Almost Instant Gratification

What a "quick knit"! Used 4 skeins of Lion Boucle Wild Berries (from the Dollar Tree) to knit up this hat & scarf combo. The subscription to Interweave Knits has my knitting mojo really coming out full force. A handknit sweater is definitely in my future.

But first, I just have to stitch this Waxing Moon Design. Definitely my motto for the grandboys. Headed out to Texas tomorrow on a biz trip so maybe between the airport layovers & hotel downtime I can have it completed before the weekend. Happy stitching to all .......

Quick Trip & New Stash

Spent a few days in one of my favorite places - New Orleans. Beat the Mardi Gras crush but just in time to catch a couple of parades & visit some of my favorite LNS. Number one on my list was Acadian Corner. It's actually in Metairie - just outside of New Orleans but very close to my field office (meaning I can sneak off at lunchtime). Family owned and operated, their selection of charts & precut linens are only rivaled by their friendliness and helpfulness. Was so excited to find the new "What Happens at Grandma's, Stays at Grandma's" chart by Waxing Moon Designs.

My next stop was Accents, Inc. This LNS was a regular for me back when they were Accents In Stitches. Post-hurricane, the owner & her husband have combined businesses so it's a combination art gallery, framing and needlearts shop. Very nice - the stitching side is small but chock-a-block full of goodies. I managed to get both the Cherish & America Tree Ornament charts by M Designs (loving them!) & a beautiful Eloquent Christmas design by ByGone Stitches. I'm so excited at their upcoming events. A stitching day camp in March, a 4-day stitching retreat in June and best of all a 4-day "Accents Stitchers Aweigh Cruise" to Cozomel, Mexico in October. Been to Cozomel before but the cruise is a definite for me just because I can hang with other stitchers - in fact my girls want to treat me as a birthday present - WAHOO. Looks like I'll be making quite a few more trips to the field office in the coming months........

Baby - It's Cold Ouside

Brrrrr .......... it's definitely winter which means I've been hibernating. Not much cross stitch going on but plenty of knitting. Here's my youngest daughter modeling the hat I made for her. Shes's the one who likes bright colors so I used Lion Boucle's Popsicle. Knitted on circulars using about 3 ounces of yarn. Super simple - straight knitting. She likes it so much I'll have to do a matching scarf. Still working on my "Plain Jane" afghan. It's getting big enough to serve double duty as a project & a lap robe.