it means I should have them finished by next year.

Bucilla- Counted cross stitch mini ornaments

Oh, I forgot to mention that these ornaments are very simple and something that doesn't take a lot of effort to stitch.

I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year.

I hope next year to be able to post a little more often about things that I can doing.  I am not going to give myself a schedule.  I am now going to start thinking about my goals for next year and at the beginning of the new year I will review my 2010 goals.

6 days to go

I have to admit that I am starting to feel a little better about the gifts that I am currently still trying to get finished before Christmas.

One of the items just needs the ends sewn in and then it's done so should have that done tomorrow.  The other gift is looking a lot better as I decided yesterday to work on it for a while and now can see the end in sight.  Hopefully I can sit and knit on it either today or tomorrow and get it off the needles and then just have the sewing up to do.  Pictures will be taken and I will post them after Christmas.

I haven't had a lot of time to do crafting but that is fine as I am doing something else that I love doing.  I am working on a few client projects for work so that is making me happy as well.  I am hoping that over the holidays I can make some good progress on both my crafting and my work projects.  I may even find a bit of time to work on my name tag for the Gitta's Getaway Retreat which is in April.

So if I don't post before Christmas I want to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year.

This time of year

Yes I have been crafting quite a bit in the last week but of course it's on the gift that I need to get finished by Christmas.  I am looking forward to getting this project done so that I can get back to all the other projects that are sitting waiting to be finished.

I looked around over the weekend and found that I have quite a few projects started that just need some time to finish them.  I think my goal after getting the gifts done will be to finish these projects so that I can get things back under control.

The list of started projects include:
     2 lapghans
     2 mobius scarves
     1 baby sweater
     1 baby afghan
     2 hats

Yes lots of different projects that I need to focus on and get them out of the way.  Having a week between Christmas and New Years is going to be great as I think I will work on these projects.



Now to get to work on some work projects so that I can get them out of the way so that I can get knitting.

December crafting

It's hard to believe but it's the last month of another year.

I am hard at work on a couple of projects that I cannot show yet as they are for others and cannot show them until they receive it.

Saturday had a lot of fun as it was Gitta's Open House at the store so we went there and spent most of the afternoon there.  It is amazing how many people spent quite a bit of time just talking to one another while doing some shopping.  Yes I added to my stash of needlework projects and have actually put a couple of stitches on one of them. 

Now to work on my projects to ensure that they can be completed by the end of this month.

I do want to figure out some of my goals for 2011 and that is something that I guess I should be starting to thinking about now.

Sitting looking out a window while writing this and it is looking like winter today here and already hating the snow.

Finishing projects

I have finally started to finish up some projects so am feeling a little better about things right now.

Curly Scarf

This is a crocheted scarf that I just finished and can't wait to make more of these as they are so much fun to work on.  Yes still trying to use up my yarn stash so finding projects that are quick to complete make me feel wonderful.

I continue to work on the other projects that I have on the go and hope to see some results from them very soon.  Nothing major but have decided that it's time to put a bit of my effort towards myself for a while instead of towards everyone else.

I know that some people may be a little upset to hear this but for so many years I have put everyone else first and have forgotten about me.  I am not going to give up my charity work but am going to start thinking of other items I want to finish.  Also if I am going to compete at Markham Fair again next year I need to start thinking of those categories so that I am not working on them at the last minute.

Time is flying by

It's hard to believe that it's the middle of November already.  I am trying to finish up a couple of charity items as well as a couple of gifts.

The good news is I am continuing to work on a new project which is making me very happy.  I am not going to say too much about it right now as it is still in the early stages.  I have to say that it it involves my knitting and crocheting so that is making me happy.

Now I just need some time to finish up the way too many items that I currently have on the go.  Of course this weekend didn't help as I had to try about a couple of new patterns so that also meant starting a couple of new projects.  Now to finish up the ones I have on the go.

I am also working on a new name tag for a retreat that I will be attending in April of next year.  Yes Gitta's Getaway Retreat is set for next year and I have already marked my calendar for it.  Check out www.gittasgetaway.blogspot.com

Off to work on getting some WIP's into finished projects.

Me time

I did something today that I don't remember when I last did it. I took an entire day to work on projects that are going to be mine.

When I say mine these are items that I have wanted to make for myself and normally I put everyone else way ahead of me. Today thanks to my DH, I was able to spend my entire day working on things for me and not for others. Yes I take time to work on projects for me sometimes but it's an hour here and an hour there if I really try.

The results for today are I have almost finished two mobious scarves. Yes two of them, as one I need to knit two inches on and the other only have 9 inches left before I complete it. You might ask why I didn't finish one before starting the other but at 2:45 this afternoon I decided that I wanted to work on something different and didn't it mean measuring every few rows. I also wanted to spend some time just knitting while watching tv so that is what I did.

Taking today to myself felt so good but have to admit there were times that I looked around and saw other projects that I figured I could work on. All of these other projects are for other people so with a great deal of determination I didn't work on them and feel good.

I know that I can't always take an entire day to myself but I did realize today that sometimes I need to pick up a project for me and work on it without feeling like I should be doing something for someone else.

Remember time for yourself helps in a lot of ways as it gives you time to realize that you are important as well not just everyone else.

Note to self: me time needs to be scheduled and unless an emergency happens you don't reschedule.

Crafting still going on

I just realized that it's been a while since my last post and I have to admit that I have been really busy since that post.

One thing I did was attend the Creativ Festival and spent four days spending time with friends and crafting. It's amazing but so many of these friends only get together once a year but it feels like we were just together. This year I spent most of my time taking needlework classes and there were fun and now to work on getting the projects completed from these classes. I also took two knitting classes, one was good but the other one left a lot to be desired.

Between the Creative Festival and working, my crafting time has been limited in the last couple of weeks so haven't really had much to post. No pictures yet but will be posting some of the projects from the Festival once I get them finished.

Now that things are getting a little more organized I hope to be able to post a little more and hopefully will have pictures to post more often as well.

My yarn stash has grown in the last few weeks but have to say thanks to a friend for the yarn that she gave me a couple of weeks ago. I am currently working on getting some of this yarn into some scarves and blankets for charity.

Off to work on some stuff before it's time to call it quits for tonight.

Link to pictures

As promised I said I would set up a web-page to show you all the pictures of everything that I entered and all the ribbons that I won.

Again there is one picture still missing in both the entries section as well as the ribbon section. Once the person has seen it I will post the pictures.

Markham Fair pictures

Finally posting again

For those of you waiting to see some pictures I must say I am sorry for the delay. After pushing myself to get everything done for the fair I ended up with the virus that has been going around. This is the virus where you really can't think straight and don't have a lot of energy.

I am finally starting to feel a little better but still know that I have to watch what I do so that I don't get sick again.

Now to explain what I am doing with my pictures. I am going to posting a couple of pictures here on my blog and then will post all the pictures on my website so that you can see them at a higher resolution. It is going to take me a couple more days to get the web-page up but here is a taste for now. Once the web-page is posted I will attach a link to my blog so that you can see what I got ribbons for.

I have already started thinking of what I am going to make for next year. Not sure how many items I will end up entering but it was fun seeing the results this year.

I have pushed myself more this year than I have in the past and I am happy to say that I am proud at how far I have come. Now to continue my journey and see how far it really goes. I have a couple of ideas that I am currently working on and will see if they happen and then will continue to see what life has in store for me.

This adventure continues and thanks for being there to support me.

Results

Well I spent this morning checking out the results at the Markham Fair and have to say that there was a lot of really nice items placed in the competition.

Now I entered 14 items and my goal/hope was to receive at least 7 ribbons this year. I took myself out of my comfort zone of knitting, crocheting and cross-stitch and entered other categories are well.

Here are the results
3 - 2nd place
3 - 3rd place
3 - 4th place
5 - no ribbon

I will be posting pictures in the next couple of days but had just a few minutes to sit down and post this.

Everything is ready to go

It's been a busy few days but am extremely happy to say that everything is ready to be dropped off tomorrow for the Markham Fair Handicraft Competition.

Here are a few pictures of some of the items that I will be entering.

I will be adding more pictures during this week as there are 14 items that are being entered so will take some time to get them all uploaded.
I am glad that I got everything done and have to admit that a couple of times I doubted that I would be able to complete everything because it did seem like I was battling an uphill battle but it's over.

Now tomorrow I take everything up to the Fairgrounds and then will see the results later this week.

4 to go

Well I am happy to say that I only have 4 projects to finish by next Tuesday so with fingers crossed I should be able to get them all done.

I am been working pretty hard the last few days making sure that things are getting done. Two items are almost done, one is about 3/4 done and one is yet to be started. Ok I hope to start and finish the last project within a day or two so I should be fine.

I will be taking pictures once I have all the projects completed and before I drop them off for judging. I am hoping to do ok with the fair but only time will tell. A couple of my projects are a little different so that could also be what is making me a little nervous.

I am someone that doesn't normally show off any of my work so entering 14 items in a fall fair is a major step for me. Designing the name tag earlier this year has also helped me see that I should be happy with my work. It's amazing but normally only my family ever gets to see my work and know that I have done it. I do donate a lot of stuff to charity but no one knows it's my work so that has always made doing charity crafting easy for me.

Next week should be posting some pictures of the entries that I have done and then the results shortly after that.

I am finally starting to say that I am proud of the work that I do and will be taking a few more steps to show it off.

Found a little time this morning

Well I am starting to check things off my list of things to finish for the competition so starting to feel a little better about things. Yesterday I was able to finish two projects so now just have 7 more to finish before the end of the month. (5 at home and 2 need to be picked up)

I know I said that I might not be around much but decided to give myself a bit of a reward and sit in front of the computer for a few minutes this morning. Also needed to check the sales flyer for Michaels so another reason I am on the computer.

I sat yesterday and worked on the projects and it felt so good and I have also got two more underway which shouldn't take me too long to do. Of course the ones out of my comfort zone are still sitting not started so I better get working on them so that they can be finished as I am not sure how long they are going to take to complete.

Maybe today I will try and work on the baby afghan that needs to be finished as it is something easy for me to work on and also it's for the competition. It isn't even half way done yet but I think if I can concentrate on it for a couple of evenings I should be able to make good progress on it.

Well time to get off the computer and pick up the crochet hook or knitting needles for a while.

More progress reports later.

Crafting in September

I know that I posted that I will be entering a competition for my crafts at the end of September and today I actually submitted my entry form.

I am now a little stressed as I entered 14 items and still don't have a lot of them completed so going to be extremely busy for the rest of the month getting everything done in time. I know that I can get some of the items finished without a problem but some of the other items are outside my comfort zone so they are going to be the challenge.

I decided to decorate a clay flower pot and a cloth bag which are both different for me so will see how they actually turn out. I know if I sit down and work on each of these items I can get them done but it's just sitting down and doing them that seems to be a problem right now. I keep thinking of all the different knitting and crocheting projects that I would rather be working on.

I have made myself a promise and that is I will get at least 13 of the items finished so now to spend the next almost three weeks working on these items and forgetting about all the other items that are currently sitting partly done or on the to do list. Well it's time that I turn my attention back to my items that need to be finished instead of sitting at my computer.

I will try and update later in the month on my progress but it may not be until the items have actually been submitted that I find the time to sit back down and write.

Crafting and challenges right now

I have to admit that right now I have a few deadlines that I am trying to meet and hope that I can get everything done in time. I have decided that I am going to enter a fall fair handicraft competition so that is currently keeping me extremely busy.

I am still trying to get some charity crocheting done but that has been put on hold mostly as I spend the next month getting everything that I want to enter finished. I also have a few items that I will need to make in this next month so it's going to be a very interesting month. I have until Labour Day to figure out what categories I am going to enter and then until the end of September to finish everything.

Yes I am a little stressed right now but I think I am going to be able to meet my goals if I concentrate on these items for the next month. What it does mean is I cannot start a lot of other projects until everything is done. Now I just need to remember that when I am looking around and trying to figure out what I am going to work on next. My poor DH keeps staying he has to duck all the UFO's that I currently have around as I seem to have more things started than I really should.

Well time to sit back and write out what I think I am going to do and then see if I have the yarn available to do each of these projects and also the time to do each of these items. Yes I am crazy but I want to see if I can get some ribbons this year for my work.

Achieved my goal

Well it's the last day of July and I am so happy to say that I finished the cross-stitch before the end of the month. It turned out really nice and I actually made it into a bell pull which turned out pretty good. I do owe you a picture and will post one early next week.

Besides cross-stitching I have continued to work on the blankets for Sick Kids Hospital which I love doing. I hope to be able to get a few done this weekend as it is a long weekend here in Ontario. I think if I can sit and relax I should be able to get maybe three or four done by the end of Monday.

I want to try and get a few of my ufo's out of the way in August as right now I seem to have way too many things on the go at one time. I was looking last night at a tote of yarn and laughed as most of balls of yarn in the tote are actually started blankets or baby hats. Maybe what I should try and do is focus on one project at a time for a little while and maybe get something actually finished.

Now to see what I actually get done this weekend.

Still around

Yes I am still around and still working on a lot of projects.

The good news is I have started the cross-stitch that I wanted to get completed in July. I am not sure if it will be finished by the end of the month but at least it's started. I have been able to work a couple of days on it so have been seeing results but still quite a bit of it to do.

I am continuing to work on items for the soldiers and veterans and that is where most of my time is currently being spent. I am working on using up some worsted weight yarn on squares and then once it's cooled down a bit I will have lots of lapghans to put together.

This past weekend I was able to spend Saturday with some of my online friends and we all had a great time. It's amazing as we don't see each other much but when we do it seems like we saw each other just the day or week before. In some cases we haven't seen each other for a year but time doesn't make a difference with these ladies. We all seem to sit and talk and help each other with projects as well as see what each person is working on.

I hope to be able to post a picture of the cross-stitch once it is completed so now need to focus on it and hopefully will meet the goal of having it finished by the end of the month.

Crafting and Heat

I have to admit that crafting and heat do not go together too well. This is the third day of extreme heat and now they are saying it's going to be hot until at least Friday and it's only Monday. I am trying to craft but have to admit that not having air conditioning in our entire place makes it difficult.

Today I had a chance to meet up with a fellow crafter and thanks so much for the yarn. It is now in my to use pile and I hope to use the green yarn soon. The green yarn will be used to make a small baby blanket in the near future.

I have been working on some small projects later as trying anything that touches my legs just doesn't work. I am also trying to craft outdoors a bit more so it means projects that are easy to move and therefore need to be small.

The cross-stitch that I want to finish is still not started so I guess once the weather cools off a bit I should actually pick it up and get it done. That also means that I need to start it but hopefully it won't take too long to finish.

If you are dealing with this heat, take care and remember don't over do it.

Sometimes Life Gets In The Way

I think the title of this post explains a lot of things. Life in general sometimes just gets too busy and that means that crafting is put on hold for a little bit.

I am trying to continue to work on my crafts as much as possible but some days I just don't have the time or energy to put up any of my crafts. I do have a cross-stitch that I need/want to get finished by the end of July so I better get busy working on it. There is no real deadline for it other than what I say but it shouldn't take too long to do.

I have started putting together some lapghans and now have a request for 5 more so am going to be busy getting all of these done and sent off to the various projects. I hope that once I get started on these lapghans they will all go quickly.

Now to say that I have lots of things on the go is an understatement. I do need to try and focus on getting a few things completed so that my list of unfinished projects (UFO's) doesn't grow any more.

Last week I did accomplish something and that was to figure out how long it takes me to crochet a small baby blanket (12"x16"). I had never sat down and worked on one from start to finish and it is normally something I take with me and work on a bit at a time. Well last week thanks to an appointment I was able to sit and crochet and found out that I can complete one small baby blanket in 3 hours. My crocheting also meant a lot of discussions around me as people tried to figure out what I was doing. Finally someone asked about my project so I explained it to this lady and a lot of other people of course were listening.

I am enjoying finally sitting out in public and doing my crocheting or knitting. I have knit and crocheted for over 30 years but finally love to let other people see what I do.

Off to try and crochet for a little bit before another busy day.

Crafting and planning

Today was a lot of fun as I decided that it was time to work on sorting squares so that they could be made into lapghans. This project involved sorting the squares into size and colours and then figuring out a layout that would look ok.

I took the squares and spend them out on the floor as it meant I could then arrange them into possible lapghans easily without running out of room. The first lapghan didn't take too long to arrange but the next three took some time. I now have 5 lapghans ready to be crocheted together so hope to start getting them done soon.

I am still working on granny squares using part balls of yarn so hope to be able to work on getting more of them done soon.

My quick project is blankets that are 12"x16" and they don't take too long for me to do. These blankets are also something that I can carry with me so I have been trying to ensure that I normally have one with me at all times now.

I look around right now and see lots of yarn or squares and would like to continue working on getting my stash under control. I know this is going to be a long progress as I do have lots of yarn but am going to keep trying to make a dent in my stash a little bit at a time.

Time to get some sleep and then see what tomorrow brings.

Hot weather means less crafting

This last week has been extremely hot here so have to admit that I haven't got much crafting done.

I was gifted with some part balls of worsted weight yarn so have been working on some granny squares for some lapghans that I will be making when it's cooler. I love having small projects to work on when the weather is hot. I at least can see that I am getting something done even if it isn't what I really want to be working on.

It's great when someone asks if you want some yarn and you can smile and say yes. Thank goodness my husband is understanding when I come home with more yarn. At least this yarn didn't cost me anything so it isn't too bad. Yes it was almost 4,500 grams of yarn but if I work hard on it I should be able to make a pretty good dent in it over the next couple of months.

This isn't the first time I have received yarn as last month my mom gave me some part balls of sports weight yarn and I have been working on making 12" x 17" baby blankets with that yarn. As I say I don't say no to free yarn when I know I will be able to use it.

So right now nothing really to show unless you want to see a pile of granny squares. Well better get back to crocheting so that I can use up some of this yarn.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend and if in Ontario enjoyed a cooler day today.

Little progress

I have to admit that I haven't been getting a lot of time to craft lately and it has been showing. I have finished another biscornu (no picture yet) and have been working on some small baby blankets.

Today I went and picked up some linen so that I can work on a 25th anniversary piece for some friends that are celebrating their anniversary this summer. Now I just need to sit down and actually start working on it so that I can get it done in time.

Tonight I have spent the evening crocheting and working on some small baby blankets that will be sent to Sick Kids Hospital. These blankets are used to keep babies warm after they have had surgery so they are only 12"x17" and quick for me to make. I am hoping to be able to finish one or two more this weekend but will see what I actually accomplish.

I am still working on items for the soldiers as I would like to have lots of items to drop off in August. I am currently working on some slippers and want to make some cool ties and even some hats before August but will see what I actually accomplish.

I know that I haven't posted any pictures lately of my cross-stitch progress as I haven't worked on it lately. Also what I have done looks really boring as I have been working on the border instead of the border and motifs. I hope to be able to get back to working on my bell pull soon so that I can get it finished. My goal is to have it completed by a retreat next April so that I can show it at the project parade.

Well off to try and finish one blanket tonight and then see what the rest of the weekend has in store.

A Major Accomplishment

Before anyone says something this post has nothing to do with crafting but with a personal goal that I had set for myself and achieved this morning.

Over the last 6 years I have been helping organize a charity run/walk for allergies and never had a chance to actually do a walk. This morning my husband and I participated in our very first charity 5km walk and am happy to say that we completed it without any problems. I do have to give my husband a lot of credit as he stayed beside me most of the way due to a hill at the end that I was a little concerned about. I do have asthma so didn't know how the lungs and the legs would handle the hill. My husband did complete the walk a few seconds ahead of me so that he could take a picture of me finishing.

Last week we did a 7.2km walk and it took us 78 minutes so I figured that I should be able to complete this 5km walk in 55 minutes considering the hill up at the end. Now I didn't do much training for this event other than my normal walking so am extremely happy with the final time.

My time for this 5km walk was 49:39 minutes which is more than 5 minutes under what I had set for my goal. It's hard to explain how I am currently feeling other than extremely happy as I proved to myself I could do it and do it within a good time.

We did see someone that had participated last year at the run that we were race directors at and of course he won the 5km run event today. When we were talking he asked me my time and when I told him he was happy that I had done it in that short of time.

Now to put my feet up for a while and enjoy some well deserved crafting time.

Cross stitch time

Yes I still owe you the rest of the retreat write up but tonight I am going to show you what I have been working on. I have been working on a TW Designs pattern called "Celtic Knotwork Crosses" and I am doing the bellpull. It is going to be 5.5" x 22.5 " when it is finished. I started this project just before the retreat so that I had something easy to work on while I was there. I did get quite a bit of back stitching done there.

This is what I had done before I went to retreat.
I got all the back stitching I could get done completed while at retreat and actually did a bit of cross-stitching as well.
I then decided to spend today working on this instead of doing everything else that I should have been doing. I am happy with what I accomplished today and now to see what I can do this weekend as I would like to get the back stitch on the motif completed.

I am looking forward to actually writing about the rest of the retreat as there were lots of laughs but it really did go way to quickly.

Great Retreat

I am currently sitting in my hotel room and figured I would update everyone on how the weekend is going. GREAT!!!! is an understatement for sure as everyone is having a great time and getting to know everyone else.

The retreat last night started with a pajama party and it was a lot of fun and a great way to get to know everyone. Between the interesting pajamas, slippers and playing getting to know you bingo everyone got a chance to talk to each other even if it was "how can you help me?" That was a common question being asked during the bingo game.

This morning started with a Buffet breakfast and then off to a workshop for the morning. The workshop went very quickly and then off to a Buffet style lunch. The staff has been great at the hotel and the food amazing. The afternoon was spent stitching but still not a lot to show yet so hopefully tomorrow I will take a picture of it. Currently getting changed and then heading down for a Banquet dinner and then back to stitching.

Hope to be able to tell more later and tonight the award for the best name tag is going to be awarded so we will see what happens. Don't know how I will do with the name tag contest but will let everyone know how it goes.

Name tag

For those of you waiting to see the finished name tag, I am happy to be able to finally show it off.

The rules were it was to be 3” x 4” and it had to have our name on it. I met both of these and actually made it into a small pocket to hold items such as a room key and I can hang it around my neck.

It was a challenge to figure out what was going to finally be on the name tag and what wouldn't work this time. What I was trying to show on this was some of the various parts of me as well as my love of various needlework techniques. The fabric is 32ct linen and the border is over 2 stitches. There are beads on the edges of the name tag as well. Now to try and explain each block.

1. Mittens (cross-stitch over 1 thread) – I knit and crochet for charity and mittens are one of the items that I make.

2. Computer (charm) – what part of my work is as a document writer and trainer.

3. Yarn basket (specialty stitches) – I have a large stash of yarn and would love if my stash fit into a yarn basket.

4. Name (cross-stitch) – I used over-dyed floss to show that I am not one dimensional and there are various parts to me.

5. Specialty stitches – some of the stitches that are used in needlework.

6. Cat and scissors (charms) – the cat or kitten refers to my nickname of Craftkitten and the scissors are something that a crafter that knits, crochets and does needlework requires.

7. Spools of floss (metallic threads) – some of the threads that I use when doing some of my needlework and also how I enjoy wearing brighter colours sometimes.

8. Deer and trees (cross-stitch and specialty stitches) – this is the view that I see out of my in-laws dining room window (aka Wildlife TV) and it also shows my love of nature.

9. Flowers (petit point) – I love taking pictures of flowers and the design is by Kathrin who taught me how to petit point.

Life is too short

I have been doing a lot of thinking over the last couple of days and have really realized that life to too short to not enjoy it.

This weekend is the Cross Stitch Retreat that I have been looking forward to for the last four months. Hard to believe it's finally here but have to admit that I am extremely excited about it as well.

Last night we were talking to a friend while having dinner and I mentioned that a couple of times I had thought about not going to the retreat even after I signed up. His comment "You're going and that's it!" He continued to tell me that you need to do things that make you happy and not just do things for everyone else.

OK I listened and am now packed and ready for my weekend of stitching and walking to other cross-stitchers. It is me time and yes doing something that I love to do and leaving all the other pressures sitting in my spot on the couch. I can find the pressures on Sunday evening once I am home but for the next 56 hours I am walking away from them.

Enjoy your weekend and watch later for another post about my name tag.

Good week

I have been busy working on a cross-stitch that I will be taking to the retreat I am attending this coming weekend. I have started Celtic Knotwork Crosses Bell Pull by TW Designs. I don't have much done on it so there is no picture to show yet but hopefully after this weekend I will have something to show.

Another nice thing happened last week and this is what it was, the Sunshine award.The rules of this award are:

1. Put the logo on your blog or within your post.
2. Pass the award to 12 bloggers.
3. Link the nominees within your post.
4. Let them know they received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award.

I have to say a big Thank You to Silverlotus of Reflections in the Pond.

So that is all that has been happening in the last few days so now to get ready for my retreat this weekend. I hope to have lot to tell you early next week about the retreat and pictures of progress on my cross-stitch.

Feeling guilty

I have to admit that the last couple of weeks I have been feeling extremely guilty about not doing the charity crafting that I normally do. I have a habit of putting everyone else first and in the last two weeks I have sat back and thought about me first for a change.

It's hard to believe but I have hardly crocheted at all over this time but have enjoyed cross-stitching and seeing progress on the various projects that I have on the go. I have put a list together of all my cross-stitch kits and the list is extremely long. I have been going to the Creative Festival every year and over the last few years acquired a large number of class kits. My list doesn't just include the festival kits thank goodness as the list is currently over kits to complete, most of them at least started, but it is over 50 projects and still haven't finished writing them all up.

Now maybe everyone will understand why I am taking some time to myself as I need to put a bit of a dent in this collection. My cross-stitch is something that I haven't done a lot of in the last couple of years due to other reasons but am happy that I have re-found the love that I have for it.

Sitting back and thinking through everything that I work on both craft wise as well as professionally is helping me regain a focus that I have lost. Now to continue on this process and hopefully see what I can do in the next few days.

Name tag and other items

I have been working on getting my name tag ready for the retreat at the end of the month and am happy to say that I need about two more hours and then it will be ready for me to wear. I am excited about posting a picture but that will happen after the retreat so that no one sees it before.

I have been working on a couple of other cross-stitches as well since I last posted. I have finished a biscornu and scissor fob that my mom asked me to stitch for her. The biscornu was a free pattern on line (will post link when I find it again) and then the scissor fob I used part of the biscornu pattern to make it.

The other cross-stitch that I have been working on is First Dragon Encounter by Dragon Dreams and I am happy to say that I am just about finished this cross-stitch as well. I started this one in October 2008 at the CreativFestival and then put it away and didn't complete it. I am now working on getting a few of my kits completed instead of just adding to the collection that I have. I made a list of all the kits that I have and well it's going to be quite a while before I can complete all of the kits.

The rest of life has been busy as well so now to finish up the work on my desk so that I can spend my evening cross-stitching and maybe finishing First Dragon Encounter and starting the cross-stitch I want to work on at retreat. Yes I am busy but loving it at the same time.

Name tag progress

I haven't posted much as I have been busy designing and stitching my name tag for the retreat at the end of April. Well I think all the stitching on the front is now done so am feeling pretty good about that. I wanted it done by Easter so am ahead of schedule. Now I just need to work on getting the rest of the name tag figured out and then I can put it together and finished ahead of time.

I have also been getting some other crafting done and am very happy that now I have a contact so that I can make some lapghans for the veterans. I am still hoping that I will be able to get lapghans to injured Canadian soldiers but having problems with that project but I haven't given up.

As I said I am not going to post a picture of my name tag until after the retreat but am happy that I can now focus on some of the other things that need my attention.

Crafting and trying to relax

Things have been a little crazy around here lately and I have to admit that I haven't had a lot of chances to lose myself in my crafts. Last week I was able to cross-stitch for 7 hours which made me feel really great. I am finally starting to see some progress on a number of my unfinished projects. I know I still have a long way to go to make a good dent but at least this is a start.

My one big challenge that I am working on right now is designing a name tag for a cross-stitch retreat that I will be attending at the end of April. The only guidelines we got were that our first name had to be on it and it was to be no longer that 3"x4". Ok so that means I have blank piece of canvas and way too many ideas in my head. A number of the ideas that I have are thanks to my husband who kept coming up with more and more ideas and finally I had to tell him to stop thinking of more ideas because I need to start stitching the piece. I haven't finished the entire design of the piece but have started to stitch it. I am not going to post any pictures here until after I go to retreat because there is a contest for the best name tag and I don't want to give away any ideas.

I am keeping track of all the different flosses that I use for the name tag and am going to write up the entire pattern once it's finished. So now to make sure it's finished and ready to wear by April 30th. The retreat is through Gitta's www.gittas.com which is my local cross-stitch store.

Until the retreat I have a lot of projects that I want to finish so now need to sit and actually work on things instead of just sitting and thinking of all the projects that need my attention.

It's Wednesday and I think I am going to try and cross-stitch some this evening to continue to make a dent in one of my many, many, many projects.

Post Olympics Update

The Olympics are now over and I can get back to doing things according to the routine I had prior to the Olympics starting. Yes like a lot of crafters I have sent a great deal of time in front of the TV watching the Olympics but also getting some crafts done.

I kept track of everything that I finished during the Olympics are now here it is:

• 30 soap savers sewn together
• lapghan crocheted
• 4 scarves finished - ends sewn in
  
• 1 hat sewn together
  
• small baby blanket 17"x 12"
• worked on baby afghan and got it 3/4 done and it should be finished within the next couple of days.
• multi-colour lapghan - started joining the squares together and got it just over half completed.

Now I am going to focus on getting a few more unfinished projects finished so that I can get things under control again. I know that I still have lots of unfinished projects so am going to work through March to get more of the items done.

Off to work on other things.

Crafting and Olympics

The next couple of weeks is going to be interesting for crafters who also enjoy watching sports.

My goal over the next two weeks is to try and finish some of my unfinished projects while watching the Olympics. I had though about doing one of the crafting Olympic challenges but decided that I was going to work on finishing my projects instead.

What I need to do today before the Olympics official start is to organize the projects that I want to work on and get them ready. I think I am going to try and track all the different projects that I finish between now and when the Olympic flame goes out.

Now to get started working on getting all my stuff ready so that I can enjoy the Olympics without having to search for projects.

Crafting for charity

Today I had a day to think about why I craft for charities and what makes me happy doing what I do. Sometimes others may try and impose their wishes or desires/demands on you but if you stick to what is important to you and what makes you happy then you are doing what is right.

Sometimes I sit back and feel that I am not doing enough charity work but then I realize that I am only one person and have other obligations that need to be met on a daily/weekly time frame. I wish I could spend all my time crafting but that isn't possible as I need to still make an income otherwise I can't craft at all. I also have family demands that are important to me and then I also need time for myself so that I can do things that make me happy for myself.

Crafting for a charity sometimes seems to take over a great deal of time but it is very important that once it becomes a job that you step back and rethink what you are doing. You are only one person and can only do so much and no one should expect any more than that from you. Some people may think that you are not doing enough but always remember that if you are happy with what you are contributing that is what is important.

Off now to take some time to do what is important to me and that is for tonight doing something for myself.

New Years Resolution

I meant to post this on January 1st so that I would actually do it.

I have promised to myself that I am going to set one evening aside to cross-stitch. I have lots of unfinished projects so I figure that this is one way to get some of them finished. What I do need to do is actually look at what I have to finish and try and put them into some sort of order so that I can work on them and get them finished.

I have a retreat coming up at the end of April so I do want a couple of items finished by then. I have a needle case that I started in 2008 that I want to finish by then as well as another case to complete. Now to see if I can get both of these items finished before treat.

Now to go and sort out all of my projects.

Crafting in 2010

It's already the 5th of January and I am feeling like I am making no progress on anything. I have a lot of things on the go but it is hard to actually see any progress on them. I think part of it is besides trying to craft I have a lot of other things going on in my life right now and just want everything to stop and let me deal with my feelings.

I know lots and lots of ideas that I want to write about but it is finding the time to actually put everything in words so that I can post them.

Now to try and do a little bit of crafting before tucking in so that I can relax otherwise it is going to be another sleepless night for me.