IHSW: May 2013

Hey Blog Buddies,
I signed up for the IHSW (International Hermit and Stitch Weekend) this month even though I knew I would be able to stitch only on Sunday.  BUT... I was able to put the finishing touches on two projects!  The first was my knitted cowl, which I started at the end of February.  And now I'm all ready for...  November?

Molly looks a little glum here.

She's thinking, "It's 80+ degrees and dinner time.

Why do I have to pose in this woolen cowl?"

Yes, that is a black T-shirt that she's wearing

to protect the knitted cowl from her black hairs.

Needless to say, I was rather disheartened

when she plopped herself down on the carpet

which attracts dog hairs like a magnet.

 

You can see in this photo that the wool is

variegated--it's kettle-dyed--Malabrigo Merino Worsted,

and the color is Red Java.

The cowl is long enough to wear as a sling for your arm,

although I'm hoping I won't need it for that.

Molly was disrobed and fed immediately after

this photo was taken, and all is now forgiven.

 

My second finish is my Prairie Schooler Heads Up Witch:

 

Her face was originally charted as orange,

but I thought that any self-respecting witch

would have a green face.

Stitched 1 over 2 on 40-count Heritage linen, as usual.

I was going to use my Gloriana silk for the black,

but I've somehow misplaced it.

Don't know how that happened,

I have so few stitching supplies!   hehehe

So I thought I'd try No. 12 pearl cotton.

I used it on her mouth and eyes,

but it was way too chunky to continue using it

for the rest of the black,

so I switched to Crescent Colors Blackbird

for her hair, hat and clothing.

She is the April ornament for

the Halloween Ornament SAL 2013.

You can see everyone's ornaments

by clicking here.

I may be a month behind, but at least

the ornie is finish-finished

 

I should be starting the May ornament now,

but instead I decided to give some love to

Crabby All Year, which has been neglected recently.

I didn't stitch enough on it to show here,

but I hope to have February finished soon.

 

To see what my fellow hermitters did this weekend,

click here.

 

That's it for now.

Hope your weekend was fun!

Thanks for visiting!

Patchwork Pumpkin Workshop

Hey Blog Buddies,
Did you guys enjoy the first weekend in May?  We had great weather here, but I spent the better part of the weekend indoors, since I had the good fortune to be able to attend a workshop led by Debbie Stiehler, a talented canvaswork designer.  Fourteen of us were stitching her Patchwork Pumpkin.  She has two versions--this is the one I chose to stitch:

This is the "autumn" version.

Isn't it just the cutest thing you've ever seen?

I've had my eye on this piece for at least two years

(more about that later).

 

Here is her Halloween version:

 

This is simply adorable, too.

I chose the autumn pumpkin because

I didn't want it to be too holiday specific.

 

Here's my progress after two days:

 

There will be four other football-shaped pieces,

each with 16 different "patches" to be stitched.

The canvas size is 24" x 14", so it's another BAP!

 

Here's a close-up of the two patches that are completed...

 

...along with some others that aren't.

That's the nature of workshops:  you hop around a lot!

 

I discovered this piece a couple of years ago,

and lusted after it immediately.

It was being offered at an ANG seminar in Texas--

too far for me to go, and a little too expensive to get there.

Last year it was being taught in Green Bay, WI--doable!

But the class was full by the time I registered.  (sigh)

This year my local chapter had Debbie scheduled

to teach another one of her pieces right here in Chicago,

but it was changed at the last minute to the pumpkin!  Woo-hoo!

This was my first workshop with Debbie:

she's a great teacher, very funny and down-to-earth.

Unfortunately, it will be my last one

since she announced that she won't be doing

any more traveling after this year.   :(

But I'm really happy that I finally got the opportunity

to do this piece before she retires!

I will squeeze it into my rotation somehow!

 

Hope you all had a fun, stitchy weekend.

Thanks, as always, for visiting!

 

Redwork Tea Towel

Hey Blog Buddies,

Happy May (a day late)!  The crazy weather continues here:  mid 80's (F) yesterday, and mid-40's this morning.   But the grass is growing and the leaves are popping and the 80's will return soon.  Too bad we didn't have much of a Spring!

As you might guess from the title of this post, I finished my redwork tea towel:

I used the stem stitch, chain stitch, split stitch,

but mostly the backstitch.

And it is tea time for me now.

Can you believe I'm writing this post

before having my morning cup of tea?

This little project was finished last Friday.

 

In the meantime, I've done some commitment stitching:

a name tag for myself.

The group that I joined last year gives new members

directions and materials for a name tag.

I think the design is clever, so here it is:

 

Worked on 24-count congress cloth,

the design depicts the Chicago flag:

blue and white stripes with four red stars.

The beige element is the outline of the

old Chicago Water Tower, which

survived the Great Fire of 1871.

The group's logo is at the top,

and my name will be at the bottom.

Just a little more stitching,

and all that remains is to finish it.

It will be good to check this off my 2013 To-Stitch List!

 

I ran out of time to stitch my April Halloween ornie,

so you know what you'll be seeing next on this blog!

Oh--almost forgot--I'm really excited about

attending a workshop with Debbie Stiehler this weekend

(she designs canvaswork pieces)

so... maybe that first!

 

That's it from here.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Thanks for visiting! 

 

Friends and Fancywork in Fargo

Hey Blog Buddies,

My friend Joyce and I are back from our trip to the Nordic Needle Retreat in Fargo, North Dakota, and we had a great time!  I'll try not to blather on too much, because I have lots of photos to show you.  Let's start with the classes:

The theme of the retreat was "Tea and Friends."

We both took the redwork class on Thursday morning.

Hope to finish this one up in the next few days.

I do like the piece, but I'm afraid if I don't finish it now,

it may find its way into the UFO pile.

My second class was a whitework notebook class.

We got a doodle cloth and instructions for 70 stitches,

so nothing really to show for that.

But I can tell you that I will not be doing any projects

that call for the Mountmellick stitch!

Joyce took beginning hardanger,

and she was almost done with her piece by the time we left.

This will be put into a cute coaster,

which was provided with the kit.

My third class was intermediate hardanger.

Here's my start on the bullion bag:

The filling stitches are 14 wrapped bars and 8 bullion knots.

The piece will cover a dark blue zippered bag

which came with the kit.

I didn't get a photo of Joyce's beginning

pulled/drawn thread project.  (drat)

Our last class was kumihimo braiding.

We both finished our braided necklaces

with about an hour to spare.

I'm still looking for the right pendant for it.

But, yay, a finish!!

There were various exchanges throughout the Retreat.

We both participated in the teacup exchange.

Here is the teacup which I got:

How cute is that?

This is the one Joyce received.

(I didn't get a photo of the one she brought...)

Here is the "teacup" I brought to the exchange.

I know, it's a teapot!

I tucked some silk floss inside because I didn't stitch anything,

and the recipient seemed happy with her exchange gift.

Here are some more teacups:

On Saturday night there was a Stitcher's Showcase.

The projects that the attendees brought were just stunning:

There was hardanger...

...blackwork...

...stumpwork...

...more hardanger...

...and a wall hanging made of neckties,

just to name a few.

We went sightseeing one morning.

Did you know that,

in addition to the wood chipper used in the move "Fargo,"

they have a Walk of Fame?

That's the block for the band Aerosmith in the photo above.

Unfortunately, most of the other blocks were covered with snow!  Tee-hee.

(The weather was like January the whole time we were there,

complete with 1-2 inches of new snow on the first day!)

We saw some wild turkeys crossing the road.

You can see a toll booth a little further on.

We had to pay 75 cents just to get back into Fargo!

(I don't think this road is used by the locals.)

Oh, did you want to see the Chipper?

Well....   OK

Joyce is on the right.

The "foot", of course, belonged to Steve Buscemi's character.

Last but not least, let's not forget the swag.

Celebrities get swag all the time when they go to events.

Stitchers need swag, too!

Nordic Needle's vendors are very generous!

We did go to the store, too, because...well...

we needed more stuff!

Each attendee gets a sheet of Nordic Needle 30%-off coupons,

and I got a few things, including an LED floor lamp

with a large magnifier in the middle.

"How was all this stuff transported home?" you might wonder.

We came prepared--we drove to Fargo in a station wagon!

..and you thought I was kidding about the snow, didn't you!

Despite the wintry conditions,

everyone truly did have a fantastic time.

That's it for now.

Better get back to my redwork!

Thanks so much for stopping by!