Happy Valentine's!

A Happy Valentine's to all !Do yo uhave big plans for the day/night? Me? I'm working then going fabric shopping for the back of a tallis bag and the lining of a yarmulke. Woo hoo. I sure do know how to party!

Well, party or not, I was quite accomplishful over the weekend. I was little miss xs. First out of the bag was Beatrix Potter:

A whole motif got finished (beaded flower bunch)and another one (little varigated patch under the flower bunch) got started--

I figure Beatrix could get done this year. Since she's on the list of things I really, really want to finish this year, that's a good thing.

Also out of the collection of in process came my newest start (I think it's the newest anyway-- it's either this or the next item), SB's Joy in the Journey

I was working on this at a friend's family house and getting kibitzing help from a 6-year old. You see the heart in the sheep is supposed to be left unstitched but she and I agreed that it could use a little pink. She colored a stunning image of her house and kept an eagle eye on what I was up to lest I needed some more input on pattern adjustments. Gotta love little helpers!

Last week bought a new ornie and a little progress. I must be in a real brid mood. The week before last I finished the stitching on Miss Crescent's Red Bird:

I'm not sure it shows well, but the cranberries in the garland are a burgundy Kreinik and the popcorn is EdMar Boucle. I think she's really quite cute, and since she's destined for that mytical tree of mine my cute-rating is crucial.
Anyway, I finish the red bird to pick up Theron's Berry Bird

Yup, if you remember you JCS issues well you will note that I changed the colors on this. I guess I just can't leave well enough alone.

Also making an appearance in the light of day the end of last week was my Quaker a la Six Mains:

Can't see the Major Work? Well, let's get closer in ---

Yup, That bird head floating there -- I started that motif. Hey, at least I got his little eye showing so he can look around.

And last but certainly not least in the accomplishment round up, Ursula Michaels We the People--

I do so love stitching this! There's something so wonderful about seeing words appear.

Oh, I have to ask. Do you overpack for stitching adventures? I go to the LNS for the day and I look like I'm packing for a year in the Arctic. The stuffed bag below was for an afternoon od stitching with a friend--

Beatrix, Joy in the Journey, 6 Mains, We the People, Berry Bird, and new stash are all in there. Memo to Self: 3 hours of stitching does NOT require you to denude your hovel of WIPs.

Oh wait, you caught that reference to new stash. Welllllllll..... I gotta go. Catch you later with a report. Hee hee.

It's a MIRACLE !!!!!

Yessiree, a genuine miracle. I finished an antique UFO --

This was, as you can clearly read, a 2006 RR. While ignoring the Lakers on Saturday night I accomplished the backstitching in the flowers at the top. Yes, I sent it off to be RRed without even finishing *my* part on *my RR. Be that sorry story as it may be, now it's looking pretty dran nice, imho--

To any Sassies who may be reading --- thanks!

To celebrate this grand accomplishment I promptly hauled out a new start. Behold my progress on SB's Joy in the Journey:

Are you overwhelmed with how far I've gotten? lol Me too.

Oh and last week I started another "new" piece --

Erica Michael's We the People
I haven't decided which blue to use so my 3 options are all present. And, yes, if that looks familiar to you from these fair pages it is becaiuse I have stitched it once already. I did it for my nephew and when my shop owner saw it she wanted one. A year later, off I go! Hey, the woman keeps me in stash--- I can stitch a little (especially when it's such a fun piece to stitch).

I'd have much more to show on those last two but instead of stitching yesterday I let myself fall into "organizing" my charts. They had been organized, then they weren't. They were mostly living in conglomerations on the floor or piled high on one shelf. I flipped though pulling out some categories of like things. The process will have to be repeated 4-5 times to get everything into categories, and then repeated (for instance a foot-deep pile of "samplers" need more fine sorting. Aside from wanting to be organized, this started because I had the bright idea that if I went though and truly got everything sorted that I would be able to ditch a bunch of duplicates. So far I've "sorted" about 2 feet of patterns and been able to ditch maybe 24 pages. Really? Was that profitable? Not even an inch gone. Sigh.

Awww... Yahooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awww:

Big Brother David meets new Little Brother Daniel born early today. Great Aunt appreciates it from the non-snowy coast...... ain't they they cutest?!

How can anybody top that? I mean really. What I should do is leave everything for another day and bask in happy Great Auntness, but I've ogt a couple seconds so I'm going for the extra happy dances--

Yahooooo!!!!:
Catherine is done!!!!

I added a couple spare rows towads the end. Silly me! I could have been done even sooner. What was I thinking?





Woo hooooooo She's done! Let the partying begin.

Sorry-- gotta go-- must continuing researching the fashion industry in Tokyo. I suppose I can't ever claim my work is boring.

Happy stitching!

Been stitching? (and Hyperbolic Crocet Reef)

Hello. I was going to call this post "Pathetic," but somehow I think that could sum up most of my stitching days so I'd have to use it all the time. Better I should save it for a really worthy occasion..... like say, oh, tomorrow.

I have been stitching, but apparently I've also been brain dead since I have only tken pics of part of what I worked on and then I only downloaded part of those pictures. What gives? Usually I'm all over thei picture thing. My money is on my new 5:30am wake-ups. I need to really need to commit to the pillows by 10pm.

Anyway, here's some of what I've been up to....

In case you remember back to the last time you saw this I can say I have done some stuff. I have filled in a penguin tummy, worked out where I went wrong compensating over a penguin head, and put in part of the secondary stitch (Silk Lame) in the background (ok, it's only a couple tiny rows, but it's something.

I also have made slow, small progress on Katherine--

I futzed with the gold and dark green stitches in the center of the light green medallions because I thought the called for version ended up wimpy.

I have to say I hated those two rows of pulled sqaure stitches. I kept breaking my thread. I resorted to using absurdly short cuts to make it work.... so annoying.

I joined Carol's Christmas Challenge this year in hopes of having myself 12 FINISHED ornies by the end of the year. Mind you, it might be a good plan to have a tree to put them on, but one thing at a time. Anyway, my January ornie is Miss Crescent's red bird from a reecnt JCS (I think 2009):

She's actually a lot farther along, but I lack a picture for the last 3 days. She's become my morning commuter bus piece -- I get some stitching done which makes the miles go faster, but I gotta say that smoother roads would improve my productivity no end! Eventually she's to hold a string of cranberries and popcorn in her beak. They are called for in floss, but I'm thinking of using a Kreink for the cranberries and possibly some Boucle or thin, stripped silk and wool for the popcorn.... stay tuned!

As for DC reporting I am going to limit myself to a photo montage of the Hyperbolic Crocet Reef that is currently on display at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. Our croceting friends from around the world made a reef and it's stunning. No pictures can do it just, but I tried....














Pretty darn cool, eh?!

Stash and stuff and continuing Christmas adventures

Hello Gentle Reader. How are you this crisp morning? Fine you say? Well I'm glad to hear it. I am a miserable loon.

We'll leave aside the miserable... that comes with working in the Fortune 500 aparently, and skip straight to the loon part. This weekend (aka tomorrow) I propose to start work on a new needlepoint. And not just any needlepoint. I'm probably putting on stretchers this lovely:

Beautiful, isn't he? I think he's beautiful. I pulled a bunch of Very Velvets, Ftyre Works, Neon Rays+, and Silk Lame for him last week. I'm sure some more fun stuff like Sprinkles and fur will join the party. But really, Gentle Reader, what am I thinking. I didn't finish the dreaded stocking for my sister all that monay months ago. Have I forgotten what a pin in the assets it is to stitch on a giant canvas? Do I not already have enough things on needles? Shouldn't I finish a few things before I forget what stitches I was using in them before I tackle roughly an acre of blank canvas? Apparently not. Sigh. When you see my right mind, please give it directions home.

Also on the needlpoint front, last weekend was the first weekend of my LNS' annual post-TNNA sale. I picked up this gem--

A Sandy Gilmore Santa which I love. The argument I used with myself was that I had no canzases for standing-weighted Christmas decorations, and I certainly had not Santa pieces. Obviously said argument was successful since now he lives in the hovel with me and 7 million other to-be-done projects. To continue the loon theme with this piece, please remember I had just come back from TNNA. Sure, no problem, you say. You have faith that I exercised discretion and restraint while surrounded by all the best needlepoint opportunities in Christendom. Well, you would be wrong. I was bad, Gentle Reader. Baaaaad. As they come in I shall happily share pictures of my haul, but suffice it to say there is a lot of canvas and a fair bit of linen coming my way.

For those of you looking for a detailed TNNA report, you may be disappointed. There was little in the xs realm there. Usually the xs people seem to stick to the TNNA events later in the year. I can say I saw a lot of really cool yarns-- enough to make me want to pick up my hooks and needles again. Shoot me now. There were certainly some lovey canvases out for needlepointers everywhere. Sew Much Fun has released a 3-D parrot who's too cute for words; Canvas Candy has a great line of canvases and matching blown glass ornaments (I succomb to a cardinal and what I call the "gold bird circle"-- you'll have to wait and see); Kirk and Hamilton had this really great gingham and floral flag which I must have; Labors of Love was there with its awesome bird tree clamps (if you flip through Needlepoint Now they were featured a few months back) and a line of Christmas Carol themed pieces; Little Shoppe has a totally adorable line of dimensional tea cups.

One thing I can show you is the tree topper I got from Whimsey and Grace--

Yes, that stunning gold and white beauty will be mine! heee heeee. Now I just need a decent paying job and an apartment bigger than a closet. Those will allow me to have a Chrismtas tree which will allow me to place this stunning topper. Sigh.
Oh I also got this darling from Associated Talents--

I think he'll sparkle a treat on said wishful thinking tree.

As for Christmas, I think we left of with traditions and number 23...

23. Here's to new traditions! This year I, with great trepidation, approached the 9-year-old great nephew with a plan to make ornaments for his grandma. As I explained the plan and my thinking behind it (ie. while his mommy isn't hot on non-standard ornies, his grandma loves them and cherishes all the differences and especially honors the ones his daddy made for her when he was little) he just looked at me blankly. But when I stopped (thinking I was going to get shot down in favor of computer games) he grinned from ear to ear, said excitedly "cool," and began a laundry list of things he thought would be cool to make. Whew! So we spent about 5 hours one day secreted on the ground floor of my sister's house (on a plastic tarp becaues my BIL is a former Boy Scout leder and knows what crafting with small children can be like) making these gems:





Pertty cool, huh? There's also a tree, but somehow it missed its photo op.

24. We went up to the Mormon temple for their great light display-- what can I say, I'm a sucker for Christmas lights.



For all the traffic the show draws I can imagine the neighbors are sometimes annoyed, but they do get one seasonal break -- they definitley don't have to put out their own light displays.
They also do a series of Christmas trees in their main lobby. and right there I got a nice chuckle:

Yup, that would be a lovely pair of Israeli dolls decoating a Christmas tree.

25. will wait for another day....

Here's wishing you all a beautiful rest of your day!