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 😙

House Samplings is Finished

I just finished putting the last stitches in House Samplings. I just love how this little sampler turned out. There were a couple of comments in yesterday's entry noting how pretty the fabric is - you are right :-) This is the fabric that is called for in the chart, R&R Reproductions 32 ct Creek Bed Brown. I ordered a piece a few days ago so that I can kit up Seasonal Samplings as well. Creek Bed Brown is a really gorgeous color. My photography does not do the sampler much justice. I know you can barely see the long stitch leaves on the tree in the bottom right, but they do show up really well in real life. I used the DMC conversion for this chart, and I think that the NPI colors are probably more vibrant in at least a couple of instances over the DMC... anyhow, here it is:

House Samplings
Hillside Samplings
R&R Reproductions 32 ct Creek Bed Brown Linen, DMC Floss
Stitched 3/28/08 - 5/3/08

I haven't said much about it, but I have been attending Celebration of Needlework in Nashua, New Hampshire this weekend. I did do a little bit of shopping, but I am not going to post a big long entry about what I bought - who cares about how well I can shop - showing that does not appeal to me. Rather, I prefer to share my stitching. I did take two classes - yesterday I took Acorn Sampler with Betsy Stinner of Earth Threads, and today I took Cape Cod Passport with Ann Pettit of Brightneedle. Both classes were excellent - spending time with a couple of friends was outstanding. I look forward to next year already :-)

Stitched on today: Stitched on a gift, started Cape Cod Passport, and finished House Samplings

Another Day at Celebration

Oh my! Look at this fantastic PIF gift that I received today from Annemarie !! I came home from Celebration today, a bit worn out and tired, to find this lovely gift in my mailbox!! This is one of Annemarie's rather infamous floss holders! She stitched a perfect little Prairie Schooler design... and on the back she stitched "needles & threads & pins & things" along with our initials! I am in awe, and I will treasure this forever! Thank you so much, dear friend!!

Today was Day #2 at Celebration. I did not have any classes today - I went for the shopping and to be with friends. The shopping mart was wonderful this year, but I have only just realized that I forgot to take a photo of my new stash! OK, that will give me something to write about tomorrow :-) I had fun again with Jo, Margaret, Jenn and Mary in the shopping mart... and came across Patti, Joyce and Nancy too! So nice to see and visit with everyone! Most of my friends had classes today, but Jenn and Mary got out in time for us to take a quick ride out to The World in Stitches in Littleton, Massachusetts, a mere 20 minutes from the hotel, and we had a little stash fest there and a really nice visit with Randi, the owner. Randi pointed out to us that a nest of baby birds is now inhabiting a nook atop one of the lanterns on the side of her building. While I took no photos of friends today, I did manage a shot of the nest... and if you click on it to enlarge, and look closely enough, you can see one small head peeping out at you :-) How sweet!! The little jaunt to TWIS was well worth the extra time and mileage to see Randi and the baby birds :-)

I am way off of my rotation with Celebration and with relatives staying at the house... but I did spend time getting serious work in on an exchange piece that will be finished tomorrow (yay!) - and some time in on Barbara's Neighborhood Round Robin... one more ewe - although neither have noses yet... can you tell yet what design this is? LOL!!

I am soooo far behind in blog reading - but I am thinking of each and every one of you! I don't know if I can fit in another trip back to Celebration tomorrow - so many plans are being made here with the houseguests.... But one thing I do plan to do is catch up on blogs no matter what else I do!! I miss reading about your lives and stitching, dear friends!!

Stitched on today: Stitched on an exchange piece, and Barbara's Neighborhood Round Robin

Celebration of Needlework

Here it is.... what I stitched in class today :-) Yep, it is not much! But, who cares - classes with Catherine Strickler are just too much fun to worry about how much stitching you actually get done!! This is "Monodoodle" and is the practice piece for Monogram Sampler, the actual class project. It will be a bookmark someday...

Here is Monogram Sampler... now, isn't that a real beauty??!! And, as I said, what a fun class! This is the second time I have taken a class with Catherine Strickler, and if at all possible, it will not be my last. Margaret took the class with me - we take a class together every year... she is an excellent classmate, and it was wonderful to see her again! I also enjoyed seeing Jenn and Mary again this year.... AND... I finally got to meet Jo and Pete too! They are as lovely as you would think they are!! The six of us drove over to Shorty's Mexican Roadhouse in Nashua for a wonderful and really delicious dinner after class - I look forward to more time with them all :-)

I didn't work on Dawn tonight... when I got home from Celebration, I visited with my father in law and Mike's uncle, who both flew in from Florida today to spend the weekend with us while they are also here to visit Mike's grandfather at the nursing home. While we chatted, I put some time in on the exchange piece I am hoping to finish and post off by the end of the weekend :-) OH... and at Celebration we all showed off many of our WIPS - how cool to see them in real life!!

And, Heather has received my birthday gift for her! OK, I made it as a PIF gift... but then realized her birthday was just on April 27th but somehow I don't have her in my birthday alarm! Oh my! A terrible oversight!! But, that is fixed... she is in there now and I told her this is her belated birthday gift - a PIF will come later :-) I searched high and low for a Shepherd's Bush design that could be made into a biscornu. I am still amazed that I found one - Heather is a big Shepherd's Bush fan :-)

Woolwork Lambs Biscornu

Shepherd's Bush - in Pillow Flock leaflet, c. 1992

Cream Cashel Linen, DMC floss, Mill Hill Beads

Stitched 4/27/07 - 4/28/07

Stitched on today: Monodoodle in Catherine Strickler's Class, and exchange piece

Making plans for Celebration

OK, it's Tuesday again - everyone knows by now that that means an update of Paradigm Lost! Almost there now with the large motif. I think it is time to get some graph paper out and chart out my initials... it won't be long before I move over to the left and put them on there too. This is a fun sampler - I look forward to stitching St. Reatham with Nicki (and any other takers!!) fairly soon (after PL is over, obviously - Jo, you in for another??)

It is finally time to start thinking about Celebration of Needlework, which happens in early May. Registration finally opened today for the NH event. I checked the internet a few times today and managed to get there just as registration opened at 2 PM - I faxed my registration form over by 2:05 PM :-) Of course, no worries, it is usually pretty easy to get into classes there, as long as you don't wait absolutely forever. I am so excited that several blogging pals are coming along this year!

Thank you all for the lovely comments on my two-tone biscornu! It turns out that credit goes to Jo (aka Kiwi Jo) - she made a two tone one a while back that Tessa discovered, that Karen V discovered, that I now discovered, and that many others are now planning to do. Thanks Jo!

I received a truly beautiful gift from Karin today! I will try to get a good photo or scan of it tomorrow to share with you! Thanks again Karin! I adore the colors!

Stitched on today: Paradigm Lost