20 lashes with wet floss

I know it's been weeks since I updated you on what's going on around here, so here goes...

First, THANK YOU to everyone for your support and encouragement as I took the gigantic step into higher education. I'd like to let you know all the hard work (and ignoring stitching, my blog, television, Facebook, and email) is paying off! I have received grades of 93.3%, 100%, and 100% respectively on my first three math quizzes. I'm allowed to take the first test either Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday next week and I'll let you know how that goes, too.

As for happenings around here, there isn't a whole lot to tell. Daisy came for a 4-day stay last week and was much better-behaved than last time. She didn't de-squeaky-fy any of Kasey's old toys, nor did she have any accidents in the house. She was a very good girl and spent most of her time sleeping.

I have to say that my semester has a much more relaxed feel to it than it would have had with all the pressure from the English class I originally registered for. My Grammar class is nice because there are only twelve of us, and five are English teachers renewing their certifications. I really enjoy the discussions we have. That being said, I spend about twelve to sixteen hours a week on my math class. Because we only have half the class time of a typical class, the onus is on us, the students, to do alot of the work at home, online. Now I know that I will be trying to take as many classes on campus as I possibly can! Distance learning is great, in theory, but I don't think I will get as much out of it as I would attending in person. I certainly won't take more than one online/hybrid class at a time, that's for sure.

And, yes, you read correctly; you weren't hallucinating. I said I've been ignoring stitching. I haven't stitched at home since August 18th and I'm still working on Blue Bayou by Northern Pine Designs. Forgive me for not posting a picture, but I'm writing this on my school laptop and don't have Kodak Easyshare loaded on this machine. I've been trying to go to the Barnes & Noble and Borders stitching groups, but school takes first priority.

I was talking to Carol B-C tonight and told her I know I'm entirely immersed in "school mode" because I don't think about stitching. In fact, when she and I got together Saturday night at Starbucks "to stitch" I worked on my Grammar notes while she stitched on Kind, Fond Love. Okay! It's official! I'm a nerd and a dork!

In case you're not linked to me on Facebook, I'll explain the "dork" comment. My youngest brother, Ben, uses three computers at a time. I told Mom "If I ever need three computers running at once, shoot me!" I call it "Dork Mode" because Ben is our resident computer dork. He lives online, even worse than I used to. He uses his desktop computer to run the game he's (getting paid for) working on, one laptop for IRC (technical, computer dork, chat), and one laptop for AIM chat. Why he doesn't download Trillian or another program that combines all the messengers (like *I* did), I'll never know. Whenever I have both my school and "play" laptop running at the same time, I say I'm in "Dork Mode."

Kasey's been doing great on campus and is somewhat of a celebrity. I was walking through the library last week and someone passed by, looked back, and said to the person beside them, "That must be Kasey." I thought it was very funny. I'm at a complete disadvantage, though, because people can tell right away who I am but I have no idea who they are.

Speaking of Miss Celebrity, I picked up a school newspaper at the activities fair this morning. Guess whose picture (ID Card) was smack-dab at the top of Page 3 in the article on the new, plastic (formerly paper) school ID cards? Unfortunately, no one contacted me to ask the back-story to her ID, so I'm sure people are wondering why there's a dog on an AACC student ID card. I know the article was about the school's new ID cards and they probably decided that they couldn't get in trouble for showing a dog's ID card (you know all those privacy laws), but a caption saying Kasey is the first student service dog on campus at AACC would have been explanation enough.

All that aside, I'm doing well, although I still have this &*%$ catheter in my chest. The surgeon's office called me last week to tell me the graft is on order but they don't have it yet. Until then, I'm stuck with this &*%$ catheter. I hate it!

Until next time...and I'm not saying when that will be...Ya'll take care and be safe!

Love,
Beth

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.

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

March 29, 2009

Well, here I am. Two days in a row! I'm getting back into the swing of things blogging- and stitching-wise. I spent the majority of the day working on Purple Passion Butterfly by Northern Pine Designs. All that's left are two Jessica stitches and the couching of the antennae.

I wish this picture could show you the textures of the different stitches. It is much prettier in person. I contemplated finishing this into the necklace like the model, but I think I would rather like to see it framed.

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.

December 16-17, 2008

Tuesday was just a "blah" day for me. I didn't feel well so just slept and watched television. Just to show how rotten I felt, I opened this from Amy for Day 16 of the CSE Advent Exchange and didn't even open it yet! They're my favorites...and Kasey loves them, too. Chet just turns his nose up at them but that leaves more for Kay and me!

I also received this package of goodies from Kathy C on Monday. She included Moose Lemonade (No, Glenda, it's MINE!), Bellagio hot chocolate mixes, an angel ornie, maple candy, and two charts: Dear Santa It's Me Again by Sue Hillis and Mother's Day envelope by Lynne Nicoletti. Thank you so much K! I loved the Mad Maxine card, too!

Today was a dialysis day and I actually stitched again! I've only stitched twice in the last two and a half weeks but today I decided to work on another needlepoint project by Northern Pine Designs. This is the Purple Passion Butterfly kit I bought for $3 at the EGA stash swap in November.

Since I didn't stitch at home, and haven't since November, I don't think I can consider the slump over. I tried to stitch when I got home, but it just didn't happen. When I saw my Day 17 gift from Amy I thought it inspired me. Instead, I read the news online and watched the Muppets-Letters to Santa and Home for the Holidays. Story of my slump! lol That's how it works when I'm not in a stitching mood; everything distracts me. I honestly thought I'd start stitching but only got so far as getting the Jobelan out of my stash cabinet. I took a second picture later when I opened the kit so you can see everything better.

Once again, Amy spoiled me! Today's gift was a limited edition kit by Dinky Dyes & The Cat's Whiskers Design Studio,
'Love Laugh Survive & Thrive' scissors slide and the 'Pink Snips' by Kelmscott Designs. Included in the kit were the Dinky Dyes silk ribbon and limited edition 'Hope' silk floss and a specially chosen bead from Goody Beads.

November 20, 2008

First off, it is official: Ebb Tide is completed! I put the last bead on just before 6:00am, and I mean JUST! Then I looked at it around 6:30 and saw that the five beads inside the metallic Jessicas faced the opposite direction from all the others so I had to take them out and re-do them. It was going to bug me too much if I didn't. I know it sounds like I had alot to do if I was finishing up ET at 6am, but I didn't get started on my stitching until after 3:30. I was watching DVR recordings and got caught up in that, rather than stitching as I watched.

Ebb Tide, by Northern Pine Designs, is my 44th stitching finish of 2008. I have 42 cross stitch finishes, two needlepoint finishes (my only two ever), and eight sewing finishes this year, for a total of (drum roll, please) 52 completions for 2008!

Amy Miller is my partner for the Chatty Stitching Exchangers' Advent Exchange this year. The box arrived today and my jaw hit the ground. It was HUGE! This is what was in it!
Amy told me that there was a card in the box that I needed to open immediately and something for "before." This is what I found. It's the 2008 JCS Christmas Ornament Issue. I've already found a couple specialty stitch ornies that are calling my name. I will probably pull the fabric and fibers for at least one of them late tonight (as in after midnight, so you have to wait til tomorrow's update to see what I choose). I got a couple peeks because things had slipped out of their bags, so I know that Amy really did her homework on me. Unfortunately the Yankee Candle is broken so we are working on getting a refund for it and having it replaced. Amy, you absolutely humble me with these wonderful packages. I can't wait to open them all!

Amy told me there were cookies in the tin, which is Package #1, so I was allowed to open that up today, too. She said that the cookies were probably stale, but I took a bite of a broken one and it was delicious! I'm not sure exactly what's in Oatmeal Scotchies, but I thought it was great! I'm not really big into chocolate and sweet stuff so these are perfect! Thank you, Amy!

I have to wait until December 2nd to open any more packages. There is one for each day in December, up to and including Christmas Day. There is an envelope for that day, so I'm really curious to see what Amy has come up with for my "big gift."

I didn't do any stitching after waking up. I just can't decide what I want to work on. I pulled out the Purple Passion Butterfly by Northern Pine Designs and A Stitcher's Companion by Enchanting Lair once again, but I didn't touch either of them after that. I spent the afternoon watching DVR recordings, taking pictures, and looking at the ornie issue. I just wasn't motivated to do much today. Maybe it's still a carry-over of my fluid retention yesterday.

November 19, 2008

I was able to make my way through a few more steps in Ebb Tide before I went to sleep this morning. The Scotch variation stitches were a major PITA, but I persevered and they are done. I also completed the row of bargello, the fan stitches, the metallic Jessicas, the cross stitches and double cross stitches, and the large crescent in the corner. I completed more than half of the bargello border (green) on the bottom before I went to sleep.

I woke up feeling groggy and the feeling just wouldn't leave me. When I got to dialysis I realized I'd gained a kilogram (2.2 lbs) in fluid since the end of Monday's treatment so that was lending to my grogginess. By the end of my treatment where I drank almost a half gallon of iced tea I'd gained another kilo. Uncle Wes said he could tell just by looking at me when I got home that I wasn't feeling well. It took a few hours, but I'm finally feeling better. The puffiness and lethargy have left.

I sat in my chair for a while and then decided to try to work on Ebb Tide again. I got almost to the end of the bottom border when I realized something wasn't right, and my first mistake was all the way back at the beginning. I had to frog the entire thing and re-stitch it all. But it's done now, as is the left side! Now I just have two more steps and I can call this one complete!

November 18, 2008

I seem to be in a major nocturnal stitching mode lately. This is my progress on Ebb Tide from Midnight to 6:15am. I was able to complete the Bargello waves, fan stitches, large square Jessica, Rhodes stitches in Caron's Rachel, Half-rhodes, small crescents, and most of the small square Jessicas.

Okay, here's some more chart/stitch guide gripes:

1) The diagram to complete the large square Jessica was facing the wrong way. I'm pretty good at working around something like that, but I know lots of stitchers need a diagram and that diagram needs to be exactly as they are supposed to stitch it. Would it have taken that long to flip it over and change the numbering? Seems lazy to me.

2) In Step 10, the small crescents, the model isn't stitched per the directions. Instead of using the Bahama Blue metallic, Peacock was used. There is no mention of this. I chose to stitch it like the model so I switched it, but a model should be stitched per the instructions, at least in my mind. Stitching variations are for a designer's gallery, not the cover of their stitch guide.

3) The bargello border is supposed to be stitched all the way around the outside of the blue border I've already stitched. However the chart only has it going across the bottom and half way up the side. Again, seems lazy to me. Even if the pattern repeats, how much longer would it take to draw a few dozen straight lines? When I buy "A Charted Canvaswork Design" (as printed on the front of the chart in bright letters) I want a full chart.

Any opinions on this? Is this standard for needlepoint charts not to be fully charted? I've only ever done one other needlepoint project and it was by this same designer, so I don't know. Is it also common for the stitch diagrams to face the opposite direction of the way it's supposed to be stitched? Am I too picky, or are these legitimate gripes?

After sleeping most of the day, running some errands, and cooking something at 6pm for my first meal of the day, I went back to working on Ebb Tide. I haven't gotten very far since this morning because it was late when I started. I was able to complete the small square Jessicas, the Jessicas (in purple) and began the Scotch variations in Caron's Rachel. These are very slow-going and I will be happy to get them behind me!

I let Kasey outside earlier and she had me in stitches. She'd already been out for her evening walk with Uncle Wes and I'd let her out after that but she insisted on going outside again. I looked out the kitchen window after she ran out of the carport and saw her throw herself down onto her side in the leaves. She was rolling around like a little kid. Then she got up, shook the extra leaves off herself and dove, shoulder-first into a patch of high grass full of leaves. she rolled around in that for a couple minutes and then went over to her "spot" in front of the carport door and just sat to watch her surroundings. When she finally barked for me to let her in she was brimming with leaf and grass particles. She even had two bramble twigs tangled into her leg feathering. She was a mess! And she was so proud of herself! It took me about five minutes to brush all the leaves out of her but at least she had fun playing outside!

November 17, 2008

Today at dialysis was miserable. The temperature of my machine was on the wrong setting so it cooled my blood before returning it to me, causing me to freeze my patooty off the entire treatment! I tried reading, but my arm and hand were too cold, so I spent the whole time huddled under every blanket I had with me wearing two pairs of fuzzy socks and I still couldn't get warm. They finally fixed the temp after the dozenth time I said I was cold, but it was too late. Nothing would get me warm, not even a hot pack at the small of my back made a difference.

Once home, I tried hot tea, turning the thermostat up to 74F, putting a Thermacare wrap on, and wearing my knitted wrap around my shoulders. I was still cold! Finally, I turned the tap on in the bathtub, turned my hairdryer on for extra heat (it's a small bathroom, so it really works), and soaked in water that would scald most people. After thirty minutes I was sweating, so I knew I'd heated myself up enough. The soak in hot water was the only thing that worked to get me warm. Now I know something else I have to check before I let them put my needles in. A wrong temperature setting will never happen to me again, I can assure you!

On the stitching front, I stayed up all night and worked on Ebb Tide. The Rhodes stitches don't look like much, but they are very time-consuming! I was able to complete all of the large rectangles and squares and the border. Unfortunately the bottom border was off by one row, so I had to frog that part and re-do it. I also completed the metallic crescents above the Rhodes stitches. They were very easy. That was about as far as I got before I went to sleep. I started on the bargello (green) waves after I got home and got warm.

November 16, 2008

Today was a nice, quiet, peaceful day. I spent most of it watching recordings from my DVR and chatting with Debi. She and her family are in Anaheim, California, only two miles from the fireline so I have been on pins and needles waiting to hear whether or not they have to evacuate. Please keep all those affected and those still in danger in your prayers. I can't imagine what they're going through.

I re-upholstered the cushions of the rocking chair/sewing kit I bought yesterday. I used some thin quilt batting and bamboo pillow stuffing to create the cushions. I also decided to use Tacky Glue rather than lacing the fabric onto the cardboard backing. It was much quicker. I chose not to re-use the upholstry tacks that were originally holding the cushions onto the chair. They were a pretty tight fit and don't move unless you pull on them, so I'm leaving it as is.

I got a little bored doing the Rhodes stitches in Ebb Tide so I started on the border that goes around the left side and bottom of the design. I'm still worn out after yesterday so I didn't get much done.

I also worked on taking pictures of items I will adding to my trade album. I haven't posted them yet, but I will try to get that done by the end of the week. Taking the pictures was as much as I could do today.

November 15, 2008-Stitching and Life in General

I wasn't able to find any time to stitch after I woke up so this picture reflects the little bit of work I completed on Ebb Tide between Midnight and 5:00am. As you can see when comparing today's picture to yesterday's, I had to frog the Rhodes Stitch in the upper left. I lined it up incorrectly with the left corner of the square rather than the other rectangle.

I was a little upset with the stitch diagram for the rectangles, though. You'll notice that the "wave" of all my Rhodes Stitches move in the same direction. If I'd followed the stitch diagram the rectangles' waves would face the other direction. I'm glad I noticed it, but I still had to frog and move my starting point to get them all facking the same way. The model on the front of the leaflet has all the Rhodes facing the same direction, so I'm disappointed that the stitch diagram wasn't corrected.

I was introduced to a new fiber tonight. The two small squares are done with Caron's Rachel. It's a 1/2" wide tube of tulle, is the best way I can describe it. The wave of these small squares faces the same way as the larger ones, so why would the rectangles' diagram have it going the other way?

I'm going to make a separate post about today's stash swap, so stay tuned!

I was home for a few hours going through email and taking pictures when I finally got tired enough to go back to sleep. I only got three hours of sleep this morning so I'm surprised I lasted until after 6pm. I woke just after 9pm and went back to reading email and watching recordings on my DVR.

I hope everyone had a happy Saturday!

November 14, 2008

After waffling about what project to start next and doing a floss toss for A Stitcher's Companion by Enchanting Lair, I opted to start Ebb Tide by Northern Pine Designs. I stitched on ET from about 2am to 6am and this is my progress so far. This is Leah's Overdyed floss, a new fiber for me. The canvas is 18ct Leventeen Blue. As you can see, I have my Little Helper stuck to one of the pins so it's in easy reach. These Rhodes Stitches are easy to do once you get them counted out, but each rectangle has 84 steps to it!

I was going to backstitch the page outlines for ASC, but ran into a problem with the floss colors. Tell me what you think...

Here's the Platinum linen:

Here's the Purple Horizon Lugana:I purchased two pieces of Platinum linen for this chart on Tuesday. It says you can fit everything on an 18x27 piece of 28ct, but there are hardly any margins and it has to be exactly as they have it laid out. I bought an extra piece of 13.5x18 so that I would have more room for excess. I only have the one piece of Purple Horizon and it is only 26.5 inches long so I have even less area for margins. I've ordered another piece of the PH and am keeping my fingers crossed that it matches the piece I already have. I had a frequent buyer credit with Karen at Wasatch Needlecraft, so I used that to purchase the fabric.

So did I make the right choice? I just don't think the Mother of Pearl (far left in top picture) works with the Platinum linen. It looks really good on the Purple Horizon, though. Since the chart is designed for Dinky Dyes silks, I want to stitch it using them. I prefer to use stuff that's already in my stash, though. With the holidays coming I am trying not to buy stash unless I need it and don't have a substitute.

I'm still working on kitting up my Just Nan charts with the Soie d' Alger I need, but I have a long way to go! I have all the colors listed on the sidebar of my trade blog, so if you have any and would like to trade, please let me know! I will be adding more items to my trade blog in the coming week. I have many more items than just the charts, kits, and fabric listed! Keep an eye out!

For the second "night" in a row I slept til after noon! I'm getting back on my schedule at last. Today was a dialysis day, so I had to get dressed and get going. Uncle Wes came in from his walk with Kasey last night and said "I hate to tell you this, but your truck window is down two inches." He took me keys went out to put it up for me. It was miserable yesterday, so I expected to find a puddle of water in my rubber floor mat. Just some drips. My seat wasn't even wet but I put a towel over it any way, just in case. The door panel and the carpen by the door sill seem to have taken the brunt of the wetness. All I can figure is that the oak tree stopped most of the rain from getting in directly and what came in rolled off the roof. Thank Goodness for small favors!

Treatment went fine, but it was freezing cold in there again so I was huddled under my fleece blanket instead of stitching. I told the director, and I wasn't kidding, that I refuse to sit there and freeze my butt off. I WILL ask to be taken off the machine and go home if they don't stop playing with the thermostat! It is incomprehensible to me how someone can turn on the air conditioning in November, for crying out loud! My tech finally went and changed the thermostat; it was 66 degrees! I'm sorry to rant, but the temperature of the treatment area is a constant problem. Us patients are always cold because the vents are directly above our chairs. The techs who are doing all the walking around don't have vents blowing on them so they keep it colder and we freeze!

After leaving the freezer, which warmed up once Faye turned the heat up to 85, I went to the bank to get some change for tomorrow's EGA Stash Swap/Sale. I sat down when I got home and sorted all the charts and kits so they're in some sembance of order for people to browse. I have everything in small plastic tubs inside five rolling totes so they're easy to transport.

I have to be in Columbia at 10am, so it will be a morning for me! UGH! Just when I was getting back to my regular schedule, I have to see moring again! The up side is that I'll be able to look for more great stash deals! Wish me luck! I'm hoping there are more cross stitchers there than there were at the main meeting on the 3rd, and I can actually sell some charts!

November 13, 2008

It was raining when I woke up and already past 2pm so I decided not to go to the stitcher's gathering at Barnes & Noble. I don't know what it is with people around here, but their minds drop to their posteriors when the roads are wet and I just didn't feel like dealing with them today.

I stayed up til 6 this morning and completed all of the remaining black background in Eight Pointed Stars. Uncle Wes laughed at me because when I let Kasey out he heard me say "Hurry up and go potty so I can go to bed. I'm tired." Why the laughter? Well, he WAS just getting ready to leave for work, yanno! I think that's why our living arrangement works so well; I go to bed as he leaves for work and he goes to sleep shortly after I get home from dialysis.

I was determined to complete Eight Pointed Stars today! All I had to do was the outer border, but it took me almost until midnight. I put the last stitch in at 11:28pm. I decided to use the Needle Necessities color that I'd used for one of the small stars, 1481. I know I let the "purple-y-ness" explode in this piece, but I'm very happy with it. It looks completely different from the chart, that's for sure!

Eight Pointed Stars by Northern Pine designs is my 43rd stitching finish and my 51st finish of the year. I've now tied my total from 2007!

There was a Piper Kitty sighting! I know I mention her now and then, but until two days ago I didn't have a single picture of my rescue Himalayan, Piper. She was abused by the children in her old home and doesn't like dogs so she stays in the basement in Uncle Wes's den. She's gotten better in the five years she's lived with us, but she will still bite if you try to pick her up or if you pet her on her belly. So for those who have joked that I've been making her up, here she is!

In today's mail I received the PIF I won from Meari! She made me this scissor fob. The star has designs on it that look like styalized embroidery scissors. Thank you, Meari!!

I will be making a post for my own PIF later this weekend, so get ready to sign up! I'll explain the rules when I make the post.

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.

November 10, 2008

Well, I pulled another all-nighter and completed the medium stars. I finally called it quits when I used the wrong color for one of the small stars. I was able to complete the small stars at dialysis and square off the top one. Now I just have to finish squaring off the rest of them and fill in the black background. Once all that is done I will decide what Needle Necessities color to use for the outer border. With everything being varigated and having to use four plys, the NN is the only floss that has sufficient amounts remaining to complete the entire border.

Hopefully I'll have a finish tomorrow but I won't be online much because I'm expecting to run some errands, go to The Stitching Post to pick up my Ebb Tide kit, and I have the Heirloom Stitchers' meeting tomorrow night until 8:30. It'll be nice to get together with other stitchers to compare progress and see their work.

When I got home from dialysis I found a couple packages of goodies had arrived. The mailman has been very good to me lately! So here's what arrived:

First, I found my October Consolation Prize for the Chatty Stitching Exchangers' NASCAR Game. Glenda sent me ten skeins of DMC in Blanc, Ecru, 154, 158, 163, 166, 371, 471, 554, and 562.

I also found my trade from Frishawn. I sent her two Vermillion Stitchery charts and she sent me these gorgeous fabbies. As a surprise, she included skeins of Dinky-Dyes silks in Mother of Pearl, Gum Leaves, Jacobs Ladder, and Ningaloo. Thank you for the RAK, Frishawn. DD silks are my favorite fiber to stitch with!

I took this picture tonight when I looked over and saw Kasey sleeping. She's been driving us bonkers all day. I don't know if it's the change in the weather or what, but she's been jumping around and being obnoxious. Last night she even got into the trash bag by my recliner and shredded the tissues and trash inside. For that, she did get a tap on the nose. It's the fourth time in two weeks she's done it and it's getting old. The minute she got in from her evening walk with Uncle Wes she was woofing at me like she needed to go out.

Cherie reminded me that it's for times like these that I have Peace & Calming oil. I put a drop on each of her front feet and then let her outside. She went to her spot outside the carport door and laid down to watch the goings on around her. She spent about an hour outside and then came in to sleep on her couch. That's when I took the picture.

November 9, 2008

I thought I was going to go to sleep early tonight but that just didn't happen! When I hit the power button on the remote to turn off the cable box and the television, it turned on my iHome and my iPod started playing. I didn't feel like getting up to turn it off and the music was very soothing, so I just left it on.

Around 1am I decided to go soak in the bathtub and then go to bed. Well I soaked for about an hour, but the going to bed afterwards didn't come about. Instead, I came back out to the livingroom and stitched the night away. I listened to the soundtracks of Showboat, South Pacific, and Ken Burns' The West. The time seemed to just slip by and before I knew it the sun was up and Uncle Wes was awake. I still kept on stitching, though

The wall of exhaustion struck around 8:30 this morning so I finally went to bed and slept til 4pm. Chet and Kasey slept right along with me, except Kasey went outside with Uncle Wes for a while. She loves rolling in the leaves and chasing the birds and squirrels away from the feeders. That literally puts a smile on her face.

Once I was awake enough and had gotten something to eat, I went back to work on Eight Pointed Stars. I just can't believe how much faster I can stitch with the laying tool Wawanna sent me! It's so much easier to get the strands of floss to lay parallel, too! That, combined with the fact that I eliminated the rest of the Eyelet stitches in favor of Rhodes Squares, allowed me to get the entire left side filled in today. The only thing left on this side is the colored border but I'm saving that for last. I haven't decided what floss I'm going to use for that yet.

November 8, 2008

Here is the entire colorway! The stars will repeat going counter-clockwise on the other side of the center star.

The light purple small star at the top is Grape Jelly by Six Strand Sweets. The next is Needle Necessities 1481. Then I used Weeks Dye Works' Peoria Purple. The small star at the bottom is Needle Necessities 176. That's all the purple-y-ness I've used so now you can imagine how it will look when completed.

I also started filling in the blank areas in the medium stars. I've used DMC 4030 and I think it really helps set off the stars. I almost changed my mind last night when I saw the green in the floss, but I really liked the look once I got it in.

I'm having alot of fun with this design. Picking out the colors was a little nerve-wracking, but the result is worth it! I've decided to make another change in the design but this one won't be as noticeable. Instead of using eyelet stitches throughout the background in varous areas, I'm going to do Rhodes Squares. The eyelet stitches I've done so far took alot of effort to get the needle in the center hole after 15+ stitches, not to mention the 32nd one! The Rhodes Squares are the same size and I don't have to try to get two strands of floss into the same hole dozens of times.

November 7, 2008

Around midnight, I took all my overdyes, silks, and metallics and spread everything out on a white piece of cloth at the dining room table. I spent hours looking at different combinations and finally came up with what you see to the left.

Let the PURPLE-Y-NESS commence!

At the top is Dragon Floss by Polstitches' #17 Friendship with Kreinik #8 braid 9294. Moving counter-clockwise is Berry Twist by Six Strand Sweets and Kreinik 9400. Next is Royal Purple by GAST and Rainbow Galleries' Nordic Gold. Finally, I used Six Strand Sweets' Witches Brew and Kreinik 023. The stars repeat, continuing counter-clockwise on the right side of the center stars. The blank spaces inside the stars will be filled in with DMC 4030, a varigated turquoise.

I also chose the 4 colors for the ring of small stars that surrounds the medium ones, but you'll have to wait and see what I've come up with until I stitch them.

I know I used alot of different fiber manufacturers, but keep in mind that I only used what was already in my stash. I'm not allowing myself to go out and purchase anything to complete this design. It was emtirely coincidence that I had floss to exactly match these metallics. It's very suprising when you consider the fact that I used three of the metallics from the original kit but changed all the other fibers.

I've gotten comments from more than one person that said they didn't like this chart when they saw it, or if they had seen it in a shop they would have walked right past it. I hope my version shows you that you can choose a color and run with it! The only thing I would change in my version is the canvas itself. I'd definitely stitch this on a black or purple if I was kitting it up from scratch.