I'm finally back!!

Well, I've been on hiatus for a while... was under the weather. Everything is A-OK now, and I hope to start stitching again and blogging.

So, here's some updates...

First is QS Red Poppy

Now for Vision of Light. I'm so close to finishing this one!! It will be my first HAED finish. There's about 35,000 stitches left to stitch.... I've done over 100,000 already.

I'll do my best to post more often now that I'm back online and stitching more regularly.

Another Update...

Thought I had better update my QS Red Poppy since the SAL is coming up this weekend. This is how far along I got during the last SAL. She has two eyes now and is quite beautiful!! I hope to get down the side this weekend, but I'm not sure I'll have much stitching time.

Update on QS Red Poppy

It's been a while.... I've been off line, but now I'm back. Here is the latest update on my Red Poppy. She has such a beautiful eye now!!

Right now I'm addicted to the sampler And They Sinned. I started it years ago, and pulled it out of the closet this week. I'm making tons of progress and will update it next. I hope to make it to the half way mark before putting it away again.

A few pics-

I have been stitching sporadically lately. I have a few pics to catch up on. For the HAED retired artist SAL, I stitched Metamorphosis and got a lot done. Another little fishy is visable.

I stitched QS Red Poppy for the HAED challenge and now have the beginning of her eye. She is going to be so beautiful!

And last, but not least, my Peaceful Paradise sampler. I got bogged down in all the word stitching and put it away for a little while. It's so huge!

I also need to update Eve in the sidebar, but I forgot to take a pic of her. Maybe later on today I'll photograph her- she's very close to a finish.

Peaceful Paradise- just over 50% complete

Another update on Peaceful Paradise. The words are going quickly- but I still don't like fiddling with them!

Also, an update on Eve, my Daily Strand challenge. She's also coming along nicely and is in the sidebar.

Peaceful Paradise

Another update on this one. I am hoping to finish it before June 1, but that only leaves a couple of weeks. I have pages 1-4 completed now with 8 more to go. Mostly stitching words right now which goes fast- I can't wait to put more stitches in the bottom meadow scene. Hopefully this weekend I'll sneak some of the bottom in between the word stitching.

Next update on Peaceful Paradise

I have almost completely finished the "Day" panel. Now on to "Night." I actually have the left border stitched all the way to the bottom and started a little green hill with some cute sheep. This piece is so big that I didn't want to take it off the scroll bars, so I didn't take a pic of the bottom yet.

Peaceful Paradise

Thought I would post an update on Peaceful Paradise, now that I have more of the "Night" panel stitched. I ended up having to change the yellow DMC in the moon to 745, because the color called for was too close to my variegated Whiskey. I'm going to have to get to work on the words though- I don't mind the mindless sky stitching, but letters sometimes drive me crazy. For anyone out there who may be stitching this, I emailed MSND and found that 2 skeins are needed of Eve's Leaves, Black Coffee, and Raven. Luckily my LNS is mailing me the extras-hopefully they're the same dyelot since I had just bought them.

Peaceful Paradise

I just started Peaceful Paradise by Midsummer Night Designs. It is so fun!! I bought all the original Crescent Colors/Gentle Arts/ Weeks that it called for, but have found myself subbing out most of it with HDF. Just can't help it! I have so many beautiful spools wanting to be stitched! The first panel (daylight) is stitched in a blue mystery spool that I think may be Steph's Gentle Seas. The second panel is in Motes of Night. The clouds are Mother of Pearl light. I am keeping the yellow WDW Whiskey, but I almost used HDF OMOTHive. I decided to keep that spool intact though because I may use it for a Quaker.

Here is a pic of Happy Hearts by Birds of a Feather. I finished it a couple of years ago, but it has been hanging at my LNS for the entire time. I just got it back 2 weeks ago. I love this piece because of all the initials. The "B and T" are for me and DH. The rest are for my pets- one dearly departed, the rest running the house.

Just in case you're interested, the initials go like this:

P= Princess (dearly departed pomeranian)

V. S. = Vinny (min pin) Santana (German Shepherd)

ANB= Ashley, Nikki, Brianna (my girly kitties)

B= Bugsy (my mean little min pin/schnauzer mix)

B T = Becky and TJ (that's me and DH)

C Y = Chopper and Yeti (my big dumb boy kitties that I love dearly)

There are 2 more kitties not included because I didn't have them then- Rocky and Rambo. Yep, that's their names according to DH. We're over-run with pets, but that's what happens when you work at a vet clinic and have a heart.

Spanish Mystery Sampler

I have finished the first installment of the Spanish Mystery Sampler from Periphaeria Designs. I love this design. I am using Bitterness silk on 36 ct Terra Potta linen, both from HDF. I have spent a little time on my Ink Circles Mystery today. But now I think it is time for a new start... I am getting ready to start Peaceful Paradise by Midsummer Night Designs. I am using 40 ct. light sand linen and a mix of HDF, Crescent Colors, Gentle Art Shaker, and maybe some DMC- we'll see what happens.

Some more stitchy pics

I have been doing a lot of stitching this week- it helps me relax from the stresses of work. I have a small finish that only took about 10 hours- my first finish since last year!! It is Needlewoman by Carriage House Samplings. I used HDF Kindling, Old Maid of the Heart, and Basic Black. There's a shadow in the lower right side that is not on the fabric- didn't notice it until I posted it!

I have also started the Spanish Mystery Sampler from Periphaeria Designs. I am using 36 ct Terra Potta linen with Bitterness silk, all from HDF. Mine will be monochrome. Here's my start on that one-
I have also joined in the HDF Forum Daily Strand and have committed to stitching one strand of floss daily on "Eve" by La-D-Da. This is an old WIP that I started in 2006. I have been steadily stitching her now for about 2 weeks and can see a lot of progress with just one strand. Here she is so far- I have added her to the sidebar to remind myself of how much I'm getting done!

Update on QS Red Poppy

I spent a little quality time with my Red Poppy this weekend during the HAED SAL challange. Here she is- isn't she a darling?!


I'm off my HAED addiction for the time being. Obsessed with samplers. This weekend is the 3rd sampler SAL on the HAED BB, and I will be starting my Spanish Sampler from Periphaeria designs. I am doing it as a monochrome on using Bitterness on 36 ct terra potta linen- both from Hand-Dyed fibers. I may also work on my Ink Circles mystery and/or Mystery Quaker. I don't expect to get a ton of stitching time in because I have to work all weekend. Yuck!

Mystery Quaker 2008

I have finally started Martina Dey's Mystery Quaker. This is my first ever quaker, and I am really enjoying it. So much so, that I have ordered a lot more!! Including the infamous Beatrix Potter. Had to spend a lot on eBay, but I am very happy to have found it. Just waiting on the USPS to deliver it....

Here is my start on the Mystery. I am using Old Maid of the Vineyard by HDF on 30 ct. lilac WDW linen over one. It's such a nice, easy stitch. Nothing like the HAEDs I'm used to.

I've also included a pic of some of my most recent HDF linen and spool purchases. I have received more since this pic, have another order on the way and a shopping cart full as well. These little spools are like candy. I just love them!! 50 yards of six strand or 300 yds of single strand. Lovely!

Back to Samplers

I have spent a wonderful weekend at the LNS and online buying up samplers, samplers, samplers!! I haven't purchased a new one since 2006, so I have a lot of catching up to do. That said, after all my purchases, I settled on a freebie start. This is from Tracy at Ink Circles. It is a Mystery that will run through out the year. We have the outline right now. I am sprinkling DMC metallics in along with HDF for the majority of the stitching. The final product is supposed to be much like a "Carpet Page"- google that. They are gorgeous!!

Here is the upper left corner of mine- subject to change if I decide to frog it all. Worked on 40 ct Daily Grind linen one over two.

QS Red Poppy by CCK

Here she is after the March HAED SAL Challenge. I got lots of stitching done this weekend since I didn't have to work. I am going to force myself to do the background and top of her hair before I start on the face. I think she is going to be beautiful. She's so bright as colorful!! This is 7100 stitches so far.

Update on VoL

As promised, here is my latest pic of VoL. She has gotten so big that I had to unroll her from the scroll frame and drape it over- hence the noticeable wave. Now, I know the mess of threads looks awful, but it is NOT a tangled mess. I park my threads which saves tons of time. I have only had one thread get tangled since I started parking (and it wasn't on VoL). I comb through them every once in a while with my fingers, so they stay nice and usable.

I took this pic without the flash in regular room lightening. It is slightly brighter IRL, but I thought it showed the nice sparkley jewelry better. I recharted the jewelry using DMC metallics.

I am almost to the bottom of the piece- the bottom left corner grid is as far down as it goes. I have decided to go all the way down and then over for the rest of the pattern- I am hoping if I concentrate on this and only join in the SALs, I should be able to finish by June 1st. Maybe sooner.

So far, so good. Stitching deligently on VoL with no other WIP screaming too loudly in my head to be stitched. But I will be happy to work on QS Poppy this weekend for the HAED SAL. I'll post a pic of VoL on Friday if I remember.

Love Me Not- and a crazy idea

Here is an update on Love Me Not. I have seen this one finished, and it is gorgeous. I hope to finish mine some day... which brings me to my crazy idea. I have decided to see how long I can stitch on ONE HAED. I would love to have a finish, so I'm going to concentrate on Vision of Light and see how far I can go. I'll throw a few samplers in and also continue to stitch with the various SALs, but as of this moment forward, I want to finish Vision of Light.

I've never been a OAATr, as you can see from my blog, so this is a big commitment. I have 59,400 stitches left. If I can at least get 30,000 done, that would accomplish one of my HAED Challenge goals.

So, here's my before pic of VoL. Let's see how long I can keep this up!!

Mermaid of the Deep

This is my most recent HAED WIP. The 4th weekend SAL happened to be "Creature SAL," and I hadn't touch this one since a new start SAL last year! I am happy with the creepy crawley. The original can be seen in the sidebar. It's by Jasmine Beckett Griffith. I had to work all night Saturday, so I didn't get as much done as I would have liked.... overall about 1600 stitches.

Awen Inspiration

Here's another update on Awen. This is about 60 hours of work. I am finally to the butterfly body on the right. Everytime I work on this it makes me happy- I love all those bright colors! Now on to darker stitching. Fire and Ice on black fabric from Kustom Krafts and then Mermaid of the Deep for this weekend's Creature SAL on the HAED BB.

New Pix

Finally a new HAED pic from last weekend's SAL and one for this weekend's HAEDless Sampler SAL.

I really enjoyed putting some red stitches in QS Red Poppy. Doesn't go along as easily as the green, but still enjoyable.

VoHRH is my 40 ct gauze endeavor. It goes very quickly. I didn't get to stitch at all on Saturday because I was sick, but I hope to be able to do the entire 2nd block next time around if I don't have to work...

Marquoir Mystery Sampler

I just can't stop working on samplers lately... This weekend I have actually been stitching QS Red Poppy, but I don't have my pics taken yet. Thought I would show you all the one I stitched before which is Marquoir. This is the 3rd time I have started it. I am finally happy with my three chosen colors in VC silks (black cherry, mulberry, french artichoke- unsure what the new names are now). This is a random fabric- 28 ct. rose overdye lugana (unsure what the real color is-). Sorry the pic is a little lopsided.

Polly Phillip 1772 Update

Finally an update!! I couldn't put this one down. She is so bright and happy... I loved stitching her, especially since I got to use HDF silks. I hope to get back to her soon- but I really need to work on some of my HAED WIPs. I think I like the sampler so much because I can actually get a lot done in one sitting. With a HAED, I may get 100 confetti stitches done and not feel like I've accomplished much of anything. They say slow and steady wins the race- guess I'm back to turtle stitching on Gatekeeper. lol

Update on me....

OK, so the HAEDless 3rd week Sampler SAL has finally broken the HAED spell. I didn't think it was possible. My first love was samplers, but since I found HAED in Nov of 2006, I have been exclusively stitching big complicated HAED charts. After stitching VoHRH, I stitched some of Gatekeeper, then started working on Polly Phillip 1772 again. I hadn't touched it in 2 years or so. I can't seem to put it down. I have completed the tree, some butterflies, a sheep and have now started the lady in the first panel. The outside border is traditional cross stitch, but the panels are over one continental stitch. I am loving it. Since it is in the rotation, I guess I am still on the rotation- I usually just stitch 10 hours on a piece, but I don't limit myself to 10. I am currently on 60 hours straight of PP. Unheard of!! I am usually sick of a piece by the end of a long weekend. I don't know... maybe I am trying to be a OAATr??? Probably not. I should be back on the HAED wagon by the 2nd week of Feb when the HAED Challenge SAL for February starts. But the next weekend is the sampler weekend... PP again?? I think it all stems from the fact that the sampler is SO MUCH EASIER. Not the million color changes in a 100 stitch block... I can see real progress. I promise to post a pic before the next HAED SAL of PP. She is going to be beautiful- bright colors in VC silks... can't get any better than that!!

I'll leave you with a non-stitching pic- this is my little red min pin Vinny along with the meanest kitten I have ever known (Rambo/Mac/little turd- various names for him) and in the background is Rocky his orange brother that very nearly met his demise after being attacked by a pit bull. After a few days of ICU at my house with injections of Valium for seizures and fluids/ force feeding every 2 hours he decided to live...

Village of Hawk Run Hollow

This is the first HAEDless sampler SAL weekend. I chose to work on VoHRH. It is being stitched on 40 ct. silk gauze, tent stitch. I am using VC silks. I held a white notecard underneathe to help see it better- the background is stitched in "natural." I should be able to finish this block next SAL if I don't have to work. I had to work 6pm Sat night to 8am Sun morning which made me worthless for stitching on Sunday. I am still tired! The orange stitches around the border are just there for grid lines- they'll be removed soon. I put the scissors in to show how little it is- I think it's really cute!

January HAED SAL Challenge

This is the first month of the 2008 HAED SAL Challenge. I decided on a new start- QS Red Poppy by CCKuik. The original pic can be found in the sidebar. I really enjoyed working on this piece. At first I thought I would go crazy with all the green, but after I got into a rhythm , it went very well. I got loads done, even with only stitching a small amount on Sunday due to a stomach bug. There were plenty of color blocks which always lends to faster stitching. The pic is a little lighter than it should be, but I took it at night with the flash, which tends to "wash out" the colors.

Starting the New Rotation

I have completed the first 2 slots of my rotation. Here are updated pix of Snow Horse and Metamorphosis. I have finally started a little reddish-orange koi on Meta... isn't it beautiful? So nice after all that blue!! Snow Horse is kinda tricky- the colors definitely do not match the pic on the site. There's a lot more yellowish colors than brown. At first, I didn't like it as much, but HAED says that they chart based on the true pic from the artist. Now that I have more done, I actually like the yellowish colors.

This pic is actually a little darker than IRL.

Gatekeeper

This is my first pic of Sheila Wolk's Gatekeeper by HAED. This one has been OOP for quite a while, but the wonderful Shannon H. at the HAED BB Rak'd it to me at Christmas. I was so lucky to get this chart!!! It is the "darker" version. I have only seen WIPs of the lighter version, so it will be interesting to see how this one differs. Already I can tell the colors are much deeper and with more reddish-purple hues.

I have my new rotation up in the side bar. I will be having a "focus" this year. I will work on the focus piece after stitching two from the rotation. I'll post another pic of Gatekeeper after the rotation is complete. The focus piece will be one of the 2008 HAED goals that I have chosen. Gatekeeper for the first rotation and maybe Metamorphosis for the second round. I should be able to get through the rotation at least 8 times throughout the year... I do tend to get sidetracked though...

La Belle Dame Sans Merci

I have finally finished this goal for the year. Two pages complete- spread out obviously. I did a little extra because I wanted to see what the dress was going to look like... the original can be seen in the sidebar. I hope to get to her face in 2008.

Soul of a Unicorn

Finally another goal done. This is by Josephine Wall, and I must say, I think it will be spectacular!! That Unicorn's horn is positively glowing!! And of course, the more confetti stitches there are, the better the outcome... I keep telling myself that... lol

Vision of Light

Here she is after a week straight of only stitching her.... there's no way I could be a OAATr. That big motif on the lower right was very fiddly. Met my 2007 goal for her, so now it is off to Magpie Fairy or Soul of a Unicorn. Still haven't decided which one, lol.

Mates Framed

Back from the framers yesterday... and off to a new home today! We're having our Christmas party for work today. I think the new owner will like it. She had a wonderful timberwolf named Dakota that passed away a few years ago. I see a lot of "wolf hybrids" at work that are just husky or malamute mixes. Dakota truly was a wolf hybrid. I hope this cross stitch gives her a lot of happiness and fond memories of Dakota.

Another Goal Completed

Here's the first 1/2 of pages 1-4 of Midnight Orchard. Roughly 15,000 stitches, but actually more because I carried most of the stitching down past the 50 line cut-off. I'm stitching her in VC silks. She's going to be lovely!! Now on to Vision of Light goal...

Awen Inspiration

Here's one of my finished goals!

Now on to Midnight Orchard...

FINALLY!!!!!

I have finally finished Mates- took a total of 276 hours. Whew... what a relief. It is off to the framers tomorrow. Kinda hate to give this one up since it took so long, but the future owner is a huge wolf fan, so I think it is going to the proper home.

Still Plugging Away...

AACCCKKK. Seriously. I can't seem to get this one finished. Something is always coming up, eating into my stitching time. I hope to finish this the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, but since I have to work this weekend and the next... and the next.... Like I said before, AAACCKKK. I really need to get back to my HAED stitching. I hope to put a couple of hours in VoL since it is the Challenge SAL weekend. Anyway, this is Mates (my Christmas Gift Stitching) at 66.7 % complete.

Catching up on some pics

I haven't had time to post in a while- all my free time is spent stitching Mates. I am giving this as a gift for Christmas. Unfortunately, the Christmas Dinner is in the first week of December (it's usually just before Christmas), so I am missing about 3 weeks of stitching time. Gotta get it done as quickly as possible, so no more HAED stitching for a while. Of course I'll still participate in the Challenge SAL with Vision of Light.

Here is Vision of Light after the last SAL:

And La Belle- which I think is going to be beautiful- look at those trees forming in the mountain.

And Mates which is 33% done at this time:

Retired Artists SAL

This time around I worked on Metamorphosis since it was her turn in my rotation anyway. I have finally completed the first page. Hooray!! I took out the backstitch around her eyes for now- wasn't happy with it. I will work on it again later.

The little fishies around her are just getting started. This one is very addictive and is always hard to put away.

Back Online!!

I am finally up and running internet-wise. Turns out a group of rogue squirrels had taken out 4 inches of our cable. Took some time, but the issue has been resolved... now if I can only get that pesky woodpecker to stop destroying the side of the house...
Anyway, back to stitching. This past weekend was the background SAL at HAED. I had Guardian Angel coming up in my rotation, so it worked out nicely. Here are some lovely shades of red/purple/brown that I ended up with after the weekend.