Mulberries and Magi

I know I really don't need to be starting new projects, but - I did it anyway.
Well, technically, I already had the three little hearts stitched, so it's not a new start! That counts, right? It's a UFO!
This is 'Shaker Mulberry Tree' from a very old cross stitch magazine (I can't remembe which, because I had to make the pattern much bigger to be able to see it, but it's old enough that the pattern symbols are hand-drawn) The original was done on cream aida, but I decided to stitch it on 28-ct Annabelle. The fabric didn't have a name, but obviously, it's pink.
^__^

One tree down, one tree, a house, and an alphabet to go!

Now for my other start - and this one, I can't claim as a UFO. But it still had to be started!!!
About three years ago - yes, it was 2005, I was in Wal-Mart a few days after Christmas and saw some 5x7 kits on clearance. There were 7 or 8 different ones, and I, being me, bought them all.
I stitched His Kingdom in 2006, and A Savior is Born in 2007, and I just realized that if I'm gonna stick with my little tradition and stitch one in 2008, I'd better get to it!

Out of the kits I have left, there's a nice simple one of a white church in a field with a few trees around it. I could get that done easy, right? Right! So, let's stitch it, right? Wrong! I decided on a nice, complicated one of the Magi presenting their gifts. Hey, it wasn't the most complicated one left! I exercised a tiny bit of restraint!
And here's my start on it: A floating turban and a purple triangle. Go me!

Oh, I also feel the need to tell on myself, for some reason:

I was watching a movie with my sis today - well, she was watching, I was working on Vash (I'm down to 5 colors!) and I cut my floss, marked my pattern, found the next stitches I needed to do - and then I started looking for my needle.
I couldn't find it. It wasn't stuck in the couch arm - yes, I do that - it wasn't neatly in a corner of the fabric, I didn't see it in the floor or on my lap. So I start getting a bit frantic, and tossing cushions and my lap blanket around. About this time, I notice my sis staring at my like I'm crazy.

'what?' I say.

'what are you doing?!' she says

'I lost my needle!' I say. 'Help me find it - you don't want it in your foot or your bum, do you?'

'You mean the needle with the ten inches of bright blue floss in it?' she says

'yes,' I say

'the one you're holding in the corner of your mouth?' she says.

'yes,' I say, very quietly, and go back to stitching.

...

x_x a genius I am not.

UFO Progress!

I've been working on one of my oldest UFO's this week - how shocking is that? - and I've really made some good progress, I think! The pattern is of Vash the Stampede, the main character in the anime 'Trigun'. It's a computer-genereated pattern that I made myself. 'Cause, really, where are you gonna get anime patterns? Well, except for that freebie site listed over to the left, of course! But they weren't around 3 years ago when I made this.
Here's what he'll look like - the first CG pattern I ever did!
So I stitched on him steadily for several months, and he was really looking good! Then I got distracted by other patterns.
Which happens to me a lot.
Anyway, now I've picked him back up, and out of 23 colors in the pattern, I'm offically done with 10! All the white has been stitched, which was a major chunk of that gun!
He no longer fits on my scanner, so here's his lovely completed left side:

And his not-so-lovely, not completed right side. It picked up a bit of green from the hoop because I scanned it still in that hoop. Bad me.
So I'm really really really close to a happy dance with him! Which brings up a little problem - my brother really wants him!

And so does my new brother-in-law.

...ya know, I think I'll just keep him!

Other stitching stuff - I've bitten the bullet, so to speak, and picked up knitting again. I'm having to learn from books, because there is not one single person around here who knits. No one. So it's going really slowly. And doesn't look wonderful. And as soon as I find my camera cable, I'll show it to you! Why should I suffer alone?

^___^

~ I wanted to thank Jennifer for commenting on my last post - I adore your patterns, you know! They are an absolute delight to stitch from! As soon as I get the Wedding one done, I'm pulling out my poor neglected Gardener's Prayer.

Thanks to Trixie, too! for the nice complement on my sister's necklace! I was thinking of making a few of those for etsy, if I ever remember to actually sit down and make them... ^^'

Fantasy Wedding Blessing

Here's what my sis *was* getting for her wedding, before she decided not to go with the caterer-church-florist and to get married at home.
Which meant me, my mom, and my aunt did everything and I didn't have time to finish this, even though - for once - I started with plenty! Hopefully, the pics will be clickable. Blogger doesn't always cooperate with me.
Fantasy Wedding Blessing from Dragon Dreams
Progress before my sister asked me to do the decorations, food, etc:

Done on fabric that I hand-dyed myself. Border colors darkened because the originals looked too faded on this, and the flower colors changed to match my sister's wedding color, purple. Metallics changed from gold to silver.

Progress done now:

And in case the evil no-clicky-picture thing happens again, you can see them here

GtM and a bitty finish

Here's my current progress on 'Going to Market'. It's suppossed to be my mum's Christmas present, but we'll see how that works out! I rarely get prezzies done in time.
Gah! Hoop marks!
^____^

And here's a bitty little thing I did for my smiley-face collection:

I don't remember the company, but it was just a little beginner's kit, anyway. Didn't take very long at all.

My Finished Puppy!

So - I finished this pretty back when I wasn't posting - thought I'd share!


Didn't it come out cute?


My first time doing cording and couching. I think I may have done tassels once before, but I can't remember.


oh well.


This was a 5x7 Sunset 'Jiffy' kit, done for my gran who has a dog almost just like this. I'll be giving it to her in a few days; I'll get a pic of the real puppy then.

I think you should be able to click on it to see it bigger, if not, then you can see it here