It's Finished!

Just had to come on and post that I finished Lizzie Kate's ABC Christmas about half an hour ago!!! My second finish of 2010 and it's only September lol.
I'll be back with a photo of it and progress on my other wips tomorrow hopefully, but for now I'm going to go do a happy dance!

Whoohoo, I Really Am Stitching!

I've actually done more stitching since my last post and really enjoyed it as well which is a definite bonus lol.
Over the weekend I concentrated on LK's ABC Christmas and managed to finish another letter, so I've only got four to go and I'll be having a huge happy dance! I'm tempted to just focus on this now til it's finished, but I don't want to burn out on it so am going to stick with Friday and Saturday night's with Sally and I may carry on on a Sunday if I'm close to finishing a letter. One letter seems to take me two to three nights, so I'm actually hoping I might have it finished in another four weeks, and then I'm going to start the yearly christmas ornament for our tree, which I've decided will be the sock monkey from this year's JCS Ornament issue, when it arrives. DD got a sock monkey last year for christmas after seeing the film Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium which she loved, and as soon as she saw the ornament on the cover she asked if I'd stitch it as this year's ornament, so how could I refuse?Before the weekend and then last night I stitched on HAED QS Alisha (artwork by Hannah Disney) again. I've changed the way I'm stitching this slightly as I was finding it really frustrating, and it seems to be working so far so fingers crossed I can keep going with it.And finally the finish I promised last post! This is Just Nan's Winter Hearts Humbug. I stitched it using the called for fabric and threads and although I struggled to get into it to begin with I'm really pleased with how it turned out, and am looking forward to displaying it during the winter. I will be adding the chart to my for sale blog soon, but if you're interested just let me know.Tonight I have decided to pull out my Personalised Sampler which I haven't stitched on for a couple of months. It's lovely to stitch as there are no colour changes, but as I'm using a variagated silk floss I am having to tape bits of chart pages together so that I can keep the flow going in the design. I've got a few sections to do and then page 1 will be all finished and I can remove that page and move on. Hopefully I'll be back with an update on that soon!
Before I go I just wanted to thank everyone who commented on my last post very much, I really didn't think anyone would still be reading lol.

I'm Baaaaccckkkk!!!!

I'm probably talking to myself now after so long being missing in action, but here goes lol.
It's been so long since my stitching mojo went awol that I really don't think it's ever going to find it's way home. So instead I just stitch a little when I get the urge, and put it down again when it goes. This year has been my worst stitching year ever so far, but I'm just glad that I haven't stopped completely and I still enjoy what stitching I do manage and can still drool over new releases.
Sally being such a good friend always humours and encourages me when I whine about the pitiful amount I stitch, and after thinking about it for a while I've decided that I'll try to start blogging again, even if it's only very short update posts, so I can try to get back into the blogging world, start commenting on other blogs again and maybe even get stitching a bit more.
So without further ado, here are some update pics!!!
LK ABC Christmas
I've finished another letter and am part way through the next since I took this pic. I'm hoping to finish it before Christmas if at all possible, so I'm happy to be joining Sally on a Fri and Sat night starting next week when she stitches on Shores of Hawk Run Hollow as she's trying to finish that this year as well.
Nouveau Encore Designs Personalised Sampler
I haven't stitched anymore since this pic, but I'm hoping to pick it up again soon.
HAED Moon Fantasy SK
Haven't stitched anymore on this either.
HAED Alisha QS
Have finished the row of blocks since this pic and started the next bit lower down. Stitched on it last night and really enjoyed it so will hopefully be doing more tonight.
I also have a finish to show! I know you don't believe me, but really I have, I just need to take a pic of it, I promise I'll do it for my next post.
And if anyone is still here and reading, thank you so much for not giving up on me completely lol.

More Progress With My Weight Loss Than Stitching

Happy Easter everyone, hope you've all had a great weekend. Ours has been fairly quiet as DH has been on call for work so we've not been able to go far, but I have actually stitched a little which is progress lol.
I'm very pleased to say that my 61lbs loss I reported in my last post has now increased to 79lbs! I've now lost 5 dress sizes in 8 months and have been learning to run on the treadmill at the gym for the last couple of months, which is something I never thought I'd do. I've signed up for the Race For Life on the 3rd July so now need to start getting used to running outside on grass. I've tried it once and it was a major shock to the system, so going to use the same programme I've used to get me into treadmill running to start with the outside running and hope that works as well.
Stitching wise I seem to have startitis, but once I've actually started something I then lose all interest in it...
I have done a little more on my Personalised Sampler, as well as starting a new HAED in silks from HDF, QS Garnet, and Just Nan's Winter Hearts Humbug. I have decided that I no longer enjoy stitching with 2 strands of floss which Winter Hearts requires, so that is getting a few stitches here and there just so I can keep making progress, but I'm planning on as many new starts as possible being with just 1 strand in future. The Personalised Sampler has also just been getting a few stitches here and there. I've started a 10 stitches a day SAL sort of thing with JM from the HAED BB and Sally also joined in with one of her UFO's. So the humbug and PS get approx 10 stitches a day in on them, some days more, some none at all, but at least I can see progress is being made. HAED QS Garnet is lovely to stitch so far, the silks are gorgeous colours and just glide through the fabric. The picture doesn't do it justice at all, the colours blend much better than they look on the pic, but you get the idea.
And I have another three starts in the pipeline. Sampler Cove's Rhapsody in Red in HDF silks, Ink Circles Kaleidoscope in DMC, and a new design called Follow Your Heart which is winging it's way to me from France as we speak hopefully (will use HDF for this but not sure what colours yet). Not sure which will get started first, depends on my mood the next week or so I guess lol.
Thanks for looking and for continuing to read my blog, even though I'm useless at posting regularly.

I've Been Stitching!

Again, it's been a long time since my last post, but I'm still here and although my updates may be few and far between I do still intend to keep up with my blog.

I had a nice surprise when I just looked at my last post which said that I'd lost 50lbs. A nice surprise because as of today I've now lost 61lbs, so another 11lbs since the start of the year, which I'm very happy with. I'm now in between clothing sizes again so all my clothes are looking a little baggy lol.

On the stitching front, my rotation came and went AGAIN! but the one great thing that January brought was the final realisation that my hobby had turned into a chore. I was so taken up with trying to get a rotation that worked and make sure that I stitched on all my WIP/UFO's that I had totally lost all enjoyment in my stitching. I felt guilty about everything that I wasn't stitching on, and felt I wasn't allowed to start new things because I hadn't finished others. I kept looking longingly at my huge stash collection, and just being frustrated because I couldn't let myself stitch on it, and so felt it was just being wasted.

So after a long chat with Sally one night, who was feeling a little the same as me, we made a pact to stop being so obsessive over our hobby, to start stitching on what projects we want, when we want, and to put away and ignore anything we've lost interest in. I realised my ufo's aren't hurting anyone, but forcing myself to stitch on them is, me, because it's taken my love of stitching away. And we also decided if we want new starts then we shall have them! lol

Since that night I feel like a totally different stitcher, almost like the person who started stitching about 15years ago. I've stitched some days, and not others, but when I have I've just enjoyed each stitch. In the past few weeks I've stitched on LK's ABC Christmas, HAED's Moon Fantasy SK (which I hadn't intended to stitch on, but called to me one day lol), L&L's Celtic Autumn and my January new start the Personalised Sampler I had designed for my family. I'm stitching this 1x1 on 25ct antique white lugana using Vikki Clayton Hand Dyed Fibers in BeWhined. I did start this on 1st January using different fabric and threads, but I didn't like how it was looking, so started it again on my birthday in this colourway and am much happier. Apologies for the shadows on the pics, but I wanted to take the chance to get some photos while the sun was out, which is a very rare sight at the moment lol.

Items For Sale

I am starting to go through my large amount of stash as my tastes have changed and I have some items which I now know I'll never stitch. You can see a list of the items over on my For Sale Blog, in the left hand side of this page. I will be adding more as I go through more boxes lol.

The End Of A Year & Start Of Another

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and got thoroughly spoilt, and were able to get some time to yourself to stitch, we had a lovely time.
This will be my last post before 2009 ends, and what a year it's been! I thought I'd take the time to write about what 2009 has meant for me, both in my personal life and with my stitching. It's going to be a LONG post so please feel free to skip to the stitchy bits if you wish lol.
This year I've adjusted to life as a stay at home mum and after what was a very anxious first few months it's turned out really well. We've had to change a lot of things and make sacrifices, but I can honestly say our little family is so much happier and healthier for me being at home. We have decided that as long as we can manage on DH's salary and as long as Erin still needs and wants me around all the time I'm going to stay home. It's so good not to have to worry about childcare in the school holidays, getting time off work when she's sick or attending school events with her, to name but a few.

As I didn't want my brain to go to mush however I've done two courses during the year, one which has lead to me doing what's called Reading Friends in Erin's school a couple of hours a week. I go into school and read one to one with a child for 10 weeks, and it's been shown in most cases to greatly improve a child's reading age and social skills. I really love doing this, it's great seeing each child improve with their reading and come out of their shell over the 10 weeks. This then lead me to helping out at various activities within school and then doing a course called Helping In Schools in the early summer which is the equivalent of an NVQ Teaching Assistant's course. I have to say the first few weeks were a nightmare. I really doubted that I could do the work as it was extremely hard going and required a lot of hours put into it, and spent many a tearful moment, but I promised myself I wouldn't quit and once I got over halfway it became easier just knowing the finish line was in sight. I'm really pleased to say that the result I got was the top level, Level 3, which is the same as an NVQ3! Since then I've also been volunteering in a Year 1 class at school one morning a week as a Teaching Assistant, which has been a real eye opener lol! I am now SO much more aware of things like equal opportunities and inclusion within school and how children of the same age differ so much in their academic abilities and social skills! My respect for teachers who have to deal with this has gone up massively. I don't know that I'd want to be a Teaching Assistant as a permanent job, but I feel I've really widened my horizons and gained so much experience this year.

On a health front, on 27th July DH and I took Erin swimming and while we were there I saw an offer for a gym membership trial. As some of you know I'm a big girl, have been for years and have lost and gained a few pounds here and there through all that time, but never really made any real progress and was actually at almost my highest weight. Anyway, I don't know what made me do it but that day I decided to give the trial a go and just see what happened. I planned on trying to go to the gym approx 3 times a week for the 6 week trial and to try to eat healthier during that time and see what happened. In that 6 weeks I lost almost a stone in weight! So while I was riding high on my success I took out a 12 month membership and since then I average 5/6 workouts a week including step classes, cardio, weight training and swimming, and I'm ecstatic to report that as of today I've lost 50lbs (3st 8lbs) in 5 months!!! As well as the gym I'm eating healthier than I have in years and enjoying it, not feeling permanently deprived like I used to on various diets, and my fitness and energy levels are sooo much better. I actually get restless and edgy when I can't go for my daily workout lol! I still have a long way to go, but this is the first year in many many years that I can get to New Year's Eve and not have to make a desparate resolution to lose weight in the new year, only to give up a couple of weeks later. I'm now confident that no matter how long it takes I'll reach my goal and more importantly, enjoy the journey as well. 2010 is looking very bright!

And finally onto stitching! Although 2009 hasn't been a great year for that, looking back I can sort of understand that, with everything else changing so much in my life, my stitching mojo was bound to get a bit of a hammering. I had a few months when I barely picked up a needle, but I'm really happy to say that this past month or so I've been stitching far more regularly and enjoying every minute which is the main thing. I ended up having 14 finishes, 2 of those large, and made a little progress on several wips. Most recently I stitching an xmas ornament for my friend Amy (no blog), a scissor fob for Sally for her birthday and an ornament for our tree on DH's orders lol.

The ornament is a freebie I found on the web somewhere, I'm sorry I can't give credit where it's due as I can't find it again now, but it was seeing several finishes of it on other blogs which made me want to stitch it in the first place. The scissor fob is from the Prairie Schooler Christmas Alphabet and the strawberry emery is an Anita's Little Stitches design called Joy.

This past few weeks I've been thinking a lot about what I'd like to stitch in 2010 and so began my rotation thoughts yet again lol. After much smoke coming out of my ears I think I have finally come up with something I'm really happy with.

1. Mon/Tue - Small/Medium - Lizzie Kate's ABC Christmas. Began this on 10th Dec and really enjoying it. It's my first time stitching 1x2 on 40ct and I love it!

2. Wed/Thur - HAED SAL with Sally - SK Moon Fantasy/Cabin In The Woods. Planning on stitching on MF 3 weeks each month and CITW the 4th. Have a vague hope I might actually finish MF in 2010!

3. Fri/Sat - BAP - Nouveau Encore Designs Personalised Sampler. When I realised that 2010 is the start of a new decade I decided I had to have a new start on 1st Jan and it had to be a special one, so this is it. I had it designed at the end of 2008, so I figure it's time I made a start on it. My fabric is prepared and on the qsnaps (25ct bone lugana) and I will be stitching it 1x1 with HDF Garnet which is mine and Erin's birthstone as well so I thought apt.

4. Sun - UFO Night with Sally - Celtic Autumn alternative colours. I'm afraid I have several ufo's yet can't part with them. I love them all, just don't want to stitch on them lol. So I decided to grit my teeth and stitch on them just one night a week and see if I can make any progress. Sally is very good and only has one ufo so I bullied (cajoled lol) her into joining me for a while.

I'm hoping to put a few more stitches into Moon Fantasy before the year ends, but I took pics of them all today so I could show you all where I'm at with them, and it will be good for me to look back with a starting point. There is of course no pic of the personalised sampler yet as it's just a blank piece of fabbie lol!

I think I'd better finish here for now as this has turned into a VERY long post, didn't realise I had so much to say and show lol. All that's left to say now is I hope that you have a very happy New Year and that 2010 is your best yet.