Spring is in the air.

It’s so long since I visited my friends who congregate over at The Stamping Ground for   What’s On Your Workdesk Wednesday,    two  months in fact, so I thought it was about time I dropped by to say hello and see what you’re all up to.

I’ve been keeping myself busy with knitting (got the bug again after knitting baby bits for my God Daughter’s little girl) and my cross stitch of course, so at last I have something to share with you.

 I spotted this pattern in Hobbycraft and decided it was perfect for what I wanted.

 I got the wool in there too, Sirdar Freya, which is a brushed cotton that knits up chunky and warm, while remaining light weight. 

The finished article looks enormous and it is because I’m a rather large lady, but it fits perfectly and was just perfect.

In fact it was so perfect a fit that I brought the wool and knitted two more, using the pattern for the number of stitches and shaping but doing my own thing pattern wise.

 

I also have my next knitting project lined up, this edge to edge jacket. 

It’s done in a Mega Chunky mix of cotton and wool, which  I’m hoping will be perfect for Spring.  All I need to get are the 10mm which I’m lacking.  Don’t recall ever knitting on such large needles. I’ve chosen and deep shade of Aubergine for mine.

On to my cross stitch and Celtic Autumn is coming along nicely. 

All the actual cross stitch is finished and I’m in the process of stitching on the beads…..it’s so time consuming and tedious but so worth all the effort when it’s finished.

So that’s about it from me I think. 

I really should stop by more often I know,  but now that I’m not making cards and things I have very little to share each week and seeing the same piece of stitching week after week must get boring, but having said that, it doesn’t mean I don’t drop by to snoop in between my visits to Julia.

 I have just two more pictures to share with you before I go.

The first is of a Black Bird who was busily gorging himself on my Pyracantha (Firethorn).

 And the second is bird related too.

With Spring just around the corner and the birds busy building their nests, I decided to put out all my off cuts of wool in an olds feeder together with  all the fur that comes from BoJangles when I brush him.   Hopefully they will end up with soft, warm and pretty nests this year.

Happy Crafting!

Sue

x

 

Out of my Comfort Zone - WOYWW #198

Good morning my lovely blogging friends.

It’s that day again and Julia is ready and waiting over at the The Stamping Ground for you to add your name to Mr Linky ( if you haven’t already) and then be prepared for the influx of crafters, all eager to snoop on your work space.

For some reason I’m only managing to join in every couple of weeks at the moment. No idea really why that is but hopefully it will change soon and I’ll be here ‘full time’. I don’t know about you but I get withdrawal symptoms when I miss a week.

So what’s been happening is Sue’s Krafty Kards work room this week…………….well a combination of knitting, stitching and a little bit of paper crafting and here’s what was on my desk when I let it last night.

I thought I had better make a start on the ATC’s for the WOYWW birthday swap……talk about out of my comfort zone. I’ve only every made them once before and that was for last year’s swap, so I was in panic mode when I started because of the small area I was working on.

You can see from the picture that I had various shades of Pink and Mauve Distress Inks out as well as some stamps and dies but don’t think for a minute that you can guess what I’m doing because within an hour of taking that photo I over did things a little and it was beyond salvaging so it all ended up in the bin.
I then started from scratch with something completely different and I think I’m happy with the results but you’ll have to wait until the swap to see them.

I mentioned that I’ve been knitting again and have made two more little cardigans for my Goddaughter’s bump. Her mum told me that she’s not shy of bold colours, which I’m not sure about for a new baby and colour choice isn’t made easier when we don’t know what she’s expecting, so I decided on this lovely shade of Green.

All it needs are some buttons and it’s done.

The second one I made with the left overs from the Green and the Cream one I made a couple of weeks ago and that’s just waiting on buttons too.

And so to the cross stitch and yes, I’ve finally made a start on Celtic Autumn, yah!

Luckily there’s no time frame, because I’m a slow stitcher and you’ll see what I mean when I tell you that this is the progress after 13 hours and 50 minutes.

(Opps.....looks like I need to get the iron out!)

I don’t normally keep account of how long a project takes me to stitch but someone on another blog I follow stitched her recently and it took a total of 83 hours, that was 72 hours stitching and 11 hours beading so I thought I’d see how long she takes me.

So that’s it for another week.

I’ll be calling by later to see what you’re all up too, so get that mug of coffee ready for me.

Happy Crafting!
Sue
x

Maybe Baby - WOYWW #192

Just when you think the weather has changed for the better and Spring is just around the corner, it changes again and it seems we are back in the grips of Winter. We’ve been lucky again though down in the South East, as we’ve managed to miss the worst of the snow but it’s turned really cold again and I don’t like it………..I need some warmth and sunshine! Winge over and on with my day I guess.

My aim for today is to start a new page for my Heritage Album and I only plan to step outside the door at around midday when I go swimming. I did 32 lengths last week, that’s half a mile, and I hope to do the same today.

But back to my LO and the picture of my desk for What’s On Your Workdesk Wednesday over at Julia’s blog ‘The Stamping Ground’ shows all the bits and pieces that I’ve pulled out ready to start my planning.

You can see two photos in the picture.

The one at the back is my brother Michael who now 63. Obviously that’s not the one I’m going to attempt to scrap today …….can’t see him in Pink somehow, Lol, but he will be the next to be done when I find some suitable papers.

This is the one I’m going to do and it’s me playing Peek-a-boo. I think I was about four or five months old there but I’m sure.

While we’re on the subject of baby’s I think it’s safe to say now that the shawl I was knitting is for my Goddaughter Nichola and her husband Paul, who are expecting their first in July.

The knitting is coming along fine and I flew through the centre panels but the edging is taking a life time. Admittedly I had a little break from it and went back to my cross stitch for about a week but so far I’ve just knitted enough to go around two sides and little bit more and it takes 32 patterns per side, so there’s still lots to do.

OK, that’s it from me for another week. I’ll be popping along this afternoon when I get back from swimming to see what everyone is up to this week, so get the Hot Chocolate on for me because the pool was a little chilly last week!

Happy Crafting!

Sue
x
Would you believe it…..just as I was about to start on the LO my furry friend, BoJangles put in an appearance and decided to hinder….I mean help.
Don’t you just love him, Lol!

WOYWW #189 - Knitty Nora!

I’ll come clean right at the offset this week and own up to the fact that my work table is set up for this photo, but at least it gave me the reason to clear all the toot that had accumulated over the last two weeks off of it.

Luckily or unluckily, depending on how you view it, I haven’t done any paper crafting for a couple of weeks because I came down with that nasty little winter sickness and tummy bug, so I didn’t need to use the table .It was just as well because I had a new integrated fridge freezer put in yesterday and had to move a lot of stuff from the kitchen to give them room to work in and empty the old one…….. and where did that end up……you’ve guessed it….in my craft room!

I’m feeling much better now though, so this morning I decided it was time to get straight again and decided that I would show you how my knitting is coming along.

So here’s what’s on my Workdesk this week.

I’ve managed to finish two of the four pieces that make up the centre of the baby’s shawl and I’m working on the third part now.
At this rate of knitting it should be finished in a couple of weeks………I don’t knit fast and the old hands are not as supple as they used to be.


By the time we meet again next week I hope to have made some cards to show you because I still haven’t made my Thank You cards yet, but now the table is clear I’ve no excuse, so keep a look out.

If you want to see what on other peoples work surfaces, as I'm about to do after grabbing a cup of coffee, then call in on Julia over at The Stamping Ground and join in with What’s On Your Workdesk Wednesday.

Happy Crafting!

Sue

x

WOYWW # 187 Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you all.

So here we all are in 2013 and I hope all my fellow WOYWW’ers from over at The Stamping Ground are fighting fit after the revelry of your New Year’s celebrations and are ready for another year of reveling what’s lurking on your work space.

I myself had a rather quiet Christmas but made up for it New Year’s Eve, when eight of us booked into a local hotel. We spent the afternoon enjoying the use of their pool and Jacuzzi and then it was a snack and drinkies in the bar before getting ready for a five course meal later in the evening and then partying until 1.30 in the morning. I’ve not done that for many, many years and the old body is still protesting about all the exercise it was put through….don’t know where I ache most, Lol, but we had a fantastic time.


Now, knowing that I’ve decided to step back from the card making a bit in 2013, I didn’t ask Santa for any new stash., but my table does have something new on it.

I mentioned a while back that seeing everyone’s knitting popping up everywhere was giving me itchy fingers again, not that I’ve knitted in over twenty years, and I began to think it might be nice to have a bit on the go myself.

But what to knit?

The answer to that came just before Christmas when news of a new baby reached my ears….can’t say to much about it at the moment because she hasn’t announced it to everyone yet, but it was my excuse to get the needled clicking.

So as usual I was in at the deep end…….

and I’m knitting a 3ply shawl……….that should keep me quite for a little while!

Despite not asking Santa for any paper craft stash he did actually did fetch me something crafty after all. This lovely lot……..

This will be my next large cross stitch project and she’ll be my fourth of the Celtic Ladies, Celtic Autumn.

There are still a few of the Needlepaints and silks to come because I’m guessing Santa didn’t have room on his sleigh for them but I have everything else I need to get started on it as soon as I finish the Sampler which is coming along nicely.  Ive stitched quite a bit more than when that picture was taken.  The whole botton is done now and I'm working on the top left-hand quater.


Well, that’s all there is to see on your first visit in 2013 to my work desk.
I’ll be along in the next few days to see what you’re up to but I doubt it will be tomorrow as I’m off to the pictures to see The Hobbit.

Thanks for popping by and ………….

Happy Crafting!

Sue

x