Wadsworth has nothing on him...LOL... can't wait for my handyman to install the barrel...
The week was nice... got to sit out in the sunroom porch a couple of days... took my cross stitch out with me but fell asleep and took a nap most of the time... oh well, it was quite enjoyable.
I made a bit of progress on my Silver Creek Samplers "My Christmas List"...
Last week...
This week...
Got the car done, except it is missing its hubcaps... must of left it parked in a bad neighborhood... and got the Christmas lights done except for the highlights ... stitched two more words... that it the quick part. I'll put some time in on this tonight. PBS is repeating Downton Abbey, that is great stitch watching.
And I started the next month in the Hands on Design "A Year of Celebrations"... this is February...
This is a scrap of 32 ct I painted a while ago...again I changed the floss colors...I'm using 3847, 3848, and 3849 turquoises ...my chocolates are 632 because Micheals didn't have the called for color and I wasn't going to visit any retail locations on the 24th or the 26th... I have to fill in the hearts and the stamp but I'm going to use a light pink instead of white. These are so much FUN FUN FUN... I've been wanting to do a monthly series for a while and I even stitched one or two of the Lizzie Kate ones but I lost interest. These are simply adorable and I have the perfect way to display them.
I came across this "frame" at Target...
It has a wedge profile and was a light gray... here's the tag on the back of it...
now I think I paid $12 for it which is above my normal $10 limit for a frame but I knew it was perfect and I would use it all year round... I chalk painted it white as that will be a better background for my stitching and I have lots of white furniture in my home... I went and mounted the January piece and "priscillafied" it... ta dah!!!
I found this sparkly polka dot ribbon in my stash... and it covered everything it touched in glitter...but it is still quite sparkly. The background mat is a piece of Basic Grey Grunge in the Pool colorway... perfect for January and February piece... March will see a change but I'll use it again for other months I'm sure.
And I got a final pair of socks in for 2018...
I used two different skeins of Opal sock yarn alternating every other round... for the cuffs and the heels I just used one of the yarns instead of a contrasting color. I like them a lot... I wear a lot of that gold color and the olives and dusty purples go well with it. Mindless knitting but not knowing what new patterns will emerge keep my needles clicking away.
So I looked back through the blog for 2018 and it was exceedingly clear that 2018 was a GIANT cross stitch year for me... by my count...and we know math isn't my strong point but I think I'm pretty accurate here... I completed 30 pieces of cross stitch... some were quite small like the sleds...
but some were pretty big like Needle and Thread from With Thy Needle & Thread...
This was my favorite finish from this year... even after stitching all that yellow in that BIG skirt... she hangs on the wall behind my sewing machine in my upstairs craft room and I LOVE her!!
As for knitting I believe knitted 3 shawls... but only one got blocked...need to remedy that situation... and about 9 pairs of socks... may be more a pair or two more or less on the sock count but I'm too lazy to figure it out right now... I am fairly certain that they were all plain vanilla socks and overwhelmingly scrappy.
On the quilting front it was a bit meager...my by count I finished around 9 quilt projects and several were small wall hangings or table toppers....and the bulk of my production came in November when I finished 3 Christmas quilts... I'm still not sure what got into me, but I like this forward motion.
Other productive projects I completed were cleaning out both the storage rooms in the basement and tidying up the garage... I cleaned out my clothes closet and I've re-organized all my floss... I am feeling very good about all those projects...
So on to 2019... what shall I do, what shall I do???? Now if you've been here any length of time you know I don't do resolutions... I do vague affirmations of what I am going to try to try to do... I definitely want to quilt a bit more and I can already see signs of it... check back tomorrow ... gasp... I know when was the last time I posted 2 days in a row? Don't answer that...LOL... I am working on a new scrappy quilt with the #modastringalong... I haven't posted anything on IG yet but I plan on doing that tomorrow too... and I have to do a baby quilt this month for my daughter in law... there is a baby shower for her the beginning of February... I think I've made a decision on the fabric and maybe the pattern. Also I told my younger son I'd do another quilt for him. I've been looking at my WIPs and I'd like to finish a couple of them and there are plenty of new quilts I want to start... the plan is to do easy stuff with pre-cuts... working on the scrap project has re-energized me to sew...
As for cross stitch... my plan is to get all of the Hands On Design "A Year of Celebrations" finished before the month starts... I'm doing well with this right now and January is complete and February is in the home stretch... I want to do a bunch of small chicken pieces and have a display of them in either June or August... it will probably be August... I still have two Welcome pieces by The Drawn Thread on my list of things I want to stitch... Winter and Spring and perhaps even Halloween... we shall see... and I do know that Brenda Gervais of With thy Needle & Thread will tempt me with something new... right now top of my list is the giant snowman head "All Bundled Up"...you can see it here... the size of that snowman's noggin rivals the BIG skirt I did last year...LOL
I can be absolutely certain that there will be MORE scrappy socks... I NEVER leave home without a sock project and I am totally smitten with scrappy socks... either the two different yarn that alternate every other round or the blocks of different yarns... there are more ends to take care of with the blocks of different yarns but they are so pretty ... and I can't resist pretty yarn...and fabric...and floss...and chocolate...and you get the picture...
So I'm looking forward to a happy 2019... my first grandchild should make an appearance late April/early May which will be wonderful... my older son got a new job which started about 2 weeks ago and he is much happier ... less hours and stress, more compensation and the icing on the cake... an indoor garage parking space goes with the position... perfect timing with winter weather right around the corner.
On New Year's Day I will indulge in all the activities that I wish to repeat incessantly throughout 2019... I shall cross stitch a bit, knit a bit, sew a bit, sit on my sunroom porch a bit and have dinner with my family... I read somewhere that you should engage in the activities on January 1 that you want to enjoy the rest of the year...sounds like the perfect plan for a great new year... I hope that yours is going to be wonderful wonderful wonderful... (oh I just heard Lawrence Welk in my head...LOL)
Today I shall link up with Kathy's Quilts... check back tomorrow and I'll share my lastest quilting endeavor... it is very scrappy and colorful...
Have a HAPPY HAPPY 2019!!!
happy stitching-
carol fun
Your son is a great poet! We have a rain barrel and use it all the time in the summer to water our container plants. You had a very productive year with all of your cross stitch projects. I am loving the new Christmas project and your monthly cross stitcheries are cute
ReplyDeleteCarol, I enjoyed reading your wrap-up post for 2018. I think you got quite a bit accomplished with your stitching, your quilting, and your knitting. I enjoyed your son's poem; thank you for sharing it! Wishing you a new year filled with smiles, many stitches and whatever makes your heart happy! Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteDH gave me a stand-up garden box for Christmas; now I need to figure out how to put a rain barrel on the deck ....
ReplyDeleteI am totally in love with your freshly painted frame. It IS perfect for your monthly little stitchery. Have a wonderful New Year with plenty of scrappy something to stitch or knit. ;^)
ReplyDeleteYou achieved lots over the past year and your newly painted frame will be a great backdrop for your monthly stitching!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post! You have certainly had a prolific stitchy year. The new frame is great. It will enhance your cross stitch pieces nicely. As usual, I want your socks!
ReplyDeleteI would say you have had a very productive year. I loved the poem! and what a great gift!!Those are very popular out here as we do have dry summers. That is the perfect frame for showing some repeat stitching. I wish I kept better track of what I did this year. I always start out doing that and then somewhere I seem to just forget. We are having a very quiet New Year's Eve, just the way I like it. We do have lots of reservations in the area and they always sell lots of fireworks so no matter what time I go to bed, I will be awake at 12. I will take your suggestion about the first of the year. A friend and I are having coffee with my DD so my friend can see her house so that will be a good start. I will read and stitch too. I hope this will be a wonderful year for you. It is bound to be with a new little grand child coming.
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