Find it Friday ~ The Friday Night Knitting Club and Knit Two

Each Friday we will showcase a product, service, offering or event that is a MUST to check out!


A few weeks ago I was sitting waiting for our local Philadelphia area EGA board meeting to begin and a few board members were talking about this book called The Friday Night Knitting Club. I had never heard of the book before ~ no for your information I do not live under a rock, I just have 3 small children and between that, work and trying not to burn dinner I kinda have my hands full (:

We were on our way down the shore for vacation and I asked if it would be a good vacation read. To my delight my girl Pleasants, pulled out her copy and told me to enjoy the read. I was gitty on the drive home. It has been an eternity since I have read a book. Well that's not really true. It's been ages since I have read an age appropriate book. I read with the kids all the time, but I am pretty sure Green Eggs and Ham or Red Fish Blue Fish don't really count.

I could not wait till we left for the shore ~ the very next day I decided to go to bed early and start my book. So remember how I told you it has been forever since I have been able to read an adult book? Or even a book without pictures? Well I couldn't put it down, I read the entire book cover to cover. it was a FABULOUS read! Now I was really dragging the next day, but it was totally worth it! I forgot how much I love to read. How fabulous it feels to be so engrossed into a story. A story about women who are completely different but find a common ground in knitting.

I think my stitching group is a lot like that. We are in different stages of our lives, we live in different towns and vary in our education and careers but we share a common thread ~ needlework. It is what brings us together, makes us spill our secrets and feel ready to conquer the world after our regular night of stitching.

Wait it gets better! I just found out there's a second book in the series! It's called Knit Two ~ and you know I ran right out and bought that sucker ASAP. Wonder if it will make it to vacation.....probably not!

Monday Munchies ~ Oreo Cookie Balls

Each Monday we will kick off the week with a Must have recipe to help get you out of the kitchen and back stitching ASAP!

Oreo Balls Recipe Ingredients

8 ounces softened cream cheese or whipped cream cheese

18 ounces package of Oreo cookies, crushed

2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Oreo Balls Recipe Instructions

Mix cream cheese with electric mixer until fluffy. Add the crushed Oreos and beat on high until well mixed. Chill for at least 2 hours in the freezer. Then roll Oreo cookie mix into one inch Oreo Balls.

Next, melt the chocolate chips and shortening with a double boiler or in the microwave. Dip the Oreo balls completely into the melted chocolate using tongs or a toothpick. Put on wax paper. After the Oreo balls harden, keep them in the refrigerator. Makes about 3 or 4 dozen Oreo Balls, depending on the size.

Find it Friday ~ Fabulous Needlecase
Each Friday we will showcase a product, service, offering or event that is a MUST to check out!

How cute is this needlecase? ~ I just LOVE IT! This is from Be Sweet . I am always looking for new and fun ways to hold my ever growing stash ~ the bright colors, fabulous design and a company that is serious about giving back and empowering women make this one a no brainer for me!Needle Case: hand made colorful stitches on black cotton fabric. zip closure. 5x13"

Be Sweet, a company with a conscience, was founded on the principle of being kind to others. Nadine Curtis created Be Sweet in 2003 while living in Cape Town, South Africa. Be Sweet's mission; to bring socially and environmentally friendly products to fashionable consumers that evoke an individual style and help support community development around the world.

Be Sweet began with Curtis wholesaling a handful of handmade items to boutiques in Northern California and upstate New York. Be Sweet's products can now be found in over 200 boutique stores in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Sweden, Austria and Japan. Be Sweet works with several job creation programs in South Africa by giving artisans the confidence and the means to support themselves and their families in an otherwise economically depressed region. The empowerment groups have grown to include over 200 villagers, mostly female members of the Xhosa tribe, who live in Cape Town, the Eastern Cape region and Johannesburg. Participants are responsible for making mohair, bamboo and organic cotton yarns, accessories and home goods. Many of the women depend on their work for their survival. With the help of experienced program directors, the women are able to work in stable environments where they can earn a fair wage, learn a new skill and enjoy their jobs.

Love Love Love a company with a heart!

Monday Munchies ~ Cheese Puffs

Each Monday we will kick off the week with a Must have recipe to help get you out of the kitchen and back stitching ASAP!


Cheese Puffs

Ingredients:
3/4 cup buttermilk
5 TB butter
1 cup flour
3 eggs
2 strips bacon, diced
1 cup cheddar, shredded
1/2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
1 tsp fresh basil, minced
1/2 tsp buttermilk dressing base powder
salt and fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

Step 1: Dice bacon very small, and cook in a small skillet until very crispy. Place on a paper towel to drain.

Step 2: In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter in the buttermilk. When melted, dump in the flour all at once.

Step 3: Stir briskly with a wooden spoon until dough comes together.

Step 4: Add eggs one at a time, whisking constantly until blended. Turn off heat, and continue whisking until cohesive and a little bit of a sheen develops.

Step 5: Add in bacon, herbs, cheese, dressing-base, fresh ground pepper and 1/4 tsp salt. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a silpat-lined cookie sheet. Smooth out the edges with the back of a wet spoon, or wet fingers. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until starting to brown and puffed. Reduce heat to 350 and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and turn off the heat, poke bottoms of gougeres / cheese puffs with a toothpick or chopstick to let additional steam escape, and put back in the oven (still off!) for another 15-20 minutes to dry out a tad.

Step 6: Serve the cheese puffs warm or at room temperature. Keeps really well in an air-tight container for several days, simply rewarm in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes.

Ladybug Lane Designs Giveaway

Let Freedom Sing!
A great piece to stitch for Independence Day, or just because you're feeling patriotic!

I just love stitching Americanna. As I write this in my home office, I realize it is filled with designs proclaiming "Liberty and Justice for All" or " To the Red, White and Blue, I will always be True." I am ever so thankful to our troops and their families who sacrifice so much so that I am able to live in such a wonderful country.

July 4th is right around the corner and I really wanted to stitch a little red, white and blue sampler. My fingers have been itching to find just the right one. I had been talking with Jennifer of Ladybug Lane Designs about specialty stitches and she let me know she had a project in the works that might fit the bill.

When Jen showed me the sampler 2 weeks ago, I jumped right in my car and off to my LNS I went. I mean a girls gotta stitch right? I love starting new projects, pulling threads and fabric, getting everything set up just right. It brings such a happiness to my heart ~ I know you know the feeling (:

I called Jen to let her know how much I loved the new design and the creative way she showcased the American flag and brought a new twist on an old favorite. The fabulous mix of specialty stitches (her diagrams are clear and easy to follow, no worries), hand dyed threads and fabric and fabulously yummy buttons make this design a MUST STITCH!

and the best part....a few days later Jen sent me 3 charts so we could give them away to our members, HOW FABULOUS IS THAT!!!

Design Specs:

Fabric: 28-count hand-dyed Jobelan from Wichelt in "Bluebell" stitched over two threads, with explanations for all 10 areas of specialty stitches.

Design Size: 5.7" w x 5.6" h

Count: 80w x 78h

Threads: Crescent Colours, Weeks Dye Works, DMC and some Kreinik blending filament

Embellishments: JHB Ladybug included in chart pack. Several buttons from Just Another Button Company, small beads from Mill Hill.

Frame: By Starla's Stitch 'n Frame

Giveaway Info

Three lucky stitchers will win a copy of Let Freedom Sing. ADDED bonus ~ Jennifer, the fabulous designer behind LLD autographed the charts! How cool is that! The giveaway runs Wednesday, June 24th to Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 at 5:00pm EST.

You must be a member of Loose Thread Stitchers to win this giveaway. Membership is FREE ~ click here for more info

So how can you win? Glad you asked!
Check out Ladybug Lane Designs and tell us another design you like and why

Want additional ways to enter? You will receive an additional entry for each of the following (for a total of 5 entries):
1 ~ Blog about the giveaway and post the link in your comment on our blog
2 ~ Twitter it and include @LTSneedlework (our twitter ID) and a link to the blog
3 ~ Stumble it and post the link to our blog or website
4 ~ Join our Facebook group. We are in the business section under Loose Thread Stitchers
Each entry will be assigned a number. The winner will be chosen by a random number generator. We will contact the winner on Wednesday, July 1st and announce in our blog posting that week. Good luck to you all!

Whip it Up Wednesday ~ Rice Stitch
Each Wednesday we will choose a stitch to explore and post stitch diagram(s) to help you practice and master each one.

Rice Stitch ~ also known as the William and Mary Stitch or a Crossed Corners Cross

Steps ~ This stitch is worked from left to right. Come up through the fabric on the left hand side and go over 2 threads, up 2 threads to the right and go down through the fabric. From behind the fabric go down 2 threads and come up through the fabric. Cross over 2 threads and up 2 threads to the left and go down through the fabric. From behind the fabric go over 1 thread to the right and come up through the fabric. Cross over and down 1 thread to the right and go through the fabric. From behind the fabric go over 2 threads to the left and come up through the fabric. Cross up and over 1 thread to the right and go down through the fabric. From behind the fabric go down 2 threads and come up through the fabric. Cross over and up 1 thread to the left and go through the fabric. From behind the fabric cross over 2 threads to the right and come up through the fabric. Cross over and down 1 thread to the right and go through the fabric.

Rice Stitch over 2

A Rice Stitch can be stitched in horizontally as well as vertically. It can also showcase 2 different colored fibers to create a stand out effect. View diagrams below for different Rice Stitch effects.


Two-Color Vertical Rice Stitch

Triple Rice Stitch

Find it Friday ~ Sit and Stitch Trunk Show

Each Friday we will showcase a product, service, offering or event that is a MUST to check out!

Cindy of Sit and Stitch in Toluca Lake, California just called to tell me she was hosting a trunk show for Painted Pony Needlepoint Designs and told me I just HAD to check it out. I am so glad I did.


Debbie, of Painted Pony Needlepoint Designs, began designing needlepoint in 1989, after working for several years in a needlepoint shop in Austin, Texas. After designing custom canvases for the store’s customers, she was asked to develop a line to show at the store’s annual Christmas-In-July event. She did - the designs were a hit - and the line was born.

Great story right? It gets even better! Each Canvas INCLUDES a stitch guide! How fabulous is that! Susan, the model-maker, has created several wonderful stitch guides for their designs. Stitch-guides are automatically included with the sale of the corresponding canvas, so you do not have to order the guide in addition to the piece you are purchasing. Each guide has a colored photograph of the finished model, as well as a thread and embellishment list. Susan is also working on a series of stitch guide books based on some of our collections.

Be sure to stop by Sit and Stitch for this fabulous trunk show ~ it runs from June 28th to July 26th and includes ~ Cute little painted canvases, angels with charms, snowman, seasonal, twelve days of Christmas, stockings.

Show dates: June 28th - July 26, 2008