Eye of the Needle

WIP 15: Snowy Saint Nick, and a Finish!

2012-02-04T17:14:00.011-05:00

Greetings! I finished something today, and I'm a bit stiff and sore from sitting so long on my butt to do so. Also, I lost the light as I stitched--it's a gloomy day out--so this photo doesn't truly represent the fabric color, which is more green than this shows. But I'm done! It's No. 288, "Dickens' Mittens-The Last Word" by the Cricket Collection. I stitched it with DMC over 32 count (two strands over two threads) Lakeside in Pear. I changed a couple of things: instead of 3865, winter white DMC, I used B5200, the super white. I like the white to really pop. I substituted Bayberry GAST on the words (instead of using 3768) because I think the variegation made it more interesting. Otherwise, I mostly stuck with the recommended fibers, including the bronze Kreinik #4 braid. I did not stitch "Scrooge" on the sign on the building, as it wouldn't lie flat and it looked dumb. I put it in and took it out twice.

I started in January 2009 and ended today, February 4, 2012. Only three years--practically a snap of the finger in my stitching world.

Here's a closeup of the little wreath with its red french knots.

I love Christmas designs, and I am working on several. Here's one: Snowy St. Nick by Dimensions. I'm stitching it on 34 count white Legacy linen using the called for DMC and Kreinik Floss. I stuck close to the recommended fabric count because there's some beading, and I don't want the beads to be out of whack scale-wise.

Here's the chart photo. I love elaborate Santas and would think about leaving him up all year. Although I stitch primarily repro samplers, I do enjoy projects like this. I've got more than one Santa in the pipeline.

I went upstairs for some supplies and happened to look down from the catwalk to see that someone's head was sticking out of the blue bag that I use to store my DMC baggies.

Chester's having a nice colorful snooze.

See you soon with another WIP. Tomorrow I work at the shop for the Superbowl Sale--come visit!

WIP 14: "Nuttin' Else" aka Cotton Kills*

2012-02-03T17:42:00.006-05:00

* But only if you're wearing wet hiking clothes that are cotton instead of wool and you die of hypothermia. Although my HAED project, which I'm stitching in 87 colors of DMC, may yet kill me.

Happy Friday! This is not the HAED project, but it's a similar idea. Lots of colors of DMC, lots of confetti stitches, and an amazingly lifelike picture is emerging. It's tiny--about two inches by two inches when complete. It's "Nuttin' Else" by Blackberry Lane Designs, the same designer who created the rose and rosebud projects that I finished into Christmas ornaments. I will probably finish this guy as an ornament also, or perhaps a cupboard hanger. I'm stitchin him with one strand of floss over two on 45 count Legacy Linen in ivory. Using 45 count slows me down, because I'm forced to stab the needle instead of scoop--it's woven more tightly. It's a nice break from Sarah McPhail though!

Here's the cover of the design. I started it a few years ago and set it aside because I kept losing my place among all the confetti stitches. I hate having to search the chart to see where I left off and not being able to figure it out easily, but that's just a matter of impatience. I use a highlighter, which helps a little.

Peaches: "I am not the HAED project either but I am amazingly lifelike."

Bye! See you soon with another WIP.

WIP 13: Catharine Metcalf--Two-Fisted Stitcher

2012-01-31T15:52:00.008-05:00

Happy Tuesday! I've been tearing along on my various WIPs, and I wanted to show you one today that I haven't stitched on for a while (that will be remedied, since I will give it a little attention after this post). It's Catharine Metcalf 1836, by The Scarlet Letter. I'm stitching it on 40 count Lakeside in Lentil or Navy Bean from the looks of it (I'm too lazy to check back on the original post), using the called-for AVAS fibers.

Of course, since there's a deadline on Sarah Hatton McPhail, all I want to do is stitch other things.

Here's Sarah Hatton--I got tired of the top left corner, so now I'm working on the bottom right.

And I stitched for a while yesterday on Dorothy Walpole, also a Scarlet Letter piece. I made it to the right-hand side.

Here's little Elvis, as I was readying him for the journey to Bunny Camp. He wasn't happy, as you can probably tell (none of them much like to be picked up and hauled around).

Elvis: "No shoes, no shirt, but I still get service! Waaaaa!!!!"

Tomorrow's stitch night at In Stitches! See you again soon!

Whispers and Howls and Jump for Joy

2012-01-29T13:56:00.011-05:00

Sunday greetings! It's nice to be home again in Virginia, although the Cape has an undeniable charm. I've settled in with my stitching and am busy working on Sarah Hatton McPhail again. Here's the section I've been concentrating on. Those little cross-stitched-then-four-sided-stitched letters are time-consuming; you can't get much speed going on them. Beneath the border is a row of pink saw-tooth stitching (satin stitches in graduated lengths). The top alphabet is royal blue thread cross stitch with pink four-sided stitch, then there's the line of long-arm cross with stem stitching outlining it in gold and diagonal stitches in the same royal blue, and then the next alphabet is royal blue with gold four-sided stitch. I'm wanting to finish to get it done this year anyway, but if I am going to enter it in Woodlawn (which is happening this year in May), it has to be complete by March 4 in order for it to be framed in time for submission, so I have just 5 weeks to finish it up. And of course, everything else I want to work on is whispering or howling, as the case may be, from their respective mesh project bags. And I have lots of WIPs left to show you, although today I'll show you a little palate-cleanser of a new start.

Here's my new start for Independence Day (I love Independence Day designs and try to stitch one each year): Little House Needleworks' "Brave Hearts" stitched on 40 count Lakeside (Examplar?) from my stash using the suggested Belle Soie fibers. Love those fibers--I take the time to make the full crosses, one at a time, because I love the variegation in it.

This chart came out in 2007; I saw it stitched by someone over one and decided I needed to stitch it also, although I'm doing it over two.

I picked the bunnies up on the way home on Friday, and they were having such a good time at the wonderful Bunny-Lu bunsitting service, that they could have cared less that I had arrived. Or so I thought. When I put them back in their customary room, Pink binkied with happiness to be home. Boing! Boing!

Pink: I disapprove of sleepaway camp, but the salads were good.

See you in a few days with another WIP.

We're Alive, Alive, and We Are Fearless*

2012-01-25T19:00:00.020-05:00

This first picture is for Siobhan (it's the Delaware Memorial Bridge). Yesterday I headed to the Cape again, and it was a blessedly uneventful trip. I've done the trip enough to know what radio stations to tune in to as I drive: 104.5 around Phila., 89.9 around NY (a good hour of 1930s music by Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong and others); 95.5 around Providence; 93.1 around Boston. *The title of today's post is from Dala, two Canadian women singing "Alive" on 93.1 (WUMB--U Mass Boston). You can stream this station.

I needed to feel fearless: my dad and I headed into Boston today. I don't know Boston well, so even though I'm comfortable driving in and around cities, I wasn't so comfortable here. Actually, I don't know Boston AT ALL. While I grew up 70 miles from Boston, we seldom went there, except on the occasional class trip. then I moved away. Dad goes for an annual checkup at Brigham & Women's Hospital, and my mom always went with him, so I filled in this time, the main reason for the trip.

Everything turned out great: he's fine, Boston drivers were on their best behavior today (or they were worried about the erratic driving of the Virginia car), and we got out safely--and to Plymouth just in time for a trip to The Sampler and dinner.

I met the owner, Bonnie, who is as nice as can be. This is just one of the sampler walls. I wish I had taken even more photos, but I had left my dad in the car, and I didn't want to keep him waiting when he was hungry and tired from his day.

This is a Chessie & Me pattern called Liberty Mill Sampler--possibly out of print?

Another Chessie & Me: "Blessings of the Bees."

This is "My Friend." Although Bonnie told me who the designer is, I can't remember (must take notes!) Do any of you know who designed this?

This is the "Nancy Tucker Sampler" by Handwork Samplers. I snagged one of these--you'll be seeing this start soon. The letters and numbers are cross stitched, and the scene at the bottom is embroidered. The background is satin stitch. It's charted for NPI

Does anyone know who the designer of this might be? Or its name? [Edited to add: Thank you, Cindy!!!! It is indeed a Words of Praise design, which I was able to confirm on the net. Its name is, not surprisingly, "Nativity."] I rushed out before I thought to ask. I love it--it's so different. Thank you, Bonnie, for being so kind, and for having some beautiful models to drool over!

To my sister, meet your new little sister. Isn't she beeeyootiful? She says that Dad likes her better than he likes you and me. LOL!

There, that's better.

See you tomorrow with a new (smallish) start, but no fishing.

WIP 12: Miriam Chilvers and We Travel to the Bunny Spa

2012-01-23T15:51:00.019-05:00

Hi, again! Today's WIP is Miriam Chilvers 1833 by Samplers Remembered. I've been working on Miriam very slowly, partly due to the crush of all the other WIPs, but also because she's a tad boring. I want to finish her this year though, especially because of her very pretty, restful colors.

Here's a photo of the chart design. I'm saving the woman in the striped dress for last.

Yes, there really is a bunny spa! It's owned and run by Mary Ellen of Bunny Lu, a bunny care, education and adoption organization. Bunny-Lu is located in pretty Haymarket, where we journeyed yesterday with everyone in a carrier. This is the Haymarket museum.

This is the entrance to the bunny spa. Note the welcoming crowd of bunny statuary on the bench.

Check-in. Mary Ellen herself, checking in the new guests, and Maxine the welcome committee cat. I've been asked before: cats and bunnies get along very well and don't take much notice of each other. In fact, Maxine was probably smelling our cats on the carriers, since they do double duty taking the cats to their vet.

One of Mary Ellen's own rabbits. He's (she's?) a giant-size lop, as large as a springer spaniel. I believe he's possibly a french or English lop. Very impressive.

Some of Bunny-Lu's adoptable rabbits. I adored this lop and would have taken him home, if BF hadn't been saying quietly "no no no no no." The rabbit was totally engaging and so badly wanted to be hugged. I could tell! (Mary Ellen confirmed it.)

I liked this guy too.

Having a little timothy snack. Mary Ellen sells hay, for much less (and of a better quality) than the stuff from the pet store. We'll be buying her hay (by the pound) from now on.

Note the bunnies on the side of the SUV:

Which hauls this trailer to adoption events:

Doesn't this guy look like an exclamation point?

What fun our trip was to see Mary Ellen and all the adoptables, as well as the other cast of characters. I'm hoping that Pink, Elvis and Peaches are enjoying their stay. I think I'd like to stay there myself if I could quietly stitch and cuddle the rabbits.

See you in a few days!

WIP 11: Sous Le Soleil de la Lune and Pink Hears Something Disturbing

2012-01-22T09:54:00.008-05:00

Greetings, all! WIP 11 is something I've been working on for quite a while--although it's seen the inside of the project bag way more than it should, and I really need to get back to it. This is Reflets de Soie's "Sous le Soleil de la Lune," and I can't think why I haven't worked more on it (other than the parade of WIPs you've already seen). I'm stitching it on Lakeside Maritime White 40 count, using a combination of the recommended silks--it's charted for Gloriana, or alternatively, AVAS, and also DMC. I'm using mostly AVAS because frankly, I find the Gloriana a tad pricey, but I am using a few of the Glorianas that don't have a true conversion--very variegated threads like Gloriana's "Flowers of Italy," shown here.

Here's a shot of the chart cover.

You may remember that I remarked that one of the reasons I enjoyed stitching on Lois Minshall is because it was simple cross stitch without anything fancy or any over-one. Well, I was wrong--not the first time in my life, either! See the little over-one rosebud? Seems there are a number of such elements throughout the design. Oh well--I love her anyway.

What Pink heard (and hasn't shared with the other bunnies). I'm headed to the Cape again this week, so today the bunnies are going to the bunny spa to spend the week.

Pink: "Hello Muddah. Hello Faddah. We will go to. Camp Grenada."

Normally BF would keep them, but he has a blown-out knee, and the bunnies completely took advantage of him on my last trip: doot spraying, bowl flinging, and a bunny breakout or two.

See you tomorrow with another WIP!

WIP 10: Ann Dale 1827 (Plus Size)

2012-01-21T13:44:00.006-05:00

Today is drippy, rainy/icy and gray, so it's perfect for stitching on this bright, engaging sampler--"Ann Dale 1827: Big and Beautiful" by Shakespeare's Peddler. This doesn't count as a new start, because I put a day of stitching into it back in December, since I have zero impulse control when it comes to buying a new sampler, fabric and thread and bring it home without starting it immediately. If you are on the fence about stitching this up because of the size, go ahead and get it. While it is a bit larger surface-wise--yes, it does take a full half yard of fabric in 40 count--there is quite a bit of unfilled white space around the elements of the design. Only the very bottom third of the sampler with the swans, the hills, some birds, some trees, a couple of flower-filled urns and a large tree of life is really densely stitched. Take it from someone who just started an HAED design (more about that in another post), this really isn't that daunting. The border, unlike a lot of borders I'm working on for other samplers, is repetitive and small enough to commit to memory, so it's an easy stitch while watching tv or visiting with friends. I've made a couple of color changes to the threads, because as I said on the last post on this sampler, I don't care for the recommended Lakeside Pear. Too green for me, and when I did the floss toss, I liked the colors of the thread against the Picture This Plus Legacy instead. I did change of couple of colors of floss, because I thought they were too pale for the new fabric or the design needed a little spark of color. You can tell where I did so starting on the second strawberry from the top left. I'll leave the original color as is, without picking it out. It's a repro sampler, so color changes in the middle of things are part of the charm. Same thing on the dye lots. I don't buy all my threads at once. Some of the colors called for four or five skeins, and I'll get them as I go (of course my life is made simpler by working in and living near my LNS, so I can pick things up without planning ahead). The only time I care about dye lots is if I'm knitting a sweater--I don't want two different color sleeves. [Edited to add, after reading Margaret's and Stef's coments: I think there are some color issues in this sampler that beg to be adjusted or played with. Stef, changing from the 692 to 693 is a great idea. I changed to 843--it's greener, plus I didn't have 693 handy. Also I changed the stems of the plant to a pale green (AVAS) from what appeared to be almost a white, and instead of making the tips of the strawberries that same whiteish color, I'm using a pale pink from AVAS, 641. I also think that even on 40 count, AVAS has a better coverage.]

Here's the sampler in its entirety, although this is a photo of the original sampler, not the repro.

Pink thinks it's a good idea to pretend to lie in a green field, have a nap and dream of spring.

See you again soon!

Stitching, Stitching--WIP 9: Christinia Cathcart

2012-01-19T12:16:00.008-05:00

Hi, all! It's a chilly but sunny day in Virginia. No snow yet this winter, thank goodness.

I've done household chores and lots of stitching over the last few days. Here's some (but not all!) of it. This is Christinia Cathcart c. 1831, reproduced by The Samplar Workes. I've been working on it quite a while--probably one of the longest of my large samplers. My goal is to complete it this year--time to get it off the Q-snaps. I really enjoy it, and it's only the new girls, who seem to be more elaborate, that knock it to the back of the line. Christinia is charted for 35 linen using AVAS or DMC. I'm stitching her on 34 count Legacy Linen (I think) using AVAS.

Here's what she'll look like when finished. For me, the fun will be the house, the hills and the deer, so I am saving that part for last. I don't mind the letters and border, which compared to others I'm working on, go quickly.

And I'm still stitching away on Sarah Hatton McPhail. I'm working on the over-one letters of the "wrought by" line which goes from the left border to the right. I've also filled in some ground and have done back- and stem-stitching on the water and tree.

This is my late-evening sampler, Lois Minshall. No over-one, nothing fancy--just counting and stitching.

Headed out on some errands. The bunnies remind me to pick up more salad at the store.

See you soon!

WIP 8: Sarah Hatton McPhail

2012-01-15T12:24:00.006-05:00

Happy Sunday, all! It took me a little longer than I expected to return to blogging, since I've been busy, including having worked at the needlework shop yesterday afternoon. It's always fun to work there, although we did a brisk business, so there wasn't a lot of time to indulge in my favorite activity--shopping for my own stash (oh yeah, but I did find a couple of projects I intend to nab, including some oldies). Lots of people came in to look for the perfect project for this long, chilly weekend. Doesn't that sound perfect? A cup of tea, a warm spot in front of the fire, and the cross stitch/needlepoint/knitting project of your choice. That's my plan for today, although I'm trying to figure out what kind of low-cal nutritious dinner I can fix in under two minutes. Maybe a glass of water and a vitamin.

Here's a closeup of my progress on Sarah Hatton McPhail:

The thing about her is that she really is fairly small, although densely packed with stitching (and there's a ton of back-stitching on her as well that I'm starting to work on now so that it all doesn't fall at the end and derail the project). I think she calls for a special frame, and I wandered the shop examining frames and framing treatments yesterday. A customer had brought in a nice needlework project that was matted in the most beautiful pink linen and framed fairly simply with a chippy-paint wood frame. The linen mat set off the project just perfectly, and I decided that I'd love to mat Sarah with linen and then look for a beautiful wood frame. Normally I just have my needlework framed without a mat, but I'm hooked on this idea, although of course, it makes it more expensive. We'll see when she's done. I'll bring you along on the framing trip, of course!

Pink says he would like to point out that his blue hay box is the exact color of Sarah's water, and that while Peaches is taking up more than her share of the box, it is very cozy to snuggle on a cold Sunday morning with a bunny.

See you soon! I'm back to the needlework shop tomorrow morning to work a half day.

Johnny Meatballs

2012-01-12T20:45:00.002-05:00

Hi, Everyone! I made it home in one piece. I'll post the next WIP tomorrow, but I had to show you this truck, which I saw at a rest stop just south of Paramus, New Jersey.

"Sunday Gravy" is tomato sauce, by the way. I had been disappointed that I missed the exit in Connecticut that I've been meaning to take so that I can have lunch at Johnny Pastrami's--every time I go back and forth to the Cape I make a mental note to stop and then forget. Maybe it's better--the food could never live up to the name. The rest stops on the NJ Turnpike are a dreary series of Burger Kings. And the ones in CT are McDonalds. Blah. Generally I bring stuff to snack on, but aside from my jar of fluff and two unwieldy grapefruit, I didn't have anything to eat along with me--poor planning.

See you tomorrow!

Strawberry Fluffernutter

2012-01-11T16:37:00.011-05:00

Greetings, all! Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti Day in New England, which is also the home of the fluffernutter. I happened to notice at the local Shaw's where I shopped yesterday that Marshmallow Fluff now comes in strawberry and raspberry. Get ready for stitch night: I'm making Rice Krispie Treats with the strawberry fluff. Here you have the ingredients for the fluffernutter sandwich; all that's missing is the squishy white bread (preferably "Bunny Bread").

Speaking of strawberry fluff, here's a photo of the cutest bunny that I took at the MSPCA shelter today. We stopped by to see if there were any small adoptable dogs (there weren't). My dad took a fancy to a cat that he's considering, and while he was occupied in the cat room, I got into mischief with the bunnies. The white bunny (official name: Winter) was the most engaging little thing. He nibbled my fingers, he peered and peeked at me, and he did everything but print up a little sign asking to go home with me.

Here he is, snuggling with his mom, Sydney, but still looking at me. Tom, is now a good time to ask for another bun? Probably not. Elvis has been hell on wheels, and it hasn't helped that I have had to stay out of town extra long when my cold took a nasty turn. Antibiotics have me back on track though, so I'm heading home tomorrow. Dad, waving goodbye, gratefully: "Bye! Next time just push me down the stairs!"

Here's what I've been working on the last couple of days. More writing on Peaceful Paradise.

And a rosebud on Lois Minshall.

We went to the beach in Chatham today (the banner photo) and out to lunch for a seafood casserole. Then on to the shelter.

One last glimpse. I'd have to call him Fluffernutter of course.

See you in a couple of days with more WIPs and new starts--I'm on the road tomorrow.

WIP 7: Birth of Jesus

2012-01-09T20:11:00.008-05:00

Evening, all! I lost the light before I could post progress on one of the projects I restarted, but I did have this loaded. It's "Birth of Jesus" by the Stitching Parlor. I started it a long time ago, and I stopped working on it when I realized I should have stitched it on higher count fabric. The coverage (using NPI) is pretty good, but I'm not happy with Mary's sheer white dress. The Wisper is looking fuzzy on the sheep, though. What to do: maybe take unstitch Headless Mary and restitch with another color? It's a shame not to finish; I even know where all the tiny brass stars I purchased and the big star button are! I stitched on an unknown linen in color "natural."

For those interested in my fishing, I have not had a chance to fish off the bridge (and no one else was there either), which has a lot to do with the crisp wind and 30 degree temps and the fact that I have come down with a roaring cold that I have so generously provided to my 84 year old father. What a great and helpful guest I am--bubonic plague, anyone? But look what jumped straight out of the water, fileted and complete with lemon: scrod!

Tonight's close is in honor of Savannah, the lovely spotty rabbit owned by Rabbits' Guy and Bunny Lady of House of Rabbits. Savannah passed away at the age of 9, which is quite old for a rabbit. Here she's pictured visiting the law library in DC. We will miss Savannah and send condolences to her family and friends.

See you tomorrow.

New Start 2 and Longfellow

2012-01-08T11:11:00.008-05:00

Hi, everyone! I've been working feverishly on a new start. Actually, I posted a peek back before Christmas but didn't start seriously working on it until yesterday. It's a mother's sampler, which speaks to me, especially as I'm helping clean out closets and dispose of some of my mom's stuff. Mom left a large stash of yarn, but I'm packing up most of it for her sister, as I have enough projects going; I'm an okay knitter who really prefers to stitch even though I like to work on a sweater or scarf from time to time; and because my mother's choice of colors ran to reds and oranges and browns, while I prefer pink, yellow and blue. No doubt you can tell that from my choice of samplers. Here's some pink and blue now: Lois Minshall by Threads of Gold, which I'm stitching on 40 count Lakeside Linen in Maritime White, using AVAS.

Thanks for your good thoughts on the dog search. The shelters in the DC metro area are spilling over with the unwanted, so it has been a shock to me that there are so few dogs here. I have a bad feeling that there was a massive clearance at one point--yikes. Budget constraints since dogs take up more room and cost more to feed? Sadly, there are plenty of cats and a ton of bunnies in the Cape's shelters. I have chosen to call ahead rather than go into a place with a bunch of little bunnies in cages for obvious reasons.

Meet Longfellow! Longfellow is looking a little tired because he's spent the last 30 years in a closet, but he can be the stand-in pet for a while. Why on earth my mother kept him is beyond me; my great aunt passed it down to her. I'm not sure what you call these things--scarves? Collars? There's a clip on his lower jaw. Poor Longfellow is rather ratty looking.

Here he is, standing in for the bunnies on the sendoff. His wacky eyes crack me up. Maybe I'll wear him on my next job interview; that will guarantee another six months of stitching at home, I'm sure.

Longfellow: "Helter Skelter.."

See you tomorrow with some progress. On something.

WIP 6: Dorothy Walpole

2012-01-07T20:30:00.002-05:00

Just a lone picture tonight. I got here yesterday well after dark, and today we didn't do anything interesting enough to photograph--unless you want to see photos of the food at Windfall Market, the hardware store or the gas station. I did get to stitch this afternoon, which was good (on tomorrow's sampler).

We have tried in vain to find a dog to adopt for my dad. It seems that there are few dogs available for adoption on the Cape, and those that are available are too large. We'll keep looking: he'd really like a little spaniel or spaniel mix, and there are a number of spaniels local to me in Virginia--but they don't want to adopt out of the Mid Atlantic region. He's kind of in the dumps about it because he sees a little dog as a relief from his loneliness.

Thanks, Donna, for solving one of the mysteries of life: the name of the bug in my banner photo is Nibbles Woodaway. I never knew that! I should mention that when I drove by it this trip, Nibbles was decked out in lights and was wearing a set of antlers and sporting an illuminated red nose. He's quite the festive critter!

This is Dorothy Walpole's progress. I don't think I've accomplished anything on her since I last posted about her. I'm stitching her using AVAS and 40 count Picture This Plus in Legacy. She's a very intense stitch, so it will take me a while.

Best wishes, all, from Nibbles and me.

New Start 1 and WIP 5: Elizabeth Savilles

2012-01-05T16:58:00.006-05:00

Greetings! I've assembled two projects on this page, since tomorrow I will probably be on the road until past dark--it's about a 10-hour trip--and although I intend to leave early, I'm not sure I'll pull that off since I'm dragging, and I haven't packed or loaded the car yet. I did get the oil changed and went through the car wash, and bought snacks and grocery shopped for everyone including the bunnies (hay with marigolds, hay with rose petals and herbs, plain hay) and the cats and heavens, of course the fish tank heater died today. Tom is going to be bunny sitting, which is always funny, because he and Pink are not good friends and Pink finds new ways to torture him each time. Last time Pink slipped away into another room, and it took a long time to get him back in the bunny room.

I started Christmas Garden a couple of days after the new year. I dithered because I wasn't sure I loved the Calico Kitty CC fiber, seen in the border. Calico Kitty is very variegated, and its colors range from orangey to deep Christmas red to mauve. Mauve--the only color in the universe that I despise. And the photo in the booklet looks more pinky/red/purple than the IRL fiber. So, what to do. I spent a long time at the wall of fibers in the needlework shop and playing with the fibers in my ziplock bag. I considered many (including GAST and WDW): various roses, pinks, pomegranate, raspberry parfait, rhubarb. I stitched the beginning of the flower in rhubarb. See? Too sweetly, stickily pink--dang, it looks like Elizabeth Savilles' carnations. I can't decide. Perhaps the called for fiber is perfect as is, I'm beginning to be convinced. What do you think? I love the design, and I'm stitching it on 40 count Picture This Plus Legacy.

Here's the photo of the project.

Here's Elizabeth Savilles. Her flowers are very pretty, but I stopped working on the sampler because I found it...boring. Just boring. I've gotten interested in her again, though, so maybe I'll pick her up again.

This is an old photo of Pink, but I chose it because the colors go so well with the rest of the post. Pink: "You can never go wrong with Pink!"

See you Saturday!

WIP 4: Peaceful Paradise

2012-01-04T10:30:00.009-05:00

Greetings again, with Day 4 of my WIPs catalogue! One of the nice things about pulling these out and inventorying them (and whatever challenges or issues they represent), is that when I stop by In Stitches, as I will tonight for Stitch Night and I did yesterday just to sit around and chew the fat, I can pick up missing fibers or embellishments and work toward completing some of these projects. Yesterday I picked up some missing thread and Kreinik braid for the Cross-Eyed Cricket Dickens project--I'm on the home stretch with that.

Kind of far from the home stretch, but still viable, is "Peaceful Paradise" by Praiseworthy Stitches [Edited to correct: NOT PS but Midsummer Night Designs!]. I started it in December 2007--probably it was a New Year's Eve start. I'm stitching it on Lakeside Examplar in 40 count. I love this linen, and there's no doubt that the older linens were more substantial and softer (and really, we're just talking about five years ago). I am still a Lakeside fan, and I love the range of colors and counts, but it's really a shame. Wish I'd bought bolts of the stuff. I've commemorated the death of my rabbit at the time, The Bunnyman, on the hillside. See the little black bunny? Martha, our best-ever tabby, is commemorated there as well; I changed the colors of the cat that was in the chart. I'm using the called-for Crescent Colours and Thread Gatherer cotton threads.

Here's what I accomplished last night--the verse that's jutting out to the left. I can tell this is an older effort by me becuase I started it in the middle, something I no longer do. You guys are going to laugh, but I can't find page 2 of the 12-page chart. Fortunately I have a working copy that I made, somewhere around here. Today's job is to find that page, since I really feel more comfortable working top-down, left to right. One of the things I'm keeping in mind is that I want to take a few projects with me to the Cape. This is one of them.

Here's the design in its entirety. I should mention that one of the shop's customers stitched this on 40 count over ONE and exhibited it in last year's Woodlawn Show. And to Maggie, who asked, there will be no Woodlawn show this year because they are removing the windows and replacing them (not the antique glass, but the wood parts) at the time that the show is normally held.

And here's a picture of the sweetest bunny ever, The Bunnyman. He showed up in our yard one spring day--he was a neighbor throw-away. He was a satin/mini rex that the neighbor's child won at the fair (what the heck! I hope they put a stop to that!) and lost interest in. He had been housed in a much too small cage and had lived on a diet of pellets. When he discovered he could live in our family room uncaged and have as much timothy as he'd like, he was in heaven. He and the tabby would stretch out in front of the fireplace and toast themselves when we made a fire.

Back tomorrow!

WIP 3: Catharine McNeal 1843

2012-01-03T17:34:00.006-05:00

Hi, all! Welcome back to my embarassingly large catalogue of unfinished samplers. Goal for the new year: start some more! (I'll be showing those interspersed with the WIPs, just so you all can shake your heads over my tragic lack of self-control.) What has made it all so much worse, of course, is that I work part-time at In Stitches in Alexandria, VA, and when not actively waiting on customers or cutting fabric (the scariest part of the job), I'm roaming around, exclaiming enthusiastically over the new merchandise or discovering old classics on some below-eye-level shelves. It's enough to make a girl giddy. And since we sell needlepoint and knitting yarn/supplies as well, I'm getting sucked into those worlds, slowly but surely.

You may remember Catharine McNeal 1843 by Samplers Revisited. I love it to pieces, and wouldn't have stopped stitching it except that I ordered WIP #1 (The Essamplaire's Elizabeth Easdon) and when it arrived, so many of the colors were similar that it didn't feel "fresh" to stitch both, so I temporarily shelved Catharine. Something else: I mislaid the symbol key. Whoops. It's around here somewhere and as I straighten up the various rooms I use to store my charts, fabric and fibers, I'm sure to come across it. In its present state, this sampler is about half done. Maybe a little less than half--there's considerable over-one stitching to be done yet.

I'm stitching her on 40 count Picture This Plus in Legacy, using the called-for NPI fibers. Although there is a fair amount of satin stitching in this sampler, particularly in the border thistles, I elected to use cross stitches instead. While I love the look, I don't enjoy doing the long satins.

Marly asked if Elvis is always ready to rumble, and the answer is "yes." He's the most intense and emotional bunny I've ever seen. He's also the only rabbit I've ever had who makes noise: he grunts fiercely when he's unhappy, and he buzzes when he runs. He's unbearably sweet, but a lot of trouble; if he were a human adolescent, he'd be the guy happy to pick up grandma and her friends and drive them to church in his souped up car--and he'd get a ticket along the way for running a red light. Elvis is a lionhead rabbit (I suspect mixed with something else--maybe jersey wooley), and they are known to be stubborn and difficult. Here he is snoozing in Pink's box while Pink (not seen in this photo) is looking unhappily along. First he threw all of Pink's hay in the air, then peed in the box, then settled in for his nap.

See you tomorrow!

WIP 2: Christmas Comes Just Once a Year...

2012-01-02T15:25:00.005-05:00

...but stitchers can live it all year long through their stitching!

This is Cross-Eyed Cricket's "The Dickens, You Say!" I started it sometime in early 2009, I think. I got pretty far, then the project bag with the fibers disappeared. Like most of X-Eyed Cricket's designs, it's charted for DMC, but somehow I had the great idea to change some of the fibers to overdyed cottons, and with the bag gone and not having jotted down the changes, I've been out of luck. Or at least, too lazy to research what I might have used--until now. Seems a shame not to finish it up. This is a cute design that I'd like to frame for Christmas next year. I believe I am using 32 count Lakeside in Pear (or vintage pear).

This is where I left off when I last stitched on it, around 2010. Not a good representation of the colors. The photo above is better.

The verse refers to "A Christmas Carol," by Charles Dickens, of course.

"God bless us, Every One."

What's in my Basket for the New Year

2012-01-01T18:46:00.004-05:00

Hi, everyone! I'm enjoying everyone's review of their stitching progress over the last year, and since I come up woefully short in that department (I started a lot, but didn't finish anything but a couple of small ornaments), let's just look ahead, shall we? No big promises here, no specific goals, just a look at my WIPs and a few new starts. From time to time I've been asked how many WIPs I have, and it's a little embarassing to admit, but I really don't know. So my goal over the next month (or so) is to blog most days about my various projects and to try to make a little progress on them. I lost one motivation to finish a couple of the larger WIPs when Woodlawn Plantation decided not to do a needlework show this year; I had been trying to finish Liz Easdon and Sarah Hatton McPhail in time to have them framed and enter them in the show. With the events of the last few months, including that my contract position ran a few weeks longer than I expected, I probably wouldn't have finished anyway, but now I'm kind of stuck in the doldrums with them, since there are so many new things to stitch (and yeah, I've started a couple of new BAPs that I'll show over the next few weeks). All the same, I did make progress over the last few days on Liz Easdon (the Essamplaire):

Here's where she stood in September. I'm concentrating on the alphabet at the top and the border. I've been away from this sampler long enough for it to feel new again, and I stitched on it yesterday and today with great gusto. Note that the colors in the top photo are most true.

Later this week I'm heading for Cape Cod to spend some time with my dad. If you get the Essamplaire's newsletter, you may have noticed that the museum in Newport, Rhode Island is showing the exhibition of Rhode Island samplers that I viewed in August at the Newport Antiques Show. If I don't run into long traffic/construction delays, my plan is to stop by and see them again and find some good seafood for lunch. Now there's a worthy goal! Also on my plate: to help my dad find a suitable dog to adopt, so we'll be visiting adoption fairs and shelters. I've found a cute Siamese on Nantucket to adopt for myself, although Tom has announced that I will not be adopting a cat from the Nantucket shelter and naming it "Nantucket" or anything else, for that matter. Fingers in my ears: "Lalalalalala." Also soon to be on my plate, a tour of Cape towns I don't get to visit very often, and hopefully a big plate of Wellfleet oysters on the half shell.

Scratchy says hello and wants to note that I already have a sort-of Siamese cat, even if he is not named after a pretty island but instead is named for the colossal dose of fleas he had when he first meandered into our yard and announced that he was available for adoption immediately.

Happy week ahead and see you soon!

Stitchmas

2011-12-25T17:20:00.011-05:00

Merry Christmas, All! I wanted to show you something that Sherry brought to the stitching party I attended. This little nativity is made by hand from wool felt, in Kyrgyzstan. There are lots of sheep in Kyrgyzstan and not lots of ways to make money, so these are a natural:

And a closer look:

Our Christmas was wonderful, although we missed my sister, Gilbert and my dad, who are on the Cape. We woke up late, and I made this for breakfast. It's a quiche loraine.

After we had breakfast we opened our gifts and played with our toys. (No, I didn't get anything needlework related from my family, who probably despair of finding anything for me that I don't have.)

Then I stitched, working on two Christmas starts. Full disclosure: I really started this a few days ago, because I wanted to show a little progress. As it is, Blogger insists on rotating the photo 90 degrees; mentally rotate it back counter-clockwise. It's the plus-sized Ann Dale by Shakespeare's Peddler. This sucker is going to take a long, long time to stitch, but I love the colors. I am not using the recommended Lakeside Pear. I don't care for pear--too green. Instead I'm using 40 count Picture This Plus in Legacy. The photo of the color is very accurate. I'm using the suggested silks.

So I also started something small and not quite so daunting: Ewe and Eye and Friends' Small Sampler #3. The sheep will have special stitches applied over their cross stitched bodies. Fun! I did a conversion to silk and I'm stitching on 40 count Lakeside in Sand Dune(?)

Some neighbors stopped by for a snack. There's something green in the little garden on the left that they love. They trotted off when I went out on the deck with my camera. Dash away, all!

I'm not sure what Peaches is doing with her leg here; I think she hoisted her foot onto Elvis' back so she could groom it and he very patiently allowed her to use him as a vanity stool.

I'm working at In Stitches tomorrow. Let's see what trouble I can get into. Better yet, give us a call and I'll help YOU get into trouble. You know there's SOMETHING you wanted that you didn't get!

Happy week ahead, and merry stitching!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T18:09:00.013-05:00

I got up very early to go to the grocery store by 6 a.m. because I hate crowds so much. It was interesting that so many people were on the interstate at that hour, heading for the malls, grandma's house and the woods. (I stopped for gas and the hunters were gassing up and buying breakfast sandwiches prior to going to sit in their tree stands or whatever they do; I could hear their hounds in the trucks.) After the grocery store, I stopped by Eileen's bakery for a cheddar/bacon/tomato/egg sandwich--delicious. Eileen's is in a former church, as you can probably tell.

Then, in the early morning quiet, I took some photos of window displays in Fredericksburg. This is in the antique shop window with all the little animals. The swan looks like he met up with our hunters, but he's swimming around successfully with two friends.

The kitchenware store had a bunch of little circus/carnival vignettes set up in the window. They were lit and moving in the dawn quiet.

I have to tell you about the stitching party hosted by Ellen, who owns In Stitches. Ellen has the most fabulous taste, and her home is a joy to behold--especially her finished stitching. Most of these charts are out of print, unfortunately. A tiny pillow:

Don't you love this Christmas design?

And this one, an OOP Prairie Schooler:

This looks like a Ewe and Eye and Friends design. Possibly not out of print (fun to find out).

We exchanged gifts. I lost the light today before I could show you everything I received, but look what Sherry knitted for me for my birthday. I absolutely adore them, and I think they're too beautiful to wear, almost: I want to show them off.

After my trip this morning I came home to put away the groceries and take a long nap and prepare dinner. The rabbits are having dandelions as a special addition to their Christmas Eve dinner.

See you tomorrow with my newest stitching start(s). Happy Christmas Eve!

Finishing

2011-12-18T11:25:00.012-05:00

Today I'm heading to a stitching party. Our instructions were to bring a hand-made gift (not necessarily stitched) to exchange. So I finished up these two designs by Marie Driskell: Rose Marie. You've been looking at one of them in my blog header for the last couple of weeks. Here are the finished designs. Next step is to cut and assemble. Yikes.

I spent some time at G Street fabrics in Rockville, selecting trims. Here I'm auditioning them. I eventually conclude they're all too elaborate and detract from the designs by making the ornaments too busy.

It's been so long since I used the sewing machine that I had to review the directions for threading it.

A little liquid courage: a caramel apple martini. Ingredients: Apple Pucker, caramel liqueur, sprite. With a cherry. I don't know the proportions, but I mean to find out. That will be this year's Christmas Dinner cocktail. It's a very smooth, sweet and tasty drink; we may experience Christmas dinner lying on the floor under the table while sharing a box of crackers.

The rabbits appear to share my anxiety: "Don't screw it up, Mom!"

A finish!

The crowd goes wild. These sheep were part of a large display of tiny antique animals in an antique shop window in Fredericksburg. I wanted to purchase all of them, including the little donkeys, cows, pigs and chickens. What fun to have a huge collection of these little guys on the mantel. Tom rolled his eyes when I pointed them out. "Goody, a new collection," he was heard to mutter.

Here's a photo of some of the animals (the camels are camera-shy):

Happy Week of Preparations ahead! I'll be back next Sunday with a Christmas start.

Whoppers

2011-12-11T18:13:00.007-05:00

Greetings, All! I skipped the malls this weekend and stayed home to stitch. It's been ages since I've been able to do that for a full day, much less two. I'm thinking ahead to January, which for me will be a blend of old and new projects. I'm making my list (and checking it twice). Of course, I got so enthused about starting something new that I had to dig in, so here it is. Mystery project (unveiled in January), stitched on Maritime White Lakeside in 40 count, using AVAS from my stash. This is an old, old chart, which is still available. I call this pre-stitching, by the way. It's a monstrously large project too. I have several whopper projects scheduled for the New Year.

Next up is my old friend Sarah Hatton McPhail. She's coming along, but there's lots of stitching to be done yet, and she's pretty densely packed with stitches. I don't think that I'm going to be able to make the framing deadline (January 6) for entry of this project in the Woodlawn show. On the other hand, my contract job ends on December 23, so I have a couple of weeks to devote to it full-time, but given my interest in new starts and old re-starts, I doubt I'll make it. I'll be spending some time on Cape Cod in January with my dad, and I'm hoping to do some good beach-walking, trying new-to-me beaches in Chatham, Truro, Provincetown and Yarmouth. I love winter beaches, and I hope to be able to capture the charm of them to post alongside my stitching photos.

And what's Christmas without a little Christmas project? Here we have Cinnamon Stick Santa XXIII by Homespun Elegance, "Such Delight." I'm stitching it on a 32 count mystery linen from my stash using the called for DMC, GAST and Wisper fibers.

The Wisper is a lot of fun (it's the fuzzy brown strip to the right of Santa's shoes).

And speaking of fuzzy:

Happy week ahead!

Borrowed Light

2011-11-27T09:00:00.006-05:00

Hi, all. I've had a nice opportunity to stitch this weekend, and here are some of the results: I've started Anniversaries of the Heart by Blackbird Designs. The colors are just beautiful, although to show you the stitching, I had to throw a little more light on the fabric, which has washed it out a bit. I'm working on 40 count Lakeside Meadow Rue using the recommended GAST, WDW and CC fibers. The first design is "Snow Garden," of course, perhaps containing the most subtle colors of the 19 designs (and the most problematic for choosing the right fabric). The bonus for working on this year-old series is that I know what it looks like finished up and what the bonus charts are. I'm interested in working on Margaret Cottom (La-d-Da), but I am being typically cautious and waiting to see the whole thing.

I visited with a stitching friend, who has completed this design: "Menagerie" by Drawn Thread. I'm using a piece of fabric from my stash--Lakeside, possibly Pecan Butter in 40 count, using the recommended NPI and Dinky Dyes fibers. The completed design is beautiful IRL, although the copied photo on the chart doesn't do it justice. Great charting though, which counts for a lot, but: Designers! Large clear photos sell more charts! Don't hide your light under a bushel--or a dimly copied or digitized cover!

I love the calming colors of these two projects. I've also spent the long weekend putting the finishing touches on a stitched or knitted gift (not tellin'!) for a needlework event I'm attending in December. I'll show photos after the recipient has had a chance to see it. Does it make you nervous to stitch for stitchers? I find myself looking at it more critically than I normally would. I'd hate for someone to look at my stitching/finishing and think: "Amateur. Perhaps you should take up bowling."

Lots of my neighbors have gotten busy with their Christmas lights already. This year I probably am not going to do much in that department, and I'll just enjoy theirs. We laughed last night about the wattage from across the street leaving burn marks on the outside of our house, but the display is well done and cheerful--borrowed light.

Here are the bunnies, having a conference through the bars.

A Little Stitching

2011-11-20T20:23:00.003-05:00

Hi, all. Blogger--or my internet connection--is slow tonight, so just a quick post of what I've been working on this weekend. Although I'm back from the Cape, I'm trying to catch up with the cleaning, grocery shopping, spreadsheet for work and whatever else I'm supposed to be accomplishing. Hard to believe Thanksgiving is this week.

Dorothy Walpole: with my ongoing sadness and with the dull weather, the flowers on Dorothy were just what I needed.

This guy was a big help too. He inspected the luggage carefully, no doubt hoping for a treat, but also out of curiosity. Had I left it there long enough, he'd have crawled into it and nested in my clothing. I removed it, picturing doots hanging off my favorite sweaters when I put one of them on early in the morning. Not to worry, though. The treat is leaning against the wall; you can see a corner of it (timothy hay with "herbs": rose petals, rosemary and some other stuff that makes it fragrant.

It's nice to be back. Happy week ahead!

Thank you, Everyone

2011-11-17T14:51:00.005-05:00

I want to thank all of you for your comforting and supportive comments and emails. My mom passed away peacefully in hospice care. Today was her funeral, and it was a beautiful service with hymns and a moving eulogy provided by the priest.

Afterwards there was the most fabulous luncheon, created and hosted by the kind ladies of the church. Those little sandwiches in the front are lobster salad rolls; and there were lots of other tidbits and treats, including crab-and-cheese appetizers, sweet breads, vegetables and dip and tons of desserts. Thank you to the wonderful women (and men) of Saint Barnabas who served a delectable and comforting lunch.

I'll be back Sunday. In the time between my mom's passing and her funeral, desperate for some cheer and normalcy, I started a bright, fun Christmas design. I'm also looking forward to going back to stitch nights at In Stitches.

Glenna

Hyannis

2011-11-04T20:26:00.004-04:00

Hi, all. I've missed posting here, but last Thursday I got the kind of phone call we all dread: my mom had collapsed at home and had been taken to the hospital. My sister and I rushed to Cape Cod to be with her and my dad.

She isn't going to make it, but we're spending as much time as we can with her at the hospital in Hyannis. She has a beautiful private room overlooking the harbor; we can see the boats going in and out. She would love the room if she were aware. The people at the hospital are the nicest, most competent, most compassionate professionals we've ever met, both in the ICU and in her current room. I can't believe how lucky we are to have received such treatment from such kind people.

Cape-themed art fills the walls of all of the floors, and I have spent some peaceful time gazing at the beautiful ceramics, paintings, weaving and photographs.

I have been working a little bit on Liz Easdon, on simple things that don't require much counting.

My parents' neighbors and friends, and the minister of their church have all been wonderful, and we're so grateful for everyone's kindness. I'm going to take a break from blogging, but I didn't want to just disappear.

Hug your moms.

Just One More Row: Ruthy and Mary Ann

2011-10-16T15:57:00.007-04:00

Greetings, all! Do you suffer from "just one more...[row][stitch][thread]" syndrome? I do, consequently, I am not getting a lot done around the house, although Ruthy (and now Mary Ann) are profiting. If you're thinking of stitching Ruthy, she's very time-consuming, but a fun and absorbing stitch. She may have been stitched free-hand by the original stitcher, but you and I, if we want Ruthy to look as her picture does, are going to have to count and count and count. And outline. And stitch and stitch and stitch. And after an intensive week of this, you'll look at her and think simultaneously "ahhhhhh" and also "That's all I accomplished even though I haven't eaten a real lunch in days and haven't folded the laundry and gone grocery shopping so that we're down to eating Triscuits and cream cheese over the sink for dinner?"

I finally put Ruthy away. I was tired of outlining leaves and satin stitching them, and tireder still of the filling stem stitch. I wanted to cross stitch! So I pulled out Mary Ann Gollins and finished up the basket in the center of the row.

Here's most of what I've accomplished so far. There's a lot left to go. But after all of Ruthy's outlining and filling and counting, it feels like Mary Ann is flying. [Edited to add: I started Mary Ann Gollins early this year. I did a conversion to silks from what I had on hand: AVAS, NPI and a couple of Silk 'n Colors. I'm stitching her on 40 count Picture This Plus Legacy. I stopped because I suffered uncertainty and doubt about her colors. While the charting is fine, the photo of the finished project is not clear and so badly reproduced that even the colors are not a sure thing. Added to which, the called for fibers are Madeira, so in order to do the conversion I had to find a conversion from Madeira to DMC then to silk, and I limited myself to what was in my stash since I wasn't working at the time. So I was left feeling uneasy about my choices, although I've decided to just get on with it, since in the end, who's going to know? For me, indecision=paralysis, and not just in needlework.]

Off I go to get some chores done and then go back to stitching...something.

Pink: "And spend some time with the bunnies."

Happy week ahead!

Specialty Stitches

2011-10-09T14:29:00.014-04:00

Greetings, all! A couple of ladies have arrived: Ruthy Rogers and Anne Anthony. Ruthy is going to be a huge challenge, but I think she's going to be well worth it. I am stitching Ruthy using 36 count Lakeside vintage examplar and AVAS. Scarlet Letter samplers generally don't specify a fabric, and I had a hard time deciding between examplar and tundra (which is a gray/green/blue, if you're not familiar with it). It's almost beside the point since most of the sampler is covered in stitches, except for the border.

We got into a scuffle right out of the package. I'm determined to do this sampler as the original was done, using the filling stem stitches. They add a texture and interest you simply will not get from cross stitches. Although this sampler can be done in all cross stitch, I don't recommend it. I think something will be lost--the lovely crayon-y, naive folky look. Plus you'd have to be willing to do quarter and half stitches. But my initial stab at the filling stems was not encouraging. Note this closeup of my first attempt. Disappointingly sparse. You can see the outline stitch and the fabric between the lines. The photo of the stitched sampler shows lush, full stitching. I didn't want my stitches to look like a bad comb-over with scalp showing through. Hmmm.

So I continued stitching the counted part of the sampler with one thread and doubled the thread on the filling stem sections. Ahhhh--much better. Plus, it has the added bonus of filling it faster. A couple of cautionary words, though: in order not to go astray, you need to outline each of the motifs to be stem-stitched; and you really need to follow the directions in terms of stitching the counted cross stitch sections first. They will serve as kind of a frame or scaffolding, so that you can attach the stem-stitched sections; otherwise you will not be able to count accurately. I will stitch a section of cross stitches, then add the stem-stitches sections to vary things, and will move through the chart that way. One of the fun aspects of the stem stitches is that they don't head off in a consistent direction. The chart shows the direction they're stitched. The end result will look like random fill-in, which after the nice predictability of our normal, neat cross stitching, goes "against the grain."

Taking a step back to see more of the design:

I'm still working diligently on Sarah Hatton McPhail.

She has specialty stitches too. From the top: the first row is a row of long-arm crosses in a tan color, over-stitched with blue diagonal stitches and finished with a stem stitch in gold above and below the crosses; the script alphabet is cross-stitched in blue and then those stitches are four-sided stitched over in gold floss (blue and pink in the top row that I haven't stitched yet); the next row down is a series of long-arm crosses; beneath that are capital letters in tan four-sided stitch; then below that are gold rice stitches outlined on two sides with blue.

Anne Anthony arrived in all her splendor. I subbed out the linen for Lakeside Pecan Butter in 40 count. Those little over-one people are going to be a bear to stitch, I imagine.

I spotted Carriage House's "Noah" stocking at In Stitches. I've been meaning to start it forever, so I picked it up (along with the "Virtuous Woman" stocking). No specialty stitches, although I'm sure the finishing will be a challenge.

Forty count Lakeside (Examplar) using NPI as charted. The coat's a snooze, but I'm looking forward to getting to the animals.

I got this out again. I stopped it because I wasn't fond of the over-one coverage on 32 count, but really, I think it looks all right. So I re-kitted it, having cannibalized the threads. One problem--I had not noticed when I stitched it previously that the yellow capital letters should be rice stitches. I really like rice stitches, and I think these letters would look better done that way. Trying to decide whether to take them out and re-do, or just leave and continue with cross stitches. Oh well, not fatal either way.

Here we have a nice example of a bunny loaf. Peaches: "I am not loafing!"

May your week have ample opportunity for loafing and stitching!

Moves Like Jagger

2011-09-25T14:59:00.010-04:00

I have been trying to become someone who stitches and finishes rather than someone who just stitches, so that means taking those few finished projects that have been languishing in a drawer or a bag and getting them framed (at In Stitches, of course, where they know how to treat a piece of needlework). "Gone Fishing" by Sheepish Designs, mostly as charted (in DMC) on mystery Lakeside 32 count.

Here's a closeup that shows the colors in the wood frame.

I have been toiling (although it's an enjoyable toil) on Sarah Hatton McPhail. Here's the before picture as last shown (June-ish?)

And here's where she stands now.

I crammed as much stitching as I could into this weekend, so that I wouldn't feel bad when the new girl arrives, since I ordered the new design from The Essamplaire. Have you seen her? After having gone to Newport in August to see the Rhode Island sampler exhibition, how could I not stitch her? I'm thinking it might be a nice challenge to stich all the Rhode Island samplers I can get my hands on (and remembering I've started both Elizabeth Sheffield (Scarlet Letter) and Wisdom (Vermillion) and I own Sheepish Designs' Mary Tillinghast. There are others out there too, which I'm thinking of acquiring. This photo is from The Essamplaire's website.

Speaking of which, here's "Wisdom" as I left it.

Elvis says he moves like Jagger. Pink: "He moves like Jagger but he looks like Richards."

Happy week ahead!

Every Day I'm Shufflin'

2011-09-18T12:41:00.008-04:00

I spend too much time in the car, listening to the radio, and the song linked to my title has been running through my head.

I've made some progress this week on Elizabeth Easdon. Here's a closeup of the section I worked on. It's more fun to do the various motifs (although even they're getting old, frankly), so I decided to knock out some of the alphabet. Fortunately the border is minimal. I'm driving ahead on it because I really want to finish before the framing deadline in January for the Woodlawn show. I'm not good about sticking to stitching stuff, but so far, so good.

And here it is in its entirety so far. The photos aren't quite true to the colors, as the weather is cloudy and gray.

To give myself a break from the greens, I'm working on Tanya's Sarah Elizabeth Brooke 1842: I don't normally do the border ahead of time, but I wanted to make sure I had a large enough piece of fabric. Clearly, I do. (Yes, I measured and counted--twice--but normally I work on a half yard and cut off whatever I haven't used when I'm done. That way, I never run out of room, even if I've miscounted.)

Outdoor Bunny: "Shufflin' Shufflin'."

Happy week ahead!

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

2011-09-11T11:30:00.006-04:00

Greetings, all! I spent a lot of time with Elizabeth Easdon this week (and also with Sarah Elizabeth Brooke--pictures of her progress next week). This isn't all of what I accomplished; I worked on the alphabet at the top as well. I'll do a full picture soon when I get more of that done.

Here's a close-up of the peacock on the house (a hovering peacock, since I've not stitched his legs). I've also started the critters on the lawn. These two are over-two; there are quite a few over-one critters to come.

You may have heard about our epic rains and flooding last week. During the first hour of my four-hour commute home from work on Thursday night I amused myself with my camera. The traffic moved at under 10 mph all the way around the Beltway--note that I've allowed myself a little extra room so as not to rear-end anyone while I was shooting.

Heavy traffic in bunnyland.

Happy week ahead!

Labor Day Stitching

2011-09-05T13:28:00.009-04:00

Greetings, all! Other than working at In Stitches yesterday, it's been a weekend full of stitching and house cleaning chores for me. I have to agree with Barbara's statement that fall bring out the housekeeping bug in me--not spring. In the spring I want to garden and get outside. Of course, it won't really be fall for me until the leaves begin to change and we can open the windows to the breeze--somewhere around mid-October--since it's still in the 80s and 90s here.

In spite of my resolution to finish a large project, I took out a smaller one to work on and bought two new ones. So here is Miriam Chilvers, which I started a while back. I like the calming colors. I forget what color Lakeside I'm using--probably Navy Bean. and I'm using the charted AVAS fibers.

Here's a photograph of her chart (Samplers Remembered).

Yesterday I worked at In stitches from 12:30-4:30 and bought up everything in sight, it seems. I brought a small finish to be framed that has been in a drawer for 3-4 years. Ellen, who has impeccable taste and an eye for color, helpd me choose the frame; I'll show you when it's done. Purchase number one is "Sarah Elizabeth Brooke 1842" by The Scarlett House. She is charted for 40 count Lakeside Vintage Meadow Rue, but I selected 40 count Strawflower instead. I'm using the Belle Soie silks, which I haven't used much in the past. They are so smooth and rich--I'm hooked.

I also picked up "Halloween Party" by Just Nan. I'm stitching it (see the little witch's hat with a spider on it?) using the recommended GAST and DMC fibers and some 34 count Legacy Puritan Gray from my stash. The beads come with the chart.

I picked up the newest Debbie Bliss magazine, which shows this sweater. Believe it or not, this sweater has 6 different colors of yarn in it. I am glad that I took a fair isle knitting class last year. I can tell you that fair isle knitting is a lot easier than it looks. For one thing, there are never more than 2 colors in one line of the pattern, so it's easier to keep track of the changes. Plus the patterns are laid out like a counted cross stitch pattern, the only difference being that you read row one from right to left, and row two from left to right.

Of course I also picked up the yellow bunny needlepoint that I had saved. What with the framing and the needlepoint, knitting and counted cross stitch, I kept myself busy selling to myself yesterday. (I am an excellent customer, and I hope I come back soon!) It's going to be a busy fall and winter on the stitching and knitting front!

"We don't have any hobbies, except for eating, dooting, sleeping and chewing the woodwork."

Happy week ahead!

Aftermath

2011-08-28T09:51:00.009-04:00

There's no hell quite like being the person in the household who nixed the purchase of a whole-house generator while the power is out and the house is heating up and getting unpleasantly sticky. Fortunately, the power, which we lost around midnight last night, is back as of an hour ago, and the A/C is back on and the fridge is humming away. And also fortunately, the same person who nixed the generator, agreed that a water-powered backup sump was a good (and cost-effective) thing, so the basement did not fill up with water even when the electric sump stopped.

We woke up to this today. My neighbor lost one of his bradford pears (we lost one a couple of thunderstorms ago). The pears grow quickly, so they're much loved in suburbia, but they have a heavy canopy and soft wood, so as the saying goes: there are two kinds of bradford pears--the ones that have split and the ones that are about to split.

Tree One to Tree Two: "Let's split."

The weather made me think of my progress on the April Snow Person by Amy Bruecken Designs. This is Lilybell ("Lillybell plays in the rain.")

Here's what Lillybell and her duck look like (she came with a bead and treasures pack):

Because they're cute and whimsical, I've been acquiring all of them. July and August have come out since I purchased this, but my latest is "Robin Beth Rocks a Ruffle." I'll be stitching it on 32 count Lakeside Vintage Lemon Ice (seen to the right of the chart) with the charted Gentle Art, Crescent Colors and WDW overdyed threads.

But mostly I've been stitching on Liz Easdon.

I've eased down onto the lawn and am preparing to stitch the over-one critters. A closeup of the house--looks like the tree on the right has some storm damage.

Here's Elvis, chewing hay this morning. Elvis: "Thank goodness the air conditioning is on because my hair gets frizzy in the humidity."

Happy week ahead, and best of luck to all of you who are about to encounter Irene!

Full House

2011-08-21T14:01:00.007-04:00

Hi, everyone!

My banner photo is a little something I ran across when I was looking through my stash for the bag of floss for Dorothy Walpole. I haven't been able to work on Dorothy for a few months since it disappeared. My stash room is in serious disarray, so I took some time to straighten and look through my stuff, and this little gem appeared. I probably stitched it something like 25 years ago, and yes, that's cream colored 14 count aida and DMC. My initials are different now--I shed that "T"--but it's an argument for signing and dating our works, since I'd love to know what year I finished it. Who knows where the chart came from, although I suspect I stitched it from a magazine. All the same, I think I'll take it to In Stitches to frame. It's not as if I finish that many things! All of which leads me to muse on the Woodlawn show coming up in March. Framing is due for that in mid-January, so I've decided that maybe if I set a goal of entering one project (preferably two) in the show, maybe I can finish a couple of things before the year is out. (Let's not talk about the Crazy 15 challenge, shall we?)

My two would be: The Essamplaire's Liz Easdon and Scarlet Letter's Dorothy Walpole. As you can see, I found Dorothy's floss and made some progress working on the flame stitch, the strawberry border and the flowers beneath the flame stitch.

Here she is in her entirety so far (forgive the crookedness and the wrinkles; I try to limit my ironing of projects--too many horrible things can happen):

And here's Liz Easdon with her house complete. There's lots more to stitch, of course. While she'd be easier to finish than Dorothy, there's an awful lot of green in this sampler. Visually it's lovely, but it does get tiresome to work look at as I stitch.

All this dedication to finishing a couple of things means I'm going to have to cut down on new starts, though. Hmmmmm. That's going to be tough, especially since I picked up a couple of new projects at Market Night, including this needlepoint canvas. Something about it spoke to me, you know? (And we won't mention the brand-new Scarlet Letter chart I've ordered...)

"Ahem. You are going to stitch a yellow rabbit?"

Happy week ahead!

Newport Antiques Show

2011-08-13T20:42:00.009-04:00

It has been a long and full day! The alarm clock rang at 3:45 this a.m., and I gathered up my suitcase, my computer and my needlework (only three projects with me, since I am flying on this visit--man, it was hard to choose just 3 (Blue Santa, Liz Easdon and Adam's Menagerie). And if I had it to do over again, I'd have chosen one of my Rhode Island samplers, because I'm that inspired. The plane left Baltimore at 8:15 and landed in Providence at 9:45, I collected the rental car and headed to Newport. Lots and lots of people traveled with me today: even at 6:30 a.m. there were enormous lines for security, check-in and then on the road to Newport. Newport itself was crammed full of people. After driving around for quite a while looking for the antiques show (boo to mapquest but yay to the guy I nearly mowed down in a crosswalk to ask for directions and boo to me for being too cheap to rent the GPS. I mean really, Avis--$15 a day?)

But I found it, and my oh my, is all I can say. My only disappointment was that I need to learn to read: the online brochure said that highlights from the 50 samplers would be exhibited, not all 50, so I was expecting more than the 15 or so that I viewed. What wonderful choices they were though! And they were accessible; I was able to get up close and see every stitch, my nose 1 inch from the glass that encased them (but didn't spoil the experience at all). The lighting was very good and everyone was cheerful and kind. However, I didn't take photos, although there were no admonishments anywhere that I could see not to. But it just felt wrong to click away, even if surreptitiously, especially since most museums don't allow it.

I will show you the little catalog though (itself gorgeously photographed):

Do you own the Mary Tillinghast chart? I do; it was a reproduction done by Sheepish Designs in possibly the 80s? 90s? I bought it on ebay. Now I want to kit it up after seeing the original. Although--the "Wisdom" sampler charted by Vermillion Stitchery is virtually the same, and I started it some time ago. There were some nice marking samplers and a few samplers we'd all recognize, but a few that I did not (including the one in the catalog page above).

And oh, my goodness, the dealers. I've been to many an antique show, far and wide, including the famous (Brimfield) and the not-so-famous local run-of-the-mill, and the offerings here knocked my socks off. Pretty much everything I saw was museum quality, as far as I could tell. Some of my favorites: the stitched wool pictures of ships done by sailors; the sailors' valentines using tiny exotic shells to make pictures that looked like samplers, some needle punch, rugs, china and a few samplers. One sampler wowed me--it was probably the nicest antique I've laid eyes on anywhere in terms of quality, color, composition and condition. (It was $8500, which I thought was completely justified. It was perfectly stitched, and the best part was the Adam and Eve figures, which looked a lot like American Indians. One of them appared to be waving.) My very favorite non-stitched objects were the oil paintings brought by William Vareika Fine Arts.

By early afternoon I was tired and hungry and so I headed to the Cape. On the way I stopped and devoured this sub: the "baked stuffed lobster." The crumb topping is graham cracker/butter/lemon rather than Ritz crackers, though, which is my only complaint--it was a bit too sweet, especially since the generous portion of lobster had enough sweetness of its own. It was nearly my downfall on this long, hot, busy day.

I then sat in traffic for quite a while. Tomorrow is the Falmouth Road Race, which attracts tens of thousands of additional visitors to this small town, on top of the already busy late-summer tourism.

Digging their dinner: these folks are digging clams. While the town checks the bacterial count of that water regularly, I would not be interested in eating these guys raw (and I love raw shellfish).

We went out for fried fish tonight, and I sat in the fish place, which was hot and filled with the smell of fish and oil. As I sat there, I noticed a large sailboat bobbing up and down on the wake of the boats coming and going. As I watched, the heat and the smell and my rich lobster lunch and my fatigue combined with the pitching of the boat to create a full-on queasy feeling of stomach-rolling, sweaty seasickness. Please don't let me be sick, I was thinking desperately. Fortunately our order came quickly, and to my parents' surprise, I insisted on eating at home instead of sitting at the harbor, and I rode home with the window down and the cool breeze in my face. And oh heavens, my paernts are in their 80s and therefore always chilly, even though the house is a toasty 80 or so. In fact, hilariously, my mother has just brought me a stack of blankets in case it gets chilly. Please let it get chilly.

My mother has a little outside rabbit guy that she feeds. My dad tells me that these are Canadian cottontails, which unlike my neighborhood's wild bunnies, have long pointy noses, smallish ears and smaller back legs--they don't spring so much as sprint or tear along when startled.

To borrow Michelle's gratitude: I am grateful for an opportunity to view beautiful historic samplers and priceless art. And I am also grateful for not having hurled in the harbor!

Happy week ahead!

The Pompatus of Love

2011-08-07T19:45:00.007-04:00

Greetings, all! It's a hot and occasionally thundery Sunday in the Old Dominion.

Because it's been a busy week, I didn't get to stitch a lot, although I made some progress on the house in Elizabeth Easdon.

Because I sensed that you all were probably tired of seeing the house in Elizabeth Easdon, here's something new that I started after spying this new chart at In Stitches on Stitch Night. This is the cutest design, by Tempting Tangles, called "Adam's Menagerie."

I've started it twice now--the first time on a green Lakeside (River Willow) using the called-for DMC (and the recommended fabric is Wichelt Beach Walk linen in 32 count, which is a very pretty pale gray-green. The shop had it, but I like to stitch on 40 count, so I substituted.) Unfortunately, the River Willow was a bit bold and the DMC colors were a bit shy, so today when I worked at the shop I did a conversion to NPI on LL Light Examplar (40 count). Perfection.

A woman came into the shop this afternoon to order Tempting Tangles "Creation." Have you seen it? I've got that on order too; I'm wondering if it might be something that would lend itself to a super large-count fabric with lots of sparkle and bling. I'm picturing flocks of beads, lots of Kreinik. Maybe a 30 or 32 count crystal PTP? Over the top perhaps? I'm really enjoying this designer. And I've provided my conversion for Adam's Menagerie below.

Elvis says hello. "Some call me the gangster of love."

Oh, and I'm having trouble leaving comments on some blogs, which make me sign in again and again and never record my comment. Fab Furs, yours is one that won't let me comment, although I read all the time!

Happy week ahead, and scroll down if you want the conversion.

(DMC to NPI)--*bear in mind, you and I may process color differently and you may not like my choices. If in doubt, I tweak the color up a notch in intensity, but in the case of this chart, I have tried to stay true to the designer's choices.

B5200--991BB; 310-993; 422-693; 502-515; 503-524; 504-511; 612-901; 642-351; 644-981; 677-131; 680-474; 869-973; 924-566; 926-563; 928-876; 3031-953; 3041-781; 3042-604; 3064-206; 3787-964; 3830-635

Another Brick in the Wall

2011-07-31T16:41:00.013-04:00

Greetings, all!

This week I spent some time stitching bricks on this house (Elizabeth Easdon from the Essamplaire).

And leaves on the border of Harriot:

And restarted this Halloween quaker by Prairie Moon: "Thine is the Trick and the Treat." The treat for me is having seen the Prairie Moon trunk show a couple of months ago at In Stitches.

This design was stitched on 32 count Camofudge by Stitches and Spice, an Australian company. I can't say enough good things about the color, texture and thickness of this fabric. It's rich. It photographed a bit light, but the fabric is exactly the color of the photo on the chart. I started it when I first got it; it calls for two threads over two of any black floss of your choice, and I was using AVAS noir, and two threads were too thick and fuzzy, so I switched to two threads of NPI silk (993) yesterday.

A certain amount of harmony has been restored to the rabbit family, although I cycle them in and out of cages so the two boys can't get into a fight. Patti is going to help us with a possible rebonding, and I'm showing this photo, Patti, so you can see our current layout. There's a second large dog crate to the right, out of the photo, where Elvis spends his time when it's his turn.

Elvis is spending much less time following Peaches around and humping her, and Peaches is not avoiding him now. Here she's grooming him.

Peaches: "These two are nitwits, but what can you do?"

Oh! I think I'm going to be able to go to Newport, R.I. to see the 50 or so Rhode Island samplers exhibited at the Newport Antiques Show. Is anyone else going? It's on the way to the Cape, and I can visit the samplers and then go on to visit my parents. Many thanks to Needleprint's blog for pointing it out, or I'd have missed it altogther. I'm hoping they'll allow photos so I can share. If I can't take photos of the samplers, I'll take photos of something!

And! I'm over the moon about Blackbird Designs' new book. And I'm excited about Needleprint's new book as well--I can't wait to get my hands on one. And anxious to see what's coming back from the Baltimore Needlework show with Ellen at In Stitches later in August. These are wonderful times for stitchers.
Happy week ahead!

Harriot and Peaches

2011-07-24T09:31:00.007-04:00

Peaches and I went to the exotic vet yesterday, where she was given a clean bill of health. On the way home, we dropped by In Stitches to view their new wares. While Peaches was parked in her carrier in the framing room, contentedly chewing on hay, I roamed around, checking out the new goodies and samplers, one of which was this: Harriot Redfearn 1830 from Queenstown Samplers. Once home, an immediate start was called for! I'm stitching Harriot with the called for NPI silks on 40 count Lakeside Meadow Rue.

Aren't her colors grand? Harriot is a reproduction; you know, based on her exuberant design and use of color, that she'd have been a fun (12-year-old) girl.

The vet said there doesn't appear to be anything physically wrong with Peaches, although they ran blood tests to rule out any infection or hormonal abnormality. What that leaves us with is that Elvis is just a pistol who has decided that Peaches is his bunny and that Pink represents competition in that area. Since Peaches seems to prefer Pink, we're having to decide whether to allow one of the boys to shop for a new bunny girlfriend at Bright Eyes (rabbits prefer to choose their own mates, and rabbit dates are set up wherein the suitor declares his/her love--generally at first sight--and if the feeling is reciprocated, the newly bonded bunny comes home and joins the hutch, and second bunny household is set up in a separate space). BF, however, is not in favor of adopting a fourth rabbit, so we are at an impasse.

Peaches: I got a mani-pedi, had lunch and went to the needlework shop--it was a girl's day out.

Happy week ahead!

Fresh from the Lock-In

2011-07-17T21:25:00.008-04:00

I spent today at In Stitches' Lock-In, admiring everyone's projects and working on one of mine ("Elizabeth Easdon" by The Essamplaire). The nice thing about this was that I had outlined lots of bricks and the center window, so I could easily talk and rubberneck at other people's projects and not lose my place.

I put a lot of time into my Christmas project this week. I love the bright colors.

A disquieting development in our rabbit family: Elvis has been pestering Peaches, following her around to mount her, although all of the rabbits are neutered. Pink, perhaps to protect Peaches, whom he shields and grooms, has been fighting with Elvis, so the three bunnies who used to sleep in a cozy little heap, now have to be separated. Patti, of Bright Eyes Sanctuary, who was Pink's foster mom, and has seen a ton of bunnies come and go, thinks that Peaches may have an illness that she's been concealing, and that Elvis may sense her weakness--humping among rabbits is about power and domination. So little Peaches is scheduled for an appointment at the exotic pet vet this week. Crossing our paws that all is well with her and that someday the rabbit family can live cozily together once again. In the meantime, Peaches and Pink room together in a large cage while Elvis is out, and Elvis spends time in a cage while they are out. Not perfect, certainly. Elvis is despondent and spends hours lying next to their cage sadly. Of course, when Pink gets close enough, the boys pull each other's hair through the bars. Sigh.

Uncle Ernie: "I can't help myself. But I wish things were the way they used to be."

Happy week ahead.

Cool as a Cucumber

2011-07-04T10:57:00.015-04:00

Greetings, all! Long time no post! The last week has been pretty busy, as I accepted a short-term (4-6 month) contract job that started Monday. While the work and experience are good, the commute around the Beltway is not, so I head out of the house by 5:30 to hit the high occupancy vehicle lanes before they shut them down to solo drivers at 6 a.m. The good news is that I get to work almost 2 hours early (and save myself an hour or so of idling in heavy traffic), so I have time to stitch in the morning before work. The company where I'm working has an enormous dining room where I stitch until they serve breakfast at 7:30. After I eat, I go back to stitching. The bad news is that I have to go to bed really early and I miss my days of dancing (or stitching) to my own tune.

It's hotter than heck here, so here's a shot from my garden, where even in the 98 degree sun, the cucumbers are fairly cool. So far it's been a great year for cucumber production and the vines are sprawled everywhere. Cucumbers until recently have been close to $1 apiece (although they've fallen to about 50 cents recently) and I love them, so I'm thrilled. My tomatoes aren't so great; I neglected them somewhat after planting them a bit late, and now the cucumber vines are growing all over them, hard as I try to train them the other direction.

Not so thrilled with this. In fact, it's downright horrifying how quickly they can suck the juice out of a nice firm summer squash, leaving the poor thing deflated and brown. Certain parts of tending a garden are shockingly gross, including pulling a nice tomato of the vine and having it goosh in your hands because the underneath part is rotten or eaten away; then there are the tomato worms and the biting ants, all manner of spiders and creepy crawly things. I try not to reach under leaves and vines without looking. Then there's the massive poison ivy case I got ("gee, I wonder what this vine is; I'll just pull it out and throw it away.")

Since it's so hot, it's been a pleasure to sit in the house with the air conditioning on and the ceiling fans whirling away. I started something new and chilly looking!

I love traditional Santas and have always wanted a few large ones framed and hanging. I was inspired years ago--and about 4 jobs ago--by a co-worker who stitched nothing but elaborate Santas. When they were done and framed she hung them and left them up all year 'round. It sounds weird, but the Santas looked just right, even hanging there in the summer. This is a Dimensions chart (and I love the photograph, which is as clear as can be). I'm stitching it on 34 count white legacy linen using the called-for DMC and Kreinik shiny gold thread. Later there will be gold beads as well.

I spent some time working on Sarah McPhail (made progress on the rose and leaves in the top right corner).

Devoted some time to the border on Catharine Metcalf (Scarlet Letter). I don't like this border, but I love Catherine, so I'm doing it. Granted, it's pretty, and it will look good when it's done, but it's very elaborate with the leaves and the double vine and the sticky-out twiggy green things. It's what short-circuited my progress originally, so I am trying before work to stitch a little on it every day, otherwise, I will just put it way and never work on it again, which would be a shame, because I love the bottom half of this sampler in particular with its duck pond, sheep and brick house, and even like the verse, the birds and the trees.

Just to refresh your memory on what Catharine looks like:

Someone else is cool as a cucumber and having a nice afternoon nap.
Pink: "The end."

Happy Fourth!

Smelling the Roses

2011-06-19T17:05:00.008-04:00

Greetings! I just got back from a hot sticky walk. Sundays are a bad time to walk in suburbia; everyone is getting ready for the work week, and the smell of dryer sheets is in the air. Sheesh! It is an incentive to walk farther up the road where you can smell more natural things: honeysuckle; mud in the puddles left by last night's thunderstorm; and a nice, ripe deer carcass being picked apart by turkey buzzards. All the same, the walk is over, and now I can stitch!

I did more eyelets on Dorothy this week, but nothing much to look at there. I also worked on Liz Easdon, finishing the foliage on the big tree (there is another tree just like it to the right of the house), and starting the bricks and windows on the house. Love the green in the bricks!

I've always wanted to stitch this Mary Beale piece, and I picked it up for a reasonable price from an Etsy shop called the Pampered Stitcher. Thanks to Maude and Mozart, who recommended it!

So of course I started it. I'm stitching it on 40 count Lakeside buttercream using the called-for DMC colors. There are about 30 colors of thread in this smallish design! I am not planning to finish it as a wreath. I will finish it as a framed picture and either leave the center circle blank or fill it in with a monogram.

I also started Jane Tindall yesterday. I'm stitching it on 40 count Lakeside tundra, also using DMC. You may have seen my photo of Teresa's finished Jane on the In Stitches Shop blog. I took a look, took some photos, and immediately went to kit it up. I had owned the chart since it came out, but until I saw it IRL, hadn't felt compelled to stitch it.

Pink: I'm just sitting in my hay box, all by myself, because someone is stitching and has no time for me....

Happy week ahead!

Zigzag

2011-06-09T10:20:00.004-04:00

Dorothy is zigzagging right along, as you can see. The flamestitched band is time-consuming (each straight stitch is one thread wide and four threads long), but it's a nice little break from the eyelets. So much fun, and a great way to pass the day out of the heat.

Heeeeeere's Elvis! (On the outside, looking in, while I cleaned the rabbits' tile floor. Note the chewed woodwork, by those who who have been inside, looking out.)

Happy rest of the week!

The Missing Sunday Post

2011-06-01T10:30:00.002-04:00

It's already Wednesday! It has been hot and sticky here--temps in the 90s already--so I've been getting up early to get in my exercise. Then I come back to the house and work on my so-far fruitless job search, which feels a lot like casting pebbles into a dark well--pebbles that are not going to come flying back up with a dollar bill tied to them. I have found that stitching helps manage my anxiety; as you can see from my stitching pics, I have been extra-anxious lately, and consequently I have gotten quite a lot done. I am hoping that one day in the future, safely re-ensconsed in corporate America, I will look at the walls full of samplers I completed and fondly reminisce about the stomach-clenching angst that drove them.

Progress on Dorothy Walpole. I'm actually enjoying the eyelets, and I've started the flame-stitched band, which is swoon-worthy. And yes, Daffycat, "blefs" seems to be a word.

I reacquainted myself with Christinia Cathcart. I did it to take a break from the eyelets. Hah! These eyelets are twice as much work! Of course, it did make the work on Dorothy seem easy when I went back to it. Christinia's eyelets call for a "ray" on each of 16 threads in a 4x4 square, whereas Dorothy's call only for 8 rays in a 4x4 square.

Here's a shot of the section I've been working on. I'd like to finish to the right-hand edge this week.

And here's a shot of most of the sampler. It is really bright, although Dorothy is no slouch in the brightness department either.

Peaches: "A blefsing on the rest of your week."

Hurrah for the Red, White and Blue...

2011-05-22T13:57:00.012-04:00

...because it's going to give me a break from these eyelets. All the same, I have completed four of the ten lollipops or "candles." Just six to go. Very time-consuming, but they're turning out well. We will not discuss the tedium of the over-one verse on 40 count.

Here's Dorothy Walpole, as far as I've stitched. Although I complain, it's going to be a stunner.

I love stitching patriotic designs in the same way that others like to stitch Christmas, and I actually manage to finish one most years. (Last year was Prairie Schooler's "July." Or wait. The year before?) I was thinking of stitching "America" or "Brave Hearts" by Little House, but then I spied this little Crown and Thistle kit on ebay called "Hurrah for the Red, White and Blue" (I think--I don't see the name on the package). It came with everything in it, but I swapped out the included 32 count fabric for a 36 count mystery linen from my stash. After all those eyelets, I'm enjoying the variegation of the WDW threads and stitching the little white stars. Of course, I've defied the instructions to stitch with one thread in most of the areas since I don't like that coverage even on 36 count, so we'll see how that goes.

Here's what the the design looks like. Out of print, I'm fairly certain.

Pink: "I'm a little white star." Yes you are, Pink!

Happy week ahead!

Eyelets

2011-05-15T15:47:00.007-04:00

Greetings, All! I've been stitching eyelets this week! Scarlet Letter's Dorothy Walpole is full of them, and while I don't really MIND stitching them, they are time-consuming and a little tedious. I've been working industriously away on the alphabet eyelets:

And then came to the realization that this entire band is made up of eyelet stitches as well. (Fabric: Picture This Plus in Legacy 40 count, using the charted AVAS fibers).

So mid-week, to take a little break, I started "Town House Sampler" by Brenda Keyes of The Sampler Company. I'm using my favorite go-to fabric (again, PTP in Legacy, 40 count), and I did a little conversion from the DMC to silks--a combination of AVAS and NPI from my stash. I'm happy to say there are no eyelet stitches in this sampler! It's also not huge, as you can tell from my progress of not quite a week.

And here we have ten pounds of bun in a five-pound box. Just before I shot this I saw little Peaches try to squeeze herself into this box as well. There just wasn't room, so she went off to the corner to pout.

Peaches is happier now; I went out into the garden and gathered some salad for the bunnies.

Happy week ahead!

Madonna of the Trail

2011-05-08T11:59:00.014-04:00

Greetings, all, and Happy Mother's Day to all you moms! I had occasion to go to Bethesda on Friday. I do not care for the escalator at the Bethesda Metro (although Dupont Circle is worse)--too steep. I cling to the railing on the way down, not skipping down the stairs as I see many doing (some wearing stilettos or flipflops). I walk up without fear, eyes forward, not imagining my demise, but I don't like the downward trip at all.

Right outside the Metro stop is this statue, placed by the DAR in 1929, to commemorate the mothers who ventured on the trail west. There are 12 such statues between Maryland and California, although only Maryland's faces east. Lost already? Reluctant? This statue sits right on Wisconsin Avenue, facing an Indian restaurant across the street, cars whizzing past.

I picked up and put down lots of projects in the past couple of weeks. Here is Essamplaire's Sarah Hatton McPhail. It just goes on and on, however much I stitch, but I don't begrudge a single thread, because it's really fun to work on. I added to the right-most rose and the tan alphabet at the top.

And Dorothy Walpole. Such a pretty sampler, but like the Bethesda Metro, it goes down and down and down. I can't wait to get to the large area of flowers at the bottom, and away from the eyelet-stitched alphabets.

We lost our kitty, Little Friend, two weeks ago, to a long illness. We miss her terribly. She had belonged to another family in our former neighborhood, but that family just moved away without her. She sat patiently on their step for weeks, which broke our hearts. We began feeding her and eventually moved her inside.

Little Friend must have whispered in this guy's ear on the way out. He showed up at the door the day after she died. We have been feeding him--he consumes a huge amount of food, but he's quite the scaredy cat.

Perhaps these guys look in the door and see this piece of needlework hanging in the foyer:

Here's little Peaches, waving hello, getting ready for her pedicure.
Peaches: "Heeeeellllpppppp Meeeeeeeeee!"

Happy week ahead!

Easter Greetings!

2011-04-24T13:20:00.011-04:00

I spent some time this week on a WIP--and I also started something new: "Dorothy Walpole" by the Scarlet Letter. I'm stitching it using AVAS (it's also charted for DMC) on 40 count Picture This Plus in Legacy. I love the PTP fabrics because they're substantial and the dying results in a particularly nice mottled appearance (which you can't tell from this close-up). The alphabets are mostly done in eyelet stitch. Interestingly, the alphabets make the sampler look Scottish, but it is Irish.

Here's Dorothy's chart.

This is Catharine McNeal 1843 by Samplers Revisted. I made some good progress this week, although the over-one section has slowed me down just a bit. This is being stitched on 36 count Picture This Plus also in Legacy, I think.

I have a concern though. Normally it's my policy not to frog unless it really bugs me or causes havoc with future stitching on the design. The windows should be done in rice stitch (the two-tone is correct on the left window, but I mistakenly stitched it in regular cross). Would you frog it and restitch in the rice stitch, which I correctly did on the right-hand window? There are several more windows, all of which should be done in rice stitch. Hmmmm. It does bug me a bit....

Here we have the Easter Bunny, investigating his treat basket. "Wait. Where are my treats?"

"No treats here! I'm throwing this thing around! And maybe moving out!"

"The Easter Bunny is very unhappy today and is going to make you pay!" Don't feel sorry for the bunny: the basket itself is the treat--it's made from Timothy Hay. And later on there will be fresh dandelions for dinner for all the rabbits.

Happy week ahead from the Grumpy Bunny and all his friends!

Bats in the Belfry

2011-04-17T18:09:00.008-04:00

Happy Sunday, all! I crossed from spring into winter somewhere during Friday's grueling 11-hour drive here. Meet my mom, who will be 80 this year. We should all be in her physical condition at that age--I watched her literally run across a parking lot. May those be my dominant genes...

I was recruited to help with a spiff-up of my parents' church. Note the pipe organ on the right (the real kind with air--not digital). There were white streaks on the pipes. What is that, I asked innocently--some sort of oxidation? The cleaning crew leader laughed and explained that the church apparently has some resident bats, and they poo as they fly.

I loaded about six stitching projects into my car and have worked on two of them. Here's the Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat (Carriage House):

And Liz Easdon (The Essamplaire):

I'm homesick and am missing my routine, my stuff, and my peeps including these guys (and Peaches too, of course). BF reports that the bunnies are having quite the party without me.

Happy week ahead!

Malasadas

2011-04-10T17:53:00.010-04:00

Greetings, all! I've spent the day toiling in the yard and doing garden prep, so this will be short since I need a nap now! Why is it that working in the yard/garden always sounds like so much fun from the safety of one's desk, but in real life it's tedious and exhausting--and downright dangerous what with the brown recluse bite I got a few years ago.

Stitching is both safer and more satisfying. On Stitch Night last Wednesday at In Stitches I started this new design: "Roses de Mai" by Reflets de Soie.

It is charted for either Gloriana or AVAS; I'm stitching it using AVAS on 40 count Lakeside in vintage magnolia, one of my favorite Lakeside colors. And to those who wonder how many WIPs I have--well, I'm not really sure, since they're scattered around the house in various bags.

I indulged a little sweet tooth today, with a small batch of chunky peanut butter cookies (the recipe made seven cookies) from "Small-Batch Baking" by Debby Nakos. I highly recommend the book. All of the recipes make small desserts--layer cakes no bigger than an easy-bake oven cake, chocolate cream pies that fit a tart shell, a batch of brownies that yields just three treats. My cookies called for, among other things, just a bit more than 1/3 of a cup of flour, 1/3 of a cup of peanut butter, 4 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of butter and roughly half an egg. Damage containment! What I have a craving for is a malasada (sort of a Portuguese donut) from the Portuguese Bakery in Provincetown, MA, which I intend to satisfy at the end of the week with a trip to the Cape. I'd also like a stuffed quahog and a cup of quahog chowder from the Green Harbor Fish Market. Mmmmm. I'll be heading out of here on Friday and posting pictures of all the fun stuff I eat.

Speaking of which, these are my parents, swiping some "wild" beach plums from a neighbor's back yard. My father appears to be the lookout. Bad enough to steal the neighbors' beach plums, but we drove to an upscale neighborhood and parked along a beach plum hedge when we went to visit a lighthouse a couple years back. My mother got that gleam in her eye; she loves free stuff. Mother, I said sternly, we are NOT helping ourselves to their beach plums! But they aren't using them, she protested, and we could make jelly! Typical Cape back yard--sand, scrub and the occasional dead fish deposited in the marsh. Some years ago I did a photgraphic study of the various decomposing fish in the marsh and posted them on my work bulletin board.

Pink: "I don't suppose you'll be taking the bunnies." *Sigh*.

Happy week ahead.

A Woolly Story

2011-04-03T21:07:00.007-04:00

Hi, All! I stitched away on several samplers this week, but mostly it was nuts and bolts dull stuff--borders and more borders, filling in, stitching lots of leaves and vines--not much worth looking at really. But, I did start a little something new this week:

"A Woolly Story" by Homespun Elegance. It's a sweet piece with lots of writing, but I loved the sheep and the simplicity of it.

As always, I had to fiddle with the colors and did a conversion from the recommended GAST, WDW and DMC fibers to Silk n Colors. I'm stitching it on a mystery color of 40count Lakeside from my stash.

We have a big, noisy thunderstorm moving through, so off I go to disconnect. Happy week ahead, and hopefully you can spend time with a friend.

Binky!

2011-03-26T16:24:00.009-04:00

I've been working like a fiend this week on my stitching. I've made some progress on Liz Easdon (The Essamplaire):

And started something new. This design is by Green Apple--Beatrix Potter's "Christmas Tree." I'm stitching it using DMC on a mystery piece of 32 count linen (whatever it is, it's very creamy and heavy) over one. I was inspired by the piece that someone had exhibited at the Woodlawn Plantation Needlework Show. They had stitched three Green Apple/Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit Christmas designs on a single piece of probaby 40 count fabric over one. It got a "best in show" ribbon, I believe. Stitching an entire design over one on 40 count is a bit much for me--no sense putting it away because it's too onerous to work on! I have the designs they stitched (from a single leaflet) on order, but since I had this, I just had to start it. It's pretty much a daylight-only project!

Here's the design. Nobody illustrated animals like Beatrix Potter. All of the rabbits remind me of Peaches, since she has the classic rabbit shape and coloration.

And speaking of rabbits, I was lucky enough to capture bunny joy last night. During bunny run-around time in the bedroom (so far still empty since yours truly has procrastinated on painting--goodness, but I hate to paint walls), the bunnies devised a game. First Elvis dashed around the box.

Pink headed him off, dashing in front of him.

Elvis binkied here--all four feet are off the ground--with the joy of the rabbit game they were playing.

Have a joyful week, and express it with a little leap in the air!

Essamplaire Sunday Progress--Liz and Liz

2011-03-20T19:22:00.008-04:00

Hi, all! Just a quick drive-by since it's been a busy day, and tomorrow is shaping up to be the same. The colors in these photos are a bit light, but here are a couple of shots of my two Essamplaire starts:

Liz Couper:

And Liz Easdon:

Off I go! Pink, Elvis, Peaches and I wish you a happy week ahead!

We Represent the Lollipop Guild

2011-03-14T15:17:00.010-04:00

Normally I post on Sundays, but yesterday was busy, so here I am today, with a couple of new starts that arrived in the mail last week. Both are by The Essamplaire.

This one comes as a kit and is called "Elizabeth Easdon." Although it came with fabric, I swapped it out for Lakeside from my stash in 40 count examplar. I am using the AVAS shipped in the kit.

Doesn't this look like a lollipop vine? I'm enjoying the border. I wanted to stitch this because of all of the yellows and golds. This came as a chart only, and I kitted it up with 40 count Lakeside vintage strawflower and the called-for AVAS.

Pink likes to hang out under the recliner, so it's really important for us to lower the chair very s-l-o-w-l-y.

Happy week ahead, and many thanks, Erin, for finding the name of the Beatrix Potter chart I was looking for. I'm ordering it and will show it when it arrives.

Happy week ahead.

Sampler Sunday

2011-03-06T09:03:00.009-05:00

Just a quick one, since I'm getting ready to head out to In Stitches in a bit, to work this afternoon. Here's a peek at Mary Ann Gollins. She's coming along nicely:

And I started Amy Breucken's April Lilybell Sampler. It's a fun little start, and the WDW 30 count fabric makes it a very relaxing stitch. (Two over two--something I never do.) The fabric, in "Morris Blue," is soft, but not floppy, and nicely dense. I love the little belly button on Lilybell.

I'm enjoying it so much that I'm going to do the May Rosebud sampler also. ("Rosebud is pretty but prickly.") I have the perfect color of Lakeside (left), but it's 40 count, and I'm thinking I should buy the called-for pink WDW so I can hang them together and so the buttons and beads are the right scale.

Oh, and a question I had last week about sharing my conversions for projects that I'm working on. Absolutely--I'm happy to. I'm a bit disorganized and don't always write down my colors as I convert on the fly, but I'll take a look at Ann and her project bag and write down my conversion a little later this week and email anyone who wants it. If you want it, just leave me an email address in my comments. The same with Mary Ann Gollins, which I'm converting. Bear in mind that I'm not completely true to the DMC chart because I adjust based on the fabric color (no sense having threads fade into the background), what I have in my stash and whether I want to dial the intensity up or down. Just my taste

Peaches: "I am pretty but prickly too." Yes, that's true; Peaches Prefers that you don't Pet her, although she's always eager to touch you with her nose and then run off. That's love from Peaches. Pink will sit next to you, getting closer and closer until he's almost in your lap, and present his head to be rubbed. And Elvis, unless he's in a mood, will let you rub his head and scritch his bottom, and then run in circles around you, honking gently, the only noise any of the bunnies ever makes.

Happy week ahead!

Locked In

2011-02-27T01:24:00.014-05:00

Happy Sunday morning, all! This will be a very photo-heavy post, since I went to In Stitches' Lock-In event last night. We stitched and shopped and ate and talked from 6 p.m. to past 10:00. I took my camera along to document the fun for Ellen Meyer, the owner of In Stitches. She is working on a shop blog--we'll let you know the address as soon as it's ready to go--lots of eye candy to come, including lots of charts, kits and gadgets I haven't run into in any other place on the web! And during the month of March when the shop is open every Sunday from 12:30-4:30 during the Woodlawn Plantation needlework show, I'll be helping out on Sunday afternoons. Come in and say hello! [Edited to add: the In Stitches Blog is up and running. Take a look at the goodies! It's institchesshopblog.blogspot.com]

I shopped the market finds, of course. You know I'm usually a stitcher of antique repro samplers, but I couldn't resist the cuteness here. This is a monthly from Amy Bruecken Designs for April called Lilybell April Sampler. You can't tell probably from my photo, but Lilybell is standing in the rain wearing rubber boots, accompanied by the most hilarious little duck. I bought the sampler for the duck!

This is one of Blackbird Designs' Reward of Merit little pincushion designs. I had to have it because of the rabbits, although it's small enough to stitch a handful of these designs and maybe even finish quickly. This particular RoM, called "Breath of Spring" is stitched on 30 ct. Flax Fields (R&R Reproductions) using Crescent Colors and Gentle Arts threads.

Sarah Elliot's Home Port by Primitive Traditions, along with a floss toss of the Crescent Colors and Gentle Arts threads called for. There are also 7 DMC colors not shown here. The recommended fabric is Morning Dove by Lakeside. Stitch count is 160x95 on this not-huge sampler, which reminds me of home, since I grew up just a seagull's flight from Nantucket.

"May I" from All Through the Night, a new-to-me designer. There's a rabbit here in the garden, and lots of blossoms, and it's done on black fabric (WDW Onyx 30 ct) using Gentle Art flosses. You don't have to do it on black, of course, but I think I will because it's such a striking design. It's not huge either, at 110x143 stitches.

While I strolled among the stitchers last night, I took some photos of beautiful samplers stitched by other customers. This is "Anniversaries of the Heart" by Blackbird designs, stitched by Erin. Seeing it so beautifully stitched, all in one piece, in person, made me think that I have to stitch it too. So pretty, Erin!

And this is Lela's fabulous sampler, "Jane Baxter" by Primitive Traditions (yes, the same designer who did Sarah Elliot's Home Port). Mouth-watering, and of course, I purchased the chart right away so that I can stitch Jane also.

This week I worked away on Ann Rayner. I've tweaked the colors, not really sticking with the suggested palette, because I have a wall in my home that needs brightening up. Note to Barbara at Mainely Stitching: something about this pea-green peacock reminds me of your menagerie. I wonder why?

I mentioned last week that Susan Rambo had a little color problem. I felt that the NPI purple in the outside portion of the flower was too bright, especially since it was the same color in the squirrel, but I didn't have the DMC color that the conversion was based on, so I wasn't sure. At the shop I pulled the DMC color (451) and sure enough, it was a subtle, grayish dusky mauve. So I am substituting this NPI color, 987 (Taupe Range). I'm not frogging the flower--nothing wrong with a purple flower.

Pink and Elvis approve of samplers with rabbits in them and have offered to eat the offending purple silk.

Happy week ahead!

Rolling Down the River

2011-02-20T11:41:00.008-05:00

Hello, All! This week I started something new, which many of you have spotted in the most recent issue of Sampler and Needlework Quarterly. It's the 1839 Susan Rambo Sampler, and I'm stitching it on LL 40 count Buttercream from my stash and the called-for NPI threads (it's also charted for DMC). The colors of my first flower (the one at the top left and right of the sampler) is a very different color than the color in the photo, and I'm wondering if there's a number transposition somewhere. In the magazine photo it's a pale blue/mauve, and IRL it's quite amethyst. I don't have DMC 451 in my stash to compare, but the magazine photo appears to be DMC 415. My theory is that it was stitched originally in DMC, and someone did a conversion. The other colors so far seem true to the magazine photo. Not sure of this, and my policy is not to frog unless strictly necessary--it doesn't make any difference to me what color the flower is, but you may want to consider it if you're going to stitch it. The squirrels, which have the same color symbol (and a white shade also), are surely not amethyst though, so those I will change, to a gray not included in the floss palette or to the NPI conversion of 415. Other than that, I'm enjoying stitching it.

I put some time in on Sarah Hatton McPhail. Here's the before pic from last week.

And after. Notice particularly the tree, which was really brought to life by just a bit of stem and back stitching. Sarah Hatton and Margriet Hogue of the Essamplaire did a wonderful job on this.

We are replacing the carpet in the master bedroom, and I had the carpet place come take out the carpet so I could see if there was any damage to floor from cat/rabbit pee. If so, I would use Killz on it to block any possibility of smell, although just taking the old carpet away seemed to accomplish that. The rabbits have enjoyed running around on the uncovered floor while I cleaned their room and prepared their dinner. Peaches is always first when she hears the dinner bowl hit the floor:

Then Pink.

Then Elvis, bringing up the rear of the Bunny Parade!

Happy week ahead!

Thank You

2011-02-13T15:27:00.007-05:00

I want to thank everyone who stopped by with a kind word about the loss of our Yazziebear. We were lucky in that we had some time to prepare--it wasn't sudden--and say our goodbyes. In a lifetime full of wonderful pets, there are a few who truly hold our hearts, and in that, Yazziebear was a standout.

I couldn't decide whether to post today or not. I finally decided that it would make me feel better to be "normal" today, so I made breakfast, did some laundry and even stitched a little.

As I always do with a pet that we lose, Yazziebear will be commemorated on a sampler. This one, I think--Mary Ann Gollins. There are two little black dogs, one on either side of the tree (and two more dogs elsewhere in the design). I will leave one black dog, for my sister's Gracie, and replace the other dog with a little tortie point Siamese. It's working up into a beautiful and satisfying sampler. I'm not convinced I have all the colors right--it's been a tough conversion--but I like them anyway. The colors (at least on my monitor) are very true to the colors IRL, particularly of the fabric. As you can tell, this is a very large sampler.

I re-started Elizabeth Welford (Handwork Samplers). I had started it before, but my blue fabric was too blue, and I didn't care for the off-blue of the fibers that were called for. I am now using a very light blue by Lakeside in 40 count, called Misty Rain, and I tweaked the blue floss from the slightly greenish blues to French blues. I like it better now.

I also worked on Sarah Hatton McPhail this week--there's lots left to do, but I can see a finish this year.

It made me feel a bit better to look through my photos of Yazziebear, so here's a last look. Here she was welcoming Peaches to her new home when Peaches first came to live with us. We didn't worry that Yazziebear would hurt the bunny, although she made it clear who ran the show.

Happy week ahead.

Remembering Yazziebear

2011-02-12T19:34:00.004-05:00

We adopted Yazziebear from a Petco adoption fair in Fairfax City 16 years ago. I had always wanted a Siamese cat, and I spotted her from across the room. She was tiny and intense and determined to attract our attention. We brought her home that day, along with a little brown tabby we named Martha, who died four years ago and who is sorely missed. While Martha was busy being carsick on the way home, Yazziebear was busy chirping and commenting from the carrier. She never stopped talking until we had her put to sleep today after a long and debilitating illness, and one of the most difficult things we've ever had to do. She adored us equally and thoroughly, and we adored her in return. Rest in peace, little girl.

Have Some Madeira, My Dear*

2011-02-06T13:46:00.008-05:00

*You really have nothing to fear...

After classes closed on Monday, I worked on assorted projects, including Ann Smith:

Late Thursday I picked up Mary Ann Gollins from In Stitches, returned home and have barely put her down since. What a fabulous project Mary Ann is. The photo on the cover of the chart pack is of the original sampler, so it's not a lot of help, especially since it's pretty blurry on details, but I like a mystery--like to see it come alive. The sampler is charted for DMC or Madeira floss. I pulled the DMCs and did a preliminary conversion to AVAS. I have been adjusting here and there because my fabric is a nicely mottled 36 count Picture This in Heritage (I think) from my stash. I'm using a couple of overdyed silks also, because the colors tickled me; I have dialed up the intensity of the colors a bit so the floss isn't overwhelmed by the fabric, while sticking to the overall subdued green/gold/brown/beige autumn tones. Don't you love the black-and-ecru bird? This sampler is full of surprises! I've tweaked some stitching elements as well: I am not doing the letters in satin stitch, because I think coverage over 6 threads would be skimpy. Also, the alphabet line dips and bobs; I'm taking mine straight across because I think it would look "off."

The little admonition on the front of the chart ("Not for the Beginner!") cracks me up. You can do it, even if you're a beginner! There's nothing I hate worse than being told something's too difficult for a beginner to master. How do you learn to do things if you don't push yourself a little? In fact, I've long wanted to take woodworking classes, so I'm investigating that now. Time to learn something new!

Elvis: Eat more salad!

Happy week ahead!

Ear-ology* and Audiology

2011-01-30T12:14:00.010-05:00

(*Thank you, Diana, for that term!)

Greetings, all! I've spent an unpleasant week with my databases and my accounting class projects with only a few minutes stolen here and there for stitching. After tomorrow, I'm stitching my butt off (and maybe even going to the grocery store and running the vaccuum). Since it's been dark and gloomy, I got out something fresh-looking that I haven't worked on for a few months: Ann Smith by the Scarlet Letter. I'm working on it with the called-for AVAS and using LL's 40 count Magnolia. This may be my brightest sampler--the Magnolia is intensely bright cream, and in fact, so assertively bright that although the color is nice, I don't think it would work as a neutral for a lot of samplers. This sampler has a ton of over-one stitching, including the whole center panel of Adam and Eve, the serpent and the tree, so I'm looking forward to working on it during the day when I can make some headway, since probably a quarter of the sampler is stitched over one thread.

I want to get going on some of these over-one samplers, since I don't figure my laser close-up vision is going to last forever. My hearing's going, especially in places with lots of background noise, like large noisy restaurants, but given the choice, like a lot of stitchers I suspect, I'd take my vision over my hearing any day. I attribute my hearing loss to loud music and to heredity (my grandmother hated her hearing aids and used to leave them off, especially when they squealed, as they frequently did; and my mother has new all-digital very expensive hearing aids that she doesn't wear either--who knows why although she's told me she is not fond of the little voice in them that tells her things--and I figure I'm headed the same way. The little voice, by the way, is real: I've heard it. It announces things like a battery change being necessary; it does not instruct her to take an axe to her family while they sleep and it does not relay messages from the government. (As far as I know.) Well! SOMEONE has had too much caffeine today!

In between creating lookup lists and defining multi-field primary keys in my dabase projects, I have had ample opportunity to surf the web, ogle your projects and think of new charts that I need. The kind ladies at In Stitches are probably tired of hearing from me this week; at each new online discovery I'd call up and request that they add the chart to my towering pile, to be retrieved by me next week (oh heavenly day).

Here's one of my new-start whims: The Hunt by Linda McNally of Homespun Samplar. The project calls for GAST Brethren Blue on 32 count Autumn Fields Vintage Linen by Zweigart, but I am stitching it using an unlabeled overdyed silk from my stash and 36 count Picture This Plus in Legacy also from my stash. This is a fun stitch that will be easy to finish.

Speaking of ears, watch Peaches' ears in the next photos. She's speaking with them.

Translation: happy week ahead!

Sampler Sunday

2011-01-23T18:35:00.004-05:00

Not a lot of time for stitching this past week and next; my classes are finishing up on the 31st, so it's crunch time for all those assignments I procrastinated on during Christmas, the flu and most of all, during the 15-start challenge. I haven't even had time to go to the needlework shop to poke around and pick up the wonderful charts I've ordered. So here's the little bit I accomplished on the Gingham Dog:

And a little more on Ann Rayner:

"You'd better get back to work instead of frittering away time on the Internet!"

Happy week!

Love the One You're With

2011-01-16T12:21:00.010-05:00

A few of you asked what my favorite new/old projects were and what I intended to stitch first. My answer would have to be "it depends..." I've never been a fan of a rotation; when I'm ready to stitch, I like to poke around through my treasures and select what appeals to me on any given day. I tend to lose interest in a project temporarily after about three weeks of concentrated stitching, and because I have so many WIPs (many more than I showed you during the challenge), it might be a long time before I return to a project that I've set aside. Also, some of you hooted at my classification of the last two snow projects as "small." To me, jumbo, large, medium, small and tiny relate not only to the stitch count or dimensions of the finished work, but how dense the stitching is, how many color changes there are, and how complex the stitches are (more and more designers are adding speciality stitches--have you noticed?). It's relative--I've got about 30 WIPs going--so I do my mental scale related to my other projects.

Here are the three I'm concentrating on right now, with before and after photos. My very favorite "large" project is Ann Rayner. Here's the before, where I left off on Friday.

And Ann Rayner today.

My current "medium/large"--Sous le Soleil as I left off Friday:

Sous le Soleil today:

The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat (small/medium) Friday:

And the Gingham Dog today:

Sunday salad. We've been doing well with our salads. My goal is for us to eat more good salads and also consume all the stuff we buy so that we're not wasting food by having it turn into jelly in the crisper. Last night was the end of most of it, so I combined what was left--romaine, some radishes, sunflower seeds, a few Kalamata olives and slivers of red onion--and then made homemade blue cheese dressing with the leftover blue cheese from the salad earlier in the week. This is not low-fat blue cheese dressing, but a little goes a long way and if you eat it, you will never buy that bottled stuff, with its preservatives, uniform, stamped-out "chunks" of blue cheese and pourability again. This is the real deal: stuff that has to be spooned onto your salad. (1/2 c. of mayo, 1/4 c. of buttermilk, 2 tbsp. of sour cream, 3 tbsp of olive oil, 3 tbsp of red wine vinegar, 2 tsp of sugar, pepper to taste. Wisk those until smooth, then gently fold in 4 oz of crumbled blue cheese. Allow to chill for several hours to let the flavors develop, but you can eat it right away also.)

Elvis loves to snuggle,and here Pink seems to be using Elvis as a Pillow Pet.
It's a sleepy Sunday here--cold and sunny out. I think I'll stitch a little more!

Oh, to answer a couple questions I've been asked: the banner photo is the upper left-hand corner of "Christinia Cathcart." And the cats and the bunnies get along fine--mostly they ignore each other's existence. At night when I let them out of their room to run around while I clean their cages and floor, they're on the loose with the cats. Occasionally Peaches and Chester will engage in a game of chase and a nose bump or two, but mostly they pay no attention to each other. I've seen Elvis lying calmly next to Yazziebear under the bed nearly touching.

See you later in the week--perhaps with a new start!?

15a. Winter and 15b. Winter Row

2011-01-14T13:56:00.008-05:00

Number 15 is a two-fer because they're small. Cricket Collection's Winter: I am stitching this on 40 count Picture This Plus in some sort of blue from my stash, using the recommended DMC.

My blue is a little lighter than the recommended fabric, which on the model photo is R&R Reproductions "Morning Fog," and I was a little concerned about the white floss showing up, but I think it's ok.

I picked up Winter Row at In Stitches based on their model, which was stitched and framed without all the buttons. (Everything pictured on the chart which is not in these four colors of floss are buttons!) It does look more sampler-y without the buttons, but I might add a few: a little red cardinal, the two black birds and the hat and mittens on the right-hand snowman. I'm stitching it on 36 count Americana blend seen here using WDW and GAST threads.

This concludes my 15 crazy January starts/re-starts! I was going to continue to number 17 but then figured I could show you those down the road. I've been spending lots of time with this project, as have the rest of our Crazy January stitching bloggers. I've enjoyed the heck out of it, but it has pointed out to me the crummy way I have my supplies organized. Things are scattered everywhere, and I had to scramble to find all the parts and pieces. Right now I'm missing a chart (so annoying, since I bought the buttons, beads and floss for it in order to start it). Oh well, it will turn up soon, and I certainly don't lack for things to do. In fact, I could show you four or five big WIPs (and will in the coming weeks) along with another project or two I'd like to start. I am pleased that I was able to purchase minimal supplies to do this challenge--a couple of charts, some fibers, and a piece or two of fabric.

Peaches: "Do you have time for us now?"

Back to regular posting on Sunday--see you then!

14. Catherine Metcalf

2011-01-13T13:42:00.005-05:00

Hi, everyone! Catherine Metcalf, from the Scarlet Letter, is #14 on my list. While I doubt I can truly finish this sampler this year, I can certainly give it a good try. I truly enjoy working on it, and there are so many different elements, it shouldn't get too boring. I love the spotty cow, and the flock of little (sheep? lambs? four-legged birds?) on the grounds of the very nice estate. The border is even not too large, so it is not as time-consuming as some SL sampler borders.

I like that the chart is bound as a booklet, and the instructions are very clear. I'm stitching it on 40 count LL (navy bean?) using the recommended AVAS threads, although the chart gives the DMC numbers as well.

Here's the rabbit bunch, having a little snack. This food isn't terribly good for them--I expect it's rabbit junk food--but mostly they live on timothy hay and fresh greens, so a little doesn't hurt. And they love it.

See you tomorrow. Tomorrow's project is brand-new and also smallish, so I'm thinking, since I post on Sundays anyway, that I'll just continue through the week and end with #17.

13. Sous le Soleil de la Lune

2011-01-12T11:56:00.007-05:00

Today's restarted WIP is Sous le Soleil de la Lune by Reflets de Soie. I'm stitching it on 40 count LL in maritime white, and it's working up so beautifully I can hardly believe I stopped stitching on it. I know what happened though: it is charted for Gloriana silks with AVAS and DMC as substitutions. I bought the AVAS, but I got a few of the Gloriana, which made the project come to a screeching halt, because the Gloriana colors were so much better, and really better suited to the project. (See the Glorianas on the bottom of the photo?) The problem was that I had already bought the AVAS and Gloriana fibers are about twice as expensive. What to do? While I mulled it over, I set the project aside, not wanting to stitch too much into the territory that I could cover with Gloriana silks. In the meantime, I started stitching on first one thing, then another, and before I knew it, SlSdlL was at the bottom of the project pile. Sad.

This photo doesn't do it justice. So I made a stitchy decision as I worked on the border this morning. I love the purples and the lavenders and I've already started the border and the cartouche in the middle. Those I'll leave alone, but where there are flowers with specialty stitches or large expanses of stitching (the roof of the house, the walls and the lawn), I'll add two or three of the Glorianas to my project bag. Solution!

Speaking of which, is anyone going to the l'aiguille en fete in Paris next month? During my last hiatus from work about five years ago, I went to Paris in February, not knowing that I could have gone to the show! I explored and toured and had an overall blast. I really should not be thinking about doing this, but I so badly want to go, and I've got my eye on the fares--this is a great, cheap time of year to go usually. I stay in a little inexpensive, very French hotel in the 6th, and I eat food from the grocery store (so much better than U.S. stores--my God, the yogurt, the cheese, the cold cuts) or inexpensive cafes and bakeries, and I get around on the Metro, so my expenses are minimal. So tempting to go to the show.... One should not use one's limited funds for frivolous travel, should one? On the other hand, life is short, and memory is long... [Edited to add, after researching ticket prices--nah. Not unless there are any last-minute deals. Ditto on the hotel. At the moment things are a bit pricey. So I'll wait and watch, and look at the weather and BF's own travel schedule, and we'll see. There are worse things than staying home to stitch, after all! But my two fondest memories, aside from visiting some wonderful needlework shops, eating fabulous meals and buying groceries at Bon Marche, were visiting the pet shops along the Seine, with the most amazing array of animals, including enormous pet rabbits and the open air fruit/vegetable/meat/seafood market I visited just as it began to snow huge lazy flakes.]

Elvis needs a haircut today!

See you tomorrow!

12. Dorothy's Garden

2011-01-11T11:13:00.007-05:00

Today's project is a WIP from way back: "Dorothy's Garden," by A Stitcher's Hands. I'm stitching it on a 32 count mystery fabric--I'll have to go back and look at what it is, because it feels rich and creamy [edited to add that it's 34 count Legacy linen in cafe au lait]--using the recommended AVAS. I have enoyed working on it, but I got bored because it's almost completely symmetrical, so I set it aside once I'd completed (nearly) one side. I'd actually forgotten it completely until Michelle mentioned that I had worked on a project called Dorothy's Garden, and I claimed no knowledge of it whatsoever. Sad! My apologies for the creases--it's been folded in its project bag for quite a while, and I don't iron unless really necessary.

This is slated to be a 2011 finish; it's really nice to work on, and all those roses are just beautiful close-up.

A photo of last night's salad: I got the recipe from the huge collection of Cooking Light recipes published in book form. The salad is composed of torn greens (I used Boston and romaine lettuces) and the top portion is a mixture of apples (granny smith and pink lady), an ounce of blue cheese crumbled, 2 pieces of bacon crumbled, and a dressing of lemon juice (I used myer lemons, which are a bit sweeter), honey and a tiny bit of olive oil. The lemon juice keeps the apples from discoloring, and the honey makes the dressing adhere and keeps it from being too tart. We're going to try lots of adventurous salads--I'm guilty generally of stocking a head or bag of lettuce, cucumber, tomato and carrots and putting together the same tossed salad time after time. Who wants to eat or make that over and over. So I resolved to find new things to make, which required a visit to our local Wegmans store, which has great produce. It's where I also bought the dandelion greens for the bunnies. The dandelion greens are huge--I can only imagine how large the flowers are--and I haven't seen them in a store until yesterday when I shopped in the produce section (although I've seen them on other bunny blogs), picking among the more exotic stuff. Coming up in the salad department will be a Thai steak salad and a grapefruit-avocado-seafood salad.

I need to get out and exercise. Pink is providing me with a convenient excuse not to go out by chewing my laces. For whatever reason, he chews the end caps off all my laces. He doesn't swallow the caps--just drops them on the floor. I keep my really good running/walking shoes locked away from his little teeth.

Happy snow day to those of you who got the storm (it seems to be largely missing us), and see you tomorrow!

11. Mary Western 1820

2011-01-10T16:43:00.004-05:00

Coming down the home stretch on the "15," and this week I'll have all large sampler projects I think. A few will be starts, and a few will be WIPs. Here's a WIP that I've enjoyed a lot: Mary Western 1820 by Samplers Revisited. I've gotten to the little striped, crested bird, although I haven't stitched his feet or crest yet. I'm stitching the sampler in the recommended NPI threads on 40 count LL in maritime white.

I love how clearly this sampler is charted, and it's a pleasure to work on the motifs.

I went grocery shopping today for salad stuff and brought back dandelion greens for the buns. They were so excited that Pink yanked the paper towel they were served on and tossed it over Elvis, who just continued calmly munching on his greens.

See you tomorrow with another large sampler--I'm off to make a salad for the humans!

10. Ann Rayner

2011-01-09T11:57:00.005-05:00

Happy Sunday! It's cold and blustery here, and I can't think of a better thing to do than sit in the sunlight streaming into my family room and stitch. Later on we have some errands to run and we may have dinner out somewhere featuring a salad while actually sitting down in a restaurant, and not in a car--although--am I the only one who enjoys eating in my car? (Not while I'm blasting through traffic, but parked in the sun, watching the various other patrons coming and going while listening to the radio.) Anyway, in order to rev up our nutrition, I'm thinking of instituting an occasional salad photo featuring interesting salads with homemade dressings. Maybe that will spur me on to make the effort in the same way that posting pictures of my needlework progress actually drives that progress. I've had random cravings lately for grapefruit and for avocados (and not just the kind that come threaded on Gentle Art cards). Maybe we should each have a 15-salad challenge (not one a day, but occasionally)?

Meet Ann Rayner, by Threads Through Time. I purchased this chart some time ago, when the TTT charts were re-released. There are others that I mean to get to someday, should I live long enough. Other stitchers have recently stitched Ann (including Tanya and Kim), and I love the variations in the colors, which depend on the threads and fabric the stitcher chooses. Ann is charted for DMC, but I did a conversion mostly out of my stash, to AVAS. I'm using 40 count LL vintage buttercream. It's hard to tell from my sunny-day photo, but the fabric is pinker and yellower than this shows, and is nicely mottled.

The photo of this sampler from the 'net shows lots of red and a warmer palette. The photo on the chart (however blurry) shows lighter/brighter shades, so I'm headed toward bluer blues, pinker pinks, while keeping the intense reds. Slightly springier, especially considering the lambs at the bottom of the design.

Elvis says he's dressed for spring.

See you tomorrow!

9. Lil Bo Peep Samplar

2011-01-08T16:24:00.006-05:00

Hard to believe another sampler--and another day--has rolled around again. I went to In Stitches today to order a couple of charts (wait 'til you see! but I'll wait until I have the charts in hand to show you a good photo) and to kit up a large-ish project that I'll start for this challenge, so stitching time was limited. Today's sampler is Lil Bo Peep Samplar by Little by Little. I'm stitching it on a bit of mystery LL in a darkish color (Examplar maybe?) using overdyed threads. Here's the problem: I don't know which overdyeds I used exactly--my project bag seems to have disappeared, and of course, I didn't note the conversion on my chart. So I'll have to do the best I can to match them so I can start it again.

The drive-through finally yielded a bunny last night, and he's sitting with a second bunny that Patricia got for me, and a unicorn that Radonda picked up. Thank you so much, ladies, for adding to my menagerie.

The needlework shop was busy today, I suspect because stitchers are hearing the rumors about the possible 6-12" snow storm coming our way. It has gotten very cold out and I told the rabbits that anyone going out should be sure to wear a muffler.

Pink: "Peaches, a muffler is a scarf, not a bunny sitting on your face!"

See you tomorrow with the newest big sampler project maybe!

8. Whale Hunting

2011-01-07T12:46:00.007-05:00

Afternoon, all! Obviously, this is a WIP--even though I stayed up late stitching last night (I was uneasy because I kept hearing gunfire in the woods somewhere not too far away; I hope my deer friends are all accounted for today. Really--who fires a gun in the woods at 1 a.m. in the suburbs?) I have been working on this gem for several years, and I've determined that this is going to be the year for a finish and framing. This is "Whale Hunting" by Elizabeth Talledo of Finger Work. I'm stitching it on some sort of gray linen that seems to be about 36 count--or maybe 34. [Edited to add that I looked back through the blog, and I've been working on it since the late summer of 2006, and the linen is 34 count Legacy in Puritan Gray.] If I had it to do over, I'd choose a nice Picture This linen in 40 count in a mottled gray. I'm using the recommended fibers: GAST and WDW. This was stitched back before I realized that you should really cross one stitch at a time with overdyed threads, but I think it's turning out ok, and I won't change my approach on the final sections or I think it would look weird. The colors in the photo of my stitched work are right on target.

All in all, I'm happy with it--the design is great and charted really well. My only slight complaint is that when I bought it, I had expected colors that were a bit brighter, but I'm not unhapy with the result. I put it aside only because I was a little tired of it and because something else called to me. I purchased some new threads and it feels new again to me.

Pink, getting a little exercise. Like a lot of bunny owners, I'd love to catch him on "film" doing a binky, but it hasn't happened yet. Of course, as he tore by me, he binkied 360 degrees and I missed capturing it. (For those who are not bunny owners, binkies are when a rabbit expresses joy? playfulness? pent-up energy? by jumping and twisting in the air for no particular reason. There are some cute examples on Youtube.)

I'm paying a little visit to my friends at In Stitches tomorrow; who knows what trouble I may get into. Stay tuned!

7. Shepard Care Sampler

2011-01-06T13:18:00.006-05:00

Today's restart is "Shepard Care Sampler" by Little by Little. I'm stitching it on 40 count Lakeside in Autumn Gold. I had started it on 36 count Picture This, but the sheep weren't showing up and the coverage wasn't ideal, so this is a restart, even though I like the PTP fabric. No matter, I can use it for something else. It is charted for DMC, but I did a conversion to NPI. It will be nice to move it out of my work basket--I like the design and especially the sheep.

"Shepherd" is spelled wrong, and I thought about correcting it, but it kind of tickled me to leave "Shepard" in; I have spent many hours Shepardizing legal cases.

There is no drive-through pet today; BF is off at a meeting out of town, and there may be some snow on the way back, so we switched cars. I don't drive his car if I don't have to, though--cue the music from "Feris Bueller's Day Off"--I'm rusty at driving a stick shift and the car is special to him, so it will stay parked safely in the garage and I will happily occupy myself with movies and stitching. Oh yeah, and housework and schoolwork.

Pink is worried today about Gus, who is going to the vet for possible stasis treatment. Get well soon, Gus!

See you tomorrow!

6. Charlotte Clayton Sampler

2011-01-05T14:21:00.006-05:00

This is Charlotte Clayton, which I purchased several years ago and started on a darker 32 count linen. I later regretted that, because I felt that the fibers (NPI) didn't give good enough coverage over one. I had gotten far enough--a few major motifs--to feel too discouraged to start it again right away. It seems I need a cooling-off period. Now I'm stitching it on 40 count navy bean LL. Even though it's a restart, it feels new; I started it in a new place on the chart, and the color and count of the linen are very different.

Here's what the original sampler looked like, although the designer doesn't show you the stitched reproduction. I wish the designers would show us both versions of a sampler repro. For a really nice completed Charlotte, see Margaret's.

Today's drive-through critter is "Papa Elephant." Still no bunnies where I live, although I am hearing reports of them in other towns in Virginia (Patricia at In Stitches called to report she got one today in Alexandria) and in other parts of the country.

"I'm a little concerned about the toy bunny situation here."

See you tomorrow with another new start!

5. Phebe Edwards,1818

2011-01-04T16:25:00.007-05:00

Today's start is Phebe Edwards, 1818, by Forget-Me-Nots In Stitches, which I picked up a few days ago when I last visited In Stitches. This is a reasonably priced little project (well, not that little, since it's 215 x 226 stitches) because the chart itself is fairly inexpensive, and the fibers called for--with the exception of one spool of silk--are all Sampler Threads. I am stitching it in the recommended fibers on 40 count LL in navy bean. The yellow flowers are daffodils, and the border will also be daffodils. When I stitched the top two daffodils in the recommended color, gold leaf, I thought they weren't bright enough--not yellow enough--so I subbed another color. Those are the two side by side. I'm wondering now if they aren't TOO yellow. Thoughts? I laid the various yellow overdyeds in my stash on top of the q-snap to get a feel: my favorite name is "sally sunshine," by WDW.

The copy of the photo on the package does not do it justice, of course. Whichever yellow I go with, it will be a nice bright stitch for the dark days of winter.

Here's today's drive-through critter. The tag says simply "Bear." I think he's a cutie, but he's still not the elusive bunny, although a dear reader, Deborah, has very kindly offered to send a bunny to me.

I have successfully launched my exercise program and dutifully trudged around my neighborhood, nose running in the cold. It's a start though.

These ladies run in a pack of five. I see them frequently crossing the road when I drive somewhere at dusk. They are very handsome and were grazing in my back yard this morning. They are large and pretty hefty--perhaps because they fattened up on my hostas this summer. One thing we know they won't eat: daffodils!

"Who are you calling fat? We HEARD you huffing and puffing up the hill!"

See you tomorrow with another project!

4. Sarah Hatton McPhail--1826

2011-01-03T14:53:00.007-05:00

I figured that a brand new start each day would tax both my budget and my sanity--and I have a tenuous enough grip on that as it is--no sense nudging it over with a dozen new big historic reproduction samplers (although I will be starting two or three of those), so I'm including some re-starts and some WIPs in my bunch to balance the intensity. Here's one I've trotted out before, with some new stitching on it. This is one of four large samplers I'm working on which I actually have a hope of finishing this year--another one is Sampler #1--Christinia Cathcart. I am stitching Sarah on 40 count maritime white by Lakeside Linens. This came as a kit, with AVAS, but I swapped out the ruddier, lower count Lakeside for my fabric. It's from The Essamplaire.

Here's a photo of the finished sampler--or some of it. I'm working on the boat/water section now.

Today I went through the drive-through and got a Happy Meal with a pink "Mama Unicorn" in it.

Pink!

Best wishes and see you tomorrow with a new start!

3. Winter at Beacon House

2011-01-02T16:04:00.007-05:00

Today I started "Winter at Beacon House," by Praiseworthy Stitches, partly because Rabbits' Guy requested a sampler with a lighthouse, ship and rabbits. This sampler has all of those and more, including little fish with eyes, a sampler alphabet, deer, dogs (to my sister: the one on the sled looks like yours), a beautiful bay, and various sizes of snowflakes, all smyrna crosses over 2, 4 or 6. I am using the exact shade of LL called for by the design. It's rainy and gray here today, so it was hard to capture the color, but Winter Sky linen is a lavender-blue shade. I am not using the recommended fibers at all, though. I'm using silks from my stash, including a lot of overdyeds--Silk n Colors from the Thread Gatherer. It pleases me that I had both the fabric (although mine is 40 count, not the 32 count called for by the design) and fibers in my stash that I could use, so I only had to lay out $5.99 for the magazine. Where I'm missing a color, I just sub NPI or AVAS from my stash. I had originally planned to use NPI and AVAS solely, but I decided that parts of the design, especially the beach, the bay and the house, really needed the variegated floss.

Here's the photo of the project in Just Cross Stitch Magazine, which a lot of us ran out to buy this month:

We have no new Happy Meals pets to show since yesterday's expedition, a Happy Meal for each of us for lunch, yielded another giraffe and a second tiger. I was going to dicker with them about getting something different, but as my closest McDonalds is off the interstate and it was full of tourists complaining about mustard on their sandwiches, I gave them a break. We had a good, heavy home-made breakfast this morning, so we'll have Happy Meals for dinner tonight--BF is almost as intrigued with the hunt as I am. I'm going to try a different McDonalds also.

Peaches is glancing at a well-chewed Cooking Light Magazine here; she recommends slimming down by eating the cooking magazine or cookbook instead of making a meal.

See you tomorrow!

2. The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat

2011-01-01T15:09:00.008-05:00

Project # 2 of the 15-day Crazy January Challenge is "The Gingham Dog & the Calico Cat" by Carriage House Samplings. It's not the large project I imagined starting today, because I'm still gathering the parts and pieces. That's okay, though; I've sprinkled smaller projects through the Challenge so that I'm not completely overwhelmed.

I'm stitching it in the charted NPI colors on a small piece of Lakeside from my stash in 40 count maritime white, I think. It's a fun stitch, and the colors are more true to this photo than the photo of the CHS cover art. [Edited to add: I have made a mistake in the border, but I am not a perfectionist when a mistake can be concealed or worked around. Because I don't think it detracts, I'm leaving it as is. If you look at the cover art and my "model," you'll see what I mean. Fortunately, such things don't drive me nuts. I'll call it customization.]

My updated Crazy 15 list:

1. Christinia Cathcart, The Samplar Workes, 32 count mystery fabric, AVAS silks
2. The Gingham Dog & the Calico Cat, Carriage House Samplings, 40 ct LL, NPI silks

I got this Happy Meal animal yesterday. You can indeed get apple slices instead of fries--they're called apple dippers, and they're delicious--crisp and cold, served with a little container of caramel sauce.

Here are some of my stitching buddies, cheering me on (well, snoring me on, maybe). You can see some of my stitching bags spread out on the sofa.

Off to do some cleaning and a little more stitching. Happy evening and see you tomorrow with Project #3!

New Year's Rockin' Eve

2010-12-31T15:07:00.007-05:00

Things will be quiet here on New Year's Eve. I picked up my car today, did a bit of grocery shopping and headed home. Spaghetti and Italian sausage is on the menu for the evening meal, and if I can stay awake, a bit of stitching toward the Crazy January challenge, the rules of which I'm altering to manage the huge WIP pile of things I've already started. But there will be some new projects, all of them from my stash but one--a pretty, new-to-me sampler that I picked up yesterday when I visited In Stitches. No picture of that yet--I'll be posting each of the next 15 days with a project each day, and I think that will be day 3 or 4.

Here's the update on Christinia Cathcart. The alphabets are VERY time-consuming. In spite of working on this sampler every day for 4-5 hours per day since Sunday, this is as far as I've gotten. I'd hoped to make it over to the right border, but not yet.

Have you seen McDonalds' new toy promotion? The little stuffed animals that come in a Happy Meal are adorable. I'm contemplating buying a Happy Meal each of the next 15 days so that I can collect a bunch of them--but most of all, I want the little white rabbit that's part of the collection. I went through the drive-through today, and when I opened the box there wasn't a little pet, so I parked, marched into the place and asked for my pet. I got it, but it wasn't the rabbit. I'll keep trying. I'm thinking that collecting these animals may be at odds with my diet. I'm wondering if I can get apple or carrot slices instead of fries.

Anna and I have similar lists of New Year's resolutions in several points; here are some of mine:

1. Stitch on the Crazy 15 challenge
2. Learn to crochet
3. Become a better knitter
4. Become proficient at QuickBooks Pro (I've been taking a sorely neglected class)
5. Clean and declutter my house before I become like the crazy people who are buried and smothered by their own possessions
6. Spend some time on Cape Cod with my parents--my mom and I are going to hit some yarn stores on the Cape and walk windy, freezing, deserted beaches.
7. Exercise, eat better and try not to get to bed at 4 a.m. (true story) because I'm busy stitching
8. Find a job [edited to add that BF typically does not read my blog, or I would have put this up on #1. Hee.]

My Crazy 15 list (I'll add one title each day):

1. Christinia Cathcart

This is an older photo of Elvis and Scratchy:

Happy New Year, all, and see you tomorrow with a new start!

Happy Post-Christmas

2010-12-26T15:27:00.010-05:00

Our Christms day was relaxing and fun. We made a new friend (my sister's new dog, rescued from an abuse/hoarder situation). He's a dear thing, but so scared.

We ate ourselves silly in a kind of potluck, casual meal. Here: shrimp, pupusas and tamales.

Crab melt-aways (edited to add recipe: 1/2 pound of blue crab meat--I used backfin so that it doesn't take fishy; 2 tblsp. of mayonnaise; 1 stick of butter; 1 5 oz. jar of Kraft Old English cheese; 1 tsp. of seasoning salt (like Lawry's). Mix thoroughly with a hand mixer until well blended into a paste. Spread thickly on halved/quartered English muffins and then freeze. (Freezing is an important step, even if it's just an hour or so.) Take out of the freezer and cook under the broiler until puffy and golden brown.)

Sugar plums? No, caramel (and everything else) apples from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory:

I have managed some stitching. This is Christinia Cathcart. I don't love the 32 count linen, but I'm not restarting it now. I do like the colors (AVAS). I can see a finish in my not-so-distant future.

And a closeup of the section I'm working on. Because of this and so many other WIPs, I'm modifying my "15 New Things" to maybe "3 New Things." I'm planning to go to In Stitches' pajama sale event tomorrow, if the weather cooperates--I'm not up for icy roads. Thank you, everyone, for your well wishes after my flu/accident/job situation. For now, I'm going to stay home with a long list of to-do items: clean the house and do some painting and sprucing up which I never had time for while I was working; finish up some courses toward qualifying for the CPA; exercise and lose some weight; and stitch my butt off!

The gang says "phew, we're glad the hustle-bustle is over!"

Happy week ahead!

Great Expectorations

2010-12-19T16:45:00.007-05:00

I've been a sick, sick girl, in bed with the 'flu until today. Thank goodness I finally feel better. I'm virtually never sick--I probably go 4-5 years between colds, but this knocked me out, even though I had the flu shot. My friend, Liz, hearing my voice on the phone, said with authority (she has two boys), "You need an expectorant." We do not own such a thing, of course, and because there are no children/grandchildren, we have understocked medicine cabinets. We do not own potions and pills that normal families do: no cold medications, no vaporizer, no cough syrups, no anti-nausea medications, nothing, nothing, nothing.

I'm horrified at the date, considering I had barely started my Christmas shopping. Yesterday I tried to go out, but crept home after just two hours of local stuff, went back to bed at noon and slept until well after dark. Today I headed for Potomac Mills, feeling much better (anyone who lives in Nova is shaking their head at that bit of folly, but if you haven't been to Potomac Mills lately, they have some really good stores now) and it's a lot closer than going to Short Pump or Pentagon City. Besides, the other two malls have parking decks, and who knows whether another cement thingy might take another swing at me.

It was a traumatic week, what with the flu, the car crash (I still haven't got Mr. Aluminum Can back, and although I have a rental car, I really miss him), and quitting my job. It has been soothing to take up my stitching, and work on Catharine McNeal in between blowing my nose and napping.

Here's my overall progress:

Since I had to go to Woodbridge anyway, I stopped at Astoria Pizza and got this--it's about as much Christmas decor as I've been able to manage. Festive!

This photo is from two years ago at Christmas. Pink was not pleased at being dressed as the Christmas elf.

Off to finish decorating the tree and wrap some stuff! See you later in the week!

Crunch Time

2010-12-15T19:34:00.004-05:00

No needlework today. I'm posting this for my sister, who is generally our pre-Christmas car cruncher, although to be fair, not for a number of years now. I drove through the metro station parking garage, a place I've driven a thousand times before, and hit a big concrete pylon type thing that has always been there, and which I have safely navigated around a thousand times before today. Peeled the car skin back just like the lid on a cat food can. I'm hoping the underlying engine stuff is ok, but there's no doubt there's quite a bit of damage. Even the experienced Allstate claims adjuster said "Wow!" to the damage. I had to tear some pieces off with my hands to pull them away from the tire so I could drive to the claims center. I have a rental car to drive. And either the 'flu, or one of the worst colds I've had in years, which may be why I miscalculated. Thank goodness I didn't hit another car--or a person. It is just stuff, even if it is an inconvenient bit of stuff to have out of commission.

Chester: "Did someone say 'catfood can?'"

Grand Illumination

2010-12-12T19:36:00.007-05:00

Richmond has an event called the "Grand Illumination" each year where a two-square block area of the city is bedecked in lights. The highrise my company occupies and the one across the street host 50-60 illuminated deer, which are 2-3 times as a large as the deer you might buy for your own yard. The trees--oak, magnolia and pine--are also illuminated, along with lights that outline the highrises. It's quite enchanting at night. This is what it looks like in the early morning just before the lights are turned off for the day.

And a view of Rudolph after dark. I asked our building guard if they had any problems with people bringing guns into the city and target practicing on the deer. He said that sometimes kids with bb guns were a problem, but that the larger problem was that periodically someone would back a truck up to the displays and try to steel the deer.

Thanks to Nicole, my afternoon was disrupted and I have no photo to show you of my accomplishments this week. She showed the newest issue of Just Cross Stitch Magazine, something I rarely buy. But I fell in love with "Winter at Beacon House," and rushed out to buy my copy before the LNS closed. I love the sailing ship, the little rabits, the red alphabet and the little fish. It was meant to be: in my stash is the exact shade of Lakeside Linen used in the model, called winter sky. While the sampler calls for Gentle Art and Weeks, I did a conversion to silks. I can't wait to start it! Thanks, Nicole!

Here's another project from the same issue, by Donna Giampa, called "Frosty Woodland Pillow."

Something about this photo makes me think of snowballs:

Happy counting down to Christmas week ahead!

Crazy January Challenge and More

2010-12-05T12:16:00.007-05:00

Put up your hands and wave your needles if you're planning to participate in the Crazy January Challenge where we will each start a new project each day for the 1st 15 days of January and will then try to finish those projects by the end of 2011. To the first part, I say, "no problem! Woohoo! I'm there!" To the second part, I say, "Ummmmm." I was contemplating it anyway, taking out my charts and cooing to them. But I need some supplies--some thread to kit them up, some fabrics--nothing too much. Along came the email from Ellen at In Stitches, offering to help all us 15-new-stitches stitchers out of the jam of insufficient supplies and charts, because she's going to be having a nice early bird event from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on December 27. Those of us arriving in our pajamas receive a special discount between 7 and 10 a.m. So I'm going to be looking for some new pajamas, since what I wear now is not exactly fit to be seen, and it gives me the heebie jeebies to think about driving 30 miles in my jammies--and get a flat tire.

I got a jump on the challenge (although this won't be one of my 15), by starting True Virtue Sampler, from the Samplar Workes. I'm stitching it in the recommended AVAS and Trebizond silks on 40 count Lakeside Examplar. Here's the project photo:

Here's some progress on it:

And a close-up of one of the stawberry blossoms, done in satin stitches. One of the odd-but-charming things about this sampler is the "offset" stitches. The flower stems are offset from the vine by one thread.

I haven't neglected Catharine Metcalf, and I got more leaves and fruits stitched:

We had a little bunny scare this week. Little Elvis appeared withdrawn and quiet, and he didn't seem to be eating last Monday night. Bunny owners know that a bunny that isn't eating is a bunny that isn't pooping either, and a bunny that isn't pooping is a bunny emergency. Bunnies don't throw up, and they can get a hair ball mass in their tummies that can kill them, and it's particularly likely in a long-hair breed. Because my bunnies are free range within their room, I couldn't tell whether he was or not, but after watching him anxiously, it appeared that nothing was going in or coming out. So we wrapped him up in a towel like a bunny burrito, and syringed into his mouth the only thing I had on hand (I'd used the emergency supply of papaya juice and pineapple juice that I normally keep for such things): Laxatone cat laxative. Unfortunately for Elvis, it was tuna flavored (although there is no tuna in it). It did the trick, though, and he was back to normal in no time.

"Next time put my tuna in a sandwich and serve it with plenty of lettuce and sprouts!"

Happy week ahead!

Sampler Houses

2010-11-28T17:13:00.008-05:00

Lots of foliage. Again, I lost the light before I shot the photo.

I was out wandering through Fredericksburg with my camera, enjoying the fresh air today and taking photos of some of the homes in the historic district. I look for interesting sampler-type houses, particularly if they are dressed for Christmas. Let's start with this one, although it's not exactly dressed for Christmas. Perhaps it's dressed for Valentine's day or a really raucous New Year's--the kind where you need to get out the Pepto Bismol the next day. Yes--Pepto Bismol.

This is a very nice classical brick house with a nice metal roof. I think the wreath is too small though. I like the way the basement windows meet the sidewalk and have little half shutters, as if the whole thing is being swallowed by the earth.

Here's a cutie. There are several of these, painted different colors. This guy is maybe 15 feet wide

Pink wants to know what's wrong with having bright pink shutters--he thinks every house should have some pink.

Happy week ahead!

Happy Thanksgiving from Us!

2010-11-25T12:34:00.009-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, all! Instead of assembling scenery and props for the Rabbits' Annual Thanksgiving, I was snoring (lesson--when wanting to accomplish something, do not lie down for "just a few minutes to rest my eyes and think about the project.") Since today we're off to my sister's for dinner, there's no time, so we'll do it next year instead.

Here are some updated results of my holiday stitch butt--Catherine Metcalf. There are 66 flowers in the border. I don't object to the flowers, but I'm not liking the endless ropes of greenery that connect them. TWO colors of dark green and lots of little jutting twiggy things.

The tree of life is fun, but it is not entirely symmetrical, so I have to pay attention. I don't get to stitch a round yellow thingy on the left and then count over and repeat it on the right necessarily.

The Rabbit Peeps and I wish you a merry Thanksgiving. Enjoy your family and friends.

Give someone a little kiss.

And a snuggle.

And most of all--my favorite--spoil your dinner with snacks!

Up the Stairs, Down the Banister

2010-11-23T12:54:00.008-05:00

Yesterday, the first weekday of my vacation, was all about the errand. So it was up to Arlington for bloodwork and a Dr.'s checkup and flu shot, then down to Alexandria for a little stop at In Stitches, then on to Fredericksburg for groceries and further on to Richmond to pick up my car since it inconveniently lost its transmission on the way to work last Tuesday a.m. Thankfully, the manufacturer covered most of the cost of the $3800 repair, even though my car is 8 years old. And I got to drive the nicest loaner in the meantime--not a small thing when you commute 130 miles a day.

I had the best time at In Stitches, and I purchased this. I've wanted to try needlepoint for a while, and they had this little painted canvas hanging up next to all the fibers, kitted up on a ring (so nice, since I don't know doodly about kitting up a needlepoint project and so clever of the ladies to make it so easy to succumb to temptation). Ellen gave me a quick tutorial on needlepoint technique (stitch up the stairs and down the banister) and off I went with my new project (and a half dozen skeins of AVAS for Catherine Metcalf). What a cutie:

I've started in the top right corner. I think I will frog out the brown on the right side and go with the color to the left of the teepee. I was up until nearly 2 a.m. doing this. See the sparkly snow?

And I didn't neglect Catherine Metcalf either.

And a little something I picked up from In Stitches also. I had heard good things about Bohin needles, and they're every bit as nice as I've heard. So silky smooth.

From Thanksgiving two years ago--Elvis having a little chat with a turkey.

See you Thursday for the third annual Rabbits' Thanksgiving.

Thankful for Vacation

2010-11-21T20:43:00.006-05:00

Happy almost-Thanksgiving! I am on vacation this week, my sister is the cook on the day (I'm in charge of the cheese and olive platter and the deviled eggs), and I haven't planned much of anything for the week except for a doctor's appointment tomorrow, a little drive by In Stitches for more thread (I looked right at the instructions for purchasing thread, and did I even notice that some of the colors call for three skeins of AVAS and other colors require 2?) and a massive case of stitchy numb butt. I have been worn to a nub and didn't even blog last week because I had nothing to show--so rare! But I have a holiday tradition of starting something new to maintain, and here it is--Catherine Metcalf.

Not a great photo of the true colors of this sampler--I stitched away the day and then lost the light just as I got out the camera, so this is by lamplight. Scarlet Letter's Catherine Metcalf done on 40 count Lakeside in navy bean with AVAS threads.

Pink, taking the tag off a towel prior to chewing holes in the towel (bunny lace, we call it around here).

And from last year, the rabbits' Macy's day parade:

More pictures coming up later in the week--see you Thursday!

Fall Back

2010-11-07T19:13:00.007-05:00

A local radio station did a survey of what people planned to do with their extra hour this weekend. I was going to stitch (not one of the categories), but I wound up napping instead (about 19% of respondents said they'd sleep) since I seem to be coming down with either a cold or a sinus infection. I worked some on Elizabeth Sheffield this week. The "strawberry" band is all over-one; the blue line beneath it is composed of eyelet stitches. I'm enjoying the heck out of this (as well as Mary Western).

The three buns decided they'd sleep, rather than watch a movie (13% of the radio listeners were going to watch a movie). Here are Peaches and Pink curled up for a nap--Elvis is just out of camera range, napping on the rug.

Happy week ahead!

Rhode Island

2010-10-31T20:48:00.009-04:00

I like Rhode Island. I fly into TF Green Airport (so much easier than Logan in Boston) when I go to the Cape. Or I drive up 95 through Rhode Island. I always know I'm home when I see the VW-sized New England Pest Control bug perched on a rooftop from the highway near Providence.

(Photo borrowed from NE Pest Control.)

How can you fault a state that has a craggy, gorgeous coastline, the "cottages" of Newport, Narragansett Beer, the Rhode Island Reds (quick, tell me what sport, plus I think it was HAD the Rhode Island Reds) and the beautiful, classic Rhode Island samplers? (Also, for some reason, a large number of drivers who zoom along in the left lane and then cut across four lanes of traffic to take an exit. Really, I see it every time I drive through Providence. Why is that, RI readers, if there are any of you?) Here's a reproduction Rhode Island sampler, recently released by The Scarlet Letter. I dropped by In Stitches on Saturday, on the way back from taking our old-lady cat, Yazziebear, to the vet (a wonderful vet recommended by none other than Sampler Girl) (Thank you so much, Tanya--we love our new vet). I dropped by In Stitches since I had drive right by practically. Before I had even spun the "new charts" rack, Patricia said, "Have you seen the new Scarlet Letter?" I had, on SL's website. But I hadn't seen the large photo, so when I got it in my hands, I was sunk. (Thanks, Patricia--I get into so much more trouble with your help!) After kitting it up, I rushed home and started it. Behold, Elizabeth Sheffield:

Here's the interesting thing about stitching Elizabeth. You know that feeling you get when you want to see how the design's going to turn out, so you stitch "just one more color before bed" and before you know it, it's 3:00 a.m.? And that's WITH a photo of the project. This project's photo is of the original, antique sampler, with all its uneven-ness, some fading of the colors, and the slightly less than perfection that marks the original historic sampler. So it's extra enjoyable to stitch this and see the sampler emerge. I'm working on it on 40 count Lakeside Meadow Rue, which is a good bit darker than most of the linen I work with. I'm using AVAS, although it's also charted for DMC. The colors are a little off in this photo, because I shot it late in the afternoon as the light was going.

The "strawberry row" (the blue flower blob) is done over one, as is one of the alphabets and the people (but not the house) and some of the flowers that make up the border. The colors are incredibly vivid. I can't wait to get to the people--they should be fun to stitch.

Liz Sheffield is not my first Rhode Island sampler. Remember this? It's a reproduction by Vermillion Stitchery (now closed). I'm stalled on it because I was doing the conversion from cotton to silk on the fly, and ran into some difficulties coordinating and matching colors, so I set it aside. They share some design elements and characteristics, but I'd be pleased to hang them both.

And for the bunny folks, I wanted to share this photo to commemorate Tocktoberfest. Says Pink, "Trick or treat. Smell my feet!"

Happy week ahead, and happy Halloween!

Mary Western 1820

2010-10-24T21:51:00.005-04:00

Hi, all. Just a quick one tonight as I'm embroiled in some knotty homework. Now that the online needlework show has revealed this sampler, I can show you what I'm working on: Mary Western 1820 by Samplers Revisited. I was lucky enough to wander in to In Stitches when Patty Yergey, the designer, stopped by with the model and some charts. I can tell you that the real-life sampler is so much prettier than even this photograph of the project.

I stitching it on the recommended Lakeside in Maritime White, although I'm using 40 count, rather than the 36 count suggested, worked with NPI (although it's also charted for DMC). It's a large sampler! I've counted 68 of the little pink fan-flowers in the border (sweet peas?); so far I've stitched 8 of them.

Off we head to last-minute chores and then to bed. Happy week ahead, says Peaches.

Satin Stitches

2010-10-17T17:59:00.007-04:00

I used to think I didn't like satin stitches before undertaking this project. I can't show you the whole picture until next week when it's released at the online needlework show, but it is a sweet design.

I made some progress this week on A Parrot, a Leopard, a Lion. Only, because I haven't fleshed out the parrot, it should be called "A Scrawny Chicken and Some Endless Foliage." I am uncomfortably reminded by this image that Thanksgiving is a little under six weeks away. Urk.

How I regret not buying more Birds of a Feather charts while they were still designing. Now we're left with what we can scratch up from ebay. I got this chart this week. Does anyone have any idea of how many designs they might have done? (So I can take a second mortgage on the house to get them all.) Cue Joni Mitchell, singing "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone..." Is it any wonder that we stitchers are such chart hoarders? "A Bird in the Hand," charted for DMC and WDW on 32 count linen.

Here's a sweet little group to wish you a merry Sunday and a happy new week.

10-10-55 - 10-10-10

2010-10-10T20:34:00.009-04:00

I was born on 10/10/55, and today--10/10/10--I turned 55. Perhaps I should go out and purchase some lottery tickets, but the gas station that sells them is about three miles away, but that would have involved putting away my stitching. I didn't even want to go out to eat; BF was not really surprised that I preferred to stay home and make my own birthday dinner (baked ziti, raw veggies with my killer homemade blue cheese dressing and apple crisp).

Yesterday my sister treated me to a birthday lunch and gave me a generous gift certificate to In Stitches, and my parents sent me yarn and a pattern book (my mom knits, so she chooses wonderful knitting stuff). All in all, a wonderful birthday weekend. Chester and Yazziebear contemplate the balloon that my sister's BF brought me along with a nice bouquet of flowers:

I can't show you everything I stitched, since I put in a lot of time this week on the sampler that has not yet been unveiled by Samplers Revisited. I worked on this Christmas ornament, which is by Birds of a Feather. I'm stitching it on a scrap of 40 ct. Lakeside from my stash using the called-for GAST threads. I am going to frog that particular gold Kreinik--it's too brassy, I think. I'll use a different gold.

I had "homework" for my fair isle hat class which meets again on Tuesday, so I have made progress on that project as well. Two interesting things about fair isle knitting: there are never more than two colors in a row, even if there are lots of different colors in the design (yes, there are things you knit with multiple colors in a row, but those are not fair isle--those are intarsia); and if you can read a counted cross stitch pattern, you can read a knitting pattern! With circular needles, you start on the botton right and read left, repeating until the end of the number of stitches on your needle. Easy! If you knit and have been hesitant about trying fair isle, go for it! Next I'm doing the whale watch hat, which will be more time-consuming because of the fingering yarn, but will not be more difficult. This hat is a snowflake pattern by the instructor. I'm knitting it in two colors of Mission Falls 1824 merino superwash.

Peaches, grooming Pink's ears during morning snuggle time.

Happy week ahead!