No finishes..BUT New start

Oops! Sorry I'm late in blogging this time. Hasn't the weather been awful?? You'd never think that it was June. My DH and I went off for a weekend visit to my sisters and while we were there on their local news it showed pictures of SNOW on Snowdon (Wales). Now I know it's a mountain but come on it's supposed to be Summer. The weather was very changeable while we were there,-- rain coming down in a vertical downpour to occasional sun (very occasional). Despite the weather my DH was off on the golfcourse. On the last day that we were there he was up at 5.00am to get a game of golf, that's because the local weather forecast said' RAIN LATER IN THE DAY' so obviously to avoid this he woke the birds up.

As usual while at my sisters I take a selection of stitching to do. I took Kuihugura (Looking Back) and had convinced myself that I'd get her finished this time. Although I supposed if I had really tried I may well have done that. I let my self begin something new. So first of all here's my pic of Kuihugura

I enjoy doing this one as I like the way the colours are used in the sky. There definitely isn't that much left to do.

I also did a little on my Jim Shore Snowman. This was harder as I had a visitation from the frogs as I discovered that some I had previous stitched I had quite happily miscounted so out it had to come. Then I found I had done another section in the wrong colour as well. Oh horror of horrors... not more frogs. I put it all right and added a little so this is how it's looking now.

I 've treated myself to a new magnifier. I have the type that 's by Daylight company (I think they're called) but often find that the arm length of the magnifier could do with being a little longer but when I go to stop over at my son's the light isn't really good enough to sew by.....so enter the 'Optus' . It's quite neat I can use it by a spring clip that attaches it to a sewing hoop or on the top or side of a hand held frame or as I've got it shown in the photo it has little side arms that can be pulled out so that it becomes a free-standing 'glass', it also has two LED lights in it so it lights the part you are stitching on. If you look carefully at the photo I've put two marbles near it to give you an idea of the size. I took it with me to my son's this week and for once I can now stitch in the evening.

I have finished all the 'Castles in the Air' down loads but haven't taken a photo as I'd rolled it up to the top again to check that I had done all the beading ,back-stitching etc. and as I think that the last download , which is due this month, will feature somewhere at the top I left it ready.!!

Agneatha is coming along quite well now and I am almost to the right hand side. When I get there it'll give me that impetous to move on with it more. I've still not done any more backstitching on it though. (Ugh)

Now to my new start. I was talked into this by my DS!!!!! (Honestly) It's Just Nan's 'Counting Bats'. I have used the Frenzy fabric which I purchased from Silver Needle as I could not find it anywhere in the UK. I'm glad I took the trouble to search for the fabric as I think it adds something to it. I had hoped to get a little more done than I have but owing to a slight accident I've had I daren't stitch anything at the moment. Never-the-less here's the pic. of it as it looks at the moment.

Now to my accident or perhaps mishap is a better word.....How many of you have tried Ty-Dyeing???? I was asked by my elder son if I could help them out by dyeing two T-shirt for them for the District Scout Camp that the family's going on this weekend. I 'm still not sure why I 'fell' for this ploy but I said OK. They'd bought the 'kit' I went off and got the T-shirts and set about doing it with my grandchildren out on the lawn. This was because I thought it would be the safest place to do it. Just one big problem all set up when it started to rain. Dust sheets to hand we transferred our effort to the conservatory I had the shirt soaking in the powder as per instructions while we set about mixing the colours. What a nightmare! a spoon of powdered dye in to the neck of a bottle that it doesn't fit into and it seems to everywhere.Of course when I told my DH about this he said he would have made a funnel out of paper to solve the problem (Where are these ideas when you want them) Must admit you are supplied with 'rubber' gloves as you are told THIS WILL STAIN. Great if all's just OK. The gloves had holes in the fingers.!!!! When we had done the 2 shirts (that seemed like twenty) the grandchildren all had fingers in various degrees of colour and my hands, being the one's considered to be least important were a mix of dark purple and greens with touches of red/orange. I can tell you that when my son saw my hands his comment was ...wait for it...' What in the world have you been doing? It's supposed to be a children's kit with adult help!!!' Need I say more?? Consequently this greenhanded date for the Incredible Hulk isn't stitching at the moment in case any of the dye comes off onto my threads etc. It isn't quite as bad now as I have scrubbed my hands with an inch of their life. I daren't tell you the mix of stuff I've tried to try and get back to normal hand colour. So instead I'm reading a book by Fidelis Morgan 'The Ambitious Stepmother'..... and washing my hands every half hour!!!!.

BREAKING NEWS: We've picked (and eaten) our first strawberry of the season. It was good here's looking forward to many more.

Well there we go until next time. Hope for some Happy Dances soon. Hope you all have a good stitching time. Thanks for your kind comments.

Blog to you all again soon......