Cross Monday (Tuesday) Week 43

Tuesday is nearly Monday right?  I'm getting better!  To be fair I did take this photo last night but Papa Owl was busy on the laptop so I didn't get to post.  I feel like I'm steaming ahead at the moment, and I may even finish this section in the next couple of weeks!

Cross Monday (Wednesday) Week 42

Week 42!  I have now been stitching for more weeks than I was pregnant with LittleOwl!  That is a long time!  As you can see, I am now finishing off the right hand side of this section, it looks such a small gap but I know it is many weeks work.  

I have set my self a few new years challenges - not quite resolutions, but they will take time away from this project... so I want to give this as much as a push as I can over the next couple of weeks....

Cross Monday (Thursday) Week 41

OK, so its not Monday... but its Christmas so hey!  What I can do it tell you that I haven't done any stitching since Monday so the photo isn't wrong...

Cross Monday Week 40

I so wanted that plant finished this week, I've not enjoyed doing it, its very bitty, but all the Christmas preparations have meant that I haven't quite got there.  I even tried to sneak a bit of time today between present wrapping but it wasn't enough!  

I'm not sure how much I'll get to do this week, I'm going to be somewhat busy, but either way, I'll see you next Monday - have a very Merry Christmas!

Cross Monday Week 39

I'm not sure how I found the time this week but I've actually done quite a bit.  Filling in the details on the centre plant takes a lot of concentration and I'll be glad when its done!  Can't see that I'm going to be doing a whole lot this week but it would be good to have that plant done! 

Cross Monday Week 38

I'm quite pleased with progress this week - its all thanks to I'm a Celebrity!  I've really enjoyed this season and I'm actually sad that is over!  

I discovered this week that I have made a second mistake, this time I'll share with you as I have made an adjustment to make it right.  The bar on the left hand side is one stitch too short, which means the blue bird is one square to far to the left, meaning that the handle on the vase starts to far to the left... this confused me for quite a while until I worked out what was going on!  I've added an extra stitch on the handle to make it fit, and have done the same on the other side too to keep it equal so all is good!

Cross Monday Week 37

 

So all my hopes of great progress... if you saw My Sunday Photo yesterday you might have gathered that LittleOwl has been a poorly owl this week... and that meant very little stitching.

 

Cross Monday Week 36

Look how much I have done!  So excited!  Everything on the left of this section has taken me two weeks to do, and if I push on I could get it finished in another week, a week to do the big plant in the middle, and a further 3 weeks to do the right hand side... two weeks to do the vine... hang on - I thought I was doing well but if I keep this fast pace up, its going to take me 7 weeks minimum to finish this section.  Not sure Christmas is going to lend itself to lots of stitching either!  Oh well, at least its a marker, lets see how far I get by 12th January, just 7 weeks away!

Cross Monday Week 35

Its coming on!  The plant on the right was two evenings work and its not finished yet but it also marks how big this section is.  There's a few bars to go beneath it and then its the vine which marks the end of this section and will finally show me the space I have for Little Owl's name!  I'm pretty sure I won't get there this side of Christmas but hopefully in the new year I can start planning that bit.

Cross Monday Week 34

Finished another section!  Technically that means I am half way through which would make my completion date 6th July!  That's two months earlier than I originally thought but I think it is optimistic.  The outside border took me 4 weeks to go round with the green and its not all crossed (midway on the right hand-side clockwise round to the top left needs a second stitch).  I then need to do the same with the gold, and then again with the red, so that's 8 weeks.  Then there is pink and two shades of blue to add!  

However, I am really pleased with the progress, and in teacher's speak, July is this year!  This next section is the last proper section in the middle, then I just need to add Little Owl's details which will take some planning.  Exciting!

Cross Monday Week 33

Gosh - I'm actually surprised how much stitching I have done this week!  A train trip to London without Little Owl gave me the best part of 3 hours uninterrupted stitching, not sure what the commuters made of me!  Anyhow, the train was the perfect time to do the bar on the right hand side and then I completed more of the red chain on the left, neither of which require much looking at the pattern.

Knowing that I was going to save the bar for the train, I started on the large tree in the middle.  I also used the end of a thread to start on the small tree on the right, so its all looking a bit half done at the moment.  I'll be really pleased if I can get the right hand side of this section completed by next week.

Cross Monday Week 32

Argh!  I've made a mistake!  Can you spot it?  Not sure if you will in the photo but it might become obvious when more of the pattern is added... I won't say where it is just yet in case I leave it like that but if you can spot it do say!  If I can't live with it then I'll have to undo and restitch, probably only take an evening but oh how frustrating!

Cross Monday Week 31

 

Gosh - panic yesterday as I realised that I hadn't actually stitched all week!  Haha!  So what you see this week is progress made while friends visited, Little Owl did colouring, and when she finally went to bed!  

Cross Monday Week 30

What a busy week!  I'm currently working on 4 days in a week (although not full days) and I was away at the weekend so I probably haven't done any stitching since last Tuesday.  I was quite relieved when I got it out of the bag to take today's photo to see that I had actually done some!

Cross Monday Week 29

I'm so glad that I created the boarder first, normally you work from the inside out but its great to have a space that I am filling.  This top section is actually quite small so I feel it is growing quickly.  Exciting!

Cross Monday Week 28

 

At last!  I have finished the second section!  I feels good and as I start on the top section it also feels like the empty space is reducing and its feeling less daunting.  Its not plane sailing though.  The original pattern had some writing at the top which I'm not including so everything is shifted up a bit.  Which means I am having to work from the top down, rather than the bottom of the section and filling up.   But it does feel good!