Cross stitching weekend with lovely like-minded people :)

I spent the last weekend with the greatest people. I was at Ikaalinen with 20+ other stitching friends having a great stitching weekend arranged by Violarium. I knew some of them before and others I had met here in the blogging world.

I am happy with the stitching that I got done eventhough I felt like most of the time I was laughing so hard I couldn't stitch at all. :D I took some of my Crazy january Challenge projects with me and I got two stitched, one finished and one has a lot more stitches in it.

My fourth Crazy stitching was Brooke's Books' freebie Stitchie Witchie and I got all the stitching done.

My third Crazy stitching was Pelin Tezer's freebie "Zeugma - A Bookmark for Mom" and I got all the stitching done and finished this as a bookmark with lace.

Tralala's "Moutons de saisons" series, the spring, got a few more stitches in it. I had stitched only a small part of the border berfore so I am happy with how much I stitched. 

On Saturday morning I heard that my friend Ritva, who was also there at the stitcher's weekend, had her birthday on Saturday! I wanted to make something for her and I stitched this minibiscornu for her using linen fabric and Atalie's thread called Cedre. The chart is a part from Jardin Privét's chart Mini Quakers. It took me a couple of hours to stitch and finish and I gave it to Ritva on Saturday afternoon. Luckily she was sitting on the other end of the table so she couldn't see what I was stitching. :) 

We received surprise envelopes from Violarium. The envelopes were waiting us on our beds and of course I had to open it right a way. :) These lovely things were inside:

We also had the Violarium shop open during the weekend. The shop was open all the time that Lennu from Violarium was awake so we could buy lovely things when ever we felt like it. And we did feel like it quite a lot. :D I bought two Nimuë charts, more Atalie's threads, linen band, laced zippers and ribbons. Thank you Lennu for keeping the shop open until the late hours of the day. :)

Here is my place at the table. My projects and my snacks. :) And other picture is taken from the end of our table. There was also another long table full of stitchers and one smaller too.

Crazy January Challenge, all the new wips

All the fifteen new wips are now started and it's time to move on. Before that a little report of my Crazy January Challenge 2011 projects.  I started to stitch four freebies, two Little House Needleworks charts, five Tralalas, two Christmas ornaments from the JCS Christmas Ornaments 2011 magazine, one Jardin Prive and one Lizzie Kate chart. Many different styles just for the change and because I like so many different styles. :) It's the same with music, almost everything goes except for most of the Finnish folk music, the heaviest heavy music and too confusing arrangements. I got two ready and one of those also finished. It may tell you something about my compulsive stashing that I only bought four Atalie threads and one DMC thread for my sheep charts. All the fabrics, charts and the rest of the threads are from my stash and there is still loads of stuff in that very same stash... :D

 1) Little House Needleworks "Pumpkins 4-Sale"
2) Mausimom's freebie "Japan Girl"

3) Pelin Tezer freebie "Zeugma - A Bookmark for Mom"

4) Brooke's Books freebie Stitchie Witchie

5) Victoria Sampler Designs "Christmas Robin" (Just Cross Stitch magazine, Christmas Ornaments)

6) Jardin Privé "Moment de Calme"

7) Lizzie Kate "Tea Crazy"

8) Little House Needleworks "Nature's Beauty"

9-12) Collection Tralala "Moutons de saisons: Automne, Hiver, Printemps & Été"

13) Cosmic Handmade freebie "SomeBunny"

14) La-D-Da " 'Tis Red" (Just Cross Stitch magazine, Christmas Ornaments)
15) Tralala Collection "Demoiselle d'Halloween"

 

Crazy January Challenge 15/15 "Demoiselle d'Halloween"

Today I started my last start for the Crazy January Challenge 2011. It has been so much fun but I also think it will be fun to finish all these projects I've started.  This challenge has given me my stitching mojo back. Last year I didn't feel like stitching, knitting or anything much and this has given me a good kick start for the year 2011. Thank you Minna for the great idea! :)

Chart: Tralala Collection "Demoiselle d'Halloween"

Fabric: 40ct Newcastle linen

Stitched with one thread over one

Crazy January Challenge 14/15 " 'Tis Red"

For the second to last chart for  the Crazy January Challenge 2011 I chose a small chart and one colour. The chart is from the Just Cross Stitch magazine's Christmas Ornaments 2010 issue. The size of the whole stitching is going to be just a bit over 5cm.

 Chart: Just Cross Stitch, Christmas Ornaments - La-D-Da " 'Tis Red"

Fabric: Black 30ct linen

Stitched with one thread over one with Atalie's thread "Lie de vin"

Crazy January Challenge 13/15 "SomeBunny"

Only two starts left but then the real "work" starts when we continue stitching our crazy starts. Luckily we have the whole year to complete them. Today I was hit by a bunny boom. I thank my blog friend from the blog Sisiliskokset since I helped her to find bunny charts and then had to start one myself. :D Also I noticed that I am stuck with stitching with one thread over one. It just makes everything so pretty. This time I started to stitch the main character right away, I've had enough of stitching borders for a while. ;)

Chart: Cosmic Handmade freebie "SomeBunny"

Fabric: 25ct white evenweave
Stitched with one thread over one

Crazy January Challenge 12/15 "Moutons de saisons: Été"

Today I started the last one of the seasonal sheep patterns, the summer. I am quite pleased with how much I got done and I think I found my new favourite thread from Atalie. I liked the colour Rubis most before but the Lie de vin is now the one I love the best. The colours is soooo delicious. I also put some evidence that I did indeed start four charts and haven't just showed you the same bumpy edge for the past four days. ;)

Chart: Collection Tralala "Moutons de saisons: Été"

Fabric: 25ct Floba

Stitched with one thread over one

Crazy January Challenge 11/15 "Moutons de saisons: Printemps"

This might get a bit boring to watch since it's the third bumpy edge I show you! :D But this time is part of the spring sheep chart AND these are all stitched with different colours! :) You can see the autumn at the top, I started that on Sunday. I am stitching these in to a square on the same fabric.

Chart: Collection Tralala "Moutons de saisons: Printemps"

Fabric: 25ct Floba (surprise surprise! :D)

See the chart better at Violarium.

Stitched with one thread over one

Crazy January Challenge 10/15 "Moutons de saisons: Hiver"

Ten projects started, five to go. Only two are sure things, the final three will still be a mystery even to me. What in the earth will we do on Sunday when we don't have a new start ahead of us? Maybe we'll continue stitching our Crazy January Challenge charts. I might finish the bookmark I started on the day three. This has been so much fun starting all these new charts eventhough I have heard people calling us crazy. :) Well crazy or not but sure has been fun! Today I started another seasonal sheep chart, this time the winter. You can see my yesterday's start peeking from under the model picture.

Chart: Collection Tralala "Moutons de saisons: Hiver"

You can see the chart on Violarium.

Fabric: 25ct Floba

Stitched with one thread over one

Crazy January Challenge 9/15 "Moutons de saisons: Automne"

Today was my lazy day. I slept late and just relaxed ant took it easy today.  I got some stitching done, not a lot but start is a start even with one stitch. :) I started one of the Tralala's seasonal sheep patterns. I'll stitch them all on the same fabric and today I started the autumn.

Chart: Collection Tralala "Moutons de saisons: Automne"
See the chart here

Fabric: 25ct Floba

Stitched with one thread over one

Crazy January Challenge 8/15 "Nature's Beauty"

Today I started to stitch one of my favourite charts. I've had it quite some time but I've forgotten to stitch it! :) When I was looking through my charts for the CJC I came across this one and on to the list it went. At the beginning I had some trouble stitching since I was also wathing tv, reading blogs and listening to music = I made mistakes. :D Luckily I spotted the mistakes quickly so I didn't have to frog a lot.

Chart: Little House Needleworks "Nature's Beauty"

Fabric: Zweigart 40ct Newcastle linen

Stitched with two threads over two

I love this poem on the chart:

"I am humbled

by the beauty

of a flower

in the breeze

Surrounded by an orchestra

Of softly buzzing bees"

Crazy January Challenge 7/15 "Tea Crazy"

I started to stitch this on Friday night and wanted to get this ready too so that's why I didn't post before midnight. After taking a three hour nap after work I have energy to stay up late so I finished this. :) Saturday's start will have to wait until the sun rises.

I have wanted to stitch a tea themed chart for my tea jar and I like this Lizzie Kate chart called "Tea Crazy". I changed the chart a bit so it fitted to the side of the jar and changed the colours to ones that I like better.

Chart: Lizzie Kate's "Tea Crazy"

Fabric: 28ct Brittney evenweave

Stitched with two threads over two with

DMC's threads 300, 3348, 3350, 3354, 3364 and bright white.

Crazy January Challenge 6/15 "Moment de Calme"

I had some difficulties starting this since I couldn't decide whether to stitch it one over one or two over two threads. I chose one over one and now I am not sure it was the right decision since it has not been a joy to stitch for one reason or another. I like the chart and I like the colours so I guess if it starts to feel too bad to stitch this I'll start again two over two. Or maybe my mojo is missing today and everything will feel nicer tomorrow. :)

Chart: Jardin Privé "Moment de Calme"

Fabric: 28ct Cashel linen, colour: raw

Stitched with one thread over one

Crazy January Challenge 4/15 "Self portrait" ;) & TUSAL

As this challenge goes further I keep changing my list. And more and more of the charts are great freebies. I remembered this chart a couple of days ago and I just had to start it since it's like my "self portrait", a witch with a needle. :D Designer is Brooke's Books and you can download the chart if you are a member of a Yahoo Group "bbinteractive". But the chart says that it "may be reproduced for newsletter or handout but may not be kitted and sold" so if you want it but don't want to join the group I guess it's ok for me to email it to you.

 Chart: Brooke's Books freebie "Stitchie Witchie"

Fabric: 30ct handdyed linen (from Violarium)

Stitched with two thread over two

I also took part in Totally Useless Stitch-a-long or TUSAL. Here is my ort jar in this first new moon of the year. :)

Crazy January Challenge 3/15 "Zeugma"

Crazy January Challenge continues and I have to confess that for this third start I got an inspiration from Amalia from the blog Mummon kammarissa. :) She has started to stitch this and I just like this so much that I had to add it to my list too. I stitched about 60% of the chart this evening. 

Chart: Pelin Tezer freebie "Zeugma - A Bookmark for Mom"

Fabric: black 30ct linen

Stitched with two threads over two with DMC Colour Variations 4030
 

The colour looks very blue in the picture, the real colour is this one:

Crazy January Challenge 2/15 "Japan Girl"

Today I got a better start. And infact a finish too. :) I found this chart from Mausimom's Freebies and modified it a bit to make it look more like the real Kokeshi doll that I have.

Chart: Mausimom's freebies "Japan Girl"

Fabric: 32ct evenweave

Stitched with two over two threads.

Crazy January Challenge 1/15 "Pumpkins 4-Sale"

This is my first new start in Crazy January Challenge 2011. Not much I know but I hope I'll pick up the speed from now on as the party season is behind us. :)

Chart: Little House Needleworks "Pumpkins 4-Sale"

Fabric: Permin of Copenhagen 28ct linen, colour: Sandstone