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.

June 9, 2009

9:30am...that's what time Miss Kasey Kay got me out of bed. I went to sleep after 3am. Doesn't she know by now that her Mom needs to sleep?! She has got to stop doing this to me! She's supposed to adjust to my schedule, not the other way around, darnit!

Well, I was up and bored, so I decided to go to Bath & Body Works in Elkton to take advantage of their Big Sale: Antibacterial soaps are 4/$10! I needed more Kitchen Lemon but they were out. Instead, I picked up some White Citrus and some Pineapple to try. I've never seen these scents before. I also purchased two bottles of the foaming antibacterial hand cleaner. Since I can't use the hand sanitizers made from alcohol because they burn my hands, these B&BW foaming hand cleaners are my best alternative. I love the Peppermint, but they only have it at Christmas. They should carry it year-round and change the packaging so it doesn't have candy canes on it. JMHO.

I had Mom's Garmin GPS unit and also went to Michael's at Christiana Mall. There, I found some goodies for "Thinking of You" gifts and possible exchanges, as well as some knitting needle point protectors that were on clearance, along with these leather and plastic "thimbles." As you can see, they're not the traditional thimbles we think of, but are worn as a ring between the first and second knuckles from the fingertip. I'm going to try them out and will let you know what I think. I use the point protectors for the tips of my embroidery scissors. One of my green ones has walked off, so these will be a perfect back-up supply.

Mom called as I was driving to Michaels to tell me that she'd be home at noon and would be able go to the LNS in Pennsylvania. I went back to the house and cleaned out the truck, which it needed anyway, and waited about an hour for Mom to get home. On our way through Newark, we stopped at Wawa so I could get my sub for lunch. Mom had already eaten, so I was on my own. I also picked up a salad for dinner and placed it in the little cooler I'd brought along.

So...Fireside Stitchery...sensory overload. OMG, it is amazing! They have so many different lines of fibers, all sorted by content. Silks in one section, cottons in another, wool on the other side, Wool/silk blends together. And wide aisles. It was so refreshing to walk into a shop in which you didn't have to worry about knocking over merchandise! (I apologize for not getting pictures...look HERE)

Of course the first thing that was said after, "Hello, welcome!" was, "Am I allowed to pet her?" I couldn't resist either of the pleading looks I received, so I had Kasey sit to be adored. The next question was, "May I get her a cup of water?" So I pulled out her collapsable bowl to which they exclaimed, "Mom comes prepared!" Judy plopped it down in the middle of an aisle for Kasey. I was surprised it wasn't put in an out-of-the-way place, but these were obviously doggy people.

I moved the water over to the Caron Watercolours section and Kasey flopped onto her side and took a nap. After pulling the Antique Jewel Tone colors for From Nancy's Needle's Amish Trip Around the World Quilt, I went to work increasing the purple-y-ness. I gathered the colors, after about an hour of switching out this fiber for that fiber, took a step back, and wasn't satisfied. I decided to pull the "Jewel Tones" Nancy gave as a selection and was much happier with them. I made one switch, from #5 Perle DMC 996 to Watercolours Ocean Breeze. We all agreed that the 996 stood out too much for us. This is the final selection in the order they appear, top to bottom, from the center out. I've substituted three regular DMC skeins for the #5 Perle cottons that are on order so that you can at least see the colors.














The colors are:
DMC #5 Perle 602-Cranberry
Watercolours 037-Fuchsia
DMC #5 Perle 915-Plum
Watercolours 209-Iris
DMC #5 Perle 333-Violet Blue
Watercolours 181-Ocean Breeze
Watercolours 068-Mediterranean
DMC #5 Perle 3814-Aquamarine
Watercolours 041-Blueberry

Oh, yeah...I was just supposed to make a shopping list, right? HaHaHaHaHaHaHa! Puh-LEEZE! I was in so much denial! I couldn't walk out without buying anything after all the help I received. There was no way I'd do that!

After more than an hour working on ATATWQ, during which time Mom did her own browsing and kitting up, I might add, I started on chart number two, Desert Star by From Nancy's Needle. Of course, it's another quilt square. I purchased both of these for $2.00 at the EGA stash swap last fall.

The purple-y-ness continues! I am very excited to see this one completed. It may be my next WIP, but we will have to see. This picture also shows the colors in the order they'll appear in the center motif, from the middle out.













They are:
DMC #5 Perle 327-Dark Violet
Gold Rush 14 286C-Purple Metallic
Watercolours 233-Glacier
Watercolours 209-Iris
DMC #5 Perle 209-Light Violet
Gold Rush 14 286C-Purple Metallic
Watercolours 146 Moonglow

Believe it or not, Mom spent almost twice as much as I did! I thought I would break the bank but only spent $60. My LCKQ costed almost $40 just for the fibers, so I was very pleased to kit up two charts for an average of $30 each.

I'll have to get Mom to send a pic of her stash, but she purchased a series also by From Nancy's Needle. She took home Spring and Summer, kitted up Spring, and ordered Autumn and Winter. She would like to have them all displayed together in frames when she (I'm on standby, though) completes the stitching.

I cannot say enough about the wonderful service we received! We had so much help kitting up our projects. Mom and I both want to go back already. I never even looked at fabric because I was so engrossed in all the fibers arrayed before my eyes. Not only that, but we were there half an hour after they closed but not a word was said to rush us on our way. I'll also be sure to take pictures next time! Fireside Stitchery is definitely at the top of my list for Favorite LNS!

The drive home was interesting, to say the least! Instead of getting stuck on south-bound I-95 in rush hour around Wilmington, DE, we drove East on Rt 30 in Pennsylvania to meet up with Rt 10 south. The entire way we were behind storms. The lightning shot across the sky in front of us. We saw several strikes that looked like they hit the ground. The light show was amazing. Somehow we managed to stay on the outer bands of it, never getting into the severe part of the storm.

Upon arriving back at the house, I opened the door from the garage into the kitchen to the mass destruction of Hurricane Ricco. Mom and Dad were told that Ricco was afraid of storms, but someone has always been home when one hit. This time Ben was at work and were were up in Pennsylvania. The poor guy was panting like he'd run a hundred-mile race so it was obvious he was very upset.

Directly inside the door, the paper shredder was on its side, confetti-sized pieces of paper strewn across the kitchen floor.

I took two steps forward and looked into the living room. I covered my mouth and said, "OhMyGod!" All I could think was that Dad would have a conniption fit-good thing he was out of town. The carpet padding (the rug is out being cleaned) was in a huge pile with small chunks all over the place. This is what it looked like after Mom straightened it out.

Jake's bed and pillow were both pulled into the kitchen from the laundry room, and the baby gate was knocked over.

Somehow Ricco managed to eat Kasey's dinner without ripping the Ziploc bag is was in. We think the force of it falling off the counter popped it open. Still, he ate Kasey's dinner and I didn't have any extra. Ben picked up a small bag, for which I paid a king's ransom, on his way home from work.

I went upstairs to discover the mess he made there. Thank goodness the basement door was closed! He would've gotten all three floors if that were the case. Anyway, Ricco dumped out the trash can beside my bed (there was alot more trash under the pillow),

pulled the pillow off the bed, pulled the blankets down, flipped my overnight bag, pulled the pillow and blanket off the quilt rack, and pulled the clothes out of my bag.



In my bathroom, Ricco rearranged the rugs. The rug in front of the door should have been covering the middle of the area of open floor and the rug beside it was carried from the spot from which I took the picture. The yellow bath mat also should have been behind where I was standing when I took the picture.

I think that's all. Needless to say, the next time a storm is forcasted and no one will be home with him, Hurricane Ricco will be crated to forestall his devistation. I told Mom she was lucky becuase he could have shredded the furniture instead. I wouldn't want to be around for that!

Ricco calmed down shortly after Mom and I returned home. He stayed in the kitchen/dining room with us but averted his eyes and put his ears down whenever someone talked to or looked at him. He knew he had been a bad boy!

Mom wanted to give the dogs a treat and see if she could get all three to sit at once. I told her that all she had to do in order for Kasey to sit was to have a treat in her hand. Sure enough, as soon as Kasey saw treats, her butt hit the floor. She started out sitting beside Ricco but kept scooching forward while Mom got Ricco and Jake to sit. She's a super scoocher, too, as is evident by her final position. She wasn't getting left out of Treat Time! Talk about food motivated!

March 28, 2009

Since I've put A Stitcher's Companion aside before finishing it into the book, I picked up an old UFO to stitch. I also wanted to take a break from cross stitch for a little while so I chose a needlepoint project. This is Purple Passion Butterfly by Northern Pine Designs. I acquired the kit at the EGA stash swap in November. I had to frog the outline because of a previous mistake, but this is my progress as of midnight.

I really enjoy all the different stitches, but had some difficulty with their placement. As a matter of fact, I'm going to frog the area on the right wing that's inside the diamond. I left it in so that I could stitch the other wing correctly and have the correct stitches as reference.

My thread puller has been getting alot of work lately. He needs a vacation. Can he come visit you? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeese??


This arrived in today's mail. I thought the "Plain Brown Wrapper" was hilarious. It reminds me of the plain brown packaging in which men recieve their girlie magazines. Inside were pictures of all StitchBitch's designs and two charts from my wishlist.



The package was from Pirjo in Finland and is my Wishlist Exchange in the Chatty Stitching Exchangers group. The ornaments are going to be presents for two ladies who will thoroughly appreciate them.

February 5, 2009

Wow did Kasey and I have a busy day! We headed out this morning to stop by the bank and the post office. I had to mail trades to Maggie, Peg, and Lynn. I also mailed a loaner chart to Wawanna. While there, I was able to pick up my trade from Judith. I received 'Dogs Collection 4' by Pegasus Originals and 'Raspberry Homecoming' by Told in a Garden.

Kathy Y said I need to switch out the Scottish Terriers in the sampler on the cover of the Dog leaflet with "Kaseys." She told me it's too cute a sentiment not to stitch it with little Kaseys on it. It says "A dog is the only true love money can buy." How right is that?!

I also adore the mini quilts in RH, which is why I asked for it in the first place. I'm adding it to my "quilt" pile. I'm pretty sure I have enough now to stitch for an entire year without finishing all the quilt charts I own.

The mailman has been very nice to me this week and has brought me Silkweaver fabbies from Patti G. She sent me Turquoise and Karma Sparkle opalescents from Silkweaver in exchange for a piece of dirty linen she needed. Now I have to find designs to stitch on all these opalescents I've collected! I don't think that'll be a problem, however!

Maggie D purchased some stash from my trade blog and graciously included a paperback copy of Sandra Brown's novel, 'The Switch.' She's also the lady who suggested I read SB's 'Envy,' so I'm anxious to finish my current book in order to start one of them. SB is so great at keeping you guessing! I've thoroughly enjoyed her books that I've listened to on CD, but this will be the first time I'll have actually read one.


Here are two different deliveries. On the left is the DMC from Lisa S. This was the last part of our trade for my old digital camera. Sweetheart that she is, she included an Amazon gift certificate to reimburse me for postage. Lisa, thank you for all three of the gift certificates! I can't wait to go shopping on Amazon next month! On the right is the remainder of the floss I ordered from Wasatch. The bright aqua is the Perle for Blue Bayou, the next chart I'm going to do in the Ebb Tide series by Northern Pine Designs. The rest of the WDW is for a Britty Kitty chart I'd like to stitch for Grandma. It has a cat and a bluebird in it, very appropriate for her!

I took Kasey to Muddy Paw Wash for her monthly bath this morning. As soon as we got through the door she started dancing around. Se was so excited to be there. The employees fawned all over her, as usual. Mike took her right back and bathed her. We stayed for a little while after she was done because we had some time to kill before the Barnes and Noble stitching group at 1pm. Kasey loved all the attention from her admirers. Today's new toy was a stuffed hippo with a squeaker in it. She was so intent on getting human attention that she ignored it until we returned home this evening.

Since she was so excited at MPW, I put Peace & Calming oil on her front feet before we left for my stitching group. By the time we arrived there, Kasey was her usual mellow, working persona. Kathy Y was able to join us this week and it was nice having another stitcher in the group. The cafe staff kindly prepared a cup of ice water for Kasey so that she could have a drink while we were there. I think she really enjoyed the cold water because the store was quite warm. I ordered a Chai as a treat for myself.

Everyone left by 3pm and it was only Kathy and I. I started counting down the stitches! Six...four...three...two...one and a half...one...half a stitch...DONE!

NOT!!

I still had to backstitch the oval! UGH! I thought I had completed that darn cover at last! Kathy had to get home so I packed up my things to leave as well.

My "Maintenance Reqd" light was lit on the dashboard, so I took the truck to the station where I always get my oil changed. You could have knocked me over with a feather when the mechanic came back in and told me my brakes were down to 10% and it was going to be more than $300 to put new ones on and resurface the rotors. My truck only has 35,000 miles on it!

There goes my birthday S.E.X. at Salty Yarns! BTW: S.E.X. is NOT the same as sex! It means Stash Enhancement eXperience, in case you thought I was getting into the TMI range. I've been planning a trip to Ocean City with Carol and Kathy Y to check out the LNS on the Boardwalk. Now I can't do it! WAAAAHH!! I have to get the truck fixed first!

Kasey and I finally got home around 4pm and Uncle Wes pulled up the drive shortly afterwards. I'd already called Mom and told her about the truck and that I wouldn't be able to stay with her from Sunday to Thursday next week. I'm going to have to limit how much driving I do.

Then I told Wessy what I was told and he immediately thought something was fishy. First, my brakes don't squeak, so it's hard to believe they're at 10%. Second, if my rotors don't need to be replaced, he doubts the $300 price tag. So I have to get a second opinion. I'm going to call the shop tomorrow, if I get up in time, to see if they can do a brake inspection. Several people, including the guy who runs the small service station close to home, have recommended this other shop to Uncle Wes for vehicle repairs. I'll let you know the final verdict as soon as I find out.

Oh! Stitching! Yep, did that today!! Here is 'Stitches Stars & Stripes' by Blue Ribbon Designs. I worked on it for a little while as I was waiting for the truck's oil change to be completed. I'm doing this both as part of The Year of the Sampler and to join in on the Blue Ribbon Designs SAL in Stitch_it_Quick. I didn't get much done, but each stitch is one closer to a finish, right? I've been concentrating on getting the borders done because they're straight lines and that's hard to mess up.

At home tonight I back-stitched the oval and put the charm on. My Stitching Album's cover is FINALLY done!! And I was good! I never found out if it would make a good Frisbee, although Chris W assures me that QSnaps *do* fly! This is my 4th finish in the YotS! I put the last stitch in at 11:45pm.

Now to decide what to stitch next...stay tuned!

January 26, 2009

Today started off with a bang, that's for sure. I let Kasey out this morning and she disappeared on me. I called her a few times and didn't hear leaves rustle or anything, so I went back inside to get my coat to go look for her. I heard the neighbor's dog barking and headed over to their back yard. As I crossed over the property line, Daisy flew by me with Kasey in hot pursuit.

I went home to get a leash to put on Daisy and was running options through my head. I knew I probably couldn't get her back into her run without her father getting loose so I briefly considered letting her come into my house with Kasey and I. She's a hyper little girl, though, and I had to leave for dialysis around 3pm, so I dismissed that idea. Luckily the side door of the neighbor's house wasn't locked so I put Daisy in her crate. Actually, "put" isn't the right word, as she got in before I could get the leash off her.

I called and left a message on R&C's answering machine so they wouldn't worry about what happened. I also called and spoke to C this evening when I returned home from dialysis to make sure everything was okay with Daisy. C said she is going to think up something nice to do for me, despite my fervent protests. They're such great neighbors; I will really miss them if I move.

More goodies arrived today! I received the third part of my trade with Debi. She sent me "Feathertown USA Home Tweet Home" by Jeremiah Junction and "Quilt Sampler XII" by Linda Myers. Thank you D! One of these years I'm going to have to stitch all my mini quilt blocks! I think I have enough of them to last a full year (or more!), too!
Also in today's mail was the second part of my January order from Wasatch Needlecraft. Karen had this Laura J. Perin design on sale so I couldn't pass it up. It even came with the seed beads. She included the Gloriana ribbon for the rings of "My Stitching Album" by Jeannette Douglas and the Dinky Dyes "Mystic Pools" for the "Amethyst Sewing Bag." The fabric is for my "Patriotic Wishes I & II" from Blue Ribbon Designs. I've chosen to stitch them all on one piece of fabric instead of making them into separate pillow ornaments. I'm using 32ct Ivory evenweave instead of the "Attic Lace" from Lakeside Linens that was called for.
This is my progress on the cover of A Stitcher's Companion. I have to finish my initials, BMH, on the spine of the cover and then add the Rhodes stitches. I may hold off on the Rhodes stitches until later, though, because I'm afraid they might get crushed by my QSnaps. I still have four more pages and two pockets to stitch.

January 6, 2009

My sleep schedule is still askew from being sick so I was awake early today. I went back to sleep until early this afternoon and the cabin fever started. I felt like the walls of the livingroom were closing in on me. I had to get out!

It was cold, gray, and raining so I decided to go to Catonsville to the LNS. With the weather being so nasty I figured the store would be deserted on a Tuesday afternoon.

And I was right! Only two other customers came in while I was there. Luckily they were looking for other items, so didn't come back to the fibers where I was. I purchased the fibers for Needlemania's 'Star Delight'; the Silk n'Colors for 'Amethyst Sewing Bag'; Threadworx (NeedleNecessitites) fibers for the second chart in the Ebb Tide series, Blue Bayou; and my colors for 'Cross Stitch Maniac'. I fell in love with Bethlehem from Weeks Dye Works and chose colors that go with it for "CSM."

Chet has stayed close, keeping an eye on me while I'm sick. This is his usual pose, with his front paws on my left leg. As you can see, he doesn't let my other activities interfere in his vigil. This is the stack of charts I was working on kitting up.

I think the antibiotics have already started to do their job because I was out for a couple hours today and didn't have to blow my nose. What a relief!

December 30, 2008

I woke up early today after going to bed extremely early last night, so I decided to do some shopping around Town. First, I went to Michael's and bought the knitting needle tip protectors for my three pairs of embroidery scissors. I also grabbed up some of the $1 packs of recipe cards, magnetic list pads, and journals at 40% off. These make great little exchange gifts later in the year.

Next was Bath & Body Works where I purchased some Warm Vanilla Sugar Waterless hand cleaner. I didn't know there was a foaming waterless hand cleaner that doesn't have alcohol as its main ingredient! This formula doesn't sting my hands where they've been ravaged by my last ezcema outbreak. I love it! Mom bought me the Twisted Peppermint for Christmas, but they didn't have any more. I also picked up some body spray to go with the lotion she gave me.

After B&BW I went to the other side of the shopping center to visit The Yarn Garden. I just wanted to browse through some of their charts to see if I find any that catch my eye. I liked several, but the cost of kitting them up would be prohibitive. Instead, I settled on one that was 50% off and used DMC and some other fibers. It's a purple ball-shaped ornament, so it's perfect for me! And at $3, I couldn't pass it up!

I decided to check out the new Target store to see what goodies they had. I wound up purchasing a data transfer cable for my desktop and laptop computers and a 4-port USB hub for the laptop. With the portable hard drive and new camera Mom gave me for Christmas, I was using all the ports on my laptop because my mouse is a wireless USB mouse. At the checkout I found the berry-flavored gum that Dad buys that I love. I also picked up a pack of the spearmint by the same people. It's made by Wrigley's and comes in a black box, it's sugar free-but that doesn't matter to me. The spearmint is called Rain and the berry is called Elixir. I don't chew gum often unless I'm in the car. I have found that chewing gum keeps me awake when I'm driving at night.

I went to Circuit City to look for a wireless printer but had no luck. It was on my way to my clinic, so I thought I'd stop in since they're liquidating their inventory. I was surprised because Target actually had better prices. I won't bother going back there.

Other than my shopping ventures this morning, nothing of interest was going on around here.

Have a Happy New Year's Eve, everyone!

November 15, 2008-EGA Stash Swap

I know the suspense probably has you on the edge of your seat, so here is what I picked up today. Unfortunately, I spent more than I took in. I was disappointed because it didn't seem that many people were there to spend money, but everything that didn't get sold at the swap will be going into my trade blog! Believe me when I say there is ALOT of stuff! I heard more than once today that I have tons of stash. The sad thing is that what was with me were the items I won't use. I have three plastic cabinets at home full of things I want to do!

First off is a RAK from Kathy Y. These Better Homes & Gardens Cross Stitch and Country Crafts magazines were issues on my wish list.

This was my biggest purchase. I apologize for not getting names, but I didn't see nametags on most people. The lady who had these items was the only person that had more stash on display than I did!

I was able to get Mary Engelbreit's Wrap It Up!, Old-Time Tools & Toys of Needle-work, Victorian Needlework Techniques and Designs, Dear Santa I can Explain by Lizzie Kate, 14x18" 25ct Wedgewood Lugana, The New Carolingian Modelbook (Counted Embroidery Patterns from Before 1600), If I Stitch Fast by Waxing Moon Designs, 15x18" 28ct Blue Monaco, Stitching Banner by Creative Moments, 15x18" 28ct Rose Monaco, To Ornament Their Minds: Sarah Pierce's Litchfield Femal Academy 1792-1833, and 43 Horses from Jeanette Crews' One Nighters Series.

Lois came with Caron Impressions floss in Williamsburg, 7001, and Opal.

The Spanish Sampler by The Samplar Workes, Queene Besse's Cheese Boarde by Leon Conrad Designs, and Jean Hilton's Atherton were all freebies.

Good House-keeping's Complete Book of Needle-work, The Dictionary of Needlework (facsimile of the 1892 Edition), and The Complete Encyclopedia of Needlework were $1 for all three.

This is the Winnie the Pooh "Stacked Pooh" kit. I plan on stitching it for Anna and Caleb.



Stoney Creek's Colors of Freedom and Hinzeit's Fancy Mini-Block USA were just $3.


These 13.5x18" pieces of Jobelan in 28 and 32ct were only $5 and the Caron Wildflowers in Williams-burg and Abelone were $3 for all four skeins.

Glad Tidings by Ewe & Eye & Friends. This will be added to my Year of the Sampler pile of charts.
This is my favorite new find! This 1930's sewing kit was just too cute to pass up for $5. It is disguised as a doll's rocking chair but you can plainly see the spool holders on in the arms of the chair. The cushions double as pin cushions.


The back of the chair has an emory strawberry and a wooden pocket to hold other supplies.

Since the cushions were a bit dingy and only held on the chair by four upholstry tacks, I removed the tacks so that I can re-upholster them with some fabric from my stash. I've only gotten so far as to cut the lacing and throw away the old batting and fabric.

November 12, 2008

I did it again! I went to bed early (if you can call 2:15am early) in the hope that I'd get a long night's sleep. What is it they say about the best-laid plans? You guessed it! I was wide awake by 6:30 this morning. I was so mad I could've spit nails. I tried reading for a while to make myself tired again but that didn't work. I finally gave up and got dressed.

Around 10am I decided to run some errands. At Staples, I finally found a pencil case that is big enough to hold all the contents of the Basic Sewing Kit (pictured) suggested by the Embroiderer's Guild of America, with some other items that were suggested by other stitchers. My Dazzling Ornament set even fits safely inside. I added a piece of rubberized shelf liner to keep things from hitting against the hard plastic of the case. Believe it or not there's still room left over!

After going to Staples, I went to JoAnn's to get some rubber knitting needle caps. Unfortunately they were sold out so I went to check out the Yarn Garden. I've heard about this shop but hadn't visited until today. I was under the impression they were mainly a knitting/crocheting shop, so I haven't been in a hurry to check them out. I was surprised to see all the cross stitch charts they have. There are a bunch from a designer in Queenstown, MD. I think the name is the Queenstown Sampler or something like that. They also have some Rainbow Galleries, Anchor (not that I'd use it), and Caron fibers, so if I need any of them I know I can just drive across town. The lady who helped me (sorry, they didn't have nametags) also told me there was an informal group that meets at the Barnes & Noble bookstore every Thursday at 1pm, so I might try to get over there. She said it's mainly knitters, but they welcome anyone who shows up. It sounds nice, don't you think?

Once I got back home I started feeling tired, of course. I called dialysis and told them I wouldn't be able to come in today because I didn't sleep last night. I'd thought about taking a muscle relaxer to make sure I fell asleep, but I was afraid it'd knock me out for 12 hours like it usually does. Instead, I turned up the heat on my mattress pad one notch so it would be nice and warm and curled up under the blankets. Kasey and Chet napped with me and we didn't wake up until after 5pm.

I continued working on Eight Pointed Stars this evening but I didn't complete it. I worked on the background of Gobelin stitches and Rhodes Squares between the stars. I'm saving the outer ring of Alternating Scotch Stitches until last. A little more to do and I will be able to do the colored border and call this a finish!

November 11, 2008 Veteran's Day

Wow! Was today ever busy!

I didn't wake up til after 2pm, so I called to see if Carol B wanted to go to the Stitching Post with me but she was at the doctor's office. Even worse, she said she wouldn't be at the Heirloom Stitcher's meeting tonight because she had to take her mom to a Veteran's Day Function.

So I went to TSP on my own to pick up my Ebb Tide Kit. I also traded the Soie d'Alger 1845 that I was mistakenly given last time for the correct 5022. Now I have all the silks to complete Amethyst Snowflake once I get it washed.

I didn't do any looking around the shop except for a new Accessory Bag. Once I got the complete list of items in the "Basic Sewing Kit" from Cameo Roze's site, my accessory bag was filled to the brim, and that didn't include my new laying tool and chatelaine set. I refuse to try to fit them in and risk something happening to them. I didn't find anything appropriate for the use I intended, so I'm going to look at Staples or Office Depot later this week. I need a rectangular box, preferably plastic, with a snap-on lid to hold everything.

I purchased these fabrics for A Stitcher's Companion and The Peacock Stitching Chair. The two pieces on the left are 28ct Platinum Cashel linen for A Stitcher's Companion by Enchanting Lair. The piece on the right is 32ct Waterlily Jobelan for The Peacock Stitching Chair by The Cat's Whiskers Design Studio. Both of these designs are stitched with Dinky-Dyes silks, so I'm very excited to get them started. Of course, I'm probaby going to change the colors for A Stitcher's Companion to purple it up, but I haven't made any decisions on that yet. I'll let you know when I do!

From TSP I stopped by Chic-Fil-A and got a kid's meal with chicken nuggets and waffle fries. Something didn't agree with me so I only ate three of the nuggets and not even half the fries. I think it was the sweet tea, but I'm not sure. I fed the leftover nuggets to Kasey when I got home. The fries got tossed with the rest of my trash at the restaurant.

CFA wasn't far from where Heirloom Stitchers meets, so I went there. I was over an hour early and decided to get some books from the library and then chose a semi-soft chair back in the reference section to sit and read until it was time for the meeting.

Kathy Y was the only one there when I went over to the conference room, but Sharon soon joined us. About a half hour later Rosemary came in, too. It was only the four of us, which was disappointing. I guess some of the other ladies had other commitments tonight. On the bright side, though, Kathy brought her extra Ergo floor stand to give to me! I found these online last year and have been wanting one ever since! I never thought I'd get one! She even had the accessory arm to hold my chart and sort my floss! Thank you, Kathy!!

I stopped at a wonderful Chinese restaurant after the HS meeting was over. L'Rose Hunan in Odenton had impeccable service, delicious food, and followed the meal with a hot towel and fortune cookie served with a small scoop of sherbet. I had the Happy Family, which was shrimp, scallops, beef, and chicken with mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and broccoli in a white sauce. I especially enjoyed the hot tea. It had a very nice flavor. This is definitely a restaurant I will visit again!

I was really hoping to have Eight Pointed Stars completed tonight but that just didn't happen. I hardly got any stitching done at our meeting. We spent alot of time discussing the EGA stash swaps and chart series that we did and didn't like, then went into a discussion on the disappointing LizzieKate ornament in the JCS ornie issue, among many other topics. We were a very chatty bunch tonight. When I returned home I set up the floor stand and completed squaring off the small stars, so this is as far as I got before the stroke of midnight.

A Dazzling Surprise from Wawanna!

A couple weeks ago I got an offer I couldn't believe. Wawanna of Dazzling Ornaments offered to send me one of her exquisite laying tools. She asked me to let her know which one I liked. I couldn't choose just one, so I told her to "surprise me." And OH! Did she ever!

Today the package arrived and inside I found this! I had told Uncle Wes of Wawanna's generous offer and he was standing by as I pulled the beribboned box from the mailer.

The note inside the card Wawanna included brought tears to my eyes. She said:

"I could not send you just a Laying tool. You have been so much on my mind and in my prayers. Your courage and your wonderful attitude through all your trials are an inspiration to me. May the Lord bless & keep you and give you great strength and wisdom. I wanted you to have a full set! Hope you will enjoy using it as much as I did in creating it especially for you. I tried to put most of the colors in that you like. Each bead represents a prayer for you!"

The card was from Wawanna, DH, and their furbabies. I think of myself as "just me" and plug along as my health allows. To see such heartfelt and encouraging words from a new friend really touches me deeply. Part of me feels unworthy and the other part very proud. I cannot thank you enough, as your words mean so much to me.

I was absolutely blown away when I opened this beautiful package to find inside a COMPLETE SET of Wawanna's Dazzling Ornaments! At the top is the beautiful violet laying tool with a porcelain bead at the head. Below the laying tool are two gorgeous marking pins. Next is Wawanna's Scissor Friendly Fob. Instead of a lobster claw that wears the scissor handle, she's attached a loop at the end of the fob. Wawanna created this beautiful Chatelaine for all my goodies. Last, but not least, is the Little Helper. The wire earring is to attach the LH to your canvas or linen and therefore be at your fingertips whenever you need it. It has a magnet, two thread pullers, and "a tapestry needle which can serve as a counter, a picker, or perform other necessary tasks" according to Wawanna's description.

I will treasure these gifts always and think of you each and every time I use them! If they ever leave the box! I'm so afraid I'm going to break something, Wawanna! I'm using the laying tool for Eight Pointed Stars and the Little Helper is attached to my canvas right now. As soon as I'm done with them, though, they're going back in the box to prevent anything bad from happening to them. I refuse to toss them into my crammed-full stitching accessory bag!

If you haven't visited Dazzling Ornaments, her Dazzling Ornaments blog, or her needlework blog, please do so! Her creations are exquisite! I will add these to the sidebar of my blog so that you can visit whenever the mood arises.