SFS Success!!!! (Want a pattern?)

The April SFS Report:
Month:  April
Spent:  $0.00   -- (I know -- I'm as shocked as you are.)
Allotted:  $25
Earned:  $12.00 
Subtotal of April's accumulated earnings:  $37.00  
Holdover from last month:  -$39.40
Ultimate March total: -$2.40  (Look at me make up the Red Zone.)

And here is my proud moment of the month/weekend-- aka, what I spent my ENTIRE weekend doing (while watching hockey, hockey documentaries, and listening to audio books.... in between naps.  Why, yes, it was a glorious weekend, thank you!):

That's Chessie and Me's "In Virtue's Ways."  I sort of kept some of the colors while changing them all to silks, and I completely changed the words and the embellishments.  I wanted to do something with this piece because though I loved it, I just couldn't "love"it if you know what I mean.  Suddenly it hit me when I realized it reminded me of my favorite book growing up.  And in that moment the redo began.  I had to change the color of the cabin since it is grey in the book and the perfect words had to be found and the dates had to be picked (LIW's birthday and the publication date of the original LHitBW).

Also completed this month was the little guy from the last post..... he's still making me laugh with that very perturbed expression of his.

Now I have an offer for those interested.  I have done my effort on In Virtue's Ways.  I'm not going to do it again.  If you'd like the pattern (including the rose colored ceramic button since it did not work with the space I had when I redid the pattern), just leave a comment saying that on this post and I will draw a winner on Friday.  [Note: In this first picture, I put the button on the bottom of the page next to the cat logo so you can see how cute it is-- it really is nice it just didn't work where I had room for it.]

Pratchettism of the Day:

The world’s turned upside down.  It’s a bit more important than you right now.Jackram – Monstrous Regiment – Terry Pratchett

(A bit of a reminder to myself, as I whine about it being Monday in my little corner of the Fortune 500 that there are people in Nepal who need my prayers.)

Yippie! Progress AND a Finish!

I know it doesn't seem possible, but I've made progress.. just remember:  Baby Steps!   [Some day I will attend the seminar that teaches me to be a speedy stitcher, or teaches my needles to stitch while I nap.]

Here is the corduroy stitch in place in Mr. Engineer's overalls -- it has worked out far better than the t-stitch in my humble opinion:

Please note, just because I love you all, I *forced* myself to put in several rows of the corduroy so you could really see how it looked in place.  No, of course it wasn't because I was obsessing about stitching it... noooooooo---- not me.  It was all for you, gentle reader.

And lookie here -- Massachusetts has arrived in Ellen's flag!   All the letters AND the little bobble at the end!  I was so overjoyed that I actually started the border on the next stripe.  I tell you it's the little things.   I should not that I was *not* overjoyed enough to start more of the stars in the blue field.  There are limits to my enthusiasm.   But I do know I need to get them done -- this weekend... yeah, that'll work.  I have a weekend of "peaceful" hockey viewing and audiobook listening time scheduled -- that should give me ample time to ignore the stars err, I mean crank out several stars.

And here is my glorious finish!   Done done done!   He just cracks me up.

The fabric is an overdyed jobelan from Wichelt and the threads are all DMC save for the black which is Splendor.

On behalf of Sir Terry Pratchett and Lady Vimes, please enjoy your St. George's Day responsibly:

Howdy, Monday!

Good Morning, World!   Why, yes, you do detect a whiff of perky in my tone, which is most unusual for a Monday.  And said whiff was quite absent until just a half hour ago.  But on the way back from caffeinating myself I ran into my buddy Ye (yes, I know you don't know her, but just stay with me here), and she announced that she got engaged this weekend!   I am so happy for her.  She's awesome and deserves the best.  That guy of hers better be good enough for her or he's in for a world of hurt from me!   Anyway, you can all thank Ye for the big, doofy smile on my face and my reinvigorated outlook on the week.

Certainly my showing on my list of hopefulness for the weekend just past does not warrant a perky outlook on the week.   But let's start with the sunshine --

Now you can see why I call the Vee and Co ornie pattern "big tree"--

I'm just bordering shy of completion.  Mind you we almost came to a squawking halt last night when I ended up a mere stitch away from that bottom line of text -- it's supposed to he 3 stitches away.  I swear on stacks of stash that I counted several times before stitching.   Regardless I just love his expression.

Ethel got one of the three baskets I was hoping for--   this one in alpaca and velvet -- very upscale for dumping on the grass on the way to market, but I like how it turned out.  Well, I like all but the rim, but I  figure that will get covered over a lot when I put the greenery and flowers/fruit in.

And Ethel also got a decent amount of sky.  I have committed to filling in all of the sky and stitching the clouds over the top in Whisper -- I think it will help with a more whispy, ethereal effect.

And look what arrived in the shop all shiny and new---- several locale ornies from Kirk and Bradley!

Thus far I have refrained, but I've  been to Paris and NY so I think I will eventually need those.  And I definitely *need* to go to London so I can earn the right to get that ornie -- the pigeon is just too cute!

So let's review Friday's hopeful list (come on, you know you could use a laugh):

• Ethel progress -- those 3 small baskets and some sky
• 1 basket and some sky....  reasonable all things considered
• Mr. Engineer -- figure out new stitch for the pants
• Yes!   Sorry I lack for picture on this.  I don't know where my brain was.  4 books and a half-hour of flipping and debating had me settling on the corduroy stitch.....duh!   Why didn't I find that earlier???? 
• progress on Boothy -- this should not be so difficult dang it
• Got it out.  Looked at it.  Put in back in the back and shoved it to the end of the bed.
• a finish
• Ha!  Don't make me laugh.  Somewhere after Father Brown and in the midst of the ACMs I hauled out the Big Tree with finishing in my mind... yeah, like that was going to happen at that time of night.  
• 2 books completed
• Uh, no.  Someone forgot that not only did she have F1 in Bahrain (her personal fav track) but she also had an entire day of NHL playoffs and a non-existent Saturday due to working at the shop followed by an entire evening birthday fest for a friend (which involved a significant quantity of negrones and a dirty martini and, consequently, a difficultly waking up on Sunday) 
• something actually cooked... in my kitchen!  
• Oh that's a real howler.  
• the dang pots back in the one cupboard I have in Maison d'Hovel's kitchen (the stovetop is looking like the leaning tower of cookware)
• Maybe Wednesday  (not tonight or tomorrow -- those are The Voice/Top Gear nights)
• winter clothes tucked away (rather than blocking my path to the closet of spring-appropriate choices)
• Kinda.  I hung up or dumped into the laundry everything on the top of the pile.  Taht's a step, right?
• progress on putting stash in some reasonably "away" place (Much as I love my stash I really don't need immediate access to it so it ought to get out of the way!)
• Uh, no.
• books on shelves ( love them too.... and don't have nearly enough shelf space, but they too need to be out of the way and where I can actually ind them)
• Nope.  Looked at them thoughtfully though.  

Yes, I'd say my hopeful list worked about as well as it always does.  LOL

Go have yourself a beautiful day!

*****************

Pratchett thought of the day:

The Universe is a lot more complicated than it looks from the outside.Rob Anybody -- Wee Free Men