Up to some good for a change

Hello dear friends,  I know it may me hard to believe, but I have been up to some stitching.  I almost feel like I have to ramp up the action before it hits the height of summer when it always feels too hot to stitch once I get home in the evenings.  That little ompf moved my needle in a few different directions over the last week.

Mrs. (the giant penguin) came back out to play for a couple nights during which I:

1. finished the light pink band which had been languishing mostly done)
2. figured out what to stitch in the purple band (and got the whole band put in)
3. put in the bottom edge of the flipper (that was because I thought I knew what I was going to do with the gold bracelet and I needed the flipper part out of the way.  Turns out I didn't know.  Oh well.)
4. figured out what to stitch in the black band and got it partially put in.  

Also I have allegedly worked out what to do in the medium and dark pink bands, but until those sections actually start I have learned that I am prone to vacillation.

I don't think I had a picture of this last time -- this way my last finish.  A LK Flip It which was easy as pie.  Why did it take me forever to get around to it?????

Last weekend (I think) I had a flag marathon.  I just settled my fanny in and basketwove my little fingers off.  I got from here:

to here:

And, why yes, I am very proud of myself.   Just to put int in perspective -- that's probably 6-8 hours of stitching.  See!  I told you my needles were slow!

Also, one night another star appeared in my sky --

While I know that is rather pathetic.  It was actually quite amazing given that I was too tired to really start stitching when I pulled it out, but I powered through..... and then collapsed into my pillow.

On a bookish front, I went with our friend So Many Books to The Last Bookstore -- an amazing space for books (mostly used) in L.A.  It really is a neat space --

 with cool book art -- (I think this is a security cam picture of what my bookshelves do when I'm not home)

Now, while I loved the book art, I am a bibliophile at heart.  Book art is all well and good, but I need to be able to get to books and I kept getting stymied in my progress by people trying to get the perfect pic for instagram or facebook.  I swear this one pair of 20-something women took a dozen pictures each of themselves posed in a book "window."  There was a certain undercurrent to their repeats of "people in the background"-- well, duh, Buffy -- it's a store. We're here to shop.  Take your blooming picture and get out of the way!

Another annoyance was that I found it hard to come away with a pile.  It seems that my authors are just too awesome in general for people to give them up.  So I came away with this small collection of goodies:

Happy Stitching and Reading to you all -- may your needles be faster and trendsetters not be in your book shopping way!

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Pratchett thought of the day:

Nothing-to-see is what most of the universe consists of.

Going Postal – Terry Pratchett

SFSing Successes (unless you count finding the &*@*#^&*@#%$ pictures)

Greetings, Gentle Reader, and a Happy day unto you.

First thing up --
The SFS May Report of Joy:
Month:  May
Spent:  $0.00   -- (Don't worry.  It will NOT last.)
Allotted:  $25
Earned:  $10.00 
Subtotal of May's accumulated earnings:  $35.00  
Holdover from last month:  -$2.40
Ultimate May total: $31.60  --- Woohoooo!   Extra hooooo!   

Yes, as a matter of fact I am as shocked as you are.  But never fear, I'm working at the shop this weekend so no doubt the joy of being in the black will overtake me.

Here are my earning finishes--- with big thank yous to my friend who needed dog/house sitting.  Her excellent light and comfy recliner helped immensely with my productivity.

LKs (nope, not the colors they were charted for).  They have their charms too.  Can I figure where I put that photo? Nope.  I guess it is high time I sorted out the flash drives.

A little bell ornie I've been wanting to do for years.  I just love him.  O believe another one of these will happen soon.

Another LK that happened post-house sitting.  Possibly under the influence of the house-sitting high.

There's another finish -- a little candy cane from the same series as the bell.  Apparently *someone* did not take a picture of that.  Sigh.   And there should be two more LKs, but *someone* can't find them to attach their charms.  *Someone* has a lot to answer for!

And then some little bits of progress --  Prairie Moon's Home of the Brave which hadn't seem the light of day in a while.  I do really like working on this piece.  It is a nice balance of blocks of color and yet enough color changes to make it interesting.   It just got sidelined because of commitments to other things, but I really want to see it under my needle more regularly.

One of those commitments... the baseball flag came back out to play a couple nights ago.  This one.... I tell you.  I stitch and stitch and stitch and get maybe an inch done.  Sometimes I think that even if you left me in good light, in a cozy spot, with perfect audio books, no TV, and only this piece for a long weekend, I'd still only get maybe a row of those dang balls done.

Another powwow offering for your enjoyment because:
        1.  I promised you
        2.  I can't figure out where I filed the other pics I was supposed to be adding here.
I just loved the rainbow dying on the middle guy's head piece.

Though I am most partial to the shawl dancers.

...and shopping.....

Now, sally forth and have a wonderful rest of your day.

Pratchett Thought of the Day:

Insanity and Fun .....

.... two things that often go together for me.

Hello, dear friends, last weekend I decamped Chez Hovel (or The Untidy Sett as I am inclined to think of my digs) for a friend's house to dog/house sit.  You see, I was the one who set her up to adopt said dog therefore she declared it really was rather my responsibility to watch it while she gallivanted off to NYC.  Since she has wifi which allowed me to keep my coworkers from imploding and I was once again maxed out on vacation time, I saw no reason not to head off for what I thought of as a resort retreat without pool boys.  I mean a choice of recliners, a devoted dog, really good natural lighting --- what's not to love, right?

So on Thursday morning I arrived at my temporary home and unpacked part one of my insanity:

Now, I was there from Thursday morning through Monday night.  So of course I apparently thought I could finish every major project I had going.    The white corner showing at the top is my Boothy (that didn't come out of the bag the whole time I was there), the green fabric in the hoop on the left is a Celtic cross ornament that I also didn't get out of its bag, the baseball flag I could stitch for hours and hours on and still only finish an inch (that didn't come out either), and the states flag in the right corner also did not make an appearance.   I did manage to do 2 of the 5 LK Flip Its (they haven't made it to the "dope" list because I didn't bring a thread matching the fabric to attach the charms with), one of the little ornies (from the sheets between the flags in the picture), and a batch of Ethel's sky.

Pathetic!   II mean I did stitch a lot... I'm just that slow.   Ok, I did cook a lot too.   And I swear on my stash I did not nap the weekend away.  I never got a nap in actually, because my four-footed charge seemed to think napping indicated a lack of "better" things to do like walking or petting.

My roomie was at first very suspicious of this stitching stuff --

Then she went with the crisis of confidence look -- the apparently-I'm-not-cute-enough-to-put-down-that-thread-crap pose.

But she did seem to like the audio book effect.  She really had to since the TV only came on for the hockey game.  Which leads me to part two of my insanity.  Not only did I bring enough stitching to make it through 6 months, I also came with reading--

That's 6 paperbacks and two books on CD.  That is IN ADDITION to the 20-ish audio books I had checked out from the library and loaded on my computer (and we'll not mention the 100+ Audible titles also on said computer).  I believe I finished 5 books -- 4 library check outs and an Audible title.  I did open the top book on the above pile (a Kate Carlisle), but really I could have skipped that bag.

Oh and it gets funnier.  My buddy is also a reading fiend, so it's not like I could have lacked for books at her house.  As a matter of fact she told me to check out the box she was putting together to donate and I pulled the items below out because she'd been singing their praises for a while and I thought I'd try them (mind you, I gave her the Charlaine series, but apparently I didn't buy it all for myself.  or at least I didn't get it all input into my online catalog).  

Currently they are on my floor waiting for me to figure out a path to the shelves so they can join their friends.  [You think I'm kidding?  Silly you.]

Regardless of my insanity, or possibly because of it, I had a lovely time.  I stitched, I read, I got a lot of these walk-me/pet-me/what's-that-you're-doing-now looks:

I picked strawberries in the backyard while my furry friend had breakfast al fresco.

I sniffed heavily from the gardenia bush.

In short, I had a grand ole time.  I can only wish you as pleasant a weekend as I had last weekend.  And, for my American friends, a peaceful Memorial Day possibly filled by red,white, and blue stitching.  I'll be at the local national cemetery.  Where will you be?

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

Pratchett thought of the day:

Admissions, or How Success Can Be Deceptive

Dearest Reader, it is confession/realization Friday.  

Being ever so shamed by my dismal SFS campaigning thus far, I was about to crow with delight at announcing that I had not spent any stashing money this week.  Only after a moment's pause I realized that it wasn't that I exercised backbone or anything even resembling restrain;  it is just that I wasn't at the shop last weekend.  Sigh.  So much for my glorious "accomplishment."  Maybe I get half a kudo for not doing anything untoward online this week?

What I *have* done since last Friday is some stitching!   I know, a miracle, right?  Two more and someone will have to cal the College of Cardinals.

First off, there's one of Ethel's flock of sheep.   One of my stitching Country Club sisters suggested that I ought to vary my flock's colors so I made this guy a little darker.  I'm not certain I'm sold, but So Many Books, who Ethel is for, likes him so that will have to do.

Hi fellow flock mates look like this--

Since I finished Ho Ho Ho (sorry some idiot forgot to take a finished pic--- I can't imagine who could be that lame!), I started another ornie.  This little guy is called Golden Manse I think.  He's from one of those 365 really cool seasonal things to stitch in a hurry.... I my world that means I'll get it done in under a month provided I don't lose it.

Santa got a red velvet coat in brick stitch and stain stitched red velvet cuffs --

The Engineer got his trousers partially outlined and his eyes put in --

And I completed nearly a whole row of baseballs.  Why is it that basketweave goes so danged slowly?????????

I know it isn't a patch on what I aimed to get done and what I ought to have gotten done, but I'm reasonably pleased that I accomplished this much what with the naps and laundry that interrupted me last weekend.... what's a girl to do?   [Note:  What I didn't do was work on Ellen's flag or Serenity Harbor at all, and they really need attention.  Maybe this weekend!]

I wish you all happy stitching and extra-special-sale shopping!  And a special thank you for your kind (and laughing) comments.  It is heck on wheels at work and it's good to be reminded that there are nice people out there...... probably stuck in a snowbank.

Little bits (and fights with Blogger)

Dang Blogger.   I'm telling you up front that you would have more pictures of other projects, but Blogger has decided to flip the and not allow me to get them right side up.  Sigh.   I don't have time to deal with this nonsense today.

I have had progress on things that Blogger does not object to showing you in their proper alignment, including this old friend, the baseball flag --

Since it is hard to tell what is stitched on this without seeing the back.....

 I swear on all my stash that I have spent hours and hours on this and it goes sooooooo slowly.   It could be because it is 18-count basketweave, but sheesh.  At this pace it will be done in 10-12 years.

I have also done some small stitching on my other flag -- Connecticut is a little more present --

I hope to make major progress on this in February.  I need it off the to-do list.  And, joy of joys, when it is done I get to start another one of it for me.  Sigh.

Last weekend I had great fun with my shop owner pulling down all the canvases on the walls and putting up all new stuff.  Nothing like the joy of resetting all the canvases in the shop to get me all excited ----  unfortunately, I get all excited about stashing NOT stitching.  Sigh.

I am eager to get to work this Saturday and see how many of these beauties have found new homes.

Personally, I fell in love with this guy by Share One's Ideas.   Isn't he cool?   I am not a Halloween girl, but I do like pumpkins and he is a pretty fine bird-- not quite menacing enough for the average crow, but cool.

I almost want a round of applause, please.  I did NOT bring this canvas home.  I don't suppose I should get all that much credit since I have a hard and fast rule at the shop-- everything has to stay up on the walls for at least a month before I buy it because I want actual customers to have a shot at seeing how cool everything is.  After all, I know where the order books and the rolodex of designer phone numbers are.  My desire to call for a round of applause is also tempered by the fact that as we redid the walls, new things landed in the 80% off bin.  And, yes, gentle reader, your friend hopped right in there and brought MORE stuff home.  If I get sealed in my apartment by a snowmageddon, I may run out of food, but I have stitching enough to last me though at least 5 years of full time stitching. ...... hmmm-- I need to stock up on light bulbs and snacks just in case. 

Happy stitching to all and to all a good day!