I want a vacation again... now

Yes, I know I just got back from a vacation. But last night I was sitting around Chez Hovel realizing that across town my friend Jenn was packing for a conference-vacation, and I got all pouty because I want one too. And I want it now.

Sigh. Maybe I just need to bask in some former glory....

There he is, The Man Himself, Sir Terry Pratchett -- with his assitant, Rob meeting an upscale C.M.O.T. Dibbler with a lovely tray of sausages in buns. (For those of you versed in these things, they were prime Dibbler sausages -- made out of stucco I think) This was at one of the signings -- you got a signed bookplate and Sir Terry would stamp your con passport. It's a thing. Actually, it's a thing I should take pictures of. Hmmm.

The line for the signing was entertaining as well --

Yup-- the Death of Rats and probably Tiffany given that she's clutching a feegle.

Even the halls were festively entertaining --

Detritus posed for pictures with my bear, Missy.

And posters abounded -- this one from the Sunshine Santuary for Dragons.

Not only did I fictionally (is it still fiction if there are actual Deaths of Rats and feegles roaming the halls?) entertain myself, but I also started a new project --


That's the beginning of America by BBD. I've changed a number of the colors called for because when I pulled the collection they looked nothing like the colors in the picture. In this case I rally love this piece as pictured so I had to go color hunting. I think it has worked out for hte best. We'll just have to wait and see. Mind you, Since the plane ride to Wisconsin, I haven't worked on this at all. So much for the exhuberance of a new start.

You'll know if you watch the sidebar here that I've actually had a lot of new starts -- Not only have I recently started 3 surprises (sorry no pics), but I've even finished one. I also started and finished Round 25 of F&S for Elaine. Of course I can't show you that but I can show the floss toss --

I can say that the squares were fun to stich up until I was an idiot and had to pull out a bunch of over-1. That was a whiney, 3-day process. It could have been accomplished in a day, but I did mention the whining, right? I think what made it really annoying was that before I put in that particular over-1 part in I thought that the thread might not be dark enough for over-1ing. Then when I got part way through the stitching and thought that the thread was really too light to show. Did I stop at either point, hop over to the Belle Soie bag and pull out a darker color? Nooooo. I fished stitching, carefully ran the tail under in a couple directions so it wouldn't get loose, and then sat back waiting to be proud. I wasn't. It was too light. Drat frell drat. Why can't I think when in the grips of stitching?

Other than the things I can't show you, I did make progress on while away on some things you can see. For one, Rose City Stitchers--

I was enjoying this a lot in Madison, but I haven't worked on it much since I got back. Maybe this weekend when I should be cleaning and I probably will be napping.

And I did have a convention finish --

I did all but the gold ring in the airport and on the flights to Madison and finished the edge and the take-aways rows at the con. This is one of a set of 3 little ornaments I have from Richland Designs. I did the colored stripes in Fyre Werks and Silk Lame in the mosaic stitch. The white is Snow and the gold is Fyre Werks and both are basketweave.

I suppose I need to get back and check on my Microsoft search bot which is hunting a lost folder. A pox on all people who don't properly label their documents and folders!

Happy stitching to all----


P.S. For those of you familiar with Sir Terry and his world, the con was a success. About a thousand memberships and quite a number of single-day attendees made the trek to Madison. If you know his personal story, you will understand when I say it was 5 days of great joy tempered by sadness. He shouldn't have Alzheimers -- no one should. It's vicious and vile.

Discworld countdown and other Vitally Important Things

Terry Pratchett in roughly 6 days!!!! Yes sirrie, Madison, Wisconsin here I come!

What? You didn't know that Madison was the vacation hotspot of 2011? Missed the memo, eh? Sorry about that. I'll have fun on your behalf. Dear friends, next Thursday I leave for Madison (I think I do anyway, I haven't checked when I made my flights for) for a lovely extended weekend of Terry Pratchett-affiliated happiness. There will be dressing up, quaffing, and general good times. If you haven't experienced the Discworld series of novels--- then go do so. Don't do it in public though because you won't be able to control the need to laugh out loud (seriously) and the outbursts might frighten people walking by.

Now you know me. You know that this impending adventure means there was to be packing plans. Sure, clothes, shoes, shampoo, blah, blah, blah. But more importantly -- what books are coming and what stitching will make the trip? Oh the choices!!!! All I can say on books is that a couple Pratchetts, 2-3 Baxters (that's Stephen Baxter who is attending as he's working on a series with Terry currently), and possibly a couple Esther Freisners will hit the case. But the stitching oportunities are so difficult to wrangle.

What to take, what to take? I could try finishing some things that are pretty darn close like --
Tilogy's "Gathering of Hearts"

or Sampler Girl's "Hope Perches"

or this little bookmark

or SB's Joy in the Journey

or even Quaker a la Six Mains


But then they are the things I really want to take like --
my sand dollar--

or GOS' "Jeanne d'Arc"

or A Mind Independent and Free

or Martina Dey's Tsunami Sampler

or good ole Beatrix

or Lanarte's Arabian Woman (which I have made such immense progress on-- snort)

or the red house (Ewe and Eye, I think)

or The Golden Gate

or my quail



If I could pack anything irrespective of reality what would come would be:
1. Beatrix (can't go becuase those dang beads end up weighing a lot)
2. the Tsunami piece (might go despite being huge and therfore hard to work on on my lap in a convention room)
3. Arabian Woman (too complx to balance not only the stitching and pattern but also to hold the highlighter for each and every stitch)
4. the quail (too big)
5. The red house (too big as well)
6. The Golden Gate Bridge (needs to be on a stand for neat stitching)

At the moment I think what's making the cut is:
1. the sand dollar (it's a small enough needlepoint and it doesn't require the use of my stand, but it is sometimes to balance it with 3 needles of varied threads in process at all times)
2-5. some of the surprise pieces
6. F&S Round 25 (hi Elaine!)
7. the Tsunami sampler -- because I love it so much right now
8. some Christmas ornies

But maybe, gentle reader I should start a couple whole new pieces in hour of the adventure? After all, you'd hate me to to bored, right?

Happy 4th (and Canadian national day) to all --