Happy dancing at the end of the year!

Last weeks I have been concentrating on two items. A stitched one and a crocheted one. I was hoping to finish them both before the end of the year and, thanks for a long Christmas vacation, I did it!!
Here is my Cirque des Carreaux, design of Ink Circles. Stitched on 32 ct. Belfast Sudden Storm (Silkweaver) with Carrie's Creation Epiphany. Stitch count: 247 x 185.

I also finished my Not an Addict Cowl, here it is, on my youngest daughter's lovely neck.

I am happy to end this year with two finishes, so I can start some new projects next year. There is a Chatelaine waitng for me, kitted all up. And I casted on the Wintermystery Shawl by Renee Leverington.

Last but not least I want to thank all my followers for reading and all the lovely comments I received this year. They are hightly appreciated. I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2013!

Last week of the year

The last week of the year is almost there and, like always, I get the feeling I have a lot of things I wanted to be a finish this year! There is my bedquilt, waiting for me for almost three or four months. There are some WIPS I really wanted to be done, like my Red Wine shawl, not to speak of my HAEDs. I get the feeling they will never be finished .... I know, it is because I got distracted by other things, like knitting lace ;)
Yet I have some pictures for you, and maybe they can be finished this year, if I don't cast on the latest Mystery of Renee Leverington, that is. This afternoon I have been winding yarn ....
Here is a picture of my Not an Addict Cowl.

And some close-ups of Cirque des Carreaux. There is progress again, but to keep the tension I won't show a picture of that. do I make it a finish, this year? Working on it ...

 

 

Stitching again

Another week went by, only one week and we have Christmas holidays. I look forward to it! We set up the tree this afternoon, so our home gets in the mood already. Not me, I'm not a Christmas type, I think, I just learned I am an Autumn type of person LOL.
This week I mainly stitched on Cirque des Carreaux, so I can show quite some progress.

And since my youngest DD bought my presents for Sinterklaas, I received some lovely yarn and the saying I had to crochet a cowl. A specific sowl from a booklet she also bought me.
Obedient girl as I am, I started right away, last weekend. And this is the result until now.

Yesterday a friend and me visited Midwinterwol, a yarn festival at Winschoten. We had a very good time and I bought some beautiful stash. I've got no plans for it right now, but I'm sure that will come ;)

Whispering Grass

Yeah, finished! Last Friday I binded off, blocked it right away and now I have another finish. I had to skip several rows, because I ran out for yarn. But  you can't see where I skipped them, so the adjustment is done right, I think.

Let it snow

It's not Christmas yet and I really don't like snow, but this is the first part of the new SAL I am doing. I am stitching on a handdyed Silkweaver Jobelan, Summer sky. The thread I use is Necessities overdyed floss, number 1352.
The SAL is going to be in 16 parts,every three weeks a part. I am a little behind, should have done two parts by now, but I have been extremely busy doing other things ;)

There was a trip to Delft and Utrecht, some partying and the preparations of a wellknown tradition in The Netherlands, Sinterklaas. That means buying gifts, making surprises and writing rhymes. All that means less stitching time.

Yet I have progress on Cirque des Carreaux.

And of course, Call of the Raven's monthly update. Anothere 1000 or so crossstitches added.

Also there is progress on my knitting as well. Clue 4 of Whispering Grass is ready. I hope to show the whole shawl next week. No picture yet, because it doesn't look like a shawl at all.  

There is however a picture of Red Wine. Another row of flowers is finished, 'only' four rows to go!

New SAL

Since Many Years Ago is a finish I could start another SAL. And so I made a beginning at Let It Snow. Although I didn't finish part 1 yet, I wanted to take some pictures and show them to you. I hope the pictures show the stitching, because I am stitching on a lightblue fabric with lightblue yarn.

Part three of Whispering Grass is done. Two clues to go, so in about two weeks this should be a finish.

And due to my stitching friends of a Dutch group I have some progress on Cirque des Carreaux. 

Two finishes

I can't believe it yet, I have two finishes! First of all, Mary Wigham is completed with initials of my stitching friends.

And then the Sticklounge SAL Many Years Ago is completed too. Part 9 is done and I managed to do it before the deadline.

And then there is part two of the KAL Mystery  #29. On to part three!

Mary almost finished and a new KAL

Stitching on Mary has been my main pastime this week. She is almost finished now , so time to decide wether or not to stitch initials. I decided to stich them and as initials I wil take those of the girls that have been part of my life since I re-discovered needlework.

They listen to me, they stimulate me, they inspire me, they ah-and-oh with me and they are my companions in crime when I buy too much fabric of yarn LOL

The first set of initials is stitched. MS, in the center of the wreath of roses, top right. She deserves this place the most. Other initials are to be stitched random, as I love my friends equally ;)

Yes, a new KAL was annonced by Renee Leverington and of course I had to join! Two weeks ago, when I was in Germany on vacation, I bought the perfect yarn, a Zitron Filigran, colour Taiga. And now I can show the first part of this shawl-to-be, here she is: Whispering Grass.

So long, Marian

This was quite a week, with quite some things done! To start with a finish, the surprise I made for a friend is done. It's a shawl, Windsbraut Padua, a design by Monika Eckert. I used Zitron Filisilk.
Here it is, called So long, Marian. Do I need to tell you she was quite happy with it?

As I went by train to bring the shawl in person, I went to Astrids's Dutch Obsessions in Zwolle. I could not resist a beautiful yarn and pattern. On my way back I saw this:

And of course I stitched this week. May Years Ago part 8 is done! Only one part to go and it is a finish :)

Mary Wigham has two more ornaments. This might be a finish too this year!

And I have a small update on Vibrant Vista, a long lost visitor in my home.

Vacation

DH and I had a very relaxing week. We had a vacation in Germany, we rented a house (on the top of a hill) at the edge of a village,  and stayed there for a whole week! Away from work and all day stress (traffic noise in front of our house is getting worse and worse) we had a week of silence. No radio, no television, no phone, only our little trips in the neighbourhood, our books and my stitching and knitting.
I'll show some picture at the end of this post, for who is interested.

So, due to the hours we needed to get there I had some extra knitting time. And I decided Red Wine was the lucky one this time. So here she is, added more than two rows of flowers.

Many Years Ago part 7 is also done. 

And than there is Call of the Raven, I added at least 2000 stitches, so my goal for this month is reached again :) 

And here is the selection of some pictures of our vacation in  Germany.