Feather and Fan Scarf

 Hope the new year is off to a great start for everyone.  January has just flown by for me.  I am trying to organize and consolidate all the stuff in my life.  It is a challenge, to say the least.
I have been knitting away on my stash, working on baby things for my future niece.
Just before Christmas I finished this lovely Feather and Fan Shawl.  A dear friend was telling me that his wife had received some lovely hand spun wool from a friend, and although she loved it, she wasn't a knitter.  I eagerly volunteered to knit up something for her.  He relayed the offer to his wife and we chatted about patterns and decided on a scarf.  I played with a couple of stitch patterns and decided on a feather and fan combo.

The yarn is a merino/angora blend and was a joy to stitch with.  My favorite part of the project was blocking it.  The pattern opened up beautifully.  My friend loved the scarf, she tested it in Colorado over the holidays.  I wrote up the simple pattern and put it up as a freebie here in my Ravelry store.  Enjoy!

Cherry Lane Cowl by Felicia Lo

 Finished this pretty little cowl the other day.  I really like it.  It's just the right size, not too loose, not too tight.  It's the Cherry Lane Cowl by Felicia Lo, knitted with Quince & Co. Tern.  It's a fingering weight yarn that is a blend of wool and silk so the color is soft and muted.  Knits and blocks like a dream.  The pattern is fun to knit, it's a 12 row lace repeat with no cables so it goes fairly quickly.  I've already cast on another cowl in a soft raspberry for a Christmas gift and may try to get a couple more done in time for gifting.

I hope to get some more knitting done this afternoon, but first I need to do a little holiday baking.  I've found so many good recipes online that I can't wait to try.  Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happily knitting away on Christmas gifts!  Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Charlevoix Cowl

My latest knit design, the Charlevoix Cowl.

Modeled by my oh so serious daughter, Di.

Pattern is available on my Ravelry page.

I'm baaack!!!

 Hello everyone!  As you can see I am finally posting again.  I didn't mean to disappear for so long.  One morning I went to pull up my blog and it refused to allow me to sign in.  Tried everything that I could think of over the course of a few days, then gave up in frustration.  I popped in the other day to see if anything had changed and, voila!, I was able to sign in again.

My time away has been well spent.  I have really gotten the knitting bug and have been knitting up a storm.  I learned to knit in my college days.  I have fond memories of going up north to my boyfriends home on winter weekends and spending Saturday mornings running errands with his father while he worked at the ski resort.  We always stopped at 7/11 for Big Gulps and then his dad would drop me off at my favorite yarn store while he went and did his errands.  Upon picking me up, he always asked if I found what I needed and we spent the afternoon on opposite ends of the family room, him reading and dozing in a chair and me playing with my new yarn purchases.

Now that I have begun knitting again, I have much to show you.  I'll be posting pics in the next few days.  I've been challenging myself with new stitches and new yarns and have even designed a few patterns which I have posted on My Ravelry page.  This hat is one of my latest designs.  It is made using a DK weight yarn from Stonehedge Fibers, a fiber farm in northern Michigan that is over 157 years old.  They spin the leftover fibers from their regular line to create one-of-a-kind skeins of Crazy Wool.  It takes just a skein and you end up with a stylish hat that is uniquely yours.  The yarn is super soft and it's a treat to watch the colors emerge as you knit.  I am hooked on this yarn and am designing a couple of other knitty things out of it as well.

I'm off to pick up Di from school.  If you were wondering, the kids are doing well, Colt's a senior and Di is a junior, and they are both so involved with activities.  Our house is usually full of teenagers playing guitars, singing and eating everything in sight.  It's lots of fun and I will miss it when they are off to college.  Thanks for stopping by.

A little finishing..

I finished a few pillows the other day and took a couple of quick pics.  I really like the way they came out.  Finishing is such fussy sewing but the result is so worth the fussing.  This is a Birds of a Feather canvas.  I used contrasting florals for the border and a bright coral dot for the back.

The second pillow is the Workbasket barn pillow.  I backed it with a brown velvety fabric.  Loved stitching this one, so many little details.

The third finish is a counted canvas piece.  I used the same brown fabric for this one.  The button in the middle is made of polymer clay and is really intricate.

And, last but not least, a little needlepoint belt buckle.  Quick, fun to stitch, and easy to finish.  This one is for a class that I'll be teaching locally. 
That's it for accomplishments that I have photographed lately.  I've knitted and sewn a few things that I'll post soon.  Have a great week and thanks for stopping by.

A Little Knitting....

I've been doing a little knitting lately.  Oddly, I get the urge to knit hats in the heat of summer.  This one, modelled by my Didi, is knit in a lovely silk wool blend.  I added the stripe using a scrap of banana fiber to give it a little style. 

Little did I know how important the "slouch" is in hats for teens.  I have made several and they have been tested by Di and several of my sons friends (skater boys and musicians) and the amount of slouch that a hat has is super important to the overall look of the hat.  Too much or too little slouch and the hat will never be worn.  This hat has just the right amount of slouch, so several more will be made for back to school.  An all stripey one will be next.

 

This hat is stitched in Madeline Tosh Sport Yarn and it has the softest feel to it.  A little less slouch in this one, but still in the acceptable range, I'm told. 

 

I've been playing around with a variety of hat patterns with mixed results, and finally just decided to create my own.  Hats are pretty simple and knit up so quickly that they make great practice pieces.  I did have one fail, though.  I made up a simple baby hat, loved it, so I knit it up in a much lighter yarn, using the same size needles.  The finer yarn made the hat much smaller and I now have a little hat that is just the right size for an American Girl doll.  Live and learn.......

It's been a while......

It's been a while, quite a while since I've posted here.   Life gets busy and some things fall to the wayside.  Everyone here is fine, the Summer is in full swing, kids are growing like crazy.
I've been busy stitching, knitting, sewing and did I say knitting?  Who knew that knitting could be so much fun?  I used to knit a bit 20 years ago and I set it aside for other hobbies.  I recently picked it up again and I am hooked.  The yarns, the patterns, the instant gratification of Ravelry pattern downloads, so much fun!  I'll share some pics with you soon.

On the stitching front, I finally finished my LOVE needlepoint pillow this morning.  I'm really pleased with how it turned out.  It is 16" by 16".  I am starting another one in a fresh color combo in the next day or so.  I have to finish an angel that I am working on before I can put the first stitch in. 

I just put a new word tree pattern in my Etsy shop.  It's the LIBERTY tree that was featured in JCS awhile ago. 

 
   I hope that you are all enjoying the Summer!  Thanks for stopping by! 

Merry Christmas!!

Just popping in to wish you a very Merry Christmas from my goofy family to yours!!!!

It's been too long...

Hello all, it's been quite a while since my last post and soooo much has happened.  In a nutshell, new home, new town, new schools for the kids, new jobs, new friends, new adventures.  Everything in my world has been whirling along nicely. 
I haven't accomplished much stitching as of late, but I have been playing in my vast collection of yummy yarns.  Cool weather signals the knitting bug in me and the pic here shows Di modelling a few of my latest knitty finishes.  I've got a couple of scarves in the works and am going to try my hand at socks soon.  Since I am a leftie, the double pointed needles scare me.  I am motivated my all the gorgeaous knitty things that I have seen on my favorite blogs lately, and I am determined to advance my knitting skills.

On the home frint, I have tons of baking to get to before the holidays and between my two kids, there are five concerts to attend.  We have Christmas parties to attend and lots of new friends to make.  It's a mad, mad world and I love it! 
Even though I haven't been blogging myself, I've enjoyed following my fellow bloggers adventures.  Thanks for the inspiration!

Miss Mary Mac's French Red Pincushion

I just finished a new design!  This one is Miss Mary Mac's French Red Pincushion.  It's stitched on 40 count Confederate Gray Linen from Weeks Dye Works with Weeks Hand Dyed Threads.  I love the way it came out.  When I was pulling threads I had a very clear picture of what I wanted the design to feel like stitched, and I achieved my goal.  There are a few simple specialty stitches throughout the design, which look really nice on the 40 count linen.  I filled it with crushed walnut shells so it has that wonderful floppy feel and it will join my other long pincushions in their little display basket.  I listed the chart at my Etsy shop if you are interested in stitching it.  Smalls are addictive, not a lot of time spent and a really pretty result.  I do have a large sampler that I have been ignoring that I will have to get back to, but not until the school year is completed.  I hope that everyone is enjoying some Spring weather, after the ugliness of last week, some sunshine is welcome!  Take care and thanks for stopping by. 

Miss Mary Mac's Sew & Sew Sewing Roll

It's a rainy day here in TN, thunderstorms all night.  The echoing thunder kept me awake most of the night.  I love a good storm, as long as there are no tornado warnings.  It has gotten a little brighter outside, and I did manage to get pictures of the newest sewing roll and here it is.  Miss Mary Mac's Sew & Sew Sewing Roll, stitched on 40 ct. Examplar from Lakeside Linens with Crescent Colours, Weeks and DMC.  I have the pattern listed at my Etsy shop.
I tea dyed the backing fabric and I love how it changed the look of the fabric completely.  Now it's all I can do not to dump all of my bright bits of cotton prints into the tea bath to see how they come out. 
The Miss Mary Mac series is a group of prim designs that aren't too primitive.  You can certainly make your pieces more prim by giving them the coffee grounds treatment or a nice tea bath.  Or, as my son suggested, leave them on the driveway on a rainy day.  :)  Today would be just perfect.  Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your day!      

Miss Mary Mac's Sew & Sew Pincushion

I just finished something for Spring.  It has bunnies so my timing is pefect.  This is the second design in the Miss Mary Mac series, my prim without being too prim series.  It's called Miss Mary Mac's Sew & Sew Pincushion.  It's a long pincushion stitched on 40 count Examplar Linen with Cresecent Colours, Weeks and DMC floss.  There are lots of Cornflower blue Smyrna Stitches and some sweet lazy daisy stitches.  I am almost finished with the matching sewing roll, which I'll post as soon as it's ready.  I just listed the charts in my Etsy shop.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful afternoon! 

A new chart

 You may remember my bluebird ornament from the JCS 2008 ornie magazine.  Well, I have finally released it as a chart.  The chartpack contains two versions of the design, a patchwork bird, aptly named Patchwork Red Bird and the original Bluebird of Christmas Happiness.  I've listed them in my Etsy shop if you are interested or you can email me.  Have a great week!! 

And now for something completely different....

It's a very grey and stormy day here in TN, they are predicting hail and possible tornadoes for this evening so I thought that I would post my brightest finish of late.  She is a lovely mermaid designed by Sandra Silberzweig, a Canadian folk artist.  When Di and I were shopping in Chattanooga a few weeks ago, we found a really neat bookstore with lots of folk art paintings displayed.  I couldn't stop thinking about the bright colors and fun style.  Then, while doodling around on Ebay, I found a seller that sells printed canvases based on works by various artists.  I went a little stash crazy and ordered several.  Printed canvases are a little harder to stitch than those that are stitch painted, colors print on top of one another sometimes, muddying the shades, so you have to think a bit more about your color choices.  However, they are a great deal less expensive than stitch painted canvases and I don't mind the extra color work.  Here is the entire design, it's 9" by 12", stitched on 18 count canvas, using mainly Rainbow Gallery Manderin Floss (a super soft bamboo fiber) mixed in with a bit of Kreinik Braids and black Rainbow Gallery Petite Very Velvet.  Soooo different, but so much fun to stitch!     

 . 

I spend a lot of time stitching while waiting for my kids at their various activities and this piece received so much attention from others while I was working on it.  The teen girls at dance classes loved it, even some of the fathers commented on it.  The kids at orchestra thought it was neat as well.  I've had several young girls ask me where I get the "stuff" to make the things that I make, and I've painted up a couple of easy canvases and kitted them up for two young stitchers.  We had a mini class and they are both about halfway finished with their first pieces.  I'll get pics and post them when they are finished.  I do receive the occassional "Why would you spend time doing that?" comment and I've learned it's best to just smile pleasantly and keep stitching.  Taking the time to explain my love of the process just makes their eyes glaze over.  :)

Bottom line, for me, stitching is fun!  and this piece is a perfect example of my idea of stitching fun.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your visits and your comments.  Enjoy your day and have some fun! 

A few finishes

A lovely weekend here, a little rainy and cold so I pulled out the sewing machine to do a little finishing.  First is my favorite, a needlepoint pincushion.  This is a Carriage House Samplings Cross Stitch design that I stitched on 18 count canvas (I changed a few colors).  I edged it with cording that I made using the thinnest hand dyed chenille from The Victorian Motto Samplar Shoppe.  Nancy sells handdyed threads, chenille trims, rick rack, vintage seam binding and even handdyed buttons as well as her own victorian inspired designs.  I filled the pincushion with crushed walnut shells and it will sit by my stitching chair.

Next, a little pillow with a Christmas design from Sheepish Designs.  I've had the design stitched for years and finally got around to finishing it.  I've seen quite a few Sheepish Designs on blogs lately and have a huge stash of charts so I am inspired to get stitching.   

This design is a freebie from My Aunt's Attic.  I stitched it using a lovely overdyed floss from Nina.  I ordered some of her beautiful threads when she first offered them and the color combos are so exquisite that I can't bring myself to stitch with them.  Silly, I know but that's the way it is.  I finished it with a piece of Blackbird Designs fabric and used a bit of antique lace trim to complement the design.

That's it for finishing.  I've barely made a dent in the to do pile, but I have been checking out all of the lovely finishing on the many stitching blogs that I follow and am going to try a few new things.  I'll keep you posted of my progress.  Until then, thanks for stopping by and happy stitching!!  

Spring is here!

It's a beautiful Spring day here in TN and Spring cleaning is in full swing around the Turley household.  My Spring cleaning motto is "Less is more" and I have been repeating it over and over as I sort through cupboards and closets.  I have even ventured into my stitching stash and will be posting lots of things on my ebay and etsy pages over the next several days.  

Colt and Di had their first Trap Shooting tournament of the year on Saturday.  Dale managed a good pic of Di, above (so not looking like my girly girl with her jean mini, black leggings and combat boots) but the camera wouldn't cooperate for a Colt pic so I snatched a recent one from his facebook.  Beautiful weather and everyone had a good time. 

On the stitching front, I finished the barn canvas by Workbasket.  It was a really fun stitch, I went very nontraditional with the background, using a lovely varigated silk, which gives it a patchwork feel.  I plan to finish it as a pillow. 

Then, I started on this lovely rose.  Hard to tell from the pic, but the entire rose is stitched, just the background and the leaves to do.  There is a tiny row of metallic gold to be stitched between the blue and the tan of the background, which should make the golds in the rose pop a bit.  This one will be one of a pair for my mom who loves roses and dislikes anything too fussy.  

In sorting through my stash, I've come across a few things that must get some stitching time, so, I feel a serious case of startitus coming on.  New project pics coming soon.

Hope that you are enjoying the sunshine where you are, thanks for stopping by! 

Something new...

I don't know if you've seen the latest Just Crossstitch Magazine, but I have a couple of new designs featured in it.  Spring Garden and Bloom Pincushion are bright, happy designs, perfect if you are itching to stitch for Spring.  There are several nice designs in this issue and I always feel like I am getting a bargain when the magazine I purchase is filled with "must stitch" designs.

In other stitching news, I have been on a needlepoint bender again, I have an almost finish and a couple of new starts which I'll take pics of as soon as I am home long enough to pick up a camera.  We have been running like crazy with Colt and Di's activities. 

 Last weekend was spent in Chattanooga, Colton had a East Tenn String Orchestra Clinic and Performance.  Wonderful performance, really talented 6th thru 9th graders from the eastern side of TN performed.  It's a yearly thing, you have to audition to get invited, I'm so proud of Colt for working hard his first year and getting selected to the advanced orchestra.  Colt plays the concert bass and Di has just started violin lessons and hopes to join Colt in our local string orchestra in the fall.  Solo and Ensemble is next, with Di's Spring dnace performance to follow and a couple of trap shooting tournaments as well. 

While Colt was at his workshop, Di and I got to do a little exploring in Chattanooga.  We had so much fun.  Chattanooga is a college community, with a really outdoorsy vibe.  We were surprised at how many joggers, walkers, bikers, etc. were out and about in the downtown.  It's a very foot friendly place, parks, walking bridges, etc., with lots of wonderful restaurants and neat places to visit.  The people are friendly and nearly everyone we passed said hello or gave us a nod.  We visited a lovely antique mall that made me wish for a bigger house, a needlepoint shop, a funky used book store with tons of modern folk art for sale, a mongholian buffet, a cupcake shop (heaven!) and a fantastic ice cream shop (it's a good thing we were walking).  Colt felt a little left out when Di told him of our adventures (mostly the food part) so we will be scheduling another Chattanooga weekend soon. 

Time for me to get to work, my studio needs a serious spring cleaning, ugh!!!  Have a wonderful weekend, maybe do something fun with someone you love. :)

Almost a snow day

Well, we had snow on the ground again here in TN, but this time just a two hour delay on school, instead of a cancellation.  Our school board has decided to add an hour to each school day for the next month and a half to make up for our excessive snow days this year.  The kids are less than thrilled about the whole thing and it's made a mess of after school activities.  Because of dance and orchestra practices, I'll be signing Colt and Di out early three days a week.  On the bright side, I won't have to sit in the pickup line on those days.

I've been a little lazy with my posting but I have been doing some stitching.  Since Christmas, I've been in a holiday stitching mood, must be the snow.  I've completed a couple of Christmas themed pieces.  Above is Ewe & Eye & Friends Christmas Sampler.  I changed the colors as I wanted to try some of the Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe threads.  I had ordered a set of Christmas colors and a set of reds and when they arrived I couldn't wait to play with them.  The shading is soft and they are very nice to stitch with.  So nice, that I used them on the below projects as well.

Here are Prairie Schooler's 2008 Santa and 2003 Santa, stitched on 18 count canvas.  I will eventually stitch the entire series on canvas.  They were fun to stitch and worked up quickly.  I used the Victorian Motto threads as well as Rainbow Gallery's Petite Very Velvet and a bit of DMC. 

Last but not least, my latest start.  A beautiful canvas from The Workbasket.  The colors are still a bit Christmasy but the design is not.  If you can't tell from the picture, I've only completed the red on the barn and the willow tree leaves.  I love all the little creatures in the design and can't wait to start stitching on them.  This piece is going to be very hard to put down.

That's all for today, thanks for stopping in.  Enjoy your day!