"The time has come" the Walrus said "to speak of many things ..."
2014 will come to a close in two days time and so I felt this was a good opportunity to take a look back at the goals I set myself at the beginning of the year and see what I achieved and what remains on the To Do list. Apologies in advance - this is going to be very picture heavy.
The first goal was to start and complete a wedding present for one of my oldest friends. This piece was all ready to be framed when the wedding was called off two weeks beforehand. So I am counting this as a completed goal.
The second goal was to complete "April" by the second Thursday in August to hand over to V for her 70th birthday. This goal was also completed and I received a very nice thank you card from V afterwards.
Goal 3 was to start and complete "Corgi" by the second Thursday in September to hand over to I for her 80th birthday. This was a great success and she loved it. Major tick in the box!
My fourth goal was to complete "Guardian Angels" for my Mum by Christmas at the latest. This was an abject fail as I have not worked on this piece since about April. I will be carrying this one over into 2015.
Goal No. 5 was to complete at least one page on "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose" and I am delighted to say that the last stitches were put into page 5 on 27 December 2014. So a happy dance for the end of the year! This piece is now going on hold for the time being.
My sixth goal was to complete the pages that I was stitching on "Train of Dreams". This was also an abject failure and will be carried over into 2015.
My final goal for 2014 was to stitch my annual Christmas ornaments for my two nieces. This goal was completed, but as I did the finishing on Christmas Eve at my parents' house and without my camera, I don't have a photo to show you yet. As soon as I can get one, I will put it in.
So 5 goals completed out of 7 - relatively good going, I think. However there were also the other achievements that weren't on the list of goals for 2014.
At the beginning of May, I learned to knit again, having knit briefly in my early teens. The results of this are as follows:
My scarf, known as "Learning Curve" which is made up of sections in 13 different stitch patterns.
Three sets of baby booties and mittens - two in yellow and one in blue - one for a work colleague, one for a former work colleague and one for my sister's work colleague. The set shown here were my first knitting finish after I started knitting again.
My first pair of hand knitted socks, courtesy of my sister and brother in law who gave me a sock knitting workshop as an early birthday present. They aren't perfect, but they fit and I have felt so chuffed with myself every time I put them on.
"Breeze", a lace edged headscarf knitted as a Christmas present for my oldest friend. In the beginning, there was much frogging and language, but eventually I got the hang of it and am very pleased with it. I'm hoping to get a picture of it in use to show you.
And finally I hit target at Slimming World - I won't say that I am currently right at target (blame it on Christmas), but I did get there!
So that is my goals for 2014 covered and the extras that came along during the year. What next?
Well, first comes Christmas. This is the crazy patchwork lap quilt that my Mum gave me for snuggling up under when I'm knitting or stitching on the sofa. My parents also gave me two pairs of sock blockers for drying my hand knitted socks on. My sister and brother in law gave me another workshop - this time to learn how to knit socks from the toe up. Most everything else was non-craft related.
And finally my current WIPs:
As you will appreciate, the Christmas festivities have cut into my quiet time so on the sock front, I have managed to complete the ribbed cuff section and move onto the leg.
In the case of my cabled handwarmers, I only managed to finish the ribbed cuff section. Although I can knit stocking stitch in the round while my family play Scrabble right next to me, I am not yet up to knitting cables in company :-)
So that is 2014 for you. I have already started mentally planning my list for 2015, but that is for my next post. I am back to work tomorrow, so will call it a day.
I wish you and yours all the very best for the coming year. May 2015 bring you all that your heart desires, and may the frog stay away from your needles!
I'm a happy bunny!
Page 4 of Corgi was finished on Thursday night, and now all I have to do is stitch the month, my initials and the year, wash and press it, and make it up into a 12 inch square in time for the second Thursday in September. Hopefully the stitching, washing and pressing will get done in time for next week's WIPocalypse post.
Here is a picture of April made up into a 12 inch square so that you know what I mean. April is now finished apart from the sleeve that needs to be stitched across the back so that it can be hung up. It won't look any different from the front when that is done, so this is your last chance to see April. I used my sewing machine for the first time to put this together - fortunately it goes quite slowly so I didn't panic or run my fingers over or anything like that.
On the knitting front, I have finished my 40 rows of parallelograms and am pondering what stitch pattern to choose next. Ideally it will eventually be as long as my outstretched arms with a fringe on each end. We shall see.
In other news, I lost 1.5lb this week so am back down to 11 stone 7lb. I'm starting to think that 11 stone nothing is a target just that bit too far. I've made it down to 11 stone 4.5lb a couple of times, but have been unable to maintain it. I'm reasonably comfortable at this weight and it is just over a stone lighter than how I started out. Food for thought!
But I also had my telephone appointment with the hospital this week. My thyroid levels are back into the normal range and they have halved my medicine to 5mg per day. I have to keep taking the tablets and having the blood tests all the same. I have another telephone appointment in September and then back to the hospital in October. I don't feel any different in myself but obviously the medication is doing something right.
So good news all round. All the best to you and yours, and may the frog stay away from your stitching!
So will someone please tell me where April went? Is it me, or is 2014 passing by at a rate of knots?
Anyway, it is time for my next progress report on my goals for the year, so here goes:
1. Wedding
Can someone please advise on what to do with a wedding sampler when the bride texts you two weeks before the wedding to say that it is all off? I don't know the details, all I know is that it is off. So what do I do with Wedding, which I haven't got round to framing yet? Have any of you found yourself in this particular position? If so, what did you do?
2. April
As per my earlier post this month, April is finished. Now I need to sit down and sort out how I am going to turn this into a 12 inch square hanging. I'm very pleased with it, although the design is not my personal cup of tea. I would like to get this finish finished by the end of May.
3. Corgi
Well, I definitely reached my goal for April on this one. I had my page finish on Monday 28 April - a day in which I put in over 3.5 hours on this piece dealing with all the confetti on page 1 and making a start on page 2. Since then, I have continued to put in a lot of time on this piece and you can now see the shape of the corgi's second ear coming in. I would like to have another page finish by the end of May, but we will see.
4. Guardian Angels
Abject apologies - nothing more to show on this one. Unfortunately I haven't touched it since January as far as I can see from my stitching journal. So the goal for May is to get some stitches done on this piece.
5. Carnation
This is last week's photo as I have been too busy with Corgi this week. However I did complete my 6 blocks for April so I am still on target for a page finish at the end of the year. The goal for May is another 6 blocks.
6. Train of Dreams
Unfortunately I have fallen behind on Train of Dreams. I only managed to stitch 4 blocks out of the required 6 for the month, so am 2 blocks in arrears. However I have already done my first block for May, so would hope to pull back at least one block this month. That makes the goal for May 7 blocks in total.
7. Christmas ornaments
Still far too early to think about these.
In other news, Mum's hip replacement operation has been brought forward a week because the surgeon got his dates wrong. She is now slightly stressed because she has a week less to get everything sorted in. I have nothing to report on my weight loss because I didn't go to Slimming World this week. I forgot to take my book/card to work so that I could go and get weighed straight afterwards, and as I was expecting a friend for coffee that evening, I decided to take it as holiday. Just have to wait and see what the scales say this week.
Anyway, it's Bank Holiday weekend, the sun has been shining and I actually sat outdoors this afternoon without my jacket on and had a cup of tea with my parents. Things are definitely looking up on the whole, and on that cheery note I will wish you and yours all the best for a lovely week, and may the frog steer well clear of your stitching.
Well, I hope that you all have had and/or are having a lovely Easter, depending on which time zone you are in. I should have posted this yesterday, but we had family high tea at Mum and Dad's, so it was late by the time I finally got home.
As you will see from the title, this is a Happy Dance post, one big one and one small one!
Ta Da! April is now finished!!! I put the last stitches in on Easter Saturday and it's been washed and pressed. Now I just have to sit down with Mum and sort out how to transform it into a 12 inch square hanging, but that shouldn't take long. The hard part is over - it has taken me about 5 months to get to this stage. I'm really pleased with it and the few people who have seen it really like it and think that V will like it too.
Moving on, I have a row finish to show on Carnation. I've done 5 out of the 6 blocks that I need to do for April in order to get a page finish by the end of the year. And it's looking good.
I also have some nice progress to report on Corgi. The very faint line of stitching at the top is actually the top of the page. Now that April is finished and I can put some serious time into this piece, I might just have a page finish for the end of the month.
And this week I have managed to get some time in on Train of Dreams. Just the one block, which makes 2 out of 6 for the month, but that is better than nothing.
Nothing to report on Guardian Angels again this week, I'm afraid. And despite having a finish, there won't be a corresponding new start for some time yet, even though I have a list as long as my arm of pieces that I would love to be working on - too much to do!
In other news, as a result of going to my conference, I put on another 1lb this week, so I am back up to 11 stone 7lb. I have a wedding to go to in just under a month, so need to crack on and get some of this weight shifted.
Unfortunately it is back to work tomorrow, so I will finish here and get on with all the stuff I need to get done before then. All the best to you and yours, and may the frog stay away from your stitching!
The reason that this post is a day late is because I needed an early night last night and I knew that if I came on the computer, an early night would never happen, so here we are tonight briefly.
On the stitching front, there is some progress and some non-progress as usual.
All of the back stitching on April is finished. I have decided on the lettering - I am going to use the darkest shade of blue from the angels' dresses. So all I need to do now is get on with it.
Corgi has benefited from the near-completion of April as it has had a few more sessions that it otherwise would have. I do however really need to have a go at the confetti.
I got two blocks done on Carnation this week so am on target for the month.
A distinct lack of sleep on Saturday night meant that Train of Dreams only received limited attention on Sunday morning. Just the one block this week so some catching up to do on this one.
There is nothing to show on Guardian Angels as I have not worked on it this week. I am involved in a family history project which requires research at our local archives. The archives is going to close in October for some months to undergo extensive building works, so work on the project is taking precedence on Saturdays.
In other news, I lost another 0.5lb this week, taking me to 11 stone 4.5lb. I also got my Club 10 award for having lost 10% of my original body weight, so very pleased with that. I've also got an appointment at the hospital to get my overactive thyroid checked out, but not until the end of May.
Right, my eyes are starting to close so I am going to love you and leave you. All the best to you and yours, and may the frog stay away from your stitching.
It's hard to believe that we are a quarter of the way through the year already - just where has the time gone? So it's also time for another update report on my 2014 goals.
1. Start and complete wedding present for my friend
Well, despite my good intentions, this still needs framing so I can't tick it off the list just yet. Hopefully, I can get this sorted by the end of April. Nag me if I don't get on with it soon.
2. Complete April by August.
The cross stitching on Angel 2 is complete and the back stitching has been started. It is complete up to her waist and the bulk of the watering can is done. I haven't quite decided on the lettering yet, but I am determined that this will be finished, if not finished finished, by the end of April.
3. Start and complete Corgi by September
I've made good progress on this, but completing a whole page was only a pipe dream. I think if you add all the stitches together, I've stitched the equivalent of half a page though. I would like to complete this page by the end of April. Once "April" is finished, this will get the morning slot in addition to the lunchtime slot, which can only be a good thing, because I don't always get any stitching in at lunchtime.
4. Complete Guardian Angels by Christmas at the latest
My goal for March was just to stitch on this piece, which I have done - once! Nothing more to show from the last photo, I'm afraid. This will be a repeat goal for April - stitch something on this piece.
5. Complete at least one page of Carnation
My goal for March was to stitch six blocks on this piece. I've gone one better - although I only managed one block this week, it was block number 7 for March, so pat on the back for me. I'm on to row 13 and another six blocks in April will get me on to row 14. So for this one, it is rinse and repeat.
6. Complete current pages of Train of Dreams
This is a repeat of last week's picture. Unfortunately the combination of a late night auction on Ebay and the clocks changing on Saturday night/Sunday morning completely knocked me out yesterday, so I got nothing done on Train. However I have achieved my goal of six blocks for March, having actually stitched six full blocks and one partial block at the bottom of column 4, and I'm into column 5. Rinse and repeat for this one as well - six blocks to be stitched in April.
7. Christmas ornaments for my nieces
As last month, far too early to think about this one.
Moving on to other matters, I lost another 1.5lb this week so am down to 11 stone 5lb, my lowest weight yet and just 5lb off target. However, it appears that healthy eating may not be the only reason for my weight loss. I went for my follow-up blood tests on Friday morning and today the doctor rang up and told me that I definitely have an over active thyroid. Next stop is the endocrinology department at the local hospital. I'm looking on the bright side - I've been expecting to develop some sort of thyroid problem for years now as it runs in my Mum's Dad's family and we've caught it early so any treatment shouldn't need to be too drastic. Also as illnesses go, it's not too bad - I can think of a lot worse things to develop.
Right, I'm going to finish here and have my tea. I might even get a bit of stitching done before bedtime. So here's hoping all is well with you and yours, and may the frog stay well away from your stitching.
This week I have stash to show as well as stitching. Yesterday I went to the NEC in Birmingham with my Mum and two other friends to visit the Sewing for Pleasure/Hobbycrafts/Fashion Embroidery & Stitch show.
I didn't buy a lot, but thought that I would show you anyway. The threads are for my Chatelaine Medieval Town Mandala that is on my To Do list - I need a lot more than this, but at least I've made a start. I bought the evenweave just because, and it really does glow in the dark - now I need to decide what to stitch on it. And the needle threaders - well, you can never have enough needle threaders.
And now for the stitching. I have made good progress on April. The angel now has a head and her wings are beginning to emerge. I would like to get her finished and backstitched by the end of the month, so that I would only be left with the lettering to sort out.
Progress also on Corgi. The faint line on the left hand side is the edge of this piece. The halfway point on this page is 5 rows further up than the current grey area. I also need to have a confetti session to fill in all the odds and sods. I think that finishing the half page is do-able so long as I don't let myself get distracted.
Another 2 blocks on Carnation this week means that I have completed my month's target of 6 blocks, so I'm quite pleased with myself. Anything more this month will be a bonus.
A similar situation with Train of Dreams - the 2 blocks completed this morning mean that my monthly target on this one has been hit as well. So next week is bonus ball week.
In other news, I maintained at Slimming World so am still weighing in at 11 stone 6.5lb. Just have to try harder this week.
Feeling tired - yesterday was a long day, especially as I drove both ways in my Mum's car which is very different from mine - so will leave you now. All the best to you and yours, and may the frog stay well away from your stitching.
And its been a lovely weekend again, so I'm feeling positive and I have a stitching show to look forward to next weekend, so all is well with my world!
For this month's WIPocalypse, Measi asked us to show our favorite stitching spot.
This is my sofa where I do most of my stitching - the other end is covered in stitching clutter and is not fit to be seen. The bluey-greeny fabric on the right is covering up Guardian Angels, and Corgi is kept in the dark blue bag below it. My Lowery floor stand is on the right, holding Carnation covered in a spare pillowcase. Out of sight is the folding chair that I sit on to work on pieces on my stand. All my bits for Carnation are kept in the bag at the right. Both bags come from family history conferences and Train is kept in another such bag. I have two family history conferences this year so am hoping to come home with more bags to put stitching projects in. The zebra cushion is made up from a piece of stitching which took me about 15 years to complete - my longest standing UFO.
This piece hasn't had much attention for a while, but now that Wedding is finished, I took Mouse & Robin to Patchwork Group and stitched the holly leaves at the bottom right.
April is working the headless horseman scenario. Next up is the watering can, followed by her head and wings. Then will come the back stitch and finally the lettering.
Corgi is coming on. The grey stitching on the left is part of the background and there are less than 20 stitches to go before I hit the left hand edge.
Finally some progress to report on Angelique. If you look very very closely at the bottom of her dress, you will see 34 one block Algerian eyes stitched with one strand of DMC white. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they will show up better when the back stitching has been done.
Carnation has suffered from evening commitments this week - the ballet, Patchwork Group and babysitting for a colleague. However I have managed to finish one block and therefore row 12 is complete! I am also two thirds of the way to my monthly target - 4 blocks complete out of 6.
Train of Dreams got the benefit of the lovely morning sunshine today and is now two blocks further into column 5. That makes 4.5 blocks out of 6 for this month.
In other news, I put on 0.5lb this week (Chinese takeaway etc) so am back to 11 stone 6.5lb. However, easy on is generally easy off so I just need to try a little harder this week.
I'm going to finish now as this is the second time of typing (Blogger ate most of my first post), so all the best to you and yours and may the frog steer well clear of your stitching.
What an absolutely gorgeous day! The sun shone brightly and I went for a walk with my friend and her Mum through the grounds of Calke Abbey in Derbyshire. We parked in the village outside and walked up the road through the grounds. There were so many cars going past that we were convinced that there must be some special event on. When we got to the place where you have to pay for parking, we asked the lady in the kiosk and she said "No, its Sunday and the sun's shining". I took a few photos, but they aren't very good - partly because I don't take enough photos, but also because my transition lenses had gone dark so I couldn't see clearly.
This is a view of Calke Abbey through a large picture frame that stands beside one of the tracks for you to take photos through. As you can see, I didn't quite get the frame squared up in my view finder.
This is a photo of part of the herd of red deer that live in the park. It was such a nice day that they were having a little bath. Apparently there are also fallow deer, but we didn't see any of them.
This week has been a good week for stitching.
Stitching on April, I managed to get the whole of the bottom section of the right hand angel's apron finished. The next stage will be her arms and the watering can that she is holding. In order to help with the lettering, I have bought a copy of "Alphabets Galore" by Leisure Arts, following a suggestion from Jules. I have found a couple of possibilities already - just need to get this second angel finished, so that I can see how much space I have got to play with.
Moving on to Corgi, I just want to say how easy this chart is to use and how much I like the subtlety and shading that is coming through as I stitch. However I need to make better use of my lunchtimes for stitching this than I currently have been. I get sidetracked by other people's blogs and next thing I know, time is up and I have to get back to work.
Really pleased with my progress on Carnation this week. I wanted to get six blocks done this month - well, I'm halfway there already with three blocks completed! Just one more block on the current row to do and then I can move down to the next one.
And a mini happy dance on Train! Two full blocks and one partial block later, and column 4 is finished! Now I can feel that I really am more than halfway through these pages!
In other news, despite the non-slimming diet required by small people having a sleepover, I have maintained this week, so still 11 stone 6lb. I am quite happy with this under the circumstances.
If I've counted my days right, this time next week is WIPocalypse, so hopefully I will have some good progress to show and lots to see on all your blogs. So all the best to you and yours, and may the frog stay away from your stitching.
%2B25%2BFeb%2B2014.jpg)
%2B09%2BNov%2B2014.jpg)
