For the first part of yesterday I was convinced it was today. Don’t you hate when that happens? You get all excited because you’re closer to Friday, well you think you are and then the rug is pulled out from under you and you’re a day behind, which you’re really not. Confusing, I know. That’s how I felt. Confused. Until my fellow Cozy Mystery Crew member, Tina, reminded me it was Tuesday. Once I got a grip on the day of the week I went on with my day, no harm, no foul, except maybe fellow Cozy Mystery Crew member, Libby’s brief moment of panic when she thought she’d messed up her schedule. Yeah, one of those mornings. Three cups of coffee morning. For sure.

Since the winter I’ve gravitated away from needlework. It happened slowly. My schedule kept getting filled with work and my evenings were spent reading so needlework just slipped away. Last week while on You Tube I came across a knitting vlog and then I decided to check out some FlossTube videos (I know, time suck but the break was needed) and I realized I missed knitting and stitching. I decided I needed to carve out a little time each day to do some needlework. Cross Stitch or knitting. I thought a perfect way to keep me honest and accountable was to post about my projects on a regular basis. Since I don’t work on multiple projects and it takes me forever to finish a project I’m thinking I’ll write Make Wednesday posts a couple times a month. For the first post, I thought I’d share some of my projects with you. And share a little bit about them. Ready?

Let’s start with a success! My first ever baby blanket I knitted in 2016 for our niece’s first born, Jackson. I came across the pattern while I was in a yarn shop in Massachusetts with my friend, fellow author Megan Ryder. She’s an advanced knitter, really advanced. I can hold my own with a knit or purl stitch, that’s about it. There was a baby blanket on display and it was soooo soft and pretty. Megan and the shop owner convinced me that I could knit the blanket, it was easy. I’d knit two yarns together on a circular needle. Easy, peasey, right? Not completely easy despite being a beginner project but I was able to finish it. Then I had to block it. Yeah, that was interesting but the blanket survived. Yay! And I was able to gift it to our niece. Looking back, I’m glad I tackled the project.

Next up is another knitting project – a hat. But this one was a failure. I loved the color of the yarn and the project was labeled at beginner. Unlike the blanket (I was spurred on by the success of the blanket to tackle the hat), it was a kit. All the yarn I needed, the correct sized needles and the pom-pom maker (I never got to make the pom-pom). Sounds like it should have been a homerun. Not even close. I finished the hat, sewed the seam and then tried it on. Ugh. It was too stretchy, unflattering and not cute like the picture on the website. That’s when I stashed my knitting needles away. It’s been months and I’m seriously thinking of pulling my knitting supplies out to try again. Maybe I’ll knit another blanket.

Now onto my counted cross stitch projects on linen. I don’t have many of them because it takes soooo long to stitch them and I’m not a binge stitcher. I grab ten minutes here and ten minutes there and at some point the sampler is finished. I haven’t framed these yet and I need to do that. I also need to press them. 🙂

This was the first counted cross stitch sampler I ever did. Up until then I’d stitched on Aida. I’d gone into a needlework shop and the owner talked me into trying linen and I’ve never looked back.  This project was very challenging because of it’s size but I was determined. I have no idea where the pattern is for this sampler so I don’t know the name of it or who designed the chart. I just love it. I stitched the sides of the fabric to help keep it from unraveling.

This sampler, also on linen, was was one I purchased online from a small needlework shop in Connecticut. Sadly,the shop has closed. The customer service was wonderful. While I don’t know where the chart for this project is now, I do have the other charts I purchased on my little shopping spree tucked away ready for me to stitch them someday.

This is my current project. I snapped this photo a few months ago. I’ve made some more progress since then. This is a four season row from Bent Creek. I’d like to have it finished by the end of summer.

There’s also a quilt top I made years ago. One day I’ll pull it out and take a photo and maybe one day I’ll finish it. 🙂 I think I like the relaxation and stress relief that comes with doing crafts and needleworks rather than the actual completion of  a project. Curled up on the sofa with some yarn or a piece of linen and stitching focuses my brain to stop thinking, to stop racing with ideas and snippets of dialogue. Hopefully in a couple weeks I’ll have an updated photo of my current cross stitch project.

Do you craft? Do you knit or stitch? What project are you currently working on?