A Stitching Love Affair

A long overdue update but I have been away for 5 weeks on my holiday :) Firstly I went to Italy to see the last 11 days of the Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy cycle race) which was very exciting and a lot of fun! Passo dello Stelvio, Italy Lots of biking up some really big mountains! the Passo dello Stelvio is 2770 m and even though it's really high it is a nice ride up there Next I went to Spain and spent a week with my friend in Barcelona before heading of to Madrid for the start of my bus tour.  Madrid Toledo  Bull fighting ring in Madrid The Alhambra (Which I now have a cross stitch pattern from Chatelaine designs to do!)  The Medina (markets) in Morocco Morocco  Seville  Plaza de Espana, Seville  Lisbon, Portugal  Portugal Overall I have a wonderful trip and I am already planning my next one! When I left Madrid it was 34 degrees, I got home to snow and 0 degrees, needless to say I was no...

It has been a while since my last update, so this has been what has been happening since January. Yes the Cricket World Cup started in New Zealand and Australia in February we went to the opening ceremony. It was great evening with lots of entertainment and fireworks! Christchurch has certainly done well to be able to host the opening ceremony and a couple of games 4 years on from the earthquakes. The main sports stadium with used to have rugby and cricket grounds was badly damaged after the earthquake, so now the new cricket ground is in the lovely Hagley Park and it has become very much a boutique type ground where kids can play out the back and you can sit on a grass embankment, much better than the massive concrete stadiums of today. Unfortunately New Zealand who were in the final with Australia lost (we don't like to lose to Australia lol) Anyway on to the stitching! I have finished Roses of Paris! I also entered it in the local A & P show and won first priz...

Hi everyone I hope you had a nice Christmas and New Year. My Christmas day was lovely and it was a nice warm summer day so we get to sit outside in the sun with a few drinks. I finished work on the 23rd December so I could do any last minute Christmas shopping and get everything prepared for the big day. Christmas day was lovey and quite hot, so it's always a bit of a struggle to eat a traditional hot Christmas dinner! I have also been doing a bit of biking which I really need to train for the bike trip I have coming up in May/June to Italy I quite often go out in the evening when it's a bit cooler and no wind! On the stitching front I have been quite busy. I have done a bit more on Lake Como Before- After- I have also picked up Angels Proclamation again, not sure when I even started this one! Venice is now finished I am trying not to start anything new as I have plenty to finish, I'm sure many of you are in the same situat...

Yes summer is on it's way! Daylight savings has started so that means I can go out cycling after work! Hooray!!! Still, it doesn't that it's going to be warm.... I haven't done a lot on Roses of Paris since my last post, instead I have been stitching Venice. Now I really don't like stitching on aida, it feels like cardboard, BUT this had a pattern on the fabric, so no choice there, and for all it's stiff scratchy feeling, it stitches up really fast! Most of it is done except for some half stitching on the bottom left corner. Roses of Paris Before- After- It's getting there! Next up is Italian View Before- After- I haven't been doing a lot of stitching with daylight savings started now, I'm usually out walking/running up the hill or cycling, I can't wait for summer! I couldn't resist a Ginga Ninja picture to finish :) Thanks for looking! Michelle

It has been a while since my last post...oops, ok so I have been watching the Tour de France Anyway I have done heaps on Rose of Paris Before: After: I have also picked up Lake Como again, I really need to do more on this Before: After:  July is also Tour de France month, so no guesses what I do at the weekends! Watching the tour and cross stitch! My favourite rider is riding for Astana and was doing very well, unfortunately he crashed and lost heaps  of time :(  I look forward to going back to France next year to watch. The lovely Jakob Fuglsang :) And last but not least I got Tuscany Town mandala framed, and it is huge! Happy stitching! Michelle

I have been doing quite a lot on this when I watch the Giro d'Italia cycle race, and there is a LOT of backstitching!!! Before- After- Hopefully this won't take me as long as the Tuscany Town mandala, I think next I would like to do the Paris mandala but first I need to finish this one!

Well what an interesting April I had... Firstly I went on holiday to Hawaii, which was awesome! I was in Honolulu for 3 days and Kona for 4. It was a jam packed holiday with not much time spend laying about on the beach (I'm not really a lie on the beach type anyway) I wish I had more time there to actually drive around the island, but maybe I will do that on my next trip! Then after the Hawaiian holiday I had another week off work as my boss was still away, so I had plenty of stitching time!! So to the stitchy stuff... Italian View Before: After: Roses of Paris Before:  After: I have mostly been concentrating on Roses of Paris as I am really enjoying stitching it, I think my next Chatelaine will be Paris, or maybe London...Hmmm decisions, decisions Happy stitching Michelle