The Alphabet Club - Detention for Letter "K"

"They only met online, but it changed their lives forever"

It's time for "The Alphabet Club" (TAC)

Oops.... I completely missed the first Saturday of June... but here I am with my post for the next letter of the alphabet... "K"

Below are a couple of Aussie "K" words... nothing too exciting I'm afraid!

Kangaroos loose in the top paddock: Intellectually inadequate ("he's got kangaroos loose in the top paddock")
Kelpie: Australian sheepdog originally bred from Scottish collie
Kero: kerosene
Kindie: kindergarten
Knock: to criticise
Knock back: refusal (noun), refuse (transitive verb)
Knocker: somebody who criticises

Two of our national animals start with a "K"..  Kangaroos and Koalas

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Both of these animals are well loved by Australians and both have featured in lots of TV shows and stories over the years.  I grew up with 2 iconic children's stories - "Skippy the Bush Kangaroo" and "Blinky Bill".

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2016 marks the 50th Anniversary of Skippy the Bush Kangaroo on Australian Television.  The show ran from 1966 - 1970 in the first instance, however it was repeated for many years on Australian TV.

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Blinky Bill is an anthropomorphic koala and children's fictional character created by author and illustrator Dorothy Wall and he first appeared in 1933.  The books are considered quintessential Australian children's classics, and have never been out of print in Australia.  There has also been an animated series on TV as well as a movie produced over the last few years.

As you have seen over the last couple of posts I started back stitching on my ABC Chats during the Stitch MAYnia challenge.  My kitties now look like this:

So while I may have now started D, E, F & G.... I am still behind...

That's it for my "K" post.... see you again soon with another stitching update and a couple of finishes.



Hooroo for now!  Happy Stitching!
Hugs xx



If you would like to join in the fun of "The Alphabet Club", pop over to Chiara's blog (The Grey Tail) to see what all the fun is about and link up your post for the Letter "K".  Posting is generally the first Saturday of the month.

May SAL Updates.... June Stitching Goals....

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Hello! Goodness... where did May go?  As we roll into another month, I thought I would check off what I achieved during the month of May and make a note of what I would like to achieve during June (if all goes to plan!)

May SAL Update:

**JCS SAL (FB Group): "Christmas Test Drive" (Designer: Mosey N Me)  ✓

**Christmas Ornie SAL Blog - Theme: Reindeer - "Christmas Test Drive" (Designer: Mosey N Me)  ✓

**Halloween Ornie SAL Blog - Theme: Spiders & Bugs - "Trick or Treat" (Designer: Pickle Barrel Designs)  ✓

**Lainey's Christmas Ornie SAL: posted ✓
**Smalls SAL: posted ✓

**Stitch Maynia (FB group)
Monthly SAL's:
- Monthly SAL: "Stitch MAYnia" - the original SAL - 15 starts in 15 days in May:  ✓
Posted 15 starts in 15 days

- Colour-A-Day SAL (24th of month) "Stitchers in Red"   ✓
Stitched on ABC Chats - F

Year Long SAL's:
- Year of Starts! (at least 1 start/finish each month): ✓
I had two (3) starts and finishes in May (Penguin Christmas Card, Christmas Test Drive & Trick or Treat)

- Brooke's Books Year Long SAL: no progress on the Advent Animals....
- 2016 Chatelaine Shenanigans SAL: no progress on my Chatelaine WIP.....

**Debbie's Ultimate Crazy January Challenge 2016 (DUCJC2016):
Modified to 31 starts & finishes 2016: as at the end of May I have 19 finishes for 2016 of which 16 were new starts for 2016 ü 

Miribilia, Nora Corbett Designs SAL: (Nora Corbett Passions FB group)

Favourite Colours SAL (2 May - 15 May): didn't take part in this one
Any Nora Design SAL (16 May - 29 May): Queen of Peace  ✓

June SAL Plans:

JCS SAL (FB Group): "Joyful Santa" (Designer: Homespun Elegance)

Christmas Ornie SAL Blog June Theme: Christmas Animals/Pets

Halloween Ornie SAL Blog June Theme: Free choice

Miribilia, Nora Corbett Designs SAL: (Nora Corbett Passions FB group) 
- Nora Misc SAL (30 May - 13 June)

Stitch Maynia (FB group) 

- "Whine & WIP's" - work on those pieces that make us whine!

- "Colour-A-Day SAL" - "Pretty in Pink" - work only on the pink sections of a design on 24th June

Cross Stitch Finishing Line (FB group) 

- "June Monthly "Month" SAL" - stitch on something with June in it and/or something that has to do with June

- "Vintage SAL" - dedicate a month to some of our favourite vintage patterns

- "Summer Solstice" - (June to Sept): stitch any summer piece you want through to Autumn Solstice (Northern Hemisphere Solstice)

- "Now I know my ABC's" - 1 day SAL every month on the 26th starting in June with A

Remember to post for:

Lainey's Christmas Ornie SAL

Smalls SAL

So that's it... another good month of ticks on my monthly goals....  You may have noticed that I have joined another FB group that does lots of SAL.... as per usual I will try and shoe-horn existing stitching plans into these as well :o)

Til next time...

Take care and happy stitching

Hugs xx

May WIP Update....

Two posts in one day.... wow!  What has happened... well.. I am off work sick again - that's what happened!!

You know the old saying it never rains but it pours - well I think that is me at the moment!

I spent all of last Saturday and half of Sunday in the Emergency Department of our local hospital in the most agonising pain with my gallbladder!  They also hooked me up to a potassium drip for over 9 hrs as my potassium levels were really low.... I couldn't stitch til Saturday night when they unhooked me and then I didn't get much done as I wasn't feeling too flash!  Then on Sunday morning the hospital staff went into a spin as my liver levels had gone on a 24hr skyrocket ride!!  I think I was very lucky that they let me go home at all...

I go back to the Doctor tomorrow afternoon to check on what yesterday's ultrasound scan showed - although the Radiographer did tell me she could see a gallstone.... :o(

So I have been at home all week recovering and praying that the gallstone doesn't get stuck again.   Every twinge I get in my back/chest is freaking me out at the moment....

So while I worry about work.... and my health... I have managed to spend a bit more time stitching that I would normally get done during the week!

WIP updates.....

Queen of Peace - Nora Corbett

Christmas Test Drive - Mosey N Me

Almost done..... 

ABC Chats - F (Les Brodeuses Parisienne)

Stitched on this for "Stitchers in Red"SAL - 24 May 2016

These three are all part of my May starts for the Stitch Maynia SAL and hopefully before the end of May I will have at least one of them finished!

That's it for today... I am now going to go back to my couch and blanket for puppy cuddles and lots of afternoon stitching!

Til next time... happy stitching!
Hugs xx

Smalls SAL May 2016

Hosted by Stitching Lotus

Today is posting day for the Smalls SAL hosted by Stitching Lotus.  This month I don't have a lot to show you.... ;o(  That didn't take long did it - after that fantastic start last month!!

Anyway... here we go!

Finish #17
Trick or Treat - Pickle Barrel Designs
Just Cross Stitch - Halloween 2015 issue

Started 9 May 2016
Finished 18 May 2016

Stitched on a plain piece of 28ct linen using the called for DMC threads.  Nothing fancy about this one!

Only one finish so far this month - I am so close to finishing one more small but that will now be a hangover to next month's post (although you will see it in another post before then I am sure!)

I do have some WIP stitching to show you so I will be back again in the next couple of days with a final May stitching update.

Til then, happy Smalls stitching...
Hugs xx

Gifted Gorgeousness SAL 2016; IHSW Pt1; Stitch Maynia

Hello!  I'm back.... This post is a real Heinz variety post... it is a mix of Stitch Maynia, IHSW and Gifted Gorgeousness...

Stitch Maynia Update:

First up I will show you the last of my Stitch Maynia starts (Starts 10 - 15)

Day 10 - "Joyful World SAL - March" (Snowflower Diaries)

Day 11 - "Joyful World SAL - April" (Snowflower Diaries)

Day 12 - Christmas Card Freebie (Cross Stitch Crazy magazine)

Day 13 - Christmas Card Freebie (Cross Stitch Crazy magazine)

Day 14 - "Snow Story - Cold Hands" (Lizzie Kate)

Stitched on 32ct Belfast
"Into the Blue" from Stitches and Spice
Threads: Weeks Dye Works

Day 15 - Floral Bookmark - Cross Stitch Crazy Freebie

Designer: Kate Knight

So that's it... Stitch Maynia (my version....) is over for 2016 and I think I did pretty well in the end.  I managed to get some starts happening on some of the WIPs / SAL's that I am working on as well as starting a couple of small things that I will try and finish off in between WIP stitching over the next couple of months - which means I should be well on my way to starting and finishing 31 pieces before the end of the year :o)

Gifted Gorgeousness Stitching:

Now.... onto my GG update!  I have to say that this month I have very little offerings to show you :o(

I didn't stitch on any of my pieces that form the traditional part of my GG stitching... but I have a plan.... and I can tell you that the Kate Knight bookmark above is actually for my Mum as part of her birthday present.  So as I said... slim offerings this month but I at least I did have something to show you!

IHSW Part 1 Update:
Yes... that's right - Part 1!  Joysze organised for last weekend to be the first part of IHSW for May... the coming weekend is Part 2 (and is the weekend that is normally when it would be IHSW!).

My stitching on Friday, Saturday and Sunday you can see above!  I also did stitch on my Trick or Treat spider but forgot to take a photo of him after my Sunday stitching.  (He is nearly finished so I will just wait now til he is done)

So overall part 1 of May's IHSW went quite well!  I finally managed to start the Lizzie Kate "Snow Story" that I have been itching to start for months... even with all that white!!

So that's it for this update... told you it was a Heinz post :o)

Til next time, happy stitching

Jo from Serendipitous Stitching hosts the Gifted Gorgeousness SAL.  The GG SAL is about stitching charts/kits or using fabrics & threads that we have received as gifts, won in giveaways or anything that is intended be a gift or giveaway prize... or anything else that you can loosely use the word "gift" for!!  If you wish to sign up for this SAL, click on the button below or the button on my sidebar and you will be re-directed to Jo's blog.