Smalls Report for September

I'm sorry to report that there has not been much stitching in my house this month. In the early part of the month I was focused on accepting the surprise breast cancer diagnosis. It was picked up at a routine mammogram - not even a lump to warn me that it was imminent. Then surgery, and for the last three weeks I have been carting around two sealed unit drainage bottles. So, cross stitch slipped down my priority list for a while! 

Nevertheless, here is my Smalls report for September.  The Smalls SAL is hosted bycHeather at Stitching Lotus.  I have stitched one more Baby's First Christmas ornament, post-dated as the recipient is now 4 years old. I have  stitched an ornament for her each year, but only this year did I discover she is an 'Annabel' not an 'Annabelle', which is what I had stitched each year on her Christmas ornament. So I decided she should have a BFC ornament with her correctly spelled name. On the  back I will stitch all her names and her date of birth. The teddy is (once again) the DMC on-line freebie chart, but I did change the facial features, as well as all the floss colours. I will be adding some tiny buttons and/or beads to the corners and sides of this ornament before I make it up.

 I have also finished all the letters on my 1 year old great-nephew's name sampler. I am using a shoe-horn to count each one as a 'smalls' finish. This dinosaur alphabet is by Claire Compton, and I found it in a UK hardcover book aptly titled 'Cross Stitch Alphabets' published in 2003. I swapped some of the dinosaurs, changed some letter colours, and added a bottom row of stitching to the 'Y's.

So, that ends my Smalls Report for the month of September. I am looking forward to checking out all the Smalls stitching reported this month.

Gifted Gorgeousness Report for August

It's been a very mixed month for me, in lots of ways, including my crafting activities.  In between medical appointments and an unexpected operation to remove two breast tumours I have been making Christmas gifts. I made this sweet crochet cotton dress for my 1 year old great-niece.

I liked it so much I decided to make one for my 3 yr old great-niece.

I love this pic of the two dresses together.

Annabelle's grandmother popped in for a visit and pronounced her dress "too short", Annabelle being quite tall for a 3 year old. So, I pulled off the white trim and lengthened the dress by adding a second band of solid colours at the bottom, and then I crocheted her a matching shopping bag with the left-over thread.

I finally made up my last five Christmas ornaments, which had been lurking around in my work basket for varying periods of time.

I have started a name sampler for my great-nephew Harvey ( a Christmas gift). I'm using a dinosaur alphabet by Claire Compton, but I am swapping some of the dinosaurs and changing some of the letter colours, to balance the colours and design.

And I have made 51 beaded angels, which I plan to distribute to my extended family as part of their Christmas gifts. I am embarrased to admit that, despite the fact that it is at least 10 years since I last made a beaded angel, I had all the 'makings' for this group. I could have made quite a lot more with my supply of beads, but I did run out of beading wire. The biggest angels measure about 7.5 cm (3") tall.  In all honesty, the angels are not very photogenic. They look much nicer in reality than they do in the photos. They are hanging angels, so lying around really isn't their thing.

And that brings me to the end of this month's GG report.

Smalls Report for August

I've had a little break from cross stitching while I grappled with an unexpected health issue (I am not happy when life interrupts my indulgences!), but I have managed to finish up the five stitched ornaments that have been sitting in my stitching basket for ages. I have now stitched all the Christmas ornaments on my 2018 Christmas list. I may make a few more to keep for myself.

These two little DMC Teddy Baby's First Christmas ornanents are for the grandchildren of friends.

And my three bead decorated Christmas trees.

That brings the total number of stitched ornaments for this year to 57. I may just have to stitch another 3 to round that number up to an even 60. 

Another crochet finish

A finish - a Christmas gift for my 1 yr old greatniece. I used 5 ply cotton (4 x 50g balls) and 3.5mm hook, with 4mm hook used for the bottom half of the skirt.  I've probably made it a bit too long, but it's still 4 months till Christmas, and she's having quite a growth spurt at present.  I'm happy to rip out any unwanted rows at the bottom to correct the length. This was a trial and error project. I started with My Accessory Box's Baby Blossom Summer Dress pattern (https://youtu.be/52sTbKgmpZk) but wanted a less openwork look, so I changed the skirt pattern, using only the chevron rows, increasing every 2nd row. When I thought the skirt was wide enough I stopped increasing and kept the stitches in each chevron strip to 18. I added the trim to the sleeves, and finished the bottom edge with crab stitch.

I have started a larger version for my 3 yr old greatniece, also as a Christmas gift.

Finally ... something to show!

That crochet bug has stayed with me long enough to make a second pinafore for my great-niece Sarah's first birthday. It's crocheted with 4 ply cotton using a 4 mm hook. I used a Ravelry chart Summertime tie top by Annie's Playground for the bodice but changed the shoulder ties to pinafore tabs. I went off on my own  for the skirt, edging and trim.

Smalls Report for June & July

I have had a stitching break for the past 6 weeks while I was outback in the caravan. We had a great holiday, free-camping most of the time. We travelled over 5000 km and visited towns and areas that I had never seen before, and a few old favourites. I learned a lot about the history of dinosaurs in Australia when I visited the Age of Dinosaurs Museum and the Dinosaur Stampede site  outside of Winton (in Queensland, Australia).  It was most  informative and enjoyable.

I may be using the shoehorn with this. I consider it a small project. It is a cotton pinafore for my very tiny 1 year old greatniece. I still have to add the buttons. 

And I stitched two First Christmas ornaments which are waiting to be made up:

The teddy (an old favourite) is adapted from an on-line freebie chart from DMC.

Finally, I stitched one bead decorated Christmas tree. I want to make another 5 for special Christmas visitors.

Not my most productive two months, but it was a very enjoyable holiday!

A Crochet Fix

The crochet bug has been visiting my house. It happens infrequently these days, but there was a time when crochet was my major craft activity. I'm going back quite some time now, but I was a prolific crocheter for the 23 years before I discovered cross stitch. My grandmother taught me to crochet when I was 17 (and meant to be studying for my school final exams). I took to it with a vengeance. When I discovered cross stitch, I packed away my crochet hooks. But every now and then something causes me to bring out the crochet hooks, and that's when I quickly remember how much I enjoy crochet. This last week has been such a time.

The stimulus for my crochet binge was my cold ears. It's winter here, and we had a very sudden transition from summery weather to winter (hardly saw autumn at all this year). My hair is short. My ears were very cold. I felt the need for a beanie to keep my ears warm at night. So, the crochet hooks  came out, I found some wool, selected a pattern (Perenni, designed by Deanne Ramsay from Addydae Designs, www.addydae.com) and before long I had a beanie. Then two identical beanies - one for nights, the other for wearing out and about. I've had a beanie on my head ever since.

The urge to crochet was still with me. So I used the same pattern and some wool scraps to made two little beanies for my youngest great-niece Sarah, who is 10 months old.

My niece (Sarah's mother) was so happy to have the beanies that I decided to stitch a poncho for Sarah.  Unfortunately my first effort was too small (and now donated to a charity shop).  The poncho just grew as I stitched - so there is no designer to credit.

So, after taking a few measurements and some discussion with my niece about preferred wool colours, here is my latest effort for Sarah. Much more sedate in colour, but more in keeping with my niece's taste in baby clothes!

I fear the crochet bug is still hanging around. I find myself sorting out my wool and patterns and trolling the web for more patterns.  Perhaps I need more than 2 beanies. Maybe a scarf? Time will tell!