Stitching in the Background

It has been crazy busy for us this spring. I've been having a lot of fun, but I've been missing my cross stitch. I'm glad to have finished the knotwork project from the retreat. If I let those things go they'll never get finished. But, I missed the rhythm of cross stitching. Last night and this morning I found a little time to work on my Letter T from the Black and White project. So relaxing! Now I need to get myself psyched up for a bike race. grrrrr!

Knot Work Finish

I finished the Theresa Layman knotwork project from the retreat this morning. Last night I was able to get all of the stitching done. The morning effort was to get the piece assembled. I'm pretty happy with how it all came out.
I'm not yet sure how I feel about knotting. I think I'm still a cross stitcher through and through. I'm happy with how cross stitch looks. The knotted finish, hmmm, the jury is still out on this one. I have another project that I picked up which I think I will enjoy working on. I do really want to get back to working on some of my outstanding cross projects. Next up... who knows!! Maybe I'll start a new one just to live dangerously, maybe I'll get back to St Petersburg the UFO from heck!

Little Miss Suzie Homemaker

I've been working on a couple of my projects in between riding my bike and working. Now that my back is feeling better I've been doing various sporting activities so I'm usually too tired to stitch in the evening. But I do try to get some stitching in at lunchtime and in the mornings. And TA DA....
I'm so close to finishing this knotwork piece! Only a little more to go and I can get it all finished. It's going to be on a seagrass basket that Theresa Layman gave us when we took her class at the March 2009 Stitching Friends Retreat that my LNS put on. It wa great learning how to do the Colonial Knot better and getting some tips on French Knots also!

I've also been working on my very first real garden (as opposed to a couple of bulbed crammed in the ground). I put four flats of annuals in yesterday in about three hours. I woke up this morning with gardener's shoulder ;-). It seems to have worked itself out however!
I'm hoping we don't get another frost this year. We've been known to get frosts in June. There's only been one month of the year, I think August, in which it hasn't ever snowed in recorded history here in Central New York. I don't know if I'll be able to handle covering the plants, but here to hoping!

During my morning sessions I've been working Nova, the canvasswork project that I hope to complete this century. I'm really enjoying all of the different little pattern. Each of the variations is interesting. This is going to be an awesome peice when I get it finished.I finished the entire top row. There are 18 blocks across. I think it goes down to "V" on the side. I can't remember right off hand though ;-). Maybe I'll spend some time working on this one tonight... I am hoping to get this one and the knotwork ones done so I can get back to cross stitching. I'm feeling like I'm cheating on my cross stitch projects. Bad stitching whore that I am!