15 Minute Challenge and too much Cricket

 I've watched more cricket in the last couple of weeks than I ever had, mind you it has manly been just background noise while I knitted, sewed or crocheted.  Maestro is an avid fan, DH not so much but they  had tickets to the BBL this year.  Unfortunately because Maestro was a close contact after New Years  and then having to pick up extra shifts at work they only managed to go to one match.  Quite a number of matches were rescheduled due to Covid within the teams.    As we have some hot weather DH has even been watching the Ashes while trying to stay cool.  He's going to try and talk Maestro into not getting tickets next year and just watching it at home.  

Working from home has been fine, DH has worked out how to stay scarce while I work so I can do phone calls and get my hours done, after 2 years I have the working from home down pat now.  The boss is on leave at the moment we are still pretty quiet but things will ramp up pretty quickly in the next couple of weeks.  

I've started a new pair of socks (they have been unpicked twice) but I think I have them straight now.  Mo was going to wear her short socks the other day but has decided that the band needed to be longer but they would be ok for wearing around the house. I decided after my 2nd unpick to increase the length of the band.    I also picked up the book Happily Knitting Socks which has another heel option that I need to look into(see if I can find a video).  I'm trying a new heel with these colour work socks which is a bit scary but I love the look, you don't knit them until the end so fingers crossed they will turn out ok.  

I've been working on the stitchery, but I haven't been sleeping all that well lately so I haven't managed a lot in the evening but I'm slowly getting there.  I need to get Mo to work on the next one and think about how I'll frame this one.    

How has your week been.  Head to Kates to catch up with everyone.  

15 Minute Challenge and Another Burst of Heat

Its +40c today so I have been sitting on top of a fan to keep cool.  My babies have been babied, there are pillow slips over the 2 hanging baskets to keep them from burning and DH has been walking around with a watering can to keep everything alive (Oh to be retired).

Returning back to work after a month has been a bit of a shock to the system but we have been directed to working from home for the month of January due to the Covid situation so there will be no driving so that gives me an extra half our either end of the working day.  Yesterday I drove into work picked up files and came home.  The building was deserted so I was quite happy to return home to work I don't feel safe working there when non of the other tenants are in the building.  

I made another pair of socks this week.  That is good going on the year of sock but I am only planning on knitting 1 pair a month so I am ahead now.    No sewing but I did potter in my sewing room a bit, putting things away and working out some more yarn storage.  I might go back to the stitchery tonight.  

Mo finished up her retail job Sunday which is a relief one less chance to catch Covid.  She isn't due for her booster until the end of the month.  Maestro had a near miss but has tested negative which was a week of worry we didn't need.  I will be nagging him to get his booster over the next couple of weeks.

Stay safe and check out the 15 minute challenge at Kate's.  

15 Minute Challenge and Bunkering Down

Happy New Year to everyone.  We are just bunkering down, keeping going out to the minimum and hoping for the best that we don't catch this thing but it is pretty much everywhere now.  

Mo finally resigned from her retail and promptly got a couple of orders for some pottery, so she said it must be fate.  She has her final shifts this weekend.  She has been working on polymer clay earrings for her "market store".  I want her to make some things to be used a pin keeps but I need to source some suitable magnets to put on the back.  We have just come back from a flying visit to the art store for more clay and I get the feeling she is busy creating.

I finished a pair of socks yesterday and am toying with doing a year of socks .... don't ask me when I am going to fit that in but I like the idea of making stripy socks which will be my next sock adventure, though I have another sock half made that needs to be complete, that probably won't stop me starting the stripy sock set soon though.    

I have had a rest from my stitchery, I'm a bit worried that I might not be able to get the threads again in a timely manner.  Mo needs to do some more drawing for me for the next stitchery and I want to settle on some small motives.  I don't think the BOM will be starting for a while as the embroidery will take time to finish and it will be safer to have them all completed before heading into the piecing.  

Last years Quick Quilts are now finished the final quilt will be available till the end of January.  I am going to post today the Deer Folk Sampler Instructions.  If you have downloaded all the quick quilts you have all you need to finish your sampler.   I have decided to keep that free on the blog forever and I might see if I can maybe combine all the quick quilts into one entry on my shop later in the year.  

Here are my Christmas Babies.  I have always loved fuchsias but haven't really got a spot for them but I decided I couldn't live without them any longer.  We used to have lots in a big shade house at our first home. They are temporarily on our veranda and DH is going to build a shade house for their permanent home... one of his many retirement projects.  There is no rush I will just have to baby them for a bit, I must be doing something right because all but one has flower buds on it today I potted them all into bigger pots.  Can't wait to see what they look like, it was a mystery batch of doubles.  Expect more update photos in the future.

Kate has started the 15 minute challenge again this year, its a great way to keep your creative stitching going and I'll be joining in again this year.  


 

15 Minute Challenge and a Merry Christmas to All

 We had a very quiet and calm Christmas it was just the kids and us and it was probably the most enjoyable Christmas day we have had in a long time.  We are in a major covid spike here in the state, we have been free of the virus for most of the year and pretty much leading a non pandemic life style.  The state government decided to open up in December and of course Omicron has hit and testing centres can't cope with it I guess it is only a matter of time before hospital are struggling.   I managed to get booster shots booked for my hubby and me, he went yesterday and I go tomorrow.  The kids won't be due till next month but that may change in the next few days as the government keeps changing its mind about what they doing with booster eligibility.  

Mo is working a quite a bit this week which is a worry but there weren't many shoppers on Boxing Day, I think people are too scared to go out.  

I have been working on next years BOM, late last week the delivery of threads arrived.  I'm going to have to order more but all 4 threads to blend quite nicely with the fabrics.  

Mo and her boyfriend spent Christmas Eve making their annual gingerbread house.  I told her to just give it to his family as we don't eat it and just pick off the lollies every year.  Unfortunately it fell apart just after she took the picture, I'm pretty sure it is the best one they have done to date.

Below is the teapot she made for him for Christmas. The Art Society where she gets her pottery fired is pretty impressed with what she has been making.   She is working on another sculptured piece at the moment, I think it is a reef scene on a plant pot which I'm not sure if I am allowed to see yet.    Hopefully next year she will make enough to sell.  

Well that's it from me for the week round up.  Hopefully you all had a lovely Christmas and we are looking forward to a better 2022 but not really seeing it happening.  

Head to Kates to see how everyone is going.  

15 Minute Challenge and Trying to find Some Christmas Spirit

 I can't say I am over Christmas I just don't feel excited about it this year.  Mo and I headed to the city for a dentist appointment last week and she had a bit of shopping to do which luckily we were able to complete pretty quickly and head back home.  Will be getting up early later in the week so that I can avoid crowded shops for the final food shop before Christmas day.  

All the sewing this week has been Christmas gifts which I can't show.  I've also done another Asterales block and have another one started another.  

Maestro was heading out with some friends yesterday, it was his flatmate's birthday, the only time I get decent pictures are when they appear on his instagram.  At least he has his mullet tamed in this one.  

Hope you all have a lovely Christmas.  Head to Kates to see how everyone is meeting the challenge.  

15 Minute Challenge and Holidays

Yesterday was the first official day of my holidays and I forgot what day it was and so my usual blog post is late.  

DH has been a bit unwell the last few weeks and he finally went to the Dr because he was too busy with finishing up work GRRRR.  The Dr suspects Diverticulitis and has put him on antibiotics and sent him for blood tests and  a cat-scan yesterday but he can't get back to the drs until next week more grrrrr.  Although I think he is worried about it it isn't stopping him from doing stuff though he has to be careful what and how much he eats at the moment.

Mo got all her results back and she got HD's for all her subjects so I think she has pretty chuffed.  

I worked on a colour pallet for my next BOM, Mo is going to do me some sketches for some stitcheries and it will include applique and piecing.  I have simplified her first sketch and I am pretty happy with it, and once I get the threads I ordered I will start working on the first block. 

This week I have worked on some crochet the first block I finished last night so it will probably count in next week's tally for the challenge.  I haven't crocheted in a while so luckily this pattern came with a video so I got to jog my memory with some visual aid. 

I finished another cryptid monster and have started working on the next one and did a bit more of my blackbird design one.  I might need to start using a hoop for this cross stitch as the piece of linen is quite large and I am struggling with not having enough hands to stitch it at the moment.  

Today's task will be to start working on pressies for the girls we haven't scheduled a Christmas get together yet so I think it will happen in January but that is ok.  

Also I'm having a sale in my etsy Shop so if there are any patterns you need we have 25% off and if you are in Australia and need a last minute gift my finished items have free upgrade to Express postage from now until Christmas. 

Its a 7 out of 7 week for me.  Check in with Kate to see how everyone is going in the challenge.   

15 Minute Challenge and an Ending to a New Beginning

DH effectively retired on Tuesday, his last offical day is 31/12 but he's taking leave until the finish date so  he is done.  I have one more week and then I will be on leave for a month so it will be like he is on holidays for a while.  

Last week was also our Wedding Anniversary so we ran a few errands in the morning and then went out to lunch at a pub a couple of beaches away.  

On the weekend I knocked up a couple of cross stitch project bags to try and contain some of my projects. I think I need a couple more for another couple of projects that I have floating around.  I plan to make a couple of smaller pouches to store my threads within the bags.  

I asked Mo to do some sketches for me for and idea I had for next years BOM she has given them to me but I think they might become a smaller project.  I need to get some thread inspiration before I can start.     

I'm on the home stretch on a pair of socks and the cryptid cross stitch is a bit behind again as I have had to do some unstitching on the border of my next monster but there has been a tiny bit of progress.  

It was a 7 out of 7 week so all good on the sewing front.  

Head to Kate's to see how everyone is going.