English Paper Piecing - December progress

Here it is the end of a month, also a start of a new month and this time also a start of a new year.  I have been able to find some time each month to at least make some progress on at last one project. Hopefully in 2025 I will be able to find a bit more time to work on my EPP and maybe see projects finished or at least moved forward quiet a bit.

Popsy's throw - at least I was able to spend time working on getting some more of the motifs made which is good. During December I was able to get 30 motifs completed as well as I flower joined together.

I have three different throws that are labelled popsy's throw and that is because all of these are using fabric from shirts that were popsy's. I hope in 2025 that I can get one of the throws finished and then I can focus on the other two and get them done as well.

Other projects - I haven't worked n any of the other EPP projects. I hope in early 2025 that I can pick up the table runner and maybe see if I can get the quickly done on it. I have the quilting left to do as well as the binding so those are some of the other goals that I have.

I hope if you are working on your EPP that you are also making some progress on it. In January I will see how much work I can get done on at least one of these projects and I will see it to you at the beginning of February.

 

A finish and progress

Here it is the start of another week and hopefully I will be able to continue to move things forward. It is going to be a busy week so that means that I am going to have to see what I can find those little bits of time to work on the projects that are calling me.

At least the heat and humidity has come down a bit so that means that we might be able to focus on things a little easier now or at least that is what I hope. Last week was a slow week given how hot and humid it was. Now to see if we can get more things done this week.

Star Touched Meadows Stitch Along - January - here is the cross stitch project that I have been working on. I was looking at this piece at the beginning of the week and thought that if I could just work on it for a while I might get it finished.

The good news is after spending some time once the heat and humidity broke, I was able to add the rest of the colours into this piece and it is now finished. It did take me longer than I had hoped to get this piece finished but it is now done. 

I haven't decided what project that I am going to work on next, but I do know that I need to figure that out. There are a lot of projects wanting some attention so maybe this coming week I will pull out something that I haven't worked on for a while and put in some stitches on it. I would like to see if I can move something along quickly because it would be nice to have another finish, but I am not certain when a finish is going to happen.

Lamina Wrap - here is the knitting project that has been getting some attention and I am happy with the progress that I have been able to make on it. I am now at the point that I am going to be deciding if I am going to just do 23 lace sections or will I do all 25 sections. This is a decision that I will be making very soon because I am now on the 21st lace section, and the wrap is getting pretty long. 

This project is a lot of fun to work on and I enjoy seeing it come to life so will see what it really looks like once it is finished, and I can block it. I do know that I have been enjoying working on this project and am looking forward to working on my next project. The Lamina Wrap is a nice pattern to work on as it is easy to follow and something that I can pick up and put down based on how much time I have to work on the piece.

Hopefully this wrap will have at least all the knitting completed this week as I already have the next project figured out that I would like to start at the beginning of July.

Other projects - I haven't been working on any other projects because I have been focusing on trying to move these projects closer to a finish. This coming week I do have another project that I would like to try and move forward a bit so will see how that goes. Maybe now that the cross stitch focus for this month is finished I can work on something else for a little while.

I hope everyone can find that bit of time to do something that makes you happy each day. It doesn't have to be anything big but at least spending a little bit of time doing something that helps you regain your focus is important. Being able to relax is what is important and having that bit of time does help.

This week I am not certain what I will be working on other than the Lamina Wrap but I hope to have some progress to show you next week. Have a good week and hope your weather is cooperating.

 

Getting closer to some finishes

Here it is the start of another week and there are a few things that I would like to get finished up quickly this week. It is going to be a busy week here but at least I hope to find a bit of time where I can spend some time working on my projects.

Last week I said I wanted it to warm up a little bit and now this week we are under an extreme heat warming with temperatures in the 30's Celsius and with humidex warnings into the 40's so it is going to be a hot week here. This means that I am going to have to work hard each morning to get things done before the heat makes it difficult to focus on work.

Of course, I will so be trying to make some progress on a couple of projects as I am starting to see that both projects are getting closer to a finish.

Star Touched Meadows Stitch Along - January - this is my cross stitch focus lately and I am starting to see that I am getting closer to having this piece finished. I have reached the 75% complete and only have four more colours to add into this project.

I am happy with the progress that I was able to make this last week on this piece and hopefully this week I can continue to add more of the colours and stitches to it. It does take a while to complete each of these months because of how many stitches there are in them. After January is completed, I think I might be picking up something different to work on for a little while just for a bit of a break from these pieces.

Lamina Wrap - this is the knitting project that got all the attention last week and I am loving how quickly I have been able to see progress on it. This piece has got quite a bit of attention over the last week and part of that is because I am enjoying working on it. Of course, I still have a way to go on the wrap because I am just working on the 18th lace section out of 25 so still a bit of a way to go on it.

I have been trying to add at least 12 rows a day to this wrap so that I can see progress on it and right now that does help see that I am getting closer to a finish. The one thing that I am not looking forward to doing is sewing in all the ends that I have. I do know that I am so happy with how the wrap is turning out and I look forward to seeing it off the needles and blocked.

Of course, I have a list of shawls and wraps that I would like to work on after finishing this project so I will see which one I pick to work on after this one is done.

Other projects - I have worked on a couple of other projects for a little bit but not enough to have any progress to show. Hopefully soon I will have enough done on something that it is worth showing but for now it is just a project that I have worked on in the car.

I hope everyone is finding that bit of time each day to do something that you enjoy. For me, it is my crafting that helps me recharge my personal batteries most of the time. There are other days where just sitting and watching the world go by that helps the most. It doesn't matter what I do as long as I take that bit of time each day to do something to help me recharge.

This coming week I hope that I can continue to move these two main projects closer to a finish. Seeing that both projects are getting closer to being finished makes me happy. We will see what I can get done this week and a lot of that will depend on how hot it is out and what I feel like doing.

Hope everyone has a good week and if you are dealing with extremely temperatures, please take care of yourself and remember to drink lots of water.

Making a bit of progress

Here it is the start of another week and I know that I have quite a few things that need my attention. Hopefully I will also be able to find some time to also get some crafting done. Of course, there is also work that needs to get done, so my crafting is something that I do after I get the work done.

The weather has once again cooled down, so not sure when we are going to be back to some late spring weather. It would be nice if the weather warmed up a bit, so I could enjoy sitting on our balcony and crafting. 

Star Touched Meadows Stitch Along - January - here is the cross stitch project that has been getting some attention. I am continuing to work on getting more of the sections or colours completed.

What I have been trying to do with this project is trying and complete a colour at a time. Given the sections repeat, it makes it an easy project to work that way. I am not certain if I will complete the rest of the project this way, but it is working out well currently.

 

It would be nice if I could see this section of the stitch along finished, given this is the January section and the June section has been released. I also know that I am not putting pressure on my self to keep up with this project, so that is good. Hopefully I will be able to continue to move this project forward a bit more, as it would be nice to see a couple more of the colours added.

If things go well, I will be able to get the other section of diamonds completed this coming week, and then it is just a matter of filling in the other smaller sections. I am continuing to focus on this piece for now as I do know that there is another project that I will be starting on August 1st so need to make sure that I have got things completed by then.

Lamina Wrap - here is the knitting project that has been my focus, and I am so happy with the progress that I was able to make on it over the last week. This has been my focus project over the last week, and I have been able to at least get more of the sections done. The lace sections are only 12 rows so they don't take a long time to do when you can focus on working on them.

 

I have been trying to get this project completed by the end of the month, so it means that it will be a focus until it is done. The pattern calls for 25 lace sections and given I am just on the 13th lace section I still have a ways to go before this piece is done. This week I hope to make a bit more progress on this, as seeing it closer to a finish would make me feel so much better. I do have a bunch more shawls and wraps that I would like to start, but I have decided that I am going to be working on them one at a time to ensure that I can see progress on something.

Other projects - I haven't been working on any other projects this last week, and part of that is because I have wanted to try and more these two projects closer to a finish.

I have been trying to at least take a bit of time each day to do something that I enjoy. It has helped me recharge my personal battery, so that does make me feel a lot better. Hopefully I will be able to continue to do that and see more things completed over the next while.

If things go well this week, I should have a bit of progress to show you next week on at least one of the projects. It would be nice to have both of them moved forward over the week, and that is going to be my goal. Until next week, please remember to take some time for yourself each day, as it is important to make sure we are caring for ourselves so we can be there for those around us.

Moving projects forward this week

Here it is the start of another week, and I can say that I have been able to move a couple of my projects forward in the last week. Now to see what this week is going to be like as I know that there are things that need my attention so will see what I can get done.

The weather hasn't been the best as we have been getting quite a bit of rain and the weather is still cool. Hopefully the weather will improve soon, and we will be able to enjoy being outside more.

Star Touched Meadows Stitch Along - January - here is the project that I picked up after finishing 324. This project I put down in March and it finally got a bit more attention this past week. I am happy with the progress that I have been able to make on it so far.

It feels better seeing that I have been able to pick up a project that I had on the go and finally make some progress on moving it forward. Of course, this is the January section of the stitch along and the June section was just released on Saturday so yes, I am way behind on this stitch along but that doesn't bother me. I am enjoying working on the various projects that I have on the go and will finish this entire stitch along at some point. I knew when I started it, I wasn't going to be keeping up. I do enjoy working on these pieces as they are an easy stitch, but they are full coverage, so they do take quite a bit of time to finish each of them.

I am going to be working on this piece as I would like to see it finished before too long. I still have a way to go on it but at least I am moving it forward again.

Lamina Wrap - here is the knitting project that I have been working on. It does knit up pretty quickly when I can sit and focus on it. Being able to work on each of the sections is a lot of fun and I am enjoying this wrap. The pattern calls for 25 lace sections, so I still quite a bit of knitting before I see the end of this project.

I hope to be able to continue to move this project forward a bit at a time as it does make me happy seeing that I have got the sections done. This hopefully will be my knitting focus for a while as it makes me happy when I can work on a project and see progress on it.

Other projects - I have been working on a couple of other projects a little bit but nothing major. Now what I want to do is try and keep a focus on only a couple of projects and move them forward. Seeing results like I have seen on these two projects this week makes me feel good.

I hope everyone is taking that bit of time each day to recharge your personal battery. It is important to take a bit of time for yourself to ensure you are able to be there for everyone else.

This week I hope to be able to continue to move my projects forward and will have a bit of progress to show you next week. Have a good week and I will be back next week with a bit of an update.

 

Finishes and some progress

Here it is the start of another week and a week where I hope that I can continue to move things forward. It is going to be a busy week so now to focus on at least making some progress on things.

This last week I was able to spend some time stitching and I am happy with the overall progress that I was able to make on the projects that I picked up.

Sheltie - here is one of my old starts that I wanted to see if I could get it moved forward this week because it has been sitting around for a very long time.

This piece was only around 40 x 60 stitches, so it didn't take me long once I was able to pick it up and focus on it. It felt great being able to get this piece done so that is another project that was started years ago off my list of projects to do. 

I do have another project similar to this, but it is going to wait for a while. It feels great being able to continue to get more of the projects out and finally completed so now to see what happens and how I am going to finish this piece.

Blue bird - after I finished Sheltie it was time to look through my projects and see if there was something else so that is exactly what I did.

Here is a project that I started in 2019 and figured it was time to pull it out and see if I could get it finished. The key was the part of the piece that wasn't as enjoyable to do as it was using metallic thread. I figured it wouldn't take me long to move this piece from a started to a finished project.

The bird was a lot of fun to stitch, and it didn't take long to get it all done so that was great.  It was only two colours of thread for the entire project so that made it easy to do. I am not certain why I didn't get this piece finished before now but at least it is now finished and that makes me feel so much better.

There are two more birds in this series but once again as they aren't started yet I am going to wait and work on them later on. Currently I am trying to move things forward so will see how that goes.

This Blue Bird is by Wild Violet and now I just need to figure out how I am going to finish it but that will wait until I am in a finishing mood.

Star Touched Meadows Stitch Along - January - between trying to move projects to a finish I knew that I needed to spend some time working on the January section of the Star Touched Meadows Stitch Along.

I was going to focus on this piece over the weekend but after working on the blue bird I decided that this project would get some attention. I am enjoying working on this piece when i pick it up as I can sit and work on a colour and see some good progress.

I know that I am behind on this project as the February and March patterns have been released and in a couple of weeks April will be released but it doesn't bother me. When I started this project, I figured I wouldn't be keeping up with it because I also want to work on other projects as well.

It does feel good having a project that I can pick up and work on it for a little bit and actually see progress on it. I am going to see if I pick this up again this week because it would be nice to add some more colours to the piece. I am trying to work on the bottom section of the design so that I can at least get some of the white done on the piece instead of leaving it all to the end. 

Alzheimer's Poem - here is another project that was started quite a while ago. This project was started in 2020 and it didn't get any love in 2023 so I figured it was time to pull it out and maybe work on it to see if I could get it done.

I charted this poem myself after seeing the poem as a poster. It said a lot of the things that we were feeling at the time I started it, so I felt I needed to stitch it. We are still feeling those feelings now and I would like to see if I can get this piece finished before to long.

To complete this piece, I just need to finish all the last two sections and then the piece will be finished. I am going to see if I can focus on this piece this coming week to move it closer to a finish.

You may think that stitching words work up quicky but when you have to stop and start your thread between each word it does take some time. Also, this is on 22 count fabric so it takes a bit more focus given I am going it over 1 thread.

Let's see what I can get done on this project this week. I will try and continue to add more stitches to it each day as I would love to have it done before too long.

Asymmetrical Lace Knit Shawl - my knitting did get some attention this week as I was getting closer to a finish, and I wanted to see if I could get it finished.

Of course, there were days when reading the pattern just didn't work as well as I liked, and it meant taking rows out a couple of times. It became my goal of when I was having a good knitting day to try and get as many rows done as I could. By the time we got to the weekend I have three rows left to knit and then the cast off, so I was determined to get it finished.

The shawl is now finished, and all the ends are sewn in so that means that there is another knitting project off the list of projects that I wanted to do.

I am going to see what project I pull out next because I don't have a project that is currently on the go that I want to work on. Last this week I do a Mystery Knit Along that I hope to start but will see how that goes. Before I post any pictures of this shawl, I will have to see what the rules are regarding doing that. I have never done a Mystery Knit Along, so I figured it was time to try and do something a little different.

Other projects - I have been working on my English Paper Piecing this last week so that is something else that has got some attention.

This coming week I am not certain what will get the attention other than the Alzheimer's Poem as I would like to get that piece closer to a finish.

I hope everyone is having a good time and you are finding time to do the things that you enjoy doing. It doesn't have to be major projects and for long times each day. Making sure that you are finding that time where you can relax and recharge your own personal battery is the important thing.

Hope everyone has a good week and hopefully I will have a bit of progress on things to show you next week. 
 

Moving projects forward

Here it is the start of another week, and it looks like it is going to be another busy week but at least the temperatures are warming up so that makes me happy. Looking out the window it is hard to believe it is March as we have no snow on the ground right now.

I have been trying to find those bits of time where I could focus on a project, and I am happy that I was able to at least find a bit of time each day to work on something which was good.

Star Touched Meadows SAL - January - here is the piece that got the cross stitch attention and I am happy that I was able to move it forward a bit. Of course, I didn't get as much stitching done as I would have liked but at least I was able to move the project forward some this week.

I would like to see how much more of this I can get done this week as it makes me happy to see that I made some progress on it. Maybe just sitting and working on it one colour at a time is a good idea. I haven't finished the green yet, but the one pink colour is finished for this month and that made me feel good. I know that I am still a long way from finishing this month but at least I was able to get some of it done which is good.

There are still a lot of colours to go on this piece so I will see how this week goes and if I can work on this piece or not. I do have some other projects that I would like to work on so I will see what happens when I go to pick up a project for this week.

Asymmetrical Lace Knit Shawl - I was able to continue to work on this piece. I finally finished the bottom section of the design and have now started to work on adding the lace section. The first couple of pattern rows for some reason didn't want to go in correctly but after that I seem to have been able to work on this section and I am enjoying it.

In the picture you can't see the actual pattern, but hopefully once it is completed it will show up in the pictures. It is a nice simple lace pattern, but it does take a bit of time to ensure you are working on the correct row otherwise it won't turn out the way it was designed.

Other projects - I have been trying to figure out some of the English Paper Piecing projects as well this week so that is something that has also taken a bit of my time. Now to see what I actually can get done on the various projects in the next little while.

This week I am not certain what I am going to be working on but will see what catches my attention. I do know that I have some other things that I would like to do so that means I need to focus on the various projects and then see what happens.

I hope everyone has a good week and remember to find that bit of time to recharge your personal battery. If things go well this week, I hope to have a bit more progress on things to show you next week.

 

A finish and some progress

Here it is the start of another week, and another month has almost come to an end. It has been a busy month and I know that the next couple of months are also going to be busy so will just have to see how things go.

If someone told me, it was still February when I look at the temperature I would laugh because it sure doesn't feel like that here. We have had temperatures above freezing most days and the forecast for this coming week is once again warm weather.

Red Rose - here is the cross stitch project that got the attention this past week. It was started quite a while ago but over the last week I decided to focus on it and see if I could get it finished up quickly.

Being able to focus on just this piece it made me happy, and I was able to get it finished. So, a project that was started over 10 years ago is finally finished. It would have been nice to finish this project years ago, but at least now it is one more thing off my list of projects to finish.

This project was Red Rose by Linda Overduin Designs and it was a kitted project, so I didn't have to find floss or fabric for it, so it was a fun project to get back to working on. By focusing some time on this it means that other projects that I have on the go, got very little attention but now that this is done it is time to start working on another project and maybe see how much of it I can get done.

Star Touched Meadows - January - here is a very small start on this project. Being able to at least get the border completed was good and hopefully this coming week I can spend a bit of time working on this and maybe get some progress done on it. 

I hope to at least get some more work on this before end weekend as I would like to see what the colours are like on this piece. The flower for January is Carnation so I think the colours are a lot lighter so will see how they turn out.

Asymmetrical Lace Knit Shawl - this is the knitting project that has got some attention over the last week, and it has felt good. I am still working on the increases and hopefully this week I will be able to start the pattern section of the shawl. It is fun having something that I don't need to look at a pattern for a while. 

I have been trying to spend a bit of time each day working on this shawl, and I think that has helped me see some good progress on the overall project. This week I would like to once again try and add some more rows to this and get into the lace pattern. Time will tell how much of it I can get done before next weekend.

Other projects - I haven't worked on any other projects this past week and I do know that I would like to make a bit more progress on my English Paper Piecing before I write that blog on Friday. Maybe that is going to be a focus for at least one day this week and I will see how things go after that.

I hope everyone has had a good week and you have found that bit of time each day to do something for yourself. It can be a challenge some days to get that time but at least if you can find that time most days that is what is good.

This week I have things that I need to get done so it is going to be a busy week, but I also hope that I can find some time to sit and recharge my own personal batteries by picking up one of my craft projects and work on it for a little while.

Another finish and some progress

Here it is the start of another week and part of me isn't sure where the week went. It has been a busy week for me, so now to see what this week as in store. I think this week is going to be another week when my crafting will be those few minutes when I can find the time.

I think things are starting to get back to normal as more of the restrictions have been lifted, but we still have some restrictions and have to be careful.

Mini Bouquet Sampler - January - this week I decided that I wanted to see if I can get another project finished, so I picked up the January design that I have been working on.

This design didn't take me too long to finish once I was able to focus on it instead of just doing bits and not seeing much progress on it. I am now happy that the January design is done, and now I can move onto the February piece. I would like to get these caught up soon, but I do know that it is going to be a bit of time given the schedule for the next couple of weeks for me.

This piece was fun to work on and yes they are pineapples, and it was fun to stitch and now to see what the February piece looks like.

Ruskins Penguins - I decided it was time to see if I could add a few more stitches into this project and maybe get a bit more of it done. I still have lots of the border to complete, but I think now I will try and work on it a bit at a time.

What I may do with this project is to try and finish all the black on the design, and then I will just have the white to go, and that should take as long. The black is the main colour, so getting it complete would be good.

I haven't picked up this piece since February, so it felt good seeing that I was able to move it forward a bit.
The first penguin is now finished, and I have started to stitch the second penguin, and it is a lot of fun just working on this a bit at a time. I would like to see more of it done before the weather gets warm here, so this might get a bit more attention over the next little while.

Toques - I decided one of my goals this year is to try and make more toques that I can donate to charity. I haven't been working on this for very long, but I do have a couple of toques and a couple of headbands finished already. It always makes me feel good when I can see that I am able to get some of these projects done quickly. 

Other projects - I haven't had a lot of time to work on any other projects this past week, and not sure what this week has in store. I do know that I am going to be busy with quite a few work things, so will see what time I have left to do some other stuff.

Hope everyone has a good week and remember to try and find those few minutes each day to take time for yourself and do something that you love.  Hopefully next week I will have a bit of progress to show you on something.

Progress and a finish

Here it is the start of another week and now to see what I have been able to get done.  I know that this week has been a little crazy, but at least I have been able to make some progress on a few projects, and that makes me feel good.

Here in Ontario, a lot of the mask restrictions are starting to ease, and now it is our choice if we wear a mask or not when out and about in most places. In medical, long-term care facilities and on public transit, masks are still required.

A Year in Flowers - January - this has been a lot of fun to work on, and it has been something that I wanted to see if I could get it finished before the end of this week.

After not working on it for a while, I decided to sit and focus on it and see if I could get it done, and on Saturday I was able to get the January piece finished. I am loving how it turned out, and I am looking forward to working on the other 11 months and getting them done so that I will have all of them ready to hang up on our magnetic board before too long.

I hope that I can continue to move this project forward quickly, as these don't take too long to finish, and it feels great seeing that I was able to get it done without too much of an issue. This week I hope to start the February piece, but will see how things go.

Mini Bouquet Sampler - this piece didn't get a lot of attention this week, and part of that is because I was working on getting the other January piece done.

This week I have started to work on the stems and then also on the pineapples that are a key part of this piece. I hope that I will be able to get more of this piece done, as I would like to see that I have both of the January projects done before the end of March.

I am not sure how much stitching time I will have this week, but I hope that I can continue to move this project forward and maybe even see that I have enough time to get it done. I know that I am loving how this is starting to turn out, and also I know that just sitting and focusing on this piece will help me get more of it done.

I know that the next two months have already been released, so I need to move forward on January so that I can start to get caught up on this overall project.

Pandemic - here is a piece that hasn't got a lot of attention so far this year, but I am very happy with the progress that I was able to make over the weekend on it.

I hadn't touched this piece since January, and all of a sudden, I wanted to pick it up and see how much of it I could get done. Part of me was concerned that there was going to be a problem with the fabric, so over the weekend I worked up the border to ensure that I have enough fabric to complete the entire project. What I did was work the outside border all the way to the top of the project to ensure that there was enough fabric available for the project.

I am happy to say that after stitching all the border, I have found that I have quite a bit of fabric at the top, so that means that everything is going to be ok with this project. After stitching up the border, I decided to focus on one area of the piece and also have made some good  progress on it. I think started working again on the lower section so that I can start to move it up.

Beach Haven Shawl - this week I continued to work on this project and as the rows are getting longer it means that it takes longer to complete each row. It is nice to see that I have at least been able to make some progress on it this week, and now to see what this coming week is like. I hope to be able to continue to add some more rows to this piece, and maybe if things go extremely well I might be able to change colours again.

Other projects - I haven't had a lot of time to work on other things and this week looks about the same, so will see what I get done. Weekends seem to be the time when I can sit and work on a project a little longer than I can during the week.

I hope everyone is continuing to take care of themselves and find that bit of time each day to relax and recharge your own batteries. I am not sure what this week has in store, but hopefully I will be able to find some time to move a couple of projects forward.