The "no frills, no gremlins (hopefully)" cross-stitch cafe

flowerofscotland

mrs-moneypenny wrote: »

morning all

funeral yesterday was just so sad and emotional, it was very hard for DH as it was a good friend of his who he thought a lot of. The death was so sudden and unexpected so it hit hard. The service was in the same crematorium as my fil so i knew DH was struggling and one of the songs dance with my father again was almost too much to bear. my heart went out to all the family there. Difficult day for all.

nmm, loving another little glimpse of BD and your teddy is so cute. love the scarf and gloves - if you keep it up at this rate youll have next years christmas pressie all sorted.

BEG dont put your talents down we all have to start somewhere and you knitting projects DO all look lovely, shame you ran out of wool hope you can get a matching ball.

martial arts tonight and im sure ive not got a govs meeting so plan on taking tulips with me and doing a bit more.

have a good day all

What a sad day but at least your DH had you there for support. Family and friends are so important at times like these which we all have to endure at times.

flowerofscotland

nmm wrote: »

Thanks guys I thought this site was pretty cheap for wool clicky and the clearance section of this one clicky is pretty good too. Not used either site yet though, but they look safe to me.

Beg, i'm the same I can't seem to work out how much wool I need for a project. Please give crochet another go, I was/am a total novice and I use youtube videos to learn, they are very good. Most things are stitched with Double Crochet (UK Triple) personally I think the US terms make more sense SC is one loop on hook, DC is two and TC is three. Plus its how many times you pull the wool through, the fun starts with Half DC etc :rotfl:

Oops sorry for the crochet hijack, BD is moving along really quickly as its big sections of the same colour. Also a quick question for people with bobbin storage boxes, when you cut off a length of floss do you put the used part back on the bobbin or make a separate one with the leftovers? :think:

BD is looking great

Sorry I can't be convinced about crochet though I love the effect - your scarves, gloves and teddy are all lovely.

Black Sheep Wools that were mentioned in some of the posts about the Olympia Show sell a lot of yarn which they say is at good prices
http://www.blacksheepwools.com/
I've never bought yarn from them but have bought needlecraft items and their service is good and the people are very friendly

I don't use bobbins and when I'm stitching a project I use a hand made thread holders with the thread numbers written on. I store part used skeins separately from full skeins and always check these first when kitting up a new project

JCS1

Evening all,

Thanks for your kind concern, think long bath and early night might be calling me.

Next project decided, after the muted colours of the birth sampler and then blackwork, gone for colour:

nmm

Aww, that's super cute JCS1, is it a Peter Underhill one?

JCS1

nmm wrote: »

Aww, that's super cute JCS1, is it a Peter Underhill one?

It is indeed - i have a few of the cats rule designs in the stash

Ruth_honey

maria_and_the_imps wrote: »

Ruth- no cheese, but did you try the chocolate! Mmmm it was beautiful!
I always wonder how many needle threaders the ladies need to sell before they start making a profit!

No, I didn't. Wish I had though! But then I probably would've ended up buying some and having less money for stash.

flowerofscotland wrote: »

ruth, tellmeitsfriday and mariaThanks for all the comments about the Olympia Show. I've never been to that one and latterly I have preferred the smaller shows even though they don't have the range of stalls. It is interesting when I think back over the years that I have been going to shows how the different trends have affected the type of exhibitors. Gone are the days where there were dozens of cross stitch stalls. I still enjoy seeing stitched projects "in the flesh" - no online images can compete. And as I also love patchwork and quilting I love the fabric stalls - something which I rarely buy on line. I imagine it must be similar with yarn - knitting and crochet are tactile activities and it must be much easier to make decisions when you can see and feel the yarn. Gadgets and accessories are also things I look out for at shows as you can often see them in use before you buy.

ailsb your comment about Billy-no-Mates made me smile. Although I often go to shows with stitching friends I prefer to go round on my own. Last year I went to the Malvern Quilt Show with my Quilt Group. There were 4 cars in convoy and the plan was to go our separate ways and meet up for coffee, lunch and afternoon tea (optional). One of the ladies in my car (whom I didn't know particularly well) decided to go round the show with me and I found it quite distracting as I felt I had to consult her about where to go next, hurry up if she had finished looking at a stall or wait for her when I wanted to move on. I much prefer to look around on my own and then meet up for the "Show and Tell" on the way home (we meet at a motorway service station for this). Realise this sounds very anti social

I've got to know some of the exhibitors over the years and they say that stalls are expensive and it isn't easy to cover their costs. The smart ones make sure they hand out cards or flyers with their website addresses so that people can still order after the show has finished

I've ended up buying kits that I've seen stitched up at shows ( and in shops) because they looked so good once stitched. In the kit/chart they might not grab me, but it's a different story when done and framed.

With wool, I do like it to feel nice and although I can't afford to spend on fortune on it, I am more likely to spend a bit more to get something I like the feel of. The ones I bought last week had merino in, and the Aran had 10% alpaca, which was lovely. Now I know I like those, I am quite likely to buy more of the same in different colours from the website, so it was worth the stall holder putting a card in the bag because he's got my custom now.

I don't mind wandering round with one other person at the shows, but no more than that. One year there was a group of us going from all over the uk, so we met up during the day for chats/drinks/show and tell. It was so useful having my new friend there this time because she could tell me if something was a good buy and roughly how much I need to buy for my projects.

flowerofscotland wrote: »

We have commented before that our tastes are very similar - not only do I have this kit in my stash, I have a very similar frame which I bought as a pack of 10 at a craft show years ago - I've used 6 for various Christmas projects. I love the ones you stitched for your nana and it's really nice to have them returned as a memento.

ruth no need to feel guilty about not cross stitching - it is supposed to be enjoyable so if you don't feel like doing it why should you be concerned There are only so many hours in the day and you are obviously filling your crafty hours with lovely projects

I know you're right. I just see my mountain of stitching stash and feel I should be ploughing through that.

Ruth_honey

Ailsb wrote: »

Yes it is Cherry blossom, again it was stitched at least 20 years ago.

I'm hoping to clear some rubbish out kf the loft next weekend and if I come across some of the other things I've stitched I'll share them with you.

Very pretty kit. Please do share pics of your other work once you've retrieved them from the loft. I love seeing what everyone has made.

JCS1 wrote: »

Evening,

Sorry I've been a bit quiet lately, depression is back and combined with family stuff, it's been a bit :eek:

Should hopefully finish blackwork angel tonight, well apart from the beads.

x

Sorry to hear that, JCS1. There was a phone in on This Morning yesterday about depression. Please seek help with it. Don't let it take over your life. Hugs xxx

PS- blackwork angel is stunning, :T

nmm wrote: »

Wow, so much to catch up on, great finishes, framed pieces, crochet, knitting, its all going on :j

Firstly, my latest BD update I hope to finish this page by my next update or at least the end of the month.



Here is the Ogeechee Bear I crocheted, he's kind of like he should be :rotfl:



I also made another set of fingerless gloves from £land DK and I finished my scarf, its not dusty its sparkle DK

Very nice! I like the pink trim on your bear. I tried a quick practise on some fingerless gloves yesterday-not that exact design, but one similar that looks straightforward-but I got a bit stuck. I'm getting very frustrated with myself that I can't seem to follow a pattern yet.

Ruth_honey

flowerofscotland wrote: »

BD is looking great

Sorry I can't be convinced about crochet though I love the effect - your scarves, gloves and teddy are all lovely.

Black Sheep Wools that were mentioned in some of the posts about the Olympia Show sell a lot of yarn which they say is at good prices
http://www.blacksheepwools.com/
I've never bought yarn from them but have bought needlecraft items and their service is good and the people are very friendly

I don't use bobbins and when I'm stitching a project I use a hand made thread holders with the thread numbers written on. I store part used skeins separately from full skeins and always check these first when kitting up a new project

I've bought lots of stitchy stuff from The Black Sheep over the years. Even went to the craft barn in Warrington when I was on holiday a few years ago. Probably a good thing that I don't live closer.
The baby wool I bought from there at the show is what I'm using now. It's 60% cotton and a lovely speckled mint green and I'm making a baby blanket for a friend with it. Also got a large ball of a blue tweedy wool which was only £3 so I *had* to buy it-even though I'm not sure what to use it for yet.

JCS1 wrote: »

Evening all,

Thanks for your kind concern, think long bath and early night might be calling me.

Next project decided, after the muted colours of the birth sampler and then blackwork, gone for colour:

Great design choice. I love that kit!

flowerofscotland

JCS1 wrote: »

It is indeed - i have a few of the cats rule designs in the stash

This is so cute (and I'm not even a cat lover!)

I'm sure you will enjoy stitching it

Mrs_T_M

Does anyone here happen to have the March 2012 issue of Cross Stitcher? Number 250 I believe. I'm looking for the 'Guess how much I love you' pattern that was in it. Thanks in advance!