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Saturday 16 July 2011

Another Finish and an "Almost" Finish


Catch a Tail by Diane Graebner
Hi all from a very sodden Glasgow.  The horrible weather has kept me indoors today which is a good thing because it means that I have finished yet another Crazy!  So without further ado, here it is .... "Catch a Tail" from the Cats & Quilts series by Diane Graebner who is one of my favourite designers.  I chose this theme a few years ago for my robin in my round robin group and ended up having to do two of them because one of the others was "too busy" to work on all of them (huh!)  Anyway I am glad I got to do them myself because I really love working on these little charts even if they are hard on the eyes lol!


Royal Blossoms 2007 by Just Nan

Before I picked this one up again I had been working on "Royal Blossoms 2007" by Just Nan.  I got all the eyelets done, the beading done and the last thing was the double cross eyelets.  Every single time I tried one it just didn't look right.  I tried it with 2 strands as was suggested and nope didn't look right, I tried it with a single strand - still not right, and I tried it with perle and nope still not right.  So, I decided to put it aside for a while to figure it out and work on something else.  If anyone has any ideas please let me know - I even tried an Algerian eyelet and it STILL didn't look right!!




Next on my list for a finish is "Christmas Carols" by Country Cottage Needleworks.  I have enjoyed working on this one in my rotation and now I am going to keep on with it until it is finished.  Watch this space!

Otherwise, I have been spending time up at the allotment doing a lot of weeding thanks to the rather damp summer we are having.  I was absolutely thrilled when I went up there on Monday and discovered that some poppies have sprung up in my patch.  I absolutely love poppies and can't wait until they are in full bloom.  I will take my camera up with me this week to be ready to catch them at their best.  I have also planted the sweet peas and put in some leeks too.  What with the potatoes and onions and already have in the ground I think I am going to have a nice pot of soup at the end of it!  My cherry tomatoes unfortunately are not doing too well but I continue to encourage them and I just planted some thyme seeds this past week too - first time I have tried herbs so here's hoping.  Our communal area at the back is looking lovely with the planters Sarah and I have put out and its nice to have the whole space again.   I'll take some photos down there too for my next blog update.

Okay, I am going to go heat up some paprika chicken for dinner and then settle down with some more stitching - I'm on such a roll I just can't seem to stop!

Thanks everyone for your kind comments - a little encouragement really does go a long way!  Take care, enjoy your summer and talk to you all soon again.

Love and hugs,


Ally xxx


12 comments:

stitchesnscraps said...

What lovely WIP's! I love the Just Nan one! It is very pretty! Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to see pictures of your plants and flowers!

Melissa

Mouse said...

whoop whoop another off the list .. at this rate you will be catching me up in a few weeks ;) can't wait to see how far you get with the carols ... I've told you the solution to your dilemma already hehehe ;)
and don't for get to save me a bowl of soup :) love mouse xxxx

Vicky L said...

Your stitching is beautiful. I just love Royal Blossoms. It is fabulous looking.

Val said...

Woo hoo ! lovely work Ally - cats are really sweet ...as for the pesky stitch - if you don't like a stitch try putting in one you do like ! I often change stitches that way ... looking forward to pics of your allotmment too ... especially the poppies .... x

blueladie said...

Absolutely beautiful stitching Ally. Wish I had a suggestion for you, but I don't. Lovely piece, though! :) Cathryn

Jo said...

Congratulations on another finish. Your allotment sounds like ours, the weeds are taking over at the minute. The potatoes are fantastic though, so yummy :-)

DJ said...

Wonderful stitching, Ally!! The cat one is soooooooo cute!! Isn't it nice to "tick" another crazy off the list? *Hugs*

mdgtjulie said...

Hi Ally, and it's nice to meet you. I wish we had some sodden weather here. It's been hot, hot, hot, and dry as a bone lately. We haven't had rain (a good soaking rain) in weeks. Some very short almost showers have been through though. Like a hundred raindrops, and then it's done. Ick! My plants are definitely feeling the heat. I've been watering once or twice a day, but it doesn't always help, as the heat is so extreme! Can't wait to see your garden piccys. Your stitching looks great! I really like the cats and quilts series too. I don't have any of them. Yet... As if I need more charts, lol. Anyways, I found your blog through Mouse's and wanted to say hello!

Pete's Pixie said...

Hi Julie - thanks for stopping by! I have now finished the Just Nan piece and need to do a blog update - just need to download pics of the poppies and stuff off my camera first - so watch this space! Hugs, Ally xx

Cindy said...

Beautiful stitching...found your blog through Mouse..

best stitches to you from the USA

Siobhán said...

Your stitching is beautiful! Congrats on the finish--and the new JN finish--I see from your comment above that it's done now, too. :)

Have a great weekend!

MysteryKnitter said...

I wish I could help you with the stitch problem. I can't. It may be the best to replace the stitch A with stitch B. What is the stitch B? I don't know. I am sure you will find it, though.
I love those cats! They're so sweet! Keep up the good work.