The Weekend Report

The heat wave continued all weekend with highs of 100-101 degrees and a heat index of 105-107.  It was HOT in other words!  So I sat quietly and worked on Cha's tent stitch background.  I have about 2-3 inches all across the top of the canvas to complete, which is good.  It looks like I will be able to finish Cha by the first of August which was my original goal.

As a followup to my shopping trip last week, I noticed a finished Trubey tuffet on the Point of It All website.  You can see the floral designs better in this photograph.
http://blog.thepointofitallonline.com/2010/07/beyond-pillows-foot-stool.html

Many of you may have noticed the New York Times article last Thursday about the already stitched NP belts that the preppy company Tucker Blair sells.  The crux of the article is now that stitchers don't have to take the trouble of stitching a NP belt for a guy that they almost immediately break up with--they can buy already stitched ones from Tucker Blair.  (Just what's the fun of that?)  Pepita comments on the article here and shares the link to the Tucker Blair headbands one can buy as well as mentioning that they sell headband kits so you can stitch your own.  I thought it was very generous of them to mention a competitor's product!  There is also a link to the NYT article if you haven't seen it.
http://needlepointofview.com/2010/07/23/needlepointwear-preppy/

The owner of Waste Knot had just gotten a shipment of finished belts and dog collars in when I was there.  She showed them to me. She says her customers have equal luck using wool and perle cotton to stitch their belts and dog collars, in case you want to try one yourself. Thanks for the tip, Lori!

You can also pick up great self finishing items like dog collars, key fobs and luggage tags on sale through the end of July at PFOS.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2010/07/self-finishing-canvases.html

If you like a mystery, Pocket Full of Stitches has dropped a hint about their new monthly club on their blog. I hope they reveal the set today on their blog.  Here's the hint if you like a mystery.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2010/07/sneak-peek-of-new-clubs.html

Now, let's go back to watching the thermometer climb!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Callaway Getaway

Time to start planning for Callaway!  If you are curious about the 2011 classes, here is the link to the Callaway School of Needle Arts page on the Callaway Gardens website.
http://www.callawaygardens.com/info/calendar/calendar.needlearts.event.aspx

You don't want to miss great classes like these if you can help it!

Carole Lake's Father Frost

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Gone Shopping, Part Three

My final posting about Friday's big shopping spree mostly covers the various bags, totes and purses I saw at Waste Knot.  There were so many I thought I'd do a separate article about them.

Most of us have seen photographs of various purses you can buy that have spaces in the front for a needlepoint canvas to be attached.  I was lucky enough to see a great many of these in display and be able to tell you about the things you don't see in photos.

I'd always wondered about the Lee nylon totes.  Photos don't show how high quality they are.  Some have a faux leather trim inside the top margin as well as handles.  All have zips and pockets and the hardware looks sturdy.  I think this are a good buy if you don't want a leather purse.

The Lee leather purses are of outstanding quality--heavy leather, with good quality insides, zipped dividers, pockets, etc.  There are many sizes and styles.  Waste Knot had all black leather ones but they come in other colors.  Refer to the New Lee Needle Arts site for more styles and colors.
http://www.newleesneedlearts.com/files/catalog/Lees_Leather_Goods_Catalog_2010_pt1.pdf

If you like the easy of stitch and zip purses, you may be interested in the Sophia purses.  Here's a better photo (you can just glimpse them in the Lee leather purses photo.  They come in many styles but I can't find a link online to show you.

There are purse canvases, of course.  None are more beautiful than Mindy's.  Waste Knot was having a Mindy trunk show so I snapped this photo of two amazing purses and the handles that come with them.  You should look at Mindy's website for other styles, each of which has an amazing handle included.
http://www.mindysneedlepoint.com/Mindys_Needlework_Factory/purses.html

If you want a quick stitch tote bag, check out Julie Pischke's tote canvases which are on 10 count.  These are called Pischke Pockets.  The canvas and matching tote bag are sold together. All you do is add thread!  There's even a "how to" video on the JP tote website to help you attach the canvas to the tote bag yourself.  Trust me, it is not hard.  Check out the video and other styles on the Pischke Pockets website.  Other more traditional tote bags are on the regular Julie Pischke website.
http://pischkepockets.com/

http://www.islandneedlepoint.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=26&osCsid=dd9a4a745ef129ec4786be2970cd4074

Many needlepoint bags are not meant to be decorated--they are intended for the needleworker on the move who has to take a project or two along.  The bags in the front are the great Ashland Sky bags that Leigh Designs distributes.  The pink and green ones in the back are Walker mesh bags.

There are many more bags on display at Waste Knot.  These are all project bags from various sources.  As you can see, there's something for everyone!

My final photo is not a bag at all, but Trubey's tuffet.  The canvases you see are intended to cover the tuffet.  They are all floral, all with a slightly different background color.  Lori says she's seen this made up with trim dividing the sections and that it looks great finished with trim to unify the various areas.  This would be an interesting and unique project for someone's house.  If you are more traditional, Lori has two sizes of solid wood footstools you can see in the background which accommodate square canvases in their tops. These are sturdy and well made and will last a lifetime.

Hope you enjoyed shopping with me.  I am still working on Cha's background as I'm not willing to handle silk ribbons in this heat.  Today's supposed to only be 96, so things are improving.  The high yesterday was 101 with a heat index of 106 degrees.  No, I don't live in the desert, it just feels like it all along the east coast.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Gone Shopping, Part Two

Once I bought all the threads I could carry at Needlewoman East, I jumped in my car and drove another few miles to visit Waste Knot in Arlington.  It was pretty quiet when I first arrived so I was able to take lots of photos (with permission) of things for you to see.

I'll show you the last thing I bought first.  See the glass magnets on the upright display easel?  They are from Lee Cox. The pink-rose-gold oval on the right in the middle row lives in Chilly Hollow now.  I had a lot of fun browsing the books at Waste Knot and was seriously tempted by SuZy's Small Stitches from SuZy Murphy but I wanted that magnet more as it is so beautiful and in my favorite colors.   Priorities, priorities....

I saw some very interesting gadgets here.  I arranged a few on the counter for a photo so you could see them.  The tiny pink package is a miniature scissors set that has a loop to attach them to your key chain, your cell phone, etc.  They are small and sharp and easy to carry when you travel.  Lori (the owner of Waste Knot) has been on airplanes with hers without any problem.  Here's a better closeup than mine.  These come in assorted colors and have a nose guard to protect the tip of the blades.
http://www.newarkdress.com/ss208.html

The stack of trays are magnetic tool trays.  Inspired by similar trays in the hardware store, you can keep track of your needles, scissors and laying tools with these.  The last item is called a Knit Light.  It is a tiny penlight with a flexible neck that clips on your collar so you can see to stitch or read.   While I was there a visitor bought one to help read her Kindle in low light situations.
http://www.patternworks.com/productdetail/300460/---KNIT-LIGHT.htm

Speaking of Kindles, Waste Know carries the new Lee leather Kindle covers and also canvases that fit the opening.  The shop had both black and brown leather ones.  The black one rests on the box; the brown is open so you can see the inside.

Lori showed me her current project--a set of Christmas Nativity stars from Kathy Schenkel.  They are supposed to be strung on a garland with little angels separating the needlepoint stars.  These canvases come with stitch guides and there is a Halloween garland, too.  The Halloween sets are separated with bats. I'm sorry I can't find a photo of a stitched garland or even the angels or bats that separate the stitched pieces but I did find the Nativity stars set on Kathy's website.  The set continues on the next page but if you don't have enough room to stitch them all, you can just do part of the set.  I saw some of the stars stitched and they really look great.  I didn't think to take photos of them but I did take a photo of another great Kathy Schenkel idea--little Halloween cubes with matching beaded fobs.  Cute, huh?
http://www.kathyschenkel.com/new/45.html

I took lots of photos of the huge variety of painted canvases that Waste Knot carries.  Here are a few of them--

Maggie Jester Cats

Mindy Designs

Patt & Lee cats, etc.

Kathy Schenkel?  mini socks

Hope you enjoyed the show.  I have more to talk about tomorrow.

Tonight it's more Cha background for me.  I'm not going to attempt stitching with silk ribbons when the heat index is supposed to be 108 today!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Gone Shopping

Yesterday I left the chores behind and made the long trek towards civilization in order to visit Needlewoman East's Xmas in July sale.  (It continues through today, by the way, so if you are in the D.C. suburbs, you can participate in the sale.)  Of course I bought things!  You'll notice that my Total Stash Credits dropped by 21 since yesterday.  I didn't count the new tubes of Sundance beads or the lovely dichromatic glass magnet either.  But enough about me.  I took photos of the wonderful things I saw (with the shop owners' permission).

Isn't this lovely?  I was lucky enough to arrive just as the stitcher did to pick it up.

Here she is.  Her grandmother told me she raised two generations of stitchers but I didn't get a photo of all three of them as the middle generation was in the back, picking threads.  You probably can't tell from the photos, even if you click to see large versions, but the tent stitches are perfect on this.  Great job!

Here you see the owner of Needlewoman East hard at work on the phone.  The shop was crowded so I didn't take many photos here.  Most folks were really too busy to be interrupted to pose, tell me their stories and show off their bargains.  I did want you to see the wonderful cat bronze who holds Needlewoman East's cards, though.

My final photo from Needlewoman East is of a finished piece on the wall just behind Liz' head.  This is Two Cabanas, from Nancy's Needle.  It caught my eye and I was told that there is a whole series of Two pieces from Nancy's Needle.  Since I don't highlight many counted canvaswork designs, this is for Blog readers who love charts.  I was told there are a whole series of these and I found many of them on Nordic Needle's website.  There are two lighthouses, two gingerbread houses, two cabins, two barns, and even two haunted houses!  They are all about the same size-- 8 inches long and four high.  It's a charming series called "Small Monthly Quilt Series" and I hope you have fun looking at them here.

http://www.nordicneedle.com/CTGY/A04-21-00.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow