Return To Crystal Roses

Thank you all for your lovely comments!  It's great having another finish and I'm planning on getting it to the framer's in the next few weeks. 

I've made a small amount of progress on Crystal Roses:

Crystal Roses
Just Nan

I'm finally getting to add the color to it.

Today was spent at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival and I'm tuckered out.  Many beautiful quilts on display.  It's probably a good thing I don't sew and don't have much desire to learn with all that beautiful fabric out there.  But I did spend a few dollars on...

Yep, sock yarn.  I haven't even finished the first sock of the pair I started a month ago, lol.  I'm so weak.

I just saw HAED has a new pattern that jumped onto my wish list.

So Many Books So Little Time
Spangler/HAED

So many patterns, so little time is more like it, lol.

Happy Stitching!
Tamara

An Open Heart Happy Dance

Finished!

For anyone who is planning to stitch this one, beware the bottom outer border is different by one stitch on either side than it is on the other hundred curly cues.  Ask me how I know.  (rippit)

Now to get cracking on Crystal Roses.
Tamara

IHSW Progress and A Boo Boo

Welcome to my new follower!

My weekend ended Thursday night and I was feeling like I was making good progress on An Open Heart.  As I was admiring my work on Friday morning, I discovered not one, but two mistakes on the top of the outer border.  One on each side.  So I am getting ready to go sit down and frog those areas and restitch them.  I am still hoping to have this as a finish this week.  *fingers crossed*

I've never minded backstitching too much, but this border is taxing my patience.  I'm even looking forward to getting back to the Crystal Roses.

Looking forward to seeing everyone's IHSW progress next week.

Happy Stitching!
Tamara

The Best Laid Plans

Don't you just hate it when things don't go as planned or expected?  I got up early this morning to be ready for some installers to do some work on the house, but the product ordered was not correct.  The morning was a total wash and due to trying to get this project done since December, I was also getting extremely frustrated.  After putting the living room back together, I've just been aimless the rest of the day.  I have tried stitching, but just can't seem to get going on it.  I don't feel like I've gotten very far on the outer border of An Open Heart.  Might be because I haven't been stitching on it, lol. 

I'm not yet halfway around the outer border. 

I have been getting some stitches in my Sanctuary of Knowledge by Randal Spangler (HAED). 

Sanctuary of Knowledge
Randal Spangler
HAED

I am on page 14 (out of 77).  I was really enjoying working on this again, but last night I was feeling the familiar frustration of putting in a lot of hours and not seeing much progress.  I'm thinking I'll be doing the HAED charts in fits and starts this year, rather than trying to finish up a page before moving to something else. 

And those something elses are being troublemakers!  I felt the need of some retail therapy after the fiasco this morning, so I ordered the fabic for Chatelaine's Misty Morning Vineyard and Victoria Sampler's Forget-Me-Not Sampler, and the patterns for Chatelaine's Celtic Maze Garden and Evening in the Park.  Like I don't have enough to do;  the socks and scarf are still being knitted, the blanket crocheted, 6-7 cross stitch WIP's and life in general.

Here is a teaser for the next start (which will NOT be started until I finish Crystal Roses, cross my heart, lol).

Aren't the colors just yummy? 

Happy Stitching!

Tamara

One Down

One to go.  Borders, that is.  The inner whitework border on An Open Heart is done after about a million satin stitches.  The outer border is all backstitched.

An Open Heart
The Drawn Thread

Once again I'm fighting startitis.  I am being good, however.  My agreement with myself is when I finish this piece, I may do a little biscornu or needleroll before moving back to my Crystal Roses.  I have been dabbling with one of my HAED pieces.  Not much progress to show there.  It's too dark and gloomy here for a good picture, anyway. 

Tamara

Carnage *EDITED*

Last night was not a good stitching night.  I had done the cross stitches all the way around the inner whitework border on An Open Heart.  I ended off the thread and perused the chart for the next step.  Only to realize I had done the first quarter of the stitches properly with 2 threads and then switched to 1 thread.  Apparently, my CRS (Can't Remember Sh*t) has taken a turn for the worst.  So, I had to rip out 3/4 of the border I had just finished putting in.  *sob*

Frog Carnage

Picture's a bit (ok, a lot) fuzzy, but you get the idea.  And, yes, chocolate was part of the treatment.  So, I'm still working on getting around the first border.  But I did finally get that last band done!

An Open Heart
The Drawn Thread

I'm really looking forward to finishing this one up and getting it to the framer.  I'm planning on getting one or two older finishes framed at that time, as well. 

I was also weak last week and ordered some sock stash.

There's Mini Mochi, and Supersocke.  How could I resist the Supersocke when it was 55% off??  The socks are going slow right now;  I've been trying to work on the cross stitch more lately.  I think my stitching mojo is coming back.

Happy stitching!
Tamara

*EDIT*  Cripes!  I've just finished restitching that border and I'm ONE FREAKING THREAD off!!  Grrrrr.  And the error is all the way up at the top.  Looks like there will be more carnage from the frog tonight.  Can someone send me some Frog Away...I seem to be out.  Now where's that chocolate...