Help me before I succumb to startitis

Argh... I'm itching to start something new. It's practically making me twitch. [No, I have not had any caffeine in weeks!] To combat my startitis I've pulled out a herd of stuff in progress. In the last week or so I've worked on more stuff than, well I generally work on in an entire season.

Here's where all my avoiding-the-new has gotten me-- sagas included -- you knew there had to be a saga or two, right?:

On my Quaker a la Six Mains:

I was all wiggly with excitement to start this back in 2006. And I love it. I love the colors. I'm having fun with it. Now, here's the problem. What I had planned to edit it to include doesn't "work" for me in these colors anymore. I look at it and can't believe I ever thought it would work in these shades. I don't want to not finish this, but now I have to find something to do with it when I'm done. Crap! I'm thinking about seeing if the George Washington house charity I mentioned a while back (Yes, I know I owe you info on it, but I don't have it yet) would be able to frame it if I personalized it to go with his family. Then again-- for Washington it should be red, white, and blue, right? Sigh.

On my HiH snowman:

The only saga is while I love stitching in Silk and Ivory I really wish I weren't xsing in it. I hate the jumbo canvas.

Oh my Beatrix Potter:



Somehow this month this piece just behaved so well. Even the beads went in smoothly! Beatrix must have known I was peevish with her. Possibly it also moved quickly because I really, really wanted to get to a big patch of stitching in the Vikki Clayton color --

I love it. I just love that color!

And finally the dragon.

He's made it passed this point -- I've yanked out the wrong stitches and replaced them, but trust me getting here was a love-hate battle. If you want to see the whole thing play out you can visit it at the Fantasy Stitch-along wanna join us? Just let me know. We're always happy to have new friends.

ttfn -- here's wishing all of us a very peaceful and happily productive weekend!

Thank you

Time Warner sucks

Yeah, like you didn't already know that. Honestly.

From that can you tell how my digital cable installation went? Sigh.

So I rearrange my hovel (no small feat at all, TRUST ME!), and I sit around past Mr. Installer's promised window of arrival because his first appointment kept him long. Fine, whatever. He arrives (nice man, really), looks at my current set up (cable from wall into VCR, VCR into TV) and says he's going to have to run the cable box to the TV. Fine, I say, I just still need to be able to tape shows and watch the tapes. And there's the moment where the trouble began --

-- He looks at me like I've just grown two more heads while walking out of my flying saucer. He's never heard of taping shows? Now, I've checked with the industry association and the US Census Bureau, and only about 64% of American households have cable. Only about 31% of American households have DVR capabilities. So, dude, VCRs are not unusual! Honest, they aren't. So he says that would make the VCR a splitter and I might lose some of the resolution and maybe some music channels. Fine by me, I don't need music channels, that's what I have CDs for.

He installs away. I have digital cable, cool. But wait, if I turn the VCR on not only do I loose cable, but I can't even watch a tape. Sigh. That, Miss, is not TW's problem he says, we don't do VCRs.

He leaves me with a non-functional VCR and the choice of the bliss that is BBC America versus having to watch all my shows live versus hiring someone to come in a figure out how to install it so it actually works versus telling them where they can stuff their digital cable box.

In short, Time Warner Cable sucks.

On to other news. Besides having to clean for the cable guy, I also called a Finishing Weekend. It was sort of successful. I thought (what was I smoking????) I'd get 4-6 finishes. I got 3 (or 2 is you don't considering merely ironing a finish. lol). And I can't even show you what I did since they are gifts. Sorry. Someday soon you'll get to see, I promise.

What did I do (instead of finishing).... besides fret about cable? Well it really all is Time Warner's fault. You see most of what blocked the path to installation was stash. So I needed to clear up my stash. See, I knew you'd understand! Stitcher's organizing stash work with all the efficiency of a golden retriever in a room full of squirrels on speed. Ooo, look at that. Oh, I forgot about that. Hmm, what could I stitch on that. Wow, that's even cooler than I remembered. You know. I know you know. You've been there right?

Sheesh! It took me an entire evening--- ENTIRE like 7pm until 4am just to "finish" sorting my threads. 90% of them were already sorted!!!!!! I'd think I had them all gathered up. I'd put them away. I'd find &#@*^$*#@ more. The 4th time I found more I said... well, I can't really say what I said because it was after 3am when I found them so I just shoved them in the rubbermaid bin on top of all the sorted threads and went to bed. Oh and who thought it was a "necessity" that I spend 2 hours winding bobbins and checking my DMC floss boxes that night? Really? Necessity? I think not. After all I ended up sitting on my fanny for 4.5 hours just waiting for him to show up. I could have wound an entire family of bobbins then. Sigh.

Because it's too embarrassing I did not photo essay the entire stash cleaning experience, but I did one sample. On the infamous installation afternoon I hauled my very unruly "small kits" basket (an idea I stole from Chris-- who by the way is going to England and Europe on a stitching adventure --- can you all help me say the appropriate word that rhymes with witch?) and started sorting. Let me show you the problem:

Do you see the basket?
Do you see how the basket is full of stuff?
Do you see the mass of stuff all over the bed that was also crammed in the basket?
Honestly I swear that stash-wise I'm ready for armageddon.

And, pawing through all these projects forced (by totally twisting my everso reluctant arm, of course) me to start something new--

That's Shepherd's Bush Fa La La which I hauled along on Monday to the dentist's. I was going great guns until the thread for the sheep's body turned out to be exactly the same color as the fabric. What with all my fights to get the threads in the rubbermaid tub-o-threads, I have been reticent to forage in there for some white Splendor to use for the sheep. Maybe next week..... next month.

Since we're discussing stash, allow me to share a couple things that came in from my TNNA ordering--


Aren't they cute?

I'm not sure how I'll like the tacks but I'm game to give them a try when a wobbly canvas is driving me nuts.

A final thought -- here's to Memorial Day. A day I actually get off! Miracle of miracles.

What's say we "meet" at the PBS Memorial Day Concert and string some bunting for our veterans--


Goal for this weekend: 2 finishes and a plethora of Beatrix Potter. Although I should probably needlepoint. Sigh.

Happy Weekend!

Ok, I only have a few minutes, but I had to drop in and wish you all a beautiful weekend. And ask you to think positive thoughts for me this weekend for 2 reasons:

1. I have named this Finishing Weekend. I WILL (!!!!) accomplish a significant amount of finishing because I want to mail some stuff out next week. I WILL finish. I W-I-L-L!!!!! Anyone who cares to can join me. Feel free to show me up while you're at it too. lol

2. I am allegedly getting digital cable installed this weekend. I say "allegedly" because I know my cable company. I need the positive thoughts not for them, but for my cleaning efforts in advance of their arrival. For them to get to the TV I have to clear away all my stash! And all he clutter that has gotten swept up in the stash. Argh. Like I said, I need the positive energy!

I still owe you updates form last weekend's stitching efforts. I was good! I got a whole afternoon of work on my Zuni bear needlepoint:

Yeah, I know, you can't see anything on that but----
What I really accomplished was a lot of staring at it and then I mostly completed the vertical panel on his stomach


I also did some "labeling" on my 5th needlepoint:


And this week I completed F&S round 13, but since it is not sent, it can't be received, therefore you can't see the squares yet. Sorry!

ttfn---- have a great weekend!

By the way, I saw this sign last week while I was out and about -- tell me they weren't targeting me!!!

Ok, ok, ok

I know I've been remiss, but I've been busy. You know there's a lot to get done when you get put back to 40 hours a week. lol Yes, it's very nice, but it is only temporary. Sigh.

Anyway, without further ado -- For Anna (who loves French knots???? -- really? Does anyone really love French knots?) we have the first fry bread of the weekend--

Lunch is brought to you by the Hale family food booth. It features refried beans and ground meat with no onions.

And for our friend Siobhan I bring you dinner

From the Begay family booth. The Begays do their fry bread with chili beans, fresh onions, and salsa. Mind you things changed this year-- traditionally the Begays put out Rubbermaid squirt bottle-y things of salsa, but this year, as you can plainly see, they went pre-packed.

Anna and Siobhan, I hope you enjoy your virtual fry bread. (In case you were wondering while many of you were curious, only Anna and Siobhan exhorted me to eat on their behalf. This does NOT mean that next year if 12 of you ask me to "have one for you" that I will. I like fry bread and all, but there's gotta be a limit!)

In between lunch and dinner there was much singing to hear and dancing to see --







And I stashed a little --

Yup, more beads. For those of you very patiently waiting for RAKs from my blogiversary in the fall, you may recognize them in your mail soon. Gads I hope you recognize them soon!!!!!

Aside from powwow I had quite an adventure last weekend. In my last post I showed a BBD sampler that I did for my buddy Verna who turned 100 last week. Her daughter (my dear friend, Judy) threw her a 100th Birthday Festival on Saturday. Here's the happy (but cold) bday girl--

(For the record, she hates to smile in pictures, but she really is very friendly.) And here she is surrounded by her daughters and grandchildren--

She had a very successful bday, and the adventure continues! For the party her theme was "I can't believe I'm 100" now she starts every morning with "how much passed 100 am I?" Makes you smile too, doesn't it?

By the way I'd like to report that I'm not too smart. I carefully slather myself with SPF 55 lotion every year for powwow. But somehow I didn't think to do that when I went to the bday party despite knowing I'd be outside from noon until 5pm with no shade. See, not very smart. BUT!!!--- I did put on the lotion for powwow the next day-- does that constitute closing the door after the horse?

Well I'll close with wondering why, despite having stitched on and off all week I have no progress pics to show. Hmmm. Bad stitcher! Bad stitcher!

Instead of progress pics, I'll ask ya'll a question -- Do you have a project which you have stitched which you felt utterly compelled to do, but you had no real reason to do it-- no gift, no particular place to put it, no plans for its finishing, etc? I can't be the only one that projects grab for no apparent reason and won't let go of. Mine is Tudor Rose from Heritage Stitchcrafts:


I did it on white opalescent lugana with the threads that came in the kit. I can't explain why but I just HAD to do it. Even with all the BS vines I was compelled to work on it. I did it in probably 2005 or 2006 and it's hanging from a skirt hanger on the door of my closet. Apparently stitching compulsions in my life do not lead to finishing compulsions.

So, that's my thinking-piece for the weekend. I can't wait to see what projects have "talked" to you!

P.S. Anyone else wanna go stand in line with me for G-Force? I mean come on animated, intelligent hamsters as trained covert operatives? Come on, you know you want to.

P.S.S. Drat I missed a pair of scissors. I'll owe you a pic of those.

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Goal for the weekend: Make progress on either the Zuni bear or the shawl dancer needlepoint and on Vierlanden. Let's see if I can report happily on Monday.