Holiday Minis

     One type of cross stitch I love to work on are the mini cross stitches. They are the ones which come in a package with everything you need to complete your project. The main thing I love about them is their portability. They fit in your purse or even your pocket and if you have a set of small scissors, those can fit right in the package as well! Great for working on if you are in a waiting room, on a break at work or anywhere really!
      Of course, the one's I like to work on are the holiday ones, Christmas and of course, Halloween. I am a bit picky about my patterns though. I don't really care for too cutesy Halloween or Christmas patterns. I tend to be drawn toward simple items.
       I will be posting about some of the mini cross stitch patterns I've completed in the next couple of blogs, so I hope you enjoy!

Pretty candle surrounded by holly in a gold frame

Simple Season's Greetings with holly in a red frame

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's...Super Scarf!

     A couple of months ago, I received an email from one of the crafty things I do and it included a pattern for a knit super scarf. It looked easy to knit, which was good as I'm still learning, and cozy to wear, so I figured I'd make one.
     I bought the yarn and needles I needed to make the scarf and set to work. As I hadn't knitted in awhile, it made muscles hurt that I didn't know I had! It took me quite awhile as the the scarf is longer than I am tall (and I'm 5'10"!), but I think it turned out alright! There was a small issue with one part of the yarn, where it was thinner than the rest of the skein, so it looks like the scarf has a stripe, but other than that, I'm pleased with the way it turned out.

My Super Scarf

The error stripe

     All in all, I'm very pleased with the way this has turned out. I'm making another in a soft blue-green color as well since this turned out so well. I'm hoping to sell them both on Etsy, but for now, I just have this one up for sale. Here's the link in case anyone is interested.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/475055304/knitted-super-scarf?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=knitted%20super%20scarf&ref=sr_gallery_16

It's a Chalkboard Christmas!

     This last post-holiday shopping at my local craft store netted me two very cute Christmas cross stitch kits at a great price. They came with white plastic frames, which are cute, but my only complaint is they don't have glass, which makes the finished project not lay as flat as I would like. I may have to invest in another frame, but for now, this frame will do.
      The piece was easy to do and I was able to finish it in about 4 hours, give or take a few minutes. I did have to undo some of it, since I counted wrong, but luckily, it wasn't that much. This project could easily be adapted to say, "Merry Yule" as well, since the symbolism is the same. I may have to try that out as well.

Merry Christmas Reindeer

     I'm working on finishing a Halloween project and starting a new Christmas one as well. I'll be posting more as I finish them!

Snowflake Tote Bags - Finished Product!

     I'd posted about the snowflake tote bags recently and wanted to give updates. They are done and they turned out so cute! I'm really pleased by the way they look and wanted to show the finished products, so without further ado, here they are!

Red snowflake on green background

Green snowflake on red background

White snowflake on blue background

     I am very pleased with the way these turned out! I did try to sell them at the local swap meet, but no one was interested, so I'm trying on Ebay. I may also see if there are any craft fairs in my area, but I'll have to make more than three bags to sell if so!
     This also has given me inspiration to try similar designs, but for different holidays. I'll post them if I make them! Until next time, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and a fantastic new year!

Snowflake Tote Bags

     I previously wrote a post showcasing some tote bags I'd put together for Halloween. I wanted to do more for the winter holidays and have put together three bags, each with the same design, but in different colors. I chose blue and white for a wintry feel and green and red for a more holiday feeling.
     I haven't finished putting the bags together yet, but the stitching is done. It just needs to be put together. I will have a snowflake charm in the middle of the stitched snowflake as well.
   

Red snowflake with green background

Green snowflake with red background

White snowflake with blue background

    I may try this with different colored bags as well, but for now, I like the white bags. I'm also playing around with doing different bags for the different seasons, but this is still in the thinking phase. If I do, I'll be sure to post pictures!

The Night Watchman

    Awhile ago, I bought a lot of Halloween leaflets from Ebay. I started one of the patterns, The Night Watchman, many, many years ago, but never finished. Finally, this year, I said to myself that I was going to finish the projects I'd started, so I chose this one. It took me awhile, as I was half finished, but I finally finished it recently!

    I love the picture as it evokes the Halloween season to me! The scarecrow standing in the pumpkin patch as the witch flies overhead, outlined by the full moon. I haven't framed it yet, but that is my next step, but for now, on to another project! Happy Halloween all!

Wheel of the Year

     The Wheel of the Year is a Pagan way to explain the seasons and the seasonal holidays taking place within a year's time. The traditional beginning is on Samhain, the Witches' New Year and the wheel turns through the different holidays, which are roughly eight weeks apart.
     In the book Sabbat Entertaining: Celebrating the Wiccan Holidays in Style by Willow Polson, there is a lovely little pattern for each of the holidays with a final pattern for to illustrate the Wheel of the Year. It took me quite awhile to do them all, but I managed to get them all completed and found cute little frames for each of them! The book suggests sewing them together in a quilt pattern, but I was having issues with that and found I preferred them framed.

Samhain - honoring the ancestors

Yule - The Holly King is at his greatest power as the Oak King is weakest

Imbolc - purifying fires and first signs of Spring

Ostara - fertility festival

Beltane - bees pollinating flowers

Litha - the Sun is at its most powerful

Lammas - the first harvest of grains 

Mabon - the second harvest and a bountiful time

    These patterns were lovely to stitch and they make a lovely grouping on my wall!