The computer is now happy so, posting at last

Hi everyone,

It has been a while but I do have an excellent excuse. I downloaded some new software and it clashed with some of my other downloaded toolbars. The end result was not being able to use blogger. Thank goodness there is a wonderful man called Antony who arrived today and fixed it's little hissy fits. Luckily I have been able to read all my other friends blogs to keep up with what is going on out there in the rest of the world. You have all been very busy stitching your fingers to the bone.

Stitching has been happening here also, but I thought you might like to see the work of my stitching group friends from "The Common Stitch" in Surrey, England. They stitched my first small free chart using a range of different colours and threads. I am truly thrilled and excited by their results. As a designer I love to see others take my patterns and alter them to give the stitcher their unique end result. Please accept my sincere and warm thanks for your work, I hope you enjoyed a new experience. And special thank you to Dee for overseeing the group's stitching.

This is how Dee finished her design. The group will get together in January 2012 and finish off their pieces.

Dont they look great.

 May I also thank you for your kind comments on Emerald and the biscornu.  I have been asked to teach the biscornu in 2012 at a retail store in Australia and several other pieces throughout the coming year. It is starting to look like a busy year which is a very good thing. So I hope you dont mind if a little linen work pops onto the screen from time to time.

Bye for now, Carol

Who is that man in red?............

Hi everyone,
Today, Saturday 12^th November is The Christmas Pageant (Parade) in Adelaide, South Australia. All the children, moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas line the city streets to greet lots of colourful floats, marching girls, pipe bands, the king and queen of the pageant, clowns and of course Santa. It is a warm day this year it is above 30deg C so by the end of the day there are lots of very tired parents and little people who have had a very full day. The pageant is usually the sign that it is time for decorating the house with the tree and all the trimmings. So if this is your Saturday, I hope you have had a lots of fun.

Welcome Santa.

On to stitching. Here is a little more of Emerald, Needle Delights.

And below is one the pieces I have recently been working on that is holding up my progress on my counted canvaswork. This is one of my new linen chart pieces.

Eucalypt biscornu.

Copyright. Carol J Young Designs

 Bye for now, Happy stitching, Carol

35 count linen to 18 count canvas holes

Hi everyone,

Although I have been very quiet on the blog there has been lots of stitching going on. Most of it not counted canvas. Now the projects I have been working on are designed and stitched it’s time to get back to Looking Glass. The fourth section is started and I would have had more done if I hadn’t had to unstitch and move 2 of the motifs. Oh well if you stitch you had better get used to unstitching very quickly; it is usually the first lesson you learn. But I am still smiling because the end result is lovely.

Here is the woeful completed section, either side of the dagger Amadeus as of today.

Last week was the Quilt and Craft Fair in Adelaide, South Australia, so the girls got together to do some retail therapy. Although this is mainly quilting supplies usually we find something interesting and new. Not much in the way of threads but I did find that Cottage Garden Threads, Australia are now dyeing Perle 8 & 12 to match the stranded cotton colours. Picked up some lovely quilt fabrics for lining linen projects and some sparkly-arkaly braid for edging. We chatted with old friends, made new friends and generally had a great time.

Here is the stash.

For anyone who would like to learn more counted canvaswork, especially my fellow Australian stitchers take a look at two projects.  The first is “From Molehill to Mountain”, through Scarlet Thread and the second” Kimono revisited”, through the Shining Needle both of these are cyberclasses and are great value for money. They are large projects but you will learn soooo.... much they are well worth the time they take to complete.

Happy stitching, bye for now, Carol