Celebrate your Heart is finished!

YAY! ! !

Not without some problems though!

I kept running into a mistake I made early on. I kept thinking I had corrected for it. but nooooo! I kept running into it.
The heart shape is much like a circle and can be a nightmare if the ends don't meet!

It seems slightly askew to me, but I am very glad that it is done! I added my very teeny, tiny initials just under the Christmas tree, near the date.

I hope to get it framed shortly.

I didn't really know what to do for my next project.

I decided to stitch "Nil aon tintean mar do thintean fein". This is Gaelic and translates to"There's no hearth like your own hearth", or "Home Sweet Home".

This is a freebie that I found on http://gryphonsmoon.com/freebies/cross-stitch1.pdf .

I had trouble deciding on the color thread for this. I finally decided to use a traditional green on natural Irish linen. I was tempted to use a color that was lighter than the fabric, and I am still second guessing myself on this, but this is what I have so far:
I enjoy stitching these letters. Years ago I did calligraphy, and I always enjoyed writing in the Uncial hand.

After the 1 over 1 on 40 count, this looks absolutely HUGE to me! I had to keep checking that it was indeed 32 count, and it is! If I did it again, I might do it on 36 ct though.

It is still very much winter here. Our latest storm on Monday, dumped another 6 inches or so on us. Our furnace is not working very well so we have to use our woodstove to supplement the heat. Somehow or other I managed to hurt my back. It is just killing me. I can't seem to get comfortable in any position! Carrying wood in does not help either! To make matters worse, today I managed to burn my hand. Nothing serious, just annoying! I am hoping it does not leave a scar.

Ah Winter! Can spring be far behind?

Hope not!

Finally some progress on Celebrate your Heart!

I got bogged down on the three tulips on the left side of the heart. Some of the letters and motifs are spaced only one thread apart, so it is critical to be accurate. It wasn't until I finished all three flowers, that I realized that I was off. Frogging on this piece is bloody murder! The linen gets very distorted, and unfortunately that area is not as crisp as I would like

Since I got it straightened out, things have been moving along better, although I have to be very careful, and take it much more slowly than I usually stitch.

This is where I am:

The photo came out a little dark. The red is more of a cherry red than a wine.

I am working on the cherub (just left of the girl) now. After that I will finish her dress. I am not looking forward to the dress. That is where I first went wrong. The smaller motifs are much easier to stitch. The larger areas are harder on the eyes.

Thanks for all of your comments! I really appreciate them!

Margaret: Yes, I am doing a full cross stitch. Probably need my head examined! The directions said that it could be stitched with a half cross, but that it was designed for a full cross stitch.

Dani: Yes I do have the frame, which is the only reason I stitched it 1 over 1, because the frame is tiny. Personally I think the design would be better 1 over 2, either framed, or made into a little pillow.

Obviously, I did not finish this for Valentine's Day, but I am hoping to put it behind me as soon as possible. I am looking forward to giving my eyes a rest!

Celebrate your Heart!

My next project is Celebrate Your Heart (Splendor XII) from The Heart's Content.


I am stitching this as designed (one stitch over one thread on 40ct linen), but I am thinking that I should have my head examined for doing this!
I ruined the first piece of linen when I tried to frog an entire row. You can remove perhaps one stitch from this, but an entire row is out of the question. I broke through one of the threads, so I had to cut another piece and start again.

After a very rocky start, it is finally coming along now. It is not what I would call enjoyable stitching however! I think it would have looked perfectly nice over 2 threads!

This is what I have so far:

There is an area on her dress that looks very muddy. There is supposed to be a skipped space, but it is very hard to see the detail. I think there is a mistake in there, but there is no way I am going to take it out again!

What I should have done is practiced before I started this! It really is quite different stitching. I can only do a little bit at a time. My eyes just refuse to focus after a while, even with reading glasses and a magnifier!
I have had this in my stash for ages. I figured that my eyes would never be any better than they are now, so I may as well try it.

Hopefully, I will have it done by Valentine's Day!

Feb. TUSAL (Totaly Useless Stitch A Long)

Today is the new moon, so I am popping in with my TUSAL report!

Here we go:

Furry is overseeing, making sure everything is on the up and up!

This is the Day - 1st Finish of 2011

Yay! Finally a finish! I thought it would happen in January, but it just wasn't to be. I was stuck filling in that box with the numbers forever!

I decided to order another skein of Conch after all, so now the bottom box matches the top.

Unfortunately this is a terrible picture, but here it is:

It looks a bit more gold in person than it does here. The picture is out of focus. I couldn't straighten it out no matter what I did!
I haven't found a frame yet. I may actually have to buy one for this one.

We are being crushed by all this snow and ice. I am worried about my porch roof. It is flat, and at the moment it is supporting a lot of weight with all this snow!

I didn't shovel yesterday, so now all the snow that fell yesterday is encrusted with a thick layer of ice. UGH! My muscles hurt already!

We always try to feed the birds in this sort of weather. Here is a picture that was taken last weekend before the recent snow. Just look at what showed up at the feeder!

You can't tell so much from the photo, but this thing is HUGE! I actually saw the shadow of his flapping wings, before I saw him. He was not interested in the birdseed. He was interested in the things eating the birdseed! When we went out later, we found the blood. He ate someone!