Monday, January 26, 2015

Snow, sniffles & stitching

This year's bug which has been going around finally bit me.  My train commute is most likely where it happened.  My system fought hard but all those bugs worn me down.   Been drowning the germs with tea and chicken soup and eating lots of fruit. This  translates into more stitching because I didn't 't feel well enough to do much else except sleep.
I am feeling a litte better. We've prepped for the expected blizzard but I really hope we don't loose power.  We forgot to fill up the generator with gas but it is half full.  There is a state of emergency in the NY / NJ / CT tri-state so we are hunkering down. Here is the piece I've been stitching.  I started it this month. The cat in piece has our Murphy's coloring.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Where did 2014 go?

Time seems to be passing at warp speed.  I remember as a kid thinking I was stuck in a slow motion machine because there were long periods where time just creeped along at a snails pace.  I wish everyone a happy, healthy,  and heartfelt joyous 2015. 
  Here are some of the recent things I have been working on.  A copy of WIPS I finished stitching like the snow man who will get his charm attached when I decided how I am going to finish him.  A few ornaments done on plastic mesh need ribbons, backing and wires.  One ink circle done on paper and a fall piece which I got from my friend Vickie at one of our retreats.   She had kitted them up.  A just nan kit I have been working on when traveling which is a ufo as is the floral heart.  And lastly a kitty kit I just started a few days ago.  Oh there also is a little flower I stitched on left over plastic which will become a book mark one day soon.
Mare

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Some stitching

I just completed Cat Paw prints by doop design on 28 CT even weave.   There is a cat button I will be attaching once I iron and decide how I will finish it.  The Rhodes heart done in splendor silk on the right gave me a hard time.  It took me 3 attempts before I liked the look of it. I changed up the fibers and I am pleased with how it turned out.  This is my first piece by this designer.

Also including a photo of my latest heart wip.   This French freebie design is by Cachounette 010410 which I am stitching in dmc 4025 on pale blue 18 ct aida for my heart quilt project. 

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Latest crochet wip blanket and another finished

We have 2 adorable nieces which live in Vermont.  I completed a blanket for Sadie who loves pink.  Done in homespun pink and Caron black yarn.

I am working another blanket for Abby.  Abbys favorite color is blue so I am calling Abbys blanket the waves. It is only about 15 inches so I have a way to go.  I need to complete this by September. 

Homespun blanket finish

This Thanksgiving after seeing a picture of another blanket I made my sister in law announced that she wanted me to make her a blanket for Christmas.  Well since it takes time that did not happen in 2013 but I did finish it in 2014.   She hasn't gotten it yet so this is just a peek at it.  My Murphy was a little annoyed at me when Janis' s blanket was finished and got put away.  It was made with Lions brand homespun yarn which washes and drys wonderfully.   In 2013 I made myself a blanket with this same yarn and it has been laundered a few times and looks and feels great.

There was also a new scarf and cowl for me completed.

Doesn't Murphy look comfortable? 

Monday, May 26, 2014

Hooked on crocheting - baby blanket

Where to start when you have not blogged for a while?  Let me start with my latest love affair.  I fell hook line and sinker with yarn again a few years ago.  With so many beautiful new yarns, how do you select the right one for your project .  All those luscious colors and textures make it very hard to choose.

Here my latest baby blanket with a matching baby bag which has a cross stitched Shepard s bush design stitched on the front.  It's a ripple or zig zag design done in chenille pink/ orange plush yarn.  This was completed a few weeks ago and given to Angie, a very pregnant Amtrak customer service rep who I see weekly on my commute.


Angie is having a little girl so I customized the Be Extraordinary" SB kit and added a 3rd line to the design "baby (flower) girl".  I attached it to a tote bag which has nice elastic mesh side pockets perfect for bottles or sipping cups.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Summer Reading by an Eclectic Book Lover & Stash Shopping



Summer Reading
Tender Wishes by JoAnne Cassity – this quick read was a charming romance.  Very enjoyable summer read.   I’m not a big romance reader but I’d gladly grab another by this author.
The Miser by Lesley Egan – an interesting mystery written in 1981 by a prolific mystery writer.  This is the first novel I have read by this author.  It had a vintage feel to it because I believe it was set back in the 1960’s or the late 1950’s in California.   I am an east coast girl and that era was before my time so I did learn quite a bite.
A Certain Smile by Judith Michael – A complicated romance with characters who have depth and strong story lines.   The rich history of China was wonderful and captivating.
The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver – This is a suspense novel set in California.  It is part of the Katryn Dance series with the main character a modern day Charles Manson.  It was a page turner but I generally do not care for cult themed novels.
By Adriana Trigiani:  Big Stone Gap, Big Cherry Holler & Milk Glass Moon  - I just loved all the books in this series.  I read Home to Big Stone Gap a while ago and just had to read her other books.  They are fun, heartwarming, charming stories.  Lots of quirky sassy oddball characters that made me laugh.  My only complaint is that there are not more written in this series.
Serpent’s Tooth by Faye Kellerman is one of her Peter Decker/ Rina Lazarus novels.  It a good thriller.
While my Pretty One Sleeps by Mary Higgins Clark written in 1989.  I am not someone who re-reads but I do love this author so I am pretty sure I had read it.    I could not recall the story so I guess I am getting old.  It is a good story and I enjoyed it.     
Once a Princess by Johanna Lindsey.  This is a romance with a predictable formula but its a quick light read .     
The Brides of Christmas by Jo Beverley, Margaret Moore & Deborah Simmons.  This paper back is made up of three medieval romance tales.  Lite summer reading that is pretty predictable but also enjoyable.                                                                                         
What are you reading now?  I’d love to know.  I just finished a book by Pulitzer Prize winning author; Geraldine Brooks called People of the Book.  I totally love this one.  It is about restoring an ancient Jewish book and how it survived through troubled times.  It was fascinating and not at all what I expected.  It had ots of twists and turns which kept me entertained .

Stash Shopping & Health Issues
I have been going through a bunch of major health issues starting in March.  I do not want to bore people with the details but was being treated for a problem and then had a bad reaction to the pills I was given.  The pills caused blood clots to form in my lungs.   I was very lucky that I was proactive because many people ignore the symptoms I had until complications arise and by then it’s too late.  I landed in the hospital for 3 weeks and I was out of medical leave for a few months.  I feel much better and I went through a bunch of testing for a few other things they found.  Anyway I had 3 different parts of my body biopsied t so I decided I needed to do some serious stash shopping.   I bought a bunch of books I have wanted for a while from Amazon.  It felt like Christmas with packages arriving almost every day the week I awaited the results.  It was a wonderful distraction and thankfully all the tests came back negative.  Most of the books are by French Designers.  In one book, Stitch Graffiti I discovered that a friend of mine one of the model stitchers, congrats Berly.  Here is the list of books I bought in case you too need a stash enhancement.
1. Sweet Stitches from the Heart
2. Made in France: Cross-stitch and Embroidery in Red, White and Blue
3. Made in France: Cross-Stitch
4. Rainbow Stitches Embroidery
5. Stitch- Graffiti by Heather Holland 

Thanks for reading and please leave me a comment if you have the time, I love reading them.
Mare