An Escape to Stitching Paradise

Blue Lagoon Baby Blanket

2007-11-22T08:26:00.001-05:00

This summer I completed my first baby blanket for a friend of mine who had a baby boy back in April. I found this pattern in the Lion Brand catalog and I knew I had that make that blanket because I absolutely love the color combinations.

The changing of the colors of yarns is what slowed me down and the ends can be pretty messy. There were a bunch of tails hanging down on one end and it was quite hard to weave all of them in. So I went ahead and made tiny knots and cut off the tails.

I would definitely make something like this again if I had a son or grandson. It's very soft and thick.

It took me 2 months to make it and I send it to my friend in Septemeber, just in time for the cold weather. She sent me an email saying how much she loves it and her son loves it as well.

She took some pictures for me with her son and I was thrilled to get them. I kept them in my photo albums as a memory of something I made for someone. I love it when someone sent me pictures and letters of things I made for them. It makes me very happy to see someone else happy to receive a gift from me especially handmade!

Knitting a Sweater for Alyssa

2007-04-04T09:48:00.000-04:00

I am knitting this sweater for my daughter. This is my first sweater and at first, it wasn't easy because I never used a cotton yarn before. So it took me some time to get used to it. I had to rip it apart 3 times before I finally got it. I'm still working on the back part and then soon the front. It's going very slow but I'll be excited once it's finish as my first knitted sweater. Sorry it took me so long to post this. My hubby bought a new printer and it has a cardreader in it and now I can finally post pictures. I took this picture from the book of Debbie Bliss. I love her knitting designs. Once I am done with the back piece, I will take a picture of my progress. Hope all is well.

Making changes

2007-03-10T10:14:00.000-05:00

I made changes on my blog because blogger made it easier to post and add things on your website. I like it much better that way when I don't know much about HTML. So I'm slowly adding things a little at a time.

Meanwhile, I am still working on the knitting sweater for my daughter. I had some struggles in the beginning because this is the first time I'm working with a cotton yarn. As I keep going, I started to get a feel of it and my knitting is looking better as well.

I'm still waiting for my husband to download a program that I need on my new computer to be able to transfer pictures on the new computer. I have an old version of Canon A10 camera and for some reason, Canon doesn't have the old version of Zoomsbrowser on their website. So it's been difficult to find that old version. We're thinking about getting a new camera, so hopefully that will be soon. I love to get a new camera. This Canon A10 is very basic and I bought it to learn how to use a digital camera. It's my first digital camera and I learned a lot using it. I have a friend who is a photographer and she showed me many things how to use it. I still have a lot to learn.

I hope everyone have a great weekend. :)

So Disappointed

2007-03-05T14:10:00.000-05:00

I had several pictures ready on my memory card to post my knitting and cross stitching that I've completed in the past 2 months. Unfortunately, my husband thought that the pictures were already uploaded on the computer and erased them. So I have to humbly ask my friend who I gave a nice cross stitch gift for her birthday to take a picture of it again in her home. I always try to do it before I give it to them but this case is different. I lost some of my knitting pictures and I can't picture them again because most of those knitting gifts were birthday gifts for family in New York. I'm sorry there is not much to show today.

Meanwhile, I think I can show you what I am working on now.

I am working on the Summer Sample by Janlynn. I've always love this sampler and bought it at Joann store with a 50% off coupon. I plan on getting the winter, autumn and spring sample as well.

I will post a picture sometimes this week to show what I am also currently knitting for my daughter's first sweater.

Stitching and Knitting

2007-01-11T11:17:00.000-05:00

I'm finally cross stitching again but not as much as I like. I can only stitch when my daughter is taking a nap during the day. I can only do that a few times a week. But at least I am stitching again.

In the evening , I would read a book or knit something while watching TV. I don't know why but I actually like to knit while I am watching sports like basketball or football. Maybe it's cuz I don't have to watch it so much as I do with my TV shows. So if I am not in the mood for TV shows, I would turn on ESPN. Maybe I am weird but I like it.

I am still knitting the same baby hat and scarf in purple again. I wanted to knit a sweater for my daughter but I don't have the needles and yarn I need. So I am waiting for the needles to come in the mail and the yarn I want to go on sale. But I recently got a coupon in the mail from Joann.com for 50% off on a regular item, but that's not much saving to just have one skein of yarn 50% off. I rather have 50% off the total of my purchase and free shipping.

There is so much I would love to make right now, but I am just taking my time since money is slow right now. I have some knitting things to finish up anyways and it will force me to focus on them.

As for stitching, I am trying to finish up what I started last year and hoping to give it as a gift. I have to remind myself one day at a time to do things.

Computer Crashed.

2007-01-02T14:21:00.000-05:00

Hello all! I'm so sorry I went missing in action for a while.

The week before Christmas, my computer crashed and I couldn't get on the internet or check any emails. I couldn't even do much of anything.

So we ordered a new computer and it came the day after Christmas. It took us some time to get used to it and there are no photos on the new computer yet. I have to upload the old photos from my DVD and there are alot of photos we have to upload and it will take time to do that.

I'll just say Merry Belated Christmas to everyone and I'm here just on time to say Happy New Year too!

We stayed in Florida for Christmas. It was quiet and relaxing for us. We watched alot of Christmas movies and made some lasagna. We were too tired to go anywhere because we went to Disney for three days the week before Christmas. My mom was visiting us for six days because my Stepdad gave her a surprise christmas present to come visit us. She was pretty upset that we weren't going up north this year. Jason and I decided to go up north every other year to help save some money.

We went to Disney last Thursday to see a Christmas Show and boy, was it packed there! They had to close the park three times last week and for the first time in history, they closed three Disney parks in one day. They had to close Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and MGM. I have to tell you to never go to Disney during Christmas week. The minimum wait time in line was 40 minutes. Most were at least 90 minutes wait. If you went to Disney three weeks before Christmas, it's very quiet and lines are very short. Just my little advice to those Disney fans.

We went to Epcot one night to watch the Candlelight Processional and Neil Patrick Harris was the host. He used to be Doogie Howser, M.D. and now he's in How I Met Your Mother. It was so weird to sit there and see him in real person. I grew up watching his show and it was just weird for me not to see him on tv this time.

We also went to Apopka last Friday as a little day trip. We stopped at Kelly Park where they had natural spring water and you can swim and go tubing in it. It was a beautiful park with a small lagoon and beach area close to it. They had several picnic pavilions with bathrooms and a playground area for kids. They also have a small campground area. We will love to go back there again and maybe have a picnic with some friends of ours.

We also got to see some ICE sculptures in Gaylord Palms. It was 9 degrees inside the building. They had colorful ice sculptures and some of them had christmas lights in them as well. We were provided with a heavy coat to wear but it wasn't enough to keep you warm.

We forgot to bring gloves and it was too cold to sign to each other. So bring gloves and hat when you visit ICE. We did remember to bring our hats thank goodness. They even had an ice slide for kids and I let Alyssa slide on the little slide. They only let you go down once.

What's interesting about this place is the people are from Russia and I had a hard time understanding them with their strong Russian accents. But they're very nice people.

Gaylord Palms provided free hot chocolate and a christmas show to watch. They had gnomes hidden in their gardens, and if you find them all, you can sign up to win a trip to Alaska. We didn't find all of the gnomes because we were too tired to keep walking around. We did find three of them so far. I think there are 10 we had to find. The place is huge and it could take a long time to look for the gnomes.

Well this is my story of my Christmas vacation.

Slowly Coming Back

2006-12-10T00:23:00.000-05:00

I'm slowly coming back to blogging and trying to catch up on everyone's blogs. I'm sooo behind. Please pardon me if I haven't commented on your site yet. I seem to have trouble with Bloglines in some ways. It won't load some of the pictures on some people's blogs, so it's frustrating to go to a blog to see the pictures and then back to bloglines. Hope that will get fix soon.

I completed the Baby Green Scarf last Thursday and started working on the hat last night. But I took it apart today because I didn't like how some of the yarn were becoming too loose. So I had to cast on 91 stitches again. I originally put on 101 stitches thinking that I will make a 3 to 6 months hat for a baby but I realized my friend's baby will be in that size during the warmer weather. So I went back to 0 to 3 months size.

Oh my Gosh

2006-12-07T12:23:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged here since August. I've been so busy learning how to knit and forgot to blog here.

I made my first baby hat and scarf.

This design was from Baby's Cashmere Scarf from Debbie Bliss Knitting Workbook. I used Caron Simply Soft yarn in Soft Lilac instead of Debbie Bliss yarn because I can't afford those nice expensive yarns right now. I think I could try practicing with these cheap yarns from Michaels and see how it turned out. I think it turn out well and I like what I see.

A friend of mine just had a baby girl last Sunday on the 3rd and I thought it was perfect timing to send her this hat and scarf. I have it packed and ready to ship tomorrow to Kentucky. I am really excited to sent this to her and I hope she takes a picture of it for me to see what it looks like on her baby.

I am making the same set in Soft Green color with the same yarn for a baby boy that will be born in February. Then I will make another set as well for another friend. I have so many friends having babies next year that this scarf and hat seems to be the quickest thing to make for them. I don't know how to make sweaters, socks, or blankets yet but that is my goal for next year.

After I'm done with these sets of hat and scarves, I will try to make a sweater for my daughter and her friend. I thought it would be cute to have the same handmade sweater with different colors. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

I miss cross stitching but I just can't do them with a toddler around these days. She loves to grab things and make a mess. I am very picky on how to set up my cross stitching things and I find it hard to keep putting them away and bringing them out.

Knitting is so much easier when it's only 2 sticks and a yarn to carry around. My daughter does try to play with the yarn but I just put it away for a minute until she is distracted with something else and than I can get back to my knitting.

My new resolution is to start blogging here more often and keep track of my craft things. I am starting that resolution now and hope this will help me get started.

Knitted Scarf

2006-08-31T13:22:00.000-04:00

I finally finished this 72 inch scarf for my mother in law for Christmas.
Now I'm working on the hat that matches it. :)

Where have I been?

2006-07-18T14:11:00.000-04:00

I can't believe how bad I am blogging here. I truly miss cross stitching. I haven't cross stitch in a long time. But tomorrow I am bringing my cross stitching things to my friend's house to show her how to cross stitch. I am excited to start stitching again and I'm sad that I haven't done much this year. I remember starting the year in 2006 excited that I would try to do many stitching projects this year and I haven't even completed one yet.

I was looking at my Halloween project that I completed last year and I'm hoping that I will be able to do more of them this year.

I was supposed to be in a 2 bedroom apartment now but the guy who lived in our 2 bedroom apartment just left his stuff there and moved into his girlfriend's apartment. The landlord can't move his stuff out of the apartment until a full eviction which could take months.

My husband and I are frustrated with this and we ordered new furniture for the living room. Since we don't have the bigger apartment yet, we had to ask the store to hold it for us until we can move.

A lot of things are being put on hold because this guy can't simply get his stuff out of his apartment and return the keys. I don't know why he's being so stupid to hurt his credit by giving himself a full eviction by being lazy and leaving his things behind. He'll have a harder time finding an apartment when he breaks up with this girl someday.

2006-05-23T14:23:00.000-04:00

Wow it has been a while since I've been here. I'm not cross stitching lately but I'm knitting. I'm learning how to knit this scarf that is supposed to be 72 inches long. I'm up to 30 inches now. This will take a while. :)

I'm still reading everyone's blog and leave comments here and there when I can. I wish I could be cross stitching more but I don't have a place in my home right now where I can leave it undisturbed. My daughter is getting into everything now and the last thing I want her to do is mess up my cross stitching projects.

Next month we are moving into a 2 bedroom apartment and I'm hoping I will have some space for my craft area where my daughter can't get into it. I have a friend who wants to come over my place and teach me how to sew. I'm really excited about it and can't wait to start using my sewing machine.

Just want everyone to know I'm still here.

Happy Easter!

2006-04-16T07:36:00.000-04:00

An Update

2006-03-29T18:30:00.000-05:00

I just thought to give an update on my Nautical project. I finish stitching it but I need to work on the backstitching. I don't have much to do but I have been ignoring it for a while since I have been learning how to knit. I really like knitting and want to work on it more than cross stitching for now. I will post a picture of my friend's gift sometimes this week. :)

Still Stitching....

2006-03-17T14:36:00.000-05:00

I'm still currently stitching my friend's gift. It is almost completed and it's way past her birthday, but that's okay. She will get it eventually. I was planning to give it to her this weekend at the party but she doesn't want gifts at the party. So I will hold on to it until it's just us hanging out. I don't want to make other people feel guilty by not bringing gifts because I bought one for her when she requested no gifts.

I finally got the thread I need to backstitch my Nautical project but I want to complete my friend's gift first and then move on to the Nautical project.

I have also taken an interest in knitting. I have been practicing on "casting on" the needle and I really enjoy it. I guess I am getting alittle bored with cross stitching that I like to do something new. But I know I will always go back to cross stitching once I get the mood to do them.

A Life Of Passion

2006-02-27T13:30:00.000-05:00

Getting Back To What You Love

There are times in life when we are committed to pursuing our passions. Every molecule in our body is focused on doing what we love. At other times, necessity and responsibility dictate that we put our dreams aside and do what needs to be done. It is during these moments that we may choose to forget what it is that we love to do. There are many other reasons for why we may leave our passions behind. A hobby may lose its appeal once we've realize it will never turn into our dream job. Someone important to us may keep telling us that our passions are childish and unsuitable - until we finally believe them.

Forgetting about what you love to do can be a form of self-sabotage. If you can forget about your dreams, then you never have to risk failure. But just because we've decided to ignore our passions doesn't mean they no longer exist. Nothing can fill the emptiness that remains in a space vacated by a passion that we have tossed aside. Besides, life is too short to stop doing what you love, and it is never too late to rediscover your favorite things. If you gave up playing an instrument, painting, drawing, spending time in nature, or any other activity or interest that you once loved to do, now may be the time to take up that passion again. If you don't remember what it is that you used to be passionate about, you may want to think about the activities or interests that you used to love or the dreams that you always wished you could pursue.

You don't have to neglect your responsibilities to pursue your passions, and you don't have to neglect your commitments to do what you love. When you make an effort to incorporate your interests into your life, the fire within you ignites. You feel excited, inspired, and fed by the flames that are sparked by living your life with passion for what you love.

I had a passion to learn how to sew for a long time. I didn't have anyone to teach me. I tried to learn how to do this on my own but always become frustrated when I couldn't understand the directions.

I learn better when I am watching someone or someone show me how to make something. I was so thrilled when someone finally took the time to show me how to cross stitch. It's still a learning process for me and I was able to learn a few things on cross stitching on my own since that person taught me how to make the first stitch

I did messed up on my first and second and third project, but I kept going and it keeps getting better each time I do a new project.

Now I enjoy cross stitching and want to take it to the next level with linen and evenweave cloths. I'm not sure if I will be able to get it right and it does seems confusing since I am used to Aida cloth. If not, I will have to wait until I can find someone who can take the time to show me how to work on them.

I even have a passion to learn how to sew clothes, quilts, knitting, crotching and other needleworks. So I am looking and hoping to find someone who can sit with me and teach me how to do these things. I know one day I will find someone who will and I look forward to teaching others someday and pass on my future talents to them especially my daughter. :)

2006-02-20T12:58:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, I went to Michaels to get some more stitching supplies and I got everything I needed except for one color thread. They were out of it and I was so disappointed because it was the one color I needed to backstitch my Nautical project. So it is not completed yet as I am waiting to that particular color thread to come in.

Right now I am working on my friend's birthday gift and I won't display it until I give it to her for her birthday. Time is close and I need to focus on it to finish on time.

SBQ

2006-02-17T11:06:00.000-05:00

I think I will try joining in the SBQ.

Comment on your comments (giving and receiving): Do you love comments or hate them? Do you check them every day, never check them, or find them helpful? And finally, are you convinced no one is reading your blog if you don’t get any?

I'm usually surprised when I get comments, but I do get excited when I received them. It helps me to keep up with my stitching.

I don't have a stitching buddy or anyone to encourage me to stitch. I do this all on my own. I rely on the internet for help and I have to figure it out on my own. Sometimes it can get frustrating when I can't figure something out and I feel like giving up. But when I received comments on my projects, it inspires me to keep going and then eventually I figured out a new stitch.

I try my best to give comments. I like giving comments but sometimes I'm not sure if they're being read if I never received a comment from that person. I always wonder if I said something offensive or boring and I always try to give positive comments. I like to spread good vibes. :)

I don't mind anyone reading my blog. My blog is a quiet one because that's who I am. I'm more of a listener and reader than a talking person. :) I do it mostly for me to help me keep track of my stitching project.

For example, I didn't realized I didn't stitch for almost 2 months because I was playing too much computer games. So I'm glad to be back to stitching and I'm really enjoying it. I guess there are times when you need a break from something.

Nautical Project Completed But....

2006-02-15T08:15:00.000-05:00

I finally finish stitching my nautical project and when I decided to do the backstitching, I realized I forgot to buy the threads for backstitching.

So now I will have to wait to go back to the store to buy some of the threads I need to complete this project. I have no idea when that will be because my husband is working 9 days straight and I'm not sure when he will be free for me to use the car and go to the store. Hopefully I can go sometimes this weekend.

Meanwhile, I will work on my friend's project and I hope I have enough threads I need for that one too.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2006-02-14T10:25:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone have a good Valentine Day.

I am almost done with my nautical project and I should be able to display a complete picture of it sometimes this week.

I found this pattern on PatternsOnline.com. It's a Nautical Clock designed by Ursula Michael from the Jeanette Crews Designs, Inc.

The fabric I'm using is a 14 ct. Treasure Trove Aida Cloth from Silkweaver.

I really enjoy stitching this pattern and I can't wait to frame it. It's pretty easy to stitch and looks great!

Yesterday, I realized a friend's birthday is coming up soon and I want to make her alittle something. So I will not display it on here until I give it to her. She might look on here since she does have the link to my blog.

So once I am done with the Nautical project, posting will be alittle slow while I work on my friend's surprise gift. :)

My Nautical Project Progress

2006-02-11T13:35:00.000-05:00

Okay I am back in the stitching mood and here is my progress so far on my Nautical project. I really like how it's turning out and hope to finish it soon.

2006-01-25T09:13:00.000-05:00

Oh wow! It has been a while since I've been here. I am getting into the stitching mood again this week. For a while, I've been busy playing games on the computer at Pogo.com. I love playing mahjong garden and I think it's wearing me out now. So I am ready to do something different now like stitching.

I've been wanting to learn how to sew clothes. But I am working on my resolution first with losing weight. I've lost a couple of lbs so far and trying to keep up with it.

I also been trying to keep my home more organized with less clutters because we will have to move this summer of 06. So the less we have, the less we need to move.

I've been working on my Nautical clock project and I plan to show my progress soon.

Hope everyone have a wonderful day!

Hello and Happy New Year!

2006-01-02T11:58:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry to say that I haven't stitched anything for the last couple of weeks. I didn't bring my stitching stuff with me in Jersey during Christmas week and it wouldn't have made a difference anyways because I was sick with a flu since Christmas Eve. I'm still recovering with a nasty cough and so happy to be back in the warm weather of Florida. I'm getting motivated to stitch again once I get the Christmas tree put away and unpacking all the clothes and new toys for my daughter. I'm eager to read people's blogs again and catch up on the latest news. I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year and have a good 2006. :)

2005-12-17T09:17:00.000-05:00

Wow I am terrible at blogging here this month. I've been extremely busy with the Holidays parties, dinner, shopping, etc. I haven't gotten any stitching done. I'm sure I will be back to it once it's all over in Jan. I'm so sorry I couldn't leave any comments on anyone site. I will sure work on catching up on them in Jan.

Hope everyone have a great Holidays!

2005-11-27T19:17:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I haven't done any stitching this weekend because I was busy shopping and looking at Christmas decorations at different Disney hotels.

I also have been reading a great book called "A Million Little Pieces." I am halfway thru this book and once I am done with it,I will go back to my stitches. I can't put this book down. I have to finish it.

I did start my Nautical project and I will post an update of my progress sometimes this week.

Thank you all for your kind comments on my Halloween project. It's always nice to hear from you. :)

2005-11-23T04:46:00.000-05:00

2005-11-18T04:34:00.000-05:00

I finally finish my Halloween project today! I'm so excited to finish it. It took me less than a month, but I don't care because it's finished and my third project to complete. I will make it into something for next year Halloween. I'm not in a Halloween mood anymore.

Started: October 23, 2005

Completed: November 18, 2005

I just ordered Winter Breeze fabric at Silkweaver today since they had a sale this week. While I am waiting for the fabric to arrive, I will start working on my Nautical project.

2005-11-11T10:36:00.000-05:00

One of my Christmas project will be "Gentle Encounter" by Stoney Creek. I'm thinking about using a silkweaver fabric called Winter Breeze. Here is a picture to give you an idea what it will look like.

I thought maybe this fabric can give the background of this pattern a snowy scene with it. Then I'm not sure if a sparkly white fabric would be better. What do you think?

2005-11-10T14:49:00.000-05:00

The pumpkins are a pain in the neck. The colors jump around all over the place instead of row by row. So it's taking me longer than I thought to do the pumpkins.

I was planning to do Donna Kooler Christmas Designs, but I changed my mind and decided to learn some new stitches. I was admiring the Victoria Sampler Christmas Ornament and I don't know how to stitch something like that.

I noticed that VS had a section where they teach different stitches as a beginner's project which is called Beyond X Stitch . So I decided I wanted to learn them and order the first one. The first project is about Rice Stitch. So I am eager to get it in the mail and start learning some new stitches.

Then someday I can make that Christmas Ornament on VS someday. :)

2005-11-09T10:38:00.000-05:00

I am almost done with my Halloween project. I am working on the pumpkins now. Then I have to work on all of the backstitches. I'm getting really excited that it's almost done.

My daughter has been taking long naps for the past 2 days and I tend to do my stitches when she is sleeping. I hardly have time to do it when she is awake. I usually sit in my rocking chair when I stitch and when she sees me sitting there, she wants me to pick her up and rock her.

So I tend to clean the house, play with her, read a book, or watch a tv show. I got most of my stitches done during the day because last night, my husband and I were watching the Amazing Race. It's a tradition we started since we got married. We love to watch that show and see all the different places they travel to. Last night, they travel in Costa Rica to Pheonix Arizona. I would certainly love to visit those places someday.

2005-11-07T12:30:00.000-05:00

Here is a progress on my Halloween project. As you can see, I am working on the third ghost now. I hope to start working on the bottom half. Hopefully I will be done this week.

I will post later about my christmas projects that I want to do. I'm not sure if I will get them all done by Dec. 31st. I highly doubt that since I am pretty slow. :)

2005-11-04T17:48:00.000-05:00

I am still working on my Halloween project. I am slow since I've been interrupted by my 7 months old daughter quite often. I'm sure the moms out there understand what I mean.

I am halfway done with it and I've been thinking about making it into a flat fold. Once it's all done, I will post it here.

I'm keeping my October goals for this month.

I'm not doing any Thanksgiving project since I am not crazy about that Holiday, but I do have several Christmas project that I like to do in December.

I will come back here often and check out other blogs and leave comments.

2005-10-26T12:24:00.000-04:00

This will be my sceond project once I am done with the Halloween one. I love nautical stuff and I chose a treasure trove fabric to give it a more nautical look. I hope it will look good with the fabric. I thought about framing it with a round tube similar to the one where it says welcome aboard. I don't know the name for it.

I also know this is one of my listings for October, I'm not sure if it will be done before Oct. 31 and I don't think it will be done by then. I will work on this and I have been meaning to work on some Christmas cross stitching. I'm getting into the Christmas mood now that Halloween is almost over.

2005-10-25T11:45:00.000-04:00

Good news! I finally started my Halloween project Sunday night. My printer still needs to be fix, but I was able to print a smaller version of the chart. So I have to stitch alittle slower and carefully since the chart is small.

I noticed that I tend to make many errors with small charts. This is why I like to make them bigger.

I decided to use post it notes to keep track of where I'm stitching and it seems to be going along very well.

The design is coming out great on the fabric and I just can't wait to show it to everyone when it's done. :)

2005-10-22T11:53:00.000-04:00

I was so frustrated last night with my printer. I wanted to start my new project since I received my fabric in the mail the other day.

My chart was being printed off from PC Stitch program which I like because I can make my chart bigger.

The printer was not leveling the chart right on the paper, so something is wrong with the printer.

My husband tried to fix it but had no luck. We looked at our receipt to see if we could return it but it was already pass 30 days, so we couldn't return it. We would have to call the company to get it fix.

I really wanted to start working on it last night, but I ended up reading a book and watching a movie instead.

This is what I wanted to work on last night.

I was planning to put the Halloween Design on that Autumn Sunrise fabric. The instruction said to try to use a pale orange color to help bring out the white in the ghost. When I got the fabric in the mail. The orange was alittle darker than what it showed on the internet.

Hopefully the printer will be fix soon, so I can start working on it. Meanwhile, I will be do some reading while I wait.

2005-10-21T11:16:00.000-04:00

I went to Joann's last night to pick up more threads. I couldn't start my new project because I didn't have all of the threads I needed. It's mostly orange colors for Halloween, so I haven't done any orange before.

I don't know if it's me or what, but does it seem like people are stitching pretty fast these days? I feel like someone is posting a finish project each day that I feel so slow with mine. Maybe it's cuz I am a beginner? Or am I reading too many stitching blogs at once that it seems like everyone is finishing their project each day? Oh well.

I sure enjoy looking at all the neat project. Now I need to get back to mine, so everyone have something to look at when they come here. :)

2005-10-19T11:40:00.000-04:00

I finally got my fabrics from Silkweaver. I am so excited to get them. I was out of town for 5 days and I didn't bring my stitching projects because I knew I wouldn't have enough time to do them. I was dead tired at night when I finally put my daughter down for the night.

I did bring my books and I did some reading at night.

Now I am ready to start using my new fabrics to start a new project.

2005-10-12T10:21:00.000-04:00

I finally completed the second project on Sunday. Here are the 2 projects I worked on last month for the wedding keepsakes.

I had a hard time taking good pictures of it but this is the best I could do for now.

I'm happy to working on a different project now. It can get boring when you work on the same project 2 times in a row. Next time, I will work in advance to make 2 different keepsakes.

2005-10-07T11:11:00.000-04:00

I was not able to finish the project on time. I wasn't feeling well this week, so I couldn't finish it as fast as I could. My headache made it difficult to do cross stitching, so I did alittle at a time. I will be able to give it to them when they come back from their honeymoon.

I haven't received my new materials yet from Silkweaver. So I will work on my old projects that are sitting in my bag until the new materials arrive. I can't wait for them to come in the mail. I'm eager to start using them.

I'm hoping that my cross stitching skills has improve since I know how to go in different directions by keeping the top layer at the same direction. I think once the new material arrives and I am done working on those projects. I might try a bigger challenge like HAED or Mirabilia. They are very beautiful design and I really want to work on them.

I saw other people in their blog working on them and it encourages me to work on them. There are so many projects I want to do now, but I keep reminding myself that I have the rest of my life to do cross stitching, so I don't need to do them in a hurry.

I also have been doing a lot of reading, so I am trying to figure out how to add them on my sidebar to show what I've been reading. I'm learning little by little on how to use this blogger. I really like it a lot. And most of all, it's free with a lot of options. :)

2005-10-03T11:10:00.000-04:00

I did a lot of cross stitching yesterday all afternoon, then I had to stop in the evening because I had a bad headache. I try to avoid doing cross stitching when I have a bad headache because I tend to mess up easily. So I read my book and watch my tv shows to relax. I hope to finish the project today and that my daughter will take long naps today haha.

If she takes long naps, then I'm sure I can finish it today. If not, well I guess I will have to finish it tomorrow. It just has to be done before Thursday which is the wedding day.

I was looking through Nordic Needle website and I found a couple of things that I like to cross stitch in the future.

I saw several people lists their goals for the month on their website to finish projects. I thought it was a good idea, so I will do the same.

October:

Stitch
1) Happy Halloween Seasons Way
2) Nautical Clock
3) Winter Cat
4) Start on HAED or Mirabilia design

So that is my list for October. It should be interesting to see if I can accomplish all of them in one month. I hope so.

2005-10-01T07:05:00.000-04:00

I'm still working on my second project. I need to have it finish by Monday, so I can frame it and give it to my friends on Thursday when they get marry. I'm starting to get bored of doing butterflies, so I am ready to move on to the next project.

I found a couple of cool cross stitch blogs with different ideas on how to decorate your cross stitch other than framing it. I like the idea of making it into a pillow. So I will do that for the next project.

2005-09-27T17:18:00.000-04:00

I bought some new fabrics today for some new cross stitch projects. I am excited and can't wait to get them in the mail. The fabric is beautiful with the hand dyed colors from Silkweavers.

Then I brought some new charts from PatternsOnline to stitch on the new fabrics I bought.

Oh I bought some Qsnaps last week and I got them in the mail yesterday. I tried it on my current project and I love it! I love how it keeps the fabric tight when I don't have to keep stretching it like it did on the hoops.

I heard so much positive things about it from the reviews on Joann's. They were right, Qsnaps are better than the hoops.

2005-09-25T14:14:00.000-04:00

My first completed CS project.

2005-09-21T00:55:00.000-04:00

I completed the first "Forever Lasting" for my cousin Keith and Olivia's wedding. It took me 2 weeks and 1 day to finish it. I started September 5th and finish today on the 20th. I was excited to finish it because it's actually the first cross stitch project that I completed. I have several others that I am working on but still not finish.

This Saturday, I plan to go to Joann and buy an iron, so I can iron my project to make it neater. I'm supposed to wash the fabric but I am scared that the color of the thread will start to fade or go all over the fabric. I hate to risk it.

Now I need to work on the second "Forever Lasting" for Mike and Elizabeth. I will need to hurry since their wedding is last than 3 weeks away!

One mistake I made with the first project is I didn't bother to whipstitch the ends and now I got all kinds of frays on the ends. The cloth become loose and I had a hard time cross stitching the project. Now I learned my lesson, I will whipstitch the second project to prevent fraying.

I will post a picture of it once the batteries in my digital camera are recharge.

Forever Lasting

2005-09-17T11:30:00.000-04:00

I'm working on "Forever Lasting" for two couples that are getting marry in October. It's from The Stoney Creek Cross Stitch Collection Book Number 278 To Love & To Cherish. It's a special keepsake for the bride and groom.

I'm working on the first one and hope to be done by Monday, so I can start the second one.

I started using Glissen Gloss Threads and found that I hated it. I took them out and used only cotton floss which I liked much better. During the process, I realized I didn't like using the hoops because it keeps stretching out the aida cloth and the threads look too loose on the fabric. So I ordered a q snap and hope to get it soon. I hope it is good as the reviewers said in their comments on Joann.com.

I will post a picture of my completed project once I am done (hopefully by Monday).