Round Three and Stash Musings

I think my colour choices for this month's Round in Circles definitely shows a longing for blue skies and fluffy clouds - something seriously lacking in our weather at the moment!

 

I don't very often use hand dyed fabric for Hardanger, something about having to cut parts of it away just seems to go against the grain with me!  I've used 28ct Lugana in In the Clouds by the now long gone Sugar Maple Fabrics, #8 and #12 white DMC perles, three colours of PTB and two different sizes and colour of MH beads.  It was lovely to stitch something other than crosses and now I'm back working on Cinderella - once the stitching is mainly completed on her I might treat myself to a new start!

 

Speaking of new starts, was anyone else like me and told themselves that they would under no circumstances peek at any of the new releases from the Nashville TNNA Market - but then their curiosity got the better of them and they couldn't help themselves!?  So many gorgeous new releases from Gigi R, Plum Street Samplers, Cottage House Samplings, Nikyscreations, and The Scarlett House to name a few!  French Woolens has made it right to the top of my list so I expect as soon as Karla at The Patchwork Rabbit gets that one in it will find its way into my shopping basket!

 

After stitching from stash for just about the whole of last year, I now find it surprisingly difficult to add to my stash at all, not a surprise where charts are concerned as I was never one for collecting those - but the prospect of new threads just doesn't have the same effect anymore!  This last week though I did purchase my first new pattern in over a year, because when you have the rest of a set you have to buy new additions :).  I'm really hoping that Ambra releases a pattern for my favourite artist Henri Matisse one day!  I have great plans for this little set that will require a bit of planning, playing and experimenting, maybe they will make good summer projects for this year.

 

I also signed up for Abi Gurden's latest SAL, Seasons Sampler (despite it being a semi mystery design) over on the Yahoo Stitch Specialist Group.  Me being me, I won't start it until I have all the parts towards the end of the year even thought the first part has already been released.

 

The other reason why I probably won't go mad on new charts is that as well as having the full set of GOSM, I now have the full set of SANQ after ordering the 1991 - 2000 DVD:

 

 

There have been lists a plenty made of designs that I want to stitch from them, which has the knock on effect of me wanting to get on and finish my current WIPs so that I can start on something new. 

 

Last but by no means least, I had an email a few weeks ago from a stitcher that had been looking through my Pinterest Stitching Wishlist.  She had contacted me as she had seen a chart on my list that she had in her stash and knew she would never stitch and wanted to know if I would like it - so of course I said yes please!  I was very happy when this dropped through my letterbox, especially as it had become hard to find in the UK:

 

 

Huge thank you to that stitcher for her kindness and generosity!  I'm currently in the process of choosing threads for it, with only three colours required you would think it would be easy, but with so many gorgeous shades of hand dyed red thread available you'd be surprised lol!

 

That will probably be it from me until the end of the month, when hopefully I will have something worth showing in the way of progress on Cinderella!

 

Happy Stitching!