First of all, I would like to say that while I’ve been avoiding knitting like the plague for months and months, I spent some serious time this weekend tracking down my needles and making a spreadsheet of outstanding projects. I also knit an entire five rows of what might end up being a felted potholder. Not much, I know, but it was a huge mental hurdle for me to clear, and I’m very pleased I did. Now I look at my yarn and feel happiness rather than dread. Hurrah!

While I was organizing some of my knitting stuff (I need bigger plastic bags to store and separate my yarn), I also decided to clear out and repurpose a basket to keep next to the couch for current projects. Right now, it mostly consists of needlework stuff, my tiny knitting project, and my sketchbook. Looking at the things I have was really inspiring and I spent a fair few hours this weekend on projects. I thought I’d share some pictures, and not just so you can see my hideous hand-me-down couch.

First, the project I’m putting the most time into right now: The Baltimore Beauty blackwork chart from The Gift of Stitching magazine. I really like this magazine, which is purely digital; I find a higher percentage of the projects are very appealing to me versus magazines like Just Cross Stitch. I had purchased a number of the back issues and today got a regular yearly subscription, and now have the issues neatly stored on my external (blue!) hard drive.

At any rate, here it is; it’s stitched in some variegated silk from Hand-Dyed Fibers on some 28ct cotton from JoAnn Fabrics. I really need at least a small stash of linen, and that’s one of my allowed purchases for the fall, since I have really been enjoying needlework. It must be said that when viewed not in a macro photo, the holes in the fabric are far less obvious.

Next up, the WIP-basket, in case you were interested. On the bottom are my knitting needles and some accessories; my Art Bin with HDF floss; yarn for the potholder; then a mesh bag which I use to keep my project on Q-Snaps along with some floss and its chart. Behind is my sketchbook, paper linen from Hand-Dyed Fibers, and in back a copy of Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly featuring a GORGEOUS crewelwork stitching purse. That was a gift from someone on the HDF forums, and a wonderful one at that.

And finally, some of my tiny, tiny stash of HDF silks. From top to bottom, I believe they are:

  • Examplar Blueberry Soup
  • Examplar Cocoa Bear
  • Paua Abalone
  • Hemlock 3111
  • Nile Blue 2425
  • Bird Feathers 4103
  • Variegated pink (a forum points spool; used in Baltimore Beauty)
  • Earth Dragon
  • Variegated green (another forum points spool, also used in Baltimore Beauty)
  • A variegated dark blue/green single stranded premium (forum points again)
  • On the right, skeins of Pressed Petals and Nile Blue 2421.

Doesn’t that just make you want to stitch something?

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