A Belated Merry Christmas!

Here's hoping that everyone had a safe and blessed holiday. If you still have traveling to do, I wish you safe journeys.

The cats and I traveled to Kentucky for the holiday. It was Mimi's first road trip. As you can see, she and Timothy took the opportunity to relax from the ride.

I have a carrier that's big enough for both of them and I think that helped. She wasn't crazy about going in it, but once she was there she was a good little traveler. Timothy always is; he just lays down and goes to sleep. I think it helped Mimi that her buddy was with her.

I managed to get some stitching done while I was home. This is Silver Stitches, which I started before I left. The fibers are DMC light effects silver metallic and 3 DMC flosses -- blanc, 927 and 3743. The center band is Rhodes stiches in the silver metallic, with white eyelets above and below. Above and below the eyelets are something using DMC 927; I cannot for the life of me remember the stitch and I'm not traipsing downstairs to look it up. The bands above and below that are rice stitches using the metallic for the base X and couching it with DMC 3743. I've got part of the upper band worked and none of the lower one :-)

I worked on my elephant yesterday. Here's where we started:

And here's where I stopped:

He's coming right along. I'm pleased with my progress.

New Start (but no pics)

I sat down this evening and put a few stitches in the next ornament on my unoffficial ornament stitching list. It's Silver Stitches by Charlotte Smythe, from last year's JCS ornament issue. I did about half a dozen Rhodes stitches and a couple of eyelets and called it a night; I didn't take a pic because I just didn't feel like trudging upstairs for the camera :-) I'll get one when I've made a little more progress. The Rhodes stitches are done with DMC Light Effects silver metallic and boy is that stuff a PITA to stitch with! I love doing Rhodes stitches but with that fiber -- ::shudder::

How I Spent My Sunday Afternoon

It ended up to be a fairly productive afternoon. I did a bit of ironing after I got home from church, then pressed and trimmed the bookmark. I decided to just fringe the bottom; I think I prefer that rather than fringe on both ends. I'm pleased with how it turned out and I hope my guy's mom will like it. She's not a big reader, but maybe she will want to keep it in her Bible.


I finished up the redbird ornament whilst watching the Steelers beat the Packers (woohoo! Go Steelers!) The game literally went down to the last second. Anyhoo, here's how the ornie turned out. Backstitching isn't my favorite thing to do, but it's amazing the difference it makes.

Now I just need to have a finishing day!

Snowy Day

If we have to have snow and lousy weather, I'm glad it's on a Saturday and I don't have to venture out. I'm grateful for those who do venture out to try to keep things moving; I was awakened about 4:15 this morning by the beeping of a snow plow backing on the street behind the house.

Here's how the deck looked along about 2 or 3 this afternoon:


Mimi and Timothy were supremely unconcerned.

I spent most of the evening with needle in hand. I finished the stitching on the bookmark for my guys's mom; tomorrow I'll press it, trim off the fabric and fringe it. I wasn't sure I'd have enough pink floss for the nun's stitch border, but I gambled and won. I had enough with a tiny bit left over.

I was still in stitchy mode (hooray!) after I finished the bookmark, so I pulled out the redbird ornament and finished his beak; now he looks more like a cardinal and less like a red Godzilla. I have a very little stitching left, including the backstitching so he'll stand out a little better on the red fabric. That's on the agenda for tomorrow afternoon.

Stay warm and stay safe!

9 O'Clock and All's Well

No snow yet, which is good, but I think it's actually not supposed to start until around 10p.m. The forecast is for anywhere from 1 inch to 6, depending on what broadcast you listen to and/or choose to believe. I had planned a trip to Virginia this weekend but the weather outlook both here and there put the kibosh on that. I stopped at the grocery on the way home from work, expecting there to be about nine thousand people in the store, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was busy, no mistake about that, but I actually got a parking place fairly close to the door and it seemed a little less busy than a regular Friday night.

I put in a little bit of stitching time tonight; I finished the bookmark design and got a bit of a runny-go at the nun's stitches around the edge. When those are in, I'll trim the fabric off on the sides and fringe at least the bottom. The pattern calls for fringing both ends and the one I did in class many moons ago is finished that way and looks very nice. It'll just kind of depend on my mood once I start trimming!
I'm planning to do a few chores in the morning, then sit down and finish this baby tomorrow afternoon.

Stay warm!

So what do you do when you're overwhelmed with too many WIPS?

Easy...start another one!

Last year, my intention was to stitch an ornament for a Christmas gift for my guy's mom. I stitched the ornament, but I didn't get it done for Christmas so the stitched piece never got made into an ornament. So I had every intention -- again -- of getting it finished as an ornament and giving it to her this year. (Never mind that she doesn't put up a tree.) It was one of the items that I intended to finish on Thanksgiving day and didn't.

In the meantime, I thought that I would like to stitch a bookmark for her. My favorite bookmark design is one that was a class piece at one of the Spirit of Cross Stitch Festivals back in the '90s; it's called Nell's Bookmark and the designer is Lucy Lyons Willis. The snag with that was that I couldn't find the chart. I have the bookmark that I stitched in class and I figured I could stitch another using that one as a pattern if I had to but I really wanted to find the chart.

Can you tell that I'm just a little disorganized?

Anyhoo, I finally accepted the fact today that the ornament probably won't get finished again this year. It might, but I'm not holding my breath. I decided to have one more go at finding the bookmark chart and stitching that for her. And find it I did, hooray! It was, of course, in the last place I looked :-) So I found a piece of evenweave in my stash -- 28 count, I think -- and found the Eva Rosenstand flosses from the original class piece and got to it this evening. Here's a picture; aren't the colors pretty?
This will be a fast stitch; I've done several of these for my mom and aunts and I should be able to do it this weekend.

And speaking of Eva Rosenstand, does anyone know if there is still such a thing as Eva Rosenstand floss? I know Nordic Needle used to be the U.S. distributor, but I just looked at Rosenstand's website and the products page lists kits, fabrics and accessories, but I don't see anything about fibers.

My Stitch is in Hawaii Without Me

I know that I’m not the only person whose stitch seems to have taken a wee pre-holiday vacation, but it was a bit of a relief to see it validated on some of your blogs. I put a few stitches in the red bird ornament this past Friday evening I think it was, though I confess that I didn’t have much enthusiasm for the endeavor and ended up putting it away and watching the final episode of “Monk”. Other than that, I’m not sure I’ve done any stitching since I spent Thanksgiving with Elisabeth Timms.

It’s not the first time I’ve been in a stitching funk. They happen sometimes. I think part of the reason for this one, though, is the time of year. It’s generally dark by the time I get home – not late, but dark. When 7pm looks like 10pm, it’s hard for me to get my mind around the fact that I can sit down and stitch for an hour or so and still get to bed at a decent hour. It also doesn’t help that it’s the holiday season. I don’t do the holidays real well – I laid out the holiday placemats the other day but haven’t put them on the table yet and probably won’t – and that seems to affect my stitching mojo. But when it comes to sending my stitch on sabbatical, the biggest culprit is, well, me. I’ve been digging around in my WIPs, and it’s almost depressing when I see the number of projects I have started or even just kitted up, as well as how many of them are BAPs or almost-BAPs. I used to be a one-project-at-a-time kind of gal, but those days are long gone! The starts and stops have kind of snowballed. I’m sure there are people with WAY more WIPs than I have, but it’s still a little daunting.

Oh well, one thing I know about the departure of the stitch is that it always comes back. It always has in the past and I’m sure it will again. In the meantime, I guess I’ll just read a book…

Found It!

I was still rooting around yesterday afternoon, trying to figure out where I'd stashed away Sanctuary when I moved, when it occurred to me that one of the plastic storage bins in the other room might have some stashy-type stuff in it. I had to move a pile of books and a basket of fabric but I dug it out and dontcha know, there was Sanctuary, right where I'd put it! So I pulled it out and unrolled it so I could see exactly how little I have done!


I don't know how much of this I'll want to work on this winter, as the cold weather does a number on my hands regardless of how much cream and lotion I put on them. If they're not too dry, I may try to make some progress on it. I'm not sure when I started it; it was before I started making notes on charts!

WIP Diving Again

I went to JoAnn's on Wednesday and got some trims and buttons to use for all the finishing I planned to do on Thursday. They're still in their packages, surprise, surprise. Not one bit of finishing did I do. Instead I went WIP diving -- looking for Drawn Thread's Sanctuary, actually, which I started several years ago and which I did not find in the WIP bag, which is a bit of cause for concern because I'm not sure how I could lose something so large. Anyway, I didn't find Sanctuary, so I pulled out Elisabeth Timms. Elisabeth is a kit I bought 3 or 4 years ago from The Essamplaire. Here's her picture:

Isn't she pretty? And here's the colors; they're all DMC and I'm stitching her on 35 or 36 count linen, I'm not sure after all this time. There's a good bit of over-one stitching -- all the lettering, as well as the flower designs down either side of the tablets and the blue vase at the bottom. There are also a lot of queen stitches in various places. They're time-consuming but oh so pretty. I love queen stitches!

I started her in '07 and put in just a wee little bit of the scalloped design along the top. It's really hard to see the ecru stitches that are kind of attached to the needle on the left, but they are there, trust me. So I pulled her out of the WIP bag and sat down yesterday and worked on her for a couple of hours, maybe 3.

Here's where I got to with the scallops. There are 12 or 13 small ones across the top and corresponding larger ones below them, as you can kind of see.

It's a big piece of linen -- not only is she a WIP, she's also a BAP, what a gal! -- and kind of stiff, so it took some time to get used to holding it. I've been working on so many small and medium-sized projects lately that the large cut of fabric was kind of awkward, but I didn't want to mess with Q Snaps or stretcher bars.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I've spent the past few posts listing things that I'm thankful for and I realize that I could post from now until forever and not list them all. I'm truly blessed and I hope I never take my blessings for granted.

A safe and happy Thanksgiving day to you all!

'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving...

...and I’m thankful for my friends. Friends are the people who drive you to your colonoscopy appointment, wait so they can take you home, then hang around the house for an hour or two until another friend comes to spend the night, just so you'll have someone with you. Friends are the people who, when you say you’ve bought a house, will ask “when are you moving?” and after you tell them will say “we’ll be there to help.” And not only do they show up to help, they recruit other friends and friends-of-friends to help as well. And if they aren’t physically able to help with the heavy lifting, they show up with food to feed the troops. Friends are the people who unhesitatingly invite you to join their family holiday celebrations when job obligations prevent you from being with your own family. Friends tell you about free pianos, send a sympathy card when your beloved pet dies, and take you to the airport at five o'clock in the morning. Friends do all these things and more. I’m very thankful for mine.

On the stitchy front, I finished the stitching on the biscornu last night:

My Thanksgiving plans include doing some finishing and I hope this is one of the things I get put together. I found some little yellow buttons at JoAnn's today that I think will be perfect in the middle of the sun. Hot dog!

The Gift of Music

I’m thankful for music. Maybe that’s silly, but I am. I’m thankful to be able to listen to and enjoy music, and I’m thankful for my meager ability to make music. I took piano lessons as a child and am probably not the only adult who wishes that she’d practiced more as a kid. When I first moved away from home, I couldn’t take my piano with me. Since then, I’ve wanted a piano but it was never practical to have one. Last summer, however, after I moved into my townhouse, a friend called and said “I have a question for you. Would you like a free piano?” Would I!!!! Turned out that a friend of theirs had a piano that no one was playing, it was just in their house collecting dust. He wanted to give it – not sell, but give it – to someone who would play it and appreciate it. “Well,” I said, “that would be me!” My friend told me that she had seen the piano and that it was in good shape. Her husband recruited some friends of his who were helping him with some work at their house and they moved the piano for me. I spent $300 getting it tuned and having some work done on the action and it works fine. I’m thankful for my piano and for the friends who helped me get it.

Something Else I'm Thankful For

I’m thankful for books and reading. I enjoy reading as much as I do stitching and I can’t imagine not being able to read or not having access to books. I try to have at least one book with me when I travel or when I’m going somewhere that I know will involve waiting. I used to feel like I had to finish any book I started but I’ve gotten over that – life’s too short to read lousy books! The only thing worse than being stuck on a long flight with no book is being stuck on a long flight with a bad book. I try to have a back-up :-) A relative of ours once told my dad that he’d never read a book in his life. I think that’s very sad.

And, speaking of which, here's a book challenge update:

1. For Columbus Day, choose an author whose first or last name begins with “C”.
Done - Death Comes for the Archbishop, by Willa Cather, 10/19/09

2. Read a book not set in the USA or England.
Done - The Road From Coorain, by Jill Ker Conway, 11/16/09 (Australia)

3. Read a book with a Cartoon Cover.

4. Read a book with “Wicked” in the title.

5. For Veterans Day, read a book with a military hero (active or retired).

6. Read a book written in the first-person point-of-view.
Done - The Lover's Knot, by Clare O'Donohue, 10/25/09

7. For Halloween, read an Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance book.

8. Read a book with a “B” word in the title.

9. Read a Christmas/Holiday themed book.
Done - The Spy Who Came For Christmas, by David Morrell, 11/20/09

10. Read a book with the words “sea”, “lake”, “river” or “falls” in the title.

11. Read a book where the hero or heroine is in the medical field.

12. Read a book with “Mr”, “Mrs”, “Miss” or “Ms” in the title.

13. Read a tearjerker.

14. Read by book by Sandra Brown.

15. Choose a book that is not part of a series.

Sunday Night and Another Weekend Gone

I went to visit my parents and sister this weekend, so I'm thankful that I was able to do that and also that the trip was safe and uneventful. I finished the stitching on the biscornu freebie, but then I decided to rip out the sun and re-stitch it because I didn't like the way the stitches were laying. I'll try to post a picture tomorrow or the next day.

Another Long-Lost WIP

I’m thankful for my guy. We first met 30 years ago and re-connected last year after not seeing each other since 1986. He fills a place that I didn’t even realize was empty.

I was digging around in the stitching room last night and found another long-lost WIP. Several years ago, I was at the LNS and saw a wreath decorated with stitched bulbs. Of course, I promptly decided that I had to make one, too, so I bought the ground fabric, Congress cloth, and the fibers and all the other stuff and started stitching. This is as far as I got.

I think the Congress cloth is 24 count and I think that's why these never got stitched. Pulling the Rainbow Gallery fibers through 24 count Congress cloth is a bit, ummmm, challenging. Not enjoyable. I really like the colors and the fibers, though, and I think I may have some 18 count canvas around here somewhere, so maybe if I did that out and start all over, I may have more success. Here are the colors; aren't they gorgeous?

Thursday Thoughts and a Stitchy Pic

I’m thankful for my job. It’s not my dream job by any means, and it’s not the greatest job in the world, but I’m thankful that I have it. It keeps a roof over my head and keeps me and the cats fed. If it paid a little better it would be hard to leave and if it paid a little better and were closer to home it would be really hard to leave! Which leads me to also being thankful (a twofer!) that I’m through with school and ready to move into something that can be more of a career and not just a job. As soon as I find it!

I got in a few minutes of stitching on the red bird ornament tonight. It's hard to get a decent picture of the red stitches on red fabric. He looks kind of like Godzilla bird but he should have a less bizarre appearance once I get the beak stitched.

Wednesday Thankful and Some Tuesday Night Stitching

I’m thankful for my family. It almost sounds like a cliché, doesn’t it? But it’s true, I am very thankful for my family. And in a society that celebrates and even seems to glorify dysfunction, I’m thankful that I have a nice, normal family who love each other and treat each other with respect, even when they have disagreements. My parents raised my sister and me in the church and I’m thankful for that because my faith is a very important part of who I am, but I’m also thankful that they taught us – by example, really – to respect the beliefs of others, even if we don’t share those beliefs. Thanks for everything, Mom and Dad.

I got in a little stitching time last night. The biscornu freebie I've been working on is perfect for evenings when I don't want something complex. I'm traveling again this weekend, so I'll probably take this with me.

Tuesday Thankful

It’s only 10 days until Thanksgiving – yikes! I have a tendency to take my blessings for granted – probably I’m not unusual in that – so every day between now and Thanksgiving, I plan to post about one thing that I’m thankful for. Want to join me?

The obvious thing to start with is stitching. I’m very thankful for my stitching. It’s provided me countless hours of pleasure, and I hope that the work of my hands has sometimes provided enjoyment to others. Stitching is my release from the pressures of the day; when I pick it up, my focus moves from whatever crap I’ve had to deal with (or am still dealing with) to the rhythm of the needle and thread moving through the fabric and I begin to relax as I see the design grow. I like starting with the various pieces – fabric, fibers, tools – and watching the finished product come together. There’s something satisfying about that. And if I’m not in the mood to actually stitch, I can always play in my stash and kit up projects and make mental stitching to-do lists. I’ve found that to be pretty good therapy as well.

Stitching has also been the basis for finding new friends and acquaintances, people who know what I’m talking about when I mention GAST or queen stitches, who understand that sometimes you just have to spend $30 on a chart (not often, mind you, but sometimes) and who cringe just like I do when someone wants to touch their stitching. Stitching friends are the ones who know why you clench your teeth and bite your tongue when someone looks at your framed reproduction sampler, stitched on 40 count linen with silk fibers, and says “Wow, that’s pretty, I’ll bet if you wanted to sell it you could get fifty or sixty dollars for it.”

I’ve been doing some form of needlework for about as long as I can remember. I’m thankful for my mother and grandmothers who shared their love of the art with my sister and me. I hope we can pass it to future generations.

Book Challenge Update

1. For Columbus Day, choose an author whose first or last name begins with “C”.
Done - Death Comes for the Archbishop, by Willa Cather, 10/19/09

2. Read a book not set in the USA or England.
Done - The Road From Coorain, by Jill Ker Conway, 11/16/09 (Australia)

3. Read a book with a Cartoon Cover.

4. Read a book with “Wicked” in the title.

5. For Veterans Day, read a book with a military hero (active or retired).

6. Read a book written in the first-person point-of-view.
Done - The Lover's Knot, by Clare O'Donohue, 10/25/09

7. For Halloween, read an Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance book.

8. Read a book with a “B” word in the title.

9. Read a Christmas/Holiday themed book.

10. Read a book with the words “sea”, “lake”, “river” or “falls” in the title.

11. Read a book where the hero or heroine is in the medical field.

12. Read a book with “Mr”, “Mrs”, “Miss” or “Ms” in the title.

13. Read a tearjerker.

14. Read by book by Sandra Brown.

15. Choose a book that is not part of a series.

Does Anyone Have a Mind I Can Borrow?

I seem to have mislaid mine.

It’s not really out of the ordinary for me to temporarily lose things. At least once a week I find myself in the middle of the living room, muttering “where did I put my _____” (keys, glasses, cell phone, etc. Just fill in the blank), usually while turning in a slow circle, looking around like I think the missing item is going to magically materialize in front of me. But I outdid myself this morning, I really did.

It was the car keys. I was running just a little late, of course, not really late but just enough to be rushing a bit. I reached in my purse and found the spare keys but not the set I usually use and that I used yesterday. I looked around with my blank “where did I put them” look and dug down in the depths of my purse in case I’d tossed them in last night and missed the key pocket. No keys. I checked the pockets of the jacket I wore yesterday. No keys. So I stood and thought about it for a minute and then it hit me. Of course! They were in the pocket of the sweater that I had on yesterday. Mystery solved. But the sweater was upstairs in the closet and I didn’t have the time or inclination to run up and get them, so I just grabbed the spare keys and headed out. I tossed my purse and tote bag in the car and picked up the paper, then got behind the wheel and went to put the key in the ignition. Except that I couldn’t. Because there was already a key there. The one that wasn’t in my sweater pocket because I had left it in the ignition. Overnight. In an unlocked car.

Okay, so the car was in the garage but I must have been having a major brain fart to leave the keys in it. I guess I should be glad I remembered to put down the garage door!

Mimi looks like she's a little concerned that Mom is losing it.

Veterans Day

The National Cemetery of the Alleghenies is near where I live and, while I've never actually been to the cemetery itself, I've driven by many times. It's a very moving sight. Words can't express the thanks that are due to all our veterans for all their sacrifices. May God bless you all.

A Little Bit of the Elephant

I had some other things to do today so I didn't get in much stitching time. I did pull out the little elephant and work on it for about an hour tonight. Here's where I started:
I got in a few of the stitches around the tusk:

A little progress is better than none!

Another WIP Bites the Dust!

I pulled out Hunt Sampler this afternoon and finished it -- hooray! I have a note on the chart that I began it in April 2007; it's stitched on 40 count Light Exampler from Lakeside Linens (I love their linen!) and the fibers are DMC 3051 and DMC 3722. I'm very pleased with the way it turned out.
I dug down in the WIP pile and found another long-term project to finish. I bought this little kit in London in 2001 and it's time to get it done! The fabric is evenweave and is kind of a dark yelllow color. I'm not sure what the fibers are; they are the ones that were in the kit. This guy will probably become my Sunday afternoon stitching project until he's done.

Figures...

I get an evening with an extra hour of stitching time in it and I don't feel like stitching. I woke up this morning with a sore throat and the beginnings of a cold, so I've spent the day sniffing and snotting. Yuck. I did work on Hunt Sampler for a little while this evening and I can probably finish it tomorrow afternoon if I can put in a couple of hours on it. I'll post a pic if I do.

Happy what's-left-of-Halloween to everyone!

Book Challenge Update

1. For Columbus Day, choose an author whose first or last name begins with “C”.
Done - Death Comes for the Archbishop, by Willa Cather, 10/19/09

2. Read a book not set in the USA or England.

3. Read a book with a Cartoon Cover.

4. Read a book with “Wicked” in the title.

5. For Veterans Day, read a book with a military hero (active or retired).

6. Read a book written in the first-person point-of-view.
Done - The Lover's Knot, by Clare O'Donohue, 10/25/09

7. For Halloween, read an Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance book.

8. Read a book with a “B” word in the title.

9. Read a Christmas/Holiday themed book.

10. Read a book with the words “sea”, “lake”, “river” or “falls” in the title.

11. Read a book where the hero or heroine is in the medical field.

12. Read a book with “Mr”, “Mrs”, “Miss” or “Ms” in the title.

13. Read a tearjerker.

14. Read by book by Sandra Brown.

15. Choose a book that is not part of a series.

Weekend Stitching

I did get in some stitching on Hunt Sampler this weekend. Here's where I started when I sat down with it yesterday evening:

And here's where I was when I put it away tonight:

The alphabet is done, thank goodness, as are the little doodads between each letter. They're 4 stitches in kind of a box shape, just sitting there between each letter, so it was a bit of a pill to anchor the threads. But they're done. The last motif is a wreath with a bow at the bottom; the initials and year go in the middle. I might could have finished it tonight except I wanted to come up here and post and play on the 'puter for a few minutes and I don't want to get in bed too late. Another work week awaits!

Some Things Are Just Wrong

1. Gasoline prices that go up 20 cents in 2 weeks. 'Nuff said about that one.

2. Christmas decorations in department stores when it's not even Halloween yet, for crying out loud! True. I had to exchange some jeans at Penney's today and when I walked in the decorations were there, in-your-face. Do they really think that people won't shop for Christmas gifts in their store if it isn't decorated three months before the holiday? I suppose I should just shut up and be glad that at least they take them down during the summer.

3. This: This is in the waiting room of the place where I got my car inspected this morning (cha-ching! Another $63 for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I can only hope they'll use it wisely but I doubt it.) Is it just me or is anyone else sick of seeing televisions everywhere? Car place - TV. Airport - TV. Doctor's office - TV. My dentist's office has a TV mounted above the chair but it's never been on when I've been there; if it were, I'd ask them to turn it off. I assume maybe it's to keep little ones distracted while the dentist is working on their teeth. Even the place where I go for my mammograms has a large screen TV in the waiting area. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an anti-TV fanatic. I do my share of TV watching. But does it have to be in every public place imaginable? I'd much rather read in waiting rooms, and it's difficult to do that with a TV blaring, especially if it's blaring something annoying - like the local news broadcasting the same stories over and over and over - or something that I really have no interest in watching (that covers quite a bit). TVs belong in homes and sports bars, not in waiting rooms. Just a little peace and quiet in a public place, that's all I want.

Stepping off soap box and going to bed.

Stitchy Reading Material and Some Stash

I was able to get out of work a little early this afternoon so I made an LNS run. I was very restrained and walked out with just the JCS Ornament Issue, Paradise Lost and a Clover needle threader that the LNS owner swears is the best she's ever used (it's not in the picture, if you're looking for it and can't figure out where it is). Then when I got home the new issue of Piecework was in the mailbox, hooray! Piecework and SANQ are the only stitchy mags I still subscribe to. So I'm looking forward to some stitchy reading and kitting up Paradise Lost. Isn't it pretty? I love the colors. Siobhan is stitching it and hers is soooo pretty!

I like the new format in the JCS ornament issue; I like the way they have the ornaments grouped in "themed" sections. At first glance, I saw a few that I would like to stitch, a few that aren't really to my taste, and a few that will probably grow on me. All in all, it seems like a pretty good issue. I've only done one go-through; I'll have to look through it at least twice more before I start turning down corners to mark the ones that I really like.

Book Challenge

Donna posted this challenge over on her blog and I thought I'd give it a go. I doubt that I have a prayer of reading a book in every category but it sounds like it might be fun. I'll document each challenge as I complete it :-)

1. For Columbus Day, choose an author whose first or last name begins with “C”.
Done - Death Comes for the Archbishop, by Willa Cather, 10/19/09

2. Read a book not set in the USA or England.

3. Read a book with a Cartoon Cover.

4. Read a book with “Wicked” in the title.

5. For Veterans Day, read a book with a military hero (active or retired).

6. Read a book written in the first-person point-of-view.

7. For Halloween, read an Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance book.

8. Read a book with a “B” word in the title.

9. Read a Christmas/Holiday themed book.

10. Read a book with the words “sea”, “lake”, “river” or “falls” in the title.

11. Read a book where the hero or heroine is in the medical field.

12. Read a book with “Mr”, “Mrs”, “Miss” or “Ms” in the title.

13. Read a tearjerker.

14. Read by book by Sandra Brown.

15. Choose a book that is not part of a series.

Sunday Stitching and Other Things

It turned out to be a lovely Sunday afternoon. I got in a good bit of stitching on Hunt Sampler and managed to finish the peacock. That does it for the creatures; I need to finish the border around the medallion -- tedious but not much to do and easy -- and finish up the alphabet, then I'll be ready for the last corner with date and initials. I'm trying to stitch WIPs only between now and Christmas, though I do reserve the right to start a new ornament when I finish the cardinal. Some of my WIPs are thisclose to being done; I just need to sit down and do them!

I had a couple of bananas that were too soft to eat (sorry, don't like them real soft) but not so disgusting that they could be thrown out, so since I had all the ingredients I made a loaf of banana nut bread this afternoon before I sat down to stitch.

I used walnuts; the dark things are chocolate chips. Pretty tasty, if I do say so myself!

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I'll leave you with a picture of Timothy. The sun was actually out this afternoon and the cats were taking advantage. He's such a handsome fella!

Saturday

It's been a lovely, quiet Saturday here. I did a few chores around the house, including tidying up a pile of books and magazines in the bedroom that had just got totally out of control. It was nice to have a stay-at-home day for a change.

I made some decent progress on Hunt Sampler this evening. I finished the border around the stag, put in the W and got a little start on the next medallion, which will be a peacock. The lower left corner is where the initials and date go, so once the peacock is done that'll be it for the animals. I may be able to finish this one in a couple of weeks.

Ahhh, Relief!

Yesterday I couldn't spell graduate and today I are one! We had our graduation ceremony last night, which means my evenings are once again my own, hooray! I have my school certificate in my hot little hand -- at least I will when they mail it to me -- and now begins the more difficult process of finding a new job. Wish me luck!

I had a chance to go to the LNS today and spend the last of my Christmas gift certificate. I was smitten by Gingher's Elena scissors when I first started seeing them on the net this past summer and they came in last week, so I picked them up today. I had also seen a post on another blog about their new Mia scissors at JoAnn's, so I treated myself doubly (I don't feel too guilty; I had a coupon there!) The Elenas are on the left; the handles are a very pretty floral design. The handles on the Mia are plaid. You can't really tell it from the pic, but they're pretty also.


I sat down and did some serious stitching today for the first time in a couple of weeks! I wasn't sure I remembered which end of the needle to thread :-) I pulled out the redbird ornament by Crossed Wing Collection; it was in last year's JCS ornament issue. I had trouble getting a good picture of it -- the red fabric didn't help any. As you may have guessed, photographing needlework is not my forte!

I'll leave you with a picture of Miss Mimi being all laid back this evening. She was such a good girl this weekend! My sweetie and my parents were here and she decided that everybody was her new best friend. She spent time in everyone's lap (amazing!) and let everybody pet her. I guess she got tired of being skittish and decided to make the most of the opportunity to be stroked and fussed over. She's settled in really, really well since July and I think tonight was the first time I've seen her laying belly-up. That's a sign of trust and comfort in a cat.

Just Checking In

I've barely picked up my stitching this week. I traveled this weekend and took my stitching with me but it didn't make it out of the stitching bag. We went to Marshall University's homecoming game on Saturday -- the first football game I've been to in absolutely years, probably since I got out of school. Marshall lost to East Carolina, but I didn't go to either school so I didn't really have any emotional investment either way, I just had a good time. It was a beautiful day and an awesome day for football. Then we drove down to southern WV; it truly is almost Heaven. The mountains are absolutely stunning. It's a gorgeous place.

Have a good week!

Sunday

And a productive one it was, too! I went to church -- twice, actually, because I was filling in for the pianist at one of our sister churches -- did a load of laundry, did the ironing (which wouldn't be nearly the chore that it is if I'd do it when I do laundry instead of letting it pile up for three weeks), baked a batch of cookies and packed some of them to mail to my guy, tried a new recipe and watched the Steelers lose. Oh, and I managed some stitching. I finished the stag; there's a crescent moon in the medallion, so I'm doing that in pink. After I finish this one, I have two more medallions and the rest of the alphabet and I can put this one on the completed list!

Doris, your comment made me smile. Chariot races are very distracting, as are galley battles. Ben Hur is one of my favorite movies; not only is it a great movie, but Charlton Heston in 1959 was definitely a hunk!

Saturday Night Stitching

I managed to get in about an hour and a half on Hunt Sampler tonight, even with the distraction of Ben Hur on TV. Here is before:

And after:

If I can get some decent stitching time tomorrow I can probably finish the stag. Woohoo!

DWTS

I confess, I enjoy watching Dancing With the Stars. It’s my one reality show weakness, though I use the word “reality” loosely, because it isn’t very. Real, I mean. Whatever. It’s fun to watch. Once school’s done I’m sure I’ll get back in the groove of stitching and watching it over the top of my cheaters. However, I have a question about this season’s cast. Who ARE these people? Is it just me? Am I so out of touch with modern pop culture that I don’t even recognize half the names on the cast list? And of the ones that I recognize, I have to wonder…stars? Ummm, methinks maybe not so much. Donny Osmond probably comes as close as any of them to being a “star”; the others are a motley combination of the moderately famous, the not so famous, and the marginally familiar (“I think I recognize the face but…”). Plus Tom DeLay. Tom DeLay. What a hoot! Famous? Infamous? All of the above? Although I saw one of his dances the other night and you know, he did a pretty good job!

Oh well, that’s enough useless rambling for today. I suppose I think about drivel like this to keep my mind off scary things like global warming, health care and the traffic on the Parkway. TTFN

Tapestry Sampler

I got away from school a little earlier than usual tonight, so I had a chance to get a pic of the WIP I told you about in the earlier post. It's called Tapestry Sampler and the chart is copyrighted 1985 by Jill Siegler, I think. I'm sure it's Jill but I can't quite make out the last name. Might be Sieder, might be something else, but I think it's Siegler. Anyway, it's stitched on tan 24 count Congress cloth with DMC 3721, 926, 927, 3045, 3046 and 3047, and Ginnie Thompson Flower Thread 240 (red) and 466 (green). I'll try to get a better picture of the picture; I don't have a scanner and wasn't able to scan it at work. The stitch count is 165 x 204, so it's not a BAP. It just wants to be finished :-)


I'll leave you with a picture of the furkids. They had quite the altercation the other evening. Mimi has some of that orange cat attitude and she'll haul off and smack Timothy just because he's there. Monday night I guess Timothy decided he'd darn well had enough and the next thing I knew I had a cat fight on my hands. I stomped my foot and clapped my hands to break it up and get them far enough apart for me to step into their line of vision. Once they couldn't look directly at each other they settled. It's all part of sorting out the territory.

Thinking About Stitching...

…but getting none done. I was traveling this past weekend and didn’t take my stitching with me because I knew I wouldn’t have an opportunity to work on it, and stitching time during the week is very limited. I did dig out an old, old WIP to work on after I finish Hunt Sampler. It’s a sampler, stitched on Congress cloth, and was a class piece at the very first Spirit of Cross Stitch festival all those years ago in Winston-Salem. I forget the designer’s name – Jill something – but I don’t think I’ve ever seen any other designs by her. I’ll try to get a picture of the WIP posted this weekend.

Autumn is starting to wander into the area. I can look out one window of my office and see trees with leaves that are starting to turn and look out the other and see goldenrod in full bloom. We’ve had an unusually moderate summer in Western PA, much cooler than we’re used to. I hope that doesn’t mean that our winter is going to be cooler than we’re used to, although I can tolerate the cold well enough as long as there’s nothing frozen falling from the sky.

The G-20 is coming to Pittsburgh this week. Part of my route to and from work is over the highway that goes from the airport to the city and that will be subject to “rolling closures” for dignitary motorcades. Oh goody.

Oh well. It’s Wednesday and the week is half over and I refuse to be gloomy. Two more weeks of school/internship after tomorrow!

Loss of a Beautiful Voice

I was maybe 8 or 9 years old when my mom bought a copy of Peter, Paul & Mary’s “In the Wind” album because she thought I might like it. I don’t know if she knew anything about the trio, but she made a good call – I did like it and I was hooked. I grew up listening to Peter, Paul & Mary; I bought their albums when I could afford them and I saw them in concert in Cincinnati several years ago. I respect them for taking a stand for causes they believed in. But for me, it was always about the music, the perfect blend of the three voices in such awesome harmony. Now only two voices remain. Rest in peace, Mary Travers.

Sunday Stitching

I had a lovely Sunday; I went to church this morning then this afternoon I made a small batch of cookies for the week and got in a decent little bit of stitching on Hunt Sampler. I did the letters V, U and T and some of the motif borders on the left side of the center column of motifs. I'm looking forward to getting this one finished. I really like it and would like to get it framed and hung somewhere.

It's Finished It's Finished It's Finished!!!!

I put the last stitches in And They Sinned at around 9 o'clock this evening! I started it on September 16, 2003, so I'm only 4 days shy of exactly 6 years of working on it. Well, working on it on and off, but working on it.

Here is a pic of where I started tonight:

Here's after the last stitches went in. The bottom looks distorted, but that's just because of the Q Snaps. It looked fine after I took it off.

And finally, here's the whole thing. It's kind of hard to find a spot where you can get a good picture of something this big; this was taken in the dining room where I'd been stitching. The light was as good there as anywhere. I had to shoo Mimi away; she was curious but she left it alone.

Now I'll start saving my pennies to get it framed. I have the perfect spot on the landing on the wall perpendicular to the window. It'll be in the light so you can see it but the sun won't hit it directly. If I ever get it framed.

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My next goal is to finish Hunt Sampler. It's fairly close to being done; I figure a few Saturday Night Stitching sessions and a few Sunday afternoons and it'll be finis as well.