W is for WRONG ...

and thats exactly whats been happening to the W letter on Grand Marquoir. Not once, but twice i have frogged out this letter this week, how come i suddenly cannot count to 5? I've stuffed it back in the workbox so it will definately not be a finish for 2010 as i would have liked - never mind

Before i say goodbye to this year here are a few of the pics of the illumination walk DH and i took earlier this week

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy, prosperous and stitcherific 2011, i hope all your dreams come true next year, enjoy your new year celebrations


xxx

Did you all have a lovely Christmas?

I hope you all had a lovely festive season with your families and loved ones and peace, love and happiness were in abundance in your home.

The snow hung about allowing us to have a white Christmas. Lots of lovely roaring fires to keep us warm and cosy, plenty to eat and drink (non boozy stuff). DD, her partner and DS were here for their dinner on the big day and DD and partner came again for tea on Boxing Day, so a somewhat quiet time for DH and i but very enjoyable. I'm still recovering but getting a little better each day, thank you for your good wishes.

I was thoroughly spoilt by family and friends and received lots of wonderful gifts.

Thank you to Clare, Karen, Karan, Barb, Angi(no blog) and Kathy(no blog), these are the lovely gifts i received from these wonderful ladies ...

and here are some of the gifts i made and sent out ...

Yesterday DH took me into town for our Christmas walk to see the illuminated streets, the council take all the deocorations down before the New Year revellers are in the town hall square so they dont get damaged. We did take some pics, i just need to upload them onto here and then i can share with you. This years theme was 12 Days of Christmas and Narnia, they looked wonderful and i'm so pleased that i didn't miss them this year.

Happy Blogoversary!!!
Today is my 4th blogoversary, i can't believe i've been chatting away on here for that long, where does the time go to. With this in mind, i thought i had better have a draw, so if you would like to receive something handmade by me please say so in your comment and i'll give some thought to what i can rustle up for the winner. I'll leave the draw open for a week before i draw a name to give busy folks a chance to enter.

Love and {hugs}



Edited to say - i have no idea why the slideshows work fine in the preview but after upload you have to click screen to see the pics, sorry

Wishing you a Merry Christmas

It's always nice to receive a surprise in the mail and this lovely ornament dropped through my letterbox today. Julianne had stitched me a Christmas surprise, the design is by Prairie Schooler. Thank you so much Julianne it really did brighten my day today and it looks wonderful on my Christmas tree, it accompanies the lovely PS santa that you stitched for me in our exchange in a previous year.

Talking of exchanges, Christine and i have have exchanged our Christmas ornament. Christine has a love of penguins so i decided to stitch Chilly's Gift the free design from Stitchy Kitty for her, i made it into a little pocketed pillow and added a little chocolate treat as the gift from Chilly! The finishing on the one i received from Christine is stunning, i do love the ric rac edging, it looks so effective, i might have to have a go at that next year when i am making an ornament. Thank you so much Christine, it was a fun exchange.

You may have noticed that i haven't visited your blog recently, i do apologise for that but i have in fact not been on the computer at all. I have been really ill with the respiratory virus's that are about here in the UK, mine almost turning into pneumonia and i have only just escaped a stay in hospital (much to DH's relief).

Christmas for DH and i will be very quiet and peaceful, he has been an absolute star whilst i've been unwell and has put the tree up and also this wonderful hand knitted nativity that his late mum made for the children some years ago, we are now all organised and ready for the big day.

It would be so nice if the snow that is around lingers, its been so lovely to watch the local children outside playing since they finished school for the holidays. It does make it seem more like a traditional Christmas card scene when snow is here, i know its no fun for travellers but its great to watch out of the window.

Thanks to all of you for your visits here, i'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas with your families and loved ones. A very special thank you to my special stitching friends who have sent cards and gifts for me.

Happy Birthday Sally

Just a small gift that i sent to Sally for her birthday which was yesterday. The design is from a very old magazine, stitched over 1 it fitted perfectly on this little tape measure and i knew Sally didn't have one of these in her collection of stitched goodies.

I hope you had a lovely birthday Sally and were thoroughly spoilt by family and friends.

This is just a quick blog entry as i am in bed with this awful flu/cough/cold bug that seems to be really active in the UK right now. I have it thanks to DS who decided that he would share his germs, not the ideal time of the year to be sick when there is so much to do although the men in this house are happy that i don't have much of a voice right now...

Take care, hope all is well in your part of the world

Happy Birthday Tina

Clear blue sky, a spot of winter sunshine, looks lovely from inside in the warm but venture outside and you really do get a chilly surprise. Temps here have been well below zero for the past week or so and ice is a problem. These lovely frosted trees are at the bottom of my neighbours garden and looked so lovely. A woodpecker lives in one of them, i hear him often and he can be seen on my bird feeders some mornings.

Tina (no blog, but really should have one!) from Stitch & Stash has a birthday today. She is a kitty lover so i decided to make her a beaded edge scissor fob using a Margaret Sherry design from an old magazine. I did add a couple more little things to the parcel (just to help your practice in making ornaments Tina LOL) but forgot to take a pic of those.

Last week, half a motif on GM was stitched - not worth a pic, and the ornament for my personal exchange with Christine so no other stitching pics to share this time. I've also decided on the design for the Round Robin at Stitch & Stash that starts in the New Year, but i'll save details of that for another post when i have the fabric all charted up ready to go.

Have you got your Christmas tree up yet? Hopefully mine will be going up this weekend if DH gets it out of the attic for me. I do have my advent Santa up and each day he gives me a lovely Quality Street choccie... yummy! I've also been practising getting a little festive by sampling the lovely seasonal M & M's that are on sale, why is it they taste so much better than the usual ones and i can polish off a whole packet in one sitting if i am not careful LOL

A different kind of WIP

Good morning blog readers ....

The snow arrived here on Friday evening and is still with us with more predicted for today and the coming few days. The best place to be is safely snuggled up inside keeping warm and cosy.

I've been doing just that this weekend, so have an update of a WIP thats been on the frame for most of 2010. Grand Marquoir has 4 more squares added to it, only 4 more and page 5 will be completed ... does this mean i'll have a happy dance on this by the end of the year?

A few ladies have asked if i have kept a record of the colours used in this one, yes i have, so if anyone wants to know them when i have finished it, i'd be happy to pass the gridded list on to you, they are all standard DMC colours.

The last Christmas gift has also been stitched and made up, another no show i'm afraid as the person visits here. The only obligation i have now is a Christmas ornament exchange that Christine and i are doing together and the post out for that is mid December, i have the chart chosen, just need to sort threads and fabric and make a start. I am never this organised, i wonder why this year is different. How are your Christmas handmade gift plans coming along? are you on target?

It was a good job the snow didn't come before Friday, i had a very special appointment to attend with DD. She and her partner had invited me to go with them to the hospital. I'm going to be grandparent for the first time next Spring.

Technology has moved on so much since i had my own children. The lady doing the scan gave me a pic of my new grandbaby so i thought i would share this 'WIP' at just over 14 weeks with my online friends, baby is due towards the end of May.

A further scan is due mid January where they will tell DD the sex of the baby if they want to know. What would you do? It wasn't an option when i had my children and i'm not sure i would have chosen to know even if it was.

Happiness and contenment are in adundance in our world at the moment, so i'm sending some of the happy thoughts your way, i hope you are all well and keeping safe and warm in this cold snap, take care my friends.

Christmas in coming ...

Sunday was the switch on of the 2010 Christmas lights in our city's town hall square. It's always very well attended but I love to wander along the streets and see them all late at night when the town is empty, its more magical and is one of the those family traditions that we have been doing since my children were small. I'll take my camera and get some pics to show you this years theme when we have our wander in the City

Sunday i was busy making my Christmas cake. The recipe is one from my late MIL who received it from her own mum.

MIL would always tell DH when he was a boy and then my own children they had to have a 'wish stir' of the mix before it went into the oven as that was the tradition that had been handed down in her family when she was a child and through the years. When they were small they would get 2 stirs, one at MIL's and one here and it still happens in our house. When i mentioned to DD that i was making the cake at the weekend, i had strict instructions to make sure she would be there to have her 'wish stir' this year!

Eyes closed and holding tight to the spoon, wishes were made by us all and not necessarily what we would like from Santa this year. As you get older your wishes become different.

3 hours later and it came out of the oven, the smell whilst it was cooking was lovely. I even sent her a pic of the cake from my phone when it came out of the oven LOL. It is safely wrapped up now awaiting its marzipan and icing decoration a little nearer the holiday season.

What family traditions do you have handed down in your family regarding the Christmas holiday season?

Knitting pins busy again this weekend and SIL's socks are completed, these can now be wrapped up, i hope she likes them.

I've also been stitching, another no show though, sorry folks, the things i have done are for December birthday gifts.

I'll soon have finished gift making for 2010 and am hoping to make Grand Marquoir my focus piece as i really would like to finish it before the end of the year. I'll be joining Barb, Tina (no blog) and Hazel in their SAL of Shores of Hawk Run Hollow when it starts in January, thats going to be my biggie project for 2011, just need to decide on which fabric i'd like to use. If you've stitched a Hawk Run Hollow sampler design, what fabric did you use for yours?

This view was taken a couple of weekends ago when we visited a garden centre out in the country. A reminder of sunshiney autumnal days and thats what i have today as i look out of the window. Its not going to last though, weathermen predict a sharp drop in temperatures from tomorrow, snow for some along the east and southern coasts. Stay warm, cosy and safe ladies who live along that part of the UK, there are a few stitchers i know well and others that visit here that live that way.

Make time to indulge in the hobbies you love...

Watch out... Watch out...

Jack frost is about, he's after your fingers and toes!! As soon as we have the first bad frost of the year i am always reminded of my maternal grandmother who would always without fail say that as she was helping me to put on gloves and scarves before venturing out when i used to stay with her at weekends in my childhood, such happy memories of those times.









This week we have woken up to some real bad night/early morning frosts and folks have been busily scraping car windscreens before they can be off to work. My camelia bush has its buds ready for next spring and the wall flowers are planted ready for some spring colour too, but they do look sorry for themselves on these frosty mornings. Good news is that is does make for some lovely sunshiney days, i'll be taking advantage of it when i go off to the post office this afternoon, a girls got to make the most of the sunshine when its around to boost the mood at this time of year.









This weeks crafting pics are a bit like deja-vu from last week. A visitor commented on the noteblock last week, so i decided that it would make a good gift the them, and also a couple more of the doillys were crocheted. I have been stitching something else but unable to show that. It's that time of the year when blogs are not so full of pics as ladies are making things as gifts for friends.

Best place to be in the cold weather is curled up in a chair having a nap. Midge seems to be in coohoots with Alexander the meerkat off the TV advert (someone bought it for DH as a birthday gift) They can often be found cuddled up together and deep in conversation. What do you think they might be saying to each other???




Thanks for stopping by, i hope everything is wonderful in your world and life is being king to you
Love and {hugs}

Stitch, hook, knit ...

My car is off the road, it needs quite a bit of welding work doing to it, it's an old car that belonged to my late dad so it's quite sentimental but it looks like it wont be viable to repair it.

With not being able to nip off on a whim to friends or run errands in the car this week, i seem to have had quite a bit of time with needle, thread and wool making gifts for Christmas.

The little trinket box is for a friend, she collects them and this little one has been in my stash for such a long time waiting to have it's design stitched. The notecube is a small extra stocking filler for my mum.

Crochet hook has been busy too with two doillys made for the aunts, these are so easy to make yet really nice, i'm sure they will be a hit when opened on the big day.

Yummy chocolate santas are to stuffed into these cute stockings for 2 little people and can then be hung on their Christmas tree in future years, they were very successful when i made them last year and are quick to knit up.

SIL's wish will be coming true, santa has decided she has been very good (as good as a girl can be!) and will indeed be receiving a pair of hand knitted socks. Purple is her favourite colour and this Superwash wool is knitting up really nicely, i think i might have to get a bit 'clicky happy' with the mouse button and go shopping to get some more so i can have a pair too. One sock completed, one more to go and with tonight being 'Strictly' night, i'll be knitting away again.

When the schools were closed for half term hols, my neighbour went abroad for a week to get some late sun. DH & i were looking after their 5 little kittys. One of them seems to be missing me as he is coming round every day for a cuddle and a quick bite of my boys food. He is a lovely boy and very affectionate but i really dont know how he got the name Treacle? A friend of mine made me smile when she said he wasn't a cat burgler, he was the Neighbourhood Taste Tester LOL.

I hope you all had a lovely bonfire night last night, or maybe you are celebrating tonight like a lot of local people here. There will be lots of loud bangs and whizzes but DH and i will be remaining at home keeping Mr Moe company as he really does get frightened and needs a cuddle. Have fun and enjoy, but please, stay safe!

Nice mail day

Look what dropped through my letterbox last week, this years JCS ornament magazine sent to me by my dear friend Karen. There are lots of lovely ones in there this year that have been added to the must stitch list. Thank you so much Karen, it really brightened my week.

I do hope the monthly ornament runs again next year at Stitch & Stash, its a great way to get 12 stitched and finished each year to give as pressies to family and friends and to make sure you add a new one to your own tree each year.

Talking of the monthly ornament, those of you that follow my blog will probably be wondering where the one for October is.... *hangs head in shame* and admits that the challenge this month at Stitch & Stash was the lovely free design from Gazette94 called Noel, it just screamed lovely ornament and as i have been in a more knitting/crochet mood than stitching recently i haven't actually got an ornament done this month. You can see the other finishes to the challenge in this months album - well done ladies!

DS's girlfriend is studying equestrian studies and has requested a shorter fluffy scarf for the winter months when outside in the stables. Another pressie crossed off the 'to do' list as i've been knitting away each evening when watching 'It Takes Two' the daily update on Strictly Come Dancing that is on just after we've had tea. It's amazing how quickly a knitted project grows in that 30 mins each evening.

Strictly again on Saturday evening, the full show and also Merlin, so i was firmly planted on the sofa with knitting pins again and started another pair of socks. This superwash sock wool is so lovely to knit with and was a bargain price. Very good service from Knit and Sew with speedy delivery too and even though one of the balls was out of stock they only charged me one lot of postage.

Someone has been really kind and shared their germs with me, so i am now doing a very good impression of Rudolph the red nosed reindeer as i have a cold and the tissue box permanently planted at the side of me. There seem to be a lot of germs around right now, so {{big hug}} to the poorly folks, i hope you feel better soon.

I'm hoping my cold does a quick disappearing act, but not to you, this post is germ free... honest!