August 4, 2009 - A day with Anna

I spent my time this morning working on getting my stitcher's book, A Stitcher's Companion by Enchanting Lair, ready for display at the county fair. I finally put the amethyst in the cover motif. It took a while to find an appropriate stone/charm, but I think this one is perfect.

I'm not sure what the rules are regarding having your name visible in the competition, but I have decided to cover mine. I used contrasting fabric and floss so that it's obviously not part of the actual design.

I even stitched the needles and the floss to the fabric so that they cannot be removed. I thought about taking everything out, but then the book is not doing its job.

The scissors were a bit of a challenge to get the stitches even and to tightly secure them into the pocket. I certainly don't want these falling out and stabbing someone in the foot! They have very sharp points!

I completely forgot to show you the frogging I did on Sunday. After completing Ocean Star, I frogged these UFO's. The first is Deftly Wrought by Midsummer Night Designs. I hate the colors. Just looking at the piece drains my will to stitch. What I decided to do with it was to frog everything but the four mini samplers. I guess it's another finish now, yes?

The second piece is Stitches Stars & Stripes by Blue Ribbon Designs. The more I looked at this piece, the more it grew out of favor. I should have taken a harder look at the chart because there are alot of solid-stitched boxes. I thought about stitching it and replacing some of the solid boxes with charms, but how many different ones could I possibly find? Add to that the fact I'm allergic to nickel, which means I'd have to buy gold-plated charms, and the price would be through the roof! No thanks! I didn't enjoy stitching this at all so it's no loss. The chart has already been RAK'd to Lisa in CA because she admired it.

I went to see my primary doc's nurse practitioner this afternoon for a checkup on the abdominal rash I have. The infected spot is healed and scarred, so I don't have to use the antibacterial ointment anymore, but Gail wants me to keep it handy-just in case! As far as the rash, my antibiotics have been extended to three weeks and I'm to call her if it gets worse. Hopefully the MRSA is gone, but she has instructed me to use the antimicrobial/antibacterial wash every three days for a while longer.

After my appointment I went back to the house to get Anna's car seat so that I could pick her up for our library date. We didn't get to go last week, so I wanted to make sure we went this week.

Anna prefers going to the Eastport branch of the library because they have a table of puzzles for her to play with. Her favorites are the two with different latches and locks. She always heads right for them after choosing her books. Today she picked out three books for herself and one board-book for Caleb. He has to have the board pages because he still rips regular ones.

While Anna played with the puzzles, Aunt Beth stitched on Hinzeit's America. Luckily I left this thread dangling because I forgot the bag with the chart and threads.

After leaving the library, we made stops at the pharmacy and the post office. On the way to the post office, I automatically turned into my sister's apartment complex. Anna yelled from the back seat, "Where are you going, Aunt Bep?" It wasn't until she said something that I realized what I'd done. I told her I just turned too early (the PO was two streets up) and got back on course. It's pretty bad when your 4-year-old niece is telling you where you want to go next! I swear I've completely lost my mind with all the running around I've had to do and lack of sleep from having Daisy here.

Anna wanted to go with me to get Kasey groomed and we were chatting almost all the way there. I pulled in to my parking space in front of Bark'n Bean (Muddy Paw Wash's new name), turned around to tell Belle (I was told Anna wasn't there today, she was Belle) that we'd arrived, and found a sleeping little girl in her car seat. She'd been quiet for the last mile of the trip, so she must have gone out like a light. Sarah warned me Anna hadn't had a nap, and they'd been to the pool this morning, so she must have been very tired to zonk out like that.

I dropped Kasey off at the BnB and took Anna home. It was way too hot to leave her in the truck and not practical to leave it running for an hour with the A/C on. I carried her in to Sarah's apartment and she woke up, but she did go down for a nap in her room.
Meanwhile, Kasey was being beautified. Here she is after her bath. Once again, Mike did a wonderful job! She's so pretty! I think she knows it, too! And, yes! Her leash says "One of us misbehaves." She picked it out herself.

For those who have been wondering, this is Daisy's war zone. The orange and turquoise fuzzy things are the fur-covered balls with tails and/or just the tails that Daisy has de-squeakified. You can also see Kasey's birthday bone (what remains), the tennis ball she killed, stuffing from several toys, and the rope/fabric toy I got from the clearance bin at BnB for her. She's already chewed through the rope. There are orange and turquoise bits all around Kasey's couch and Daisy's war zone.

Here are the remains of Kasey's birthday bone. Daisy pulled the squeaker out of him after chewing several holes in the canvas and nylon. Then she proceeded to remove the whistle from the squeaker. Thankfully she does not eat the plastic. The score in the War on Squeakers is now Daisy: 5; Squeakers: 0.

Stinky Ol' Raccoon is in hiding because Daisy discovered he had a hole in him and started pulling out his innards. Somehow Kasey has kept that thing limping along with three holes and carries him at least once a day. That's all she does, is carry him around and lay down with him. I'm not letting Daisy kill him for good!

I was really tired when I finally returned home at 5:30, so I took it easy this evening and was in bed just after midnight.

August 1-2, 2009 - Falling off the wagon & a finish

I was absolutely determined to complete the stitching of Ocean Star this weekend, so imagine my dismay when I realized I wouldn't have enough Gold Rush 14 (metallic braid)! Uncle Wes came upstairs as I was having this realization and asked what the trouble was. So I told Wes that there were two places I knew of where I could get the GR; first, was the LYS (Local Yarn Shop) that has treated me shabbily every time I've been there, and the second was a trek of 30 miles to the LNS I usually patronize.

I explained that I'd given the LYS three chances to improve their customer service. On the first visit, all I wanted were the point protectors used for knitting needles. I had to wait for more than 10 minutes while they finished chatting with other customers (not business chat, either). All they had were the sock-shaped ones that wouldn't work because I needed them for the tips of my embroidery scissors. They told me to check the quilt shop, which I did, and where I got perplexed looks from the employees, as if to say "Why would you look for those here?" I told them who referred me. 'Nuff said.

It was also during my first visit when I asked about stitching groups in the area. The lady who was "helping" me made a point to tell me that their table in the store (where three ladies were knitting) was only for knitters with a problem to solve; they didn't have enough room for someone to just sit around and stitch. We'll come back to that...

The second time I went there, I needed stretcher bars for a needlepoint project. They had them, but I had to dig through a bunch of items that were just thrown onto the bottom shelf of their display unit. None of it was organized in any way. I browsed for 15 minutes and wasn't asked if I needed help until I walked into the knitting section of the store.

The third time I purchased some 50% off needlepoint charts. I think they were each $3. The needlepoint section seems to be there only because they still have inventory. None of it is organized in any way, shape, or form. The Mill Hill beads' cases are yellowed because they're so old. I can't get into the needlepoint section without taking both my purse and my stitching bag off my shoulder because they jammed everything in so closely. As I was checking out, the customer beside me asked them to punch her card. I'd made two previous purchases and no one even offered me a punch card! I wasn't offered one this time, either. That did it!

The absolute clincher for me came when I heard one of the ladies in the B&N stitching group talk about the LYS's Thursday night knitting group! I told her that they made a point of telling me I couldn't stitch there and she was completely dismayed. That is when I decided that even if I knew they carried something I needed, I would go elsewhere!

Instead of driving 4 miles each way, I drove 32 miles. I took two more quilt square charts to kit up, too. There's no use in going all that way for one card of metallic floss! And I was baaaaaaaaaad! My name is Beth and I'm a stash-a-holic who reached S.A.B.L.E. (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy) early last year! I'll go ahead and admit it now.

Here's the evidence of me falling off the wagon. I kitted up Diamond Mosaic by Northern Pine Designs and another quilt square by Nancy Buhl, called Evening Star.

I made one substitution on DM: switching out the rayon Barlitt for Splendor silk. I refuse to stitch with rayon floss; it frays atrociously and is a PITA to work with! I also made a substitution on ES: Caron Watercolours 218-Ash was what the designer used on the white parts. It has grey and tan variations within a snow white floss. When I put it beside the Ruby Watercolours it looked disgusting. I chose to replace the Ash with 146-Moonglow, the same very light floss I used in Ocean Star.

The card of Gold Rush 14, the impetus for the trip to Catonsville, is in the middle and all the goodies for Evening Star are to the left. I also purchased two items from my wish list: the mini thread palette and a strand separator, both by Puffin & Company. I had the dog and cat design on my wish list but I am liking the heart (purchased because it was the only "set" they had) the more I see and use them. I have six cards of metallic on order and TSP will call me when they're in. Evening Star calls for four cards of one color and TSP only had two.
Kasey and I also visited Cloverhill Yarns, where I found a gorgeous kettle-dyed wool and another beautifully-colored yarn that was a rayon blend.

I know rayon floss is disgusting to stitch with so I wouldn't buy a rayon-blend yarn without asking my knitter friends if they like using it. I don't have any patterns and have absolutely no idea how to knit or crochet, but I love to look. We also went into Seminole Sampler, the quilt shop settled between The Stitching Post and Cloverhill. I saw a gorgeous Batik that would go with my Dinky-Dyes quilt squares but I already have another for that purpose. I did purchase some Thread Heaven and two pigment markers. They were less expensive than JoAnn's.

On the way home I stopped at an old lunch haunt I frequented when I worked near BWI airport. I ordered the sushi lunch special to go because I love the salad with ginger dressing they serve with the sushi rolls. I don't like ginger but love this ground ginger dressing! I saved it for when I got home. Kasey had been in and out of the heat long enough so I kept the truck running for her to have air conditioning while I was gone. I always carry two sets of keys so I can do this, just in case.

I stopped at the Goodwill store in the same shopping center to have a quick look around. I purchased a mail sorter cabinet for $4 and five music cd's for $2 each. The cabinet is still in my truck, but I'll bring it in soon to show you. I have to clear off the dining room table so Uncle Wes can put my mail in the slots instead of piling it on the table.

We came home, I brought Daisy back from her pen, and I stitched for the remainder of the night. I didn't finish it, but I made very good progress on the border. I love how it is turning out!

Sunday was a completely lazy day for the girls and me. I watched movies online and stitched all day while Daisy and Kasey slept the hours away. I can't think of a more relaxing and rejuvenating day.

I did some cooking this evening, making meat sauce and cooking some frozen prosciutto tortellini from Trader Joe's. I have to say that I won't be purchasing the pasta again. I have no idea why they call it prosciutto because it just tastes like a mushy ball of cardboard inside the pasta.

The meat sauce was delicious, but the Barilla sauces always are, especially when I add seasoned ground beef. I also cooked a pound of egg noodles to eat with the poached chicken I froze last month. It's an easy, quick meal to put together. I'll probably make a sauce for that later in the week, too.

I finished Ocean Star (Desert Star by Nancy Buhl of From Nancy's Needle) at 1:54p.m. It has been exactly four weeks from start to finish for this project, with 17 days of stitching to complete it. I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am with the results. I'm not at all sorry I changed the colors, as I find the piece stunning. I will probably frame this one!

I decided not to start another quilt square right away. I don't want to get into another larger project until after school starts and I have a handle on how much time I can devote to stitching. I chose to (re)start America by Hinzeit Designs. I ditched the colors I tried using before and am stitching the borders in GAST Freedom and the letters in WDW Garnet. I like what I have seen thus far.

July 4 - Independence Day!

Notice how I wrote that? It's a pet peeve of mine. The DATE is July 4th, or 4th of July. Today is a HOLIDAY: INDEPENDENCE DAY! Everyone has a 4th of July. Only the United States of America has INDEPENDENCE DAY on July 4th! To understand a little better why I feel this way, please read this post.

I finally slept last night! After waking up around 1am to feed Kasey and eat something, I went back to bed and read for about an hour and zonked out again. I'm still tired because we did so much walking around yesterday, but nothing like last night. Wow! I was exhausted when we got home.

I went downstairs around 10:30 and started getting my clothes folded and put away because I'm heading home today. No way am I waiting til Sunday when everyone else will be heading home! If I'm lucky, Uncle Jay and Trish will be having their usual cookout and I can stop there to enjoy some time with that side of the family and some great food, too.

Mom had me take this picture of Ricco because she couldn't believe he fit himself onto one step. He's as tall or taller than Kasey! Of course Mom is standing just out of the camera's view, but he's laying on a single step nonetheless. Silly puppy! He wanted Mom's attention and he got it!

Dad has to play music this afternoon and Mom is going with him, so she asked me to stay til around 4pm so that she didn't have to drive separately. I didn't have a problem with that since there were still some of my clothes in the washer and I want to finish my Needlepoint Spring Quilt by Handblessings before I leave.

So that's what I did! It took a few hours of stitching, but around 3:15 I completed NSQ!

I packed up the truck and left Mom's around 3:45 to head home. I called Grandma when I was just outside Chesapeake City to see if she'd be home. I was livid to find out that she was not only not home, but also she was in Corsica Hills Rehabilitation Center! She had her knee replaced for the second time on June 4th and had been in CHRC for three weeks already! I think the steam was coming out of the top of my head, I was so angry at my father's side of the family for not calling me! I didn't even know she had the surgery because it wasn't scheduled the last time I saw Grandma! She didn't even mention it the last time we talked on the phone. What makes it worse, is that she had the surgery at the hospital five minutes from my house! She was there for a few days; I could have gone to see her if I'd known she was there!

I didn't take many pictures as I was busy playing with Kasey and talking to my father, stepmother, and other family members. Oh! Eating! Yeah, the food was excellent, Trish! It was nice to see my aunt's father and ex-FIL both able to attend. I know it probably sounds weird, but in this side of the family, half the "grand kids" are actually step-grandkids. Everyone's treated the same and Trish's problems were with her ex-husband, not his parents, who are still her daughter's grandparents. So Mr Gayle comes over for most holiday dinners, including Christmas and Easter. I wish everyone remembered that where the kids are concerned!

Sure, you split up, but the kids still have two sides of the family! That's how my brother and I were raised, too. Mom used to take us to Grandma's for Christmas because my father didn't come up from Virginia but two or three times a year.

I had to stop what I was doing in order to snap this shot, though! Billy floating in the pool with the noodle protruding. He wanted to know why we didn't warn him earlier when he was floating with his eyes closed. The answer is: Because we were too busy laughing at you!

Kasey was acting very strange today and I have no idea what started it. She walked over to Uncle Jay's back deck, about 50 feet from the pool deck, and sat there waiting for me. I told my father and stepmother that she was ready to go. They didn't believe me.back door being open. I grabbed Kasey's collar and had to pull with all my might to get her out of the truck. I also had to slam the door quickly so that she didn't get back in. She came over to the pool deck with me and laid down in the grass for a while. I opened the back door when Uncle Jay shot off some hand-held fireworks that scared her, though. He was only standing about ten feet away when they went off.

About five minutes later I noticed there was no Kasey Kay in the back of my truck! The boys had just started setting off firecrackers, too. We had to get them to stop all the fireworks and my father and I went looking for Kasey. I found her in the house sitting in the hallway, trying to get into the bathroom. I called her out to the kitchen and she came to me, but I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was worried/scared. When I heard more fireworks going off and she ran down the hallway, almost knocking over my Aunt Trish's dad, Mr Dwight, I knew it was time to take my baby home.

We crossed the Bay Bridge almost exactly at 9:30pm so I was treated to about a dozen different fireworks displays from that vantage point. After making a quick pit-stop at Wawa on Rt 50 to load up on tea for the remainder of the weekend, we went home. We had a wonderfully relaxing evening by ourselves and Uncle Wes returned from the Yacht Club close to midnight.

July 1, 2009- ALREADY?!

Wow! This year has flown by! It's already July! Independence Day is 3 days away! What am I going to do this year? Stay home or go to the Yacht Club? Hellifiknow!

I told you in yesterday's post that I was really close to finishing my HIH sampler. Well, I did it! I put the last button on It's Good to be Home shortly after midnight. This is my 19th finish in the Year of the Sampler!

I kept the computer off and started one of Myrl's gifts,
"Needle-point Spring Wreath" by Eileen Gurak of Hand-blessings. I love doing Eileen's designs because they stitch up so quickly. I think the longest it's taken me to do one is 10 hours. That was Stitching Nut, which was cross stitch. I tried finishing NSW before I went to sleep this morning, but I got to the next-to-last step and didn't have enough floss!

I ran out of the DMC Perle #8 in 703! Argh! I was so frustrated. I had an entire length of the Wildflowers Carnival, but no 703. I'm guessing maybe the measurements of the two got mixed up? I know it was an honest mistake. I'm a thread miser and have never run out of floss in a kit before! Lucky for me, I belong to several needlepoint groups/email lists and someone has already responded to my call for help. I'm sending her a SASE tomorrow so that she can send me 12-18" of 703 in #8 Perle. Once I have the floss, I should be able to finish this up in about half an hour. So Finish number 20 is waiting in the wings!

Even though it was 7am and I hadn't been to sleep yet, I still had stitching fever. I pulled out the other Handblessings kit from Myrl "Needlepoint Spring Quilt" and began stitching the tent stitches in the center. And that is where Exhaustion found me. Sixteen rows of sixteen tent stitches (half-stitches for cross stitchers). Borrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-inggggggggggggggggg! G'nite!

But today was a dialysis day so I couldn't sleep for eight hours. I made it to my treatment early because I happened to wake up before my alarm went off. I read at dialysis today because I have some bruises around my graft that are still fading. I didn't want to try to stitch and make new ones.

I worked on NSQ when I got home (left that laptop off!) and completed the tent stitches and three more sections. In the middle of stitching the fourth section I decided the thunder-storms were far enough away that I could turn on the computer. That's where my stitching progress stopped for the day!

See, I told you it was DIRECT PROPORTION: Computer off; Great stitching progress. Computer on; No stitching progress!

And it doesn't help that it takes me hours to write these daily posts. That's One. Post. One daily post equals at least two hours of work if there are pictures. I've spent as much as five hours on one post before (lots of pictures).

OCD? Me? *Nervous-hysterical laugh* Um, yeah. That's me! Grammar has to be right, it has to flow in a logical manner, pictures have to be placed correctly, extra lines/spaces have to be removed... I'm sure I'm missing some things, but you get the general jist of my quest for blogging perfection. I know there's more, but even if there was only one person who read Crossed Purposes I'd be the same way. I'll even edit a post that's old if I notice a typo or an awkward sentence. I can't help myself!

I have to say something to my friends who say I'm addicted to FaceBook: I've been away for more than 24 hours and I didn't die! I'm not addicted! I freely admit to my addictions (the aforementioned Lemonade Tea); I refuse to be saddled with ones I don't deserve!

I even resisted the temptation to sign in when I read an email from a friend telling me that all my Farm Town trees were ready to be harvested. I've defeated my FarmTown addiction, too! Wahoo! I'm so proud of me!

Tomorrow is payday, so I will be running errands and hopefully going to Barnes & Noble to stitch. It depends on how many stops I cross off my to-do list, though.

Three Days, Four Stitched Finishes

Yep, you read it right! I've pretty much done nothing but stitch and sleep for the last three days.
I stuck a cross stitch project in my stitching bag when I got close to finishing LCKQ. I didn't want to be out somewhere and not have something to stitch on, yanno? So when I took LCKQ out of my stitching bag Friday night, I saw the chart for Don't Cross Me When I'm Stitchin'. I thought I'd give it a try since it was a simple design and didn't have alot of colors in it. Well, I started it shortly after midnight Saturday morning and it was done that afternoon.

I kitted this up at the retreat in May and this design was my homage to being at the ocean. I found the fabric first and fell in love. I tried several other designs before settling on this one for it. I chose threads that would go with the fabric, but only if they had aquatic-related names. I added the Marigold at the last minute before leaving the house because I thought it needed a splash of color, not all monochromatic teal/aqua. How'd I do?

Don't Cross Me When I'm Stitchin' by Simple Stitches

Finish #15 in the Year of the Sampler

28ct Hand-dyed teal opalescent linen

Stitched with Weeks Dye Works' Ocean, Chesapeake, Bermuda, and Marigold six-strand cotton floss

Since making X's was fun once again I kept on going, next picking up a UFO, I'd Pick You. This is going to be made into a cigar tin. I was working on it at the retreat but put it down when I burned out and switched to LCKQ. Laura has been patiently waiting for her tin and I will get it done soon and either take to her or mail it.

I'd Pick You by Hob-Nobb Designs

Finish #16 in the Year of the Sampler
28ct Lilac evenweave
Stitched with Weeks Dye Works' Okeefenokee and Plum and Gentle Arts' Royal Purple and Shutter Green six-strand cotton floss

Shortly after midnight Sunday I began working on Grandma's birthday present. Her birthday isn't until the beginning of August, but I'm still afraid I'll get tired of making X's again. I'm using that stitching mojo while I have it!

This is another project I kitted up at the retreat. Well, I bought one color of Weeks and the fabric. My aunt's cats all eat at Grandma's (because she HAS to feed them), so there's always one asleep on her porch. Grandma also loves birds and has several hummingbirds that come to her feeders. I thought of her as soon as I saw this design.

I changed the initial on the mailbox from a 'C' to an 'M' for Grandma's last name. I thought about an 'A' for Alice, but no one puts their first initial on their mailbox. I just made up the M on my own. I played around with the middle lines, trying different lengths and angles, but this is what looked "right" to me. I put the last stitch into KwB at 11:56pm Sunday.

Kitty w/Bird by Brittercup Designs

Finish #17 in the Year of the Sampler

32ct Antique White Jobelan

Stitched with Designer-recommended Gentle Arts Sampler Threads six-strand cotton floss

***ADULT CONTENT***

As I was wide awake after midngiht, I went through my drawer of "Favorites" and picked another cross stitch project to do. I chose to do one of the ornaments by StitchBitch. The charts were sent to me by Pirjo in the CSE Wishlist Exchange. This is another chart I kitted up at the retreat in May and is a birthday gift for Mary Ann, who is like a surrogate mother/big sister to my brother and I.

Mac is a Dept. of Natural Resources Police officer and will find this absolutely hilarious. It goes with a stitcker that was on her old truck. The sticker is now framed and hangs on the wall in her laundry room. She, Ian, and I had to search the leaf-covered floor of the woods looking for it among the shattered glass when the tree they were cutting landed on the truck and burst all the glass on the truck's cap. I found it after several minutes and the rest is (non)history.

I was able to stitch one-handed at dialysis, where I completed more than half the design during my treatment. The last stitch went in at 8:55pm Monday.

Ornament by StitchBitch

Finish #18 in the Year of the Sampler

32ct Antique White Jobelan

Stitched with Crescent Colours St. Bernard and GAST Brandy six-strand cotton floss

June 14-19, 2009

First off, I would like to apologize for taking so long to post an update. Apparently Blogger and Internet Explorer weren't getting along this week, as I was repeatedly told that IE couldn't open Crossed Purposes; hence, no updates. But it's working now, so here goes...

Sunday
I still didn't feel well so no stitching was done. I finally made myself eat real food but unfortunately it didn't help the situation any. This usually only lasts 3-4 days, so Monday night I should be okay. I spent the day watching movies on Turner Classics and reading emails.

Monday
Shortly after midnight I picked up LCKQ and continued with the fill-in of the Celtic band. I usually get bored with so much repetitive stitching but am not having any trouble with this project.

Tuesday
I went to Provinces library for the Heirloom Stitchers' meeting but Kathy Y and I were the only ones there. While Kathy did a little stitching, I did none at all. We had a nice chat for an hour and a half and then decided to head on home.

Sarah called me while I was driving and we decided to meet up at the Super WalMart. I bought Anna a pair of D-D-Dora (that's how she says it) tennis shoes for her to play in. She always wears Crocs whenever I see her and they just make me nervous on one so young as she.

Do you mind if I ask why the uncouth morons seem to congregate in WalMart stores? I had Kasey on one side of me, Anna holding my hand on the other as we walked into the pet supply aisle. Four adult women were in the aisle, squirting each other with dog shampoo bottles. Two of them came running right at us. I had to pull Kasey out of their way. Meanwhile, I shot a dagger-filled look at all of them. They had shampoo all over the floor, and of course Kasey couldn't help stepping in some of it. I was very worried that she'd slip.

I found a store employee and told him "four blonde women" squirted shampoo all over the floor so that someone could come clean it up. I was completely disgusted and I think that will be my last foray into Super WalMart. I guess manners aren't taught or adhered to in public anymore?

Wednesday
I woke up with a sore throat so I called my clinic and told them I'd be staying home. I felt better a couple hours later, but I still didn't feel like going to dialysis. Instead, I went to the post office to mail some trades and RAKs. I came home and the sight of the livingroom just depressed me. I couldn't handle the mess anymore. This is what it looked like as I got started cleaning the hearth in front of the fireplace. Here is the view from the hallway. I apologize for the spots on the one picture; I'm not sure what happened.



I'm embarrassed to show you but I'm also very proud of how much I accomplished in just one day. Of course I had to take breaks to rest and that weak muscle in my lower back gave out before I even finished moving things off the hearth, but I persevered!

By midnight I'd cleaned the majority of the room. All I had left was the area between the couch and my stitching chair in front of the door. I'm still working on that, and vacuuming the rest of the carpet. I'm hoping to cover the stains that my Saluki left with an area rug. I'll have to look around for a sale when I get paid next month, if I can fit that into my budget.

Thursday
I was awakened by a bad thunderstorm and a deluge of rain before 8:00am. I tried getting back to sleep for an hour and just couldn't so I came out and stitched for an hour and a half. By 10:30 I was exhausted again and went back to bed to sleep until my alarm woke me at 12:30.

As usual, it was the AnnapolisKnits stitch-in at Barnes & Noble in the afternoon. Kasey and I arrived shortly after 1:00pm and stayed with Judy and Linda until after 5:00. I completed the fill-in of the Celtic band on LCKQ this morning, as well as one side of the last purple border, so I went to work on completing the last two borders. Before I left I'd done the entire purple border and one side of the Abelone border.

I was determined to finish LCKQ that night and went home to keep stitching away. At 9:00pm, the wall of exhaustion slammed into me once again and I could not keep my eyes open. I told Debi, who I was IM'ing with, that I was going to take a nap and would be back "in a couple hours."

Friday
HA! That "couple hour" nap turned into five hours! I woke at 2am. Luckily Debi was still online. We resumed our chat and I started reading emails instead of stitching, but did finally pick it up around 3:30am. And then the frogs attacked LCKQ! There was an error in the Abelone border all the way at the first corner. I had to frog two of the three sides and then started re-stitching them.

I finally went back to sleep at 9:00am and woke up in time for dialysis. I still can't stitch during my treatments, so I read a book for an hour and then slept for the last two hours. Gloria woke me up shortly before 6pm to tell me that I was done and needed to hold my needle sites.

Carol B-C, Carol B (Knitter Carol), and I had arranged to meet at Border's tonight, so I went home to pick up Kasey and headed straight for the mall. Knitter Carol was already there, as she'd been doing some shopping earlier, but Carol B-C came in just after I sat down.

We stitched until around 8:30 and then went to the food court to get dinner. Since it was so loud that Kasey was nervous, we returned to the Borders cafe with our meals and ate in a much quieter environment. We picked up our stitching after all the food was gone and I put the last stitch into LCKQ five minutes before the store closed! Lavenderblue Celtic Knot Quilt is my 14th finish of 2009, the Year of the Sampler! I'm sure you could hear Carol B-C's "Wooo Hoo" where ever you were!

I took LCKQ off the stretcher bars and put a new canvas on them at home. I want to start Desert Star by From Nancy's Needle next.

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.

March 30, 2009

Here's my 12th finish of 2009, Purple Passion Butterfly by Northern Pine Designs. I had alot of fun with the different fibers and stitches in this project. I think PPB had the most variety of fibers I've used in a project. There were three Kreinik metallics, blending filament, Needle Necessities over-dyed floss, DMC #8 Perle, DMC embroidery floss, and Rainbow Galleries' Encore! floss.

I'm not a fan of stitching with metallics, but the results are definitely worth the trouble! Here is another project in which the purple-y-ness continues! It's pretty apparent what drew me to this one, isn't it?

I took this picture in the hopes that you can better see the texture of the stitches and the beads. If you click the picture it will enlarge and you can see the detail.

That's about all I have for today. Besides going to dialysis where I read a book and slept for the last hour of my treatment, all I did was watch movies and shows from my DVR. I hope you are having a good stitching week, too!

Hugs,
Beth

I Haven't Forgotten!

Yes, I know...I've been gone for a week with no explaination. I apologize. What can I say? When it hurts to look at the computer screen you don't look at the computer screen. That's right...this time it was my eyes that were bothering me. I had an eye exam today and now have reading glasses that I can also use to work on the computer. So far, so good; no pain around my eyes!

I'm working on a catch-up post, but I'm having trouble with the pictures. Every time I try to edit a picture, EasyShare stops working. Since it's already 3am and I have errands to run before the Barnes & Noble stitching group at 1pm, I have to get some sleep. Hopefully by this evening I'll be able to get all my pictures loaded and edited so that I can share them with you.

I'm working on FINISH-FINISHING A Stitcher's Companion by Enchanting Lair! I completed all the stitching early Monday morning and have been working on making it into a book since then.

February 27, 2009

Ready for another finish? Ha! I sure did! Number eight in the Year of the Sampler! I stayed up until I completed the inside cover of A Stitcher's Companion. At 4:20am the last stitch went in. I know the words don't show up in this thumbnail, but if you click on it and look at the enlarged picture, you can read the entire personalization.

I want to thank Debi for her help in finding the alphabet that I used. I disliked the text that EL used. Debi stayed up until the wee hours one morning searching through her books of alphabets and scanning them for me to look at. I adapted this one a little bit here and there because it had a little too much stylization, but I think it goes much better with the letters on the spine. I felt that the original lettering was far too different and didn't mesh at all with the baroque style of capital letters used.

Now I have three inside pages and all the pockets to stitch. I think, when contemplated as a whole, this project would be considered a BAP! I'm counting each page as a separate finish and am very anxious to see them come together into the book.

As I go along I think of another idea here and there to use on the final product. I've already decided not to use the dragonfly charm. I'm going to keep my eye out for something that's more "me." I'd love to find a Golden Retriever head or a very pretty porcelain bead or brooch with a horse or something purple that would identify it with me. I guess you'll find out as soon as I do when/if I find the right item to attach in the front motif. I'm also considering using a closure of some type so that threads, scissors, and needles don't go flying when you pick up the book. I'll let you know what else comes to mind as it happens.
More birthday goodies arrived today! Mr Mailman delivered cards and floss from Linda B, Lynn, and Vickie. Thank you all!

I'm guessing Monday at dialysis was a fluke because as soon as I tried to bend my arm today the machine alarmed and my arm hurt. It still does, as a matter of fact. This CryoVein is thinner than the artificial graft, so I feel more sensation than before. I guess everything is a trade-off. The graft was thick and I couldn't hurt myself by moving my arm, but it couldn't handle my low blood pressure and kept clotting. The CryoVein is thinner so the nerves around it can feel when I move, but it withstands my low blood pressure and keeps flowing. Such is life!

This is my progress on the first inside page of ASC. All the pages are outlined in two strands of silk so that they can be whip stitched together during the finishing process. Actually, this is the first two inside pages, with six total, but there are only three panels.

Amy wrote me an email asking about the needles I use and while replying to her I had an epiphany regarding my eczema. I cannot wear any jewelry without having an eczema breakout on my hands. Even necklaces and earrings cause my hands to break out. I stopped wearing sterling silver because that caused the worst breakouts and bought some 18ct gold instead. It didn't matter. It finally clicked in my brain that if metal jewelry causes the breakouts, this latest flare-up must be caused by my use of metal tapestry needles! The lower the quality of metal, the worse the breakout!

Now I have to do two things:

1. buy rubber gloves or rubberized fingertips (like the ones used to separate money or when filing papers) so that I don't actually touch the needles anymore, and
2. buy new gold-plated needles from busylizziecrafts on eBay because almost all of the gold from the ones I bought three years ago has been worn off.

I can't do anything about my dialysis needles, so I hope decreasing the amount of contact I have with tapestry needles will help. Quitting stitching is not an option! Since this latest flare-up has lasted almost six months, I'm really hoping it this experiment works. I'm probably going to add this issue to the list of things I need to discuss with my doctor on the 10th.

February 26, 2009

You might think I'm boring, but I slept for thirteen hours today! Obvoiusly I needed the rest. My theory on sleep is that I go to bed when I'm tired and I wake up whenever I wake up. I know this doesn't work for alot of people, but it's how I ensure I get all the rest my body needs. I only set an alarm on dialysis days and don't feel guilty if I sleep for an exorbitant amount of time. Since the body needs sleep to recouperate and heal, and I know there's alot wrong with mine, I sleep til it says I've slept enough. I think if more people did this, instead of constantly on the go-go-go, they'd be less prone to alot of the nasty "bugs" that are out there. As long as they keep their germs to themselves, they can keep on rushing through life but I'm going to enjoy mine while I have it!

For the fourth day in a row, Mr Mailman brought birtday cards and floss! Cards from Debi, Teresa, and CJ arrived. CJ even sent a piece of Fairy Blush 18ct Aida when my card was returned to her. I don't mind late cards, CJ! It extends my birthday fun! Thank you for the thoughtful gift!

If you've stayed away from joining a birthday card and floss exchange in your groups, you should certainly give it a go! It's the easiest way to increase your floss stash! I belong to three BFC's and look forward to them each year.
I was determined to complete Lasseter's Reef today! I forbade myself from turning on the laptop until the last stitch was in. It took most of the afternoon and evening, but at 10:00pm on the dot I did it! Lasseter's Reef is my fourth Dinky Dyes quilt square finish and my seventh in the Year of the Sampler.

I was on the telephone with Debi and I finished LR and we discussed my next project. I'm not allowing myself to start anything else until I finish the stitching on A Stitcher's Companion and my BRD gameboard. I honestly don't like having more than one project on the go. I like working on one thing until it's done. I complete things faster that way, rather than spreading my stitching out over several projects at a time. Later this year, I may work on a smaller project to take a break from whatever BAP I decide to work on, but not right now. I might switch back and forth between my two projects if I get bored, but NO NEW STARTS! Here's my progress on the inside cover of A Stitcher's Companion by Enchanting Lair. All I need to do is to put in my personalization and stitch the corner motifs.

I'm also very proud of myself for adhering to my stash diet! I've spent a total of $14 in the month of February for stash. Has anyone else cut back? For me, it made a huge difference this month! I haven't been scrabbling the last week of the month, making do with what's in the pantry. I still had money to go get a few groceries and other things. Being on disability, there isn't much left after I pay bills, so I honestly do live "check to check."

Next month I will have another car repair bill, this time replacing the rear tires which are showing the wear bands. That's not a repair that can be put off so my diet continues! The only thing I'm allowed to pay for is the auto-ship of My Stitching Album. I'm hoping to be able to trade for anything else if the need arises. Right now, there is nothing I need. To fight temptation I haven't even looked at the Nashville new releases. They'll be there when I have the means to purchase them. If not, it just wasn't meant to be.

Back to my question about cutting back, has anyone gone a less-expensive route when kitting up a project? Using a less expensive substitute to the reccommended fibers? I've opted to offer my Soie d'Alger silks for trade. I'm not going to buy the rest needed for my Just Nan projects. I can't afford them so I will use the Vikki Clayton Hand-Dyed Fibers. So if you need/want any of the silks I've already purchased, just let me know. They'll be on my trade blog soon. My wishlist is in the sidebar of my trade blog, too.