And the winner is.......

.... Jill our very own Purple Peacock!  She's going to be the proud owner of the remains of my Shepherd's Bush Joy in the Journey kit--- she'll probably even stitch it properly and not have nearly as many "learning experiences" (aka frogging periods) as I did.

As usual, I find myself sitting before you without recent progress pictures.  I have been making progress, honest.  I must admit, however, that I have found myself on numerous evenings over the last week just sitting and staring at the TV -- not really watching, just flipping channels.  Generally, I'm sitting surrounded by stitching, but it somehow doesn't levitate on its own and start needling.  Sigh.   I suppose it would lose some of the fun if elves came in while I napped and did some stitches?----I'd be willing to test that theory on a couple projects though.

Regardless, because I have also been so slow at getting pictures posted I can share some accomplishments that missed their moment in the sun early this summer:

The above little darling is Barrick Sampler's Rooster Ride from one of the JCS.  I have to say this piece is proof of personal stitching evolution.  I remember when this issue came out I thought, "who the heck would want to stitch that?!"  And lo and behold, apparently *I* wanted to stitch it.  lol    Does that ever happen to you -- you see something that you think is icky or lame and somewhere down the road you find yourself strangely compelled to stitch it?

And Praiseworthy Stitches' The Birds Carol ornie.

I think I need to declare August Ornament Finishing Month.   Anyone want to join me?

Happy stitching and a peaceful day to all of you.

P.S.  A small request -- please send happy and healthy thoughts to Grandma Rose who is in the hospital today-- hopefully getting sorted, but still worrying her family.

She'll be 97 years young in 3 weeks, and possibly her greatest health risk is that she's fairly stubborn.

Halloween stitching opportunity

Hey all -- just a quick note -- the Fair and Square blog is taking sign-ups for a Halloween round (sing-ups are going until the 20th of this month).  While I'm a very selective Halloween stitcher (I really only like witches hats, pumpkins, and Halloween houses, not into cats or zombies or monsters or spiders (ick) or or or....) I am completely into the F&S exchanges.  Frankly I've made some really great friends over there, and I just might be willing to share them with you.  hee heee   So come on over and join the group, or re-join the fun if you've been away for a while.

Also, my copy of Joy in the Journey is up for grabs per my last post-- if you'd like to be in the draw for the pattern and samples of most (ok, all but 1 I think) of the threads, just leave a comment on yesterday's post.    I'll do a draw on Monday I think.

Happy stitching!!!!!

Little by little.....

... things take shape.

Sometimes they take a shape like Idiocy -- that's about the shape of the Jeep that made a purely perpendicular lane change in between two buses pulling out from the curb (almost causing me to crack my chin on the bus seat handle, thank you very much)

Sometimes they take a shape of slow-wittedness -- that's more of a color than a shape really and it's verging on bright pink.  That's the color I turn when I sit out in the full sun with coworkers at lunch to be friendly, and I don't go inside when I start to feel the heat waves rising off my arms.

Sometimes they take the shape of reality -- that's the shape of the deleted space on my "Currently Reading List" left by my removal of A Short History of Ireland by Jonathan Bardon whose checkout from the public library expired for the 3rd time.  I still haven't finished it and you know what-- I now realize this is a sign that it's too dang boring.

Sometimes they take the shape of a STITCHING FINISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:

Yes, dear readers, Joy in the Journey is D-O-N-E!  Mind you, I changed a lot around -- cream on cream is too boring for words so most of that got switched out.  One thread stitching was sometimes far too light, so some of that got switched.  And a cream-on-cream sheep with a blank stitch heart in the middle of him is just invisible, so his heart got pinked.    But hey, that the pattern title says -- it's the joy in the journey, right?

And there's been progress too:

See?  Little by little I get there.

Now, an offer, anyone want my Joy in the Journey?  There are at least samples of most of the threads for matching purposes, and pretty much any cream linen/evenweave will look fine.  If you're interested just note that in a comment and if there's a run for the thing I'll draw names.

Happy stitching to all and to all a peaceful day.

Happy FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!

We made it!   It is well and truly almost the weekend.  Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!

Do I have much to say for myself?  No, not particularly.  But I have plans to get "on paper" (let's see if that helps spur me on) and I neglected an in progress piece in the last post -- poor Dawn of Spring by Mouse has been getting short-shrift in my progress reports.  It's been giving me problems, so possibly it earned a time out, but now it is back --

Now if you have qualms about what I have stitched, I have to say many things in Mouse's defense -- I have mucked with her SAL patterns quite a bit.   Those birds -- I put those in instead of the little chickies she had, and yes, I centered them improperly.... Sigh.  Mouse did get me to try my first spider web roses which I like A LOT, but then she tried (valiantly) to make me do a row of pulled thread (oh, sooo not happening) and some bullion knots (nah).  Sorry, Mouse.  I love ya dear, but I have to drawn the line somewhere.   So I put in that over-1 verse (more humor on that later), the band of elongated, partial Rhodeses (did we agree?---Rhodeses or Rhodi?), and the beginning of what I think of as a band of ferns.  I have to confess that this pic is slightly aged because the fern row is done (berry stars/flowers included), a row of one of my personal favorites-the Montenegrin stitch is in, and a row of roses which will be partially beaded is in progress.  Come next week you should get a fresh update, unless my stitching mood has taken me elsewhere.... again.

In light of my failure to pay proper attention to Dawn, I think it's time I set some goals for the month --- yes, I know, 6 days in to the 7th month of the year and suddenly I "discover" goals.  Yes, yes.  Very funny.  Be that as it may, here goes-- In July I hope to no, that's not  positive enough... will errr, no, let's show some realism here .... ...   really should and sat his moment want to:

• stich and finish-finish 2 ornies (as part of the Friendly group Christmas-in-July challenge)
• stitch and finish-finish the ornie for the Friendly Christmas-in-July exchange which I simply *had* to start in June (idiot)
• catch up on Dawn of Spring
• find Ellen's flag and get to work on it (let's aim for getting half of the blue field in)
• finish the sand on Ladies Day
• make progress on Eastern European Girls Go to the Fair (there has to be a better name for that canvas .....  Ethel.  I may just call it Ethel.  ..... and if you ge thte literary allusion, we really should talk because we have the same sick sense of humor.)
• finish SB's Journey's End which is currently languishing n the floor right next to the bed in hopes I'll actually pick it up)

Happy stitching to all and to all a good weekend!

Oh, the P.S. on the Dawn of Spring verse -- So I go on a hunt through my personal quote files (because I actually do collect such things) for something appropriate to Spring or flowers.  LOL   Apparently I'm not what you would call the flowery quote queen.  A sampliung of what I rummaged through at the top of my quotes file:

• "Justice has nothing to do with it.  Stark, bloody, screaming, agonizing vengeance is what I'm talking about."  (Bitter Gold Hearts by Glen Cook)
• "Gee, if only someone had warned you at some point not to be an idiot....."  (The Summer Knight by Jim Butcher)
• "...[he] looked sheepish enough to say 'baaa.'"  (I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett)
• "No damned thing from the vasty deeps is going to get the better of me in my own home."  (The Man with the Golden Torc by Simon R. Green)

Yes, if I'm judged by my quote collection, I will never qualify for the Miss Sunshine Award of Merit.

The return of Beatrix and other stories

Yes.  She's back from the Framer of Ill Repute.  She came back to me 2 weekends ago with Grandma Rose's roses, but the whole fiasco has left me less than excited-- hence the delay in posting.  She's still lovely though ....

You know, as I look at her, she really is nice.  I love the copper frame and the suede and that he decided to put spacers *under* the mat.  She really is quite a sight.  Given a year or so, the trauma of her framing may yet pass from my mind.

As one "story" comes to an end, another begins-- I have (miraculously enough) put the first stitches in the Eastern European Girls Go to the Fair piece for my buddy, So Many Books.

Can you see my big accomplishments?   There's a row of black Kreinik Rhodeses (would that more properly be Rhodesi???) around about knee level, and the black squares at the bottom are completed and the pink drips under those latter black squares are mostly in (the pink is in Fyre Werks-- my fav).

Ok.  Ok!   So that's not the greatest afternoon's progress ever seen in the Western World.  But I did also make the beginnings of a map for this piece -- which was really my starting problem.  I would get it out and dump out its bag of threads and think, "what the heck goes where?"   It was always easier to put it away and go back to work on something I knew where I stood with.  lol  I bet none of you know that feeling.
Anyway, below is the latest and greatest floss dump --

Those are only the threads for the dresses, the pig, and the grass.  I'm not certain from this pic that you get the full sparkle effect, but trust me, there's a significant quantity of shiny bits in there!  Hey, So, you don't mind sparkle, do you?  lol

Now I have to apologize, I have gotten behind on progress updates do to photographic laziness.  {I am the Queen of Entropy, you know.   Actually, I prefer the title Director of Entropic Studies --- sounds so much more academic.}  So  will do a little catching up here.

Remember that Bent Creek Noel I asked for opinions on the background "swirls" for?  Well here it is --

That's the Belle Soie Fern Frond that came to my rescue.  It ended up just the way I envisioned it-- so a success there.

I have been putting some time in on By the Bay's summer mystery SAL as well --

Yes, yes.  I'm behind on that.  Buuuut, can I at least have credit for already spotting a couple highly-likely pre-made frame options for it at The Good Framer?

My last share of the day encapsulates my stupidity.  Early last week I started Christmas-in-July exchange ornie as part of a yahoo group exchange.  Here it is...

Well, no, of course I'm only showing you that little edge of the stitching.  Duh.  It is an exchange....  I cannot spoil the surprise, now can I?   The threads you see are all fully approved, but I'm not certain about all the beads.  I don't think I will use both blues and I may not use both greens.  Oh, and I am contemplating some red Fuzzy Stuff.  The stupidity comes in when you realize that the same group hosting the exchange is also hosting a how-many-ornies-can-you-start-finish-stitching-and-FINISH-finish in July event.  So here I go and start this ornament in June.  Dang it!!!   Now I need this one done for the exchange, but I cannot count it for the challenge.  Sheesh.  I couldn't just have waited a week????  See, I'm lame.

Happy 4th to all and to all happy stitching!