Stitch Night

This is what Stitch Night means to me and I will admit that I do enjoy going to them when I can but I cannot always go due to work commitments and I don't need to get grief because I miss Stitch Night. Stitch Night is a great get together but it doesn't help pay bills.

People do to stitch night for different reasons

• some to chat
• some to stitch
• some to shop
• some to do all of the above

If I don't feel like stitching, I don't have to stitch even when I am at Stitch Night. Sometimes the project I thought I wanted to work on when I picked it at home turns out that it isn't the project I want to work on while sitting at Stitch Night. To me, Stitch Night is suppose to be fun and a chance to see and visit with friends. A lot of these friends are only seen at Stitch Night so it is monthly and sometimes it can be 2 – 4 months because when we see each other. Of course a lot of us enjoy spending the time stitching today but we always want to catch up with each other and talk about other things.

Workshops are an OK part of the Stitch Night but they need to be on a limited basis and the instructors need to know that a lot of us will chat during the evening. If I have learned what the instructor taught don't tell me I would get more stitching done if I didn't talk so much. If I understand what I am doing it should be up to me how I spend the rest of the evening. I stitch at Stitch Night because I want to not because someone else is making me stitch. I know I am one of those that if you tell me I should be stitching and not talking, I will slow down my stitching even more. Also if I don't want to do the workshop I shouldn't be made to feel any different than those who are taking the workshop.

Stitch Night to me is a chance to see friends that I don't see very often, stitch on a project that I want to work on and enough myself.

Earth moved under us today

Well this morning was going to be a nice and quite morning for me until I was sitting and felt things move around me.  What I was feeling was an earthquake that happened near Ottawa, Ontario.  It was a 4.8 magnitude earthquake and thank goodness there is no report of any damage anywhere.  We don't even live that close to Ottawa so it was a surprise.  Basically most of Southern Ontario felt it as it happened around 9:45am here.

Glad that there is no damage and now it just means that the nerves need to settle down. 

It has been interesting talking to people as some people felt it and others didn't and in some cases they are not far apart.  Now to get back to work so that I can have a relaxing weekend where I can craft.

Crafting Progress

Demented Chain - Brenda Franklin

So while sitting and thinking about what I have done in the last little while I thought about something that I haven't posted and  really enjoyed.  This was a workshop that I took at Gitta's in April done by Brenda Franklin.  The course was called "Demented Chain" and I loved doing it.

What the class was, was taking an aluminum chain and adding beads to it so that you can use the chain for a name tag, eye glass holder so whatever you wanted.  The class was just over two hours and I was so happy because by the end of the class I had completed by name tag lanyard and it is now ready to be used.

Since taking this class I have picked up some more chain and beading thread so that I can make some more items with this method.  I think I may end up with some earrings and a necklace and not sure what else will come from this idea but I can say that I really enjoyed it.

Demented Chain - close up

My crafting has been a bit of all over there lately so really don't have much to show because of that.  In some ways I just can't seem to sit and work on a project for very long before changing to something else.

Ok, I know I am not a mono-crafter and I am sure not a mono-project crafter either.  Of course I have quite a few projects on the go and keep thinking of other projects that I want to do.  Maybe I should focus on getting a few of the started projects completed and then I can start working on some new things.

Well maybe it's time to turn off the computer and curl up and craft for a while today.

I went missing again

Well I haven't posted for the couple of weeks and that is because I haven't been crafting much.  One of the big reasons was I received a Jury summons a while ago and last week was my week to sit and wait and possibly be selected for Jury duty.  The good news is I wasn't selected but I was too tired once I was home each night to do much of anything.

My sock collection has grown a little bit but of course I forgot to take a picture of the new socks that I added this past weekend.  Maybe if I remember I will take a picture of the socks in the next few days.

Now to try and get back to doing all the crafting that I want to do.  Oh, I did go to the Spring Creativ Festival last Friday and picked up a couple of knitting kits and then Saturday when to the Knitter's Frolic and picked up another knitting kit.  The best part of these kits are these are items for myself and not for everyone else.

So now to get the work done that needs my attention today and then I am going to try and craft for a while tonight.

Dream Castle - continues

Dream Castle

I decided this past weekend that I was going to work on my hardanger instead of working on socks.  This is Dream Castle as of last night.  I have finished all the kloster blocks now to start working on the buttonhole stitch that goes all around the edge of the pattern.  There is still quite a bit of work to be done on this piece but finally I am seeing some results so feeling a lot better about this piece.

I am still working on socks but don't have any completed socks since the very beginning of April.  I think I need to focus on getting at least a couple of socks of the needles soon so that I can see some results.  It has been interesting trying to get a few things completed this week.  I have wanted to just sit and craft but have had work that has needed to get done.

This weekend I am going to spend at least part of Saturday hiding and working on some crafts.  I figure that I deserve some time where I can just do what I want instead of working on all the other things that have been taking my time.  I am also going to be finished my two courses by this weekend so won't have any homework to do either.  I write my final exam tonight so am looking forward to some time off before the next courses start May 10th.

Time to finish up a couple of things today before I head off and write my exam.

Good Week

Guided Journaling Giveaway prize I won

This week I got some really nice news from another blogger that I follow.  Silverlotus had a giveaway and on Tuesday morning I received an email from you letting me know that I had won the big prize.  Thank you Silverlotus for picking my name.

I have entered quite a few blog giveaways over the last little while but hadn't won any of them until this week. 

I do quite a bit of journaling not only on my blog but also on my computer and in some notebooks.  I find that my journaling helps me deal with some of the issues that happen around me.  I know that everyone doesn't journal but I find that I am able to deal with a lot of the little issues that bother me if I can write them down.  No one sees most of my journal but at least I am able to express what is bothering me.

Besides my journaling I have been knitting a bit this week.  I am still working on my socks and it is amazing that I am still working on the socks.  Normally I will work on an item for about a month and then I get bored with it but the socks seem to have lasted so far.

Will try and take some pictures of the socks that are currently on the go over the weekend.  Time to get to work for a while.

Dream Castle - continues

Dream Castle as of March 29th

I decided on Friday that instead of working on socks, I would pick up and work on the hardanger that hasn't seen a lot of time lately.  Part of the reason for not working on my hardanger was I was waiting for me new glasses to be ready so that I could see the holes in the fabric a lot easier.  Yes, the threads that I have used for checking that things matched are still in place.  Some will be coming out really soon but want to wait until I have a bit more done.

Dream Castle as of March 30th

It really didn't take me too long to see a difference in the work on Dream Castle.  I am enjoying this work now that I am just filling in the different areas.  I am hoping that by the end of April I will be able to start working on the actual cutting of the threads but that will depend on work and my other things I have on the go.

My sock knitting does continue and I actually finished the rocky road jacquard sock yesterday and now just have one sock on the needles.  I know that isn't going to be for very long but yesterday just didn't have time to cast on the next sock.

Today is set as a work day for me so will see what I can get accomplished once all the work is finished for the day.