Knitting, cross stitch and a broken sewing machine

I did finish my shirt and I will share it later, no pictures yet. I thought I would show y'all my sad first sock. First of all, I needed to use smaller needles. My sock is WAY too wide LOL I used size 3 dpns, I think I need size 1 or 2. I am going to order some of the new Harmony needles from Knitpicks because they are prettier than the ones at my LYS. I am gonna just unravel the sock and start over. I paid $8 for this yarn, I am not going to waste it! And look at my holes and dropped stitches, not pretty LOL




I also took some pictures of a jewelry box that I stitched a cover for. Before I learned to sew or knit I learned to cross stitch. I was just pregnant with my first child and picked up a Christmas ornament kit at Walmart. I was instantly addicted, it was the first really crafty thing I had ever done and I loved it. I really wish I would have learned how to sew and knit and embroider when I was young. I feel like I wasted all of this time not doing something that I really love. However, my mom wasn't into these things, nor was anyone else I knew, so there really was no inspiration for me to learn. I am so glad my girls are learning all of these things at a young age, they will always be able to enjoy them.

Anyway, I eventually taught myself to do other counted thread work on fine linen. For years this was my only fiber hobby. I didn't really learn to sew until about 5 years ago and only learned to knit 3 years ago. Since picking up sewing and knitting, I have done very little counted thread work. I really miss it, I think I may start a new project, Lord knows I have a big enough stash of the stuff LOL I think I will start sharing some of my projects on here. I *think* this is a Lori Birmingham chart, I got it while at a cross stitching convention in Houston. It is stitched on 32 count linen. It sits on my dresser and I really use it for some of my jewelry. It is really nice for when we travel, I can just stick the whole box in my suitcase. The R stands for Richard (pronounced Ree-shard, remember we are French Canadian). You can click on the pictures to see the stitching close up.


Today and tomorrow I will be sewing two little dresses and blankets for twin baby girls. One of my good friends is having her baby shower Sunday and I thought that the itty bitty baby dress pattern from Made by Rae would be adorable. I first saw this made up on Creative Little Daisy for her brand new granddaughter Bayleigh. I got this and this from Jona at Fabritopia, I think it will be adorable for twin girls : )

The reason I am so behind on my sewing is because I had a broken machine for half the week. Well, not the whole machine, thank goodness, but the spring for my feet holder popped off. I tried to fix it but the screw that holds it in place was stripped. I have a Janome dealer near my house, so went there praying that they would have the replacement part, since Kenmores are made by Janome. I couldn't find the part on Sears.com, so was sort of panicing. I *need* my sewing machine. It took me two days to remember the Janome dealer LOL My brain isn't working at full speed lately.

Oh, and I got my invite from Spoonflower!!!! Not that I have any clue how to design my own fabric, but if I figure it out, I can LOL