October and November Updates

Hello Friends, Life got away from me too... am combining October and November in one post...looks better that way 😁  I did get quite a bit done...

Let's see, what did I get done...  I finished up redagape's Casual Granny CAL.  I love how this blanket turned out.  I used only SSDK from my stash for this project, which began in February.  In all, I used Fondant, Apricot, Lemon, Violet, Bluebell, Pistachio, Cloud Blue, Wisteria, Spring Green, White, Citron, Aspen, Parma Violet and Soft Peach in varying amounts.  I had several balls of Mushroom and it worked well for the finishing.  I did not care for how the designer joined the squares, and she had little or no border on her blanket.  I chose to use a flat braid join and one of Edie Eckman's borders to finish mine off.  I think it worked out well.

I also finished the Atlanticus Blanket which I previewed in my last post.  I used Chimera Lion Brand Mandala yarn.  This took me quite a while... count, rip out, count and recount again....  Worth it in the end.  This is a Christmas gift for a very unsuspecting family member 😉

For a friend, I stitched Penguin Joy by Heart in Hand Needleart on a scrap of R&R Reproductions 30 ct Busy Bee Blend linen.  Fun, quick stitch.

Super excited that tomorrow I shall deliver this slightly early birthday gift to someone special.  I made another Lilliana Blanket by Hooked on Sunshine.  She likes peach and aqua together, and had to make this when I discovered Sea Breeze Lion Brand Cupcake yarn.  Prettier than I ever thought it would be, yet hard to photograph since winter arrived very early here...

Still on the Lilliana theme, for some time now I kept thinking the pattern would adapt well to a pillow.  It did.  Here is my effort in Balloons Lion Brand Cupcake on a 16" pillow form.  I grabbed the Edie Eckman book again to add a border.  Very colorful and sweet.

I present to you the 2018 Christmas freebie from iStitch Designs.  Carol asked me to stitch a model for her, and I was happy to oblige.  I chose 40 ct Lambswool linen, the called for DMC floss and a gold beaded edge.  Again, the dark winter sky is my foe for picture taking...  Carol made such a pretty design.  I hope many stitchers choose to make this one up. 🎄

Amelia will be 2 tomorrow.  Her party theme is Under the Sea.  I bought her winter clothes, though.  Had to whip up this Willa the Whale by One and Two Company to put atop her gift bag, keeping with the theme.  I used King Cole Splash DK in Apricot and SSDK in Spring Green and Spice.  I think the colors are surely cheerful.

And, Mom has a birthday this weekend too!  I made this Willow Blanket in 2016.  The color recipe is by The Patchwork Heart and is done in SSDK.  I again used an Edie Eckman border.  I had immediately tucked this away after I had blocked it, knowing I would eventually know who needed it...  tomorrow it will be gifted to Mom ❤🎁❄

Oh, and Miss Amelia is snuggling here with my hubby a few weeks ago...growing fast!!

September Update

 September brought very few finishes for me, even though I felt as if I stitched and crocheted often.  Some months are just like that, though.  I did make my monthly Christmas ornament.  I chose Noel by Nikyscreations in the JCS 2018 Christmas Ornament Issue.  I stitched mine on 40 ct Vintage Country Mocha with the called for DMC floss.  It's small and cute, and I love it.

 I also made my way through the month's installment for Redagape's Casual Granny CAL.  This is the Happy Hippy Square.  I chose colors that make the flowers look like suns.  I think they will be cheerful in my blanket.
I have been focusing a lot on Hooked on Sunshine's Atlanticus and hope to be finished very soon.  This will be a Christmas gift for someone special and am using Lion Brand Mandala yarn in Chimera.  I have learned with this design to count, count some more and then count again 😉😉😉😉😉😉

End of August Update

My ornament for August is Lizzie Kate's Rejoice on 32 ct Cobblestone Belfast with one strand of CC floss.  It was hard to believe the 1998 copyright on this free chart.  20 years.... where does time go?

Much of this month's needlework time was spent on making this Lilliana by Hooked on Sunshine.  Christmas gift making has begun, and this is for someone who loves the beach.  I made mine with slightly more than 7 cakes of Lion Brand Cupcake in Moody Blue and a 4 mm hook,  Great pattern with excellent directions.

I also made part 7 of Red Agape's Casual Granny CAL.... a very colorful addition this month.  I think there is only one month of squares left to go now.

And I started an Atlanticus by Hooked on Sunshine using Lion Brand Mandala in Chimera for yet another Christmas gift.  This needs a serious blocking,  I will do that once I come to the end of this current yarn cake.

Hubby dropped this pretty red Gerbera daisy off at my office this week.  I am a lucky lady 😙😙

End of July Update

Hello.... I am still making a Christmas ornament monthly.  For July I chose Prairie Christmas Cat by Prairie Schooler.  I used 32 ct Cobblestone Belfast linen with one strand of CC floss.  I wanted the kitty to resemble my recently departed Anouk, and selected Balsam Fir, Black Coffee, Magnolia Blossom, Ribbon Red and Sassy Brass.  It really does make me think of her and was a fun stitch.

In July I also kept up with RedAgape's Casual Granny CAL.  Part 6 is the Daisy Granny Square.  I chose to pull out Wisteria, Spring Green, Pistachio, Apricot, Bluebell, Fondant, Aspen and Parma Violet from my previous squares to border my daisies.

I made up a little friend in July as well.  This is Carlos the Hummingbird in Zoomigurumi 6.  The designer is Younique Crafts.  I made him up with Stylecraft Special DK in Spring Green, Empire, Aspen, Midnight and Grey.  He has been spotted here by my honeysuckle vine 😊

Loved this new release by Polly Plum called I Heart Granny.  I used Lion Brand Mandala in Gnome...for Amelia.  😇

Caitlin and I finished up Hooked on Sunshine/Projectarian's Orbit CAL in July.  Here is mine, guarding DH's stack of video games.  He is made primarily with King Cole Baby Drifter in Kingfisher, with SSDK in Stone, White, Aspen, Apricot and Empire.  Apparently, he is a she... Caitlin named her Aurora.

And Caitlin's wee Orbit...  she used fingering yarn for hers.  He is so sweet!  I am so proud of her,  am still waiting to hear what she has named him...or her?  We will be making the Penelope Trixiebelle CAL together in the fall.

My mom has had her needle flying this month too.... an adorable little cloche for Amelia 😙😙😙

In preparation of putting our Orbit's together, I made this little Tea Party Pincushion for Caitlin.  It is made with DROPS Safran and the pattern is from Simply Crochet, Issue 72.  I left off the embroidered face...that is not her style 😎

I also worked up this Orchid Lace Baby Blanket after reading about a charity in need of handmade baby blankets.  They mentioned they were short on baby boy blankets.  I had two cakes of Lion Brand Mandala in Centaur that needed a purpose, so this blanket was born.

And here is the letter I received from Coping with LM, in case others may feel motivated to contribute as well.  The blankets are put into care packages for families whose babies struggle with breathing dosorders.

And finally, earlier in July I also made up this wee little Fruity Ami Strawberry from Inside Crochet, Issue 103.  I used Scheepjes Cotton 8 and Scheepjes Catona.

End of June Update

June felt a little bit unproductive for me.  I did continue on with the Christmas Ornament SAL, having selected Lizzie Kate's On Dasher.  I love the colors on this one.

I also continued on with Redagape's Casual Granny CAL.  This month we did an Aztec Granny Square, and it took me some time to select my colors.  Ultimately, I opted for SSDK Apricot, Aspen and Spring Green. 

A great deal of my stitching time in June was spent right here on Briar Rose by Hooked on Sunshine.  I chose to make mine with Scheepjes Whirl in Lemon Cassis Creme.  I am coming to the end of my second cake, as seen in my yarn holder in the photo.  I splurged on a third cake to give this very delicate blanket more size.  It's getting huge, at least in terms of stitch count.  Each round takes quite a lot of time, but I really love this project.

Caitlin was busy with her amigurumi again this month.  Lalylala's Cupcake Ella was one of her adorable finishes...

...and then she made one for Uncle Mike (my DH) for his birthday, adapting it to be more masculine with candies and Sprinkles on his icing 😙

I also started the extremely popular Orbit the Dragon CAL.  This is my part 1 completed.  I finished part 2 last night, no photo yet.  So many parts to sew on this one!  Caitlin is also making one or two Orbits... looking forward to seeing hers soon.

End of May Update

I just browsed through my phone again and grabbed some pics for this month.  I stitched up Waiting for Christmas Night by Mani di Donna as my SAL ornament this month.  Having taken a class at Celebration with Simona Bussiglieri earlier this month, it felt like time to do this one from my list.  The chart is in the 2016 Christmas-Winter Issue of Punch Needle and Prim Stitching Magazine.  I used an unknown scrap of 36 ct Lakeside Linens fabric and subbed the floss with Crescent Colors floss... simply because I had my ring of CC floss on hand and it was easier to just use it.  😊

At some point I wanted to just do a little small project.  I decided to do Lalylala's Last Minute Easter Bunny-Egg CAL from her Instagram account.  It's very wee.  I used some Scheepjes Cotton 8 yarn I had on hand.  DH now has it sitting on his desk...lol.

I completed part 4 of Red Agape's Casual Granny CAL this month.  The two circular ones are the new addition.  There are 32 total squares made up so far, but it was easier to photograph one example of each style of square.  I am having great fun with this CAL.  I am using leftover Stylecraft DK yarn, and am enjoying selecting my colors each month.

This month I continued on with LHN's Farmhouse Christmas.  I am now through the first four parts and eagerly awaiting the arrival of the fifth.  I am stitching mine on Lakeside Linens 40 ct Reindeer linen.  It's so sweet and tiny.  Just love it.

A new start this month is Rosewood Manor's Garden Row, a design from the 2015 CS&N Keepsake Calendar.  These colors are super cheerful.  My linen is Lakeside Linens 36 ct Pecan Butter.

My second class at Celebration this month was with the incomparable Jeannette Douglas.  I greatly enjoyed sitting with an old stitching friend in this class and we enjoyed Jeannette's enigmatic style, quick wit and exceptional needlework skills...

This is the very pretty project we began stitching in the class 🎶😎😉

Also, my niece continues to become quite the devoted crocheter.  Only two months as a crocheter, and last night she texted me these adorable photos of Lalylala's ladybird complete with a pupa.  Caitlin chose pinks and yellows for her ladybird, putting her bachelor's degree in design right to work....love it! 😚

A side view...oh those wings!!

And in the pupa 😇

Earlier in the month, Caitlin hooked up Lalylala's Snail.  Her DH chose the colors.  I cannot believe how quickly she has picked this art up.  So proud of her.

My garden has begun to show up a bit for the party now....a very late spring here, but at last there are blooms... my favorite Siberian Iris is looking good today...

Some dwarf miniature iris...

Another dwarf miniature iris....😆

And now, with a heavy heart, I share that on May 4th we said goodbye to our beloved Anouk.  Anouk would have been 16 on June 15th.  She survived a partial mastectomy two years ago.  Sadly, cancer still grabbed her and she quickly began to fail.  I hope she found her way over the Rainbow Bridge and is reunited with her sister/littermate Lily who left us in 2016.  We miss Anouk terribly 😐   I miss her deep throaty chirps for her dinner.  I will always love you, Anouk 😙

End of April Update

April has ended, so what pics are in my phone...  here is the ornament I made in April.  This is Love in a Manger Ornament by Brightneedle.  It is stitched one over one on Country French Linen.  I subbed the silk with various CC floss.

Near the end of the month I also found some inspiration to start yet another crochet project.  I plan to put my Attic24 SSDK Coast Colour Pack to use for a special something here....

And earlier this week.... daffodils, at long last, in my garden!!

Celebration of Needlework in Nashua, NH has kicked off now for 2018.  This morning I took a very informative class with Simona Bussiglieri of Mani di Donna. She walked us through every step to construct this beautiful class project...

Crown Basket...  this will be fun to make someday 😆  I have another class with a different instructor on Saturday moring too.

More daffodils today!!  😎

And an incredibly proud moment to share.  My niece wanted to learn crochet, and most especially wanted to make amigurumi.... and more specifically, Lalylala designs.  She jumped right in.  Her first project is shown above, took her only a couple of days.  Meet Carla, the Dutch iris bulb.  Simply perfect!!  😙