On Beads and Needles

Waterlogged Ink Circles - an Update

2012-01-23T03:50:00.000-05:00

Waterlogged, as in, will it EVER stop raining? Okay, I shouldn't complain, what with the rain deficit we had again this past year, and the fact that this time last year, we were still talking about the snowpocalypse. But wow, it really just hasn't stopped for days, and Saturday, when a few of us headed to Callaway Gardens for an exhibit put on by the EGA, the storms that came through were absolutely horrendous! I have no idea how much rain we got Saturday, but I can tell you, I drove through ALL of it, and parts of I-85 were a complete white-out from torrential rain. Not to mention the lightning that was breaking all around us. And also, rumor has it there were also a couple of tornadoes spotted down by Callaway, and some people at the school & exhibit were forced out of rooms and into the halls, but no one said anything to us, whatever room we were in at the time. Hmmm....

So 3 of us, Kris, Diane and I, headed to Callaway, despite the weather, and after a very tense 2 hour & 15 minute drive, most of which was done fairly blindly, we arrived. As I expected, no pictures were allowed of the exhibit, so you'll just have to take my word for how amazing nearly every piece was. We were told pictures were posted on FB - but I don't know by who, because I couldn't find them. At any rate, there were some AMAZING canvas pieces - two on black, with dragons, wizards, and castles, done with gold and other fibers, were immediate stand outs, as was a neutral-on-neutral piece that had black suede matting around it that I voted as my favorite :) There were not nearly as many pieces of cross stitch as I had hoped - I get the distinct impression (or maybe confirmation of my suspicions) that the EGA still thinks of XS as the red-headed step child of the needlework world; now I really wonder what they would have thought of my MTM if I had gotten it entered? Though, even after seeing everything there, I am still not sure what class I would have been correct to enter that in - counted cross stitch, or counted thread, since there ARE specialty stitches in it?

One of the great pieces of cross stitch that WAS there, was a piece that had NYC landmarks - one of the bridges, what I assume was St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Statue of Liberty, a firehouse. And the Twin Towers were in the background, only their outlines done in grey. It was a great piece, absolutely huge - had to have been 2 1/2-3' tall, probably 18" wide, without the frame.

There were a LOT of beaded pieces there - jewelry, beaded bags, dimensional beaded art. I was surprised there was that much, I wasn't aware that bead weaving fell under EGA interests at all. The Best In Show was a beaded piece, with a story behind it of the artist's Scottish heritage, a tartan done in beads, with other Scottish elements included in the piece. No point in trying to describe it - without a picture, it just wouldn't translate well. Certainly well beyond my meager beading abilities....

There was also a biscornu tree, which was a pretty clever idea to display those - all sizes, from tiny quarter-sized ones, to ones as big as grapefruit. Again, I wish I had pictures available :(

We all did some shopping there, too - they had a boutique that had a LOT of fibers I had either never heard of, or had definitely never seen before, as well as piles of painted canvases, and lots of counted canvas charts, which I was forced to choose one from :) Diane & I both got a From Nancy's Needle chart, though neither one could be fully kitted from the available fibers, but we're both close. And Kris got a small canvas and picked out some gorgeous blue threads for it. I did have the book for Nova in my hand for a moment - but I regained my sanity and put it back :) I could have completely lost my mind in the book store they had, too - they had 3-4 books on Temari alone that I would have liked to have acquired - because I need yet another needle-related addiction, you know...

We even went into one of the classrooms of the school - we were all gawking in one of the windows, and the instructor, Carol Lake, waved us in, and told us a little bit about the wonderful piece she had brought for her class, and how everyone had chosen different colorways for it. The yellow one that one of the ladies was doing just drew my eye immediately - and I don't DO yellow; it was gorgeous! One of these days, I'll get to go do something like that!

The weather gave us a brief respite as we were ready to go - so we drove a bit further south to the Callaway Country Store, where we did a little more shopping (I scored pepper jelly & salsa, of course). THERE I finally took a picture :) Then we headed back, and were lucky to finally see blue skies again as we got back into civilization, though it was still cloudy up by home when we got there (after a brief detour to JoAnns in search of DMC perle, which they didn't have). But at least it was DRY for 90% of the trip back, and no one had to drag us out of a ditch, because it was pretty hairy going down. My hands STILL hurt from gripping the steering wheel so hard....

So onto the Ink Circles portion of this update, since there were TWO Ink Circle starts this week, not just one :)

First, the start on my Growth Rings, in BEADS :) Yeah, not the fastest process in the world, but I really do enjoy it, and though I KNOW this won't be done this year, I will enjoy every single bead I put on it, I know. Here's what it looked like about 45 minutes in:

And here's where it was last night, after a busy week and not as much time on it as I had anticipated:

I am sorry to put this up this week - but I have other things to get to, as well, so away it goes.

And before I get to the other start, I have a finish - Yellow Santa was darn close to done when I left the IHOP on Tuesday, so he got some attention during lunch on Wednesday & Thursday, and a quick finish & embellishment on Thursday night, and viola, he's done! I WILL make the gingerbread man stay UPRIGHT when I do the final finishing :)

Here he is, pictured next to the larger Red Santa (14ct, 18ct, and the Blue one will be on 22ct):

So on Friday afternoon, during a conference call, I started Fireweed :) LOVE Carrie's silks! And I haven't even gotten to the purple one yet :) Most. Productive. Call. EVER.

As a last item, I thought I'd throw in a little stash report; the items I bought at the exhibit on Saturday were joined last week by my PTP Mini Sampling of the Month for January, which just so happened to include that great purple that I want for Sparkly Hummingbird, if Rose at Faery Fire can re-create that on Jobelan. And then, Cecilia's had 40% off the remaining stock of Primitive Needle; it seems Lisa's family has decided to not continue offering her designs, so I picked up a couple of small pieces, both of which came with the fabric and inside little bags - cute little kits.

This week, hopefully a chance to dry out, though we are getting pounded again today, and there were tornadoes reported in Alabama last night and this morning - but they still say there'll be sun tomorrow, so we'll see. Since I have put Growth Rings away, I will get out Anne's London, and work on that dome. As soon as I get that done, it will get sent west, and Tuscany will finally come out for its start. I do have to say that, after seeing all the canvas work at the exhibit, Rainforest Crunch is realllyyyy yelling at me, too - it's companion was there :) I am planning to take Fireweed to the IHOP Tuesday night, and we also have our monthly PINS gathering this coming weekend! Of course, we are also turning on a new piece of software at work this coming weekend, with any luck, so this week will consist of lots of testing, gnashing of teeth, and pulling of hair, as we work out the last bugs - and hopefully NOT discover any new ones! I will be glad to get this DONE - it's been a long time coming....

On that note, Happy Stitching to everyone!

MLK Day - an Update

2012-01-16T04:05:00.000-05:00

Martin Luther King Jr. Day - a day that last year, created controversy when several school systems wanted to use it to make up some time from the Snowpocalypse (which I think Dr. King would have agreed with). But since it's one of those holidays that doesn't really come up on my radar, the 14 yo had to get up this morning. Only as I was getting dressed did it occur to me that he probably has a 3-day weekend, since Miss Donna posted something on FB Friday about having a 3-day... SO guess who was playing WoW at 7:00 a.m.? Gee, not even a 12-hour break since he got off of there. Whatever. Time restriction goes back into effect TOMORROW then, I guess.

So, onto the stitching bits...

I got to go to the Tuesday night at the IHOP last week, finally, after finally getting over The Crud. I worked on my Yellow Santa, who is nearing completion. Hopefully this week I can get the white & grey trim on the bottom half, if not done, close. Here he is so far:

And the rest of the week, I slaved away on Secret Victorian Garden - man is Part 2 just ginormous!! Can I say I am glad I won't see that Honeydew Caron again for a while? LOL I also got roughly 1/2 of Part 3 done, stitching wise - there are a LOT of beads in parts 2 & 3 that will wait until the end. But I needed a break between sections of the Honeydew, so broke out the purple metallic for the 4 boxes the houses will sit on. Then I finished Part 2, and started on the flower stems & leaves in Part 3, and then did part of the flowers. Here's the overall:

And then a close up of the bottom right corner, which kind of shows how the DD blue Mountains thread used for the "comb" flowers & the Jessica's kind of tends to disappear when I'm not on the purple part of the strand:

I hated to stop midway though a part, but I figure it'll be easy enough to pick it up there, and give me a quick finish to that part before moving onto Part 4, next time it comes out :)

So, as that implies, I have put SVG away, and tonight, I start Ink Circles' Growth Rings, in BEADS :) I haven't made my industrial Tacky BoB yet - I think I'll use my regular old one until it just hasn't got any stick left to it, and then pitch it. We'll see how long I am able to work on a solidly-beaded piece - who knows if London might make an appearance this week? I do need to get that out, too, as I want to have that dome done and on it's way home to Texas before I get Tuscany out to start. I am also thinking, when I feel I've reached a stopping point on Tuscany, that the rest of February (assuming Tuscany is being working on into Feb) will be devoted to giving L&U some much needed attention. I cannot believe I didn't touch it more than a few hours for the entire year last year :( Throwing out my timed rotation, while beneficial in some ways, definitely did not help that one.

Saturday, a few of us in the local group are heading down south to Callaway Gardens, where they host a needlework school every January. The local chapter of the EGA, the Dogwood Chapter in Atlanta, is hosting an exhibit and a boutique. I was going to enter MTM and take it down, but between being sick before the entry deadline, and not relishing the thought of making the 130 mile trip (one way) 3 TIMES over 12 days, I decided to just go check it out this year, and see what I see in preparation for next year... I am taking the camera, of course, so if I can take photos, I will report back next week :)

Also, if you are a member of The Stitcher's Village, Tracy Horner, the genius behind Ink Circles, will be hosting a live chat on Saturday, 1/28, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern; if you can, please stop by and say Hi! Of course, I'll have to try to remember, since I ma not often on the computer at night on the weekends...

As a side note, New Fish croaked. And was replaced. And New Fish #2 has ALSO croaked. So I am wondering if the bottle of water treatment that I just got is bad - it's the only thing in common between those 2 fish. May have to go get a new one before I change the water in the sole survivor's tank. Dammit - the replacement was REALLY cool - deep red bordering on black, and probably the biggest betta I have ever had :(

That's the news from here - Happy Stitching this week to everyone!

Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe: Hand Dyed Floss give-away from the Motto Sampler Shoppe for Spring!

2012-01-11T16:04:00.000-05:00

Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe: Hand Dyed Floss give-away from the Motto Sampler Shoppe for Spring!

Catching Up to the New Year - an Update

2012-01-09T06:02:00.000-05:00

Yes, I got a little bit behind with the updates here the last few weeks, mainly due to the fact that, for the 2nd year in a row, I was sick over the whole holiday season. Fortunately, this time it wasn't the flu, just a virus that had my throat aching like strep but wasn't, and then, when I thought it was just about gone, turned into a sinus infection that had me out for the count for a couple of days before I could get in to the doc. I haven't had one of those in at least a dozen years - I like them less now than I did the last time I had one... Good ol' amoxicillan 875 to the rescue! So as I try to recap the last few weeks, I'm giving you fair warning - this might be long :)

Christmas was had, and I think by all accounts, it was a good one; DH has new Chelsea FC gear, the boys got a pile of new clothes, and they all got TOMS shoes, and I got a new CAMERA - the Canon Rebel I've wanted for EVER!!!

All in all, a good day....

I also met my last goal for the year, and finished Tree of Stitches on Christmas night. In hindsight, the threads I chose are a bit too dark to really show off the different stitches, and I should have done Lester & Horace (the owl & bunny) in something darker - and still might, if it's still bugging me when I get around to doing something with this. Anyway, it was done:

So the week between Christmas & New Year's, I had off - and was sick, though I was feeling much better by that Thursday the 29th, when a few of us ran over to Marietta to go to Abcedarius :) Much ewwwing and ahhhing was done, and stash was bought, some I needed (PTB for Sparkly Hummingbird) and much I didn't :)

As I couldn't decide what WIP to work on that week, I just decided to go ahead & get a jump on my January Startapalooza - and out came Secret Victorian Garden on the 27th :) I had Part 1, minus the beads, done by that Thursday or Friday (it's been too long, I forget when now):

All those outlined blocks will have a Cantaloupe bicone in it at the end :)

New Year's came & went, quieter than usual, as no one did fireworks or anything. Fine with me, it's not really my thing. I did manage to remember to grab a shot of my ort jar that I started on 1 October - this is from then until December 31, which includes all the orts from the finishing frenzy I've managed the last couple of months:

I moved onto Part 2 of SVG, and this is the progress on January 1st, 2012:

And then the progress as of last night - getting closer, will have this part done this week:

The question is - do I do Part 3, which is filling in some section of Part 2 (though a lot of the blanks are beads, and I will save these to the end, even though I did them for Part 1 - 2 is just too big, too many) and some mostly-bead border, or go ahead and move on to the next new start, IC Growth Rings? I also need to get some more time in on Anne's London - I want to finish the dome on St. Paul's before sending it back home. I guess I'll just wait & see what I see when I get there...

In other news, I made a kid cry the other day. We wanted to get another betta, so off to Petsmart we went. They had ONE that wasn't a female and looked like a male; just the boring, no-fin ones were left. So, since he was turquoise, it was a pretty good choice, but I wanted to make sure there weren't any somewhere else in the store, so we left him on the shelf and walked back past the other fish tanks. Not finding any, I came back and picked up the one I'd seen. As I'm walking to the register, a kid comes out of aisle, and lets out a wail - I took his fish. Well, I was already putting it on the conveyor, and the mom I guess smoothed it over right away by putting another one in his hand. Crisis averted, I think. So now we have 2 - but the new one isn't acting quite right - he likes to get UNDER the rocks in his bowl? Not sure how long he's going to last, but here are the two of them flaring at each other from their separate bowls, taken with the Canon, of course :)

And with that, I think I am caught up. Hard to tell, there's so much of nothing that's gone on the last few weeks :) Happy stitching to everyone, and so far, 2012 isn't looking too bad!

Out With the Old, In With 2012

2012-01-01T11:43:00.000-05:00

I had to go back and re-read my post from a year ago, and I guess have to conclude that 2011 ended in a draw. From my reckoning, every achievement or success was matched by a loss or setback; no glaring failures, so I am probably further ahead than I started a year ago, it's just a bit hard to balance with apples to oranges, so to speak.

Lifewise, it was a strange year. I lost my dad, but in the end, that meant more to me than it did to him, leaving me hovering between indifferent and resentful. My oldest graduated from high school, and now the trick is to find the path he was meant to be on, which is considerably more complicated now than it ever seemed to be when I was there. Work is still work, I win some, I lose some, and it's up for debate whether I am any greyer than I was a year ago :) It's true that some days, the longer I'm there the less I know - but it beats the alternative, no?

Stitchwise, I think it was a pretty decent year; I finished TWO Chatelaines, as well as quite a few other things, including Tanglewood and Murky Manor and Starry Nights, all the things I SAID I would finish. Some of the other things I wanted to finish, or get close to done, didn't fare so well - Mary Wigham & Halloween Quaker, for instance - and others never saw the light of day (L&U - aside from about 3 days back at the beginning of the year). And then of course, several impulse starts that did get done - those silly Roosters, MH Halloween, Birds of a Feather, Tree of Stitches. AND I got to work on a few great projects for my friends during the year, as well.

I went to the fair again, and did well. I have my favorite project to date, MTM, hanging on the wall to look at every day. And I have grand plans for the coming year, as 2011 has inspired me to do more in 2012. The writing also continues, though took a back seat to the fall's Finish-itis.

So, for the coming year, a list similar to last year's, with these changes:

- START Secret Victorian Garden (done, on 12/27, actually), Tuscany Town Mandala, and Growth Rings in beads :) Would also like to start Sleepy Hollow and one of the other Joan Elliott fairies of goddesses, upon completion of a like piece.

- Progress on L&U, Celtic Banner, Chat Noir, Noah's Sub, World Tree and EGS when they come home.

- Would LIKE to finish Mary Wigham this year, and Halloween Quaker, too, as well as Iris Fairy.

- Do some more jewelry pieces; I have a lot of fluorite sitting here, waiting for the spark of inspiration to strike :)

- Learn how to use my new toy, a Canon Rebel DSLR. I didn't take nearly the number of pictures in 2011 that I did the year before, which I hope to remedy this year.

- LOTS of books to read - and no more wasting 6 months on a single one like I did on War & Peace...

I can't say I'm sorry to see 2011 go. It was a lot of work and stress. With any luck, this year will be smoother. I won't expect it to be quieter - the number of 4-legged kids around here makes that impossible. But a bit less chaos can only be a good thing, for everyone. So, with that, I wish you all a Happy New Year, and peace, love, and stitches in 2012!

Waiting on the Fat Man in the Red Suit - An Update

2011-12-19T04:00:00.000-05:00

6 days and counting. For all intents & purposes, I'm done :) Have a couple of things to wrap, but that's it. Since I work all week, Saturday will probably be spent making food all day; cookies, cheesecake, cake, bread. And I am really looking forward to having all next week off - do I need some down time, in the worst way! The only thing I have planned for that week is hopefully a field trip to Marietta & Abecedarius; maybe I can get a couple of the threads for Sparkly Hummingbird while there :)

In stitching news, I have a couple of things that can be shown :) First, as I mentioned last week, I worked a bit more on Chat Noir, or Gato Negro as I usually call him when I'm working on him - as I did the actual gato I am doing this for :) I filled in a bit of the confetti left in the many lengths of black I put in the week before - you can see the before photo here, and here's the current:

And on Saturday, we had the December gathering of PINS; since I missed last moth's, and haven't gone to a Tuesday night since the car issues started, I was in severe need of some group stitching. As always, it was a great time - Loretta's had LASAGNA on the menu, it was awesome! - and it was over way too quick. But Yellow Santa did finally get some attention again, so it's all good:

This week, it's time to start cranking on my last goal, Tree of Stitches. In between things this week, I hope to have it done before too late into next week, so I can work on other neglected projects for a couple of days before the Startapalooza starts in January :) So we'll see. Up through Part 6, I did a section a day; if that still holds true for the remaining 9 - and make that maybe 2 parts any day I'm not working, or more - it should be doable :)

To All of you, I wish you a happy and peaceful holiday season, and Happy Stitching!

A Great Give Away

2011-12-13T06:44:00.000-05:00

Some of my favorite hand dyed thread comes from the Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe - you can see some of their threads in my Tree of Stitches (The Stitch Specialist, Abi Gurden):

Well, I just stumbled onto the blog of the lady behind the dye pots, Nancy, and she is having a GREAT Christmas give-away. So if you become a follower here, you can be included in the drawing for her gorgeous floss!!

It's Getting Close - an Update

2011-12-12T04:10:00.000-05:00

So, since this time last week, I have managed to do most of my Christmas shopping - just those last few things I have to get. AND I have even wrapped everything that is here! As predicted - cards just aren't going to happen - haven't even looked at any, let alone bought any or begun to write them out. Meh. anyone who ever expected me to manage cards several years IN A ROW clearly doesn't know me very well...

Amidst all the shopping, we also had a band concert to go to on Wednesday night. This one was held at Brenau University, in Pearce Auditorium, another place I have not been to before. And, just like the one last weekend at Riverside Military Academy, I forgot to take my camera (since a certain 14 yo did NOT tell us the correct call time, so then we had to run out the door). BUT I did manage to take a few less-than-stellar pics with my iPhone (I WILL remember my camera the next time we go there). It is an old building, built in the 1890s, I believe, and every step every one took, you could feel. Bu the stained glass windows inside the auditorium were amazing, as was the painting on the ceiling in front of the stage - which you could appreciate IF I had had my real camera.

Our steel drum band, Sheer Panic - which is about half it's normal size, due to lots of graduating players last year. They plan to have auditions (yes, my 14 WILL GO), and hope to have 2 full bands this spring.

(picture from Beth Fike on the FBHS Band FB page)

Then the Jazz Band:

(picture from Beth Fike on the FBHS Band FB page)

And a Percussion Ensemble did one song:

(picture from J Avery on the FBHS Band FB page)

And then the Concert Band, who's Celtic Carol of the Bells was pretty cool:

(picture from Beth Fike on the FBHS Band FB page)

And now, on to the stitching parts of this update...

Another finish, bringing my WIPs down to 13; Birds of a Feather is DONE, despite having lost an entire set of threads. They have not magically appeared, so I am guessing they really are gone. Anyway, it's done. And I have to say, the red flowers in the border and those sheep are my two favorite parts of this!! I'm thinking a very simple mahogany frame - but then, one of the ladies in The Stitcher's Village made a pillow of her finish, and that's cool, too! But a stitched pillow has about a snowball's chance in hell of surviving in this house, soooo....

And as I finished that up on Saturday - despite a brief pause when the BIG TV decided to crap out (you know this stuff comes in 3s - let's hope it & the cars are the last 3 for a while) - I decided on Sunday to break out the ol' Chat Noir. And I put in lots and lots of black, leaving lots & lots of confetti to fill in.

As for this week, a somewhat full plate again; the Magnum is finally going to the shop today to get it's freaking speed sensor fixed - cross your fingers or whatever's convenient that that is ALL it is. I have to finish shopping - a couple of packages have to be sent out of town, once I put something IN them. So I doubt I'll be Tuesday nighting at the IHOP this week, though we do have PINS on Saturday, which I WILL NOT MISS, come hell or high water. As for stitching, Chat is still on the stand, so he'll get more attention tonight, and I'm not sure when I will put him up for Tree of Stitches, which is my last goal for the year. I stopped at part 7, and can roughly do one part a night, so I OUGHT to be able to finish it in about a week. Which would be great, so the time I have off over the holidays, I could spend 1) working on a couple of the other pieces that don't see much daylight, and 2) prepare for my January Startitis!!

On that note, Happy Stitching this week to everyone, and I hope everyone takes the time to relax and ENJOY the holidays instead of stress over them!

Is it REALLY the 5th Already? An Update

2011-12-05T04:17:00.000-05:00

Guess what? I have done ZERO shopping. I had better get my butt in gear, huh? There was a time, in the distant past, when I was done by Thanksgiving. Of course, that was back when all I had to do was go grab the newest Legos and Little People and put them in layaway. Now, getting a wish list out of a kid is almost as easy as getting them to A) take their dishes to the kitchen AND B) get them to put them IN the dishwasher. As always, I am the easiest to shop for :) And yet, with one car still crippled, I haven't even done that... I am teetering on Bah Humbug - but not quite tipped over the edge - yet. But Fair Warning - pretty sure cards will NOT happen this year, depending on if I survive THIS week, which is BOOKED. Take car in (driving 15 miles in 2nd gear - that ought to be fun). 2nd Band concert Wednesday. Company Holiday carry-in Wednesday. Doctor appointment (which I've avoided too many years now) on Thursday. DH doctor on Wednesday. Cheesecakes sold for FBHS Band - supposed to pick up this week (today?), deliver. Some other stuff I've probably forgotten. And oh yeah, WORK. And I HAVE to do some shopping!

I'M STRESSED - I NEED TO STITCH!

I stitched some last week, though I do have to say, it's kind of hard to tell :) As mentioned last week, my plan was to work on Anne's TG London, which has been sitting here patiently, waiting for that silly Knotgarden to get done. And so I did. I forgot to take a picture before I started - but I did remember after I'd done about 40 stitches. BUT, since they are all in ecru on ecru linen, this picture is close enough to what it looked like before I started:

I worked a bit each night except Friday, which turned out to be a read-100-pages of Follett's World Without End night instead. I am pretty sure EVERY shade of ecru/off-white/cream is in the frieze of St. Paul's, as this is where it was when I stopped at 9:30 last night:

And just in case you can't see much aside from the darkened windows above, here's the marked chart - I did all the yellow, excpet for one row near the bottom that starts off as purple:

Does it LOOK like St. Paul's yet? Meh.. Another building that I walked past a hundred times, and did not go inside. Why would anyone want to go inside a cathedral? Or Westminster Abbey? Some day, when I go back to London, I WILL do the touristy things I didn't get to do when I LIVED 80 short miles away....

As for this week, I have put London away, and will be getting the Birds of a Feather SAL out when I get home tonight - assuming the %#$* threads are still there :) That is one of 2 more projects I WILL finish before the clock strikes 12 on 12/31. I don't see any reason I won't make my goal - except there are so many things screaming at me - Celtic Banner, Chat Noir, Romeo, just to name a few. L&U is being quiet, I think because I have promised it a few weeks in a row once I get my new starts out of my system :) There's a Yellow Santa that has been screaming from a bag, too, but since I only took lunches long enough to eat last week, he didn't come out, either. But then, I said the set would NOT get done this year. Ha! Called that one, I did :) I do want to make sure I get the fabric to back them all while the holiday stuff is out, but I still have time for that...

On that note, Happy Stitching to everyone!

And.... It's Done!

2011-11-28T03:21:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's done. After 3 1/2 years, Knotgarden is DONE! Though there must have been a year in there it didn't get worked on because it sure felt like only 2 1/2 years from start to finish :( Without further ado, here's the whole thing:

And then here are a couple of shots of the beads - which of course do not photograph nearly as nicely as they actually appear:

Good thing this was a holiday weekend, because it literally took every minute I had to get it done, though I did ALL of the remaining beading Sunday afternoon & evening. Of course, if I hadn't had all of the Christmas decorations to put out, and running around Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I would have been done sooner, but I guess these other things have to get done, too...

And yes, that is all I worked on for the week, so poor Yellow Santa did not even peek out of his bag, let alone get a stitch in. We'll see what happens on him this week. I WILL put time in on Anne's London, finally - it's been waiting not-so-patiently on the dining room table for WEEKS now. And then, my remaining goals for the year are to finish the Birds of a Feather SAL, and Tree of Stitches, which ought to be doable, assuming Christmas Crazies don't interfere too much :) Or this big pile of beads, some of which are for a far-distant Chatelaine, and others for some jewelry:

Now, if you've been following along, you might have seen me post a few new albums to the Multiply pages, like one for Tuscany Town, and Growth Rings. So you might gather from that that I'll have some new starts coming up. You'll just have to check back after the new year to see, but I can safely say that finishing TWO Chatelaines in one year - which either equals or tops finishing two TWs in one year - deserves a bit of startitis, IMO :)

Happy Stitching this week to everyone!!

Turkey Week - an Update

2011-11-21T03:55:00.001-05:00

So just to start off, get the whining out of the way - last week SUCKED. Tuesday night as I was coming home from the IHOP, my car acted funny for a second; but I couldn't tell if it was the engine, or me losing traction, because it had just finished dumping rain, and I was too busy looking at the road to spare a second to look at the tach to see if it was spinning up because I had no traction. SO anyway, DH was out cold when I walked in the door - he'd been to the doc for the pulled muscle in his back, muscle relaxer was doing it's thing - so I let it go, chalking it up to the water on the road. But by the time I got 1 mile down the road the next morning, though still wet out, I KNEW it was something with the engine, misfiring like it does when a certain vacuum hose goes bad, which we'd just replaced again a month or so ago. So back home I go, and call DH, who really doesn't have time to deal with it, having been out for 2 days with his back.

As he's on his way home, he calls to tell me HIS Check Engine light is now on, and he can't go over 30mph - on the interstate. WTF???? TWO cars - on the SAME DAY? I know I have some bad karma following me around from somewhere, but this is just ridiculous. So to sum up a very long story, my car now has new plugs, coil packs, and one of the coil pack "brains" is new, too - I am going to knock on wood and say nothing else about it... DH's car is still down, because no one can tell us what kind of transmission is in it - including the yutz's we bought it from - so we don't know which kind of speed sensor goes in it; it's either the $20 pop-in/pop-out one, or it's the $280 one you have to drop the pans to get to; one dealer told the Chevy guy across the street that it doesn't have one at all! Nothing like ambiguous engineering...

Add to this some really unpleasant family news concerning events from this past May that came on Thursday, which, while not unexpected nor much of a surprise, still, when it's in your face, it's just enough to get your blood boiling, you know? So last week sucked, and I'm seriously hoping this other car thing gets resolved without too much financial hemorrhaging - at the rate we're going with cars & dogs, Christmas ain't happening this year... Which is all my fault because I finally ordered the beads I've been trying to save up for for months, so I can do IC Growth Rings finally. Just like the last time we went on vacation, the week we mailed the payment to the condo owner, the fridge blew up. I didn't think $60 worth of beads would tip the cosmic scale so much - but I guess I was wrong... When the only working car is the 20 year old toy with 185K on it, you know you've pissed off somebody...

So anyway, BEFORE things went to hell last week, I worked on my yellow Santa at Tuesday night's stitch in, and now have a teddy bear and a bag, as well as one mitten:

I have also, in between holding lights and staring blankly at torn apart engines, have turned the last corner into the homestretch on Knotgarden. And if I can keep the last-minute frogs away, I am SO CLOSE!!! And I was right, doing that 4th corner was a nice break from topiary pots & black gates, so I'm hoping this last little bit will go quickly! Here is last week's:

And now this week's:

And surprise, as I was finishing the last of the silks, the woven Scotch stitch bottom center, gee, what do I find but one of Martina's lovely chart errors. So I had to take it out (easy enough - just irritating), and move it all left one stitch, and start again. If I could see any of the other 3 sides, I'd have seen it right away, but as they are all wadded up under the clamps, I had to rely on the CHART. Silly me. I do have to say that she's consistent - as old as this chart is (2001 according to the chartpack), she's still making the same simple mistakes and not correcting them from then until now...

So this week, being a short work week and a long weekend, I hope to make great progress on Knotgarden. Thursday will be a stitching day, ONCE I get the massive meal done, and Friday, it's time to get all the Christmas stuff out and up - so I can spend the next month trying to keep the dumb dog's tail under control around it. I missed the November PINS meeting this weekend, due to being the third hand/light holder while working on the Zoom Zoom again, so I didn't get the stress relief I needed. Hopefully I can make up for that this weekend by not leaving the house. I won't be doing any shopping until the car thing is done, with whatever, if any, is left of my Christmas funds. And I don't know about you, but I think I am ready to be done with 2011...

Did you know that Dammit I'm Mad is Dammit I'm Mad when written backwards? Awesome, huh???

On that note, Happy Stitching this week to everyone!! And yes, sometimes stitching really IS the only thing that keeps me going...

Another Year, Another Update

2011-11-14T05:51:00.000-05:00

Another year older, as of yesterday. Meh, whatever :) It's not a speed limit year, so no big deal, nice and quiet. Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes! I also got a couple of goodies from friends - Chris in Indiana sent me a card with a piece of purple fabric from Faery Fire Fabrics (she's used their fabric for one of her recent Joan Elliott masterpieces) - which is so pretty, I've e-mailed Rose to see if she'd dye me a custom piece of jobelan for Sparkly Hummingbird Garden, since she has JOBELAN, my favorite, AND she'll do a custom 28x28 piece for me! I also received a surprise box on the front porch Saturday, from Amazon. In it were the Magical XS book and a very cool David Garrett CD, both from Mel! Thank you so much, Mel - and the 18 yo even gave the DG CD his stamp of approval, despite it having a GnR song on it (because November Rain is one of my favorites) :)

Thank you, my friends!

On to the stitching...

I did a little bit of work on the Yellow Santa - I did get his face on him during lunch on Monday, and did the tree and started the teddy bear between Tuesday night at IHOP and one other lunch during the week. It's really helping doing the same design the 2nd time by having it in other colors, and doing it in a different order - I started with the tree on the red one.

And look - I am tackling that 4th Giant Green Corner on Knotgarden and thinking it's going to be done soon :) I forgot about the little egg part - I started that while watching DWTS on Monday, and then, Wednesday, moved over to the left-hand border to further the Rhodes stitches and the Scotch Stitch there in the center under the gate. Then I started the first of 6-7 different greens:

SO I feel pretty confidant that that will be done this week, and then I'll flip it over to work on the 4th outer edge. I can smell a finish coming - but if I go getting cocky about it, it'll be completely frog-ridden - so I might need to sneak up on the finish, surprise it into completed :)

And that's the update for the week, and the plan for this week. Though I have to say that Anne's London is getting louder & louder from the bag on the table - I really want to get it out and put soem stitches into it, but I want Knotgarden done MORE, so... And you know how I said I wasn't kitting up Hummingbird anytime soon? Well, I have all but 1 DMC, already bobbined up and in a box, and I have half the beads on order. Because I am a compulsive kitter :) Though I don't consider that a problem, so long as the checkbook holds out :)

Happy Stitching this week to everyone!

Veteran's Day 2011

2011-11-11T03:15:00.000-05:00

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."
- John F. Kennedy

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave."
- Elmer Davis

"Freedom is never free." - Author Unknown

"The more we sweat in peace the less we bleed in war." -Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit

Thank you to all who have or are serving.

No More Artificial Time - an Update

2011-11-07T03:48:00.000-05:00

Ahhh, the time change! I know I am in the minority, but I do love getting my hour back in the fall! When getting up at 6:15 is really getting up at 6:15! Being a night owl, I could care less about it being dark not long after I'm on the way home from work; my car comes equipped with lights, and I'm not afraid to use them! I'll even use them *gasp* when it's RAINING! Wow, what a concept, right?

In stitching news, I finally got my %$#& replacement threads for Birds of a Feather; so far, my prediction that the original ones would show up immediately upon receipt of the new ones has not proven out :) So maybe they really did disappear. At any rate, Part 2 is now officially DONE (the key goes to Part 3, so while I was behind, I was also ahead - because I'm awesome like that!). I think once I get the hill the house sits on done, the rest will go quick - it's just getting past that last little tree that's going to drive me over the edge (I knew doing this & Tanglewood at the same time was tempting fate):

I also started the Yellow Santa, to go with the Red one that I finished last week. Between the Tuesday night at the IHOP and a few lunches, I got a good start on him. This one is on 18ct - the red one was on 14. I'll scale the embellishments back a bit, too. I need to go to my various fabric stores to find the perfect fabric for backing these when I get the set done. Might have to get a few pieces until I find the ONE :)

(yes, I am breaking my own cardinal rule about having a FACELESS HEAD - hopefully today at lunch will fix that, before I give myself the willies)

And lastly, guess who finished side 3 of Knotgarden??? Yes, yes I did!!! I am actually kind of looking forward to the Giant Green Corner #4 - only because it ISN'T a black gate, and because I get to use the pretty Silk 'n Colors for the Rhodes again :) Is that a light I see, there at the end of that very long tunnel??? I think maybe it is....

Secret Victorian Garden and Tuscany are really screaming at me to get this done. And if I get BoaF done, and maybe Tree of Stitches, as well, by year-end, or by mid-January, let's say, I might just start BOTH of them in January. Which will make Desert pout, but considering I just bought Sparkly Hummingbird Garden for my birthday, well, Desert ought to feel pretty confidant that it'll be started first - it'll take me a while to kit up SHG, with all that PTB and BEADS! Ewwwww, sparkly!

(and no, I will NOT be doing mine on black - I'm thinking something purple-y, like Lissane's)

I don't know about your house, but around here, people are already harassing me about Thanksgiving; apparently I've starved them all since last Christmas, and they've been waiting these 11 months for another full meal. I'm just looking forward to a couple of extra days off :) And NOT looking forward to the shopping that I KNOW I have to do (though Amazon might as well just reserve a delivery guy for me :) ) This has been a really nice fall this year, and did I mention that I love the time change???

Happy stitching this week to everyone!

Halloween - an Update

2011-10-31T04:31:00.002-04:00

I wish the kids were still little on days like today; everyone rushing home, trying to get some food into them before it's time to put on the costumes they've been told to put up a million times since they were bought (my kids would not even hear about Mom's ideas for home-made ones, they had to have store-bought, non-dorky ones. What's wrong with being a Lego???), getting them ready to go, so when the magic hour arrives, off we go trick or treating. Now, I get to take the 14 yo to one of his friends, and leave them to their own devices for a few hours, with the caveat that if he is calling from jail, he has to call his dad. Ahhh, good times... I should have bought a bag of Butterfingers though.

They decided to do the pumpkin contest at work again this year - which they decided to tell us on FRIDAY. Ummm, people, genius sometimes takes a few days to percolate, so a WEEK might have been a bit more helpful. So I guess I will let someone else have a go this year, since I am the undisputed Pumpkin Master up until they stopped doing it 2-3 years ago. I still wish I could find a picture of my Pinhead pumpkin - it really was the coolest ever. But since I can't find that, here's a couple others I've done in the past:

The Alien (painted blue/green/grey, with hard-boiled eggs inset, painted metallic black)

Cinderella's Carriage (in a fish tank w/4 white mice that were the horses before the clock struck 12)

And since it's Halloween, I of course had a finish - on a CHRISTMAS piece - this weekend :) The first of the 3 Santas is done, except for a couple of other embellishments that will get attached after it gets finish-finished into a stuffed stand-up. But I want to try my best to get the other 2 done (a yellow one, on 18ct, and then a blue one on 22ct) and finish them all together - so knowing my speed & luck, they'll be done in January :) Kinda like a couple of Christmas things from last year, huh?

(you can see details of the embellishments I added, starting here.)

I also worked on Knotgarden this week, and have the 3rd gate almost done; might be able to finish it up tonight and move on to the 3 topiary plants Wednesday night. The question is - can I get this done by the end of the year? I really hope so. It just depends on how long it takes me to get through this 4th corner, though after all these gates, it ought to be a nice switch :)

And that's it for the week. During lunch and tomorrow at the Tuesday night at the IHOP, I will start my 2nd Santa, and then keep on on Knotgarden until I just can't stand the green for another minute. I am waiting for Cecilia's to invoice me for my Online Needlework Show order (IC Metamorphosis), which also contains the replacement threads for BoaF - so until that actually gets here, I don't have that to switch off to (though I could do that left-hand tree, I guess). That's the plan - we'll see how it works out.

Happy Halloween, everyone, and Happy Stitching!

(as much as I love the original J. Carpenter Halloween, Rob Zombie's re-make is actually pretty awesome - if you go in for gratuitous arterial spray and that kind of thing - which of course, being a Tarantino fan, I do :) )

My Calendar Says October Still - an Update

2011-10-24T05:13:00.000-04:00

Yep, the calendars all still say October, but it's definitely looking like November here - the leaves are about half changed! That NEVER happens here in October! And last week was cold; we had frost warnings for a couple of nights, though my cannas are still in bloom, so I guess it didn't get that cold down in the hole our house is in :) We are back in the 70s this week, but I'm just really surprised at having FALL this year, instead of summer one day, winter the next. No idea what that means for the winter we're going to have...? Have I mentioned how much I want to go to AZ????

In animal news, Lucy managed to keep her stitches in ALL WEEK - we took ALL 3 OF THEM out on Saturday, so she is now cone-free :) Still needs a bath - smells like she was in the animal hospital, you know? But we spent all our animal-bathing time on BEANIE instead. I was lying in bed Wednesday morning, dreading the alarm going off, when I suddenly had a 20-pound oil-soaked cat jump on me. Apparently, Beanie stayed in the garage overnight, and at some point during the night, probably chasing a critter, he managed to land in the remains of the last oil change that DH hasn't taken out yet. So of course, I go into panic mode, because no one else is up at 6 a.m., and am trying to wash the cat with the soap I had in the bathroom - which was pretty ineffective, as you might imagine. Meanwhile, the dogs are both losing their minds because it sounds like I'm killing the cat, so the boys both get up to come see what's going on - and two of the three of us have to get showered and get going. Needless to say, it was NOT a good morning. And I was already cranky before that all went on.

That's also when the cold snap came through, so the temps dropped and stayed down, so though he desperately needed more washing after the Big Kid did what he could after I left for work, it was just too cold to risk it. But I did finally get him bathed yesterday, and he's now all clean again - his beard and feet are white again, and he's FLUFFY :) And it didn't take the entire industrial-sized bottle of Dawn to get it done! But we'll have that around for whatever else needs it, as I can't stand using that stuff for washing dishes...

So on to the stitching bits already...

I have another finish - Mill Hill Halloween is done, as of 1:30 a.m. Friday night/Saturday morning! it took 6 hours total to get all those beads on - I do think Boo House had more beads & less stitching than the other 3, but at any rate, had it done in exactly 1 week :) Here's Boo House:

And then the overall:

I do wish I had seen all 3 of these together in detail - Boo is the oldest of these 3, and the sky is charted in blues instead of the greys the other 2 use; it sticks out to me a LOT, but I assume it'll stop bugging me eventually. OR, if I'd gotten a bigger piece of fabric and 3 more kits, I could have balanced it out by having another older one w/blue sky somewhere else. Oh well, it's done now :)

Tuesday night, I went to IHOP for the Hooty Girls Stitch In :) I worked on my Santa ornie some more, and then worked on it a bit more on Sunday evening, as I didn't have much time to stitch over the weekend. He now has a face - I wasn't about to leave him with no eyes!

Saturday, we had our October PINS get together, and we presented our host & hostess with the Chickens; I think they were both very surprised, and I know Loretta herself was almost crying. So a well-received gift :) And considering all the re-decorating they've been doing the last month, the timing couldn't have been better; in addition to the new wall paint that was there last time, there are new chicken things all over, and lots of wrought iron pieces hanging throughout - the blackwork bits on Chickens are a perfect compliment. I couldn't have planned that any better if I had tried. I'll be curious to see where it ends up, though she did say she was going to take it home and look at it for a bit before bringing it back to find it a home in the restaurant...

While at PINS, I worked on my BoaF SAL - that should have been done a couple of months ago, if I hadn't gotten hung up on these Halloween things. I got the tree in Part 2 done, and would have finished Part 2 completely, except I didn't have the rest of the threads with me, so the 2nd bird is all that's lacking to finish this part:

And then, when I got home, I tore the place apart looking for those threads - I was completely stumped as to why they weren't in the bag with the whole kit. I can't find them, they are just gone. So either the ring they were on slid off into the trash can I have between couch & table and we never saw them when it got emptied, or an animal has them stashed somewhere, in which case I probably don't want them back. SO I get to order 10 new skeins of WDW - which won't match dyelots, of course, and a couple of them, I only need a length or two. Dammit. I don't lose stuff. But on the bright side, in my effort to find them, I did get the remains of recent finishes put away, and got things a little straightened up on the table.

So, this week, since I am stopped on BoaF until I get the threads ordered (along with that new Ink Circles chart, Metamorphosis), I SHOULD work on Knotgarden - I want that done so badly I can taste it. Until it irritates me again, of course. So I might have to switch off this week, but I HAVE to work on it; maybe I'll get past the hump that's driving me nuts... I'll keep on that Santa, too, when time permits; I'd like to have the set of 3 done this year, but it's not going to happen, not as lon as this one's taking. So next year, probably :)

And that's all I've got. Happy Stitching this week to everyone!

Mid-October - an Update

2011-10-17T05:42:00.001-04:00

My favorite time of year, especially after the weekend we just had - 75-80 during the day, blue skies as far as the eye can see, cool nights :) Convertible weather, of course. But they are predicting a frost later this week, and highs in the 50s! A bit early, but hey, you know what? This is the first actual fall we have had in years, so I'm not going to complain!

Of course, it's also that hated season - ad valorem tax season, since DH's birthday was yesterday, and mine's in a month :( Which is why we ALSO had to take the damn dog to the vet, TWICE. A week ago Thursday, Little Kid took Lucy out for her usual morning thing, and when she rushed inside to get her treat, her leg was gushing blood. So on Friday, for $400, she got some stitches, and we still aren't sure what she stepped on out there, in a place she's been a million times. The cut, which was about 1 1/2" long and a good 1/2" deep - thankfully missing all the important stuff in there - was clean, so it had to be glass, and we did find a broken bottle (the kids/rednecks like to aim their trash at the storm drain on our property line, so we often have crap laying around up there, but it's all pine straw & kudzu, so it's also easily buried). Anyway, by Monday, she had all of the stitches out, despite bandages, and 2 (TWO) Cones of Shame on her head. So after we realized the bandages weren't going to do it, we took her back on Thursday to get restitched - for another $140. The Most Expensive Pound Puppy she's turning out to be. But I think she figured out, after having to go back the 2nd time, that we aren't messing around, so she had damn well better leave them alone. I figure by tomorrow & Wednesday, it'll be healed up just fine. Damn dog...

So when I wasn't thinking about encasing a dog in concrete, I had a FINISH! Yes, Murky Manor is DONE!!!! I took pics with my phone, which have better color, but they are fuzzier than my camera pics - so I'll post one, and the rest are here, including a few detail shots of beads & buttons :)

I finished that before dinner on Friday, went and had a celebratory margarita, and then came home and broke out the last of the Mill Hill Halloween houses, and got cracking on that. Boo House seems to be going pretty quick - there isn't quite as much stitching in it as Haunted Library, I don't think. And it doesn't include GITD thread, so of course, I had to add some, so it matches the other two :) I even got a half-assed picture of the GITD bit, here. And the overall as of right now is here.

I also managed to get the Chickens framed; our October PINS meeting is next Saturday, so got it done just in time to give to them then!

So for this week, I am going to keep on on Boo House - I hope to have it done by the end of the week, as quick as it's going so far. I would also like to go to the Tuesday night stitch in at the IHOP - we have rain moving in tomorrow, so we'll see how the barometer head is doing. Then Saturday, the PINS meeting, and that night, Gwinnett Gladiators Hockey starts, so we have dinner & game tickets courtesy of my employer :) The kid also has a band competition on Saturday - I love how band stuff seems to ALWAYS coincide with my stitching stuff. Well, sorry, I'm going to have to miss this competition, this time. With the holidays the next two months, no idea when we'll be able to get together again, so this might be the last chance to get this to the owners of Loretta's this year.

Well, that's about it from here. Happy Fall, and Happy Stitching to everyone :)

Columbus Day - an Update

2011-10-10T06:19:00.001-04:00

Columbus Day - AND Thanksgiving in Canada; and yet, I have to work :( KNEW I should've gotten a government job when I quit working for the government many years ago... And to make matters worse, we don't even have a google doodle today;what's up with that??? It's kind of a big deal, and not only here in the States. My kid has school today, but only because they have "fall holidays" coming upstarting on Friday - he gets Fri, Mon & Tue off. Because they've been hard at it for 2 WHOLE MONTHS, and everyone needs a break. Really???? Whatever....

Speaking of Kid - he had his first HS Band concert last week; here he is, all dressed up:

And a row of 'bones before they started. I should have recorded a couple of the songs they played, but I didn't. I will next time.

On to the stitching for the week, which, this week, only involves ONE thing. Yes, it's true, I only worked on 1 project all week - do you believe that? That one thing was Murky Manor, and while I didn't finish it, I am THIS CLOSE < > - I WILL finish it this week :) Here's last week:

And now this week, leaving just a corner of the house, a bit more grass & fence, and the rest of the tree, then BEADS :)

And really, that's it for the whole week! Monday saw no stitching because of the concert, and the rest of the week was lots & lots of green :) As for this week, I will work on MM until done. Then, even though I have Anne's London sitting here, and of course BoaF & Knotgarden are both in need to getting done, I am sorely tempted to get my MH Halloween houses out and do the 3rd one - I'll have it done in under 2 weeks :) Not that it or MM will get framed in time for this Halloween, but that's beside the point...

I also have the frame for the chickens here, so that's on my To Do list for the week; I have to add fabric to 2 sides to get the piece stretched, and I didn't feel like getting the sewing machine out this weekend, or it'd be done by now. But I have until the 22nd before the PINS group meets at Loretta's again, so technically I have time :) So look for that photo probably next week.

That's the news - happy stitching this week to everyone!

(Dummy and his new toy, the nekkid chicken)

Lucy's Birthday - an Update

2011-10-03T10:34:00.000-04:00

My girl Lucy Mae is 4 years old! We think. We guessed on the info we got from the pound for her :) So on this Day of German Unity, the German Shorthair Pointer is 4 - and wow is she a princess! I did NOT do it, her dad did. I suppose she'll expect a treat. And of course, you can't give her a treat without Dummy being right there, and then the cats expect something - just the usual anarchy where food is involved in the zoo. I remember when she first came home...

To celebrate, we're going to a band concert - the first one of the season, with the whole band, which is much larger than the marching band. Somehow I don't think Lucy would like the band concert, so maybe we just won't tell her...

I don't think we've ever picked a birthday for Dummy, since we don't really know how old he is - he's around 3, but acts every bit like a damn 2 year old. A very LOUD 2 year old, that is...

On to the stitching bits...

Since it is now my favorite month of the year, it's time to get the Halloween pieces out. And it occurred to me on the way home one day last week that I really needed to frame my first Halloween design that I completed in '06 - yes, it's been laying around THAT long! SO into Hobby Lobby I went on Thursday, and got everything bought, and got it put together and hung up over the weekend:

NO IDEA what the pattern is, who it's by, or where it came from; it might have been from a BH&G magazine, or it might not. I honestly have no idea now... I was going to try my hand at embellishing the mat - but you know what? If it took me over 5 years to get the damn thing into a frame, anyone want to guess how long it would take me to get up the nerve to try to PAINT something on the mat??? Yeah, never mind... I'll leave that to Jill Rensel - or until I completely lose it :)

I also got my pinkeep jar out, and have it on the table along with the small pumpkin piece on its easel.

Not pictured - Boo! Club hung up next to Halloween Fairy, and 6 Bats hung up next to the Pumpkins piece above :) I may take more pictures once I get other things out (assuming I FIND them, of course).

I worked on Murky Manor some more during the week, and am to having the building itself done - then the grass, fence, and the rest of that tree. I think I'm just going to go ahead & finish it up - it's too close and still having too much fun with it to put it away.

I did get my Stitcher's Village Sampler Project done finally - those last bazillion Smyrna's - wow did they take way too long for no apparent reason... But it's done, I rinsed it, and pressed it - now how long will it live in my book bag before I actually get it mailed to Patty? Dunno - but it WILL be this week, I promise...

And that's the news for the week. Seems kinda puny compared to usual; what can I say, it was a busy week. This week's shaping up similarly. How on earth did I ever get things done when all I did was drive to games all weekend, EVERY weekend??? No idea... Though I do seem to be able to get laundry done in 2 days now instead of 7 - maybe that's the difference? Anywho, Happy Stitching this week to everyone!

Finally, Fall - an Update

2011-09-26T05:15:00.001-04:00

(the first apple pie of the season :) )

Yes, people, we are actually going to have an AUTUMN here this year, I think, though it is back in the 80s this week. But it wasn't anywhere near 100 last week at the equinox, unlike last year! YAY! Now, if we could just get some rain in here every night - not during the day when I have to drive in it - then everything would be perfect :) We washed cars yesterday - so of course it's raining today; and I have the headache to show for it :(

(I blame Aunt Anne for this - my dogs are now addicted to Frosty Paws - you know, ICE CREAM FOR DOGS)

I go to pick up my fair entries tonight, and just in time - I'm ready to hang up my Halloween pieces ("officially", since Boo Club & 6 Bats have been on the mantle since I framed them in December) - time to take BoINK down and get Halloween Fairy in its place, then I want to get a little wire stand for my small pumpkin piece - it has a hanger on it, but we've never hung it, so I thought I'd put it on the table next to my jar of Autumn pinkeeps. Ought to make Monkey mad, she pretty much has the top of that table for her afternoon napping spot. Too bad... We'll see if I get any trouble collecting for the 2 ribbons they didn't add into the Overall tally - I plan to spend my prize money on BEADS!!! For Growth Rings, actually :)

(Monkey on that table, peering down the steps at me - this is her not-very-good gargoyle impression)

On to the stitching...

On our Tuesday night at the IHOP, I worked on Mary Wigham. I went back up to the top and worked right. Kinda. I got one motif done in Yawning Mountain, but it's not symmetrical to begin with, and I made it worse, somehow, so I took a part out that I need to fix in a way that won't drive me nuts (which is why I generally don't do reproduction samplers - I'm A/R, must have symmetry). And then I started the next motif, which is 2 colors - except my randomly chosen colors failed me, in that the 2nd color is indistinguishable from the first - but I wasn't about to even attempt to pick out that over-1 by the time I decided I'd have to pick something else :( So now I've got required frogging waiting on me...

(the new motif is the one next to the squirrel tree, and then the one I have to pick out the 2nd color is that green one next to 'EB")

Saturday we had our monthly PINS get together, and I just wasn't feeling any of the things in my travel bag - too hard to see, too hard to think about. So I thought I'd grab one of the kitted ornies we did this year instead of a RR - and I picked up the Santa that Anne sent, and got a good start on him!

Also, the place that we meet have been doing lots of improvements; we got new lights and heat/air in the area they set up for us, and now they've painted the entire place - and the walls now PERFECTLY MATCH the Chickens!!! I took it with me to show to those who hadn't seen it done yet, and held it up to the wall (on the sly, since the boss was hanging around, and I don't want them to see it until it's framed and given to them) - and it looks AWESOME!!! They read my mind, I'm telling you - it's about 2 shades darker gold than the yellow I used (725?)!!! Now I just gotta get it framed - it's in the cart, just have to get it ordered.

(This is Suwanee, GA City Hall - I just love this building)

And as predicted, I kept on with Murky Manor the rest of the week. IF I was to ignore all the other things I need to do, I could probably have this done in a couple more weeks - stitched in time for Halloween, though no way it would be framed before next year. Because, you know, I want to get to the beading parts :) I did take 2 pictures this week, one overall, and then a close up with the JABCO buttons laying roughly where they'll be placed when I get the stitching done.

(Where the buttons will go - imagine the tail on the rat, as it won't go on until he's sewn into place)

And even though Knotgarden & BoaF are literally screaming at me, I do think I'll keep MM out again - maybe not the whole week, but probably. I won't be going to the Tuesday night at IHOP this week - DH is working the gate at Road Atlanta for the Petite Le Mans, to work off some of our band debt :), so I need to chauffeur the kid to & from practice, and feed him. We may also be working a concession stand there over the weekend - IF we can, and if the kid has a ride to get wherever he needs to go for the competition that he thinks is this weekend. If I can survive all of those gigs I did at the local arena for soccer, I can do a weekend at the track for band, I guess. Kind of a unique opportunity, especially since I've never actually been to Road Atlanta for an event, though I can hear them on Sunday morning from the back of my house - it's only a few miles away, as the crow flies :)

In other news, we have a new addition - I finally got a new betta. I've wanted one for a long time, I look at them every time we go into Petsmart. Well, I finally got one. I forget what kind he is - I wasn't aware there were so many varieties now, I've always gotten just whatever the standard male is. He lives on the mantle, and Monkey hasn't seen it yet :)

And can you believe Nirvana released Nevermind 20 years ago??? The concert Live at the Paramount was on Palladia Friday night; so of course, it's on the DVR. Talk about a life cut short. And that Grohl, man, I don't know how he did that for a whole set - just whalin' on those drums; he probably burned 7-8000 calories in an hour set! I never got to go see them before Cobain did himself in :( I wish I had - though I don't mosh, so I woulda had my usual seat up on the side :) Ah, well, at least we have lots of recordings - MTV Unplugged is one of my favorite CDs (video linked there for you).

That's the news - Happy stitching this week, and catch you all next week...

(Our hummingbirds are probably gearing up for their trip to Mexico - though we supposedly have one that winters in GA. The bats will be gone about the same time - I loves my bats! I wish I could get photos of them, one of the several in our back yard is so fat!)

A Blue Ribbon Sweep

2011-09-20T03:07:00.002-04:00

Well, THIS year, I had great results at the Gwinnett County Fair with my Needlework. Of the 5 entries I submitted, I won FIVE Blue Ribbons!!!! And no snubs, like I have gotten, for unknown reasons, at the N. Georgia State Fair that I have gone to in the past. I also got one Red Ribbon on one of the 3 photos I submitted :D

All that being said, it may not be nearly as spectacular as it sounds; there was almost NO competition, and I am pretty sure that in at least 2 classes, maybe 3, I was the ONLY entrant. The other fair, which I did not enter purely because it is such a long haul to get over there (70 miles from my door to it), has had a TON of entries in the various needlework categories (and photos, as well) in the years I have gone, and despite a couple of controversial (IMO) results, has a pretty good turn out. So maybe I was lured by the Bigger Cash Prizes, and not wanting to drive 150 miles 3 times, into staying closer to home, but I have to say, the competition - and thus the exposure of this art form - was very limited, and kind of anti-climactic :(

So anyway, here are some photos of the exhibits - please excuse the less-than-stellar shots, as everything is behind plexiglass, and lit with overhead fluorescent lights from behind me....

First, my winners, in the order I found them:

Starry Nights in the frame we were forced to make out of something else, due to the inability of a certain frame shop to cut a metal frame correctly - twice. Pretty sure this was the ONLY Needlepoint anything - and I was worried it would be DQ'd for being counted canvas instead...

Dream - this might have had competition with the Butterfly piece, unless that was an Embellished or Stamped XS piece....

6 Bats & A WItches Hat - I KNOW this is the only entrant in the high count category (18-22 ct, this is 40/20).

Christmas Mandala - Holiday House Other. AND if you look real close, you can see they have it displayed ON ITS SIDE! It's a freakin' TRIANGLE, people - this is NOT a hard concept to figure out. Or so I thought.

My White Lily photo... The Coonhound & The Snake probably freaked too many people out - and the Water Drop was probably too obscure...

And lastly, my Halloween Tree Pinkeep Accessory - I am pretty sure this, too, was the only entrant in the Accessory category.

And then a few other photos of things that I thought were cool, after I had a chance to go back through and really look again - more can be found in the Fair album here.

How cool is this? A Mill Hill Halloween piece, the Haunted Hotel - which is one I DON'T have :(

You KNOW my MH Halloween Trio is going next year, right? :)

A very cool drawing - I THINK it was colored pencil, in the Adult series.

A small piece of Embellished Stitching - lace, ribbon, other kinds of things on it; I couldn't tell what was stitched and what was printed on the base fabric...

LOVE this Frog Picture - don't know if that was taken locally, or not...

I should have whipped up a quickie piece of jewelry, too - they had MAYBE 3 entries in the adult classes, and they have 5-6 classes, unlike the other fair that only has 1, which I have placed 1st or 2nd every time. I'll know next time...

And what's a fair entry from me without a tinge of controversy? At this particular fair, unlike the other one I have entered, there is an Overall Award, based on points - 3 for a Blue, 2 for a Red, 1 for a White. You have to enter at least 3 different divisions (1 entry per, maximum of 10 per person), and accumulate 14 points minimum - 30 is the max if you take the Red in all 10 that you enter. So I took 5 Blues and one Red - 17 points total. EXCEPT - on the tally sheets they have posted, they only have 3 of my Blues and my Red accounted - 11 total.

Now, besides shorting me the rest of the prize money (hey, it's $14!!), it left me 3 points shy of the required for consideration in Overall, so I wasn't included. Which is okay, because I wasn't anywhere near the top with my 17 correct points, UNLESS they accounted for all ribbons awarded, but have my two missing ones attributed to someone else, pushing them past me. I have no idea how it's done. And I called the Extension Office this morning, and got attitude from whoever answered the phone as soon as I said I needed to ask someone about reconciling; I have to deal with that AFTER the Fair is closed and I pick up my entries on Monday. Gee, does that sound like a government office to you??? LOL - not. SO we'll see what happens on Monday when I go to pick stuff up. Way to take an INTEREST in what you "PLAN".

And the bar-b-que & Brunswick Stew were pretty good; a little bland, but filling :) As usual, I opted to avoid all the FRIED STUFF, unlike the majority of the fair goers we witnessed. And this was the first time we've gone and NOT absolutely sweltered - so that was nice :) Until next year - IF I decide to put myself through all of this yet again...

Another Monday Update

2011-09-19T05:05:00.000-04:00

These Mondays are just coming faster & faster - I am NOT impressed. It doesn't help that the weather has been about 20-30 degrees cooler this past week then it was this time last year (and the year before that, and the year...); it feels like fall, which, gee, we might ACTUALLY have this year, as opposed to Sweltering one day, Freezing the next. THAT would be nice :)

Tonight, we're going to the fair, to see if I won any Big Cash Prizes :) Or to see if the lady at the extension office that I got into the e-mail barrage with over needlework classes managed to remember my name, and found a way to disqualify me on everything. For The Record: Double Cross (which us stitchers call the Smyrna Cross) should NOT have a class all unto itself, when no other "specialty" stitch does; in 25+ years, I have NEVER seen a design done entirely in Smyrna. Time to jump right on out of the 70s, folks...

Speaking of Smyrnas, that's all I have left on the main design part of the small piece I am doing for The Stitcher's Village Sampler Project. Lots & lots of Smyrnas to do still, and then to personalize it with my name & location, I guess. Would really like to have this done this week, and in the mail to Patty, if possible - as usual, what I think will be a quick walk in the park, turns into this 2-month odyssey...

At the Tuesday night stitch in at the IHOP with the Hooty Girls, I couldn't decide what to work on - so I dug out the poor, neglected AD Sampler 4 Saisons that hasn't been touched since it returned from Carolyn's earlier this year. I got one motif (below the starfish) and several letters of the next alphabet done - and I don't think I skipped any!! It was good to let this out into the light again for a bit...

And then, the main progress this week was again on Murky Manor - and I even took a picture of the WHOLE THING to date - just because I wanted to see it, too :) I am roughly 1/2 done, give or take - it's kind of hard to tell. I really wish I could get a picture of the GITD threads in the ghosts & spider web - not with the camera I have :(

This week, I think I will keep working on MM - I really need to get BoaF and Knotgarden out, and maybe I will later in the week, but I'm really enjoying MM at the moment, and hey, it's getting close to October, right, and all this Halloween stuff is just screaming at me, so - that's what I'm doing. But then, you just never know what I might do, do ya? LOL You'll just have to come back next week to see. Until then, Happy Stitching!

Remembrance - an Update

2011-09-13T08:47:00.001-04:00

Like many here in the US, I spent some time yesterday remembering the tragedies of September 11th, 2001. There has been much discussion in recent days of where we were when we heard the news, much like people will tell you where they were when Kennedy was killed. Much like I'll tell you where I was when Pan Am 103 went down - making dinner, Kelsale-cum-Carlton, Suffolk, UK - about 6 weeks before I was to board a commercial flight back to the States from London Heathrow. Both of those events, and others like them (Oklahoma City, USS Cole, etc.) have made "terrorism" a household word, I'm sad to say, and has to be further classified by "foreign" or "domestic". And it all makes me wonder just what we've come to? From Pearl Harbor and D-Day to now - have we lost the way?

But at the same time that I have to try to stifle the anger, I have other things to remember on that particular day. One of my best friends in school, Cass, and her twin Sheryl, have September 11th as their birthday. It's my anniversary at work (sometimes good, sometimes, not so much :) ). And as is the case yesterday, it was a day of perfectly glorious weather, as only can be found in the fall; a day here similar to that day 10 years ago, in fact. So while it is paramount that we don't forget, or let down our guard, we also can't live in a state of fear, as those who do these things expect us to do, and life has to go on. And at the risk of running into religious and/or political pitfalls that I don't have the capacity or bandwidth to deal with at the moment, I think it was summed up well enough in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 . *

In lighter news, there was a small amount of stitching accomplished last week, though there were a few days where life got in the way, as it tends to do. Whatever I yammered on about last week as far as what I'd work on - never mind. Instead, I worked on Murky Manor for a few days, and got a good piece of the last tower done, as well as Booger The Cat (yes, I named the cat after my best friend).

I also worked on my The Stitcher's Village Sampler project piece, and Mary Wigham, both at the Tuesday night stitch-in at the IHOP. Not much on either, but every stitch draws me a little bit nearer the finish, huh? First, the Patricia Ann piece:

Then Mary (who clearly isn't going to get done this year at this rate):

So as for what's on deck this week - any of these, or the other things I need to get done (Knotgarden, BoaF). Who knows? I'm really enjoying MM, so may just stay on that until the guilt at not working on Knotgarden makes me move on to something else. Your guess really is as good as mine on that score...

In a side note, I take my fair entries in today - we'll see how that turns out at this fair I have never entered before (with the 1970s Little Ol' Church Lady categories). Could very likely be a complete bust - but you know what? Fair food makes it all worth it, since it's only once a year :) :)

Happy stitching this week!

* Because, really, quoting something out of the Bible isn't any more incongruous with my perceived nature than anything else I do, when you think about it.... Because, sometimes, there's a LOT more going on in the old brain case than some people give me credit for....

Labor Day, Lee, and 2 Weeks' Worth of Updates

2011-09-05T11:06:00.002-04:00

Yep, it's Labor Day, and we have TS Lee keeping it cloudy, and actually giving us some rain. Though Texas needs it a LOT more than we do - but I'll take it. And I am glad that Irene didn't turn out worse than it did - bad enough there in the northeast, but it could have been worse. Now we just have to wait & see what Katia does...

My trip to Ohio was great - the wedding was wonderful, and of course, my niece Devon made a beautiful bride! It was a great weekend, and good to see family & friends again. I actually took virtually no photos at the wedding - there was a host of pros all over the place, and there just wasn't a good spot to stay out of their way. I do have a couple of group shots from before, with my sister and mother and the bride's brothers, as well as the groom & groomsmen:

(pictured from front to back: my mother, my sister Deb (Mother of the Bride), my nephew (Brother of the Bride))

The Groom is seated on the left, and those standing and seated are groomsmen, friends, family - the Bride's other brother is the one standing far right.

The weather was wonderful the whole trip, though, as predicted, it wasn't 100, so I was freezing my ass off most of the time, in the upper 70s, lower 80s with low humidity; don't know how to breathe in air like that :) Some other photos around OH start here, with clouds at 30K feet and higher, and the bickering hummingbirds at my sister's house, as well as some gorgeous flowers around the wedding venue.

As for stitching the last couple of weeks, there hasn't been a lot. I did work on Birds of a Feather for a night or two before I left, and did MORE leaves. Sure thought I'd have this done by now...

And then, I caved and had an impulse start - the Tree of Stitches, designed by Abi Gurden in the Yahoo group The Stitch Specialists. I got the idea in my head that I wanted to keep it dark, subtle, and then I remembered a piece of black opalescent fabric that I had gotten as an RAK from Anita; and I dug through the floss drawers, and came up with three dark jewel tones from the Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe, which were a gift from Nancy :) It's dark, even for me, but I like it. AND, of course, I have beads to match (if you enlarge the photo, you should see purple ones already). I got parts 1-3 done the night before I left and the next afternoon, while waiting to leave for the airport. I finished through part 6 yesterday. I'm not sure these dark flosses show off the specialty stitches to their best advantage, but then, I've been too close to it, so maybe after I put it away for a bit, they'll stand out to me more...

And lastly, I took my small Patricia Ann project with me, the sampler section I am doing for The Stitcher's Village, and got some progress on it; the main part is done, just have the outer corners to do, and then whatever I do to personalize it, and I can send that off to Patty Hurwitz. Ignore the hoop marks - all my small Qs are tied up with other projects, so I'm going old-school on this (and it's more travel-friendly).

And that's the progress for the last couple of weeks. I am currently getting my fair entries ready; I'm having issues getting Starry Nights framed, due to the frame I ordered being cut wrong TWICE - I'm going to call it a one-time glitch, since my favorite online frame shop did the rest of my order to perfection. So we're trying to cobble something together and get it painted - a slight PITA, but since I work much better under pressure...? The photos I'm submitting are currently being printed - fingers crossed that they turn out decently! As for this week's stitching, I'm going to keep plugging away on the TSV project, and I might get Knotgarden out instead of BoaF - they are both green, so not sure if maybe I ought to just do something else entirely? LOL So who knows? Or, there's even the possibility that if my JCS Halloween edition AND the Special Edition Halloween book EVER get here from Utah (I think the mail has a kink in it between here & there), I may be forced to start 12-30 of those things - have you seen the IC Mandala in the book yet??? It's AWESOME!!!!

Check back next week and see what happens! Happy stitching to everyone!

Oh, yeah - I forgot to mention that I ALSO finished that damn book, War & Peace. I stopped with 35 to go - why he needed to spend 40 pages on WHY history is written, I have NO IDEA, nor do I care - so long as it IS written. And we all know that history is written by the victor, so so long as you read it with that in mind, the WHY shouldn't enter into it, IMO.

There's 6 months of my life I'll never get back... Now I'm reading something light & fluffy - White Queen by P. Gregory, about the War of the Roses. MUCH better :)

It's That Time Again - An Update

2011-08-22T04:19:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's Monday, already. I could swear we just HAD a Monday... At least I only have 3 days this week - leaving for Ohio on Thursday afternoon, for my niece's wedding in Columbus on Saturday :) I have to get my pre-registration form into the fair today - I'm kinda feeling a little indifferent about it, actually. So if I don't actually get to it and make my final decisions (on photos), I don't think I'll care that much; it just feels good to get a few things framed. We'll see; it's just not a high priority at the moment...

In stitching news, I worked on a few things this week, though I am now pretty sure I will NOT get BoaF done before I leave Thursday; too many leaves! Not to mention, the hill the house sits on in Part 3 looks like it's going to be tedious - gorgeous when done, but slow going to get there. I am looking forward to adding the sheep :) Here is where it stands right now:

I also put the first stitches into the small piece I am doing for the Stitcher's Village Sampler Project (it's in the Forum, if you are a member - and if you aren't, check it out!) It's one of the colorways for Patricia Ann's Rose for Every Season, done on 32ct linen banding, with the DMC floss and perle, and Kreinik braid called for - except I negated one of the floss colors by adding beads instead :) Because that's just how I roll, baby! But you probably already knew that...:

And lastly, at the Tuesday Night IHOP, I couldn't decide what to work on - since I finished Tanglewood, my project bag is strangely light on Projects for Less Than Optimum Light. But in the end, Mary Wigham came out, and I got one motif done, and better than half on a second one - and after it was full dark outside, then the yellow lights over the tables killed me, so I stopped before 9:30. But I got more of that Old Maid of the Aubergine in - I LOVE that color :)

So this week, I will keep working on BoaF until I leave; I haven't decided yet if I am going to the stitch night tomorrow, or if I have too much to do. I want to, just don't know what will pile up if I'm gone before being gone, know what I mean? This small Patricia Ann project will go with me to OH, whether or not I have time or inclination to work on it is another story. Might drag an ornie with me, too, since I have 6 of those kitted and ready to go, as well; Tree of Stitches from The Stitch Specialists group is also kitted - yes, I caved - but I haven't put in ANY stitches on it, so I only partially caved :) I don't expect I'll get an update in next week, or if I do, it'll probably be late. So until whenever that is, Happy Stitching, everyone - and come on October!!!!

And I'll just leave you with this little bit of eye candy - not usually a big fan of dreads, but in this case, I might be willing to make an exception. Because, you know, he's a barbarian :)

In Case You Were Looking For It...

2011-08-18T11:27:00.000-04:00

...Dixie Samplar is BACK in the blogosphere - and she's doing a little giveaway to celebrate the joys of technology :) You can read her post here: http://dixiesamplar.blogspot.com/2011/08/giveaway-blog-autumn-challenge-at.html

Ain't technology great? I guess I shouldn't say anything, since, you know, I am employed in a tech environment, but you know, sometimes, you just gotta wonder if it's really worth the aggravation :)

Strangely Cool - An Update

2011-08-15T04:52:00.000-04:00

It was ONLY 70 this morning!!! And I was just thinking the other day, you know it's been too damn hot when 95 feels pretty good... Of course, it's just a brief respite, we'll be back to sweltering in a couple of days.But wow, 70 was positively refreshing as I was being drug down the street by the Sled Dog this morning...

we've had GREAT clouds the last couple of weeks....

As predicted, last week was a circus, just like the week before. Got a lot of things done, but I think that combined with the smog has actually been slightly detrimental. I've got a serious case of fatigue going on, coupled with headaches which I KNOW are because of the dirty air. Still can't believe I live somewhere with smog - what happened to the crystal clear days of Clovis, NM? Oh, yeah, I moved here to the navel of the US... So hopefully this next day or two of cooler weather will help me out; if not, some clean air in my lungs up in OH next week might do the trick - assuming I don't get ebola or Marburg or anything like that from the lovely recycled air on the plane. Did I mention I really don't like flying? I was GROUND CREW for a reason...

one disadvantage to living in the mountains - trying to find a clear view of THE SKY. Since I don't seem to have access to many rooftops, trying to get a clear panorama just isn't going to happen from any place I can actually get to.

BUT, I do have stuff to show for my pooped state :) I have another FINISH!!! I am currently down to 16 WIPs - yes, ONLY 16 :) I finished the chickens on Thursday! I had to play around with the lettering a good bit to get it spaced correctly, once I picked the font (with help from the PINS ladies - thank you!).

I am glad to have this done - partly because I really didn't think it was going to take quite that long, which was due in part to the top being repeated at the bottom (albeit flipped) - repetition slows it down a bit. But mainly, this was the stiffest piece of Monaco I've ever gotten hold of, and since all this blackwork was done with 2 strands instead of 1, it was a bit more "work" than I thought it would be going in. And it didn't soften up as I worked it. Strange. But in the end, I think it's pretty cool - and I am glad I subbed the red they had charted for this rustier color - that bright red just wouldn't have worked, IMO.

cloud photos - lots & lots that look like repeats, but if you look CLOSE, you can see the subtle movements - start here.

So when I got that done, I got out my Birds of a Feather SAL and got a decent bit of progress on Part 2 over the weekend. I hope to have this done before I go to OH, but if not, the week I get back - it's not going with, because I know I won't have light sufficient for working on 35ct, even if I have time to work on anything, which I highly doubt.

Also, in prep for getting things ready for the fair, I, as usual, have framing to do. I ordered 4 frames from my favorite OFS (online frame shop), Frames By Mail. I will only be able to submit 2 of the 4 for judging (one is too big inside dimension, but fits the outer dimension - how stupid is that rule?), and the other, well, it's a pair, and you can only enter one per class, soooo....

Here are Dream & Imagine, in silver frames, with no glass, and a light layer of batting:

One of these, Dream, I think, is what I will enter in the 14-16 ct class (they are both on 32ct). And then I framed White Christmas. The mat I chose is a hair greyer than I thought it would be - but you know what? I think I have done a pretty good job picking these mats online when all I have to go by is a little tiny thumbnail that's about 2mm x 2mm on various monitors that never show them the same. This is too big on the inside, by 1 1/8", to go to the fair, though the outside dimensions fit their dumb criteria. This frame is really cool in person - the picture doesn't really show it very well, but it's gold that has been whitewashed, I guess is the best way to describe it, though it's actually ivory over the gold.

I also have a frame for Starry Nights, but I just didn't get to it yet - it's purple metallic, it's going to be cool. Trust me :) That'll get done one night this week; it will get glass in it, but since I haven't gotten glass cut yet for this or WC, you'll get a photo without (unlike my BoINK photo last December, glare & all).

So that's the progress for the week. I will keep on with BoaF this week, get Starry Nights framed, pick the photos I am submitting - I gotta pre-register all of this by the 22nd. I am also waiting for a couple of DMC perles to show up for the small project I am doing for The Stitcher's Village Sampler project - we are assembling a HUGE sampler from pieces done by as many members as can; so, if you are a member of the Stitcher's Village, consider participating - see the forum for details! If you aren't a member of the Stitcher's Village, check it out! There are links to lots of shops, and lots going on in the social area!

I think this small project will be what I take to OH with me, though it depends on how full the book bag is by the time I get all the electronics in it and how many TSA alarms I'll set off :)

Until next week, Happy Stitching, everyone!!

Back To School - An Update

2011-08-08T05:25:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's that time again, here, but this year, only one did I have to get up this morning. And for his first day of high school no less, without his brother there to oversee his getting on the bus and everything. So I was informed, when I called to remind him to get off at the high school and not the middle school, that he's NOT 7 and he KNOWS which school to go to. Jeez, sorry, man - if you look up my job description, it clearly states that as part of my duties, the First Day of School, in a new school, is one of my allotted Worry Days. Just for the record, he gets that crabby shit from his DAD. And considering his brother called from wherever he ended up last night to make sure his little brother got off okay, clearly there might be a little cause for concern. The 18 yo was up at 7:30 to see how his brother was doing??? Well, besides telling me he was off to Six Flags today with one of his women.

And for the record, I am pretty sure you CAN'T wear your Pantera Cowboys From Hell shirt to school; great choice there, Dad. Pretty sure the word "hell", in a non-biblical sense, is a NO in the No Tolerance policies. But also maybe a great way to ensure this child never has a girlfriend. Because even though I am a Metal girl, most others that can make that claim are kinda scarey. And tatooed/pierced. And I KNOW he's too young for that, and I might be getting too old... (Note the awesome British Steel t-shirt Dimebag's wearing in the video linked above - you can never go wrong with JP. Just sayin'.)

Okay, so anyway, enough about The Kid - since he's The Other Kid's Brother, he's probably got it made the next 4 years (how in the hell I managed to have a popular jock kid, I'll never know - must've been the perfect mix of the dad's athleticism and my genius and wit. Yeah, that's it!)...

Duh, duh, duh - we have a FINISH!!! (Not the Royal "we", just the common "we".) It took all week through to Sunday afternoon, and a HUGE plague of frogs (as always when I get near the end) which I am blaming on Johnny Depp (The Tourist was on), but I have completed TANGLEWOOD!

You know, I have to say that I really enjoyed working on this - it was a little tedious at times, but that was primarily by virtue of me making the mistake of trying to work this as a travel piece; it was much too large, really, to be considered a travel project, despite the relatively few threads involved. But travel piece it was, and it did get done - in only 2 1/2 years!!! I still love these colors! Still need to do something with one of those thistles on something else...

I have another finish IMMINENT; after last week's Tuesday night at the IHOP, and after I finished Tanglewood yesterday, I worked on those silly chickens. The 3rd one is done, the red blackwork (redwork?) is complete, and the 4th one, another rooster, has a head (you know, it's usually the other way around)!!! And the Roosters go quicker than the Hens, so I expect (hope) to have this done Tuesday or Wednesday night!!!!

After Roosters & Hens is officially done (I need to figure out how I plan to personalize it for Loretta's still), I then plan to get right back on the Birds of a Feather SAL - I think I can have that done in pretty short order, too - and then I'll be down to 15 WIPs!!! I don't think I'll be going to the stitch night this week; last week at work literally kicked my ass, and this week is shaping up to be the same, so I think I need to avoid another kinda-late night this week. I go to Ohio for the Big Wedding two weeks from Thursday (I'll miss PINS this month), so I need to be planning for that, too; of course, I am debating whether I make myself jewelry for that or not, but I have too many ideas, all of which will cancel each other out. Oh, and trying to get ready for the fair, which I have to register for before I go to Ohio, so am also debating on what photos, if any, I want to enter. Hmmm, I seem to have a lot of stuff to do, once I get all the Kid's paperwork for school done - at least I only have to fill it out ONCE this year! So on that slightly exhausting (exhausted?) note, Happy Stitching this week to everyone!

HOTTTTT - an Update

2011-08-01T05:19:00.000-04:00

Wow, could I just skip the month of August. The predictions are, higher than average temps at LEAST until October. Oh goody. The bad thing is, it hasn't even been as hot here as it has been in other parts of the country - including OH. It's just that, it started here in April and will go though to probably pretty darn close to Turkey Day, never-ending with the oppressive heat, humidity, and smog - and then next day, WINTER. Eh, maybe we'll squeak in a fall, who knows? Depends on what storms brew up in the Gulf this year - and hopefully there will be some, because this country needs some RAIN down here in the southern half!

School starts one week from today. I am not ready, so I am sure Little Kid (who's taller then me by a few inches, so I should prol'y find him a new nick name) isn't ready, either. But he did survive band camp, and we got to see the show they've put together for the upcoming football season, with the theme of Dreams. It's kind of exciting to be doing something other than soccer after all these years... but I'm still not volunteering any more than I have to. There are too many SAHMs in my area that need something to do besides shopping. Consider it a community service :)

In other news, some stitching was done this past week, including at our Tuesday night at the IHOP :) I brought the chickens along, and have the 3rd one more than half done. I managed to make it look a little different than its flipped duplicate in the opposite corner, by doing the colors in different order, so in this one, the yellow is laying over the red, and the first one has the red laying over the yellow. I think it works that way :) I'll be glad to get this done soon...

And the only other thing I worked on all week was Tanglewood - I got the TREE DONE!!!! It's all Blue Skies from here on out, baby!

So, since I have these two SOOOO CLOSE to done - that's what I plan to work on. I also have to get cracking on my BoaF SAL, I can probably get that done in 2 weeks, too. So that's the game plan for the next little while :) Assuming my brain doesn't melt... But then, I AM back to War & Peace after finishing This is Gonna Hurt on Thursday, so... it could happen.

Happy stitching this week to everyone!

Alan Rickman, You're My Hero - An Update

2011-07-25T06:47:00.000-04:00

Not only would I LOVE to hear Alan Rickman read, oh, the phone book, but wow, between Colonel Brandon and Severus Snape - not to mention the scads of other characters he's played, good guy or bad - and the reading of sonnets, could you want anything more?

Yes, I saw the final Harry Potter movie - and yes, I DID read the book, the week it came out. Wow. What a FABULOUS finish, and the whole things with Snape - very, very well done. Yes, I cried the WHOLE TIME, which was very amusing to the 18yo who went with me. I am pretty sure I am going to have to go see it again - waiting for the BlueRay just isn't going to cut it. What a great adventure it has been, watching these kids all grow up during the course of these movies. What great books - she's got to come up with something else, there can't just be nothing more, ever. BTW, I always knew Neville was going to be bad-ass :)

Okay, well then... The UPDATE part of this post is next. First up, picking up where I left off last week on my Mill Hill Halloween piece - Midnight Farm was completed on Thursday night. I got the last of the stitching done on Monday, then spent Wednesday & Thursday doing the beads (Tuesday was out - Band Parent meeting - zzzzz). Because, it would seem, I can bead faster than I stitch, which I don't get, but there you are. I wish my camera was good for night/low light things, because the GITD Kreinik in this is AWESOME - the Farm easily has twice as much as the Library did. Here is just the Farm:

And then the overall - Boo House will go to the right of the Library there:

I was slightly tempted to just go on over to the right and do the House - I could have this done in under 2 weeks, easy. But then I wouldn't have anything to look forward to, so I put it away. Must. Have. More. Bead. Projects....

One day last week, I actually TOOK LUNCH, and got Tanglewood out; okay, I only had it out for about 10 minutes, but I did make an effort (I've spent most of my lunch time the last couple of weeks writing instead - slogging through War & Peace seems to encourage me to write something that is READABLE and WITH A POINT). And then we had our July meeting of PINS, so I took it there and continued working on it. And worked on it through the rest of the weekend, and plan to work on it tonight. I got the Peacock done, again! (I did him on Natalie's RR, too - and yes, it did go pretty quick this time - see here and here).

And here is another one that I am pretty sure I could have done in under 2 weeks if I kept it on the floor stand. I seem to have a few of those that are 2 weeks to a month of concentrated effort to finish - while others are getting dustier and dustier (L&U anyone?).

So, Tanglewood will see some more this week, and I really need to get those damn chickens done - another one I could have done in under 2 weeks, if I could just work on it until it was done. We have a new spot for our Tuesday night stitch in - IHOP! So Tanglewood may go there tomorrow, too, or I may drag along Mary or the chickens - don't know yet. REALLY need to get past the hump on Knotgarden - but I'm just not feeling it. So who knows what'll actually grab me this week?

Speaking of Tolstoy, I had to take the 18yo to the book store - those paychecks are just burning holes in his pockets. While there, I picked up This Is Gonna Hurt, by Nikki Sixx - who's Heroin Diaries was a completely unexpected FABULOUS read. You know, I don't know what it is about him, but I would really like to pick his brain in person. We come from two completely different walks of life, but his writing just really clicks with me, for some reason. So I've given War & Peace a temporary hiatus while I rip through this new book, and need to download the accompanying music soon. I can't believe I have 2 books going at the same time (3, if you count the Tudor History book that I pick up from time to time, when I need a little fix). I used to only stitch on one project at a time, too, you know... But I KNOW Hurt will be done this week; War & Peace I don't think will EVER end :(

Happy stitching - and/or reading - this week to everyone! Enjoy that heat - it'll be freakin' winter soon enough :(

And People Think I'M WORDY??

2011-07-21T05:57:00.000-04:00

This paragraph, taken from War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy, Modern Library Paperback Edition, 2002:
"The Rostovs' son-in-law, Berg, was by now a colonel, with the orders of Vladimir and Anne on his neck, and was still filling the same comfortable and agreeable post of assistant to the head of the staff of the assistant of the chief officer of the staff of the commander of the left flank of the infantry of the first army."

Huh? Soooooo, he was a staff grunt, basically, despite his rank and commendations? And THAT, Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, coupled with the fact that every one has AT LEAST 4 different names, is why this stupid book is twice as long as it ought to be... Will I ever finish it, now that I am over the 1000-page mark? Will I ever care one iota about any single part of it? That remains to be seen. Check back in another month or so...

If Multiply decides to cooperate today, these pics OUGHT to be clickable to take you to the All-Knowing Wikipedia :) If they DON'T, well, then, I can't help you - I tried...

Band Camp - An Update

2011-07-18T05:50:00.000-04:00

The Freshman starts his first Band Camp today; only half days this week, but then, next week, 12 hour days!!! Hope he can stand it. I have to miss tomorrow's stitch night because I have to go to a band meeting - I am NOT volunteering for ANYTHING, not for the foreseeable future, at any rate; I have way too much going on at work for the next few months to even think about reserving brain cells for adding a whole new set of responsibilities...

In other news, a slightly more productive stitch week than last week - I finished a branch of Tanglewood at Donna's house on Tuesday. If I switch over to the other side and get the Peacock branch going and/or done, there isn't that much left to do. IF I put this on the floor stand, I bet I could have it done in a couple of weeks...

I was actually rooting in the drawer for... some other project on Monday night, needing to put Knotgarden down until the frogs go away. I think I had intended to bring out Iris Fairy - but then that pesky Mill Hill Halloween project jumped right into my hand - do you believe that??? It did, I swear. And so Midnight Farm is about 100 stitches from putting beads on :)

Can I just say that the GITD #4 Kreinik is not very consistent? The regular #4 metallics lay much better than this GITD stuff - in order to pull it tight enough to get it where it's supposed to be to make a pretty X, it distorts the fabric. The GITD BF I have used behaves more like #4 metallics, actually. The third design I picked, Boo House, has NO GITD - so you know I will have to add some. Now - do I use the stuff left over from these two kits, for consistency's sake, or do I find my GITD BF and use it instead? I guess that depends on how much I have leftover from the 2 kits and how much I decide to add :) Midnight Farm has a LOT of the glow, compared to the Haunted Library.

I have another finish-finish, but I can't show it yet, as it is a gift - and I haven't even gotten it ready to mail yet, let alone actually mailed it - so look for that... sometime later. This week, I know I will be continuing on Midnight Farm - I have been DYING to get some beads onto something, so too close not not to. Then I really need to get back to Knotgarden - the frog in it really makes me mad, and I want to get past it and get that damn side DONE. And then I have that 4th corner to do - which might be a nice break after completing 2 gates back to back. Maybe. It's just so... green. Which ordinarily I don't mind, but wow, enough already! And can I just mention that the drawer of kits KNOWS I have been finishing things, and it also knows that I have several other things >this close< to being done? The drawer would like me to Hurry The Hell Up and get them done, it's getting crowded in there, and new things WANT to be started!!!! Ah, well, what else is new? LOL

(my lilies are now all gone - and now there's nothing out there :( )

Happy stitching this week to everyone!!

The Next Round - an Update

2011-07-11T04:24:00.002-04:00

The next round, as in, the US Women's Soccer team made it through to the next round of the World Cup, after getting screwed REPEATEDLY by poor reffing against Brazil, and STILL managing to pull out the win!!! It took 120+ minutes, and all came down to PKs, and one great save by Hope Solo - though Abby Wambach's fabulous header at the last possible moment was pretty spectacular, too! Not to bore you with details, you can read & see video here if you want :)

Now we just need to pull out all the stops and beat France - that bogus send-off [Buehler? Buehler?] hopefully won't factor into it, and hopefully Wambach & Rapinoe can get 'em in the net!

And really, that's about the highlight of the week. For various and sundry reasons, there was not a lot of stitching, despite having Monday & Tuesday off. I was on the phone an inordinate amount of time this week - suffice it to say, since I am NOT a phone person, it made me a little bit cranky :(

(geddit - cranky, storm clouds? Because I'm stormy when I'm cranky? Not funny? Well, :b~~~~~~~~~~~)

On Tuesday, I went to a stitch in, and I worked on Tanglewood. I got a whole branch outlined, and then *gasp* got part of it filled in! Yes, at the SAME stitch in! Weird, huh? THAT'S how you can tell I'm getting down to the nitty gritty on Tanglewood, the branches are getting smaller :)

Gotta move over to the other side as soon as I get this branch done, though, if I am not mistaken, when I worked on Natalie's for our RR a couple years ago, I went over the top and down the right to get to the peacock - so we'll see which way I actually go when I get that far :)

The only other thing I touched was Knotgarden. Now, for anyone who's done a big mandala, I think we can all agree the repetition is the killer. I would just like to state for the record that I am NOT impressed that this thing is kicking and screaming the closer I get to the end. The inner yellow border with the green eyelets, it turns out, is harboring frogs. GGAAHHHHH!!!! I won't even mention that it's the wrong damn color, or it was before I played a little trick on it with one strand of the right color. Good thing I got some of the gate in so I can see the mistakes :( I don't want to put it down - but I really want to put it down for a bit, you know what I mean? Considering I didn't stitch Monday, Thursday, or Saturday nights at all, it's not like I slaved away over it - and maybe that's it, maybe it's mad at me for ignoring it. Well, too bad! Here is where I got on the gate (that middle topiary, not shown, IS also completed now):

So, for the week, not much to show for it - other than a huge deficit in my cell minutes. As for this week? Well, I just don't know yet. I am reallllyyyy tempted to get Rainforest Crunch out and at least try a few stitches in it, to see if the 18ct linen I got is going to work for me, or if I am going to be unhappy with it unless I do it on canvas. I really don't want any more WIPs, but yet - I want to start EVERYTHING I have kitted - which, when my Carrie's Thread's get here from Karen at Wasatch, will now also include FWD's Eclipse and also IC Mother Maya. Just for the record, that brings my Kitted up to easily DOUBLE my WIPs, maybe even TRIPLE - so you see, I could really just go off the deep end, if I so choose :) Good thing I am literally out of space to keep any more WIPs, and that's with two of the bigger ones still out traveling!

All of which means - check back next week to see what I actually worked on - because as of this minute, your guess is as good as mine :) Happy Stitching this week to everyone!

An Independence Day (Night) Update

2011-07-04T19:04:00.000-04:00

(yes, that is a praying mantis and a flag. If you had a praying mantis hanging out by your front door all afternoon, wouldn't you take a couple of pics, too? :) )

We've had fireworks going night after night after night - and I've had a cowering dog living at the end of the hall like it's a bomb shelter. Dummy, of course, could care less - I'm sure if a bottle rocket or Roman candle came near him, he'd do his best to catch it. Dummy - he's such a bonehead...

(if you go HERE and flip through the pictures quickly using the Next button, you can see his ears move - and/or a thought forming)

In this week's stitching, I had a new start on Monday, which I finished on Friday, and actually also have the stuff to finish-finish it, too :) Out of that JE Southwest leaflet that Sue V. sent to me, I was compelled to kit up several of those on ice blue Monaco, and well, you know me, since I had them ready to go, well, I caved and started the Dream Catcher. BUT - it wasn't the only thing I worked on, so I didn't entirely throw out my plans for the week, just modified them slightly :)

I added the silver feather charms and added a few little nuggets of turquoise that I had in the old bead drawer :) I do wish that I had done the backstitch in 3371 instead of 310 - that black is too harsh, IMO. I'll take myself under consideration when I do the next one :)

Now, getting back to what I had PLANNED to do last week - I did finally finish Part 1 of the WTN&T Birds of a Feather Mystery SAL - and got a few stitches in on Part 2 (since, you know, Part 3 is due to be released the end of this week). I just have to say that the red used in the border flowers still just blows me away - it's so rich! And somewhere in Part 3 is a similar red, WDW Brick - can't wait to see what that gets used for...

And lastly, I DID get Knotgarden back out finally on Saturday. Sunday saw no stitching at all, but I did continue on it today, and turned that corner to begin Repeat # 3. All of Saturday, I worked on the yellow border (I really don't like that color, BTW), the eyelets inside it, and then the Rhodes in the inner border down to the halfway mark, and got the 3 topiary pots done. Today, when I was finally able to sit down to stitch, I got the 3 topiaries almost done. I'll keep this out this week and see if I can get a good chunk of the 3rd gate done, though I may have to stop and go do that bottom corner first - I don't think I used the inner stitching for placement of the outer bits much, so I might be able to get the gate in without stopping to do that 4th sea of green...?

(yes, it's wrinkly - if you were a WIP as long as this has been a WIP, you'd be wrinkly, too)

Other than that, I have no definite plans for stitching this week. Since tomorrow is my last day of vacation, I am planning to head to the Stitch Store sometime in the afternoon for the Tuesday stitch in, then back to the grind on Wednesday. We have a big project starting next week - replacing the interface between our two operating systems; but before we can do that, we have to fix a SHITLOAD of data errors that occurred because of the current interface - 7 years worth of errors :( Fortunately, we're getting a couple of warm bodies in to help - data entry is not really my forte, my brain has more repetitive motion injuries than any other part of me - and Oracle is one unforgiving PoS system. So, looking forward to the next couple of months, expect to be freaking SLAMMED, so I'll be wearing my IT hat AND my engineering hat AND my gov't deliverable hat all at the same time! Can you hear my hair going ALL grey??? Of course, I may be pulling it all out in a week or two, so the color may be irrelevant :) :(

(another great post-storm sunset. It's colors like these that remind me of New Mexico - if only there wasn't so much green...)

That's the news that may or may not be fit to print - happy stitching this week to everyone!

An Official Summer Update

2011-06-27T06:54:00.002-04:00

As opposed to the Summer Eve update of last week :) And wow, was this first week of summer SLAMMING - and no slowdown in sight, work-wise and home-wise. We have, though, continued to get some of the much needed rain, with thunderstorms rolling through every day but one; because of our location in the foothills of the mountains, systems going through either miss us entirely, or get stuck over us; we've been fortunate to be on the "tour" this year.

(Storm clouds building up)

So as predicted last Monday, I finished Purrfect Summer Day on Monday night :) Tuesday, I went to the Stitch In at the Stitch Store - yes, 2 weeks in a row! It was a full house! I was going to work on Tanglewood, and did, for about 30 minutes, but then I put it away and worked on last week's impulse start, Hocus Pocus. And that was finished on Wednesday night :)

(I did iron this before I took the pic - the stupid hoop left a shiny ring around it :( )

Thursday, I did some more work on Birds of a Feather - the 2nd part is out, so I really need to get Part 1 done, and am a flower and a half away - but I didn't take a picture of it, so you'll just have to take my word for it :) I will take a pic when I get the part done - which should be this week... Here's this instead:

(Monkey & Dummy keeping an eye out for the boxer next door)

Saturday, we had our June PINS get together, and as usual, a good time was had by all! We were short several people, for various reasons, but still a great, albeit short, afternoon. If you look at the window valances in this photo, you'll see why I'm doing the Hen & Rooster piece for our meeting spot :)

(Pictured from the left, going around - Jean, Jackie, Jean (you can't really see her), Kris, Donna, Diane, Liz, Judy, Me (if I'd NOT Been taking surprise pictures), Marty (who you also can't see - just like her sister Jean across the table there), and then Kristine) Everyone wants pictures, so here ya go :)

So anyway, while there, I worked on Tanglewood and finished the branch I had been working on. Once I get the other one done that intersects this one, I'll go over to the other side - I think the next branch on the right is the one the peacock sits on :)

And when I finished that branch, I put it up and got Mary Wigham out. I did the bottom motif on the left - that great purple is BeMused. I didn't quite finish it, so worked on it Saturday night, too, and since it was in the floor stand still on Sunday when I finally had time to sit down, gee, I started another motif, a green one, which is Be Leaved, and which needs to get finished tonight :)

As for this week beyond finishing that MW motif - well, I need to get BoaF Part 1 done, and then I think I want to get Knotgarden out - it's been sitting on the table, ready to pick up in an instant, and the chart has been stuck to the magnet board the whole time I've been doing other things, sooo.... I just gotta make myself do it - once I get it out and get going, it'll be fine; it's just getting it ON the stand that's the trick... I do have a 5-day weekend coming up this weekend - since I am not going to my 25th reunion now, I decided I needed a couple of days off that don't involve a funeral, a graduation, or any other "involved" goings on. Thanks to my mother's contribution to the Poor Relative Fund, I now have a trip booked to OH at the end of August to attend my niece Devon's wedding; look out Columbus, the entire clan will be together. I am really looking forward to it, especially since this is the 3rd wedding we've had, and I missed the other 2 because of school and soccer here :(

(A cardinal, which is the state bird of Ohio - and about 30 other states in the union - and because a Cardinal is intensely more interesting than a buckeye)

And that's the news, I guess. You know when you have scheduled time off coming, everything around you makes you EARN IT? That's my next 4 days... So, in case I'm swamped and don't "see" you, happy stitching this week to everyone!

(The sun setting last night after the thunderstorm blew outta here - more pics of that sky here)

A Monday Update for the Day Before Summer

2011-06-20T04:57:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's just now about to be summer, according to the calendar - it's been so hot for so long! But we have gotten some fantastic thunderstorms this past week, and despite the leaves and branches all over the place, we've gotten some much-needed rain. It's actually been somewhat decent at night, temp-wise. My last lilies of the season are happy :)

Well, I tried my best, but I did NOT quite get Purrfect Summer Day finished - but I should on Monday night; I only lack finishing the outermost green border, and a couple of miles of backstitch just in the border - thankfully I've been doing it as I go along, I would lose my mind if I'd saved it all for the end!

On Tuesday, I was finally able to go to a Stitch In, and worked on the usual, Tanglewood. I got the branch I had started... the last time I worked on it, finished outlining, and started to fill it in. It's good to be on the upper half of the tree - the branches are getting shorter :)

And because I am a serial starter, I dug out a little Lizzie Kate that Shawn gifted me, Hocus Pocus, and went through the stash and kitted it up - it's partly WDW and partly Carrie's, done on 30ct WDW Guacamole that I got Tuesday night. I put in a few stitches on Thursday night, and then worked on it during a conference call on Friday - I think I can get it done over lunch this week, if I get time to actually break longer then to eat.

So, this week, finish Purrfect, hopefully finish Hocus, and then - back to Knotgarden? Mary Wigham? One of those that are close to done - gotta get stuff DONE! I have so many things that want to be started (Hocus included) :) Need more time, less work - but then don't we all? LOL Happy stitching this week to everyone.

And The Rains Came Down - An Update

2011-06-13T05:39:00.000-04:00

Yes, it rained, finally! We've had several thunderstorms go through the past week, dumping some much-needed rain, though from what I can tell, we've gotten a lot more at the house than lots of other places, including down by work. But since these fronts either pass us by completely or get stuck over us, I'm going to be greedy and say good, it was our turn to get some of it :) I expect watering restrictions to tighten any day, though; we've stayed on the odd/even ever since they declared (perhaps prematurely) the drought was over, but I suspect the limited hours will go into effect any day now. Not that I care, I don't water - but I don't want the water police busting me when I run the hose to clean out a trash can or whatever... We had a quick one go through last night, just as dinner was ready to go on the grill.

And my favorite Asiatic lilies, the Olivia's, might actually bloom now that they've had a drink!

As for stitching for the week, I worked a little more on Mary Wigham, and only have one more motif to go on the left-most side to reach the bottom (I think - there might be 2 - but I think it's one). BeMoiled finally made an appearance as that bottom left motif, and more of the BeSooted - I love these Be colors from HDF :)

The only other thing I worked on was the Birds of a Feather Mystery SAL - I am still trying to get Part 1 done, since I think the 2nd part just came out (I don't have it yet). I really like the colors in this, can't wait to see what the middle is going to be :)

In other news, the things I sent to Vikki Clayton for her Exhibition have been judged - she had 245 pieces show up for it, and the pro judges she got were, by all reports, quite impressed with the showing, both in the quantity and the quality. That's pretty exciting, IMO :) Of the 7 things I sent, 5 won some ribbon - I got one each of 1st thru 4th, 1st going to one of the Foursome Reel pieces (don't know which one) and an Honorable Mention on Fire Flower x2. The big thing the judges noted over and over, Vikki said, was carried threads - and I know I do that, so I can live with that critique :) I just can't imagine what all of that looks like, all in one place, since I've never been to anything like a Woodlawn. Maybe I'll get to go up for it next year or after :)

So this week, I want to try to get this BoaF Part 1 done. Then I need to work on Purrfect and/or Knotgarden - I need to have another finish, I need to get this pile whittled DOWN! I am really enjoying the samplers that I've been working on - I've been away from them for a while now, I guess really since I finished the last Foursome Reel piece, since 4 Saisions and MW weren't regularly rotated. Poor L&U is NOT digging my current need to get close-to-done stuff out... Can't be helped, I guess - so long as I can stave off starting the 20 things I really want to start, I will :) Until next week, happy stitching :)

An RAK from Chris!

2011-06-10T14:46:00.001-04:00

Chris sent me a couple of QSnap Huggies for my 8" Qs- aren't these beautiful???

See Chris's new site to get some for your stitching, too!!!

Thank you, Chris - they will be much-used!

Dummy Says - Damn, It's HOT (an update)

2011-06-06T04:44:00.000-04:00

It's true, it's freakin' hot - been 94+ for two solid weeks now, with the heat index over 100 with the never-ending humidity hovering right around 3000%. And in the 3 weeks I've been back from Ohio, it's rained once, for about 15 minutes. I'd gladly welcome a nice, cool 88 right about now :) Don't get me wrong, I love the heat; I just can't stand the humidity, where breathing feels like you are under water, and everything outside smells ozone-y and moldy (or like ass). Yuck. I want to go wherever it is October in GA all the time - 80-something during the day, low humidity, 50s & 60s at night. THAT'S what I'm talking about! We are supposed to have chances of thunderstorms this week - slim-to-none chances, I'm sure. I'd just take a day of overcast, so my house would be cooler...

(duhhhh, damn, it's almost too hot to bark... ALMOST.)

On to the stitching bits...

I couldn't decide what to work on last week, so many things were calling to me. But the older, smaller things are calling the loudest. So on Tuesday, I went out to the ol' travel bag, and pulled out Purrfect Summer Day - and worked on it through Saturday, getting through the AQUA finally and getting it that much closer to done! Lots of white - the white blocks that I did int eh border went quicker than I thought they would, and I wanted to get all the white done before I put the other colors in around it, so the white wouldn't pick up any contamination...

And then, Halloween Quaker kinda started hollering at me Saturday night, so I knew I'd have to switch out on Sunday. But instead of Halloween Quaker, I went back to the ol' travel bag, and got Mary Wigham out. I last touched this at a PINS get together a couple of months back, and started a motif that I just could not get the flow of - I blamed it that Saturday on needing to go to the eye doc - which I have since done, and now have an expensive pair of $12 cheaters :) - but this particular motif (bottom left-most - Moon Called Sea HDF) was completely frog-ridden to the last stitch. I just could NOT get that design to flow for me, and I probably stitched it twice, with the amount of ripping out & redoing I did. Grrrrr. The 3 sets of initials and the orange flower (BeWitched - which looks a LOT like the old discontinued Ochre that I did St. G in) went down on the fabric without a fight!

And that's it for the week. I think I will probably be rotating these close-to-done pieces - Purrfect, Knotgarden, MW, and maybe even bring Tanglewood out of the ol' bag, too. Purrfect, obviously, is the closest to done - would probably have it done this week if I worked on it like I did last week. It feels good to get these moving towards done - the stitching "goals" I listed earlier are actually making progress here near the half-way mark of the year! As much as I have 20 projects yammering to be started - and now that Kokopelli that Sue sent me is adding his voice to the chorus - I am definitely feeling like I need to get some stuff DONE, still - so I'm going with it!

In other news, I sent several items to Pennsylvania, to the First Annual HDF Exhibit at Vikki Clayton's Silk Emporium - 17 June through 4 July :) World Trade Center quilts will also be there, ONE DAY ONLY, June 18th. For more information, see the HDF site - in the menu on the LEFT, see ARTICLES & INFORMATION - there are 2 sections of articles on the Exhibit. Hopefully this will be a HUGE SUCCESS and give a much-needed boost to the needlework industry! IF you are in the area, check it out - she's having classes on all kinds of things, and lots to see while there - as if piles of silk wasn't enough all by itself! Some day, I'll get to PA....

Dummy Says - Damn It's Hot (an update)

2011-06-06T04:43:00.000-04:00

A Great Mail Day

2011-06-02T15:25:00.000-04:00

Today I got home to a package from Sue Vermeire;she had finished a cool Kokopelli design recently, and when I commented on it, she said she'd be willing to pass the chart on, at which I of course jumped :)

Then, on FB one day, she asked me my favorite color - being sneaky but not, you know? LOL So I was expecting the chart - which I now realize I love because it's from Joan Elliott, and there are actually 8 Southwestern designs in it - but also in the package was a gorgeous scissor fob, with purple & Paua/Mother of Pearl beads and a sand dollar!!! It's really, really pretty - these pictures just don't show you the colors:

Thank you so much for the chart and the gorgeous fob, Sue!!! As soon as my travel bag gets weeded out, Kokopelli is going in there, and then that cactus!!! And I think I need to swing by the ol' Hobby Lobby tomorrow and pick me up a pair of purple-handled scissors :)

A Long Overdue Update

2011-05-30T10:28:00.000-04:00

Yeah, this month has definitely been the roller coaster to end all roller coasters. I got my framed MTM back on Thursday, May 5th, and was basking in the glow of my accomplishment on that, when I then had to rush to Ohio, but not in time to see my dad before he passed away. So, that was a long, strange week, where I got to see lots of people that I needed to see - friends and family, some of whom I haven't seen in 28 years, if you can believe that! So while the circumstances of my being there were pretty awful, it was also a little rejuvenating to reconnect with people that I have missed over the years.

And then I had to rush right back to Georgia, in order to try to get the house ready to receive people for my oldest son's graduation on Monday the 23rd. We had lots of family in - both grandmothers were here, and 2 of the 4 aunts were here, which is pretty good, considering we are so far away from everyone. I was mid-clean when the first guests arrived - thanks to the boss for letting me have that Friday off to get stuff done - but I got it as close as it's going to get without a LOT of paint and/or a wrecking ball :)

Lots of good things to eat, the kid got some cash AND a new-to-him '91 Mazda Miata convertible - now all he needs is a driver's license, so he can drive himself to work - but who has time for that? He's been working so much, enjoying his life guard duties, and hasn't had time for things like driving when his dad or I have time, so...?

As for stitching the last few weeks, there has been some, including a new START and a FINISH!!

I managed to finish another of the blackwork chickens that I am doing for Loretta's, where my local group meets every month. I didn't realize it until I finished that one that the bottom of the design is just these two flipped & reversed - I'm sure I'll find the easier path the 2nd time though each one :)

And then, I had an impulse start when I received the kit for a new Mystery SAL, Birds of a Feather by Country Stitches/With They Needle & Thread. I have to say that the WDW floss that came with this are a LOT nicer than those that I stitched 6 Bats with, so I might have to retract my earlier comments on them, in that they have obviously changed their process in that time. This is a 3-part mystery, and the border is part 1 - this is where I currently am on it, on the 35ct WDW Confederate Grey linen:

I also did a bit of work on Knotgarden right after my last update, and finished up that side that I almost had done - not a lot, but I also knew then I'd have to work on something else for a bit, before continuing on with that. Here's where it stands right now:

And the something else that I seemed to work on the most was Starry Nights, which is now DONE!!!!!! I had actually taken a photo somewhere along the way between then and now, and then just never got around to updating - since there wasn't anything update-worthy, really, and I wasn't ready to say anything about my dad. That photo is here, if interested. And here it is, a week later, DONE!!! And the chart & left over threads are packaged up and ready to go to Dr. Stephanie, the chart that originally came to me from Lori.

And that's really all I've done since the last time I updated. BUT, while I was up in Ohio, I managed to get a picture of the TW Noah's Ark that I did for my sister Anne years ago:

And also, the very first piece of needlework I ever really did, crewel, I got back from my dad's house, where it had hung in his office since I gave it to him in 1983 or 84, after Cheryl harped and harped on me to get it done:

And with that, I am going to go kick back and relax and enjoy the rest of this Memorial Day holiday, grilling later, probably stitching on something. Back to the ol' grind tomorrow :( This working thing is really cutting into my leisure time...

Memorial Day, May 30, 2011

2011-05-30T06:24:00.000-04:00

This Memorial Day has a quite a bit more meaning to me this year. Usually a day that I pay silent homage to heroes past and present, who fought and died to allow this country to be the finest on earth, in recent weeks it has also become a day to think of those I have personally lost, which, thankfully, have been few, but key.

For those that have noticed my lack of posting this month, that was primarily due to the unexpected passing of my father, Eric Einar Williams. He had been struggling with pulmonary fibrosis for some time, but was managing it. Until he injured his back, requiring surgery; things seemed to decline after that event.

So I was on my way to Ohio to see my dad, planning to leave on Saturday morning, the 7th of May; but before I was even up and ready to get moving, I got the call from my sister Anne. He was gone. But he knew I was on my way, so I have to be satisfied with that, and with the fact that I didn't see how bad it was at the end, unlike my sisters, who will have those memories to live with.

My father was a hard man to explain; I didn't see him the same way my sisters and brother did, when he was still married to our mother. There was a time, when I was small, that my parents were still married, but my sisters were leaving the house, and then "the Divorce" happened, and a lot of those years are gone from my memory (probably a good thing). But I did get my dad back later, when he was married to Cheryl, after my brother died, when he was retiring from teaching.

My father was a lifelong teacher, as were both of his parents. He instilled in all of us a thirst for knowledge, and especially my love of history. He was a photographer extraordinaire, who gave me a deep appreciation for the inanimate object (he had an album dedicated solely to his hot sauce collection - not to mention the Foot Album). He was an Airman in the USAF from September 1950 to September 1954, serving in Libya and at Hickham Field in Hawaii, working on radio equipment. He took me to the Dayton Air show often, and even more often, to the Air Force Museum, where I was even so lucky as to hear one of the Doolittle Raiders speak one night. So really, I guess it's no surprise when I followed in his footsteps and enlisted, too. My father did fail to mention, though, ever, that I did outrank him - he was an A1C when he got out, and I was a Sgt - probably a dynamic that our relationship did NOT need :) Besides, we had the good Colonel Williams, USAR, to give us our needed grief for joining - his words, n ot mine - "the wimp corp".

My dad was a lot of things to a lot of people - teacher, mentor, the man behind the camera, the Disciplinarian, jailer, King of Soup, the guy Clint Eastwood took all his cues from. I like to think of him as Dirty Harry Callahan, PhD, or Professor Man With No Name. He was NOT Ward Cleaver, by any stretch of the imagination, which is part of why it's so hard to sum up a life such as his, and why there will always be unresolved issues for me and my siblings.

Eric Einar WIlliams - 28 November 1929 - 7 May 2011

And while I was saying goodbye to my father, I visited my brother, whose death 29 years ago affected all of our lives, and set things in motion that I still think affect my day-to-day life. I hate that my kids didn't get to know their Uncle Eric, and I hate that, since I was just a kid at the time, too, that he and I didn't get the chance to be friends - we were still rivals, though since he was Mr. Uber-Genius and well, I wasn't, I'm not sure what the issue was :) His life - and it's tragic end - are what make me afraid for my kids, because you just never know, and it doesn't matter if you have the world in your hands, it can be gone in an instant. The lesson for those of us who remain is to not forget, and not to blame, and most importantly, to move on in a positive manner, even if you don't want to.

Eric Einar Williams II - 13 January 1961 - 30 June 1982

But back to the greater meaning of today, which is to remember those who have risked and/or sacrificed life and limb in service to this country - several of which I have already mentioned, but for the Williams family, also include my cousin Nevin and my nephew Daniel, who was a 3rd generation AF grunt :)

Arlington National Cemetery, where you will find my dad's cousin, Col. David Hackworth.

In Flanders Fields, by Moina Michael:

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

So to everyone who has served, or is currently serving, I thank you on the behalf of the American people, and others everywhere. I wish for peace, and hope we can bring home our brothers and sisters from all of the places they are currently deployed.

May Already??? An Update

2011-05-02T05:16:00.000-04:00

Holy cow did April just fly past! And this past week was just uber-hectic, what with devastating storms all around, appointments to get taken care of by the end of the month, Dumb Dog to the vet for an ear infection that put a big wrench into everything. Now if I can just get through this graduation on the 23rd, I might be able to get a breather - my 25th reunion is on July 30th, but if gas continues to rise, I won't be able to go :(

So of course I watched the wedding Friday, though I did have to watch the rebroadcast - I didn't DVR it, and I don't do 4 a.m., ever. It was great to watch, though I still have to wonder what Beatrice was thinking... Loved the horses and all of the pageantry, and thought Wills & Harry were both very handsome :) The Dress was gorgeous of course, if you go in for that kind of thing (have yet to wear one myself, so not really my cup o' tea, so to speak). The music was wonderful - I can only imagine what the Chamber Orchestra actually sounded like in that magnificent building!

On to the week's stitching...

On Monday, I kept Chat out for a bit longer, and put in a couple of yards of black. Gave him a little something to rest those eyes on :)

On Tuesday, I got out Knotgarden, and worked all through the week on it. I have come to the conclusion that I will NOT be able to work on just it until it is done - I can devote a lot of time to it, yes, but I will have to break up the monotony here & there, because the outsides ARE monotonous... But the top should be done in pretty short order this week, then down the left side. You can look at the Before photo here to see where it was when I last abandoned it...

Saturday, I had a lot of stuff that I needed to do - and got some of it done, some not. I needed a break from Knotgarden, so I got out Starry Nights, and got the bottom right corner pretty well done. I am going to have to go get yet another skein of 791 - have gone through one whole, and what felt like pretty darn close to a full one on a bobbin - but I did have to rip some out way back near the beginning somewhere, but I didn't think it was that much...? Anyway, I got a good section done - I really love working on this project, so though I want to get it done, I want to make it last, too, even though I know Rainforest Crunch is sitting out there in the drawer, patiently waiting...

No progress on Tanglewood this week, or anything else. The Start Me's are being quiet for the time being - I am definitely in Get It Done mode... My Medieval Town is DONE!!! and making its way back to me from Jill Rensel - you can see a picture of it on her blog here, along with some other amazing works, but I will of course take another when I get it :) I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT!!!!!! And Lyne's Wedding Sampler is on its way to her now, too!

This week, I will work on Knotgarden some more (I put it back on the stand after taking the picture last night), but I have a feeling I will have to break it up with something before I turn that corner... We'll see what screams loudest, I guess. NOW that I have my first pair of reading glasses, I probably ought to get L&U out for a couple of days, see how my specs work on that - I needed them for Chat on Monday, but didn't need them for Knotgarden or Starry - charts are bigger than Chat, which I know is about the same size as L&U. My eyes feel better with the glasses, so I guess I've been straining them longer than I should have. hey, I've been too busy for things like eye appointments lately... So really, I am, again, not real sure what I'll work on - check back next Monday :) Happy Stitching this week to everyone!

The Easter Bunny Has Landed - an Update

2011-04-25T05:04:00.001-04:00

Much candy has been had, and new Blue Rays have been played (the new Narnia and the HP Deathly Hallows 1); big dinner, too full for dessert, actually :) Easter was a thankfully quiet day, after the U14 Augusta game that was supposed to be made up got rescheduled (again) for May 8th - who schedules a make-up game for Easter Sunday? THAT'S what happens when you let MEN make schedules; it didn't OCCUR to anyone that 4/24 had nothing scheduled, for a reason??? Didn't feel like dropping $80 for gas to & from, either (will NEVER understand why anyone north of Atlanta plays anyone in Savannah or Augusta).

In other news, there was also some stitching for the week :) Our monthly get together of PINS was Saturday, and as always, was a great time, though way too short. AND our meeting place has new florescent lights up in the part we take over, so after getting used to the dark & dingy, it was almost blindingly bright, especially after the sun finally decided to make an appearance. I worked on Tanglewood for a bit, got another branch done, started the outline of another, did a bunch of leaves; I am now officially well into the 2nd half :) Maybe it ought to be my next concentration???

I also did a little bit on the Roosters & Hens while there; thankfully, the owners weren't there, or didn't come to see what we were up to, so it will be a surprise for them :) I'll have to figure out how to personalize it when I get it done - I figure I'll put the restaurant name on it, at the least. As you can see from the thread hanging down - I ran out of time, and didn't pick it up to finish that thread when I got home:

The rest of the week, I decided to work on Chat Noir, since it hasn't gotten any love since last summer. Every time I walk around that side of the house where all the fur kids are planted, and I see that giant violet that marks Booger, I miss that old cat. Every time either one of the insane dogs bark, I miss that old cat. And now, Chat has eyes! You can't tell without looking really closely at the before picture, but I did a helluva lot of fill-in since last time - and have also discovered there are 2 colors, same symbol in the chart, which might explain why I thought the 680 was such a strange choice for the orange sun - but you know what? I'll improvise - no WAY am I even going to attempt to swap anything....

Now tell me this isn't starting to look like Old Crusty?

As for this week, I am again not sure what to work on; I could keep Chat out another week, and Knotgarden would really like to come out, since it's the next big planned finish :) Or I could put Tanglewood on the stand and see where it is a week from now. L&U is of course screaming at me, and those pesky Chatelaines are hollering from the file cabinet - I WILL NOT START ONE until Knotgarden gets done, dammit! You people are my witnesses...

Happy stitching this week to everyone!

Spring in Full Swing - an Update

2011-04-18T04:37:00.000-04:00

We might actually have a spring this year, in that it has been wet and stormy some days, and sunny and pleasantly warm on others; last year, we reached nearly 100 for a couple of days in April, and though we have approached 90 this year, I'm hoping that it stays in the 70s and 80s for the rest of the month :) I'm sure we'll freeze on Mother's Day, like we always do, kind of the last hurrah for winter, and then the heat, humidity , and smog can overtake everything for the next 5 months...

My kid is 98% Lifeguard - they didn't all get done with their CPR training (in 36 hours, how did they NOT get done?), but will be fully certified at his in-park training. Yay! He is really excited about it; every night when he got home, he had to demonstrate everything they learned - on his brother :) Never miss an opportunity to inflict unnecessary pain, the old Williams' family motto :) Graduation is 5 weeks away - will I make it??? More importantly, will he? He's doing the "I'm 18 now, you have no right to tell me what to do" thing; it's about time for the "So long as you live in this house..." thing in return :)

On to the stitching, which includes another FINISH!!!!

Despite last year's slump, despite a ridiculous amount of color changes, and despite yards and yards of multi-ply blending filament, I have finished Lyne's Wedding Sampler!!!!! I really did not think I could get it done this week, but as I got down to the white part of the 2nd bell on Friday night, I began to see the light :) Without further ado, here it is, in all of it's metallic splendor:

We still need to decide if she wants one more line of text on the bottom right - it's is charted to include a location, the model has a town/state, but Lyne thought maybe her church would be better - unless she chooses to leave it off. But until she decides, I'm calling it DONE!!! It's been washed, the MH Treasure added, and I reallllyyy hope she loves it when she has it hung in her home :)

Other than that, I did not do a lot, due to all the running around I had to do all weekend. Since time was short by the time I got Lyne's piece all ironed yesterday, I decided to get the Rooster & Hen piece back out for the rest of the evening, and did some more of the red- and black-work borders, and got a start on the next bird.

This week, I don't really know what I will work on. I have middle school tourney tonight - I am sure they will be done after tonight's game, so if I go, it ought to be the only night I lose this week. So, do I get Knotgarden out and start moving it towards done, or do I spend a week or two on those other long-term WIPs, like L&U or Chat Noir? Starry Nights is closer to being done than Knotgarden is, and Purrfect Summer Day is, too. Decisions, decisions.... I guess I'll just wait & see what I am in the mood for when I actually sit down to do something. Of course, since I am mailing my new furniture/vacation to the IRS today, I may not be in the mood for anything :( So check back next week and see what happens next :) Happy stitching this week to everyone!

Hmmmm....

2011-04-13T09:33:00.000-04:00

Definition of PONDER

transitive verb

: to weigh in the mind : appraise <pondered their chances of success>

: to think about : reflect on <pondered the events of the day>

intransitive verb

: to think or consider especially quietly, soberly, and deeply

Ponderisms.

1. IF my watch has been dead for an unknown number of days, does that mean that I personally am not aging as of that moment, whenever it was?

1b. IF, after discovering my watch has been dead, forgetting about it, and rediscovering it the next day, it becomes apparent that I don't seem too concerned with the fact that I can no longer tell time by looking at my wrist, is it wrong to keep wearing the dead watch out of force of habit?

1c. Why does the thought of going without my watch bother me more than going without any other article of clothing? I am pretty sure almost no one has ever checked out my watch (i.e. "Hey, would you get a load of the watch on her?")....

2. Do we know for a fact that woodchucks CAN'T chuck wood?

3. There are all kinds of studies about how much time we spend commuting based on certain cities, and how much time we spend standing in line. Has anyone ever done a study about how long the average individual stands in front of the microwave, waiting for their lunch? AND the effects of radiation exposure thus had?

4. Why would you name a band "Skillet"? Was Dutch Oven taken? Deep Fat Fryer? Spatula?

5. Do people really do dumb things for Klondike bars? There's not really much involved in running into nearly any convenience or grocery store, opening a door, and picking one up - but maybe I am oversimplifying? And some people just have stupid built in, I know...

6. Is YouTube admissible in a court of law?

Hmmmm....

An April Monday Update

2011-04-11T05:31:00.000-04:00

Well, Spring Break is over, the kids are back to school today, and I can relinquish half the dog duty again :) Since I'll be right back to it on the first day of summer break :( Little Kid had a great time on his trip - came back from Universal with Harry Potter's wand, and some tourist chatchkes from the market in Nassau. Big Kid has his lifeguard training this week - good thing he got a straight red his last game before break, so he is not allowed to attend his last 2 games, and though I had to fight for him to be able to attend Senior Night, he won't actually get to do that, either, because he has his first night of training. He doesn't understand why I am a little peeved that we have to fork out $120 for him to get a job - not counting all the gas to get him back & forth to the training for 4 days in a row - you shouldn't have to spend that much money in order to get your very first job... The kid is just not practical, at all (he gets THAT from his dad, 100% of it). I know it'll be money well spent later - it just could have come at a better time (like last year).

In stitching news, there's not a lot; I actually went a WHOLE WEEK without starting anything new!!! I know, hard to believe, the roll I've been on lately :) But then, I was pretty busy all week :) Again, I was busy at lunch all week (since I was the lone SCMnet person all week - which I know means nothing to anyone but me, but just know, it's a process I have to monitor that has the potential to have catastrophic failures across the company when it doesn't work right), but I did touch Tanglewood one day, got a piece of the next branch outlined. Totally not picture-worthy, so I didn't bother. Maybe this week...?

What I did work on that you can see, is Murky manor, to go along with Laura's Halloween SAL :) I got it out Monday, and worked a little bit every night through the week, and a good amount over the weekend, getting a lot done on the right side of the building :) I almost got that other tower roof done, but had to put it up early to go taxi a kid around last night (he can't get a car a minute too soon - and then he'll see).

This week, back to Lyne's sampler - I am actually pretty excited to get it back out and see just how close to done it will be this time next week. this coming weekend is going to be an utter madhouse - DH is supposed to go to Talladega all weekend with the Redneck Brotherhood, Little Kid has a game each day, and Big Kid has his ongoing lifeguard training from 9-9 both Sat & Sun. Somewhere in there, I need to get to the store, do laundry, get the taxes signed and in envelopes with their hot checks, and I need to get BK's graduation announcements addressed & ready to go. I think I need a day off... So check back next week - Tax Day :( - and see if I have cracked under the pressure of it all :)

By the way, as a side note, my multiply blog just passed it's 5 Year Anniversary yesterday; I was going to do something for a give away - but ummm, yeah, one more thing I gotta handle right now. My other blog has its 6th anniversary this fall - so I may do something in the summer, kind of split the difference between the two :)

Spring Break - an Update

2011-04-04T04:41:00.000-04:00

Spring Break - not that you'd notice from my activity, since it's just another workweek for me :( But my 14 yo is out touring the world this week with his buddy Noah - gets to go to Universal Studios AND a cruise to the Bahamas. What is wrong with this picture? The 18 yo has nothing planned - and pouted all day yesterday because he was bored. Gee, I had to WORK during spring break of my senior year, since everyone else was out of town on school trips and such. Am I the only parent that thinks high school students have NO business going to FL with all the college spring breakers???? You know, I am totally okay with not being the cool parent...

So on to this week's stitching progress....

I finished a chicken. Or actually, I finished a rooster, to be more precise. This particular piece of Monaco is a little bit "tougher" than the one I got for World Tree - or maybe it's that I am dragging 2 strands through it, instead of the 1 that WT uses. At any rate, it's roughly 1/4 done, a little less, since the black part of the border is considerably more than the red that I have started. I didn't actually flip it over to look to see if my blackwork is even remotely reversible; I doubt it, since I sometimes do the Holbein stitch, sometimes the good ol' backstitch. I am also glad that I changed out the red - the one they called for is WAY too bright, I like this rusty color much better.... These aren't fighting roosters, the red woulda looked like they'd just gone a few rounds, IMO.

I also got a LOT done on Lyne's sampler - I actually think I will have this done in 2 more weeks' worth of stitching time - IF the blending filaments behave :) I can honestly say I hope I never stitch another rose as long as I live :) I love the look of them when they are done, every time it amazes me that those straight lines look like an actual flower when I get done, but wow, enough already! LOL And I though TW used a lot of greens (about half of Triptych was various shades of green) - Stoney Creek got a little carried away on this thing with the greenery around the flowers. To gorgeous effect, of course :)

And speaking of flowers, I was COMPELLED to have a new start on Friday. I've kind of been lusting after some Joan Elliott designs lately, thanks to Chris and all of her stockings that she's cranked out this winter. And then Diane brought her Cross Stitch Collection mag to last week's PINS meeting, and in it is the Iris Fairy. You know - PURPLE and IRISES. I HAD to get it, and it only took 3 trips to find the damn thing - BAM apparently doesn't carry the UK mags (or doesn't now - I could swear they did before?). Finally went down to the B&N in the war zone and got a copy. And had it kitted up and ready to go by Friday (I wound 20+ bobbins in less than an hour, if that tells you how motivated I was :) ) - only because I had the PERFECT fabric in the stash, Silkweaver's Lavender Swirl, one of the ones I got while in their FOTM :) So I put the first stitches in on Friday night:

And worked late into the night, and then again on Saturday after I got my chores done and the kid packed for his trip. I put it away, though, so I could get back to Lyne's piece on Sunday - I was determined to get that bottom ribbon/flowers done on it - and got a good jump on the last bell, too :) I will have to decide on Iris Fairy, since the fabric is 32ct, which, being hand-dyed, is probably more like 33-34ct, if I need to swap the 11/0 beads for 15/0s when I get to that point - the few blanks already there look kinda tight for an 11/0. I might get by with using delicas instead, since they are a lot more uniform than the Czech 11/0s. That's a ways off, plenty of time to bother with that later...

This week, I am joining Laura with a Halloween SAL - I will be getting Murky Manor out tonight. I assume I'll get sucked into that again and keep it out all week - Lyne's piece can wait another week, since I am definitely within sight of the end :) I again did not lunch long enough to work on Tanglewood last week - since the quarter- and year-end crazies are over, I might be able to get that back out this week. I will try my best to NOT start anything else - but I do have Wicked Alphabet all ready to go, too, in honor of Lisa Roswell of the Primitive Needle, and it is a Halloween SAL week. Who knows? We'll see. Since the Kid is gone, I'm pulling extra dog duty :(, so that'll eat up a little bit more time - but I am also doing way less laundry this week :) Check back next week to see if I beat my compulsion to start yet another project, or not :) Happy Stitching this week to everyone - and here's some more purpley-iris goodness for you :)

From 2009 - these haven't bloomed yet this year - but they're coming!

If My Animals Were in High School...

2011-04-02T09:47:00.000-04:00

... they'd be these kids:

DumbChuck - clearly the dumb jock of the group. Always ready for action, doesn't know he just got done playing, no injury is too much - but will stop mid-thought for a good scratch. Dumb fleabag... You can never play fetch too much, though you do have to remind him from time to time where he's going and what he's supposed to do when he gets there - you can literally hear the light bulb snap on. And do NOT leave an open beer laying around unprotected, or you'll never see it again. Same goes for your manky socks.

Then there's Lucy, who is the high-strung overachiever. By over-achievement, I mean just totally losing her mind any time ANYTHING in the neighborhood moves enough to attract her attention. And god forbid a BICYCLE or MOTORCYCLE should go by - she is bound and determined to drag someone off of one of those eventually... And, she is the master of begging - she never met a piece of food that she didn't immediately scarf down like she hasn't eaten for days. Part bull dog, part sled dog - that's our GSP Lucy Mae - Fierce Incarnate, so fierce she makes herself sick. Except during thunderstorms...

And then we have Monkey, that new cat. She is the dingbat cheerleader, no doubt about it. She loves you one minute, then is attacking you the next. She tears through the room, comes to a screeching halt, looks around, and you can clearly imagine the giggle as she thinks "Where was I going again? Oh, yeah! I have to go swing on the shower curtain, then when my boyfriend comes back in, I'll have to get him into a wrestling match. So until then, I'm just going to cry, cry, cry and tear stuff up!!!! " - zoooommm... screechhh...crash...giggle...zooommm!

And then you have Beanie, who's so laid back you would swear he's stoned. The only cat I've ever had that comes when you call him, he's more dog than the dogs we have. Being the biggest brute in the neighborhood, you'd never know all he wants is his belly rubbed, while he keeps one eye open for those couple of Siamese kids in the neighborhood. He likes napping in the linen closet - he'll knock if you accidentally close the door, and drinks out of the bathroom tap - but doesn't bother to turn it off. He teases DumbChuck all the time, waving that tail around like bait, then looks at him like "You are SUCH an idiot" as he strolls away. But don't let him fool you; he's a mighty hunter, as evidenced by a complete lack of the skinks we used to have all over, and the fact that the blue jays and thrashers are constantly screaming at him when he's prowling out back. In between 8-hour naps, of course.

All of which makes me either the cafeteria lady, the principle, the gym teacher, or the bus driver.... Yes, I AM a fish person; how'd you guess?

Roller-coaster - an Update

2011-03-28T05:09:00.000-04:00

And not the Love Rollercoaster song re-done by the Red Hot Chili Peppers...

I sent my MTM to Jill Rensel in Utah a week ago Friday - it was supposed to arrive on Monday. And didn't. Not Tuesday, either. Or Wednesday, Thursday. Friday, I went to the PO with receipt and tracking/insurance things - only to be told I had to wait 2 weeks before I could file a claim. But Jill had also said on Wednesday that things don't usually get to her when they are supposed to - even though I haven't had but 1-2 issues EVER in all my time mailing needlework things around the world. But it did arrive finally on Friday. I found that out about the same time that we found our missing cat, Beanie - who never misses breakfast - except when he's locked in the garage across the street, and not in that big of a hurry to head back home when the door opens... Friday sucked, basically, until about 5:30.

Then Saturday, I was at my monthly PINS meeting when I got a text that my son's GF had flipped her car, with my son in it. They were both okay, not even a scratch, despite broken glass. Both had their seat belts on, thankfully - I guess I've pounded that into his head for 18 years, so he's not completely ignoring me... He also got a job - if we can get his life guard training paid for. Which is the other end of the roller-coaster, as I did the taxes yesterday, and we lost him as a credit since he turned 17 last year (why is it 17?) - so now we have 2 weeks to come up with over $1000 (the waiting this long is a whole other argument that I am tired of having with someone that lives in this house). And got penalized for not having enough coming out, which is nothing more than insult to injury. I think it's time for Fair Tax....

On to the stitching, of which there's not as much as there ought to be, as usual.

I did NOT work on Tanglewood - what lunches I took, I was either writing or only stopped long enough to eat.

I DID work on Lyne's sampler, all metallic hell of it :) Sorry Paula, I'd rather do those doves any day of the week than work with 2 strands of BF :) But the doves are DONE, aside from the last of the backstitching that is waiting for the surrounding bits to get done, AND I nearly got the first bell done, despite the BF (which wasn't really that bad, it just has a mind of it's own sometimes. And the gold BF is a LOT more fragile than either the white or the rainbow). Still a way to go on this thing, but it's coming along....

At Saturday's PINS get together, I decided I needed a no-brainer project (even before I knew my kid's life was almost eclipsed), so I worked on Starry Nights for a little bit, since I didn't have to leave to go to the ER. Got a little bit more filled in.

AND while at PINS, the owner of the restaurant we meet at, Loretta's Country Kitchen, and his wife, who I assume is Loretta, both came out to chat with us, and both raved over a project Jean, our octogenarian, was working on - it had roosters/chickens on it. Well, a few months back, the other Jean had suggested we look for something that we could stitch for the restaurant. I was going through a HUGE pile of old mags that she'd brought to get rid of, and found a design I thought might be cool. But then I got wrapped up in fall soccer, and then they got wrapped up in family stuff, and we hadn't talked about it any more. But after they both raved about those chickens Saturday, I went through my stash list when I got home - I knew I'd made a note about that chart maybe working for them when I saw it; it is from Stitcher's World, July 2002. I started it yesterday :) It ought to be pretty quick, since it's mostly blackwork/backstitch:

And that's it for this week. Will keep on with Lyne's sampler, and who knows what else? Happy stitching this week to everyone :)

Ahhh, Spring - an Update

2011-03-21T04:38:00.000-04:00

It's here, the calendar says so :) We turned the A/C on Saturday, so that makes it more official than the calendar, though we did turn it on this time because it was 88 in the house and we couldn't stand it any longer, as opposed to because of the pollen and Little Kid's allergies - so far, it's not been bad, though the pines are getting ready to pop, I think :(

Also - Super Moon Saturday night - which isn't a new thing, but it musta been a slow news day, since it was suddenly all over the 'net ( and I assume Japan is all taken care of, too, since the goings-on in Libya are the #1 story now, it seems). (See, we shoulda taken care of that psycho 20 years ago.) Anyway, IF I had a camera that would allow ME to focus, I could actually take pictures of the moon - gotta get a DSLR - or buy film again (I assume you can still get it?) and takes my chances with the old Minolta...

And we're walking...

So, I motored on through Haunted Library this past week - which included almost not stitching until Wednesday - don't ask me what I was doing Monday & Tuesday, I don't remember now (CRS strikes again); I just know I was busy and sat down about 9:00, only to get up and go to bed early... The first week of the time change always has me completely screwed up. So anyway, I got the stitching part done Thursday night, and started putting beads on. And finished them Friday :) I love putting beads on:

Saturday, I made Terrie's pinkeep out of her Halloween ornie that she stitched - I think it turned out really cute, with the addition of a snake-skin textured metallic ribbon :) I bought 4-5 spools of stuff, and that was the one I liked the best, though I did have to run back to Hobby Lobby for bigger beads - I didn't have enough big ones that matched. Because I need a legitimate excuse to go to HL.

I also got a little bit of work in on Tanglewood, though I only had 2 actual lunches last week, so not much, barely photo-worthy, really...

And as promised in weeks past, I got Lyne's sampler out, and started cranking on it. I will try to work on this to completion, with as few breaks as I can manage. Or until the Kreinik in the bells (2 strands w/1 of floss, I might add) drives me right over that edge I've been teetering on :) Though, actually, with judicious knotting, I've been managing the Kreinik, even normal stitch lengths of 18" or so - we'll see if the luck holds...

In other news, my little boy turns 18 this week. How on earth is that even possible? It's been quite the journey for me and my mini-me (I don't care what anyone says, he's definitely MY kid); from colic and teething, to using his head to test the toughness of every doorknob in the place, to jumping off the 5' wall and other daredevil activities, to thousands of miles driven in pursuit of the perfect soccer game. Laughing and tickling, wrestling and playing in the water, arguing, grounding, being proud of his achievements, and embarrassing him in front of his friends almost as often as I've been the butt of his jokes. Now it's almost time for him to move on to something else, to the next part of his life. Here, son, let me help you pack :)

He hates this picture - I make sure to show it to all the girls he brings home :)

That's the news - keeping on keeping on!

Did Anyone See a Time Lord Go Through Here? An Update

2011-03-14T04:32:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's that time of year again - Spring Forward! Bah humbug! I won't lie - I am NOT a morning person, by any stretch of the imagination. Hey, sue me. And morning at 6:15 is bad enough, but when it artificially becomes 5:15, not-so-cleverly disguised as 6:15, well then, needless to say, I am NOT a happy camper. Actually, I'm pretty much a zombie for the next couple of weeks, until I regain my usual morning torpor. Personally, I just don't see the need for this time change - I don't actually NEED more daylight in the evenings; actually, in the heat of summer, it would be nicer to still sleep while it's cool out, instead of trying to go to bed when the house has approached the Kelvin scale. But what do I know? I just don't think anyone should be mucking about with the clocks unless he's, you know, qualified to do so - with a sonic screwdriver...

So on to the stitching...

Mucking about with time myself, I went back and picked up a piece I started last year - and just seemed to have put away. Joan Elliott's Imagine was started last year, as a companion to Dream that I completed, both to be given to the daughters of a friend who passed away unexpectedly. Well, I now know why I put it down - there was a frog in it that I was unable to find, until I picked it back up on Monday night, determined to finish it. And then Tuesday, when I went to the stitch in at the Stitch Store, I continued working on it, trying to figure out if I needed to rip out the mistake or if I could fudge it. I couldn't decide, so I put it away and worked on Tanglewood instead :) But finally, Saturday, my decision was made - rip & re-do. And now it's DONE!!!

I just need to get both pieces into silver frames, and off they can go - maybe a little later in the year... And I have added several Joan Elliott pieces to the Lust List - I just like her fairies & goddesses so much more than anything Corbett puts out :)

And as noted above, I also worked on Tanglewood, of course, Tuesday night and during only a couple of lunches - too busy last week for an actual break, really. But the branch I am working on has gone really quickly, so it actually looks like I did something! This top half ought to go quicker than the bottom half did - I've already done a good part of it before (on Natalie's RR), so hopefully the flow will click right away - and well, the top of the tree's smaller than the bottom, innit? LOL Can't wait to get to the peacock again :)

I also worked a couple more nights on my Mill Hill Halloween piece, and though I didn't complete all the stitching, I am pretty close. I'd actually like to get this one done this week, beads & all, so I can then safely put it up and get Lyne's sampler out. Getting another WIP out of the way makes me feel so much better, I just want to keep getting things done....

Speaking of getting things done, or rather, INSTEAD OF getting things done, I started a new project Friday night, which was supposed to be a quickie, before I had to take out half of what I did Friday (I should have just gone to bed, but no, I wanted to keep on working past my normal time, like a bonehead). But still, once I frogged all the over-1 (have I told you what a PITA that is???), I got it about 2/3 done yesterday, and just might finish it up tonight, maybe :) It is the newest freebie from Blue Ribbon Designs, Leprechaun Lodge, which I'm doing over-1 on 28ct to make another pinkeep - since I only have fall ones, I figured I needed to branch out a little.

As for this week - finish the Leprechaun Lodge, and swing by the Lobby to get some St. Patty's fabric for it and actually finish it this week. I also have a pinkeep to make for Terrie at the Stitch Store - she did the sheep Halloween ornie from last October's JCS, and I got the stuff to make that into a pinkeep for her (I need to do that one, too - it's soooo cute!). Finish the Haunted Library. Get Lyne's sampler out and get cracking on getting it done!!! 14 more loads of laundry, who knows how many games, cooking, cleaning (well, maybe...), etc... I sure am gonna miss that hour for the next 8 months....

HEY! Where'd Spring Go??? An Update

2011-03-07T03:52:00.000-05:00

Yeah, yeah, as soon as I rub it in about how awesome it was here the last couple of weeks, of course, winter came back (though, OUR winter is still better than winter north of the Mason-Dixon). Rain, and I think lots of it - enough to have woken me up a few times overnight. Enough to cancel a weekend of soccer (darn - NOT). And the wind was definitely from way up north somewhere - BRRRRR! Back to a regular spring, whatever that is, this week - 50's for the highs, lows in the upper 30's, lower 40s. No frost predicted, as of right now, which is good, since all the Bradford pears are blooming....

(this is a pic from last year - the sun rising, turning all the pear tress across from work all pink & gold...)

Well, as for last week's stitching, there wasn't a lot - I didn't get much i n during the week, busy with other things. I only worked on Tanglewood during a couple of lunches, but I am ready to go back over to the left side of the chart again :)

And then, I decided to put Noah away when I got home last Monday, and caved in to a Mystery Start, which is my Halloween Mill Hill trio - the idea totally stolen from Nancy's Christmas MH RR :) I have the Haunted Library over half-stitched, maybe closer to 3/4 (hard to tell with all the beads still to go on). I haven't got the GITD thread on it yet - one of the three doesn't have any, so I'll have to save some and work it in :) I have some in BF, but these kits use braid, but there ought to be plenty left over....

This week, I am undecided what I will work on - I do need to get Lyne's out, it is sitting on top of my cabinet, ready to go, before I caved to the lure of a Mystery Start :) I may get a little further on the MH piece, or I may put it away. Besides Lyne's piece, Starry Nights is also calling. Maybe I need to work in both ;) Who knows what I'll actually do? Maybe it'll be another week of lots of writing, though I actually need to do some serious spring cleaning - but need to do that when someone is home (I need a chore boy) (and not the cheesy animated one, but an actual chore boy).

The End of February - Already???

2011-02-28T03:45:00.000-05:00

Well, that was quick... My little kid (who's about 3" taller than me) turned 14 Saturday. Can't believe that. And the other one turns 18 next month - DEFINITELY can't believe that :( That would make me... old, tired, and cranky... :) Here's the 14 yo at his birthday dinner at our newest Mexican eatery, Cabo's, wearing the Birthday Sombrero:

Note to self - don't just hand your iPhone over to the 17 yo - I now have 20 pictures and 3 videos of the Kid on there... Oh, yeah, I am about ready to wrestle him to the ground and shave that damn dirt-stache he's sporting, too... He was going to get a new cell phone, you know, one that actually WORKS, so I can reach him when I need to, but he came home from the music store with a new Peavey amp instead - which was smart, since his electric guitar is locked in the band room at school. But he also got new strings for the acoustic, so he could at least do that. Not sure how he's dragging the new amp onto the bus this morning to get it to school, but he was determined to do so... I'm sure all of my favorite Metallica songs will sound much better on the new amp :)

In other news, we have had WONDERFUL weather the last several days - I had to switch from jeans to shorts yesterday, and when I turned the oven on for dinner, it was actually almost stifling in the house with the windows open. BUT, it's also the beginning of pollen season, and whatever is out there right now is bad for me. Hopefully it'll rain as predicted today and wash it away - I haven't slept well for 2 nights now because of it :( I can do without a lot of things, but sleep isn't one of them...

As for stitching last week, I worked on a few things (kinda more like normal). First off, Amsterdam. I got that tower done, and packed up the kit to go back to Anne, or I could likely hang onto it indefinitely :) GOTTA GET THIS!

I also got decent progress on Tanglewood, got that branch filled in and the other one outlined. I worked on it for a bit at my monthly PINS get together Saturday, too.

Also at PINS on Saturday, I took Mary Wigham out and tried to give her some attention, but was apparently incapable of counting and/or reading the chart, so I pretty much stopped before even getting a whole length of thread in (in the right place, that is). The new color I have added on this started motif is Moon Called Sea - it's really cool. Too bad I didn't get further, so I could really see it stitched up...

And then, lastly, after I put Amsterdam up, I got out Noah's Sub, and worked on it from Thursday through yesterday. I put in several hundred yellow stitches (have I mentioned how much I don't like yellow?), and have 3 new critters - a walrus, a duck, and a gorilla :)

I still wish I'd chosen a different fabric - I love HDF linen, but it just doesn't have enough body for this piece, since it'll be solidly-stitched (eventually). Too far in to restart now, I just have to be careful to not pull too much, and trying to get the French knot eyes to stay on top - tricky at best.

And that's the progress for the week :) This week, I am not sure what I'll work on. Noah is still on the floor stand, but I may put it up - I'll decide when I get home from the 14 yo's dentist appointment today. I will be working on Lyne's sampler at some point this week - just need to decide if I need a break in between two Stoney Creek designs :) Other than that, no real plans; kinda like waiting to see what the weather brings this week - since things are blooming, I know we'll get bitterly cold again. And then in a couple of months, I can begin whinging about the insufferable heat - because that's what we do :) Just hope I get a bumper crop of irises in between ice & fire... Happy stitching this week to everyone!

Soup's On - an Update

2011-02-21T05:20:00.000-05:00

Been a busy week here - we had 8 games in 7 days, though I only went to 3 of them, since I can only be in one place at a time. The Big Kid broke another kid on Thursday - broke his leg, just purely bad luck, from what I understand, since it's one of the games I didn't get to. The broken kid scored, so I guess it wasn't a total loss - it just sucks that he was a senior, too, and is out for the rest of the season, of course. Keeping my fingers crossed that my kids stay in one piece - it's going to be a rough couple of months.

So, here's the soup I mentioned:

A Dutch oven full of chicken noodle soup, which wouldn't have been good on Saturday when it was almost 80 here, but just fine yesterday when the sun refused to make an appearance and the wind was very cold, especially at the 9:30 game yesterday morning. Supposed to be near 70 today - we'll see. Cooler the rest of the week, closer to normal, whatever that is...

On to the stitching...

Like last week, I only worked on Tanglewood and Amsterdam. I got that 4th branch done on Tanglewood, and got the outline started on the next one up:

And then the progress I got on Amsterdam; I am planning to get this tower done, hopefully tonight, and then I think it's time to send this back to Anne, before I get carried away with it :)

Once I decide I have gotten to a stopping place on Amsterdam, I am going to concentrate on Lyne's wedding sampler and try to get that done; it really hasn't gotten but just a tiniest attention since my slump last summer, so if I can get that done, I'll feel less guilty for having it this long unfinished.

And that's the news... Happy Stitching this week to everyone!

Another Monday Update

2011-02-14T03:18:00.000-05:00

Well, I am ready for spring. We had 3 days of rain, and some snow that I should have taken pictures of before it melted a couple of hours later, and blue skies and warming-to-normal temps since. Going to be 65ish today - fine by me. Both kids have a game today - one is early, at 5:00, away, so I doubt I'll get to that one. Don't know if I'll get to the other one, either - if it is home, then maybe. I don't know how we are going to manage this schedule this year, especially as both schools expect us to volunteer, which is going to be way easier said than done. Oh well, I'll hurdle that problem when I get to it.

On to the stitching. I managed to work on Tanglewood a good bit during the week, getting that 4th branch of that set outlined, and began getting it filled in. I also got the leaves on the right side all caught up.

After finishing MTM Monday evening, I did go to bed early, as I mentioned in last week's update :) From Tuesday on, I worked on Anne's Amsterdam kit by Thea Gouveneur, getting it started for her - she needs more WIPs. The linen it comes with is kinda weird, but once I got it into a frame and sated putting thread to it, it was totally addictive!!! I am going to HAVE to get this kit (and London, too) - working with only one strand is great! I started in the middle, working on the train station, which I was in on numerous occasions :) Not to mention it's the biggest building there, and made of this amazing red brick - you can't miss it :) Amsterdam was my only trip to the mainland; it was a beautiful, old city, and I would like to go back someday...

And that's all I did during the week (in between the 14 loads of laundry that I still don't have done - it just never ends, I swear). I will keep on on Amsterdam this week - Anne didn't have a set amount for me to do, so I'll try to not get too carried away. I do know that when I send this back to Texas, I will then concentrate on getting Lyne's sampler done - that piece suffered the most from last summer's slump, so I really want to get that done for her. After that, Purrfect Summer's Day and Knotgarden - I am on a mission to get some things DONE. Of course, the long-term projects are suffering, but if I can whittle the pile of WIPs down, that'll be better for all concerned later. Assuming there isn't a mid-year startapalooza, of course...

Well, that's the news. I'm ignoring what the calendar says about today; that was ruined for me 20 years ago tomorrow; as a result, I don't do Hallmark holidays. But if you celebrate, have a lovely day :) Happy stitching to everyone!

Sorry I'm Late...

2011-02-07T15:06:00.000-05:00

....but I was busy FINISHING Medieval Town Mandala!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I took a few shots, trying to get the bead relief - not the best, but it is a hard thing to get a picture of. Start here and use your imagination :)

This really is my favoritest project E-V-E-R! So far :) And I am getting a Jill Rensel frame on it as a gift from my mom :) Started on January 1st, 2009, and worked in rotation since, finished today, February 7th, 2011, at 7:10 p.m.

In slightly less impressive, but no less important, news, I worked on Tanglweood last week for, oh, about 30 minutes :) Granted, a done MTM is kind of a hard act to follow, but someday, hopefully before too long, Tanglewood will get a fanfare of its own...

As for what's next, well, I am starting a new project - for Anne :) She sent Thea Gouveneur's Amsterdam kit, and I'm going to get her going on that, which I know will only further increase my NEED for this kit, and the London one :) Which I can get cheaper from the UK than I can here, pound rate notwithstanding. Still wish they were available just as charts...

Tonight, since I have spent the last 3 days beading my fingers to the bone, I think I'll take my book and go to bed early. I can't believe I'm saying that :) Thanks go to my boss, who let me leave at 12:30 today, so I could home and get cracking - he's a stained glass guy, he understands :) Now, the trick will be to get another project or two done before Tuscany Town or Secret Victorian Garden force their way out of the drawer.... Happy Stitching this week to everyone!

The Tease - an Update

2011-01-31T03:48:00.000-05:00

We had a taste of spring this weekend; it was 67 on Saturday, blue skies and not a cloud, and was 70, at least, yesterday! I cleaned a few windows yesterday :) Snowmageddon a few weeks ago, and now a weekend like this - you just don't know until you walk outside :) But we're back to winter this week, a normal GA winter; it's raining today, and the high temp was 51 this morning, and 40s for the rest of the week. HS soccer starts next week, best get prepared...

On to the stitching bits...

I went to the Tuesday night stitch in at the Stitch Store, and between there & lunches during the week, I got a bit of progress in on Tanglewood. Still working on this large section that has 4 branches (3 actually, though the one stops & starts at the trunk, like 4) - would like to get the last part outlined this week, at least.

I don't know if I'll go to the stitch in this week or not - depends how tired I am by the time work is over tomorrow.

Also, of course, continuing on MTM. I got past the frog attack, thank goodness, and got the 2nd corner done Saturday - I only had a few Algerians left to do Friday night, but I had to go to bed - and then stayed up until 3 a.m. reading... But as soon as I got some chores done Saturday, I sat down and finished up those and colored that corner done (except beads - to come later):

Then I started the next one. I have found that Seether has a great rhythm for stitching - plug in the old iPod, get it at just the right volume, and have at it. Of course, I was listening to Karma & Effect, so... But anyway, I got all of the turquoise in on Saturday, before I again had to go to bed - and again stayed up late reading and writing. I got the 2nd gold in and started on the green bush thing yesterday afternoon, should have this done soon.

If I can get the 4th one in the right spot, who knows how soon I'll have this thing ready to bead? Anyway, I've got the band warming up, so when the Big Finish happens, just listen for the trumpets :)

So that's the plan for this week - keep on keeping on on MTM and Tanglewood, while everything else gets neglected :) Happy stitching this week to everyone!

A Plague of Frogs - an Update

2011-01-24T03:50:00.000-05:00

Yes, I've been plagued - not quite in biblical proportions, but you know, even one is too much....

I worked on Tanglewood last week - it's my current lunch & travel piece. I am currently on the BIG branch, that has four (I think) separate pieces interwoven into it. Well, doing the first outline, I was clicking right long, and when I got the end, I realized I had crossed one of the gaps - and picked up the wrong side. So I had to undo all of that and put it back correctly. It only took 2 more tries :) BUT I did get past it, and then took it to my monthly PINS (Purple Iris Needlework Society) get together on Saturday, and got that pesky branch filled in, and a good start on the next section of it.

At home, I concentrated on MTM. I got the top left corner done on Thursday night (pic taken with my iPhone):

And started the top right corner. Which I then discovered, yesterday, as I had it 2/3 done, that, despite my many checks as I began it, I was in the WRONG PLACE :( I was using the wrong spire from North Town as my placement. And, since I am working in a small QSnap, I can't actually see the other side at all, or I would have picked up on it a LOT sooner. SO... I had to rip out the entire gold & turquoise section - my trash looks really pretty :( But I got the gold border started again before I had to go to bed last night - I am POSITIVE I am in the right spot NOW.

Glad I have plenty of extra fibers, to cover my colossal blunder. And that frog (or frogs) had better be gone. I tell ya, these guard dogs I have are fired - they are completely useless....

See, they are all over brown paper bags and things like that, but a frog? They just leave me to my own devices, the mangy mutts...

So, this week, I will keep on with both of these. I hope to have the energy to go to the Stitch In at the Stitch Store tomorrow night, now that Donna is hosting them - was too tired last week and the first week, and then of course, we had Snowmageddon the week in between. So maybe I can manage tomorrow :) We'll see.

Not a lot else going on at the moment - soccer tryouts for high school are this week - the Big Kid doesn't have to try out (ya think?), but will be running drills with the Freshman/JV instead. Little Kid has no idea when middle school is. I am trying to get BK to get some college apps filled out, too, so we can start getting those in. He re-took his SAT this weekend, thinks he did a LOT better, though he already met the requirements of LaGrange College where he want to see the soccer program last weekend. He has an open tryout at Southern Poly coming up, too, though not sure they have anything he needs - but he needs the exposure, so he's going anyway :) This college crap is a PITA; a stop into the AF or Navy recruiter's office would be a lot easier. That worked for me, with only one real regret; I'd do it over again, just go into it with a little more knowledge, a little less I-gotta-get-out-of-here :)

On that note - Happy Stitching this week to everyone!

The Melt - an Update

2011-01-17T04:24:00.000-05:00

Well, as you saw from last week's update, I was snowed in on Monday; Georgia was CLOSED. THEN we got ice on top of the snow (but, thankfully, not really on trees or power lines, not by us, anyway), and we were then iced in Tuesday & Wednesday, to the point that Hall County was sitting up at the main road Tuesday morning, keeping people off of it. I did work from home on Wednesday, and after 6 hours of sitting at the PC, in the jet stream that blows through our house, I was a Karen-cicle. Thursday, we managed to get out and go to work, where I ran my space heater with abandon :) AND didn't fall and bust my ass on the skating rink that had replaced the parking lot! I would like to note that Hall County did a GREAT JOB on all the roads I have to be on, especially I-985; Gwinnett County (and I-85), ummm, not so much :( Now, if I can just get the kids back to school - they are off today for MLK, even though some counties made them go back today to get caught up (which caused a bunch of civil rights groups to get their panties in a wad). I am soooo tired of hearing "there's nothing to eat here"....

So, since I had time at home, AND the power stayed on, I stitched a good bit on Monday & Tuesday. I kept Jodie's RR out and just kept plugging away on those border boxes. I worked for hours & hours on 7 of them - and then decided I needed to do something different. So I think I got Jodie's to a good point, she ought to be able to finish it up in pretty short order (if she has time around Temptation, that is). I really think this is a great piece, and though those colors don't scream Christmas, it's definitely unique. Thanks for letting me work on it - and keep it longer, so I could devote the time to it I had planned.

So, when I decided I had to break out of the boxes, I decided to get out Starry Nights - it's been laying on top of my WIP pile, those purples hollering at me over and over. WHEN we were finally able to move around, I finally got stretcher bars for it - HL only had 1 set the time I went in for them, and so I've been working it in QSnaps since - but I can't fit the whole thing in a size small enough to fit the canvas. Somewhere along the way I finally got a handle on the two-layer chart, and worked them together. I was excited to get as much done as I did, but also sad to see I am over half-way now; it's a project I don't want to see end...

And then, yesterday, it was time for MTM to come back out; I've made it wait long enough to finish those corners. So I worked on the upper left corner yesterday afternoon, making good progress on the gold & turquoise sections:

And then, I actually go the remote for a minute, and made the mistake of flipping through the channels, until I saw Jane's Addiction on HDNet. Because, you know, Dave Navarro plays guitar. Without a shirt on. Yeah, he's hot. And I'm not even into tattoos and piercing and all that - but his tattoos realllllyy bring out his eyes, which are, ummm, yeah....

So anyway, MTM will stay out until it is either done, or until I need a break from the repetition. So we'll see :) I have my monthly PINS gathering this coming Saturday - I can't wait! I have my 2 Christmas pieces to take for show & tell, am debating taking some of the newly-framed pieces, too. And on that note, here's a little tune called Jane Says (though in this one, it appears EVERYONE is shirtless - you'll pick Dave out, I think :) ). Happy Stitching!