................ gotta dash, but....

... I know I need to get updating because there is so much to catch you up on.

First, I feel compelled to note that last night I almost started 2 new somethings. OMG help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For today I shall limit my updating to what I've finished in 2010 (besides the belt... sorry I was too excited to wait on that)--

This I know is unusual so it has a story. My BIL owned a Calder painting which he decided to sell last year. That there is my version of it. It's called Triceratops and in painting form it is huge. When I first met what I called The Banana Slug (sorry, I still see a slug before I see a dinosaur) I was not entranced, but over the years I grew quite fond of the ole girl. I was going to miss her at Christmas. So somehow it came to me, I'd stitch an ornament for him in honor of her. So I searched through all my photos from their house and printed out the 30 with parts of the painting in it-- of course I couldn't find a shot of the whole thing... no! That would have been too easy. Once I'd worked out my own line sketch of it, the problem became transferring it to graph paper. I couldn't see to trace it. I tried etching it which worked real well up until the tape gave about half-way through the process. I tried tracing with sharpies so the ink would bleed through -- of course when you want to bleed through your paper, you NEVER do. Ultimately I flipped my (at the time) nonfunctioning laptop on it's lid and used the screen as a light table to trace my drawing onto graph paper. It worked! So there, now you know the saga behind the ornament. And possibly you know why it takes me forever to get anything done.


That's SB's little America sampler which I finally sewed the *&#$@(#*^ button on. Yup, it's been stitched for something like a year and just waiting for me to iron it and put the flag button on. Did I mention I have slowness issues that possibly could be easily solved? By the way, I seek suggestions -- this came with the beautiful Jill mat, but the mat is not cut wide enough to look good in a frame by the time you loose the part of the mat under the rabbit. I've run into this with these mats before and it really annoys me. I don't want to have to pay the exorbitant costs to have my framer cut mat fillers to go under the frame. I was thinking of having it galled and the edges copper wrapped. What do you think? I'm game for ideas.


And finally, SB's Fa La La. At least this one didn't take me a year to get the dang button on!

ttfn -- Happy stitching to all and to all a nice dinner.

...............................part one of many I owe.....

Yes, yes, I know. I owe you much. I have been MIA. I know that too. It’s been, well, interesting in a word. Short list: computer issues, work issues, Photoshop issues (OMG, why isn’t that dang program working???? It’s supposed to make my picture life EASIER not bollocks it all up), my two functional OTT Lites burned out 24-hours apart, kitchen sink issues (actual kitchen sink issues, not as in everything-but-the-kitchen-sink), etc. Still don’t really have time (the sink’s still broken, only one OTT Lite works, and don’t even start me on the *#@(&@$)@&#( Photoshop), but I need to share some lovely goodies I received BEFORE Christmas. Yes, I know. I know. I’m incredibly lame. So take away all my DCM 310 as punishment (hee hee – I hate the stuff – side question: Dear DMC, why is it that you make the worst black floss? It’s fuzzy not smooth, it tends to pill, and it shreds for no reason … well, no reason other than it’s your black floss. Honest, it does not happen with any of your other flosses and it does not happen with any other company’s black floss. What gives?).

Side bars… well… aside. Allow me to share some goodies:

From dear Linda in the Christmas round of Fair and Square I received these lovelies—note the beading! I got beads and luscious Gloriana Silks (which she had to buy TWICE (See note below):

Linda would like you to know that even though you NEVER put anything in the pocket of your robe, that’s where any floss that’s gone missing on you will end up. Lol Just ask her.

Linda and I did our F&Ss as a SAL. She received the following adaptation of an Elizabeth’s Designs ornament from one of the JCS issues from me (since she loves houses) and for the back I played on another love of Linda’s, samplers–


Our dear Mylene surprised me with this –


Look how pretty that is! I’m a lucky ole stitcher, and that’s the truth!

For the record, I may be lucky, but I’m also bad. Baaaad, baaaaaaad stitcher. If there were stitchers houses (a la dog houses) I’d permanently be in one. When getting ready for the flight to DC I “needed” something easy for the plane (yeah, like one of a dozen things I already had wouldn’t have worked just fine) and I was itching to start the Friendly Stitchers A Stitch A Week SAL (after all, everyone else was on week 49, why rush these things) so I did. Thus far I have gotten here:

Nice outer border, eh? Someday, there will be inner grid lines then, look out!

Then I came back from DC and I was focused on The Belt. And, it is DONE – Yes, my friends, D-O-N-E! As in woo hoo call the media!





It’s off being made into a belt now and if I’m very lucky it will be in my hands this weekend. Cross them fingers if you don’t need them to stitch!

Post belt, I was euphoric (you know the feeling). I could do anything. I had scaled Mount Scotch Whiskey Belt and I was ready for anything. New projects beckoned me – I would finish them all. Yeah, apparently stitching a whiskey belt impairs your cognition as much as drinking the Scotch in the first place. So instead of working on any number of languishing projects, I pulled out:

Kreinik and Ewe and Eye’s Silk Mori kit of a flower vase.

Then yesterday I started something new. I can’t show you. Sorry. I have wanted to stitch it for years, but never made time. I started it for me pending a decision on whether someone else might like it. So you just have to wait. Anyway, I started it, and then it happened. Suddenly all my stitching seemed boring. Yes, dear stitchers, I may have hit the dreaded Wall. I tried to cure it by merely putting the Secret Thing aside and started something else. Honest! I didn’t even put the first stitching back in its bag. I just shoved it over on the bed and hauled out a new thing. OMG I started Lanarte’s Arabian Woman:


Do you see that? Do you see it? See how big it is? Do you see how far I got? OMG I’ve lost my mind. And today at lunch I still didn’t stitch. What do I need to do, start stitching an over-1, room-sized rug to overcome my stitching blahs? Save me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

..........................Yes, I know I owe you a real post.....

.... cross your fingers for later today.

2010 Reading Challenge

Flushed with success from the 10 Book Challenge at the end of last year, I'm hopping into Vickie's Olympic Reading Challenge for this year. We'll just have to see if I rate any metallic substance at all.

We've discussed the whole mood reader/stitcher thing. Given that, it's nuts to set out a list of things I "will" read this year. (Witness the differences between this list and the one I just realized I have on the sidebar which I did maybe 2 weeks ago.... lol) But for humor value, at this very minute the things that pop into my head as likely 2010 reads are:

1. Poul Anderson -- Three Hearts and Three Lions
2. a book about Switzerland
3. Roger Zelazny -- Nine Princes in Amber (and hopefully the rest of the 1st set of Amber)
4. Jasper Fforde -- Eyre Affair (and hopefully the next Tuesday Next)
5. Chelsea Quinn Yarbro -- Hotel Transylvania
6. Rachel Caine -- Heat Stroke (and maybe the next in the series)
7. Charlaine Harris -- Club Dead (and possibly the next in the series)
8. Neil Gaiman -- Odd and the Ice Giants
9. Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman -- Good Omens
10. Simon Green -- several Nightside and several Secret History
11. something by Tony Hillerman
12. something by Arthur Conan Doyle
13. several Rex Stouts
14. several anthologies (leading the pack: Mean Streets; Solaris 1,2, and 3; The Starry Rift; Pump Six; Unusual Suspects; Wild Cards 1,2; Space, Inc.; .....)
15. something Patricia McKillip
16. something Jack McDevitt
17. a couple James White's
18. several nonfictions (see below)
19. an art book
20. Ken Grimwood -- Rewind
21. Zakour -- Plutonium Blonde
22. several of Glen Cook's Garretts
23. Roger Zelazny -- My Name is Legion
24. Sharon Shinn -- The Shape Changer's Wife
25. a couple Laurell K. Hamiltons
26. Jim Butcher -- Fool Moon (and hopefully another)
27. Sharyn McCrumb -- St. Dale
28. something Supreme Court ... or 2 somethings
29. several Terry Pratchetts (well, duh!)


Nonfiction:
1. Blechman -- Pigeons
2. Gordon --The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction
3. Weidensaul -- Of a Feather: A History of American Birding
4. Gilbertson -- American Cut
5. Burleigh -- Mirage: Napoleon's Scientists and the Unveiling of Egypt
6. something about Switzerland
7. Something by McPhee
8. Vogel -- The Pentagon: A History
9. Vise -- The Bureau and the Mole
10. Zoellner -- Uranium
11. White -- A. Lincoln
12. Rinella -- American Buffalo
13. Ellis -- American Creation
14. Blum -- American Lightning
15. Meacham -- American Lion
16. Bird -- American Prometheus
17. Sun Tzu -- The Art of War
18. Hawking -- A Brief History of Time
19. Brown -- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
20. Stiles -- The First Tycoon
21. Rolt -- Victorian Engineering
22. Florence -- The Perfect Machine: Building the Palomar Telescope
23. Goldstone -- Four Queens
24. Sobel -- Galileo's Daughter
25. Winchester -- Krakatoa
26. Lankford -- American Astronomy
27. Baer -- See No Evil
28. Guide to Smithsonian Architecture
29. White -- Lincoln's Greatest Speech

Finishes 2009

The XS finishes for 2009:

40. fiddly finishing bits on 3 graduation commemoratives for a friend 12/16

39. wreath paper ornie -- 12/8

38. ornie -- snowman and tree -- 11/30

37. ornie -- reindeer face -- 11/28

36. F&S for Linda -- 11/27

35. paper Santa ornie -- 11/24

34. Nicole's Ho Ho exchange ornie -- 11/17

33. Friendly Stitcher's exchange ornie -- 11/12

32. PS reindeer ornie -- 11/12

31. snowflakes on blue ornie -- 11/12

30. over-1 toy soldier -- 11/11

29. RWG stocking with candy canes ornie -- 11/10

28. tree ornie on green -- 11/9

27. Erica Michaels-- We the People -- 11/6

26. surprise (10/14)

25. surprise (10/14)

24. LHN blog exchange (10/13)

23. Ho3 exchange for Shelleen!!! (10/13)

22. Society RR for Karen NY (round 2) 8/15

21. Society RR for Karen AZ (round 2) 8/15

20. F&S 4th of July 6/25

19. Taking the 5th needlepoint 6/1

18. F&S Round 13 for Lynda 5/13

17. Verna BBD sampler 4/28

16. WOO HOOO at long last!!!!! Bride's Tree SAL house ornie -- Dragon Dreams castle

15. BBD floral thingy 4/19

14. BBD sampler 4/18

13. RAK Square 2 4/16

12. rose Bride's Tree ornie 4/12

11. RAK "square" 1 4/11

10. 2 surprises 4/9

9. GCGC commemorative piece 4/3

8. GCGC floss tag piece 4/3

7. Ho Ho Ho exchange ornie for Karen (3/28)

5. 6 surprises (3/23)

4. Ho Ho Ho exchange ornie for Chris (3/22)

3. F&S Easter exchange for Gillie (2/12)

2. Blackbird Designs bouquet (2/7)

1. needlepoint summer clock face (2/6)

Here's to 44 in 2010!

Reading 2009

The list of finishes for 2009:

Beowolf (10/24)
Melbourne Brindle and Phil May -- Twenty Silver Ghosts: The Incomparable Pre-World War I Motorcar 1907-1914 (12/27)
Agatha Christie -- Dead Man's Folly (3/20)
Dinae Duane -- "Out of the Frying Pan" in Enchantment Place (10/15)
P.N. Elrod -- Bloodlist (12/6)
Melanie Fletcher -- "Think Small" in Enchantment PlaceJ.A. Jance -- Desert Heat (3/31)
Esther Freisner -- "The Face Is Familiar" in Enchantment Place (9/3)
Charlaine Harris -- Living Dead in Dallas (8/12)
Laura Hayden -- "Steel Crazy" in Enchantment Place
Sarah A. Hoyt -- "Heart's Fire" in Enchantment Place (11/1)
Rachael Lanicci -- Wisdom of Meerkats (12/29)
Pamela Luzier "Make-A-Mortal" in Enchantment Place
Sharyn McCrumb -- Bimbos of the Death Sun (12/29)
Larry McMurtry -- Books: A Memoir (11/16)
Peter Morwood -- "... And Into the Fire" in Enchantment Place (10/25)
Jody Lynn Nye -- "Altar Ego" in Enchantment Place
Terry Pratchett -- Carpe Jugulum (9/16)
Terry Pratchett -- Going Postal (5/22)
Terry Pratchett -- Making Money (8/30)
Terry Pratchett -- Pyramids (2/26)
Terry Pratchett -- Thud! (12/2)
Terry Pratchett -- Wee Free Men (10/4)
Mary Jo Putney "Shining On" in Enchantment Place
Laura Resnik -- "Fang Fest" in Enchantment Place
Kristine Kathryn Rusch -- "The Poop Thief" in Enchantment Place (11/30)
Jeremy Scahill -- Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army (11/21)
Mary Shelley -- Frankenstein
Susan Sizemore -- "The Devil You Know" in Enchantment Place (11/2)
Neal Stephenson -- The Diamond Age (1/25)
Deb Stover -- "Witch Stitchery" in Enchantment PlaceCharles Tasewell -- The Littlest Angel (12/26)
Diane A.S. Stuckart -- "Fire and Sweet Music" in Enchantment Place
Stephen Tanner -- Afghanistan: A MIlitary History from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban (10/24)
Elizabeth A. Vaughan -- "Answers" in Enchantment Place
Jules Verne -- 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (2/1)
Phaedra M. Weldon -- "Mirror, Mirror" in Enchantment PlaceJames White -- The Secret Visitors (12/17)
Simon Winchester -- Outposts: Journeys to the Surviving Relics of the British Empire (11/23)
Nero Wolfe -- Before Midnight (9/12)
Christina F. York -- "Cupid's Crib" in Enchantment Place

A paltry showing. I must do better in 2010!