Everyone has a holiday theme that they adore or collect. Some folks collect santa figurines, elves or crystal ornaments. Others prefer yard ornaments and bazillions of lights to illuminate the exteriors of their homes, nativity creches or model trains to place around the tree.

My "thing" is Snowmen, (aka: snowfolks, snowpeople, snowdudes, snu-mans) and this adoration has grown into more of a fetish over the years.

I have stitched, carved, knitted, appliqued, baked & frosted, sculpted, quilted and crocheted snowmen of every size and pursuasion - and paint them in acrylics on canvas as well (I've placed a photo of one of my many snowman paintings here on this blog as irrefutable proof). Naturally, I had to transform my addiction into a needlepoint version.

I've designed and stitched a quick and easy needlepoint chart for you, featuring a snowman giving his heart. Now I can add one more snowdude for my burgeoning collection, and you have a new pattern to enjoy!

Happy Stitching!

I've been posting your needlework shop recommendations, and the material I have received so far for the United States is ready for viewing. If you haven't already sent in your recommendation, feel free to email it any time and I will add it to the list.

Please be sure to include the address, phone number, and the website address when possible.

The Canadian, European and miscellaneous lists will follow shortly.
Enjoy!

As a traveling stitcher, I carry needlepoint tools with me wherever I go. In a way, these tools have become part of my wardrobe. This means I'm always keeping my eyes open for tools that are not just functional, but decorative as well.

Beth Russel of the Designers Forum now offers a newyarn cutter that is so pretty, you'll want to wear it as jewelry. Available in antique silver or a bronze finish, the yarn cutter does not have a logo defacing its front. Strung on a chain, or on silk or velvet ribbon and worn around the neck, it's handy as well as decorative.

I'm hoping the line will evetually include a hinged needle case, a cyllindrical needle keeper, scissors with sheath, and needle threader.

Now, I need to dig go through my stash so I can find silk ribbon to match my outfit...

Thank you very much to everyone who submitted a shop recommendation. Suggestions have been received for needlepoint nooks and crannies from across the United States, Canada, Buenos Aires and several European cities.

I'm delighted to see that everyone has a favorite shop, and am looking forward to creating a new section featuring your recommendations. While most of the shops do have web sites, several do not. It'll be great to let others know there's a shop in their area that they may not yet know about.

Here is one of my recommendations - a little needlework shop in the small town of Sens in Burgundy, France called Fil a Point.

I happened to be staying in town while completing the Pumpkin Petite Four (which, by the way is also perfect for Thanksgiving if the eyes, nose and mouth are replaced with orange thread).

During my stay, I ran out of orange perle cotton and walked up the street to this needlework shop for another skein. The shopkeeper and I managed to communicate through hand signals and facial expressions, but really clicked when she brought out the DMC color card, which evolved into a show-and-tell! I returned to the shop several times that month, and during that time we struck up a friendship.

The shopkeeper, Mme Botté, was the recipient of the completed petite four (I snapped the photo of it in my hotel room. If you take a peek at the petite four photo, you'll notice that I used both a US quarter dollar and a 2 euro coin for scale). She uses it on her counter as a pin cushion.

On my final visit to the shop, she presented me with a pattern for a needlepoint Christmas tree. It's one of my favorite needlepoint treasures.