Some good news and some bad news ...

The good news is I have another batch of fridge magents finished. The bad news is that I haven't placed a stitch in either of my WIPs. It's starting to worry me.

I finally made it back

but with very little stitching progress to report. I've not been able to stitch on my floor frame for the past few weeks as I've not been able to sit with my feet on the floor. It's also meant I couldn't spend much time at the computer. I'm on the mend now, so I expect to get back to stitching on my Angel very soon. I've been able to do some stitching, though (thankfully). I've stitched up ten Christmas designs and finished them as fridge magnets.

I hope to be back soon with a progress pic for my Angel.

Slow progress this week

I've not been able to stitch on my Angel for the past 3 days because my knee's been playing up, and I can't sit at the floor-frame to stitch. Not happy! So, I'm not as far ahead as I'd hoped to be. I thought I would have the wing finished by now, but that hasn't happened. I'm hopeful that I'll finish it by the end of the month.

Totally Useless SAL - a little late

Better late than never, as my mother used to say - so here's my Totally Useless SAL jar. The keen observer will notice that my jar has grown - both the contents and the jar, actually. I had to move up to a 3 litre jar, from the 2 litre jar I started the SAL with. If my maths are correct (and it's a long time since high school for me) my 3 litre jar is equivalent to a US 3 quart jar. I tried not to mix up the layers when I transferred the contents to their new home, but there was a bit of movement so I just pressed it down as much as I could and moved on. In the last month I have added the floss bands from kitting up my Angel of Hope, the waste threads from stitching the Angel (mostly whites and blues) and threads from a couple of little Christmas designs I stitched in the past few days. I popped the jar onto a trunk to take the pic, and I so liked the contrast between the TUSAL jar and the old earthenware bottles and toothpaste containers that I decided to leave the pic as it was rather than edit out the nn-TUSAL bits.

I'm going to pop around to TUSAL participant sites now, to check on progress.

Progress pic - Angel of Hope

I'm still having fun with my angel. I've been working on her for 2 and a half weeks now - since June 3. "Just" one wing and the skirt to stitch now - and the harp which will replace the unstitched areas on her bodice. I've decided to use gold beads instead of cross stitches for the frame of the harp, and also for the gold edging on her dress. I had a visit to the lns the other day and bought Mill Hill seed beads in gold, two shades of plum, and three shades of green. I'm also replacing the floral trim on the flounce of the dress, and in her hair, with beads. I thought she needed some beads because she'll be hanging near the Angel of Love, who is very heavily beaded.

The next pic you see will have the wing stitched.

Angel of Hope is growing

I can truthfully say that I am loving this project. I have finally adjusted to stitching on the larger weave linen. And I have just worked out why my Angel's face is looking longer and thinner than the chart and project picture - my linen has an uneven weave. Horizontally there are 13 stitches to the inch, vertically there are 11. Luckily I am always extra cautious when cutting my fabric, and leave loads more than I think I need - so I will have enough fabric length.

The colours are so different from the demo pic that came with the chart. Of course, as soon as I kitted it up I knew that the demo pic colours weren't right - there were no floss shades that matched the colours on the pic. I really do prefer the actual colours I'm stitching, so that's good.

I'm going to keep stitching the Angel till she's finished. Then I will get back to Jolly Old Fellow.

My Angel has a wing

I've stitched many an angel and fairy in my day (being both a Christmas fanatic and the proud Aunt of 6 girls), but never have I stitched such a large angel wing. This one is over 32 cm (about 13 inches) long. The picture really doesn't do it justice, it looks much prettier in real life.

My plan was to stitch on the Angel for half the week and HAED Jolly Old Fellow for the other half of each week. So far, that's just not happening. I just can't put the Angel away yet. I'll stitch on her for the next week, and then decide what to do with the two projects. The thought that the Angel will be finished this year keeps flitting through my head. I'd like to get her to the framer by the beginning of September, to ensure I will get her back early November at the latest. My framer is excellent, but works to his own schedule, and speed isn't his best thing.

So, there's every chance I will stitch on the Angel till she's finished, then go back to JOF. So much for my first rotation!