Updates and Freebies

This last week I was happily doing Grandma Day Care for my 3 year old and 8 month old grandchildren, so stitching took a back seat!

The next stage of my knitted tote bag was completed and was felted. Now it is drying. I stuffed it with rolled up towels to help it keep its shape. Once dry I will secure the knitted handles and be ready to use it.

While taking care of the grandchildren, I also worked on a small dishcloth. My little pumpkin pie wanted to help so I taught her how to do the basic knit stitch, with a lot of help from Grandma!

Now on to the freebies!

First up is a nice selection from Nordic Needle. They have a section on their website called Save the Stitches which has blogs, stitch aids and useful information. The best part though is the freebie page! I love that the web address includes the word swag! These are mainly hardanger but there are also a few cross stitch and a variety of other needlework techniques. If you like fun pieces be sure to check out the hardanger designs that are a Santa face and a cupcake.

Next on the list is Victoria Sampler. I posted once before on this site but referenced the page that had some great stitching videos. Most of free designs feature a combination of hardanger, cross stitch and specialty stitches. You will find charts for biscournu, ornaments, name tags, needle rolls and other fun things. While on the site you might want to check out the free Cyberclass.

Last, but certainly not least, is a great site if you like samplers or primitives. These are presented by Liberty Needle. Go to this link and you will see a photo that says, “My Album.” Click on this and you will come to the page that has free charts. Most of the charts are accompanied by a color chart and a black and white chart of the design along with a thread guide. That means you have the choice in most cases whether you would like to stitch from black/white or color.

You’ve probably read a lot about copyright and pirating on the various blogs and forums lately. This is just a gentle reminder that these designers ask that you not sell or kit these free designs.