BIG DAY

Tomorrow is going to be a big day for me. I have been waiting for this moment for the past one or so year. Things have become unbearable and I had to make the move. I will tell you all about it tomorrow............

LOVE GROWS

....is my latest finish. A design by Michelle M. Lash of Brittercup Designs fom Just Cross Stitch Magazine issue June 2005.

It was stitched on 32ct evenweave over 2 with 1 strand. It look a bit bare but I like it anyway.

I am now stitching the alphabet sampler and hope to finish that before the year ends.

BUZZ RR UPDATE

I am nearly finished with the RR. Only has the backstitching to be done. I have been bad. Thankfully Nik is busy these days; I am buying a little bit more time. I had to blame it on my health. I had fever recently and shortly after that gone away; I had an allergy attack. I was not sure what cause the rashes but the most suspicious food item I had was "udang galah". It was last week and I thought it had gone for good but sadly it came back last night and I couldn't sleep because of the itch. Lack of sleep coupled with sore throat, rashes and flu, I just had to call for sick leave. I went to work in the morning, went to fetch my children from school and then slept all afternoon after a dose of panadol. I am still feeling unwell even after my maid gave me a good back massage.

TATTERS MEET 16.09.2006

That was the first ever meet organised by MY_ShuttlesandNeedles (MYSN). It was great fun. We all learnt different tehcniques with our generous teacher; Faizon. Thank you teacher! I was supposed to try my hands on tatting with beads. Had all the beads ready threaded at the shuttle and the ball but did not bring along the pattern. Did not ever print it; a misunderstanding on the instructions given by Faizon. I learnt split ring and split chain instead and hopefully I can come up with something soon. I am planning to join the 25 motifs challenge and I better be fast. Faizon has tatted 8 so far and I am yet to start any.

BLOG FACELIFT

I spent 3 hours just to have this facelift but it's all worth it. I learn something new everytime I change the blog template. I hope you'll like it!

PINK EXCHANGE

I am going to give this away to my partner in an exchange. I hope she will not find out until she receives it. I don't think she reads my blog, that's why I dare to post the picture here. I am supposed to stitch something in pink and I was running out of time. The mailing date was 15th August. Then I remembered this pink hardanger flower. It is just appropriate for the exchange even though it is larger than the required size. I hope she'd like it!

TATTING LAGIK..........

Here is my progress on tatting with 2 shuttles :


  



I think there is a typo on the instruction for the exercise on ring 4 (right one in the photo). The instruction reads 4+4-4-4 that resulted in the ones I tatted above. But when I look at the picture of Teacher Faizon's tatted pattern it looks like 4-4+4-4 i.e the joining is at picot no 2. I will try again tonight and see whether I am right.

Anyway, I had a good lesson on tatting yesterday. In all excitement of tatting, we forgot to buy Teacher Faizon a drink! Malunya! Well, I will have to make up for that the next time I see her. Hopefully this coming Wednesday, if she's free.

Teacher & I were having a hard time squeezing into the packed commuter train on the way back home. It was like a riding on a bus mini with the KTM staff shouting "masuk - masuk, masuk dalam lagi, belakang masih kosong!". Ha..ha...I wish I had driven there.

Earlier before I went to the class at KL sentral, I went to Ikea and bought myself a corner table for half the price. Ikea was having a sale. I reorganise my stitching room and hopefully I will utilise the room more often.

MORE TATTING UPDATES

  


From left to right : Conifers, inner rings/chains of bookmark homework, bookmark

I finished the conifers in a few hours spread over 2 days. It was a fun project as it was my first tatting using thread from the ball.

I started on the bookmark home work on Thursday, finished the inner part last night but had wrongly cut the threads ends. See that the chain/ring unravel. I gave up.

In frustration, I started my own project using a chart from a site referred by Teacher Faizon. Everything went well but some stitches were not flipped correctly at the tail portion. I could not tidy up the stitches - it looks ugly! Anyway since I as too far gone so I decided to finish up the bookmark but managed to make another mistake in the last ring!

Now, I better get back to my XS starting tonight. My WIPs are screaming at me!

TATTING UPDATE

Here is my completed homework :



  


I am beginning to like tatting. My XS is still my 1st love though. Will post more update soon!

TATTING ANYONE???

I just can't resist this craft when I join Azie for her tatting class with Faizon. I had to try it just to test my fingers. I was so happy that I manage to flip and flap. I wanted to go to Yee the next day and invited teacher Faizon as well as Jo to come along. See what I bought for my tatting and if you see at the side there is my test tatted piece:


  


But I have to slow down as I have an RR commitment with Wendy & Nik. I finished Wendy's :


  

  

MY GRANDMOTHER

I used to live with her when I was 3 until 12. Life was difficult then, my parents decided to let me stay with Nyai (that is what we call her - grnadma in javanese) when I requested so. I was so adamant to leave my parents and followed her home. I was brought up by Nyai and my Uncles & aunties. They were all grown up so I had all the attention I was looking for. They spoilt me rotten with what little they had. I did not learn to ride the bicycle until I was 10. Nyai or my auntie or uncle would send me to school riding on the bicycle. And the school was 2 miles to and fro. I had to leave Nyai when I was accepted to attend a boarding school in Kuantan. She is now in her 80's and still going strong despite her worsening vision. I love you Nyai!



  

MY PRINCESS

I just can resist posting these photos in this blog. My dear daughter is turning 4 this coming August. How time flies............



Ain having her first hair cut


  


Ain posing for the camera...


  


....UUUUU.......



  

IT'S BEEN A WHILE

............since I last updated my blog. Here are my latest progresses & projects :



  

  

  

  




  

  

BUZZ RR

Buzz...buzzz.....I am feeling very guilty. The deadline was 1st May 2006 and I am 2 weeks behind. Shame on me. Blame it to my mother's visit, our alumni reunion meeting and my kids but myself.

I have completed my square :





















And I was very confident to finish the border for the 3rd square this evening and send the RR to the next person and............as I was happily stitching the outline away and whattt???? I miscalculated one of the sides and the lines did not meet at the corner! See this :

Now I have to frog the border (again!) and SMS'ed my partner that I couldn't make it tonight. I feel very bad..................Sorry Nik!

P/S - Can you spot the mistake?

ALL FRAMED UP

They are all hubby's :




Except this one :


Finished my LK Blocks at last but still need to stitch the border before sending it to framer. I completed it 3 weeks ago but never seem to find the time to update my blog.



My Buzz RR, nearly complete but I am already 2 weeks behind. My partners must be really mad at me!


And lastly Hubby's latest finishes :

MOTHER'S DAY

This year is the most memorable one. My eldest wrote me a poem. I was really touched. The poem may not make much sense but the fact the he tried makes me a real proud Mak. I love you Afif!

Dear Mak,
You make me smile everyday
Even if you are miles away
I have lots to say

But I don't have the spirits to say
I'm sorry I have let you be astray

You care a lot to me
You will never fade from me

You make me happy, you make me sad
But least of all, you will go mad

You make my probems go away
But now, I have nothing to say
Except for one of all kind
You will never go out from my mind


P/S - Afif is eleven

ENVY..ENVY..ENVY

I really envy DH, he can stay up late to finish his stitching and me, sleeping like a baby by his side. Since he installed the overhead light with 2 separate arms, so that he can adjust the angle of his side of the light, he's been stitching on the bed. At times until 2am! He's now certified XS addict. I can't catch up! He finished LK "love my cat " in 4 days!






He finish this one even faster!







I only managed to progress this far on my LK Blocks!






I was 60% towards completion of this block when I realised that I placed the stitches 1 column to the left. I was so frustrated that I frogged everything I stitched and started all over again...grrrr...

MORE UPDATES

DH is hooked into stitching! See his latest progress :







And here are mine :

HOW COULD I.....

have forgotten about this piece? I finished this in Dec 05. Pattern is from one of the UK mags :

PROGRESS ON WIPs

This is the only progress I can show off :





While hubby finished this :





and started this :





I will be stitching my LK Blocks this weekend. Now that I have a stitching companion in house; I have to stitch faster!

WIPS

This is a long overdue post, there has been progress on these pieces:




















Teaching is a work of heart has been given to my son's teacher who was diagnosed with brain cancer. She left the school last week.

Home is where our story begins is hubby's WIP then, now finished.

I will post more pictures on our WIP soon.