November 2011 Bead Journal completion

"Autumn Glory" --- it came out sparklier than I anticipated, and the mixed autumn "wing" at the upper left doesn't show up well against the fabric I chose but it's done! Now on to December!

WIP myself into shape, Week 47

Spent a lot of time on BJP (not much progress there, I fear) and Bargello Club this week (two completions posted), but I did get in a day or two of stitching on "Sewing with Mama!":

At least one can see the form it's going to take now... But the fudging (and ripping when I can) is driving me nuts! And I'm not happy with all these outstanding WIPs --- I had pretty much cleared up my backlog and seem to have gotten myself back INTO a backlog. AAARTH!

And another!

This is the second part of the November Bargello Club, using the same yarns (plus one). The sock yarn is Walk Away's "Heel to Toe" #42; the light purple is Baby Bee's Sweet Delight "Sugarplum" #60, and the dark purple is Love This Cotton's "Amethyst" #250.

I think these yarns now constitute part of my stash and I will use them on the first Stash Buster Project...

TWO completions!

Both needlepoint.

The first was the LAS Mini Sock: Potpourri III, designed by Janet Perry and posted on her web site. LAS stands for "Learn A Stitch" and these socks are mini samplers. I shopped my stash and used GAST variegated (Purple Iris) and four shades of Needlepaints in the orchid range (2002, 2003, 2007, 2008). There's a mistake in this one which I didn't discover until two rows further on, and since I was running short of that color, I couldn't rip it out. I don't think it shows but an expert would find it... Also, since I was running out of the GAST, I had to use fewer strands in the toe section of the sock than in the cuff...

The second was Anna's Ribbons, one of two in the November Bargello Club installment. It uses a variegated sock yarn (Walk Away's "Heel to Toe" # 42) and a finger-weight pastel (Baby Bee's Sweet Delight "Suharplum" #60). First time I had to go our and BUY something as I didn't have a thread that variegated the way I wanted! As you can see, I have issues with circles --- they always seem to come out flat on one side or another!

So now i have to ask myself ...I'm NOT a purple person but I seem to be doing a lot of purple of late! Why do I own so much purple variegated threads?

WIP myself into shape, Week 46

Well, in addition to  stitching on Christmas gift and teh Stitch & Zip eyeglass case, I finally pulled  "Sewing with Mama" back out of the WIP pile and made some progress (although it is hard to see since it is cream on white)...


It's hard to believe but it's been over a month since I last stitched on this!

Waiting in the wings: I've kitted up three of the bargello projects (Stash Busting Club still needs to be measure out to fit the frame I have) and bought some more beads for BJP - December.  I have to take "Frog Pile" to the framer and put together the Christmas gift box, as well as line the inside of three Stitch & Zip pieces so they can be USED! And the 2010 BJP journal booklet still awaits assembly... Clearly, I am WAY behind!

Another completion

That vaunted "Christmas gift" piece... dark Christmas red silk mori on white linen:
It's actually one of the border motifs from "Cottage Garden", designer Marc Davis for Needlemania but the entire piece (7 more of these motifs to make up a rectangle plus some speciality stitching in the center) was WAY too big for the box lid I want to mount it on. This is just right for a 5" x 5" opening... and besides, it's a counting nightmare!

And I have enough linen and probably enough silk as well to do the entire piece someday --- but not someday soon. I have kitted-up pieces galore waiting to be stitched (many of which are Bargello Club, Stash Busting Club and Bead Journal Project projects), to say nothing of a few UFOs from ages ago, and of course, "Sewing with Mama!"!

Oh, and did I tell you? I registered to do "Kimono: 90 Stitches" at Shining Needle Society. I clearly must be mad!

Completion

Zen Bamboo eyeglass case, designer Lani Silver for Alice Peterson's Stitch & Zip... completed November 11, 2011

WIP myself into shape, Week 45

Decided to finish up that Stitch & Zip eyeglass case and almost made it --- just a little dark green to go:


The canvas came for my various projects for Bargello Club and Stash Busting Club... Now to kit them up. November BJP is ready to go: pattern is cut, beads are purchase - it just needs a design idea and I'm blanking on that. The proposed Christmas gift is still awaiting it's silk order, while Sewing with Mama is going to have to wait in the wings for a while. My stitching "dance card" is full!

October's Bead Journal piece...

Holiday because a) we were on holiday most of October (which is why this one is late) and b) because of Halloween!

The striped part was based on a button I had which I wanted to use on this mask but which was too large... So I copied it instead!

November has beads now --- just need a plan...

WIP myself into shape, Week 44

Not a lot of stitching this week, really. I did complete the last of the October Bargello Club and posted it here.

I did start on the Christmas gift but decided to wait until I got more of the silk I'm using because, while it says on the chart, one strand over two, I like the coverage of two strands better... Its called Cottage Garden, designer Marc Davis for Needlemania:



And I did work on my October BJP --- it's about 1/3 done now. And of course, November should be ready to go by now, shouldn't it? I still haven't decided is I want to do BJP a third year...

Not a stitch on "Sewing with Mama!" --- it'll have to wait until after the Christmas gift is finished.

And the Stash Club's first piece is here and ready to be kitted up... but I needed needlepoint canvas so that's on order too.

A completion for Bargello Club

In the October mailing, Janet Perry talked about how to modify a pattern she had seen online, using color --- the pattern was a shaded mushroom or tree-like pattern but she suggested sugary pastels and call it Lollipops. Well, I shopped my stash and found some pastel perle 5 cotton but by the time I finished with my version, it's more like Balloons!