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.