The Travelling Pattern Is Ready To Move On!

Just a short while ago I was lucky to be selected by Julie of Julie's Stitchyknitter Journal to be the next recipient of one of the Travelling Patterns out there in the blogosphere.  I stitched it up in pretty quick order, and finished it up on Sunday

Here's what mine looks like all stitched up:

 Count Your Blessings

c2009 Shakespeare's Peddler

Stitched with: GAST where I had it DMC where I didn't

Stitched on 28ct Vintage Linen

If you would like to be the next Travelling Pattern stitcher there are a few rules that need to be adhered to :

1. Comment on this post saying you would like to be part of The Stitcherhood

2. By leaving the above comment you agree (if you are chosen) to stitch the design and send it along to the next person in a timely manner. If this means dropping everything in your rotation to concentrate on this project, so be it. If you cant bring yourself to do this don't sign up.

3. You must have an active blog to participate. if you have a blog but never post to it you wont be chosen to be the next stitcher.

4. This is a giveaway type traveling pattern. That means you must follow it from blogger to blogger to enter each time it is ready to send along. Commenting on this post doesn't make you a guaranteed part of The Stitcherhood.

This Travelling Pattern has been a quite a globe trotter and so far been stitched by:-

1. Sharon of its daffycat Oklahoma USA
2. Karen of Karens Handiwork, South Carolina USA
3. Patty of Hanging on by a thread, Florida USA
4. Terrri of chocolates for breakfast, stitching for lunch USA
5. Lynda of a cozy little place for stitching, Oregon USA
6. Nataly of Natalys needle creations, Massachusetts, USA
7. Erin of fairy tales and french knots, NY USA
8. Jo of Serendipititous stitching, Suffolk UK
9. Mouse of tales of a a stitching mouse, South Yorkshire UK
10. Sally of stitchyangels treasures, East Yorkshire UK
11. Lesleyanne of Lesleyannes life of stitches, Northamptonshire, UK
12. Michelle of stitchercraftplace, Staffordshire, UK
13. Kath of kaths stitching heaven, Barnsley, South Yorkshire UK
14. Christine of The Alchymyst's Study, Cornwall, UK
15. Kate of Kate's Flossbox, Tyne & Wear, UK
16. Julie of Julie's Stitcherknitter Journal, Leicester, UK
17 Dani Black Belt Stitching Wizard, Ontario, CAN

You have until Wednesday April 4th (one week) to leave a comment if you're interested

After I finished up the Travelling Pattern, I wanted a quick little Easter stitch.  I had received this little freebie from another blogger some time ago and thought it was the perfect little stitch.  Sorry its a crappy picture!

Prarie Schooler 2011 Freebie

Stitched with: DMC

Stitched on 28ct Black Jubilee

PhotoHunt - Spicy

This week's theme is: Spicy

I took this photo last year in the Dominican Republic while we were walking through a local "farmers market" in San Pedro de Macoris.  Don't these peppers just scream hot???

Special Gifts for Special Friends

Last May my oldest friend Andrew and his fiancee Yan had a little girl.  In the fall I stitched up a little something for their daughter Chelsey's room.  The last time I saw them in September, when they got married nither it or their wedding sampler were complete (life you know).  Earlier this week I had a chance to meet up with Andrew for dinner when he was in town for the day.  I made sure both pieces were framed and ready to go to him.

French Country Bear - JBW Designs

Two Shall Be As One - My Big Toe Designs

March TUSAL

Its the New Moon!  Which means its time for the Totally Useless Stitch Along!

Since Easter is just around the corner I thought Matilda would like to pose this month!  There's a lot of gold in there from Enchantment of Winter and a big wad of black from my Mandalas.

Spring Is Magical

We have had some wonderful weather for March!  Its been warm (up to 25c) and sunny!  I've actually had to turn on the A/C in my brand new car!  Wow! 

Last Friday when Christin and I drove down to Brighton we took the "scenic route" which I just love!  Its a scenic, hilly, curvy road!  A road any driver would love (if you're like me and love to drive!) to play on!  The night before it had rained quite heavily and with the warm, damp air, and the ice melting on the lakes its was incredibly picturesque, almost magical driving down.  I finally gave in to my inner artist that was screaming for me to stop and take pictures.  Which I did at several spots along the way... but I wish I had started stopping sooner, I missed some very pretty shots.

Here's some of my favourite shots from the drive. (click to biggify)

While we were at the Timberhouse on the weekend I spotted this lovely orchid and took a couple of shots of it as well.

Post IHSW Report

I definitely had lots of stitching time this weekend, and it was well used!  Here's the progress I made on all three projects this weekend.

Ink Circles - Seasonal Mandalas, I finished all the black outline on Winter

Shakespeare's Peddler - Count Your Blessings, finished all the red on the house

Gitta's - The Accolade, finished a row on my current page

Knowledge & Needles Timberhouse Retreat March 2012

I am so lucky that my favourite LNS (not so LNS for me) owner hosts three... count 'em three!  Retreats each year!  This will be our last one for awhile now, until November.  This was the tale end of my March Break and I look forward to it!

Christin and I drove down Friday morning, started by having a nice breakfast out and making stops along the way.  We arrived in the early afternoon.  Once we got all of our stuff inside the girls settled while I took advantage of the nice day and went out for a run first before settling in on my behind for the weekend.

Friday we stitched and ate into the night!  (Stitch, eat, sleep isn't our motto for no reason!)

Saturday afternoon we headed over to Ann's house where her husband Dan and his Maitre'd Fran had a lovely lunch prepared for us!

 Maitre'd Fran

Chef Dan explaining the menu

Our table settings with "loot bag"!

Dan preparing our plates 

Rebecca reading the menu

 Kathy, Carmen and Colleen chatting while they wait for lunch

Everyone enjoying lunch

 Paddie is saying "hello" to Sharon

Some people stayed behind to shop after lunch I was very restrained and bought one piece of fabric... just because it was pretty!

I'll let the pictures do the talking!

 This weekend was Ann's birthday was this weekend of course we celebrated  it with cake!

Kathy working on her gorgeous over one wolves!

Beatrice stitching away

Judie

L to R : Bonnie, Rebecca, Clare, Me, Chrsitin & front Beatrice we all started Ink Circles Seasonal Mandalas in January!

PhotoHunt : Play

This week's theme is PLAY!  I have the most perfect picture for it too!

I took this photo again while I was in the Dominican Republic in February at our beach day.  Here is one of the kids playing in the waves.  I just can't believe how PERFECTLY I caught this moment!!!

I am at retreat this weekend so I'll have lots of stitching progress (I hope) to share with you when I get back!

An Evening With "Ken"

When my Mum was ill last year, it took her awhile before she was willing to plan anything in advance or think too far ahead.  Awhile ago she heard that William Roache who plays "Ken Barlow" from Coronation Street was coming to Ottawa.  So we bought tickets and made plans!

We had a lovely evening out and William Roache was SOOO entertaining.  The cool thing I found out is that one of his son is an actor as well (actually both of them are) and his oldest many of us would recognize. His son Linus Roache was ADA Michael Cutter on Law & Order and he played Bruce Wayne's father in Batman Returns.  Who would of known?  Of course if you look at pictures of the two of them it makes sense!

Pre-IHSW Report & Retro PhotoHunt

This upcoming weekend is the IHSW... and I'm off to the Knowledge and Needles retreat, so not a lot of opportunities to hermit, but I have been hermitting a lot of this week while I've been on March Break.

I can see myself potentially working on three different projects this weekend and here's where they stand as of today.

The Accolade

Count Your Blessings

Seasonal Mandalas - Winter

Back on March 27, 2010 the PhotoHunt theme was Fresh

I came across this pot with tomatoes growing in it one summer when I was parked in a lot behind an apartment building.  I just love the character of the brick wall in contrast to the green plant!

Playing PhotoHunt Catch Up & A New Start

I haven't been playing nicely at all lately when it comes to the Saturday PhotoHunt, in fact I haven't played since February 4th.  So I've taken some time today, sat down at my computer and went through my photos to make up for the last 5 weeks!

Here's from latest to oldest...

Saturday March 10th - Symbolic

This is a photo of the henna tattoo I got on the beach when I was in the Dominican Republic a few weeks ago near the end of February.  I was there with a group of students, who I was taking on a Third World Experience.  "Together" became our motto on this trip, so we all decided to get the Spanish word for together "Juntos" as a temporary tattoo at the beach to symbolize this trip.

Saturday March 3rd - Drop

This picture I took in the fall over Thanksgiving Day Weekend.  Its a picture of the locks that connect the Rideau Canal to the Ottawa River downtown Ottawa... the Capital of Canada.  These sets of locks will drop a boat several levels to get down to the Ottawa River.

February 25th - Loud

This photo was taken this past summer at Ottawa Bluesfest, one of my favourite Canadian bands Billy Talent!  There's nothing much louder than a good rock concert!

February 18th - Point

This photo was taken at the end of July during our trip to Quebec City.  We were on the walls of Vieux Quebec.  You can just imagine Todd pointing and shouting "fire".

February 11th - Heart

This photo was taken last year in the Dominican Republic.  Nothing is more manly than a heart shaped lollipop!

On Monday I received one of the Travelling Patterns that is out there in Blogland from Julie, this pattern initially started out with Sharon (aka Daffycat).  Yesterday I got a small start on it, and took it with me to Tuesday Night Stitching (which I would like to start going to more often now that the better weather is here and I have a more reliable car!).  It was perfect to work on because I'm stitching it on 28ct and the light isn't the best at the church the Tuesday Stitchers meet at.