Kept Grey company while he was running errands today.  Got in a decent amount of knitting time on the Woodland Tee....8 rows.  Woohoo!  The yarn is much lighter than this in r/l.  It's not the most exciting photo, but it's just a big, knit rectangle. Lol

Worked out how many rows for the stripes, just in case the yarn runs out and I don't end up with a very cropped top.  This is the third place I have the stripe pattern. Murphy's Law says if I don't, the only copy I have will disappear.

2 blue, 6 clay, 2 blue, 6 clay, 4 blue, 4 clay, 4 blue, 4 clay, all blue.

It was cold enough to wear a cardigan last night, the leaves are beginning to turn and I made my first pumpkin spice coffee for the season today, (I make a pumpkin spice smoothie most mornings for breakfast and I can make that kind of coffee anytime, as I have the spices in the cupboard year round, but neither count lol) which means it's time to start making winter and Christmas "stuff".  So, these books have been pulled off the shelves, to see what I can find.

There's not much of a red fabric stash, so the dye pot will be pulled out and the light neutrals fabric box will be rummaged through.  

I ran out of paper for the string blocks the other day, so sewed these ornaments together.  Stuffing is next.

These are the backing fabrics.  

 

Progress on the string quilt.  Playing around with layouts.

 

Ready to be hand quilted.  

How many hand knit pumpkins is too many?  One more than I have!

There's one ready to be sewn up and another on the needles.....just can't stop!  lol

There's been a bit of sock knitting.  The heel flap is finished and my favorite part is next....turning the heel.

I've got making mistakes on this sleeve down to a fine art.  The latest one was leaving out the even numbered rows on the lace section of the cuff.  I have no words.  lol

Pulled this one out of stash yesterday.  As well as a pattern and finishing instructions, it has a piece of muslin with the design printed on it.  Instant gratification!

Of course, I had to start it straight away.  Stitching it with 12wt Gutterman cotton. 

 A few more string blocks.  These are fun.  I think that's 18 of the large ones.  

The words are finished (chain stitch).  An embroidered rope between the hand and bee skep are next.  Just need to look for a ropey stitch.

It was so much fun stitching with the Gutterman cotton 12 ply, I couldn't resist starting something else with it.

The pattern came printed on muslin, so it was a quick start.

 Link to my Flosstube channel.  Vlog 3 is up.  If you watch it, I hope you enjoy it.

I need a Round Tuit.  The three(!) floss I need for Woodland Goddess haven't been ordered.  (They won't be travelling on their own.  There's six missing from Waiting for the Mist to Come and some for Rapunzel.  BEB was putting off poking in all those numbers for an order with 123stitch  I think I need about 30 altogether  She said I won't need the missing ones right away for WG.  I shouldn't have listened.  There's two in the section I stitched.  lol

It's been started, which is the main thing.  The fabric is 25 count evenweave that I dyed.  It's a lighter color in r/l.  I used a reactive dye, so it's colorfast.  When it's finished, it will get a bath and I don't want the background color to bleed.  I'm really happy with the fabric....even happier when I gave it a press with Just Press, as it relaxes all the holes so I can actually see them!

P.S.  This is what the table looked like as I was getting ready to film a new Flosstube.  I'll post the link tomorrow.  

 

Rapunzel is my pick for the Teresa Wentzler start.  It'll be stitched on 32 count linen and the design size is 8 1/8" x 11 5/8", which isn't too big. I've stitched it before, so have most of the floss. 

Picked out 32 count linen for this one.  I think it will be a nice contrast for the floss.  The edges just need zigzagging, then put a few stitches in it to start it off.

I'm hoping to get in a bit of sewing time this weekend.  I've picked out six ornaments that need finishing.  Then have a stuffathon next week. Plus, start making bags for the new cross stitch projects.  Nothing fancy, just envelope style.  They're simple to make and there's no zip teeth for the fabric or floss to get stuck in.  A few more string blocks should get finished that way, too.  Note to the Sewing Fates....this is NOT a plan!  lol

Practicing with the power chisel.  My biggest problem was not being able to keep the chisel down.  Part of that is lack of experience. Partly because the table is too tall for me.   I give myself an A+ for jaggedy lines. 

  Haha! 

Preparing the pattern for a sunflower.

A couple of leaves and the outside petals of a sunflower ready for Grey to cut out with the plasma cutter.

Hot, hot, hot!  

The same leaf after it's been beaten to add texture.  

Grey said today he has WIPs.  He used to work on one design at a time.  No idea who has influenced him. 🤣

My first go at using the plasma cutter.  I cut out the heart free hand.  

Grey put a new blade on the scroll saw, as I just couldn't get it in without bending it.  Now I can get back to making bits and pieces to finish cross stitch ornaments......and cut out sticks for pumpkin stalks.  It beats cutting them out with a hand saw any day!

Im showing symptoms of the cross stitch strain of the Startitus bug.  The first symptoms appeared a day or two ago with choosing and kitting up new projects. This afternoon I zig zagged the edges on the blue aida for Summer Jubilee.  Then put 32 stitches in it a while later.    I'm definitely showing symptoms.

The sparks have been flying and a bit of alchemy has been happening this weekend as Grey uses the plasma cutter.

Adding veins to a leaf he cut out on the plasma after heating it in the forge.

I had no idea what was next.

Grey beat the end to get the shape he wanted.  He held it in the fuller while I shaped it by hitting the top of the fuller many times with a three pound hammer.

Grey cleaned it up and cut it off with a cut off blade on the angle grinder.

Then we had the beginning of the nut part of an acorn.  Then we did it again.  Grey will finish it tomorrow.

If I can move tomorrow, I'll be slinging the hammer around again.  

BEB says she lost her title of Delicate Little Flower tonight.  lol

You know how much I love my snakes!  Grey made this beautiful necklace for our anniversary.  I love it.

In between my jobs as muse, Torch Girl, poodle wrangler, Jill of All Trades, pattern designer and Finder Of Lost Things (plus knitting or blogging when I'm not needed) , I've started kitting up more cross stitch patterns.

Woodland Goddess will probably be stitched on 25 count even weave.   The pattern pages are huge and really easy to read.  There's four of them on A3 heavy, glossy paper.  There's only thirty one floss colors, plus Kreinek (which I'm not using, as I despise it) and some beading.  It will be a nice, easy stitch.  I'm thinking about dyeing the fabric a pale blue.

The picture on the pattern doesn't do this one justice.  I've stitched it before and it's stunning.  It will also be stitched on 25 count even weave.  There's 113 colors.  There's a lot of color changes, but it's all whole stitches.  I may enlarge the pattern to A3 to make it easier to read.  Since the fabric is white,, I'll do "something" with the background to color it.

This is another one that I like the design, but not the colors, so I changed them.   It will be stitched on 32 count yellow linen, to make it look spspringish.

Summer Jubilee is a Blackbird Designs pattern.  It's from the 2003 Just Cross Stitch magazine.  

The fabric is 14 count aida I dyed recently in indigo.  The colors have been switched up, as I find the ones in the pattern a bit blah.

Lucky last is something from this book.

fractional, specialty and back stitches, plus blended floss, which means it is never boring.  There's well over 100 colors in each design.  Whatever I choose, it'll be stitched on 32 count linen, which will make the fractional stitches much easier.  It will be the one I have the most floss of.

These double sided boxes are the best stitchy thing since sliced bread.  Bought a second one recently, so all the floss could be kept in the same boxes.

All the DMC is in numerical order.  Having a second box made adding the new floss a doddle.  Now the floss is sorted, I can mess things up again by pulling floss for new projects.  It was nice while it lasted. 

Found some fancy floss to change up the colors on Blackbird Designs Night Song.  I like the pattern, not the floss they used.

Three finishes.  There's a million to go!  BEB says that's what I get for not finishing them after they've been stitched.  lol. I'll get everything ready to sew over the next couple of days.  When I get back to the sewing machine next week, I'll start sew the ornament pieces  between strings.

Back to this one.   Going to add some beading for the flames and fumes.  Then it'll join the rest on the finishing pile!

Finished this for Grey yesterday.  He picked it out in 2014.  I've been saying I'll finish if for every wedding anniversary, Christmas and birthday since!  It's our 7th wedding anniversary today.  

I'm horribly out of practice with FMQ and have an idea fermenting for a wall hanging.  Grey doesn't know it yet, but it's going to be a collaborative project, as I'll need his metalworking skills to make the base.  It'll be a doddle for him, but completely out of my wheelhouse.  

 

This made me laugh.  It's traditional for us to watch Hocus Pocus at Halloween.  

I can't say it's pumpkin spice season, because I keep my own mix in the cupboard all year round for breakfast smoothies.

Progress on In Harmony.  It's almost finished.  Maybe tomorrow.