Welcome December

 

 

My advent candle is ready to be lit this evening when DH and I are sitting comfortably and will continue to light our way through the advent season each evening now we are in December.

Blessings will be given for our day and to everyone for a healthy and stress free time as we all try to achieve the deadlines we have set for ourselves with giving out goodies and meeting with friends to give our Best Wishes to each other for the festive season.  It's also a short time each day as the light flickers and the wax melts down to the next number to remember those who are no longer with us and the real meaning of Christmastime.

 

This year, December 1st also means it's time to rip open the envelope that arrived last week - i was very good and waited till today - to see what my exchange partner had stitched for me in the ornament exchange at Needlecraft Haven.

 

IT'S A BEAUTY .... thank you so much secret santa (details of who sent to whom will be revealed at a later date, this one is a secret exchange).   A lovely little robin kit you sent and I will enjoy those choccie treats too.   Your ornament will look so lovely on my tree and accompany many more that I have received in previous years from wonderful stitching friends.   I love this exchange and look forward to it every year.

 

 

As it's a secret exchange I am not able to share what I stitched just yet.  You'll all have to pretend you have the envelope sitting with you and you are waiting for the reveal date to see what's inside.  

 

 

At least with this being a cyber parcel temptation is avoidable, you wont be able to sniff, prod, squeeze and shake it.  You will have to be patient.  When the reveal list is posted on the forum, I will share what I made.

  

The last Sunday of the month is reveal for the challenge that Christine sets us and November 29th was the day.  A free online chart that you can stitch with any threads and finish any way you choose.

 

Novembers choice was from Shepherds Bush  A happy snowman with sheep, I know a few ladies who this will appeal to.

 

 

Christmas gift making has been happening and of course I am not able share that with you. 

 

I can share some knitting that I am doing for DH in spare moments.  Linda was kind enough to send me some sock wool that she wasn't going to use and here's the first sock finished using it.  Thank you Linda, it really does knit up lovely, these will keep his tootsies nice and cosy during the winter months.  Just got it's mate to knit now to make up the pair.

 

 

Wishing you a lovely advent, have you got a candle or do you prefer a daily chocolate treat as we wend our way towards Christmastime.

 

Blessings to you all, and your loved ones too.

 

 

 

 

Friends

November, you have nearly come to an end and the advent season will very shortly be upon us.

We had a storm here in the UK last week, very high winds, worse than we have seen for some time.  Unfortunately, we had some damage resulting in the insurance assessors having to come out and see what can be done.  A tree, a large fence, a garden shed and two not happy neighbours!

A couple of little outings have happened this month and quite a bit of staying home.

The craft group went on a bus trip to the Crafts for Christmas show at the NEC the first weekend of the month.  Very busy there but I did make a couple of little purchases.  I bought a few other things but they are for gifts.

 

A new 1/4" foot for my sewing machine and some bottom line thread for the shuttle (purchased on advice from the quilting tutor).  After seeing Jo's lovely Nutmeg Company little housey I treated myself to the Cinderella Panto House.  It wont be stitched for this festive season, definitely next year.   A beading kit to be shared with a friend as we both try our hand at making a bracelet, something new for the new year. There was hundreds of stalls for papercraft but not many for stitching and knitting.

 

A cute bee hat has been knitted. The kit was donated by a local councillor for the charity knit group and I was asked to knit this childrens hat.  So cute....buzz buzz.....

 

 

DH asked me if I would kindly knit this little chap, and he's now gone off in the post to his new home.  We've named him Alf.  I used two strands of 4ply sock wool for his hat to give it the tweed effect.  It always makes me smile to add a face on a character I've knitted.

 

 

Still playing catch up with the Plum Street Sampler SAL.   Days 3, 4 and 5 now complete so not too far behind everyone else.

 

 

 

 

 

Clare will soon be decorating a tree in her church for the festive season. Some of you may remember she has done it quite a few years now.  This years theme is joy and here's the ornament I stitched for it.  Found in the 2004 JCS ornament edition.

 

 

I was lucky enough to be able to give the ornament to Clare in person Saturday 14th Nov as 5 ladies from Needlecraft Haven met up for a days stitching and fun, organised by Clare.

 

We always have a goody bag exchange and this time the theme was 'numbers' 

 

Each of the lovely homemade cakes has a raffle ticket underneath to correspond with a bag, you choose a cake and hope that you don't get your own bag back!

 

The number I chose for my bag was 6 and here's the contents of my goody bag that was won by Gill...

 

The bag I chose was from Clare herself.  She chose the number 4, great things inside including a lovely chart from Elizabeth Designs with the four seasons on.  Perfect for next years seasonal SAL.  Thank you Clare.

 

We also have a book exchange.  This time with the theme of the day being numbers we had a dice game to decide which book went home with you, that was fun! 

 

 

We passed the books around the number of times the dice showed after each of us had shaken it.  In the end my book went to Clare, I'd chosen Tangled Lives by Hilary Boyd to donate and the book I received was this one.  Thank you Lindsay.

 

 

Lots of nice work on show, its always nice to see things in person that you have been looking at over the months before meeting in person.

 

 

Everyone donates something to the raffle. The money raised from this keeps the forum advert free, it usually lasts till the next meet up.

 

I was lucky enough to win the jester bag (bottom left of the pic) that Gill had made, its fabulous and was a real hit at my Craftshare group.  The ladies are all keen to have a go at one of these themselves.

The lovely day did end on a sad not though as one of our ladies had an accident on her way home resulting in a fractured wrist and broken shoulder.  Get well soon, {{gentle hugs}} Angi.

 

A lovely 'thinking of you' gift arrived for me in the post from dear Barb, isn't she fabulous.  She's holding a bunch of lovely forget-me-nots.  Thank you so very much my dear friend.  Perhaps you are a reader of Barb's blog and have seen her lady currently displayed on her November mantle who is carrying poppies for remembrance.  Barb does some wonderful stitching and visits some great places so if you haven't visited her, why not pop along.

 

 

 

This week its time to post out the ornament for the Christmas exchange.  Pleased to say mine was finished on time and is being sent.  Not long to wait till the reveal of that as its opening day on 1st December so i'll share that with you next time.   Also, it will be reveal for the monthly challenge at NH organised by Christine this coming Sunday so something else to show you.  Some Christmas gift knitting as well, so I must remember to take a pic of that.

 

It's that time of the year when secret things are being made and everyone is so busy with preparations for the holiday season.   Not too many days left if you need to whip up a quick Christmas gift and mail it out. 

 

 

Wishing my overseas visitors a very Happy Thanksgiving for later this week. May you spend happy times with those you love over the holiday.   I've seen a few of you with coverings of snow in your gardens so I hope it doesn't cause disruptions to your holiday plans.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your good wishes comments on my last post for me, I am much improved.

 

Till the next time .....

 

Blessings to you all

 

 

 

Armistice

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them

 

Love and Blessings

Uploaded off the camera, wanna see what i've been doing?

Crafting keeps you smiling ............ finishes since I last wrote a few words here ....

Knitting....

 

Charity blanket finished and here's a close up of the lovely pattern -

Christmas gift for Miss Isabelle.  She wanted a pair of socks like mummy has had knitted by nanny, so santa will fulfil her wish :-)

 

You were all right, she NEEDED another clanger in the set, this one is Tiny clanger - will there be more?

 

Stitching ....

The Wednesday SAL with Barb and the ladies at NH, Merry and Bright was stitched, but not made up yet.

 

Octobers challenge, a free chart by Janlynn, found here.  I think I told you in the last post that it was a very simple finish.  A coaster that will accompany a nice Christmas mug as a gift.

 

Plum Street Sampler SAL, I've seen quite a few of these being started.  Day 1 and 2 are complete so I have a few to catch up with as this week 5 gold rings was posted .....

 

perhaps I wont get them done for this Christmas, but a start has been made....

 

Made a couple of these for the craftshare group for the Christmas event.

Not a lot to say this time, feeling a bit under the weather with a sinus infection that has resulted in a perforated ear drum and other health issues that are rearing their head again.

I'll be back soon feeling much brighter.

Thanks for stopping by... Blessings to you all

A learning curve (or not so curved!)

Shock, horror...... the sewing machine had its cover dusted off and I got three little finishes made up recently.

The monthly challenge designs that Christine chooses for us at Needlecraft Haven are always fun.  I am was behind and missed the deadlines of the last Sunday of each month for making sure your finished picture is with Christine for the gallery for both August and September.

Here's August, a free chart from the Kreinik site.  A little pincushion for the festive season.

Septembers was such a fun design, I love this little chap from Aliolka

 

I can safely say, that Octobers is done in plenty of time, my picture has been sent.  Easy finish for this month and it will make a nice gift too. You'll have to wait till the end of the month to see it though ... what a tease!

 

The third finish is my Wednesday SAL, a design from LHN, CCN or Sampler Girl.  Happy Skater is all jingly with his bells on.

 

 

Saturday i took my sewing machine and went off to a quilting day with 5 other local ladies.  Great fun was had as always.  This time we were making a quilted wall hanging for Christmas.

 

Mines not finished yet, still got the quilting bit to do and the border to add. Here's how it looks so far.

 

 

What a fiddle sewing around heart shapes is with all those curves.  It took forever and mine are nowhere near perfect.  Lots more practice and learning needed in curved sewing on the machine.  Anyone got any tips?

Here are all 6 of them together, no one finished there's.  But there is still plenty of time before they need to be hung.

 

Here's the tutors finished one she brought along to show us how it should be done.

 

Such neat stitching, hers is only a couple of millimetres from the edge of all the hearts and follows the edge to perfection - I guess that's why she's a quilting tutor!

 

 

A new start for the Wednesday SAL last week.  Merry and Bright by CCN from JCS ornament edition 2010. 

 

Stitched on a scrap of 28ct something from the bit box.

 

The fabric is actually a nice purple colour, perhaps it will show better next time. 

 

It certainly lives up to its name with the nice bright colours.

 

 

I've been blog reading and all caught up again.  I've seen lots of lovely things you are all making, some wonderful things ready for the festive season along with lots of Halloween stitching of spooky and scarey as well and down right funny designs and some new types of finishing that I need to try.  It's always nice to pop along and see what others are crafting and making and leave them a little comment of encouragement.

 

Quite a few are away on autumnal trips enjoying the last of the seasons sunshine and I've been learning about places they are visiting.

 

Thank you for stopping by here to see what I've been up to.  It's so nice to read a little comment from you if you have time.

 

Blessings to you all