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I love it all: embroidery, canvaswork, quilting, crochet. So much to do, so little time.





Sunday, January 20, 2013

First IHSW for 2013!

Hey Blog Buddies,

This weekend was International Hermit and Stitch Weekend (IHSW).  For those of you who may be new to this phenomenon, it's a virtual stitch along, happening once a month, hosted by Joyce over at her blog Random Ramblings.  You can click here to find out all about it.

So this is what I accomplished:

I'm doing an ornament a month for the
This is from the Prairie Schooler Heads Up booklet.
I used DMC 310, WDW Carrot and one of my DMC greens.
The linen is 40-count to make it nice and small
so it won't overwhelm my tree.

Then, I switched gears to crochet.
It's getting pretty cold here finally,
so I made a cowl or neckwarmer, if you will.
It's only about 6 inches high.

Boy, this is an ugly photo!
The yarn is Sensations Angel Hair Stripes,
fuzzy but not itchy because it's acrylic.
This only took me a couple of hours--
crochet goes fast!



Here is the grayer side of the piece.
It really doesn't look too bad,
although I wouldn't categorize it as "pretty."

Finally (there's more?  oh yes!),
I did a little commitment stitching.
I'm teaching a mini-hardanger class
later on in the year, and this is the model:

This is a freebie from Victoria Sampler.
I stitched it on 25-count linen,
and I probably should have used #5 pearl cotton
for the satin stitch instead of #8.
And my wrapped bars need work.
I'm a firm believer in pointing these things out
to my class so that they can learn
from my mistakes.
I probably should do one or two more samples
on different grounds and with different colors,
if only to practice the needleweaving!

That's it for now.
Be sure to come back tomorrow because
it's my blogoversary, and you know what that means...
giveaway!!

To check out what my fellow hermitters
have been up to this weekend,
click here.

Hope you had a grand weekend.
Thanks so much for visiting!

20 comments:

McKenna C. said...

Great ornament! I love how you finished it!

The cowl looks very soft and comfy. :) Sometimes the best things aren't "pretty".

That hardanger is amazing! I don't see how you do that!

Happy Early Blogoversary!

I'll be coming back tomorrow....

~McKenna

Emma/Itzy said...

Looks like you had a very productive weekend!

Linda said...

Congrats on all your awesome finishes. The ornament is really cute.

Linda

Anne said...

That's some scary looking Jack-o-lantern! I love the hardanger piece - the colors are lovely and stitched beautifully.

Anonymous said...

Hello

The pumpkin is great!
That cowl looks so warm and cosy.
Love your Hardanger it's so beautiful!
Have a good week.

cucki said...

wow so pretty...
love for you x

Giovanna said...

Great finishes - love that pumpkin :-)

Claire said...

Well done on your finishes.

Lili said...

The ornament is beautiful!!
Happy Blogoversary!!

Chris said...

Lovely Halloween finish! I think the yarn you are using looks soft and warm. That hardanger looks perfect to me!!
Hugs!

Siobhán said...

Wow, good for you!! I am just getting my stuff ready for the Halloween ornament challenge, and yours is finished and looks great. You go girl! Love the hardanger, and the yarn you're using for the crochet is scrumptious looking--so nice and soft.

♥ Nia said...

Great ornament!!! :D Congrats on your finish!
hugs&smiles

Carla said...

You accomplished a lot this weekend!!! Love your Halloween ornament!

Julie said...

Super stitching, comfy looking crochet and I love the hardanger, amazing!

Anne said...

Looks like you had a very successful IHSW!! Love the wool you used for your neckwarmer. It's good that it isn't itchy, that would drive me nuts!! I tried to get into crocheting but i have problems following patterns. I need to study the abbreviations first! Love your mini-hardanger! It's so pretty!

Lelia said...

I wouldn't change a thing on your VS model. I think it is lovely as is.

Carol said...

I love the idea of you stitching a Halloween ornament each month--I should really plan on that one of these years. I have very few Halloween ornaments--especially compared to Christmas ones!! Your first jack-o-lantern finish is so cute... And wow--your hardanger looks wonderful and perfect to me!

Stay warm out there--I'm sure the wind chill in the Chicago area must be horrid!

Bea said...

That's a cute ornament and I like the way you finished it.

I really like your cowl - what a great idea when you live some place that's windy.

Love the hardanger.

Kate said...

Beautiful crochet and stitching! YOu sure had a productive IHSW :)

Caitlin @ Naughts Cross Stitches said...

awesome progress!