Holiday Projects

After two weeks of camping in the rain and the mud that was the south of England during August I am back home. It is so nice to be warm and dry.

For my trip I packed the following projects:

1. Baby Surprise Jacket, Elizabeth Zimmerman - Knitting
2. Tenth Anniversary Design - Elizabethan Sweete Bag, Chatelaine Designs - Needlework
3. Pretty in Pink - can't remember by whom - Needlework
4. Forever Loved - Carol Tinson - Needlework
5. Ongoing Socks - Knitting

During my trip I managed to make progress on the Baby Surprise Jacket and rip out all of the Baby Surprise Jacket and cast on the Baby Surprise Jacket and make the same amount of progress again!!!!

I was pootling along very nicely, getting into the rhythm of the project, when your fingers know what they're doing and your mind relaxes. Well there I was sat on the beach in North Devon, watching the crowds huddled under blankets. As I watched I realised something. Out of all the people I could see (probably 50+) not one of them was actually doing anything. Sure they were sat, some were sleeping and most were chatting. I couldn't see anybody reading and certainly nobody else knitting!!!

As I sat contemplating the magic that is the BSJ I realised there was something fundamentally wrong with my knitting. In my puzzlement I forgot to take a picture of the problem - but for those of you that have knit a BSJ lets just say my decreases were heading off in the same direction. Now I know the BSJ looks a little odd..........but not this odd. I worked out what I'd done so I wouldn't do it again and out it came.

However, this wasn't a problem I was enjoying knitting it so much and if I hadn't tinked I would have finished it before the end of the holiday and had to pick something else up.

It's the first time I have ripped back a project and reknit it - I think I may finally be a Knitter (I've been knitting since I was 9 - that's almost 30 years!!).

Time to cast off - pictures soon!!!

On Holiday

Back soon....................

Aion - a tribute

A couple of years ago when I was bored at work and googling stitching I found a website that has been a wonderful companion ever since.

Aion, an ezboard chat forum has been a wonderful part of the online stitching community for a number of years. A couple of years ago I would be logged on all day, keeping a window open on my desktop at work so I could flip over to check new messages throughout the day - and there were a lot of messages during the day.

I learnt a lot, laughed a lot, cried a little and was in awe at the talented stitchers I was 'chatting' with.

There were meet ups - once or twice a year Aioners made a pilgrimage to Nuneaton (UK) and spent a day meeting each other in person. I will never cease to be amazed that at such get togethers it is like meeting old friends.

I have made some wonderful friends through Aion, friends who I know will be there in the good and the bad times. Friends who I will drive 3 or 4 hours to spend four or five hours chatting and stitching with and then drive 3 or 4 hours home. Friends who come and stay in my house when I go on holiday, friends who I love dearly. Friends who fly from half way around the world and coordinate their holidays just so they can attend a meet up.

So why am indulging in this nostalgia.

On Saturday August the 18th 2007 Aion will be closing.

We have been blessed that throughout this time a wonderful lady called Chris has looked after the forum. There are many of us who cannot express our thanks to Chris strongly enough - words do not do justice to how we feel about the contribution Aion has made to our lives.

Many of us have found a new place to hang out (see link to the right) but I know for me and many others Aion will always hold a special place in my heart.

Anyone fancy a crafty natter........

Stitching Blogger's Question of the Week

Do you consider yourself a “floss miser?”

Absolutely. It started when I began stitching with silks. The cost and the fact that I couldn't just pop to the shops to buy more meant I was careful - stitching to the last possible stitch and saving what could be used in the future.

Once I got in the habit it's kind of stuck. I'm always shocked now when I see people 'wasting' floss. People who have large ort jars full of large lengths of floss - you know who you are. I tried it when I got back from my friends house last week and I felt so naughty!!!!

Gosh if that's what makes me naughty I must lead a very staid life. I'm going to cut some floss and throw it away.................maybe.

Ravelry - are you in yet?

In case you're interested:

You signed up on July 2, 2007
You are #12040 on the list.
4192 people are ahead of you in line.
10848 people are behind you in line.
33% of the list has been invited so far

Maybe when I get back from holiday at the end of August I will be in - fingers crossed.

See you there........................

Round Robins

Over the years I have watched the progress of many Round Robins (RR) on various internet chat forums. I have always resisted the temptation to join in because I'm not a very good obligation stitcher.

As I work full time as well as being a wife and mother and doing diploma course in antenatal education I have very limited stitching time. I enjoy doing quite complicated pieces with a good mixture of speciality stitches, beading, drawn thread work etc. This doesn't make for quick stitching so my happy dances are few and far between.

However, in October last year a very good friend of mine asked me to take part in a RR she was organising on Aion (internet chat forum closing August 2007). There was a particularly lovely piece I had seen someone else do as a RR piece that I really wanted to stitch so I took part.

For eight months I only had time to stitch on the RR and all my own stitching had to sit in the UFO pile. I lost my stitching mojo. Stopped planning new projects. Didn't buy any stash. Didn't dream in embroidery.

It was completely worth it, I have the most wonderful piece of stitching that will forever remind me not only of some wonderful friends but of one of the best forums around. I made it into a cushion to sit on the rocking chair in my lounge.



There were eight of us taking part and every piece was lovely to work on. I entered my cushion into our village show on behalf of the Aion Girls ...........we came second (see previous post for details of the winning entry!)

An excellent result - but will I ever do a RR again?