Three weeks later

It's been three weeks since my last post, three weeks back at work, which probably explains my lack of posting and my lack of progress. Don't get me wrong, I have made some progress but I was expecting a little more. Hopefully things will settle down at work and I wont need to be coming home and working until nine o'clock for much longer. Anyway, here is the latest White Nights progress pick.

So, what is left to do on this section? The Algerian Eyelets on the left followed by some gold backstitch around them, eight gold cross stitches and then, the beading, probably two good quality evenings worth.  Then it's the big roll up!  When this happens I will take a photo of the whole project so far. Mind you, given the quality of my photographs of late, well, what can I say? You might be able to make something out.

Someone who does take fantastic photos is Maisie Moonshine.  If you are interested in stuff other than stitching pop over to her blog.  Here is a photo of her latest project, I want one!

and a close up.

I'm off to make the most of a school free evening.

Happy stitching!

A couple of finishes

We got back from our honeymoon on Friday and have spent the weekend at 'The Railway'.  As I will explain later our holiday involved quite a lot of train travel!

Before we went away I was able to make up the Wedding Quadrielle from The Sweetheart Tree.

I also finished the Black Snowman from Shepherd's Bush.

I made more progress on Charmed Hearts also by Shepherd's Bush.

As I said before our Honeymoon involved a lot of train travel.  We went from London to Venice on the Orient Express staying at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel the night before we caught the train.  The former Midland Hotel had be derelict for many years and after a massive refurbishment re opened last year.  This is a link to pictures on Google images

Here are some of our pictures. Firstly, the main reception.

One of the restored corridors in the old part of the hotel

The Orient Express waiting at Calais

Two of the dining cars

The bar car and yes, that is a baby grand piano!

This was our hotel in Venice, on the Grand Canal.

We spent three nights in Venice before starting to make our way home, by train, stopping for a night in Milan and three nights in Paris. This is the fountain in the square where our Paris hotel was.

The train journey from Milan to Paris was quite long so I was able to do some stitching.  This is called 'Hand wash only' and comes as a kit from The Whimsical World of Thomas Joseph.  There are four in the series.

It's back to work tomorrow I get the feeling that this year I'm going to be bringing even more work home than usual but I am determined to do some stitching every day so it's White Nights until it's finished!

Happy stitching!

The last full day!

I have spent the last full day stitching on White Nights. There are still two weeks of the school holidays left but we have a big holiday planned, amongst other things.  I'm really pleased with the progress I've made over the last three and a bit weeks, the end really is in sight!

This is actually the top of the design! Not the best photo but it gives an idea of progress.

This is the top, again the wrong way up because that is how it is on the frame.

Happy stitching!

What a difference a week makes!

These are my latest progress pics of White Nights.  Even I can't believe how much progress I've made in a week, and that doesn't include Saturday or Sunday as we were at 'The Railway'.  This is of the top left hand corner,

and this the top right hand corner.

This is a closeup of the corner section.

Finally, the whole thing, well as much as you can see!

Fingers crossed for just as much progress next week.

Happy stitching!

Relocated

Last Friday morning I packed up the car and drove across the Pennines, from Lancashire to Yorkshire, to my husband's house.  The first thing to be unpacked was White Nights.  On Friday afternoon, before I had unpacked anything else, I completed a substantial part of the boarder, the right hand upper pointy bit on the next photo.

We had visitors at the weekend so not much got done.  First thing on Monday morning it was time for a roll up on the frame.  These are photos of my progress before that happened.

I stitched on Monday and today (Tuesday), alongside doing other stuff around the house and in the garden, more of that later.  I am really pleased with my progress over the two days.

Both parts of the border are finished.

Mind you with a stitching view like this

and a nice patio area where I can sit and stitch,

I'm not surprised I'm making good progress.  Mind you the patio yesterday morning was not quite so nice.  Most of the flower beds were full of the plant in the top corner so after a trip to ASDA, for some tools, B&Q for some plants, two and a half hours of digging out and twenty minutes replanting, the above was the result!

I'm hoping that this good weather we are having, at last, holds out so I can spend many more hours outside stitching away!

Pre-packing update

Tomorrow is the last day of term!  At last I might be able to spend some quality time stitching.  Here is a picture of my latest finish, well not quite, as it needs to be finished off. It's 'The Wedding Quadrielle' from The Sweetheart Tree.

I have managed to do some work on White Nights, but not as much as I had hoped.

This summer I am hoping to finish this off, hence the post title, as the whole project frame, floss etc is about to be packed up and moved to my husband's house, which is where I am decamping to for most of the summer.


Fingers crossed I finish it! Then what next, what will be the next big project? Might need to have another poll.


Happy stitching!

Another finish!

In my last post I mentioned that I had finished Miss Kitty's Dragons by Just Nan, I think I had finished it all bar putting the charms on.  Here it is.

Now all I need to do is to decide how to finish it.

I have also managed to finish another project, Summer from Jardin Privé, not that we're having much of a summer here in the UK.

This was stitched as charted with DMC floss, except that I stitched the project with one strand of floss rather than the recommended two.


This week it's back to White Nights. I have decided to blitz this project over the summer, with the aim to get it finished this year. I've made a start this evening and am going back to it as soon as this is posted!

Back with a finish!

Nearly a month since my last post! Not good. Yet again things have been a bit hectic but should be calming down now.  I have managed two finishes since my last post but I can only show you one of them at the moment.  This is The Crabbiest Castle on the Beach!  a Silver Needle Secret Needle Night project from May 2009.

My other finish is Just Nan's Miss Kitty's Dragons, photo next time.

We got the wedding  photos from the official photographer a couple of weeks ago. Here is one of the few of me not holding my dress up to avoid the wet .

This one is on the front page of the photographer's website!

I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend and gets lots of stitching done!

A busy few weeks!

Well I'm still here!  It's been a busy couple of weeks since my last post what with exam marking and other work related stuff which has taken up most of my evenings.  Not much stitching has been done, in fact none, that's how bad it has been.  Anyway, I do have some things to show you.  Firstly, whilst we were on our mini mystery honeymoon I knitted two more scarves.

I say 'mini mystery honeymoon' because we went away for three nights but I did not know where we were going, hence the mystery.  Our first night was spent at the Midland Hotel in Morecambe

This hotel is described as an iconic art deco hotel and it does not disappoint.

The second night was spent at Holbeck Ghyll Country House Hotel in the Lake District.

The final night was spent on the other side of the country on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne.

Fingers crossed more stitching next time.