Serpentine

I got this one framed - a while back now, but I forgot to take a photo. I have now and here it is.

For the Love of Chocolate

I started For the Love of Chocolate by Nancy Cucci on the 12th November 2022. It was a class with the Cyberpointers chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild. Haven't got very far yet, but at least I'm stitching.

July Wipocalypse

Whoops - I seem to have missed a couple of months there. Nevermind - I do at least have semi-good excuses. The last half of May and the first half of June I was doing an online course in Software Testing - trying to see what a new career might look like :) - although now my fixed term contract has been turned into a permanent job, so I may not have to worry about career changes for a bit. Then the rest of June I was madly scrambling to get myself sorted for July - finishing off my notes for the project I was leading for Cyberpointers, sorting out our trip down country for my Grandmothers 90th birthday, and sorting out my trip to the biannual ANZEG conference (Association of New Zealand Embroidery Guilds). So not much stitching in there, but a lot of other things going on.

Finally last week, in the middle of writing this post, I had to take a trip to my other grandmothers funeral - it was good seeing family and getting to spend time with Mum and Dad, even if the reason for seeing them all was sad. But I'm back now, and trying hard to get back on track.

Which brings us to July. July is exciting. First there was Bargello Fun, designed by Carol Algie Higginbotham - the chapter book project I led for the Cyberpointers chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild. You may remember I was stitching it earlier in the year, but didn't feel I could share pictures until the meeting was over - well, now it is, so I can now show you the finished product.

Then we have the biannual ANZEG conference and embroidery school. This was my first time at conference and I really enjoyed myself. Nelson is a lovely town right in the center of NZ (so yes, I walked to the center and took a photo to prove I was there). I took two classes - Folded Boxes from Gary Clarke, and Peacock Splendour from Maree Talbot. Unsurprisingly neither of these is finished.

The Center of New Zealand

Folded boxes - see how the pattern is on the back and we're stitching from the back to make the pattern on the front.

Her finished casket was just stunning - I'd love to do the whole thing one day, but realistically, don't think I would as it's not my favourite type of stitching so can't see myself spending that much time on it.

And some photos from the gardens in Nelson - those textures and patterns...

Finally (I think, hopefully I haven't missed anything) is an update on Beetlewings and Bling. The best update of all too. It's finished!!!!

(one trying to show the 3D shape)

Oh - and the other project I'm looking at starting is a knitting one. I visiting Woolfest at the end of May and purchased 8 balls of the deliciously soft Bohemia Gothic wool from Outlaw Yarn, in a beautiful wine colour. It's 45% Polwarth, 45% Alpaca, and 10% Possum. I did have a pattern in mind when I purchased it, but now I'm not sure if it's the right wool for it, so I'm still browsing patterns and thinking.

Just to finish off I'll give you some photos from the bottom of the South Island - after Grandma's funeral we did a little bit of sightseeing so I'll share some of it with you.

In sorting these photos I discovered I've developed a very bad habit of putting my finger over the lens. In my defense, on the boat I was trying not to drop the phone - there would have been no retrieving it from the bottom of Milford Sound. And as always (at least in my case) the reality is so much better than the photos.

March WIPocalypse update - with photos even!!!!

I finally have some pieces I can photograph for you. Ok, so the first one isn't much - I didn't get anywhere near as far as I wanted on Allure (I blame work and chores for getting in the way of prime stitching time :) ). But progress on my class that I took at the weekend is going great. So I've put Allure to the side for now and want to finish Beetlewings, Beads and Bling first.

I've also decided that when I get a chance I'm going to add a new list to the side of my blog - all my WIPs and finished projects listed by designer - because I was trying to find the name of a design this afternoon and it took a long time scrolling through the list to find it. It would have been much quicker if I could have gone straight to that designer. But that's a project for another day and will probably just go underneath the lists already there, not replace them or anything. Not that that is probably of much interest to anybody but me :)

So onto the important things: Stitching!!!

Allure (Carolyn Mitchell):

I haven't got very far, but I think once I get going properly it will go quite quick. The class is only up to lesson 2 as well, so I'm not too far behind (says me hopefully).

Beetle-wings and Bling (Julie Clemett):

My class piece from The Great Escape. Doesn't s/he look good? (I still haven't made up my mind whether this is a girl lizard or a boy lizard, and their name keeps changing too). I'm hoping to get this finished quite quickly - I'm going to concentrate on this until it's finished I think.

I've already put in my registration for next years Great Escape - my number one choice is The Catnapper.

Oh - and I found a picture of this little Mill Hill kit on the camera - it doesn't appear that I've shown this to you before. OK, full disclosure - I didn't stitch it. I picked it up prestitched at the guild auction one year, and I finally put it together back in November. Found the instructions - it's called Everygreen Stocking and it's from their Charmed Stocking range.

Beautiful Stripe Mini Stocking

As I now have my stitching lamp and comfortable chair back I have set up my stitching area again and I'm off stitching.

My first finish was Beautiful Stripe by Pat Mazu.

It's hard to see the bling, but there is bling :)

Winter Scenery (AKA The Lollipop)

Another finish:

Our local ANG chapter choose to stitch this together. We picked thread from the big buckets and are supposed to be stitching along together throughout the year. I think I forgot to stop though :p

I had originally thought I'd use purples but then decided the pink and green might look cool on the sparkly canvas. So I picked a bunch of pink and green and put it in a bag. I was randomly choosing threads by dipping my hand into the bag where I couldn't see what was getting (and they were all in floss-away bags so they didn't feel different either), until the first variegated square. Ok, the first one that was supposed to be variegated - I had already done a square or two in the variegated. I did deliberately choose to keep the two squares that were variegated in the original still variegated, then shortly after stitching that first one I decided I really liked the windmill type pattern that was emerging, so then I planned the rest of my colours (probably only another 5 squares) to continue that pattern.

Then I did just one row of the background right around. Originally I'd planned to fade it out into the sparkly canvas (I wanted to be able to see the sparkle), but after doing one round I really liked how it emphasised the round shape and made it look kind of like a lollipop.

And another picture of our cats - once again taking over MY chair - I leave it for 5 seconds and turn around and there's at least one cat on it: :)

And all the other projects I found while photographing the other two

Something has changed with St. Petersburg. I have actually finished the first part (including beads and crystals) and am working on the second part.

Other projects are my Boo-Lah-Dee-Dah box lid - did I tell you about that before? I don't think I did. Boo-Lah-Dee-Dah is something our EGA chapter is doing on the 5th Saturday each month (so yes, the next instalment is the end of this month), and we are making a Halloween box, appropriate since I think the last 5th Saturday this year is Halloween. Except that every time I see or think the name I start singing Boo-Lah-Dee-Dah, la-da-de-da, la-da-de-da (from the line in the song in the L&P advert 'there ain't no place I'd rather be, la da di da', which after looking it up is apparently called 'Counting the Beat' by The Swingers).

It appears I also haven't shown you Winter Scenery from Stickideen Von Der Wiehenburg / Wiehenburg Needlepoint - this is one that we are working along together with at our ANG meetings every couple of months or so through this year.

And My Heart's Garden which is a monthly, or bi-monthly project for EGA. We've had two parts so far - our next part will be next week-ish.

There was also another EGA project - a little blackwork pincushion - I've finished the stitching, and just need to put it together.

And yet another EGA project - a little felt needlebook.

And a bunch of teacher bookmarks have been stitched too - but I won't bother with a picture (yet) because they are just the same as all the other ones over the years.

Those small projects have been really good for stitching during Scouts. And if it wasn't for Scouts they probably wouldn't have much progress on them.

And when I was pulling these things out to photograph them I saw the project from my beading workshop sometime last year - I don't think I've ever shown that to you either. So here is my progress on Pagoda by Mikki Ferrugiaro.

(see that paw going towards the ornament - that's why there are only these two photos and not a lot more to choose from to get a really good one - by the end of this photo session I had two very interested cats - they don't normally take such interest in my needlework)

I think that's all my current projects - if I come across more I'll post them.

Irresistible Iridescents and a new start

Cos I needed a new start :p

But I had to - it was Bluebonnet Daze at our ANG chapter and we were doing a Pat Mazu stocking called Beautiful Stripe from the chapter project book. And OK, so that was 3 weeks ago, so I'm a bit late with the pictures, but hey, it's not like it's changed between then and now.

And finally - the one you've been waiting for - here it is in all it's glory. (I'm writing this before it's quite finished, so I'm hoping that I'll get those last few hours of stitching in and so I won't be premature in typing 'YIPPEE'.)

(yes, it is resting on the back of a cat - what can I say - he was the one that sat down in the middle of my picture taking area)
Now some pictures to try and capture the sparkle and all the beads:

YIPPEE

Irresistible Iridescents

Last weekend I had a class with Nancy Cucci called Irresistible Iridescents. It was really fun. I didn't get too far, although I did make some good progress (the outlines were all stitched as pre-work, so don't think I did all that in two days).

Look at all those beads!!!

I also finished another RR piece: