Sorry to mess you around peeps, but I just can’t get my head around how WordPress works…so I’ll see you back at Blogger….

I made a new start last night. After finishing my Mirabilia RR (which I’ll show you at a later date) I was in the mood to stitch a Mira…but the only Mira WIP in the pile was ComaGirl, AKA The Dreamer, and I’m not feeling motivated to stitch on her at the moment (hence the nickname! lol). So - introducing April’s Blue Diamond Fairy. Not much to look at yet - just a white blob right now. I’m stitching her on SW Charisma lugana. I spent ages going through my fabrics trying to decide what to stitch her on - I didn’t want to spend $$ I can’t really spare on a new piece for her but I was amazed at how few fabrics I have that she would work on considering how many fabrics I actually have!

I also wanted to show you this little needlebook I made for Carol - you might have already seen it on her blog, but just in case you haven’t I’m posting it here too. This is from a little freebie design from Casey Buonaugurio - there’s a little waterlily (?) on the back of the needlebook too. All the little froggy toes are done with french knots!

Welcome!

Welcome to the all new Chewed Away mark 2! I’m still finding my way around WordPress at the moment - still haven’t managed to get my Blogroll to show up properly in my sidebar (that’s a not-so-subtle hint by the way, if anyone knows how and would care to baby-steps me through it! LOL!) Service will resume shortly!

‘On wicked wings she rides’…

Hooray! I’ve finished the verse! There are still 3 pattern bands beneath this but I can see light at the end of the tunnel. I’m approximately two thirds done.

Judging from the cover photo I wasn’t 100% convinced the blackwork band worked, but now I’ve stitched it I’m sold.

Here’s a closeup so you can see…

Compared to the band before it this one seemed to stitch up really quickly!

And now…stashy yumminess! Lookee what showed up yesterday -

I got Ink Circles ‘Hanky Pysanky’ and ‘Quackworth’, Examplar Dames ‘Forgiveness’ and I also managed to pick up the magazine with the Happy Home Sampler in it from my local Borders. It always seems a bit ‘hit and miss’ with this magazine in there, but it might be that they get limited copies so you have to get in quickly or you miss out. I was obviously lucky! Yay me!! LOL

You know, looking at this photo, it doesn’t look like a whole heap of progress since my last update. This band seemed to just go on and on and on. Each day I would think “I’ll finish this today” and then I wouldn’t. I think partly it’s because the Bursitis in my shoulder has been particularly bad so I haven’t stitched as much as usual, and partly because I’ve also been stitching on a small gift that - for obvious reasons - I can’t show you yet. That’s in the mail now so I can concentrate on Thriller again. I just wish my shoulder would settle down again. I really should go back to see the doctor about it again, it’s just a case of getting a round tuit….

It’s finished - WooHoo! Unfortunately the white doesn’t show up very well in the photo - I’ll try to get a better shot tomorrow in daylight.

I got lots done on Geranium House…just the border and a few letters to go. I should get this finished today. I might have had it finished already, except at one point I was frogging nearly as much as I was stitching. It felt that way anyway. That’ll teach me not to stitch when I’m tired. I love that little robin on the flowerpot, don’t you?

Forgive a ‘proud mum’ moment but I just have to share - Louise came home yesterday with a certificate for coming top of her year in a science exam!! I’m so proud of her!

No Thriller today. Since the puds haven’t made an appearance on da blog for a while, you’ll have to make do with a photo of them instead. Big lads now, aren’t they? It’s hard to believe they were such tiny fluffy kittens only..er..yesterday? It can’t have been over a year..surely?

I succumbed to another new start. Naughty I know, but I am unashamed… It’s only a little one after all…

This is my start on CCN Geranium House…I love CCN & LHN charts, they give me nice ‘new start’ fix when I’m stitching large projects and don’t take long to finish. I’m doing this one on a piece of Lemon Meringue belfast which was a limited edition from Kiwi Illusions, I got it in one of the Dyers Collaboration packs. I can’t get a decent shot of the colour though - this is the closest I could manage. This design only calls for one skein of Crescent Colours (Pomegranate), but I’ve subbed it with one of the DMC Colour Variations that I already had (4200 - Wildfire). I think it works pretty well as a substitute…

And just in case you’re not fed up to the back teeth with Thriller - a little more progress..

Hip, hip, hooray! The Space Invaders are done! lol….Actually, I can’t believe how fast this design is stitching up! Tina commented the other day that she wouldn’t have believed how nice this piece is from the cover photo, and I have to agree with her. I always liked it because I like the verse, but I’ve been quite surprised at just how pretty it actually is. Personally I think the somewhat brighter red I’m using makes a big difference because the recommended one looks kind of gloomy. Which, come to think of it, is probably the point. But I still think the red I’m using carries the ’spooky’ point well enough without looking dull.

And just a heads up that I’ve added a few more charts to my trade blog..and a big thank you to everyone I’ve traded with!

Ch..ch..changes…

Do not adjust your set…you are indeed at Chewed Away! You know me, I like to ring in the changes every now and again…keep things fresh..plus I was having a few problems with the old skin, like it would no longer allow me to add page elements. So - time to move on.

I’m feeling really pleased with the progress I made on Sea Goddess over the last couple of days…this one seems to really shift once I get stuck in to it. When I picked this up I had barely started the tail…

Now - back to the Space Invaders…