This year’s Christmas ornaments

 I had a minor panic at the beginning of the week when I realised I hadn’t begun the annual ornaments for nieces and nephews.   Fortunately I have 20 years of the Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament issue so a quick scramble through the stack, a dive into the linen box and then selecting appropriate DMC threads and I’ve managed to stitch two.  Hopefully number three will be done this weekend.

One niece doesn’t like Santa Claus decorations, another really likes Santa Claus.   One family have a large tree, another has a very small tree.   There are so many conditions that need to be applied but I like to keep up the tradition so here we go….

2024 - Number One

2024 - Number Two

I’m sure I have backing fabric in stash and will add a twisted cord hanger.   So onwards to the remainder.

And a finish

 After stitching these I came to an abrupt halt trying to follow the instructions for completing them.   Indeed I almost consigned them and the chart to the rubbish but an epiphany in the wee small hours of the night and some grim determination and all six are complete.

And my “take out” project also got completed.   Next year I will start another - that system of a project only stitched at other places was taught me by a friend and seems to work well.

Now I’m back to working on a longer term project and it is progressing so maybe before year end I will have it done as well.    There’s such a lot to do outside and so many activities on this time of year that some days I don’t even put in a single stitch.   Not good enough Margaret!

Little Treasures

 My friend is an inspiration and after she showed me her stitching I had to follow her example.  These are Betsy Morgan’s Little Treasures.   

It is next to impossible to obtain Gloriana Silks here in New Zealand so I substituted red, green and gold DMC.   Feeling very righteous about using only what was in stash, I came down to earth with a bump when I had to buy the 28mm buttons that go top and bottom of these tiny hanging cylinders.   So all I need to do is make the twisted cord and construct them!

Maybe tomorrow.   I have The Last Sock to finish tonight🙂

It’s official

 Today I reached the allotted span of three score years and ten.   After extended celebrations with family (early to avoid a clash with the birth of Great Nephew #2) and then with friends (early to avoid a clash with a public holiday long weekend in New Zealand), today I finally reached the actual day.   Little Sister kindly drove up to take me to lunch and we had a delicious stuffed potato and then shared a small cheesecake and a pot of tea at a local cafe before she willingly filled the role of personal shopper and assisted me to buy a couple of summer tops.

It has been a happy day.   The two Biblical Birthday celebrations that are recorded ended in beheadings but my day was nothing so dramatic.  Just a splendid day  filled with thankfulness for happy memories and love as well as the anticipation of what years to come may perhaps hold.

Fences

 The top of the Kensington Square box is now done and in reality the French knots weren’t as bad as I’d feared.   Now I’m working on the exterior fence - this forms the rim of the lid.

Have also started another pair of socks in Opal Sock Yarn made by those extremely clever Germans who don’t put a word of English on their ball bands!    It is knitting up well and providing something for my hands to do while I watch the TV news each evening at dinner time.   

Yesterday I went to the library to get a book The King’s Loot only to find that it is very recently published and not yet on their shelves.   However the very kind librarian said that the acquisitions committee would purchase it and as I’d recommended the book I would have the privilege of being first to read it.   So now I wait.   This is a far cheaper way to “purchase” books, when someone else pays for them (ha ha).   

I couldn’t wait for the library with Jeffrey Archer’s latest though so resorted to a Kindle Edition and then sat up through the night to finish it.   Years ago when he visited New Zealand I went to a breakfast where he was the guest speaker and had the good fortune to be seated at his table.  What a charmer!   And I do admit to having read all the books he’s written although most have been borrowed from the library so I’ve not contributed in any great way to his immense royalties!

After several days of beautiful fine weather where we were deceived into thinking the sun had arrived to stay,  it is currently grey sky and showery but while that’s not so good for lifting spirits it is excellent for the garden and my plants are all singing their thanks.   I have at least five buds on my peony and the lily of he valley that I though I had killed has sent forth four shoots.   The Nigella seed has germinated in profusion so I will have some flowers.   

Garden Progress

 It is Spring here in New Zealand and I am enjoying watching my maple trees burst into leaf and my potted peony is sending multiple shoots skyward.   Gardens are a real pleasure aren’t they?

Well, this garden is not such a pleasure.   French knots on Aida cloth are not easy but there are many French Knot Bushes here!   Once completed this will be the Kensington Square Box and I will look at it with pleasure and forget the gritted teeth with which the trees were stitched.

My next door neighbour brought this in to me - it’s only a month early🤣   As a consequence I began the countdown to The Great Seven Oh with shared laughter and I found others to share the cake with too.

Embroiderers Guild Workday

 Once a year our Guild has a Workday when other guilds in the region join us for a day of stitching and chat.   There is always several sales tables where we can offload excess stash (and pick up new stuff) as well as a Merchant = a nearby needlework shop brings supplies to sell to a captive audience.  Also Mr Sharp comes and we have scissors, pinking shears and garden implements sharpened for a small fee. 

Today around 90 women joined us for Workday.   I refrained from purchasing a Raffle ticket as I had supplied much of the hampers contents from my stash cupboard clean up.   And although I looked at the sales tables several times I didn’t part with any cash there either.   Indeed, all I paid for was to have a pair of scissors sharpened by Mr Sharp who was fascinated by them and only charged me half price.

While in London, Little Sister and I were browsing in Divertimenti in Knightsbridge and both bought “pen scissors” only to find that they were not sharp at all.  

Hence I took mine to Mr Sharp today and yippee they are now fit for purpose.

And chatting with the other ladies I was inspired, tempted and intrigued at many of the projects.   One lady was stitching (I must get hold of the pattern) a beautiful Quaker Pouch in My Colours.  She told me the source of the floss but she’d got the chart from a class she took so I will have to contact the designer and see if I can purchase direct for that.   Anyway, this is the thread.

Silk N Colours. Finnegan’s Fog. Isn’t that a lovely name?