Hello friends, it's time for a stitching update - as always, I have lots of things on the go, makes life interesting ha ha.

Sampler September, a stitch along on Instagram,  is underway and unlike previous years, where I've started a new project, this year I've chosen to concentrate on getting one or two of my current works in progress possibly finished, fingers crossed.

I've made some great progress on the Light of Winter by Brenda Gervais. This is being stitched on 36 count Ballet Slippers by Fox & Rabbit using the recommended threads. I started this at the start of December 2023.

The light isn't so good on these photos sorry.

These next two fully finished pillows are some Easter stitching.  This little pillow is from the Jelly Bean Jubilee booklet by Brenda Gervais, stitched on 40 count vintage mocha Belfast linen.

Spring Awakens, also by Brenda Gervais, and stitched on 36 count vintage mocha Belfast linen.

For both of these, I twisted some DMC chenille to make the trim.

Here's Christmas Bird, from the Pastel Collection by Country Cottage Needleworks, finished as a flat ornament.

This is going to be the first Christmas ornament for our friends' new baby grand daughter, born on the 14th August, Margot Florence. I can't wait to have baby cuddles when they come to visit in a few weeks time.

 

Thanks for stopping by, see you soon x

The Rest of August Catch Up

Hi friends, it's now officially spring here in New Zealand, I can't believe we are through winter, and in a few short weeks not only will it be the school holidays again but our Daylight savings hours will start. 

Just sharing a few things from the rest of August - a nice surprise left on my desk at work by one of my staff members who visited the local daffodil farm.

This past Sunday was a lovely warm spring day, so Glenn and I ticked off a few jobs on our outside to do list, including getting our greenhouse ready all tidied and swept out. I can't wait to get some vegetable seeds going in the greenhouse - lettuce, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, beans, etc hopefully ready to be planted out in late October. 

 

Our winter garden has been going well, there's been lots of celery, silver beet and plenty of broccoli to share with my parents too.

So pretty seeing the neighbour's fruit trees in blossom.

Books I've enjoyed lately: this one by NZ author Michael Bennett, is the second in a series, which I didn't realise but can be read as a stand alone. 

David Baldacci's latest story - it's not light reading, I think this might be my favourite book so far this year.

Glenn and I had a few nights away in Auckland last week, going to see a band that Glenn likes from the US, Greta Van Fleet. The concert was really good but oh so loud!!

The weather was perfect for walking around the CBD and waterfront, and we visited Sylvia Park for some shopping. It was good to get away for a couple of days. 

As always, Glenn has several home projects on the go and the latest is this little area having a spruce up. A new deck to come and concreting to go in what used to be a small patch of grass. We're also thinking of having a boxed garden with some sort of hedging along the edging, if that makes sense.

Miss H and her lovely friend recently competed in a high school dance competition, and received a runner up placing in their category. Their dance was beautiful to watch, the girls had spent many hours choreographing the dance, then practising, picking out their costumes, doing their own hair and make up.

Hannah's hockey season has recently finished too, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. Held on Monday evenings, some weeks the weather was freezing, or pouring with rain, but the kids got out there, played their game, win or lose, they had a ball.

Stitching lately has included finishing some Stitching with the Housewives ornaments leftover from Jolly July, and also working on some older sampler projects. I'll be back soon with some stitching pics.

See you soon x

Latest Crafty Happenings

Hello dear friends, welcome to August. I'm so happy as we're having some perfect winter days right now, a bit frosty to start - it was 0 c when I left for work this morning, and then a day of sunshine follows. It almost feels like spring is in the air, but August can get very chilly and cold. I have noticed that the mornings are getting lighter now too, when Glenn leaves for work around 7am it was pitch dark last week but this week it's noticeably lighter.

So what's on the go here over the past few weeks? My friend is due to have her baby later this month and just loved the knitting I gave her at the baby shower so I've got a couple of other little baby projects to make for her. I started this simple little blanket last week. The wool looks a bit pink in this photo but the colour is more like the second photo. 

I also started some more socks for my sister in law. This ball of Opal sock yarn was some of the first sock yarn I bought, can you see the sparkly thread running through the colours? I'm knitting Christine from Winwick Mum's basic sock pattern. 

I pulled out this stocking project on the weekend to stitch on, so enjoyable. 

Next up are three ornaments I stitched earlier in the year but only recently completely finished. All finished as flat ornaments with DMC thread handmade cording for the trims.

Mistletoe Kisses by Erica Michaels, this is Hannah's 2024 ornament.

The Prairie Schooler's 2024 Santa, I loved stitching the green stitching in this design.

From the 2023 Just Cross Stitch Ornaments magazine, a design by Karen Kirk from Fox & Rabbit.

What else do I have for today? My current reading pile, including some new books I purchased last week.  Looking forward to getting into all of these. 

See you soon xx

Stitching in July and more

Hello friends, 

this month I've been Jolly July stitching, a Christmas design stitch along that has been running each July for a few years now.  

My first choice is Claus Christmas by Stitching with the Housewives, this design has been in my stitching basket since it first came out. I'm using the recommended DMC threads on 32 count black linen.

 

The second design I chose to start is the Green Coat Santa by Teresa Kogut, a Patreon chart released back in July 2022. My fabric is 32 count natural linen and I'm using the recommended threads.

Priscilla and Chelsea's latest little series is so cute - I had to add these to my July stitching bag. 

We are very excited as a family friend and her husband are expecting their first baby, a daughter, in a few weeks time.  I started knitting a few little hats a few months ago and also two little cardigans.  If you ever need a baby knitting pattern, do check out Mariana Lazy Daisy's blog. I have knit so many of her lovely patterns over the years. 

We recently travelled to Wellington for the weekend to catch up with our friends and to go along to their baby shower. It was a lovely afternoon, lots of delicious snacks and drinks, and fun baby shower games.  Hannah and Glenn did very well at one of the games and won me a bottle of wine ha ha.

The rest of the weekend was spent mostly at the mall shopping, and we enjoyed a lovely meal out with our friends.  A trip to Wellington is so much quicker now you drive through Transmission Gully, it was just under three hours from home to our motel.

It's school holidays right now here in NZ so Diesel has been enjoying hanging out with Hannah, lots of snuggles together as its been quite cold some days.  Here he is, waiting patiently and watching out for either Glenn or I to get home from work, so cute.

Diesel will be two years old this coming Friday, he's just such a joy, he brings us so much fun and laughter.

Have a fun week, see you soon xx

And just like that, it's July

How did it get to be July already, the last few weeks seem to have just whizzed by and here in New Zealand we're now fully into winter with some chilly days but also sunny days which help to keep the winter blues away.

I'm getting through my pile of stitching to be finished ever so slowly, ha ha.  This design by Primrose Cottage Stitches was my choice for April's ornament.

Then for May, I chose Winter Blessings by Plum Street Samplers.

Each week I pick one of my sampler projects out of my stitching basket to focus on, and then over the weekend I'll pick up something "small" to stitch on. Lately it's been these cute designs by Satsuma Street, Lolly Claus and Candy Claus.

 

They have been a lot of fun to stitch, I haven't stitched anything on perforated paper for a long time. I have several others in the series to stitch over the coming months.

Finally, I finished these socks which I'm pretty sure have been on the go for over two years! The yarn is by Mondim and I used the Basic 4ply Sock knitting pattern by Christine from Winwick Mum. 

My knitting mojo has well and truly returned as I've also been doing some knitting for a friend having a baby in August.

We try and get out walking with Diesel as often as we can, and this past Sunday was fairly warm while we walked by the river. We have several good tracks to pick from.

Of course, Diesel doesn't hesitate to jump straight in the water! 

This was my recently pile of library reserves. I've been reading a lot lately, taking my book to read during my lunch break, otherwise I'd have my lunch and go back straight to work.  

Have you read anything good lately?

Now I'm off to kit up one or two new projects for Jolly July, have a happy week.

See you soon x