Thank you each and every one :)

Your blogiversary wishes are most kind.

I'll need mailing details and color likes and pattern hatreds from:
Kathryn
Sonda
Mel
Amy.... well, Amy, I know all about you. You'd like something in medium pink on a pale pink fabric ... lol
Barbara
and... drum roll for the lucky draw..... Michele.

It really will be a joy to PIF on behalf of ya'll !

On the stitching front the Semi-Secret M-Designs personalized sampler is flying along. I just love working with this pattern. It's like a favored toy -- can't wait to get it out and play with it again. Of course since it's semi-secret I can't show it to you-- not yet anyway.

I can share a couple things that have made it to/from me though. Vicki has received the squares I did for her and I have mine from her. It seems we're both pleased-- Lord knows I am!
from Vicki for lucky ole me:


for Vicki from me:


In other Badger Stitching News, I worked a couple weeks ago at my local needlepoint shop... isn't it pretty?



Yes, that's a fan on the kickstool in the middle of the floor -- seems a team of bandits came along the strip mall in the middle of the night and stole most of the air conditioning units off the roof of the building including the one for the shop. Sheesh. Sure, we also have palm tree thefts out here all the time, but stealing 4-5 commercial-size air conditioning units off the top of a roof in the middle of the night is awfully brazen!

My time at the shop was fun and educational. first, for those of you all stressed about the closing of Needle Necessities, you should comfort yourself. Former NN dyers have opened their own company, Thread Worx, and are dying beautifully -- see the sample of existing NN colors and the TW alternatives --

Nice work, don't you think?

The other educational bit is something we all need to remember (and can understand)-- If you are going to lie to your significant other about how much your hobby costs, then never, NEVER, EVER send s/he to the shop to pick up and pay for your stash/finishing. NEVER!!!! Sheesh. We had a DH in full meltdown mode because he "knew" what his wife had been quoted for the finishing of the tallis bag and the figure he was being told to pay was not it. A call to the wife finally settled it, but I thought he was going to call the cops and charge us with evil business dealings before she got on the phone.
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Things to be thankful for: stitching buddies!

Currently reading: Green's The Man with the Golden Torc, Stout's The Final Deduction, and Pratchett's Pyramids