Little Angel is FINISHED!

 Right then, a miracle has happened, I've managed a second finish in 2011, I really didn't think that that was going to happen. Here's Little Angel by Maria Diaz.

I've got mixed feelings about this one. It was quite an easy stitch, although I really did get sick of the sight of cream, as it felt like that was all I worked on for two or three weeks. It does look really effective now that it's finished, although I do have to say that it's really not to my taste, I've only stitched becuase it's a present for some friends who are due to have a day in new year! In fact Ben's even declared that the mum on this looks a bit like our mum to be, although I'm not as sure that I can see it. But it does make it look even more thoughtful than it actually is, so I'll go with it if that's what he thinks!

Of course, the fact that Little Angel is finished means that the frame is freed up and Little Snap Dragon can finally go back on to a frame and I can stop feeling guilty about the fact that I've been neglecting him for nearly an entire year! I love this piece, I settled down to work on it again last night and am back in love with him. It's such an easy stitch. I have a vague memory of thinking that was a bit confetti based when I was stitching it originally, but after working on a couple of HAEDs this is suddenly really simple to work on.

I was going to work on Dragon Rider this week, (Ben's away so I've got a day of stitching goodness ahead of me) but now that I've got Little Snap Dragon back I just want to keep working on it, I reckon I can get the wings page finished today, and hopefully the stalks on the bottom page as well if I put my mind to it and really work on it today (and this week of course, but it may be a busy week this week).

In other news, it's the knitting and stitching show in Harrogate today, and seeing as I live about 5 minutes walk from where it's being held I couldn't not go, so before my stitching marathon can start I'm going to see if I can test my will power and see if I'm capable of spending an hour or two in a room with that much stitching stuff and not buy anything... I suspect that I can't, but you never know, I could surprise myself.

International Hermit and Stitch Weekend

Good evening all, did everyone have a good International Hermit and Stitch Weekend?

I got quite a bit done, although it's not really looking like much because all I've done it add more cream. I'll be honest, I'm getting a little bored  of cream, but I know it'll be worth it in the end. I've still got to do mum's top, her neck and face, babies sleeve and face. I'll get there, I'm hoping to get it all done this week, then all I've got is the darker colours and the backstitch. The aim is by the end of the year. Two finishes in one year, can such a magical thing happen?

I haven't had a chance to check out everyone elses proress yet, but I promise I will, and will leave comments on as many as I can.

Cream, cream and more cream!

There is a lot of cream in this piece, so that's pretty much what I've been stitching this week, as the title says, cream, cream and more cream!

It is starting to look a lot better with the extra colours filling in. I think that there are only about four colours left, but I think it's time for a break, I'm getting fed up of the all the cream.

Hope everyones stitching is going well, I'm enjoying everyone's progress and am starting to manage to comment on other people's blogs, so all is good in the world!

I can see it!

Now that I've got a third (start or a fourth) colour in here, the shading's starting to look better. I'm hating the darker colour less now that it's all fading in a bit better. I'm pretty comfortable that I'll be able to get this finished within time. Little dude is due in January, and it'll probably be a couple of months after that little dude is christened so plently of time. But I'm aiming to get it finished in time for the birth so I've just got to get it framed for the christening.

So, now I'm debating what to work on next, I think I will take a week off from this, but I can't work out what's calling to me the most. I do love Dragon Rider which is technically what I'm due to work on. But my love for Winter's Majesty is returning and she has seen periods of neglect this year. Also, Lance & Gwen has seen a drought this year, so it'd be nice to work on that. But if I work on Little Angel then when it's finished I can get back to Little Snap Dragon. Basically I just can't decide. I'm sure that I'll make a decision at some point in the next 24 hours!

Oh yeah, in other news we went to see Bill Bailey in Sheffield last night, he was absolutely brilliant, really funny!

Little Angel update

I know, not the most original of titles this week!

Here it is, two colours in, but I'm not sure about the shading thus far. It doesn't look right somehow.

I'm hoping that another couple of colours will even it out a bit!

Hope everyone's having a fun weekend!

The start of Little Angel

Here's my first week on Little Angel. Seeing as I actually haven't had much time to work on it I'm quite happy with how much I've done and how fast it's stitching up. Despite the fact that I've done one and a half colours you can clearly see the picture taking shape, how often can you say that?

This is one of those projects that I know will look great when it's finished, but it's not really to my taste so there is an element of knowing that I have to work on it, as oppossed to wanting to. But as I say, it seems to be stitching quite quickly so hopefully it shouldn't be too much of a struggle to get it finished in time (as long as she's roughly on her due date, early January).

I started a second job yesterday (like my life isn't full enough), so I'm now waitressing at a local little restaurant two evenings a week, which is a bit of a catch twenty-two, because it means that I'll have more money to spend on my hobby (for the first time since being an undergrad I'll be being paid weekly and in cash - it's a bit like having pocket money again), but I'll have less time to work on the hobby. Although the money is going to be used for other things as well. I also have a couple of days off coming up in the next couple of weeks which will involve some stitching time. Off this coming Wednesday on a random day off, the following Thursday for my birthday (woo hoo, I'm such a kid, still get massively excited about my birthday) and then Ben's away for a conference that weekend as well, so a bit of a stitching marathon will (hopefully) happen in the next few weeks.

So what to work on next? The rotation has crumbled a bit in the last few weeks so I'm pretty much picking up whatever I want to work on for a week until I wor out what I'm going to have as my rotation. Was putting Little Angel away last night and debating what to work on next and as my brain was fried from an 8 hour office day then a 4 hour waitress shift I decided Ben could decide instead.

Me: What shall I work on next?

Him: (Surprisingly decided and almost excited) Dragon Rider!

Me: Is that because that's the only one you can name?

Him: (sounding insulted) No, you like Dragon Rider, you're working on the baby one as well.

All pretty true really, I do like Dragon Rider, and am generally referring to Little Angel as 'the baby one' myself. Anyway, England/Scotland rugby match has just started, so I'm off to stitch through that while Ben watches it and gets far to over excited for this time in the morning!

My first (and probably last) finish of the year!

It's finished! Yay, I got a finish in 2011, I was starting to think that that wasn't going to happen! And it is, almost certainly going to be my only finish of the year, so I'd better make the most of it!

I finished the Dictionary of Tea, and this makes me very happy. Now I have to contact the friend in quesiton and get her to come and collect her present for one of her friends as this was (technically) a commission piece!

I loved working on this, Bothy charts are such beautifully easy charts to stitch, it's all whole stitches and it's the easiest back stitch that I have ever done. And it really makes the pictures pop out where they didn't really look like much without it. Also, love the fact that you actually get 10 little projects or finishes when you do the Dictionaries.

So, this finished, next project sorted and about to be started. We have friends who are due to have a little dude in January so I'm doing a Maria Diaz chart which I think is called 'Little Angel' but I seem to have thrown away the page that had the title on it, so I wouldn't swear to it.