Spring! And stitching?!!

I finished my Handbrake Cowl!

It is a pattern by Dan Jones with help from his wife Kay Jones of the Bakery Bears Podcast.  The pattern is 1 pound, all proceeds going to support cancer research.  I used Fancy Tiger Crafts Heirloom Romney in Blue Maize.  I gave it to the Father type -- here he is modeling it.

I think he likes it.  :D

I know this will be a shock but I'm stitching again!!!

I picked up an old WIP, the EF 1864 Sampler from an issue of Sampler and Antique Needlework Magazine.  I need to check which issue it is.  Here is how far I've gotten so far.

It's nice to be stitching again!  But I'm not sure how I will fare with this one.  I love Berlin woolwork, but it's not my favorite kind of stitching.   And that's what the bulk of the piece is.

This weekend was the first time in a week that we've had any sunshine.  Sunday was a glorious day!  Sunshine and temps in the 60s.  Yum!  The father type and I took a nice long walk in one of our local state parks, visited a bookstore, and just had a nice day!

And when we got home, we opened the windows for the first time this year!  Hooray!  Someone enjoyed the fresh air immensely.

Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a great week!

Blue Queen

I finished my Messalina Shawl!  I do love it, and it was so much fun to knit.  Just the right amount of stuff to keep me interested balanced with plain stockinette for ease.  I used Clara Yarn Cormo 2.0 in Sky.  The pattern is by Kay Jones of the Bakery Bears podcast.  ( For those who are wondering, yes, I love that quilt.  But Mia has destroyed it by clawing it to shreds in huge areas.  I keep it folded up on the spare bed.  No, I didn't make it.)

I immediately dived into a pattern called the Handbrake Cowl, designed by Kay with her husband Dan Jones.  It's a pattern where the purchase price goes to cancer research, so definitely worth buying to support a good cause.   I'm using Fancy Tiger Crafts Heirloom Romney in the Blue Maize colorway.  Just a bit done so far.

I seem to have a theme of blue going on in this post.  I received a wonderful gift in the mail from Paula of Kelmscott Designs.  Paula has started a new line of products called Whimsical Edge Designs.  She knows I love all things British and British Royal, so she sent me her Blue Queen Threadkeep.  I love it so much!

I have it pictured here with two of Paula's scissors - both in red, of course!   The one on the left is the Storklette scissors and the one on the right is the red Roly Poly.  Can you tell I enjoy Paula's pieces?  Thank you, Paula, for my Blue Queen!  I love her!

I don't know if you've noticed, but knitting seems to have taken over for now, hasn't it?  Never fear.  For a while, I seriously wasn't even thinking of stitching.  As a first for me, I didn't even purchase anything from Nashville market!  Now this was a super bad sign -- I always go crazy when market rolls around.  lol!

But recently, I've started thinking about stitching again.  I even purchased a couple of charts from market, a few weeks after.  This one (Fractur Friends by Shakespeare's Peddler),

And this one (Feathered Whisperers by Barbara Ana).

The Feathered Whisperers, you can leave out the border if you want.  But the border is the best part, IMO!  And Fractur Friends is stitched on 40ct silk gauze.  But obviously, you don't have to go that route if you don't want to.  I have provided links directly to where I swiped the pictures from.  I hope it's ok to have swiped them!

Anyway, all this is to say I have been starting to think more about stitching again.  I think it's just a matter of time.  So all you stitchers, don't give up on me yet!  :D

I removed one of the wool blankets from the bed this week and put it on the bench I'd placed in front of Mia's favorite window.  I think Mia likes having the blanket there.

Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a great week -- and that those who celebrate had a wonderful Easter,  or are having a good Passover.