Jingle Bells (#130)

Pattern #130
201 Cross-Stitch Christmas Designs
by Kooler Design Studio

I stitched this piece for my Friend From Work for Christmas, 2008. It was stitched on 14 count white Aida by Charles Craft.

Do I use a hoop or a frame?

I was asked if I use a hoop or a frame for my cross stitching.

No, I don't use either. I find hoops and frames to be cumbersome. The only needlework I use a hoop for is embroidery. And I haven't done any of that in more years than I can remember. I just never bothered with a hoop when I started cross stitching . . . oh . . . 15 - 20 years ago, and I've never really noticed the lack.

Lunacy

Yes, this is an update of the butterfly fairy. I've done nothing but work on the moon, the white on white part of the moon. Thus, the lunacy.

Last week's progress . . .



And this week's progress . . .


I propped the needle against the last row I stitched so you could actually see how much - or little - I've gotten done this week.

Minor progress

Despite being so tired from work that I didn't know if I was coming, going, or standing still, I did manage to make a little bit of progress on two of the three 'active' projects I've got going.

This is last week's progress on the butterfly fairy . . .



And this is this week's progress photo . . .


The only stitching I did on the fairy this week was on the moon between her wings. Even in the the bright fluorescent light of the company lunchroom, stitching almost white on mostly white is a pain and still my absolutely least favorite thing about this project.

I also managed to knit a few more rows on the Bird's Nest scarf. I like the width it is now, but I'm concerned I might not have enough yarn to make it long enough to drape adequately around the neck. After I get it done, I may wind up having to frog it again and starting over with it narrower to make it longer. Oh, well. I'll see what I see when I see it.

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie

That's a butterfly fairy being worked on again. The hiatus, which started in October, is over. I worked on her over three lunch hours this week. I even stitched a bit on the oh so hated moon.

This is what she looked like when I left off working on her in October . . .

And this is her as of yesterday's stitching . . .

Fairy update

Despite spending yesterday roaming 'round the area taking photos of things that caught my interest, I did manage to get some stitching in.

Last week's progress . . .


This week's progress . . .


I've also made a nice bit of progress on the scarf as well. I've been taking it to work with me to knit on during my lunch break. I didn't take any pictures this week because the cats all seemed terribly interested in getting in my way and the Prodigal Son wasn't here to help me with them. I plan on taking the scarf to work with me this week as well so I can get it done more quickly. If things go well, I might have a completed scarf by next weekend. Keep your fingers crossed!

If anyone is interested in getting a glimpse of where I live, check out the photos on my other blog - So I've got a blog . . . Now what? If the photos aren't up on the active page, just look in the October 2005 archive. They should be near the top.

An update at last

Between hurricane evacuations and business trips and getting used to the new work schedule, I haven't felt much like taking photos even though I have been stitching on the butterfly fairy and knitting on the scarf. So I've taken the time today to catch up. I have a new snap of the fairy, but I haven't done one of the scarf.

This is what the butterfly fairy looked like last time . . .


And this is what she looks like as of today . . .


I am beginning to doubt I'll be able to finish her in time to get her framed for Christmas.

Butterfly fairy update

I didn't really work on it this week. I've been too tired from work to pick it up. I did do a bit of stitching today.

From the last update . . .


The current progress . . .

Splurged again

I got good news on my blood pressure(*) so I splurged a little at Hobby Lobby. I bought two swatches of DMC fabric and a book for stitching greeting cards but that has some lovely Christmas-y things in it I can turn into ornaments. The fabric on the left is called 3033 and the fabric on the right is called ecru.



(*) If you haven't been keeping up with my blood pressure saga on my other blog, it's been on the high side and I couldn't start work until it was back down to normal. It's finally in the normal range so I should be able to start my new job, with any luck, on Monday, but I haven't confirmed that yet with either the industrial clinic or the HR department at the new job. I'm waiting for lunch time to be over before I call.

Updated at 6:39 pm: I've been cleared. I start work at 8 a.m. Monday morning. Woohoo!

Butterfly fairy update

I've gotten quite a bit of work done since I've been stitching almost every day since the last update.

Last time . . .


This time . . .

End of month progress report

Since this is the last day of August, I thought I'd do a quick update on the scarf . . .


(Pattern)

. . . and the butterfly fairy . . .

. . . from last update . . .


. . . and what's been done through today.


Of course Mouse had to help while I was trying to photograph the scarf. She is turning into such a little camera hog.

At long last progress

Yipee! I've finally done some work on the butterfly fairy for my granddaughter. I worked on it a bit yesterday and a bit this morning.

This is what it looked like when I left off . . .


. . . and this is what I've gotten done this weekend.


It's very hard to see in the photos, but I've filled in the almost white portion of the moon by the right wing. I also did a bit of the moon in the middle.

Butterfly fairy update

I was a good girl and worked on the fairy diligently all weekend. For comparison's sake, this is last week's progress . . .



. . . and this is this week's progress . . .

I did the good girl/bad girl thing again

Although this week I actually managed to knit a couple of hours on Monday night on the scarf. It's now very nearly as tall as I am. This week's WIP photo is of it in my work box again since there wasn't anyone here to help me model it.


(Pattern)

And I didn't quite spend as much time as I normally would have stitching on the butterfly fairy. I got side tracked by a book I started reading Saturday night and then had to spend all day Sunday reading to finish. The book is Sunshine by Robin McKinley.

Anyway, for comparison's sake, here is a progress photo from last week . . .



. . . and the photo from this week to compare it against.

I was a bad girl

Or maybe I was a good one. I guess it depends entirely on your point of view.

I did not knit one stitch on the scarf this week. Instead, I read and caught up on DVD watching and did logic problems.

I did, however, stitch on the butterfly fairy. Got another nice chunk of stitching done. I don't know if I'll work on it today or not, or if I'm going to keep reading and catching up on my DVD watching.



UPDATE: I decided to stitch a bit more on the fairy. Here's what it looked like after today's stitching.

At long last progress

I managed to beat down the one migraine I tried to get so I had a very successful weekend of stitching on the butterfly fairy. I laid it out on the afghan on the sofa to snap so it has interesting bumps.



I also put a few more inches on the scarf this week. Instead of trying for some sort of "artistic" progress photo of it, I decided to leave it in my project box and snap it there.

And the butterfly fairy

I spent another weekend battling migraines so I did not get much done on the fairy. I'm a little disappointed in my lack of progress the last two weeks, but it can't be helped, I suppose. I still hope to get it done in time for Christmas. And I really, really hope I can have next weekend migraine free.

Weekly update

I only worked a few hours on the butterfly fairy this weekend. I had migraines on Saturday and Sunday so I spent a very unproductive weekend just feeling sorry for myself.





I also only spent a couple of hours knitting on the scarf. It's just about four or five inches longer than it was at last week's report. The change isn't significant enough to warrant a new set of photos.

Taking wing

And the butterfly fairy is coming along nicely. I didn't get as much done this normal two day weekend as I did last week, but it is very steady progress. I'm actually quite pleased with myself for how regularly I've been working on it.



I wish I were a better photographer so the subtle shading of the wing was more apparent.

Progress report, sampler, scarf, and fairy

Time for the weekly progress report.

I still haven't done anything on the sampler. I think I'm going to let it slide until I get the fairy done since the fairy is intended as a gift and the sampler is just something I'm making for myself. Stitching the moon on the fairy is going to be a pain since the yellows and creams blend right into the white fabric which is why I'm going to be working on it at work instead of the sampler. I'm hoping the bright light in my office will make it easier to see the difference.

I did spend a few hours working (and un-working) on the scarf this week. I didn't take pictures because there really isn't much difference, other than length, since the last photo I took.

But there's been significant progress on the fairy since I had a four day weekend to spend on it. I'm really confident I can get it done by Christmas.