BLESSED SPEEDY

  I think this project Ive finished deserves a blog post of its own! Ive never really done a cross stitch project and have had the chart and floss for this sitting for ages waiting me to be brave enough to do it.  In 2023 Im wanting to challenge myself to have a go at new things so ..............My sister in law does a lot of cross stitch so I asked her how to start off and I got going - and it was addictive! I so love the idea of starting from a completely blank piece of aida cloth and ending up with this result!  Im going to frame it and hang it with pride The pattern is Flea Market Flowers by Lori Holt and for a newbie it was really easy to do.  Probably if I did it again Id copy the chart and make the squares a bit easier to read by making it larger but I got by. Am I happy - too right!

 Week 4! I managed to finish the easy mosaic socks that was my christmas yarn ball gift.  Im so happy with how they turned out! This is the perfect pattern for using some self striping yarn - I used some from Heathermaid and the plain colour is from Opal.  As I said last week it was part of my Christmas Yarn ball so all the little gifts around the socks fell out as I knitted.  I have probably half of ball of each of the yarns left so I might try and make some shortie socks with the leftovers - stay tuned! Ive also been working on the flea market flowers cross stitch - and Im really enjoying it still.  The colours are so nice and I think Im getting a great result! I'm hoping to get it finished by the end of the month but not sure if I will make it or not  Reading wise - a couple more finishes so a total of 8 books read/listened to for the year so far! Ive had the Minimalist way on my shelf for a couple of years and finally got around to reading it.  It has tips for not being so busy

 Its been a busy week both crafting and farm wise Our workers have now finished up so its just Gaz and I with "a little help from our friends" - hopefully we get someone suitable apply soonish  Craft wise Ive been working on a few things (Im sure you are not surprised by that!) Ive started work on my Christmas Yarn Ball project.  I love love love this concept and take part in it every year.  Its organised by one of the groups I am in on Ravelry and we are given partners names and after "stalking" their likes and dislikes wind up a ball of yarn with treats inside it to make a pattern they like.  Its a bit hard to explain but hopefully this pic helps you understand how it starts  I was gifted two different yarns - the teal colour and the self striping yarn to make the easy mosaic socks. Plus a couple of other treats too - appreciate the sugar free treats as Im diabetic And here's my progress - its a super easy pattern that gives a great result and the yarns that m

 What a busy week Ive had this past week! And lots of things completed! In regards to my favourite father in law John - his life was completed by having his funeral and wake on monday - I still miss his never ending phone calls and bad jokes but slowly getting used to not having him around. Craft wise I finished the following projects Project 2/2023 - knitting and its a huge one - the anthology throw - I used an advent yarn kit from Ash and Eve designs - and Im so happy with it! But it was a lot of work! It got worked on here at home, but also in Queensland and in the hospital with John as well Project 3/2023 - weaving - I used some acrylic yarn I had laying around - and wont use it again - acrylic is hard to weave probably as it doesn't have any "give" I will probably gift this And finally projects 3 and 4 of 2023 are two table runners - I made them with the leftovers from my Wee Three Birds quilt - no point keeping leftovers as when I put them in my scrap basket they ju

 Well what a week the first week of 2023 has been  We didnt stay up until midnight on January 1 and was in bed by 930 like proper grown ups Sadly on the 4th January we lost Garys dad and my much loved favourite father in law John (see seperate post about this) I managed to finish a quilt that Ive been working on for quite some time - the pattern is Wee Three Birds, and I bought it as a kit from Nicky Tepper when she had her Honeysuckle Patchwork Shop in Bendigo.  I really enjoyed making this as its a row by row quilt but with lots of different techniques - some new to me too - english paper piecing, needle turn appliqué and machine piecing to name a few. Im not sure when I started it - possibly mid 2022 and I think its turned out quite lovely. I also finished two books - both on audible, so listening to them rather than reading them in a physical book.  And both from the same series - the Chronicles of St Mary's by Jodi Taylor. Its the story of a bunch of disaster-prone historians

Well its now 2023 and what a sad start to the year There have been a few finishes but the saddest finish indeed was my much loved father in law, John Bowles, going to heaven  He was such a lovely man, my favourite father in law, and he accepted and loved me so very much - I had a lot to do with him of late - taking him to appointments and visiting etc so Im really missing him  He loved fishing, telling really bad jokes, cooking (often badly) and he really loved his family.  My husband Gary is his oldest son and when I married Gary, John took on my children as part of his family as well and welcomed us all with open arms. He rang me every morning around 830 am and always wanted to know how the cows were milking  As I said Ill really miss him 

 Well here we are again - the start of another year - this time 2023 And my word for 2023 is inspire! With all the good intentions and plans that January 1 gives us, and yes I have good intentions and plans! But first a wrap up of 2022 - my word was "create"  Yarn wise - I made 44 projects and used 22,354 (we wont mention how much yarn I bought though!!!!) I learnt to weave too  I also did some artwork  Reading wise - I read (either a physical book or an audio book) 56 books Probably one of my favourites was  and starting to reread the Chronicles of St Mary's series Amongst all of that we had some highs and lows - we had floods, we have covid restrictions (still) and sick family members.  Yes I could focus on all of that but that is in the past - and  I read a great quote from I dont remember who saying that "its no use focusing on the past as we cant change it, focus on the future as that is something you can change" So hello 2023 and "INSPIRE"  The d