Stitchy weekend

Joysze of Random Ramblings is holding IHSW on the third weekend of every month. Over 100 of us were hermiting and stitching this weekend. I was able to finish (just the stitching part) my C. 1800 Pincushion 

Fabric: 25ct Doublin Linen (antique white)

Floss: Soie D'Alger silk

All stitched with petite cross stitches (one over one)

I also worked on M. Quertier 1799. More I stitch this quaker, more I like it!

So long friends,

Evalina

WIPocalypse time!

Mayas were wrong or we had no idea how to interpret their calendar. It did not end, it started all over - so our WIPocalypse. Yep, we are doing it again - trying to finish our projects. For more info check Measi's Musings.

I was working on the replica of the pincushion from the year 1800. Here is my progress:

And I will not stop until I finish it. This year I will work on one project at the time. Well... say stitching project.

During 'Grow Your Blog' event I came across Vicki's blog Stitchy Mc Floss and fell in love with her new project - knitted shawl. She provided a link to the pattern, I looked at it, printed and yesterday I was shopping for yarn. There is only one yarn shop in our land of the Aurora Borealis and that's where I went. They did not have yarn that was mentioned in the chart (not even that brand) so I was looking and looking and finally I founded!

Lovely, soft, silky yarn: 42% silk, 40% cotton and 18% wool made in Japan. You can't tell from the picture but trust me, it feels wonderful against the skin.

I did not knit for ages! I learned to knit as a very young girl from my grandmother. She was an awesome knitter! So I pulled the needles, cast some stitches and started to knit thinking of my grandma. I knitted until the whole ball of yarn was used then I took a picture and started another one...

I did not follow the pattern very closely, I usually look at the pattern and the picture and the needles start 'flying'. I think my eyelets are a little further apart than in the original. Not much, just a couple of rows. I do not care though and I like the way it looks.

As for my stitchy project - it did not change, I will work on the list from last year. If you like you can see it here.

So long my friends,
Evalina

Countdown to freedom

The countdown has officially started. Yesterday my boss organized my 'farewell lunch', I chose the restaurant (with the best bison burgers in town!). It's too bad I'm sick, it was farewell with club soda... and I love a beer with my burger! Anyhow, it was lovely and I had tears in my eyes. All guys signed a lovely card and the boss presented me with the gift. It is a hand painted plate. Really isn't a plate but the gold pan and it looks awesome:

I absolutely love it! It will remind me of all the good things I learned and time I spent at the firm. It already hangs on the wall in my home office. Now it's time for another chapter and a new business plan!

Today I was working a little on the lovely pincushion. That darn thing is so addictive, I can hardly put it down.

So long my friends,
Evalina

p.s. To enter the 'Grow your Blog' giveaway, click here

OMG!!!

My stomach is full of butterflies and my heart is stopping once in a while...

For quite some time now I was thinking about leaving our office and starting my own business. During our 'cold days' in November and December when temperatures dropped below -30 and I was stuck at home, I've got a taste of being my own boss. I have few clients for whom I provide bookkeeping and accounting services. Yeah, I know - the data entry is not the most exciting thing but I do create reports and financial statements, provide analysis and calculate taxes too! To tell you the truth, the bottom line - I liked it. I liked it a lot!

Couple of days ago I've got brave and talked to my boss. It was hard. I was his first employee and I worked there over 5 years. I'm glad that the conversation is behind me. It went smooth and there was no drama. Next Friday is my last day of 9 to 5 job and a first day of freedom (and hard work)! What that means? Well, let's see:

• no more two-hour drive to/from work (I can spend 2 more hours stitching every day [smile])
• I can wear perfume again
• I'm very independent and not the best team player - problem solved, the only team is me!
• I can stitch during my lunch hour
• I had flexible hours, so no change here
• no more steady paycheques but sky is the limit on earning potential
• now I have to find my own clients but with December 31 and tax season just around the corner I don't think that it will be a problem

On the stitchy note - I was working on the 'Songs of the Season' a little and on the pincushion. Here are the pics:

another motif completed

The whole pincushion is stitched with silk floss over one. The stitches are so tiny!!! I love this piece.

So far I'm a good girl, no more 'new starts' until something gets finished. Now, back to stitching!

So long my friends,
Evalina

Goodbye Christmas

So, the 12th day of Christmas is almost gone, so does Epiphany. I really wanted to stitch a little project with the Three Kings but I could not find any! I spent a whole day searching and nothing, zilch, zero. Not on-line and not in my stash. I guess I will have to make a note of it and be prepared for the next year. I had in mind a little silhouette with 3 guys on camels and a bright star, stitched with white floss on the navy blue fabric. I will keep looking for it but if you have anything like that in your stash or know where I can find it, please let me know.

Did you know that in many Latin American countries, it is the three wise men and not Santa Claus who bring gifts for children? Children write letters to the wise men telling them how good they were and what gifts they want.

I planned to make a king's cake today, but the day went by and I never got to it.  Maybe I will bake it on the Orthodox Epiphany. Orthodox Christians are using Georgian calendar and everything is a couple of weeks behind. For example, tomorrow is a Christmas Eve, on the 7th is Christmas Day and the New Year is on the 14th of January.

This week/weekend I've manage to stitch a little.  On the 1st of January I started 'Snowing, a SAL with Tama. Isn't much but what you see here is the whole width of the first page. There are 16 pages in total. So far it is a very easy stitching with no confetti stitches.

I have also worked on the pin cushion until I run out of 'pale gold' floss. The good news is that the missing floss is on the way and in the mean time I can work on motifs that do not require that color.

Yesterday I've added a few stitches to 'Songs of the Season'. I love this piece and it fell good to get back to it.

I hope next week I will be more productive.

So long my friends,
Evalina

A little stitching

I hope all of you are enjoying holidays. Days are still pretty cold here and this week is the darkest week of the year. The sun rises at 10:12 in the morning and sets at 3:50 afternoon. I noticed that today is 1 minute longer than yesterday. That's a good sign! Soon days will get much longer (in a speed of 6 minutes per day)and in no time it will be daylight 24/7. It is so much easier to stitch with a day light! Regardless the darkness and company coming over for Christmas dinner I manage to stitch a little:

 M. Quertier 1799

c. 1800 Gift Pincushion

I wasn't 'in love' with M. Quertier at first but more I stitch of it, more I like it. With the pincushion is a whole different story - a love from the first stitch! Both pieces are stitched with silk floss on linen. M. Quertier sampler is stitched with 1 thread of black silk over 2 threads of fabric and the pincushion 1 over 1.

In my previous post I wrote about my disappointment with the shortage of the floss in the kit. My problem is solved! I've contacted the Scarlet Letter and remaining floss is on the way. Marsha, the owner of The Scarlet Letter is  a very nice person, it was a pleasure to deal with her.

So long my friends,

Evalina

A finish and a few new starts...

It looks like we all have survived another end of the world, just as expected by many. The mercury is still down - I'm not in the mood for shopping or even going outside. But I'm always in the mood for stitching. You will not believe it - I finished my Pirate Santa!

Really, he is all done and hanging. I started to stitch him a long time ago, he was a WIP and, for some unknown to me reason, became an UFO. It was on my December challenge list to have him done and now I can put a check mark beside his name.

And since we have enter a new season I wanted to start something new. I looked and looked through my stash and couldn't decide... then I spotted Paddy's Luck, all kitted up and ready to go.

Yeah, that's the one I want to stitch. Let's bring some rainbows and sunshine and let's forget the cold, dark winter!

I'm stitching Paddy on the 22ct antique tan hardanger with two threads over one. What you see there are about 360 stitches of 54,015 and some. Long way to go!

Yesterday I checked my mail and to my surprise I found there couple kits from Scarlet Letter. (Well, I shouldn't be so surprised, I ordered them a month ago.) Nicola of Stitching By A Cornish Sea Shore is celebrating her 50 birthday by dedicating a whole 2013 to charts from Scarlet Letter (she must really love them, eh?) She has created a blog Nicola's Scarlet Letter Year and many of us joined her to celebrate her birthday by stitching her favorite charts. I not only never stitched them before, I never even heard of them! Anyway, for the start I bought two kits (time is an issue so I couldn't be bother with buying charts and try to kit them up). To make Nicola happy I started both of them:

A lovely c. 1800 Gift Pincushion is stitched over one on 26 ct linen with 1 strand of silk. The silk is lovely to work with and my previous practice with HAED makes this an easy stitch. I am a little disappointed with the kit as not everything what suppose to  be included was included. The most worry I have is about floss. For example the package says that there should be 6 strands of dark navy silk but included was only 5... I've contacted The Scarlett Letter and we'll see what will happen.

And the second was a lovely quaker

stitched also with silk. (Ignore that tiny blue mark on the top. It is from my water erasable marker, it will disappear with a little water). The instructions are saying that I should use only 1 strand of silk over 2 threads of fabric (it's 36ct linen). The coverage isn't the greatest but when I looked at it from 5 feet away, it looks perfect.

So there, one little finish followed by three big starts - not bad eh? Now I have to work on some other WIPs so they don't become UFOs (unfinished objects).

So long my friends,
Evalina