Catching Up...Again

Yes, I know it's been a week and a half since I last posted an update. Go ahead, lash me with the wet floss.

It's still crazily busy for me and I leave for my retreat next Thursday! Where has the time gone?

Here's what I've been up to:

Saturday, April 11 I completed Patriotic Hearts & Sampler Stitches by Sekas & Co. just as the clock was going to strike midnight-and I mean JUST! I had alot of fun with this piece; it was a joy to stitch. I think what made it so easy was that there was only ever one strand to work with, so I didn't have to be concerned about railroading my stitches or being careful that the floss strands were parallel to one another. Also, as you know, I love embroidery stitches! They're just fun!

Notice, I did not call them "specialty stitches" because there's nothing special about them. I'm always disheartened when I hear someone say they love a design but won't buy it because "it has specialty stitches." They're easy, folks! You stitch them the same way you stitch anything else: up at A, down at B, etc! There may be more steps than in making an X, but the method is the same. So if you see a design that screams "buy me!" to you, don't be discouraged when you see it has other stitches in it. Two of my favorite reference books for other stitches are "The Cross Stitcher's Bible" and Donna Kooler's "Encyclopedia of Needlework." There are also websites with animated stitch diagrams. I'll try to find a link later and post it on my sidebar here.

Speaking of the sidebar, I've been contemplating some changes. Tell me what you think. I have been considering creating three new sections:

Stitching Freebies, Stitching Tutorials & Reference, and Favorite Designers. Are these things you'd like to see? Just leave a comment.

When Uncle Wes brought the mail up today, there was a big box addressed to me. I was shocked to open it and find this beautiful knitted prayer shawl and a Bible from Wawanna. I opened this while watching The Ten Commandments. How timely was that?

I've never felt yarn so soft. It's Lion Brand Homespun and is washable and dryable according to Knitter Carol. The color is perfect! The yellow that runs through it gives it more depth of color with all the purples, blues, and greens that are throughout the entire piece. Thank you Wawanna! It's Gorgeous! I will treasure both of these forever!

Sunday, April 12 I began America by Little House Needleworks. Since this is the "Year of the Sampler" I thought it was high time I dragged out one of the many samplers I have kitted up. As usual, I made some changes. For once, I'm using the recommended fabric, 16ct Natural Heatherfield, but I changed all of the fibers. I'm sure I've stated before that I think stitching with DMC is boring. I like the variations in colors and the visual depth stitching with over-dyes gives to a piece. So I'm using GAST, Weeks, and one Crescent Colours floss for this design.

Even with my limited supply of overdyes, I was able to find close matches to the suggested DMC colors. My conversions are:

DMC 221, Shell Pink, VY DK - GAST Cranberry
DMC 420, Hazel Nut Brown, DK - WDW Pecan
DMC 644, Beige Grey, MD - GAST Oatmeal
DMC 712, Cream - GAST Picket Fence
DMC 924, Grey Green,VY DK - WDW Twilight for the bird & CC Wavy Navy for the flag
DMC 926, Grey Green, MD - WDW Teal Frost
DMC 935, Avocado Green, DK - WDW Juniper
DMC 3021, Brown Grey, VY DK - WDW Swamp Water
DMC 3782, Mocha Brown, LT - GAST Shaker White
DMC 3790, Beige Grey, UL DK - WDW Graphite

My progress picture, taken Tuesday, features my assistant, Anna, holding America.

Sunday was also Easter. I went to my aunt & uncle's for a family dinner. Grandma was there and we had a nice time catching up. I showed everyone my unfinished-finished stitching projects as my portfolio was still in the truck.

We all went out and played Mr Dwight's (my Aunt's Dad) Hillbilly Horseshoes game. We spent over an hour outside and played two games. Well, I played in one and was a spectator for one. Everyone but Grandma came outside for the fun. She was tired and took a nap while it was quiet inside.

The ladies also ooh'ed and aah'ed over the prayer shawl Wawanna knitted for me. Grandma told me to tell Wawanna she loves it and that it's perfect for me.

Monday, April 13 I went in for my dialysis treatment at 10:30 so that I could get home before dark, pack, load the truck, and head to Mom's. I met Ricco and he is a wonderful addition to the family. His personality is alot like Kasey's in that he loves everyone and is very tolerant of the little ones. He's 13 so is a little deaf and you can see the cataracts starting to grow in his eyes, but he's still active. Oh, and he's in love with Ms. Kasey Kay!

He followed her everywhere for the first hour. They were running around so much that Ben put Jake outside for his own protection. The poor guy got trampled by Frick & Frack. We finally put Kasey & Ricco outside so they could run around. When Mom arrived home from work, the first thing she said is that we're going to have scheduled play dates because Kasey and Ricco were having so much fun. I couldn't believe Kasey was actually playing with him, because she's usually very reserved around other dogs. It was great to see her so carefree with another dog!

Mom and I spent the evening playing Skip-Bo while I did laundry. We sat at the table talking and playing cards til midnight.

Tuesday, April 14, Kasey woke me up around 11am. Sarah and Anna were downstairs in Mom's room so that Kasey wouldn't hear them. Sarah was working on a paper for school and Anna was watching Nick Jr. She was so excited to see Kasey come downstairs with me. We spent the day doing laundry (Sarah's turn this time), playing, and even did a little stitching. I forgot to take a picture after we were done, so enjoy the video Ben was able to take. It features Anna and I stitching while Kasey and Ricco make an appearance at the end.

Sarah went to pick up Caleb from daycare and then came back. They left around 5:00 to go home, eat, and get baths. Sarah said she was making crab dip and I told her she wasn't allowed to hog all the crabby goodness to herself, so she better bring it over to Mom's. They came back around 7:30 with the crab dip and we all sat around the table eating it. Caleb tried to be sneaky and just suck the dip off the bagel chips, but Aunt Beth caught him and was able to get him to take bites of the chips. He really enjoyed it.

Here are Anna and Caleb in my slippers and Dad's slip-ons, respectively. Aren't they just too cute?! Caleb is 25 months and Anna will be 4 at the end of August. They thought it was just hilarious to walk around in grown-ups' shoes. The picture was taken right before they left, which is the reason they're wearing jackets.

Wednesday, April 15 was tax day for most of you but luckily I don't have to file since I only had SSDI last year. I was home barely in time to drop Kasey off at the house and get to dialysis by 2:30. It was a rainy, dreary day and took longer than usual to make the 82-mile trip home from Mom's. Unlike the previous Friday, I wasn't able to stitch during my treatment. I accidentally left my reading glasses in my overnight bag out in the truck so I watched television to pass the time. Don't ask me what it was because I can't remember now.

Thursday, April 16 was the usual gathering of needleworkers at the Barnes & Noble Cafe. Kasey and I stayed with Alice and Pam until 5pm. We had a great time. I have found that I really enjoy the turkey chipotle panini they serve. It makes two whole meals for me! No, it hasn't replaced the Wawa Italian sub in my heart, but it's a nice change every once in a while. I didn't get alot done on America, but it's coming along. This picture shows my progress from both Tuesday and Thursday. I completely forgot to take a picture before I started stitching Thursday.

I didn't do any stitching at home Thursday night because I went to the Online Needlework Show and browsed all the vendors. It took me alot less time this year, so it certainly felt like there were less vendors. The last three shows, it's taken me two to three days to get through all the pages. Anyone else notice the same thing?

Friday, April 17 was just a regular dialysis day. I didn't do any stitching, but caught up on all the shows my DVR recorded while I was gone.

Saturday, April 18 was gorgeous outside! It was 80 degrees, finally! I couldn't stand sitting inside, so I tried going out in the yard to sit and stitch in my lounger. That didn't last long once I started copiously sweating. UGH!

I set up the card table on the front porch, opened the sliding glass door to let the breeze blow in off the water, and Uncle Wes carried my lounger in from the yard for me. It was wonderful out there, and nicer than sitting in the full sunlight. Kasey and Chet came out to sprawl on the cool concrete and enjoy the fresh air with me. As you can see, I was distracted by the sunshine and warm breeze, so I didn't do much stitching.

Sunday, April 19 was my stitching day! I didn't turn on the computer at all. It's just too much of a distraction from stitching. The results speak for themselves, don't they? This is the kind of progress I used to make...before I discovered online stitching groups! My email time definitely takes away from stitching. I felt much better seeing all I accomplished on Sunday.

I kept stitching right along into Monday morning and was able to complete the entire front of the house. Then I began working on the roof before going to sleep.

Tuesday, April 21 was the Heirloom Stitchers meeting. There were four of us this month, including a new member! Deb first joined us in March and came back again this month. I completed the roof of the house Tuesday, but forgot to take a picture before I began stitching on Wednesday. So the chimneys and the flower stem weren't done at the meeting.