A Throw finish and some stitching

Here it is the start of another week, and I did have some progress on things over the last week and that makes me happy. I think the cooler weather is also helping me want to sit and craft.

Stained Glass Orca - here is the project that I spent some time working on and getting all the stitches in for the goals that the Toronto Maple Leafs have scored. The good news is I am caught up so that makes me happy. 

It has been nice to be able to focus on moving this project forward a bit and just working on it 100 stitches at a time does make a difference. This past week it was catching up for all the goals that they scored the last two games of preseason and then the start of regular season. Now I hope that I can continue to stay caught up and that the Leafs don't have any wild scoring games.

V-Stitch Throw - well after writing last week's blog it was time to try and get the rest of the border completed on the second v-stitch throw and that is exactly what I did. I was able to get the border finished last month and now the two throws are ready to be gifted this week.

I am happy that I was able to get the throws completed quicker than I thought because it means that I wasn't stressed in the last couple of days trying to get the throws completed. It was nice getting the throws done and now I am going to be figuring out the next project that I work on, but I think I will give myself a couple of days before I do that.

Of course, I have lots of yarn waiting to be worked with, so it isn't that I don't have projects that need attention. This week is going to be a little crazy with a work conference so maybe I will wait until next week to figure out the next knitting or crocheting project.

Other projects - honestly after finishing the v-stitch throw I decided it was time to focus on some EPP for a while and it has felt great. Being able to spend some time working on my EPP and seeing the progress that I can make when I focus on it has felt wonderful.

This coming week I am not certain how much crafting I will be able to get accomplished for three days but I hope the other days I can find some time to craft. I know that on the weekend I will be trying to make some progress on things so that is good. I am going to try and make sure that I can keep up with my cross stitch project because that has been making me happy.

I hope everyone finds that bit of time each day or most days to do something that helps you recharge your personal battery. It is very important that we remember to take care of ourselves because that is how we are there for those around us.

Hope everyone has a good week and hopefully I will have some progress on at least one thing so that I can show you next week.

Making some progress on projects

Here it is the start of another week, and I am going to admit that my focus was on just two projects as I wanted to at least get one of them very close to a finish.

Stained Glass Orca - here is a project that I am going to be working on for a while. This project is part of a challenge that I want to do. It got 400 stitches added to it last week and that represented 4 goals from the first two pre-season games of the Toronto Maple Leafs. What I am going to be trying to achieve is stitching 100 stitches per goal that the Toronto Maple Leafs score during this season, including pre-season and hopefully playoffs. 

This challenge originated for football, but each person can decide how they want to do the challenge and what sports they are going to use it for. I have decided that I am going to try and move this project forward over the hockey season so we will see how it goes. During the last two pre-season games there were 10 goals scored so I currently owe this project another 1,000 stitches so hopefully I can get that completed soon and be on track for when the regular season starts.

V-stitch Throw - here is the other project that got the most attention in this past week. I have been working hard to get this project finished as I do need to have it finished before the end of this coming weekend. After quite a bit of focus this past week, I currently am working on the border of the throw so I should have it finished before too long. 

It has been nice being able to focus on getting this project so we will see how it goes. I haven't figured out the next project that I will work on, but I do know that I have some knitting and crocheting projects that do need attention.

Other projects - I have been working on my English Paper piecing projects this past week, so do have progress on those as well. I will be working on writing that blog later this week.

I have also been working on another project, but don't have anything to show yet but hopefully before long I should be able to show something.

Hope everyone has been able to continue to find that bit of time each day to do something you enjoy doing. I know for me it has helped me recharge my own batteries and it helps.

This week I hope to continue to work on the V-stitch Throw and get it finished and then I will be working on Stained Glass Orca to get some more stitches completed. I should have some progress to show you next week.

 



 

Focused on two projects

Here it is the start of another week, and I hope that things are going to go well as it is a busy week for us. This last week was busy as well and the weather has cooled down so that means that sitting out on the balcony seems to be over for this year. I loved having that opportunity to just sit and relax and watch the world go by around us.

V-stitch Throw - well this past week I have been focusing on getting two of these throws completed so that they are ready for the beginning of October. 

The first throw got completed quickly as I finished it up on Monday so that was great. Knowing that I had one completed ahead of when I thought I would made me happy. It should mean that I can get the other throw completed with some time to spare but we will see what happens. These throws don't take a lot of time to actually get done if you can focus on working on them.

As you can imagine as soon as the first one was finished and the ends sewn in it was time to start on the second one. I have been able to make some good progress on this one as well. I have 33 rows out of the 78 rows completed so it is moving forward at a good pace and hopefully this week I can continue to get more of this throw completed.

It feels great knowing that I am already working on the second throw as I originally thought that I would be starting this throw on the 20th of the month, but I started it on the 14th so that was nice. I am going to see how quickly I can get this one completed so that I can get them completed without stressing.

Other projects - well, as the two throws has been my focus I haven't worked on much else except for my English Paper Piecing. Yes, those projects have got some attention again this past week so there should be lots of writing about at the end of the month.

It was a good productive week for me and now to see what this week has in store as I do have some other things that I would like to try and focus on this coming week. I do know that the second throw will remain the focus until it is completed so let's see how quickly it can get done.

Hope everyone had a good week, and you were able to take that bit of time for yourself and recharge your personal battery. We will see what I am able to accomplish this week and hopefully I will have something to show you next week. Have a good week and remember that those few minutes are important to you no matter what you do during them.

 

Focused on one project, mostly

This past week seemed to go by rather quickly. The weather has been a little cooler, so that has helped a little bit as it has been easier to focus on things. I know that I have been trying to have a focus on getting a project moved forward so that is a lot of what I did this past week.

V-stitch Throw - here is the project that got most of my attention this past week as I have been working hard to get it completed quickly.

As this is the first of two baby blankets that I am making I wanted to ensure that I could get this one finished and then have the time to make the other one. Well, I am happy with the progress that I have been able to make as I am now just started the border. I had given myself until the 16th to get the main part of the throw completed but it was nice to see that I am ahead of that. I now hope to be able to focus on getting the border completed soon so that I can get to working on the second throw.

I have been enjoyed working on this throw and hopefully I can get the next one completed as quickly as I got this one to where it is. I am thinking that if I can get the next one started before too long it would be good as I only have three weeks to get both throws completed. I am pretty sure I am on track to get them both done but I would like to know that they are finished and ready to be gifted.

Other projects - Well, there has been no cross stitching happening as I have been spending most of my crafting time focused on getting the throw completed but that's fine as I will get back to cross stitch soon enough. I have been able to spend a little bit of time working on my English Paper Piecing and that is usually after dinner when I have a few minutes. Some evenings I can get a couple of motifs made so that is nice.

I hope everyone has been able to find that bit of time each day to do something that you enjoy. Just making sure that you can spend some time doing something for yourself is good because it helps recharge your personal battery, so you are there to everyone around you.

We will see how this week goes and what progress I can make on things. It is a little busier of a week for us so we will see what happens. Hope everyone has a good week, and I hope to have some progress to show next week.

 

A small finish, some progress and change of focus

Here it is the start of another week so that means time to see what I was able to accomplish in the last week.  The weather has been a little cooler so that means that I should have been able to make some good progress on things this past week.

This past week we had some crazy weather so that meant that Wednesday afternoon and evening was spent tracking the weather and then deal with a tornado warning in the city.

Vintage ABC's - M - I was able to work on moving the cross stitch forward which was wonderful as that means that I have another one of the letters completed.

I hope to be able to get back to working on the letters because they don't take long to complete when you can focus on them. I should be able to get back to these soon but there currently is a project that I will be focusing on as it has a deadline so that is going to be my main focus until it is completed.

I do have the next letter ready to stitch so it might get bits of attention, but it wouldn't be the main project at least for the next couple of weeks.

Granny Wrap - I did pick up and work on this wrap for the first couple of days of the week and I was happy with how it was coming along. I know that I had a focus on getting this done as quickly as I could, but plans have changed and this project has been put down until another project gets completed as that other project is my focus.

I am happy that this wrap is available for when I have that bit of time to work on it. It is getting closer to a finish so hopefully once the other project is completed: I can get back to working on this wrap and I can get it done quickly.

V-stitch Throw - here is the new project that I started this week and it will be a project that I work on until it is finished along with a second v-stitch throw. These two throws have a deadline of the beginning of October so that means that these are going to be getting a lot of attention so that I can hopefully get them completed. 

I am hoping to have the two of the throws completed as I will see the new father at a conference so I would like to be able to give them to him then. I think I should be able to get them done by then as I have figured out how many rows, I need to do each day so that helps. I will have to make sure that I can get a bit ahead as there are a couple of days when I don't think I will be getting much crafting done.

Other projects - I have been making a bit of progress on my English Paper Piecing so there should be some progress to show you at the end of the month. It is nice to have projects that I can pick up when I have those few minutes especially at the end of the day.

Hope everyone has been finding some time to relax and do something that you enjoy doing. If things so well, I hope to have some progress to show you next week on at least the V-stitch throw and maybe something else, but we will just have to wait and see.
 

Another week and one finish

Here it is another Monday morning and another week of what might be the new normal.  I am happy with how things are slowly starting to seem a little back to normal but maybe that is because my little bubble is a little more normal.  We continue to work remotely for our clients so that hasn't changed and it was basically a lot of what we were doing before Covid-19.  Other things are starting to get back to normal with a busier schedule so yes that is more normal for us.

Blushing - this piece got a bit of attention this week and what I was able to accomplish was filing in all of those single stitches around the bottom of the rose. By getting all of those single stitches done it means that I am now finished the 3 bottom pages of this pattern and now only have the top 3 remaining to stitch.

I would like to continue to get more of this piece stitched as it is making me feel very good seeing that I have got this much done as quickly as I have.  I started this piece in June but didn't have it as a focus until the middle of July so I am happy with the progress that I have made on it in the last couple of months.  The top three pages are bigger pages so I will see how long it makes me to get each of them completed.

V-stitch baby afghan - this week I was able to sit some evenings and focus on getting the baby afghan finished up. Once I was able to focus on this project it didn't take me long to get it done.

I used just over one ball of yarn for this project and I used Lion Brand "Ice Cream" and it was nice to work with and I love the variegated effect that it gives on this piece.  Now that this project is finished I will be looking to figure out which knitting or crocheting project gets my attention next.

Of course, there are a lot of other projects that are keeping me busy but at least I am slowly starting to see some finishes.  I hope that I can continue to get bits of finishes done over the next while as I know that also makes me happy.

I hope everyone continues to find the little bits of time each day to do the things that you love to do.  It doesn't matter what you do but taking that few minutes each day to yourself is important.  Take care and stay safe.

New items and progress on other things

Here it is the start of another week and yes we are still working in the same way as we have for the last three weeks.  Toronto has partly opened up with restaurants and bars having limited seating and stores open, some by appointment only and others with limited access.  Masks are something that we are wearing (some still don't, sigh) and something that is going to be normal for a while.

Petal doll - yesterday I decided to pick up my knitting needles and start to make a petal doll.  I will have to sew it closed and add the stuffing and features but it was fun to make.  I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out but I did enjoy making this doll. I will try and make some more of these with different colour dresses and hair.  

V-stitch afghan - I decided it was time to pull out a baby afghan that I had been working on earlier this year  I had about 27 rows completed when I put it away.  Over the weekend I was able to add another 17 rows so that made me feel good.

I hope that over the next couple of weeks I can spend some more time working on getting this afghan finished up so that it will be one less thing that I need to be working on.  The colour of this is more greens than blues but the camera is currently showing it as blue.  Hopefully next week I will be able to show some more progress on this project and maybe be closer to getting it finished.

Blushing - of course this project once again got some attention.

This week I was able to move the q-snap to get to the right side of the design.  I decided that I wanted to focus on adding more of the black to the bottom of the pattern as well as adding some colour. After moving the q-snap I worked on getting the bottom couple of rows completed right now to the right side of the design.  I now know how wide this piece is going to be and I have a target.

Over the week I was able to add more of the black to the overall piece and then I worked on adding more of the colours to the actual rose.  It is slowly coming along now and I am happy to see how much it has changed in the last week.  I hope that through the end couple of weeks I can add more of the black and colour to the piece.

 

I am continuing to work on bits of other projects but don't have a lot to show on them.  I know that before too long I should be able to have a few more items to show.

 

I hope everyone is staying safe and well and dealing with the various restrictions that you may experience.  Take it easy and know that we are all dealing with the various challenges and hopefully soon things will start to get back to a new normal for all of us.

Take care and remember to find a little bit of time each day to do the things that you enjoy doing.

Some progress this week

Mini The Forgotten - Feb 23

Here it is the start of another week, and I have a bit of progress to show you from the last week.

Mini The Forgotten - This is one project that got some attention this week as I decided that I wanted to try and get one page finished of the pattern. The actual pattern is 12 pages, so it is going to take me some time to get it all done. 

Mini The Forgotten - Mar 4

After focusing on stitching a bit at a time, I was able to get the first page done.  I am happy to see that I have that done, and I also have a bit of the next two pages stitched.  I am not sure how quickly I will get the next page finished, but I am going to be working on it a bit at a time.

I am looking forward to seeing this pattern moved forward as it is something that I would like to see finished up and hung up at home soon.  Of course, because of the size of the design soon isn't going to be in the next couple of months but we will see when I can get this piece finished and framed.

Mini Magic of Books

Mini Magic of Books - so this week, I decided that I was going to start another design.  Yes, I know that I have quite a few Heaven and Earth Designs on the go, but this one spoke to me right now.  It is a girl sitting and reading in a window, and that is something that I always loved to try and do.

Mini Magic of Books - Mar 7

This is another pattern that is twelve pages in size, but the bottom page was only twelve rows, so I have finished the first page of this already. 

V-stitch Afghan - I normally have something small that I can work on when I have a few minutes, and a v-stitch afghan is sometimes that project.  I had this project sitting around for a while now, so I decided that I was going to get it finished.  I worked on getting the last few rows of the actual piece done and then did the border, so this project is now finished other than blocking it.

Small v-stitch afghan - March 8

This afghan is only 22 inches by 26 inches, so it is good as a preemie blanket or a doll blanket.  At least it is done, and I can now start to work on another project.

Small waves scarf - I found some yarn that I love working with, and it is called Meandering, and I found some of it at Michaels.  It is a worsted weight yarn, so I have decided that I am going to try and knit some scarves and shawls with it.  This week I cast on a small waves scarf and started working on it.  I haven't got very far, but I only work at it a few minutes at a time, so it is going to take me some time to get it all done.

Small waves - March 8

Of course, I have a few other projects that I am working on as well, but there aren't any pictures to show of them. If I can find some time this week, I am going to continue to try and get some stitches in on at least a couple of these projects.  I may start something new as well in the knitting category, but I am not sure right now. 

I hope everyone is staying healthy and finding a bit of time to do things you love each day.  We are trying our best to avoid all the flu's and colds around here as well, so until next week, I hope everyone has a great week.

Another week of crafting

v-stitch afghan - Nov 22nd

baby hats - Nov 22nd

This past week I wasn't really in the  mood to cross-stitch so I decided that I would like on a few other projects.

The v-stitch baby afghan is coming along and I am now just over halfway complete on it.  I was able to finish a second ball of yarn so that is nice as well as that helps me see that I am getting somewhere on the afghan.  I am still looking forward to getting this done prior to Christmas so that means I am going to have to work hard on it.

drawing - Nov 22nd

Besides crocheting on the baby afghan I worked on a few more baby hats.  Now these hats are finished being stitched but they still need the ends sewn in but that doesn't take me very long to do.  I hope to get the ends sewn in tonight so that these hats are out of the way and will go into the bag for a friend to take to the hospital for me.

The hats are something that are very easy to do and I do those while a passenger in a car as well as when I just need something very easy to work on at home.

One thing I did this week which I haven't done for a very long time was to get my drawing material out and actually do something.  I have had the drawing material out a few times but I just sit and look at everything and then put it away.  This time I decided to get a bit of drawing down and will see how it goes.  The picture is no where close to being finished as this is just a rough drawing so far.  Hopefully now that I have this much done I will be able to sit and enjoy filling in all the different things.

This week it felt good doing some different things and not even really thinking about cross-stitching.  I know that I have a lot of projects that I need to complete but taking the break probably did me a lot of good.  I am not sure if cross-stitching will get done this week but at least I have things to keep me busy.

It felt very good being able to accomplish what I did this week and I know that I have other projects that still need my attention but they just needed to wait.  Now it is time to get some work finished up so that this evening I will be able to curl up and craft.  I don't know what will get the attention this week but at least I have a few things to work on.

Crafting time

Schlock with Gun - Nov 1st

Crafting for me has been a challenge again and part of that is because of everything else that I have been trying to accomplish.

I did find a little bit of time to sit and work on Schlock and that was Monday evening.  I decided that I wanted to get the gun outlined so I sat and worked on it until the outline with the black was done.  Now I just need to finish filling in his arm and gun and I will be done.

Schlock with Gun - Nov 8th

The original idea was to have the piece finished by the 8th of November but with everything else that I have been doing that deadline had to slide.  I am now just going to work on it and get it finished as quickly as I can so that I can back to work on a couple of the other projects that I would like to see finished.  I have three other projects that I want to finish up quickly as well so that means I am going to have to focus on each of them and get them done.

Besides trying to find time to cross-stitch I have started a baby afghan that I would like to get done before Christmas.  The baby is due at the end of February but I want to ensure that we can give it to the expectant mother before Christmas so she has it in time.

Baby afghan - Nov 8th

The baby afghan is the v-stitch pattern that I have used in the past and I enjoy working on this pattern.  I am able to sit and work on this afghan without having to remember what row I am on as each row is the same and it means that I can watch tv while working on this afghan.

The other nice thing about this afghan is it really doesn't take me too long to make one if I can focus on it for a little while.  I have already finished one ball of yarn and think it is about 15 inches long.  I haven't measured how wide the actual piece is but it will probably be around 34" x 46" by the time I finish it.  No I don't make a baby afghan small because I like it to last for a while.

These are the projects that I was able to work on last week and can see a bit of progress on.  I also worked on making a few more baby hats when I had a little bit of time to stitch.  I am happy to be able to see that I am getting back to stitching now and hopefully soon I will start to see various projects get completed instead of them all sitting at various stages.

Work now needs to be done so that I can hopefully find some time this evening to craft.

Baby afghan progress

Peach - v-stitch baby afghan

As promised I finally remembered to take a picture of the baby afghan that I have been working on.  This is a peach v-stitch baby afghan that I have been working on while at home and when the weather hasn't been too hot or humid.

The v-stitch afghan is something that I really enjoy working on and can do them pretty quickly now.  I have figured out how many stitches and rows I need to do so I no longer measure the afghan to see if it's long enough.  One reason is I do a lot of these afghans for charity and figure that babies vary in size so my afghan can vary in size a bit as well.  By the time this afghan is completed there will be 100 rows on it and I think I have about 60 rows done so far.  The picture is with the afghan almost folded in quarters.

This past week it has been very hot and humid here so I haven't been getting as much done as I would have liked.  I do have a bunch of projects that need to have ends sewn in or items sewn together so need to focus on getting these out of the way soon.  I also want to continue working on some baby afghans so that I can get a bunch done before the end of this month.

Now it's time for me to try and get something done this afternoon as my to-do-list seems to be growing and am not getting things off it.