Couple of PHD updates

This is what I've been working on the last week or so over Christmas in between finishing stars, ornaments and socks

Mary Wigham, I've added 2 motifs and a box

And a few more rows on my beaded Cdc

December finishes

I thought I better share the last few finishes of the year before the end of the year.

This years ornament for my parents

This one went to my DBF

My Dad's Christmas present Wise Hilda's Basic Ribbed Socks (Ravelry download)

Yes I know I didn't finish this but it's still stitching related :)

My Secret Santa from Pat (my other Mother and Quaker SAL partner)

And just because it's gorgeous a close up of the ornie she included (please excuse the stray cat hair's I didn't spot them till I'd uploaded the pic)

And lastly the ornie I sent to Kate for the annual exchange I organised

Merry Christmas

Just dropping by to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas

I used to have a wall, honest

Here's the proof

A couple of weeks ago when we had the first hard frost I got up one morning to find a large hole in the wall out the back. I went away overnight and got home really late the following night and then woke up to this view from Mel's bedroom window

The hole was much bigger

So DBF and a mate set to and removed the plant growing over the top of it before they knocked it down, they wanted to get it done before the bad weather and snow set in.

I was amazed by just how big the hole was

This is the view from next door

Back to my side

It didn't even need to be hit with a lump hammer it literally fell over when pushed

But a hammer was put to use for the lower part which is down to the ground now but I didn't get a pic of it before the snow hit

And this is how it looks today

It's really odd walking down the garden and just plain looking out the window and not seeing it there. The plan is to replace it with a fence in the New Year.

Biscornu Exchange again

Remember the biscornu exchange I did with Blu last month?

Well the one I stitched for her arrived safely so I can tell you about it :)

First off tho I must tell you that these pics are Blu's own one's as I very stupidly forgot to take pics before I sent it.

I stitched 2 Ink Circles freebies for her both in Dinky Dye's silk

September's Celtic Knot

And October's Celtic Knot

UFO RR

I'm somewhat behind on posting this (and a few other things) but this last week I've been sick and haven't really done much of anything.

This is Blu's UFO for the RR we're in and for me this turned into one of those projects that I seemed to frog just as much as I stitched :( still I think I made a decent bit of progress on it

Jolly Old Elf

Every year I take part in a Secret Santa exchange amongst a group of stitching friends last year Joy had my name and along with a couple of other things she sent me this little guy.

Jolly Old Elf

Shepherds Bush kit

He's been calling to me on and off all year but I wanted to save him for December, this last weekend was Krampus and since I was going to be in the caravan for some of the time I was there I took him with me.

He turned out to be a much quicker stitch than I expected and he was done in a little over 4 hours.

If anyone is interested in the chart let me know and if there's more than one I'll get DBF to draw a name.

WOW

Back in September Dani held a giveaway to celebrate her 7th blogiversary and I was lucky enough to be the winner. I've known Dani on line for something like 10 years now and it was her blogging that got me interested.

Anyway the postman brought 2 of those lovely brown envelopes this morning one was the next UFO in the RR the other was from Dani and had these beauties inside

Love the fabric

OMG a TW Byzantine ornament and one that's been on my to do list for a while to boot and finished so perfectly as well. I love it and my eyes keep wandering over to admire it some more

A gorgeous fob that has me thinking it deserves a lovely new pair of scissors

This one had me puzzled for a few minutes

then the penny dropped (hands up who heard the clang??)

Those PHD's

A PHD is a Partly Half Done or a Potential Happy Dance depending on which you prefer.

So the one's I found that I had forgotten about

Art Deco Sunrise, this appeared in a magazine a few years ago and Mum asked me to stitch it for her

Stitch Kitty Ornament.

I think this may of been in one of the Ornament RR's I did years ago

And lastly a Christmas Carousel card, no clue about this one but I suspect it got put done because of the poor really bad adia.

And because I found the main chart for my oldest PHD a pic of that as well.

I'm so glad I found it and although my taste has changed I would love to finish it, please excuse the filthy state of it I wasn't very careful when I started it but orvus will fix it as it's normal common muck and there's no stains on it

Bits and pieces

Yesterday was one of those days that I wanted to get some of those little bits of craft things that needed to be done out of the way.

So I started off repairing some knitted socks that had a hole in the leg and converting a pile of earrings for a friend from fish hooks to posts.

Then I finished off one of the ornaments I owe Mel, it's been sat waiting for me to sew the gap up for a couple of months (I did it on the machine when I put Edgar's pillow together so you can see how long its been waiting!!!)

And lastly I made a pair of sprial rope earrings for a friend, I made her a necklace and bracelet for her 60th last year but couldn't remember if she had her ears done at the time.

Millie also wanted to drop by and say hello

I also went in search of a small kit I knew was almost finished so I could get it done and knocked off my PHD list but couldn't find it anywhere :(

I even looked in a couple of drawers that shouldn't have stitching in them and although that didn't turn up 3 others did that haven't been included on my list for at least a few years so I'm not going to make my goal of less than 35 PHD's by the end of the year :(

BUT the good news is I found the chart for my oldest PHD which means I can work on getting that done next year.

In keeping with my desire to get my PHD number down I've signed up for the Flip'n Crazy January Challenge the idea is that you finish 15 of your current PHD's (WIP's) in 2011. I'll be posting my list in the next few days if your interested.

And lastly Sharon (Daffycat) has decided to take up the challenge of running the TUSAL next year as no-one has seen or heard from Yo-yo for several months now and her blog has been deleted so wander over there and take a look.

Happy Dance

I put the last stitches in on ABC Christmas in the early hours of the morning while I waited for Mel to get home from lectures at the Natural History Museum in London

6 point star

Well it took longer than I thought it would in this post to finish my second star but it's done at last and I wanted to try a 6 point one this time as well. It didn't turn out quite like I planned it and I should of done another row of green because I think there's to much gold on it now it's done.

TUSAL time

For once I'm posting this on time!

Since my last one orts from ABC Christmas, Mary Wigham, Caleb's Birth sampler, all those Silly Snowquake's, the biscornu exchange, Let it Snow-man ornament, a bell pull and a few colours of KO thread have been added.

I know this should be the last one of the year but I'll carry on putting my orts in until Dec 31 and start over on Jan 1st so look out for a final pic around then

I got them done

The Snow Quakes that is for the WI committee lunch today.

Turned out that I only needed 9 in the end as the extra non committee member that was going was ill and also being the idiot that I am I was counting myself in the number I needed to get done!

November progress & December goals

For November I said

UFO RR Got a little done but still have to put some more hours in
Stitch at least 2 ornaments I've done 6
Stitch my private exchange project Done and sent
Finish ABC Christmas Not even touched it, far too busy doing ornaments

For December I'd like to

UFO RR

Finish ABC Christmas

Get my Jan 1st start ready to go

Finish all the ornaments off

Knit a pair of socks for my dad for Christmas

Finish something else.

November was a bit of a busy month so my stitching time was down in the end and I only got 60hours 32 minutes in (my lowest of the year) but I did stitch every day. I had 6 starts and 6 finishes for the month so at least my overall PHD count hasn't gone up :)

TW #11

I stitched mine from JCS 2000 ornie issue but it's now available as a freebie

I started it on my birthday in 2002 (and in fact I think it may be the first year I started having a birthday start) and finished it 5 days later on May 21.

I have plenty more TW's to show you but they can wait for NaBloPoMo 2011.

Private Biscornu exchange

A couple of months ago Blu posted and asked if anyone wanted to do a biscornu exchange with her and as it's one of my favourite ways to finish stitching (although I rarely do them) I jumped at the chance.

A date was set for sending and the hunt began on my end (I was late in sending so sent along a bride for forgivness as well but don't tell Blu because it's not got there yet)

A few days ago a box arrived and in amongst the tissue paper was this

which turned into this

which turned into this

which revealed this

and then this

I'm completely gobsmacked by it and at a total loss for words to express just how much I love it

Ornament Exchange #1 again

As promised yesterday here's the ornament I sent out for the exchange over on Cross Stitch Crazy.

It's called Let It Snow-man from The Prairie Schooler and you can find it in 1999 JCS Ornie issue

Ornament Exchange #1

I took part in an ornament exchange over on Cross Stitch Crazy and this morning this beauty arrived from Kristina. I stitched this a couple of years ago for an exchange and have been promising myself that I'd do it again for my tree but now I don't have to :)

Kristina also included some lovely little felt ornaments and a fab card

The one I sent out has also arrived so I'll share that tomorrow.

Another Snowquake

Finished him a couple of days ago and then started another one which will be finished tomorrow.

I still have a pile of them to make and a few more to stitch and a week to do them

TW #10

Today's offering is the Grapes ornament from the now discontinued Cloisonne Christmas ornaments leftlet. I have no idea if I'll ever get round to stitching the other 5