Just a couple of photos

 Well, the weather hasn't been all that sunny, but I did manage some photos!

UKCS Biscobud challenge

The fabric for the biscobud challenge is much darker than it looks. The stitching doesn't show up very well: I used one of Steff Francis's  hand-dyed rayon threads, and has such a high shine my camera couldn't focus properly! So I did my best by tricking it into thinking it was focussing on something else!

MLI Angel - freebie 2005

The Marilyn Leavitt-Iblum angel is being stitched on cream/gold sparkly evenweave fabric one-over-one on what I believe is 20 ct. I've not done much yet, but so far I like the feel of it. I just have to work out how the beads will lie!

Oh, a-frogging I have been

I daren't post photos of FC at the moment! I've been working on the Castle, and wondering why it was getting a bit boring. Then I realised that in artificial light, all the dark greens looked the same! So I decided to frog one of them before I stitched any more in that colour. Actually, what I did was remove one of the substitutions.  I had used artificial silk (DMC rayon) in the suggested shade rather than the DMC cotton, and I'm replacing it with the cotton. It looks much better now, but I'm still not 100% satisfied. I'm looking at the possibility of a lighter shade still, but have to do a bit more experimenting. My proof that I'm doing the right thing came when I frogged a few stitches of the wrong colour because I couldn't see any difference in shade! Anyway, FC has taken a few steps backwards, so I'll post when it is a bit further forward!

As to other projects, I have started a freebie Christmas angel from Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum and a biscobud, both SALs from stitching groups. Both are in the very early stages, but I might get around to taking photos if we have any sunshine over the weekend. Still looking for suitable fabric for my Westie puppy. I might have to settle for pink as I don't really want to add any more to my stash.

Now to book tickets for Ally Pally in October and Hobbycrafts in November. (And the mending pile is just as high as before!!)

Back from my Break

Well, it wasn't exactly a holiday, but I've not had internet access every day, so I left it till my return to update my stitching blog. I didn't do as much as I had hoped, and was only able to finish one of the Olympic challenges I was taking part in for a group. Well, it wasn't even a proper finish as I was interrupted by a phone call, and missed finishing on time by a handful of cross-stitches and back-stitches. When I came to take a photo today, I found I had missed one stitch - black on navy blue is very easy to miss!! But I am very pleased with the final result, and will make it into a birthday card for a friend. Sadly, the pink for the ears and tongue wasn't really dark enough, so I may have to redo that before October!

Completed 2012 Olympic Challenge: Disney Dalmation puppy

The Fairytale Castle has had to take a bit of a back seat for the moment, but I will pick it up again soon. That will be part of a challenge to finish it by the end of the 2014 Winter Olympics, or maybe 2016 Olympics. Meantime, my Westie puppy is having a rethink. I need to find some dark evenweave because of all the half-crosses and other non-standard cross stitching in it.

Not everything has been stitching-oriented! We visited assorted grandchildren, and got very seriously delayed leaving one set by the construction of a Lego police station! It took over the whole of the dining-room table as can be seen by some of the extraneous objects surrounding it which have nothing at all to do with its construction!

My sister's cushion had a few more stitches added to it. I stayed with one sister in Sussex, and we had some sunshine!! It was lovely to be on the coast for a few days, and my health improved a little while I was there. I spent a day walking along the shallows on the beach while my sister was at work.The beach was practically deserted as it was quite a misty day, so it was a lovely peaceful time and I felt really revitalised. Unfortunately, Derby has a fairly polluted atmosphere, and I can feel I am going downhill again

On one day, we met my second sister and eldest granddaughter in London and visited Buckingham Palace. Because it's the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen's accession to the throne, her diamonds were on display. It was amazing to see all those sparklies, including the little miniature crown Queen Victoria wore after Prince Albert died.

I showed my second sister how far I had got with her cushion, and I think she was quite pleased with it, but sorry I hadn't finished it yet! I must try to get it to her by Christmas.

While I was away, DH sanded and varnished our wooden bedroom floor, something he'd been planning on doing for a while, but had been unable to do while I was around because of my asthma. It looks really good, and I am noticing the benefits of less dust.

Well, that's a fairly lengthy update. Tomorrow's stitching looks like tackling the mending pile. Humph!!
Till next time then!