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-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...