Week Thirty-Nine: Woodland Snowfall

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great week with lots of stitching time. I worked more hours than usual this week so only had time for a quick stitch. This is actually the second time that I stitched this piece. The first one was given to a friend for a Christmas gift, but this one is just for me. This LHN piece is called "Woodland Snowfall" and can be found in the 2004 JCS Christmas Ornament issue. I used a khaki colored 18-ct. davos fabric with DMC threads.

Because this was such a quick stitch this week, I actually had time to finish Woodland Snowfall into a little ornament (I know--you're shocked!). I backed it with the holly fabric shown in the background, added a rope hanger, and some tiny holly leaves for decoration. I just love the little woodland squirrels with their berries in hand. Although I'm not so crazy about them when they get into our bird feeders...

I know that I owe several of you emails and will attempt to get caught up this weekend. In the good news department, my foot is much, much better and I was even able to log a few miles on my treadmill this week. Finally... Can't wait to read your blogs and catch up with everyone this weekend!

Week Thirty-Eight: Pumpkin Patch

I almost gave up on this piece several times this week, but I'm glad I stuck with it. "Pumpkin Patch," from the September/October 1988 (yes, 1988--just a few years after I began cross stitching!) issue of "Just Cross Stitch" is done on 28 ct. Stormy Gray Jobelan. And yes, I stitched it "over one" again this week--I know, I know, I'm a glutton for punishment. I love how tiny and detailed everything looks now that it is finally finished. I used DMC threads for most of this piece, but for the scarecrow's coat, I used Needle Necessities fibers and tiny black beads for his buttons. The original coat was a bright blue, but I decided that the green looked a bit more autumn-like. This was a lot for me to finish in one week, so I plan on choosing something a bit less time-consuming for next week's project...


I also want to share with all of you creative and crafty bloggers out there, a new book I recently discovered. Part of my job as a librarian involves book selection--and guess what category of books I am in charge of choosing? The "740s"--well, for you Dewey Decimal challenged readers, that means I get to pick the drawing, antiques, interior decorating, craft, and needlework books! How lucky am I? I get to read reviews and then purchase some of the prettiest and most popular books in the library. Recently I added the book Blogging for Bliss: Crafting Your Own Online Journal by Tara Frey to the library's collection. What a delight this book is for anyone who has a creative bone in her/his body! Not only does the author describe the basics of blogging; she also delves into the more advanced (way too advanced for me yet!) realms of using Photoshop, HTML, and how to add all of those special little touches that make your blog a place readers want to return to. The "how-to" part of blogging is alternated with pages from real-life crafty blogs (although not one cross stitching blog, I'm sorry to say) that talk about the reasons the writers blog and give advice to new bloggers (like me). The entire book is a treat for the eyes and offers excellent and very helpful advice... Hopefully, you will be able to check out a copy for yourself at your local library...

Thank you all for your supportive comments and emails. I love hearing from each and every one of you. Enjoy the first week of autumn everyone...

Week Thirty-Seven: LHN Gourmet Garden

Well, I tried something for the first time in my life with this week's piece and I think I'm hooked! I stitched "over one" on 28-ct. fabric and, once my middle-aged eyes adjusted, I just loved it... I actually began LHN's Gourmet Garden on 28-ct. African Daisy Jobelan in my traditional "over two" manner, but I didn't like how large it was turning out. So, I took a deep breath, removed all of the stitching I had already done, and started over. Now that I've seen how sharp everything appears when stitched over one, I know I'll be punishing my eyes even more often! I love everything about this piece: the tiny olive trees, golden sunflowers, fields of lavender, and the sun-bleached villa--it makes me want to visit Tuscany more than ever. Have any of you ever vacationed there? I'd love to hear your impressions... I did make a few changes to the piece. The original chart had "nutmeg" as the final ingredient on the list, but I didn't think it fit in with the herbs, so I substituted "chives." I also changed the colors in the row of flowers to be more symmetrical. Hopefully, the designer won't mind too much...

I was so happy to finally meet a fellow stitcher (whom I've gotten to know through blogging) in person. On Friday, Lee, the Lake Stitcher, drove to my house where we spent a few hours chatting and showing off our stitching. We had planned on actually doing some stitching, but ended up talking the whole time... Had lunch at a local restaurant and made a quick trip to a nearby farmer's market. A thoroughly enjoyable day... And to top it off, Lee had stitched this darling scissor fob for me: "C" for Carol (and crows!). She knows how much I love Prairie Schooler designs so it is just perfect. And believe it or not, that is the very first piece of stitching that anyone has ever given me which makes it all the more special. Anyway, I hope this was the first of many visits...

Thank you all for your "get well" wishes for my foot injury recovery. I am definitely walking better, but still unable to walk distances or use my treadmill at all. It still swells and is sore by the end of the day, but from what I've read, it can take months for a foot injury to heal. I guess I just need to be patient... Just want you to know that I truly apreciate your concern...

Week Thirty-Six: Prairie Schooler September Squirrel

Happy September! The leaves are starting to slowly change color, the nights are (much!) cooler, and there is that certain autumn-like scent in the air here in Pennsylvania. I'm beginning to see more and more grey squirrels like this one scurrying around collecting their supplies of nuts to hoard for the cold winter months ahead. I stitched this little guy, from Prairie Schooler's "Spring and Fall" chart, on 32-ct. flax Belfast linen using DMC threads.


I've also stitched the May and October pieces from this leaflet and, to save money, I use the same frame for each--just popping the stitching out to replace with a new month. Do you think I'll ever finish all twelve? Anyway, here is Mr. September Squirrel in his new home with two new friends. The carved wooden squirrels were my grandmother's and I still remember them being on display in her home. One has a chipped ear--I wonder if I did that as a child? They've always brought back fond memories of her welcoming, warm home...

I suppose you could say I've been lucky to have a lot of extra stitching time lately, but it came at a price. About three weeks ago, I hurt my right foot when a piece of metal shelving fell on it at work (and you thought libraries were nice, quiet, safe places to work!). As the first week went by, it kept hurting more and more so I finally had it x-rayed. No break, just a deep bone bruise which can take months to heal. I can walk, but with pain and a slight limp, and was instructed to keep my foot elevated and iced. Not much improvement yet and I'm starting to get discouraged... But at least two of my favorite activities (stitching and reading) are perfect for someone with an injured foot!