Oriental Butterfly

Here is my progress on Oriental Butterfly. I started stitching Friday afternoon and filled in the orange area of the wing this morning. So far, I am really enjoying this piece and love the colors (even though the picture does not show them that well). This will be a nice project to work on at night after classes or work. Also, I bought a 10" Susan Bates plastic hoop from Michael's to use with this project because I was determined to like using a hoop. This hoop works very well and I actually like it, so mission accomplished!


I'm also trying to finish my first Reclamation Scarf so that I can cast on another one for Christmas presents. Assignments are starting to pile up and mid-terms are looming in the not too distant future, so who know how much free time I'll have to complete Christmas presents this year. At the very least, hopefully, I'll be able to crank out some more dishcloths!

As always, thanks for looking!

The Inspiration Behind Feline Love

Here are my two fur-babies, June (aka Junebug on the left) and Buddy (right). When I saw the picture for Feline Love online, I knew I had to make that one!



**Please note that this is a personal picture and should not be copied or used without the permission of the owner. Thank you.**

Finish and New Projects

Feline Love is completely finished! I finished up the back stitching while on campus Tuesday, but could not figure out how to do the french knots. Tonight, I found a video on youtube that really helped explain french knots and I was finally able to make them. Feline Love turned out very well and I can't wait to frame it!

After classes this afternoon, I went to Michael's and picked up another Dimension kit called "Oriental Butterfly." This is a rather large project, so it will probably take me a while to finish this one! I think this is a gorgeous design and hope to give it to my sister as a gift (maybe for Christmas?). Look out for updates...

I also purchased the pattern for Reclamation Scarf by Stefanie Japel. So far, the pattern is really pretty and I look forward to seeing how it turns out. This scarf will make a great Christmas present too!

My BFF gloves are also coming along as I was able to do a few cable repeats this week during lunch.

Thanks for looking and happy crafting!

Feline Love Almost Complete

Feline Love is really close to being completed. I started stitching the outline of the butterfly this morning and all I have left is to fill it in and do the back stitching detail. I've been working on this for a month but it feels like I just started it. Hopefully, I will be able to get it framed fairly quickly so I can hang it in my living room. I will post a picture of my progress later as I'm too lazy at the moment to go take a picture.

Originally, I had planned to go to Michael's today to pick up another kit but might not make it (will probably have to wait until Tuesday after classes). I am thinking about purchasing Oriental Butterfly by Dimensions or some kind of hummingbird kit if I can't find a hummingbird pamphlet. I think that my sister would like Oriental Butterfly, but I'm not sure if I'd be able to complete it by Christmas as I've read that it's pretty big. So, once I complete Feline Love this weekend (hubby is going off to a race tomorrow so I'm taking advantage of some down time), maybe I'll finally be able to finish reading Storm of Visions by Christina Dodd or work on BFF gloves a bit.

Busy, busy...

Well, I can see that my plan to update this blog at least once a week is working out very well....not really. This past week was the third week of classes and I am already feeling very burned out. I think that not having a true break over the summer did not help; I spent the first part of the summer studying for the GMAT to get into grad school by the first of July and the second part of the summer in an online class that I equated to ripping off a band-aid. The class was five intensely painful weeks that was over about as quickly as it started! So, I'm taking my current classes one week at a time and trying to make it through.

Last weekend was Labor Day weekend and I had Monday off of work and no classes on Tuesday, which gave me a nice long four-day weekend! It was very much needed! Monday, it rained literally all day long so I was able to get a lot done on Feline Love. I was also finally able to start on the second fingerless glove to my BFF set.

Here is what I have done so far of my second BFF glove. I got through the 12 rows of the cuff and need to do one cable increase row before starting on the cable pattern. At this rate, it may be finished by next Christmas! That may be okay though, since I am seriously considering keeping these for myself. ;)


Feline Love is coming along much faster now that I've completed the cats, which were full cross stitches. As you can see, I am down to the bottom right corner of the chart. I can't wait to see this completed with all of the back stitching detail. Hopefully, I will finish this project next weekend as I have a very intense week coming up and will need the weekend to wind down a bit.

Later today I am going to the bookstore to pick up my signed copies of Nicholas Sparks new book, The Last Song. It has worked out that for the past few years, he has had a book signing every fall and I have been able to buy my grandmother a copy for her birthday in December. Of course, I can never wait until December and always give the book to her asap. This year is no different and I cannot wait to give her his latest book. I basically started this tradition when my granddad got sick with lung cancer and then heart disease and my grandmother was staying with him in the hospital. I gave her a copy of The Notebook to distract her and help her "escape" for a little while. Now, she loves Nicholas Sparks' books and asks me frequently when his next book is coming out. I just smile, say that I'm not sure, and then show up a couple of months later with a signed copy made out just for her. It warms my heart to see the look of shock and excitement on her face every single time.

As always, thanks for looking!