Another new start

My sabbatical from cross stitch is having the required stimulus effect and heres a snapshot of the current piece.  
Two small linen coasters - to use up leftover 32 count belfast linen from the Wessex needlecase. The thread is Shenandoah colour Waterlilies silk and is a delight to stitch with. 

A New Zealand Embroiderer Olwyn Horwood is an active advocate of "traditional stitiching" and some years ago (in fact it was 1999) I did several classes with her producing some, as yet unused, doilies.   Indeed I purchased her book but this is the first time I have stitched anything from it.  Apart from some hesitancy with the diagonal four sided stitch (done over three threads to further complicate matters) this went together like a dream.   As you can see I am now painstakingly doing the Scandanavian Stitch edging .   But I'm enjoying the linen, the floss, the chart ie the whole package.

There have been several enquiries asking about the Wessex Stitchery book - It was published in 2000, so may very well be difficult to obtain now.  

I have stitched several pieces based on this book - all but one have been given as gifts but THE ONE is on my lounge wall and gives me great pleasure as well as inciting curiosity in many guests.

I think that if I have read the instructions correctly this photo may even be clickable.   Not too sure about that though -  it all seemed immeasurably complicated.

Hope you have all had a good weekend and not wet and cold like mine.

Have a good evening everyone.

My latest activities (Edited to correct stitch name)

It has been a while hasn't it but I have been busy.  This is the packages ready for the exchange for The Crazy Exchange.  In the Northern Hemisphere it seems they say Christmas in July but here in The Antipodes we say Mid Winter Christmas.   You will have to wait for another week or two to see what I stitched and sent!

Also a surprise package is on its way to Japan.

 This one is not a stitched item but it is definitely a surprise.  I have blanked out the name and identifying parts.   But I am sure my friends will be trying to guess who is the recipient.   They like you will just have to be surprised :-0

Wait and see everyone.

I have been stitching on this small needlecase.   It is done in Wessex Stichery which is a "revival" of an old type of stitching from - where else but the Wessex area of the UK.   A NZ embroiderer researched it and published a book on this stitchery in 2001.   I was fortunate enough to do a class with her at the time.   While the colours aren't true in this piece this is the Essex Exeter Stitch so named because it reminded Gaye Eaton of the stained glass windows in the cathedrals of that part of Britain the same name.   As you can see there is a foundation row of Fly Stitch Eyelets and over top of those are Spider Webs in random position.   In real life this piece is on off white Belfast Linen in shades of Blue, Purple and Green and looks a little like the inside of our NZ Paua Shell (cousins of the Abalone).   I have several webs left to stitch and then the construction and this little piece can be on its long journey overseas.   Now don't you wish you knew who the recipient is to be?????

What has Blogger been doing?   I can't seem to get the hang of their new layout - it may make things a little hard to follow.   Hope not.

Good night everyone.

A surprise for Hikaru

Hello Hikaru.   Kazumi told me you always look at my blog.   Sorry it's always in English!  This message is for you.

光さん、いつも私のブロッグを読んでいただいてありがとうございます。今まで英語でしか書きませんでしたが本日日本語でアップします。

先日ロトルアへ行って来ました。温泉町なので真冬にふさわしい旅行先と思いました。やはり日本生活が長かったので私も日本人と同じく温泉が大好きになりました。個人プールの入浴が３０分だけでしたがそれでも手足のはだが梅干のようにしわしわになってしまいました。アー楽しかった。では又ね。

Afghan Mania (Picture Heavy Blog)

Tonight I want to show off the handiwork of my Half Deaf Half Blind Elderly Mother. A year or two ago she decided that she would stitch afghans - one each for the grandchildren to give their children. Grandchildren who at that stage were neither married nor had offspring of their own. Nothing daunted the Afghan Mania Marathon began and yesterday the final one had its binding put on. Although two of the grandchildren are now married there are no great-grandchildren yet but one of these has been put away carefully marked "4 Anita". No others are designated so we may have to hold a ballot!!

HDHBEM is too shy to show her face but here she is holding her handiwork.

So here we go in no particular order -

First Animal Safari Then two Noahs Arks Two Alphabets Two smaller ones were Golliwogs and Dinosaurs

Now let it be noted that HDHBEM has only six grandchildren so there is one Afghan to spare in that count. Perhaps I should get first choice? But unfortunately the one marked "4 Anita" is my choice. Oh dear oh dear.

Hip Hip Hooray! A Happy Dance

Can you hear the cheers and the foot stomping? There are only three things left in my "unfinished" box and I have three pieces to take to Sarah the framer.

The ABCeDaire is finished. I see I started this on 30 July 2009 and finished it on 31 May 2010. No prizes for speed here but it is now complete. Along with it will go Quaker Row. This was started in February 2010 and was a much more speedy finish!

With two pages and the covers left of my Anne of Green Gables book, a "birthday kiss" to finish-finish for my niece-in-law, my coveted new start is no longer just a figment of my imagination. I won't mention the still waiting Queens Sweet Bag which has been in its unfinished state for nigh on three years :-)

But before that, I am stitching a "Christmas in July" ornament for The Crazy Exchange - this must be the nomenclature of the Northern Hemisphere because down here we say Mid-Winter Christmas. It sure is winter here but for us it will soon be the shortest day and we can start the countdown to summer.

Tomorrow is a public holiday when we celebrate the "official" birthday of Queen Elizabeth. There are some advantages to being a paid up member of the Commonwealth but this is our last public holiday until October so the cold hard cheerless days of winter go unrelieved by public holidays. Anyway let's be thankful for this holiday and Happy Birthday Ma'am