When I was a child, my favorite toy was a little lamb that played "Jesus Loves Me" when it was wound up. I loved that lamb to death - I mean it literally fell apart. I had the classic speech difficulty of saying W sounds for L sounds. So I was always talking about my "Wittwe Wamb" My mom would practice with me - Lollipop over and over again. I would say Lollipop perfectly but continued to say "Wittwe Wamb" I think she didn't understand that "Wittwe Wamb" was his name!

When I saw Lesley Shepherd's miniature lamb needlework pattern, it took me back to my childhood. You may work the Miniature Lamb needlework pattern in cross stitches and fill it in with French knots to make it look woolly as shown here or just work the pattern entirely in cross stitches. If you want a gray or brown lamb alter the colors as you like.

More Free Needlework Patterns:

• Miniature Needlework Charts
• Free Cross Stitch Patterns A-Z Index
• Free Candlewicking Patterns
• Free Hardanger Patterns
• Free Hand Embroidery Patterns

Are you looking for great projects and interesting articles about crafting. The Crafty Bloggers are here to save the day. Here is what some of my favorite crafty bloggers have been up to this week:

• Mixed Media Artist Would you ever do an art show where you knew you wouldn't sell anything?
• The Impatient Crafter
  Madge makes a festive Patchwork Paper decoupaged letter for your teen's bedroom door in this week's post for iLoveToCreate.
• Cathie Filian
  Cathie shows you how to make a kids felt book. The book are perfect for airplane trips, car rides and rainy days. They make great gifts!
• Craftside
  Over on the Craftside blog there are how-to ideas for casting and making a silver metal clay wing necklace and a recycled wool sweater Christmas needle book. There's an Mail Art Call Out to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, tips for making a vintage rosary style necklace and a little Jimi Hendrix thrown in.
• Crafty Princess Diaries
  Tammy reviews a new book full of unique and earth-friendly ways to wrap your gifts this holiday season using scarves.
• About.com Family Crafts
  Come play along with this Make-It-Over craft challenge! What can you make out of candy? This is a great way to use up any left over Halloween candy.
• Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style
  How did you get introduced to your hobby? Linda shares the story on how she learned to quilt and where those skills have gotten her.
• Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
  How to make a Sweater Surgery Light up Christmas tree inspired by The Lampshade Lady's Guide to Lighting Up Your Life
• Aileen's Musings
  Aileen's on a mission to win a trip to NYC and to see the Martha Stewart show! Check out her under $20.00 Christmas project on Michael's craft site and rate it to help her win!
• The Artful Crafter
  Eileen shares directions for some lovely polymer clay Thanksgiving napkin rings. You have a choice of one embellished with a cute clay turkey or a more formal looking ring stamped with a fall motif.
• Vickie Howell - Craft.Rock.Love
  Make cool, graphic wall art using Ed Roth's Stencil Decor kit and a little imagination!

Share your own favorite crafty blogs using the comments section below.

Janlynn is a well-known company in the stitching world. Recently Andrew Goetsch took the time to share information with me about the new HOTS program.

Andy is not only the CFO in charge of business development, he is also a stitcher himself! For me, this makes a big difference to know that the person in charge of a company actually does stitching too!

The Heart of the Stitcher program (HOTS) is part of Janlynn's plan to become the crafting online store solution. HOTS is a good start toward that end since it allows stitchers various options for purchasing their most popular designs. Since a majority of stitchers dislike kits, Janlynn offers charts as standalones, in conjunction with various selections of pre-cut fabric, and with pre-cut floss or skeins.

I recently placed an order through the HOTS program and it was quite simple and easy. If you are looking for a great gift for a stitcher or just a great way to get what you want, HOTS may be just the ticket.

Visit Janlynn's site to Learn more about HOTS. You can also become a fan of Heart of Cross Stitch on Facebook to keep up with all of the developments at Janlynn.

Have you tried HOTS? Tell us about your experience using the comments section below.

I get a lot of emails from people looking for fabrics that are slightly out of the ordinary. Many colors of Aida, for example, are only readily available in 14-count. What if you are looking for yellow fabric in 18-count Aida? If you know how to dye your own fabric, then you can just work up your own. But, if like me, your dye efforts don't always turn out so great?

Recently I received some samples from DoveStitch Fabrics. Not only do they have all sorts of colors in all sorts of counts of Aida, evenweave, and linen, they also do custom fabric treatments. You can choose from a wide variety of treatments.

When DoveStitch claims that they have the "biggest Hand-dyed, solid and Patterned cross stitch fabric range worldwide" they aren't joking. From Paisley to Polka Dots to Chocolate hand-dyed fabric and much, much more, the selection is astounding.

I will be posting projects stitched on the samples soon so watch for them!

More Fabric Sources: (just a few of many!)

• Charles Craft
• Zweigart
• Silkweaver
• Stab N' Stash

Share your favorite fabric brands and sources using the comments section below.

Welcome to another edition of Make it Merry, where talented crafters share their holiday how-to's. This week we've got some friendly characters and festive Thanksgiving crafts to create.

Create a Pumpkin Candle
What better to put in the middle of the feast. David Fisher will show you how to make this easy and impressive pumpkin tealight holder.

Make a Sesame Street Wreath
For 40 years, Sesame Street has been part of our lives and has encouraged us to accept all holiday traditions. Barbara Crews will show you how to create this wreath dedicated to some of our favorite Muppets.

Draw a Penguin Pilgrim
For Thanksgiving crafts like place mats and name cards, you'll need some festive art. How about a lesson from Helen South on drawing this cutie penguin.

Embroider a Gift Bag
Save cash for presents when you reuse gift bags or buy those inexpensive plain bags. Phyllis Dobbs will show you how to dress them up for the re-gifting process with a touch of delightful embroidery.

Stitch a Swedish Ornament
If you've got an ornament exchange to attend this year, a traditional Swedish ornament will really stand out in the crowd. Cheryl Fall will show you how to hand stitch this original piece.

Wax Resist Holiday Cards
Add a contemporary look to your holiday while saving some cash on Christmas Cards. This wax resist technique from Marion Boddy-Evans is just what you need.

Pumpkin Foam Sticker Earrings
For a quick Fall look in a pinch, try these pumpkin sticker earrings from Tammy Powley. She'll show you how to make them in five easy steps.

Paper Globe Ornament
This dimensional ornament has an intricate look, but is actually simple in design. Kate Pullen will show you how to cut and stamp this delightful addition to your decor.

Knit a Stocking Ornament
A mini stocking is a creative way to give a gift card, or hide a little treat on the tree. Sarah E. White shows us how to knit this cute little sock.

Christmas Tree Bunting
Decking the Halls has never been so fun, and this one is perfect for helpful kids to take part in. Use up those scraps of fabric with this decorative craft from the Sadie and Lance blog.

Make a Mini Hippo
Stuffed animals add a bit of fun and tenderness to any slew of presents. Stuff a stocking with a smile when you sew this little hippo from Lesley Shepherd.

Snowman Candy Jar
Top off your candy jar with a snowman face as sweet as the treats inside. Sherri Osborn will show you how to paint and assemble this wintry decoration that is appropriate to show off all season long.

Joy Ornament Crosstitch
Stitch a little bit of joy for someone this Christmas. Connie G. Barwick has the free pattern for this jolly cross stitch project.

Want to Join Make it Merry to show off your holiday crafts? We will showcase your crafts and recipes of all holiday traditions. Learn more.

Connie Colvin sent in this photo of two finished cross stitch pieces from the free Byzantine Tile patterns. She describes the projects. "I haven't cross stitched in more than 8 years (I crochet and knit primarily) but happened on the free patterns for the Byzantine Tiles and had to pick up a needle! I had also never worked with linen before but really love the look. I plan to stitch more, now!" Read more.



Cross Stitch Photo Albums
Submit a Photo

I never seem to keep my posts completely wordless, but here are more blogs posts featuring photos on Wordless Wednesday at About.com.

_{Follow About.com Cross Stitch on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.}

Tuesdays in the About.com Cross Stitch Forum have taken an air of excitement these days. Members are coming together to stitch from 6:30pm to 12pm. Stitch during those hours in your time zone or during those hours on Eastern, Central, Mountain or Pacific if you want to join in with the stitchers in US time zones.

Stitch an hour, stitch the entire time - just do what you can. Post a before photo and an after photo so we can see the progress you make. You can post your photos on the forum or at a photo sharing site that is publically viewable.

For more information visit the About.com Cross Stitch Forum If you have questions, post them in the forum and we will help you out.

If you are at a loss for a project, there are 100s of free charts to choose from here at About.com. Use this Free Pattern Index to help you select a project.

Even those of use who don't know many signs in American Sign Language will likely recognize this one. Say "I love you" with your fingers - in stitches! Stitch the outline only or fill it in with a second color of floss, beads, paint, or other media. Use the floss brands and colors of your choice.

This would make a great gift for someone special who uses signs to speak or teaches sign language. Or just for someone you care about. I included a small chart with the words "I love you" in similar size. This will enable you to make a small ornament with the sign on one side and the words on the other.

More Facts on Sign Language:

• Basic Facts on ASL
• I Love You Sign
• How to Sign the Alphabet

Candlewicking is a traditional embroidery style. The patterns for Candlewicking may also be adapted for painted and beaded designs. In traditional applications, the designs were stitched with an ecru floss on unbleached muslin, but you can choose any color fabric or floss, especially if you can't find traditional candlewicking thread.

The free Candlewicking Ornament Two will make a great small ornament or you can enlarge it and stitch a pillow with the motif. Adapt the patterns for any project you can dream up.

More Free Candlewicking Patterns:

• Candlewicking Ornament One
• Candlewicking Star Ornament
• Gift Box Candlewicking pattern
• Christmas Tree Ornament pattern
• Candlewicking Alphabet Pattern

Stay up-to-date with when new patterns are added to About.com Cross Stitch. Subscribe to the FREE newsletter today.

From Donna in the Forum - regarding the Stitchathon:
"Well, the votes have been tallied and it has been decided that the Stitchathon will take place on Saturday, November 21st. I'm attaching an official start time of 9AM to 9PM. Of course this means that everyone will still be stitching at different times, depending on where you live. But there should be enough overlap so that at some point we are all stitching together.... So mark your calendars, get your needles ready and tell your spouse he'll have to cook YOU dinner on that day! -Donna"

We are also meeting in the forum on Tuesday nights for our Stitchalong. The hours are 6:30 to 12midnight EST, but whenever you can drop in, do!

Here's how it works. You post a before photo of the project they are working on. You can either do this directly in the forum or link to a photo storage site of your choice. (Just make sure it is one we can all view.) If you can stitch most of the time, that is great, but if you can only stitch for a few hours, that is fine too. When you are done stitching, post an after photo. We will be there to cheer one another on, and so forth.

During the Stitchathon, it would be great if you want to post hourly photos - Before, During, and After photos in other words. So, if you have a WIP that threatens to turn into a UFO, get it out and join in!