It's supposed to be spring

Spring has arrived!

Not that you can tell  given how cold it still is out.

This past weekend was March Retreat.  Too much food, many giggles and staying up way past my bedtime.

I made some progress on Tour des Marques

There were goodie bags - with needle minder, rare earth magnets, a scissor fob made by yours truly and a little plastic frog to keep the stitching ones at bay.

There were a few finishes on display this weekend

A very good time

This past weekend I was off enjoying stitching retreat.  Three days of stitching and eating.... perfect winter event.  But it meant that I was busy in the days leading up to going, including putting together goodie "bags"

This time it was a snag nab it, bees wax, a 20 yard skein of Threadworx, a lindt ball, an animal eraser and for a bit of silly a pillow emoji keychain all in a snap lid box.

 I worked on two projects

Plum Pudding and

Dragons of Sumatra, I actually also did a little bit for Ink Circles Monday as well.  I have the start of dragons now

Now it is back to catching up on things and hoping for better weather.

Retreat Ornament Exchange

This weekend was the annual November retreat, where 18 of us take over a country inn and enjoy two and a half days of stitching and enabling.

One of the highlights in an ornament exchange that we do.

A JBW I stitched

All the lovely ornaments

The one I got to take home

A little retreat bag

This upcoming weekend is the annual November stitching retreat.  I have been tasked with assembling a “goodie bag” for the event.  I thought I would share it

This time the big part of the bag is a pair of  octopus snips – these little guys are about two inches long and the top with the keychain looks like an octopus.  The company also has a kitty and puppy style. 

I made a little “cave” using a glass and covered the top with some white and blue DMC.  

Weekend Stitching

This weekend I was very lazy and spent the weekend stitching and rest my knee, which I managed to pull a muscle in.  

It was very blue...  both the projects I decided to work on just have blue thread.  Good thing I like blue.

Retreat Ornaments

At November Retreat we do a Christmas ornament exchange.  It is always interesting to see what people are going to choose.  

This year I was very luck to pull Kathy's out of the basket:

 

Isn't it lovely? I might actually have to put up a tree this year 

Rebecca received mine

Prancer

JBW Designs

Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue 2004

28ct opalescent lugana

DMC and Mill Hill beads

November Retreat

This past weekend was the annual November Retreat at the Timber House country inn located just outside Brighton Ontario, and hosted by the lovely Ann of Knowledge and Needles.

Desk at work - sorry gone stitchin' - but I left them a treat

As always it was a lovely weekend of friends, fun and stitching.  It was over much too quickly, and I ate way too much.

Dan treated us to a lovely lunch on Saturday of chicken in a mushroom sauce and roasted veggies followed by apple pie and ice cream.  A very fall type of meal - especially seeing as the weather has started to turn colder.

A lovely fire to stitch by

Lunch - thanks Dan and helpers

Yummy pie

I worked on Corn Mill - I think I made some good progress.  The best part being that the top and bottom met where and how they are suppose to.

Also - a few people mentioned that they couldn't find the bunny that I mentioned before.  It is easier to see once the other stitching goes in around it.... but here he is at the bottom in the dark grass.

Kathy's Long Weekend

The long weekend of September, Kathy hosts a wonder multi-day get together.

Friday I went to work with Dani and volunteered for the day with the wonderful ladies in the school office to help them get ready for the first day of school on Tuesday.  This year was very crazy due to a computer error and it took most of the day to get everything sorted.

Then it was off to Kathy's where there was wonderful friends, food and stitching.

I was having such a good time I forgot to take pictures... I even got the camera out.

I got a lot done on Corn Mill though.

Thanks Kathy for such a great weekend!

Spring Stitching

This past weekend was the March Stitching Retreat that the lovely Ann arranges.

I didn't take a lot of photos, and not really any of people - but some of the lovely stitching. 
It was a lovely weekend, if one over looks the cool weather and snow we had.

Thanks Ann

And Dan for the lovely lunch Saturday.

Eat, Stitch, Laugh

This weekend was the Annual Knowledge and Needles Open House/ Stitching Day.

Friday morning Dani and headed to Brighton to spend the weekend stitching, eat and stitching.  It was lovely seeing everyone and having a chance to relax. 

Saturday (the actually Stitching Day), was filled with lots of laughter, food, stitching, some shopping and more then a little enabling.  We had a crowd of about 35 come and go through the day and I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time.

I didn't take any pictures of stitchers but did get some pictures of the amazing finished projects that were on display. 

I picked up a little stash while there - I wanted to pick up a few pieces of standard fabrics, and then a few things jumped in my basket. 

My birthday present from Dani and her other half had also arrived so I got that too (I'm so spoiled).  In case you can't tell it's Plum Pudding from Glendon Place and the specialty fibres and beads.  I have the fabric on order - in fact it should be here shortly.

I got some stitching done:

I pulled out Cirque des Cercles (Ink Circles):

and Olive for some more green and brown blob work:

The next couple of weeks are going to be very crazy at work, we are moving our offices on the 5th and then the collection.  I expect that there won't be a blog post until after that as I work on getting everything ready and then organize my new office.

March Retreat Report

This weekend was the Knowledge and Needles Spring Retreat.  Three days of stitching, eating and sleeping.  Dani and I loaded into the car Friday morning, went for a nice breakfast and then the back roads to Kingston where we stopped briefly before hitting the 401 for the rest of the trip.

Along the way there were some gorgeous views.  I took this one with my phone.

 I decided not to do people shots this year.  Here is a sampling of the finished stitching that was on display. 

 

Saturday we were treated to a wonderful lunch by Dan:

We had a visitor who decided he would get lunch from the bird feeder.  Bad squirrel.

Here is my stitching progress from the weekend. There was a lot of black, and for a change, dark brown.

Forest walk - also to be called Olive the dragon

Winter

 We stitched to a lovely fire

before sadly having to pack up Sunday morning for the trip home.

Thank you Ann and Dan and everyone for a lovely weekend.  Til next year :)

Oh and Kathy:  when I got home I pulled out PL and did a little.  

Before                            After