Hooties year round minis – Jan & Feb

As well as the cross stitch project that I’m doing for the SAL every three weeks, I’ve started another Hooties stitch. There are so many projects in PinoyStitch’s Etsy shop that I want to do, but this one was calling the loudest. It’s a calendar of mini Hooties, with one themed for each month. I plan to stitch each Hootie in its month.

So far, I’ve done January’s Hootie, which I already posted in a SAL post. I’ll pop him here as well though. I’ve also completed February’s Hootie. I love stitching these. They’re small enough to be a fairly quick stitch and they’re really well designed, with a colour chart to make it easier to follow.

 

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SAL – Los gatos – 02

This is the scheduled three-weekly post for the SAL that I’m doing with several other crafty blogs and I’ve been cracking on with Los Gatos.

Usually when I do a cross stitch project, I pick a starting point and work out from there. This time though, I fancied a change. As this design has only five colours, which are mostly in blocks, plus it’s nicely gridded for easier counting, I’m doing one colour at a time. So far I’ve done all the yellow and have started one of the greys. I realise that this gives you absolutely no idea what it’s going to be, but I’ve been having fun doing it like this.

I’ve also done February’s Hootie but I’ll put him in a separate post. I’ve managed to resist the temptation to do the cross stitch temperature chart that I mentioned last time, but it’s definitely on my To do list for next year.

For the stitch-a-long I’m linking up to these lovely blogs.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ,Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

Do allow for people being in different time zones, so not posting all at the same time, but it’s well worth doing a bit of blog hopping to see all the lovely projects that are being worked on.

SAL – Los gatos – 01

This is the scheduled three-weekly post for the SAL that I’m doing with several other crafty blogs and I’ve started not one, but two new projects.

Last time, I said that I was torn between fishing out a kit or printing one of the many digital charts in my stash. After some rummaging, I decided to stitch the most recent of my digital acquisitions, Los Gatos. I love the unusual colour palette in this design plus it’s cats, so right up my street.

I got the chart at Jardin Privé. The designer is Camille Coljé-Camps. I’ve done a chart from there before, but it had a nice English version. Los gatos didn’t. It’s a long time since I studied French, but how hard could it be? It’s just a chart. Just to be on the safe side though, I asked Claire for help. Thanks Claire 🙂

So, Los gatos is started. I haven’t got much done on it, mostly because I was procrastinating when I should have been rinsing and pressing the fabric and gridding it. Once that finally got done, I made a start on the stitching and this is the progress so far. Usually, I only stitch one project at a time but I had a little look on Etsy, while I was considering which projects out of my stash that I was going to do. (It seemed like a good idea at the time.) Oddly enough I ended up buying two more charts.

One of them is Hooties year round minis from Pinoy Stitch. I did a Hooties stitch in 2019 and loved doing it so I’ve had my eye on some of the other ones. This one is a mini Hootie for each month of the year and I thought it’d be fun to do one Hootie per month. I’ve done January and he’s very cute in his little scarf.

I was very tempted to start a third project as when I popped to Jardin Privè to get the link, I found a design for a temperature cross stitch. I did a temperature crochet blanket a few years ago, which I enjoyed doing, but the cross stitch version would be a lot quicker to do each day and is very versatile in how many extra things you can add. I’ve bookmarked it for next year though as I think two at a time is quite enough LOL

For the stitch-a-long I’m linking up to these lovely blogs.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ,Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

Do allow for people being in different time zones, so not posting all at the same time, but it’s well worth doing a bit of blog hopping to see all the lovely projects that are being worked on.

SAL – Pumpkin Cottage – 04

This is the scheduled three-weekly post for the SAL that I’m doing with several other crafty blogs and I’ve finished Pumpkin Cottage.

This is how it looked last time.

I didn’t have too much left to do. The tree on the left needed to be finished, then pumpkins, flowers, birds and a fence on the right. Then all I needed to do was pull out the gridlines and take a photo 🙂 It needs a press but as it’s just gone into the box with lots of other projects waiting to be framed in some way, I didn’t bother with that just yet. Honestly, if I did get around to framing them all, I don’t have enough wall to hang them up. I’d have to set up a rotation 😉

I’ve no idea what I’m going to stitch next. I’m torn between fishing another kit out of the box or printing out one of the many digital charts that I have. I’ll have to have a rummage and see what leaps out at me.

For the stitch-a-long I’m linking up to these lovely blogs.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ,Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

Do allow for people being in different time zones, so not posting all at the same time, but it’s well worth doing a bit of blog hopping to see all the lovely projects that are being worked on.

SAL – Pumpkin Cottage – 03

This is the scheduled three-weekly post for the SAL that I’m doing with several other crafty blogs and I’ve done some more on Pumpkin Cottage.

This is how it looked last time

I didn’t get as much done as I’d hoped as I’ve had a pretty busy few weeks, but I have now finished the text and the cottage and made a start on the scenery. 

I like to listen to audio books while I’m stitching. I’m listening to a John Scalzi at the moment. It’s the first book in The Collapsing Empire series and I’m really enjoying it. I like Scalzi’s books anyway, and his have the added bonus of being narrated by Will Wheaton who is by far my favourite narrator. Oddly, I find music too distracting and I get very little stitching done if the TV is on. Does anyone else listen to audiobooks while stitching?

For the stitch-a-long I’m linking up to these lovely blogs.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ,Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

Do allow for people being in different time zones, so not posting all at the same time, but it’s well worth doing a bit of blog hopping to see all the lovely projects that are being worked on.

SAL – Pumpkin Cottage – 02

This is the scheduled three-weekly post for the SAL that I’m doing with several other crafty blogs and I’ve done a bit more on Pumpkin Cottage.

This is how it looked last time I’ve now added the flowers to the borders and done most of the text strip. I had hoped to finish that bit for this update but I didn’t quite get there. I’m still quite happy with my progress though and I’m really enjoying stitching this. It’s such a contrast to my last project!

I’d forgotten how much I love using variegated threads. I love the roof of the cottage. It’s so textured because of the variegation.

For the stitch-a-long I’m linking up to these lovely blogs.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ,Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

Do allow for people being in different time zones, so not posting all at the same time, but it’s well worth doing a bit of blog hopping to see all the lovely projects that are being worked on.

SAL – Pumpkin Cottage – 01

This is the scheduled three-weekly post for the SAL that I’m doing with several other crafty blogs and I’ve got a new start.

I’ve had this in my stash for at least five years but somehow it never made it to the top of the pile. It’s a Country Cottage Needleworks chart and it uses DMC plus some variegated threads.

I usually make a shade card for my projects, but it tends to be a bit of card with holes punched very unevenly and my scrawly writing on. Also unevenly. This time I got posh and made it on the computer, printed it, stuck it onto card, punched holes where marked and I have a lovely even card for my threads.

Look at the pretty colours!

I did the gridding slightly differently this time, and I think I prefer it this way. It’s a bit easier to see what I’m doing, although the other way worked fine too. This was quicker to grid though, which is definitely a bonus.

I’m really enjoying the stitching. The fabric is lovely, I’m stitching over two, and it’s full crosses. (I have to keep checking that the crosses all go the same way, mind, as I’ve got so used to doing tent stitch). It’s so nice to be able to see what I’m doing and to use colours that you can tell apart.

So, this is where I’ve got up to.

I’d like to add that I’m not enjoying writing this post. I’m using the new WordPress editor and I really, really don’t like it. It’s taking me ages to figure out how to do anything. I’m not impressed. Pah!

For the stitch-a-long I’m linking up to these lovely blogs.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

Do allow for people being in different time zones, so not posting all at the same time, but it’s well worth doing a bit of blog hopping to see all the lovely projects that are being worked on.

SAL – Precious dreams #14

This is the scheduled three-weekly post for the SAL that I’m doing with several other crafty blogs and I’ve finished Precious Dreams. It’s happy dance time!

This is where it was up to before. I had 6 columns left to do, which is 3780 stitches. This is the finished piece. I know it’s a little wonky, but once I press it and stretch it onto a frame of some sort, it’ll be fine.

It’s about 8″ x 5.5″ (21cm x 14cm) and consists of 35,190 teeny-tiny stitches.

It’s worked 2 threads over 1, in tent stitch, on 28ct denim Jobelan. I’m pretty sure I’ll never do that again! LOL

I have no idea what I’m going to stitch next. Something colourful, I think. I’ll have to have a rummage and see what calls to me 🙂

For the stitch-a-long I’m linking up to these lovely blogs.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

Do allow for people being in different time zones, so not posting all at the same time, but it’s well worth doing a bit of blog hopping to see all the lovely projects that are being worked on.

Cabinet of curiosities

I like crafting and I do several crafts. I crochet, I scrapbook, I do cross stitch and other embroidery, and occasionally I make quilts or sew other things. I’ve also dabbled in rock painting and various other crafts, plus I read. I read a lot.

You’d think I’d have enough to keep me out of mischief, wouldn’t you? Especially considering how many WIPs I have and how many planned projects. Well, apparently not, as I seem to have acquired a new hobby.

It started last year when we went to the craft show at the NEC. ( Ah, remember the days when you could go to shows and exhibitions? Sigh.)

I had a wish list for the show. Mostly stamps & dies plus a few storage items. We got there early, I got most of the stuff on my list and had pretty much had enough by the time it got really busy. As we were heading out, I spotted a stall with wooden stuff on it. I glanced and walked past but then glanced again and saw a cat. This got my attention so I looked a bit closer, had a chat with the nice lady on the stall and bought the cat, which I assembled and decorated, as seen here.

I really enjoyed doing the cat so went online to buy one of the gorgeous curio cabinets that I’d also seen on that stand. The made up examples were lovely and they have a blog with loads of instructions and ideas.

I actually ended up buying three cabinets, some packs of teeny baskets and some of their buttons. I couldn’t decide which style of cabinet I wanted to create so thought I’d do a few.

I’ve only just started playing with them, as I made myself finish the Baltic scrapping first, otherwise it’d never have got done. I’ve just finished assembling and painting up the first cabinet and it was great fun.

This is what it looks like when you get it. This is a cabinet and a pack of three baskets. There are really good, detailed instructions for assembling the cabinets so it didn’t take long to make these up and this is what they looked like then. Next came the really fun part – painting.

First I used a stencil and some texture paste on the front, to give a bit of interest and then did two coats of acrylic paint in Plum suede. It still looked a bit flat so I very lightly went over the edges and the top of the stencilling with some Inka gold in Rose quartz. I’m really chuffed with how it turned out. A close up to see the Inka gold a bit better. I was aiming for a slightly distressed look, which I think I achieved.

I also backed the shelves with some patterned paper from one of my pads from The Works.

Next I’m going to decorate the baskets and plan what to put in them and then start making lots of items to fill those shelves. I’m going with a theme of ‘things that I like’ for this one, so there’ll be books, cats and Disney for starters. This is so much fun!

SAL – Precious dreams #13

This is the scheduled three-weekly post for the SAL that I’m doing with several other crafty blogs and I’ve made good progress on Precious Dreams.

This is where it was up to last time. I had 12 columns to go and having just done four columns for that update, my plan was to try to keep up that rate and finish after three more updates.

I did not do four columns this time though. I did six! That’s 3780 stitches. This is how it looks now. So, now I’m thinking that if I can do that again, I can have a finish for next time. No promises, but I’m hopeful.

I can’t wait to see this finally finished.

For the stitch-a-long I’m linking up to these lovely blogs.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

Do allow for people being in different time zones, so not posting all at the same time, but it’s well worth doing a bit of blog hopping to see all the lovely projects that are being worked on.