Sampler

Sampler - Kathrin Ellison

This past week I have been working on a sampler that has been sitting there as just fabric and floss.  This is a sampler based on a 15-sided biscornu that I stitched in 2011.  I have had the fabric for the sampler since then and last Monday I decided it was time to start working on it.

The outline was finished last Monday as I did spend some of my day working on it.  I had a few things that I needed to think through so being able to stitch for a few hours helped me do just that.

Sampler - Kathrin Ellison

Of course things have been busy for me so I wasn't able to get much more done until this weekend and I sat down and worked on doing a bit more of the sampler work.  I have to admit that I have been really enjoying this sampler so far and I want to get it done quickly.

I am hoping that over the next couple of weeks I will be able to get some of the actual motifs completed besides the one where I have the year and my initial.  I am still working on doing the border outline and have also been adding some beads.  If I can get the outline done soon I will feel a little better.  I think I might work on a couple of the motifs soon just for a break from the border.

Each of the squares has a different motif in it and they aren't large so once I get started on them it shouldn't take me long to see some results.

Well before I can work on the sampler again I need to get some work done so I am off to do just that.

Knowing your server can be fun

Gin and tonic garnished with tomatoes

You can tell you know your server well when they will do something extremely silly with a drink that they have poured you.

I was telling a server that I didn't want cucumber or olives in my gin and tonic because I don't like either of those two vegetables.  My husband made a silly comment that he doesn't like tomatoes so he gives me his because I love tomatoes.  So this is what happened.  Yes those are grape tomatoes floating and then sinking in my gin and tonic.  It did make for an interesting conversation when another server came over to say hi to us.

tomatoes do sink

The tomatoes don't get any flavour because they aren't in the gin too long but it would be very interesting to see what would happen if you put some tomatoes in straight gin for a little while.  Would they get the gin flavour or not.  Maybe that is something that I need to try just to see what actually happens.

Now to see what happens next time we go to this restaurant because we normally do have a good time when we are there.

Until next post it's time to go and find some tomatoes.

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.