FABULOUS FEBRUARY

YES it has been a fabulous February so far.  Weather has been wonderful in NE FL - lots of VERY cool days and nights which I LOVE !  I know my dear blogging friends in other parts of the country have had much too much cold and winter weather by the time February rolls around but we've had practically NO winter at all up to this point so I'll take all I can get because I know within a month - our chances of wearing any handknits at all will be over for many months.

First up - I'm sure many of you read Laurie's Corgi Cottage blog and might have noticed that I won her 100th Blog post giveaway - YEHAW!!!!!!!!!!!  I was simply amazed at all the goodies Laurie and the Corgi kids packed in that box.  Here is a peek

It was so much fun unwrapping each one.  Like Christmas.  The Quality chick tshirt is so cute. There were just all kinds of stitching accessories and goodies.  Emma and Owen even sent me some Cadbury Eggs since they got to keep their pumpkin treats.  Laurie - MANY THANKS for this awesome giveaway opportunity.

If I had to pick a favorite out of the whole massive prize it would be the needle case stitched (and I'm sure sewn) by Laurie.  It is so beautifully done, perfect fabric coordination and sweet little details not to mention the over one black birds and lettering.

As I said in my last post - I've been on a finishing binge lately - I really needed a boost for sure in the finishing dept.  I've also been trying to bolster my confidence and try to get some "finishing" for the finishes done as well.  Here is the With My Needle Hornbook I recently finished.  I think it is so sweet - I used chenille I dyed myself for the trim and the fiber is Belle Soie Rosebud on LL 36ct Chantilly Cream.

Speaking of WMN - our EGA chapter is hosting Ellen for a class this weekend.  We are SO very excited to have the opportunity to do the Ladys Worke Box.  So hopefully my next post will be focusing on that wonderful class experience.

  

Here is a progress photo on my BBD piece in the Remember Me series.  I'm very slow building my house but it is coming along and I really should start that massive mound of grass below the house.

 Yes I too am participating in the wonderful Scarlet Letter blog Nicola put together - Waving to Nicola !!! HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!  Here is my Hart Lives.  I've been trying to work on it at least once a week or more.

 Here is a close up of Lady Jane Hart and Sir Henry Wiley Hart - those are my parents real names - Sir Henry Wiley finally has a face, hat and hair YEAH!!!!!!!!!  Maybe he'll get some clothes soon.  This is a really pleasant sampler to stitch.  I'm glad the SL blog prodded me into brushing the dust off of it and getting it back out.  I am stitching mine on 32ct Antique White Belfast with the called for AVAS.

Can't leave you without showing a knitting WIP - this is my 1st quarter challenge project that I am doing with the Loopy Ewe.  It is called Winter Wonder a pattern by IrishGirlieKnits.  The yarn is the most nummy nummy stuff - MadelineTosh Pashmina Worsted.  The challenge was to use only use one skein of anything you wanted to use and the pattern had to contain cables.  I have been absolutely loving both pattern and yarn and I could see myself doing another of these.  I think I am going to be sorry when this project ends and I see more of that Pashmina Worsted in my future.

Well friends - that about concludes all the news I could muster on this fine February afternoon.  I hope you are having a FABulous February as well.  I'd love to hear about it so please leave me a comment.  I love hearing from you.

FEBRUARY FINISHES

Ok - don't faint - I'm on a roll with finishes lately.  First up - in our local chapter of EGA - it has become an important directive that we all have nametags to wear at EGA sponsored events and at our monthly meeting.  We are all extremely excited to be hosting Ellen Chester of With My Needle  later this month for the Ladys Worke Box project.  We have 17 lovely ladies coming for class and 3 are from out of state and 4 from other parts of Florida who are plural members of our local chapter.  I can't wait to show you photos from our fun day with Ellen.  Want to come and join the fun ???  We might could squeeze in one more person.

So in preparation for this and other upcoming events - I got myself busy and designed a nametag. This design is by Sheri Jones, Patricks Woods. The lovely scissor fob and nametag chain was designed especially for me by DF and fellow chapter member and beader extraordinaire Becky. She knows I adore green and she made the fob first and then I begged for a design that would have little clamps to hold this or any future nametag. I think she did a smashing job. The fob looks so cute with my bunny scissors.

Friday night I was on a mission to finish up the nametag - I set about doing the actual finishing - I am gaining confidence with some simple finishing lately.  However when it got to the trim - shoot - I didn't have anything at all that would cover up my messy edges.  I really really needed to have this finished so I could wear it to our Stitch in Public event on Saturday morning at the local quilt shop.

So I happened to remember this gorgeous yarn I had that I thought might work out.  I found it pretty quickly and while it looked pretty good color and texture wise  it was too flimsy for edging.  With necessity being the mother of invention - I tried fiddling around with it and ended up crocheting a chain and then tacking on the crocheted chain for the edge trim.  VIOLA!!!!!!!!!

I rooted around in stash and found some BBD fabic that I thought looked pretty good and thus the nametag was complete. 

Here is a shot of me wearing my newest knitted finish - the Eustacia cowl by Shibui.  For any knitters out there it was made with 2 strands of Shibui Silk cloud held with one strand of the lucious Shibui Stacatto.  There is a cardigan in my RAV que made with this same combination of yarns that I am really coveting.  BTW - I attribute that double chin thing going on to the fact that I was looking down at the screen on the IPhone LOL 

A lovely new start - Color Affection shawl - A wildly popular design that thousands on RAV have made.  I have stayed away from this design because it was just agony trying to pick 3 colors that I thought complimented each other.  I started with Madeline Tosh Well Water - the pinkish one is Dahlia and the tiny dark ball is Black Currant and this is MT sock.  I had to reward myself with a new start since I had a finish.

Last weekend I attended the Olde Green Cupboard retreat which was held on Kingsley Lake at the Camp Blanding National Guard facility.  Kingsley is a beautiful lake - it is actually very near the lake where my parents live.  I spent many a happy day on Kingsley lake as a teenager.

Heres a shot of the main room where 180 quilters had 3 - 5 happy days sewing, laughing and also taking classes with two national teachers.

There were 7 of us there hooking.  The sunsets on the lake were gorgeous and lots of people ran out every day to take photos and see the sun setting on another beautiful day.

Being around all those quilters and then being in the LQS yesterday left me in a weakened state.  I succumbed to a small purchase yesterday.  There were some Moda booklets called Candy Store or something like that.  They had tiny 2.5" squares in the display which are used for projects in the booklet.  OK - so I'm a sucker for sheep.  One of the designs looked like it should be easy enough - 12" x 12" with a cute little appliqued wool sheep - right up my alley - right?  So maybe next year at Camp Blanding - I will be quilting too - HOPE NOT but I am going to be brave and try this tiny project and we'll see where it leads.

I am hoping February will contain a flurry of finishes for me.  I finished ANOTHER design yesterday but I will save it for a future post hoping that I can find a suitable trim for it and get the actual finishing done on it too.    We are having wonderful cool weather here in NE FL - in the 30's at night which I just adore.  Love to be able to wear my hand knits - it's also makes for perfect hooking and knitting weather.

Hope you are having a FABulous February so far - thanks for visiting my blog - I love each and every comment.