Thursday, February 27, 2014

Just Nan SAL - February!

Prepping my post ahead of time since I missed last month's reporting date!  I don't know if the scheduler will work but at least this post will be written in advance and I can just hit PUBLISH in a couple of days. :3

Okay, so!  Here's what I've done this month. :)

Barnabee in Bloom:

Snow Needle Mitten:

Snow Needle Mitten (inside!):

 Snow Tin Topper:

So yesssss!  Three designs started and completely finished, including the finishing!  Not bad for one month.  Especially since I'm avoiding Floral Fifteen, ahahaha!  Maybe I'll do more on that one next month.

Or maybe I'll start something new. :D

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Stitch from Stash - February report!

Wow, it's been a LONG time since I posted!  Here's my SFS post in case I don't have time later on this month.  Been busy with a sick cat, a sudden (but very welcome) work opportunity, and... honestly, I haven't been stitching a ton because we've been gaming in the evenings.

There's still a good amount of stuff to report though!

New starts from stash:
- Barnabee in Bloom (Just Nan)
- Snow Tin Topper (Just Nan)
- Snow Needle Mitten (Just Nan)
- Cattleya Orchid Panel (Chatelaine)

I'm not showing my Just Nan pics here because I'm saving them for my JN SAL post, but here is my start on the orchid!  The colors are horribly off but you get the idea.  This was actually my Valentine's gift from my wife so it wasn't really in my stash at the beginning of the challenge, but I guess it counts since it became part of my stash through gifting. :)

It's a quick stitch for a Chatelaine, I'm just taking forever because of all the other stuff going on in my life.  This is roughly the top third of the design already!


WIPs or UFOs worked on:
- Spring Knotgarden (Chatelaine)

This was my main focus for the month until I got a little burned out on the complex grass on the border.  I switched over to my Just Nan stitching around the middle of the month to give myself a break!  I'll get back to this cutie next month for sure. :)


Amount spent:
- regular budget:  $28.38 (of $31.68 from Jan/Feb) ... $3.30 to carry over into March!
- splurge budget:  $86 (of $100) ... NO carry over allowed :)

I also received some Just Nan charts as a gift from my wife... I was pouting over a big sale on FB, and she took a look at the list and picked out some stuff she wants me to make for her. :)  She ended up paying about $60 for items that retailed for $100 and gave them to me for Valentine's Day.  Yes, in addition to the Chatelaine.  I am spoiled, what can I say? :)

Or maybe she realizes how good she has it, with me tolerating her yarn addiction. :p



So here's what I got with my splurge budget...
- Cricket Collection - Tall Oaks
- Elizabeth's Designs - Friends Alphabet
- Ink Circles - Four de Lys
- Jeannette Douglas - Pomegranate and Pear Stitches
- Just Nan - Christmas Cheer
- Just Nan - Ebony Rose
- Just Nan - Octagonal Peacock
- Mirabilia - Biancabella
- Sweetheart Tree - June - Pearl & Rose
- Sweetheart Tree - Spring Blossoms Fob
- Victoria Sampler - Birthday Needleroll Kit - July

And with my regular budget:
- Angel of Hope - L&L (cheap on FB!)
- Barnabee's Quest Parts 1, 2, 3 - Just Nan (awesome ebay deal!)

I was gifted:
- Chatelaine - Cattleya Orchid Panel
- Just Nan - Autumn Glory Humbug
- Just Nan - Pansies Please
- Just Nan - Spring Frills Humbug
- Just Nan - Summer Wings Humbug
- Just Nan - When Barnabee Met Bella

I feel like I was super spoiled this month because of gifts and good luck!  I found a shop that had discounted prices every day, and they were having 30% off on top of that, so I was able to get a lot and still stay under the $100 splurge budget.  A bunch of splurge items were things my wife wanted, but since she got me so many gifts this month I thought it was only fair for me to count my gifts to her. :)

Besides, I'm gonna be the one stitching them anyway. XD

And with $600+ in emergency vet bills over the weekend, I'm pretty sure I won't get getting any gifts for a loooong time... siiiigh.  At least my kitty is feeling better now. :)

Sunday, February 16, 2014

long time no post!

Wow, it's been 11 days since my last post!  I think that's the longest I've gone without posting so far this year, but I haven't been stitching as much so there wasn't anything to post.

I guess I got a little burned out on Spring Knotgarden since the grassy areas of part five are pretty challenging with a lot of quarter stitches, color changes, and over-one areas.  I still haven't even finished half of one corner!  I did get the border section done on another corner, and I finished the part two grass and all the missing beads from parts two and three (except the really big crystals), so it's not hopeless. :p

Full project so far:

Closer view of the top corners:

I think the way I approached the grass was "wrong" in a way... I started at the end near the point of the corner, thinking the narrower area would be easier.  On the next side, I'll try starting near the middle and get the over-one out of the way first.  This will give me more stitched areas to use when anchoring new threads, too.  I'm kind of embarrassed by how bad the back of the grass looks right now... urp.

ALSO, my wife got me just what I wanted for Valentine's Day!


Awwww yissss. XD  It's the Cattleya Orchid by Chatelaine and as you can see, I've already kitted this sucker up and even put the fabric on the qsnap!  I'm missing a few threads in the picture but they're with Spring Knotgarden's kit, so I'm all set to go!  Well, except for the beads, but I hear that those may make an appearance later this month. :3

It's really nice, I was able to kit this 100% from stash by subbing some Waterlilies I already had for some Dinky Dyes I was missing, and by sharing with Spring Knotgarden.  The fabric is Aerial by PTP, which I had in my stash thanks to being part of their fabric of the month program last year.  I've seen the orchid done on white by at least two different bloggers, but I really wanted a blue background... I'm all bored with white since SK is on plain white Belfast. :p

Annnnd this weekend was an "exception" weekend for the Stitch from Stash group!  The normal budget is $25 per month, but there was a special use-it-or-lose-it budget of $100 for this weekend to celebrate the Nashville releases.  The money could be used on anything, so I went bargain hunting and scored some very nice things for very nice prices!

I hit both LNS in my area but didn't find much - I came out for less than $40 total between the two, but I did get four charts from my wishlist.  Then I found a shop having 30% off their usual, already discounted prices, and I picked up seven items for about $46, including a small Victoria Sampler needleroll kit!  About $30 of that was stuff my wife wanted, but I'm including it in the budget anyway.  After all, she got ME some gifts earlier this month, so it's only fair. :)

I still have $14 burning a hole in my pocket, hahaha.  I don't think I'll be spending it, and it will expire after the weekend ends.  That's okay, I have plenty to keep me busy. :)

And no, I'm not showing my new stash!  I'm saving the reveal for my real Stitch from Stash SAL post at the end of the month. :3

Wednesday, February 05, 2014

Spring and lessons learned...

It's all Spring Knotgarden, all the time now. :)  I finished up the grass and made a good start on one of the part five corners.  I may "cheat" and do the border-y part on another corner first before tackling the grassy area that's above the border.  We'll see.



Sorry about the pictures, it's gloomy today and I've color corrected them as well as I could.  The fabric is plain white so that gives you an idea of how weirdly these pictures are tinted...

As far as lessons learned, I keep a kind of mental list of things NOT to do, because every time I've done them in the past, I've been disappointed.  But I keep doing them anyway!  So obviously I need a reminder, especially since I'm being tempted by sales and such!

- NO mystery SALs (every one I have joined has been a major disappointment, I even went so far as to completely frog one I had done quite a bit of work on so I could save the fabric!)
- NO 28ct fabric (I hate how my stitches look on 28ct)
- NO evenweave, except for HAED-style patterns (I prefer the openness of linen)
- NO opal fabrics (they always seem so overpowering when I use them)
- NO more buying HAED-style patterns (I already have too many I won't stitch)
- NO visits to the LNS (I don't like either LNS and I impulse buy when I go there!)
- NO Gloriana, SNC, WDW, GAST threads (rough, tangly, and nasty!)
- NO getting sucked into monthly/themed chart series (CCN cottages, anyone??)

That last one is kind of funny since I have half of the Cottage Garden Samplings "My Garden Journal" series and I'm thinking of getting the other six just because!  Uggggh, Rahenna, don't be a dummy!

In other news... at the moment, the stuff on my 123Stitch wishlist costs $199.81.  I have a $200 gift card.  SO TEMPTING, hahaha. :p

Nope.  Gonna wait. :3  Maybe I'll go start a new Just Nan project to satisfy my lust for new stuff!

Saturday, February 01, 2014

January/February Goals!

Ahhhhhh, I missed the Just Nan SAL report-in for January!  I keep forgetting that since Zeb lives in New Zealand, she is IN THE FUTUREEEE and I need to post on time to keep up.  I kind of hesitated because I posted about my Just Nan progress throughout the month and I didn't want to keep repeating the same stuff.

SO.  For my SALs, I will NOT be posting about them until the end of the month to avoid boring duplicates and missed deadlines!  Should be more interesting for my dear readers too. :3

Okay, time for the actual goal review!

January's goals were:
- finish part 2 of Spring Knotgarden - YES!
- finish Hope - YES!
- start and complete five blocks of Floral Fifteen (for Just Nan SAL) - YES!
- keep spending to $25 or less (for Stitch from Stash) - YES!

I DID IT!  Met all my goals, and in addition, I finished part four of Spring Knotgarden too!  Wanna see? :D

Flash:

No flash:

Fancy angled shot:

Now, I know I'm missing the grass that's between the bottoms of the triangles and the main part of the center, but I don't remember which part that goes with!  So I consider my goal more than complete, since when I said "part two" I really meant those funny-looking gardens that are shaped like cat heads.  Haha. :p

And now, my new goals... :3

February's goals are:
- Spring Knotgarden - half of part five (because it looks crazy!) and the missing grass!
- complete five blocks of Floral Fifteen OR start another JN
- band sampler round robin! :D
- post for all my SALs only once per month and ON TIME :x
- keep spending within Stitch from Stash limits!

I'm not sure if I want to keep going with Floral Fifteen right now as the multiple color changes are hard to handle... Spring Knotgarden has more than enough of that!  So I'll leave the JN goal a bit open so I have the option to start something new if I can't deal with FF this month.

Oh, and for Stitch from Stash, I've decided to give myself a break and NOT include the knitting pattern I bought last month (Mel emailed me to say I could, so it's kosher!) so I have $6.68 from last month, plus $25 from this month, or $31.68 total.  Except I already spent five bucks on a wishlist pattern of mine!  I'll save the identity of the pattern for my Stitch from Stash report, though. :)