And the winner is.....

Margaret!!!!

Buuuuuuut actually, since only 19 of you responded, I decided that EVERYONE is a winner.

Margaret, as the official name-out-of-my-shopping-bag pull will get "the big prize," but all of you --
Jo
Susan
Shelleen
Ranae
Jill
Ellen
Teresa
Theresa
Elaine
Thoeria
Linda
Jenny
Cindy
Gillie
Barbara
Maureen
Valerie
Hazel
-- get a little something. You won't be able to retire your stash-collecting habit on it, but it will be better than junk mail.

I just need emails so I can contact you each for shipping info.

Thank you all so very much for playing along with me!

And in the most important news of the day -- a big thank you to our veterans, serving military personnel, and their families!!!! Bless you all --

Cool idea causing consternation! A giveaway! And a reminder....

Evalina has come up with a brilliant plan. She's hosting an Oldest UFO SAL. You did up that piece you've nearly forgotten about and stitch on it as faithfully as you want to. As you stitch you update Evalina and in January they'll be a prize for most accomplished. Cool, eh. I have one major stumbling block -- figuring out what my oldest UFO is. Anyone else have that problem or does your oldest project haunt you--lurking just at the edge of your vision, creeeping into your dreams/nightmares,.... Mine do that, but I have so many eldery pieces that it's hard to remember who has been languishing the longest. I know for certain which one is the biggest and the one I regret the languishing of the most -- my Vierlanden--

Jeez! The last time I took a progress pic of it was February of 2010. Oh how sad. I can even tell you what slows me down on this one--the motifs are do dense that they seem to take an eternity, and given that I am among the world's slowest stitchers.... you see the problem.

But Vierlanden doesn't win for oldest. I am pretty sure I started that in 2007 or 2008. But I know I started this lighthouse (a gift from my beloved sister) earlier than that:

It's problem is that I got ahead of myself and now I want to stitch the clouds and sky differently, but the thought of all that ripping makes me cringe. I really would like to finish that lighthouse though.
Hmmmm I wonder if I gave myself a prize for finishing hte lighthouse if it would help? I've been nearly overwhelmed with the *need* to but this one canvas at my shop --

I just love this piece. I see the black in the wallpaper in a velvet, possibly with some Neon Rays+ accents in it. The mask -- well the mask would probably be mostly Splendor. I have't worked out the feathers yet. But I simply covet this piece. Sure I have hundreds of canvases around Chez Hovel, but I *want* that one. What if I finish the lighthouse AND some other langishing piece? I'd deserve that Lani mask, right? You support me in this insanity, don't you?

BlueStitcher s hosting a giveaway for her first blogiversay. Drop in and congratulate her on making it through her first year in blogland.

And, taking advantage of that lead in -- Friday looms, so if you want to be part of my blogiversary draw drop a comment on the appropriate post below.

I've been lucky (and apparently busy too)

... and I am grateful. Slow but grateful (it wouldn't in the least surprise me if that ended up on my tombstone -- I guess it's either that or something along the lines of "I suppose this means you're not going to finsh that project you promised to get done....").

I have receieved some awesome sqaures through Fair and Square in the last 2 rounds --
First, from Elaine this absoluely darling little Sweetheart Tree piece --

I wish you could see in person how lovely and dainty this piece is. The bees are little beads and the honeycomb is absolutely mesmerizing.

From Linda Four Fat Friends --

Linda is apparently channeling her inner Ruth since I've wanted to do this piece for a long time. I have for years pulled it out of my stash and looked longingly at it, only to put it back because something more pressing had to get done.

Some posts back I showed what I did for Elaine, but what I did for Linda has escaped my yammmeirng thus far. For the front I adjusted and Annie Beez pattern--

I changed the house she had to make it look like my favorite light house (Point Loma). I also switched out the lawn colors for aqua wave colors and added some extra motifs to the sky as clouds and, well, sky. The best I could do to make it stand out was switch the bird to medium grey and call him an adolescent gull.
For the back I found out what lighthouse was likely closest to Linda, modified another pattern to fit, and used it to decorate the salutation on the back

I did it all in Belle Soies because I was in a self-indulgent mood and decided I *needed* and *deserved* to stitch in silk just then.

Do you get like that? You just have to stitch in a certain tread because it makes you happy? Sometimes I get downright whine-y about it --- paryt of me floats away from myself and watches what seems like an over-sized toddle have an inner temper tantrum because she wants silks, or the perfect dove grey-brown (I'm in the midst of that one right now so I know it well), or to stitch on hand-dyed fabric regardless of the actual necessity or possibility.

Maybe there's some chemical in stash that builds up in the system as we amass our piles that makes us have these toddler-ish moments.

***********
I want to thank you all for your kind comments on my Aunt. I appreciate the thoughts. Thank you very much.
***********

There's still ample time to be in the blogiversary if you so choose.... see the appropriate post below.

*****
Humorous thought of the day -- from the 1604 Table Alphabeticall's (dictionary) dedication "for the benefit on Ladies, Gentlewomen, or any other unskillful person..."
(yes, I'm listening to Simon Winchester's history of the devlopment of the OED)

Events

I mentioned yesterday the obvious -- that I owe much news. I'll start with a sad report.

My Aunt Anna Lou passed away last month. She was an avid gardener (a sheer magician with roses including the George Burns rose pictured above which graced her front garden), a collector of antique bottles (for which she and her family scoured dumps for years), a bird watcher, a lover of a good-quality chili dog (with fries), a Cher fan, and a woman for whom no drive was too far if there was a good dance band at the end of the road.

I got the call on my Aunt's passing while I was in San Francisco to cheer for my sister and BIL and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Team in Training folks in general at the Nike Women's Marathon.



After 13.1 or 26.2 miles would you be motivated?:


Nike weekend for us and the National Capitol TNT team always includes a delicious sojourn to the Ferry Terminal's farmers' market--

Those are my personal tradition -- a breakfast of misc smoked fish with yummy toppings.


Nope, I did not try the Tongues of Fire -- although they looked really cool.


There were beautiful flowers everywhere.


There was an awesome donut stand offering these temptations.


There was a spice merchant with a lovely science fiction sense of humor.


And beautiful tomatoes caught my eye.

It was a beautiful day and a perfect weekend. Aunt Anna Lou would have approved.


For today, that's it. I'll see you soon with much stitching.
Don't forget to toss your name in the blogiversary draw (from yesterday) if you are so inclined.

Blogiversary? Really. Wow.

Fortuitously I looked down my sidebar today and noted it's actually my blogiversary. How'd that sneak up on me? Where'd ANOTHER year go?

At this juncture in my blogging year I should look back and consider my progress. Oh wait. What progress? I've been a baaaaad blogger. I've needed to chat with ya'll for a while, but carving out the time has been impossible. I'll be better.... soon. Probably. Thanks for being patient with me.

Anyway, back to blogiversary --- What to do. What to do. It'll be stashy, something thread-y, and overdyed. Cottons? Yes. Silks. Sure. You know, stash. We all have too little of that, right? If you want to be included in the draw for something along those lines, leave a comment on here. I'll pull a winner or winners next weekend so leave your comment by Friday, November 11.

Best wishes to you all and to all a good _______________.

A little finishing.... a lot of progress

If you were lucky enough to have just had a three-day weekend, I hope it was as nice as mine. I enjoyed splendid adventures in:
1. pottery painting with a 7-year-old (I'll have to show pictures later because it's a secret from everybody in the whole world.... shhhhh. The only thing not covered by my confidentiality agreement with said 7-year-old is that we had lots and lots and lots of fun.);
2. stitching with the Country Club ladies (my little needlepoint society has decided we're a country club because we can't imagine a more perfect social day than one spent stitching. I would also say that the dues are far more reasonable than at a club with a golf course and tennis pros, but I'm not sure that's true by the time we thread up a canvas.);
3. game night with some old and some new friends -- much fun was had by all in several spirited rounds of Scattergories (Did you know that all you need to do to send an enitre room of reasonably responsible adults into gales of hysteria is to suggest that an appropriate answer to a "4-letter word starting with the letter 'A'" is "About"? Yes, we all had a field day on that one.) ; and last but not least,
4. a family pool-side fest to round out the weekend (which included me being humiliated by a 13-year-old in name the state capitols).

Ultimately this weekend lead to one big epiphany for me. Namely that Mondays, even when they are really Tuesdays are a real bummer.

Apparently I was so busy having fun this weekend that I forgot how many updates I owe you! Silly me.

I can report some reecnt finishing--

This little guy had gone to meet the finisher. He's floss and Fyre Werks and downright adorable... imho.

The major push in my needles' lives has been the evolution of the sand dollar. From this on August 16th:

To this on the 27th:

To this on the 31st:

And finally this on the 4th:


Since I wanted to preserve the shape of the dollar, I added a little "dotted swiss" ocean around it in floss and Fyre Werks. Somehow over the course of the next 3 weeks I need to finish the ocean around both halves so it can go to finishing land. ... fingers crossed.

In between all the cream and blue, BBD's Summer has seen a little of the light of day --

Which is a good thing too since I think Amy's ready to send me the next part of the pattern..... must stitch faster.... much, much faster.

Happy stitching to all and to all a good day.

September's goals:
1. send the sand dollar off for finishing
2. send the Richland "Joy" ornie canvas off for finishing
3. F&S Round 26
4. Pumpkin Breast cancer fund ornament
5. BBD Summer completed and part 2 started
6. progress on Sundance's Ladies Day
7. progress on Tsunami Sampler
8. progress on Beatrix POtter (let's say 2 motifs, shall we)
9. progress on TOS (3 sections at least)
10. progress on Friendly ASAW (3 squares at least)
11. 4 books

Is it just me?

Hello all.

I just noticed something about me and my stitching. I simply *have* to have the needle/thread on top of the fabric when I end a session of stitching.
e.g.--








See! Always with the strings streaking across the piece. The only time I don't have them is when I've finished a thread and it's so far passed my bedtime that I don't bother to get another started.

Now, I hear ya-- what's another quirk in my basket of insanity really going to cost me? Welllllllll, the corollary to Always Having the Needle on Top is Always Wanting to See Just One More Stitch. Sigh. See? I'm doomed.

I'd ask again why I wasn't born independently wealthy so I could stitch all day, but then I start to worry that if I was filthy rich, I'd think stitching was something I had "people" for. Vicious frickin circle.

Ultimately, the question of the day is: Do you have needle parking compulsions?

Happy stitching to all -- no matter where your needle ends up.

P.S. Siobahn--- I promise not to shuffle out of any shrubs and gnaw on The Fluffinator's ankles. lol

Jo -- LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the "hole in road" lol

Finishes, progress, and life as a badger (and life in Hollywood)

Hello and a happy day unto you and yours. Why, yes, I am excessively perky. No real reason. I just am. It's a nice feeling to move from grousy and obstreperous to smile-y and perky. Don't worry; I'm sure it won't last.

For now, the sun is shinging, the breezes are blowing, and hte flowers (that I'm not allergic to) are in bloom --


Ok, loosing the perky fast. They are filming some show just downstairs of my office windows, and these apparently are not sound-blocking windows. Every 10 minutes the whole floor gets treated to squeeling tires. You know, the kind f squeeling that is usually followed by "CRASH" and the "whir-whir-whir" of a hubcap making its way down the street sans car. I don't suppose it's nearly as annoying to us as it is to all the people trying to drive in this very busy downtown section. Hmmm, maybe it's The Closer or some other somebody-got-murdered show which I actually watch. I'll see my building and the crosswalk leading the the best sandwiches in town on TV -- how cool. It's not like it's unusual for that to happen when you live in a film mecca -- once Monk wandered down an alley near Chez Hovel (he was an awfully long way from SF), campus was always in stuff, and just this season The Closer filmed scenes about 10 houses down from my friend's place. Ok, I admit, it's kinda cool to see your neighborhood on TV. (For the record, the camera only puts 10 pounds on people -- it doesn't work on landscaping -- just in case you thought it might make your azaleas look fluffier. That would be nice though.)

Anyway, I can report some progress. Actually let's start with the BIG news--- I FINISHED something!!!! Yes, you read that right. Little Miss Start-Something-New actually put the last stitches in a piece! Why, yes, I'm rather proud.

Ok, I don't care that it's a paltry little 4-5-inch ornament. It's done, right? A done project is a DONE project. I get credit. Sure it took me something liek 2 years, but I got bored. You go alternating basketweave in black Neon Rays on black and see how interested you stay in a piece. Currently it's off to the finishers to be flat backed and corded. Woo hooo! One Christmas present done!

My "big" finish spurred me on to other accomplishments.....
BBD Summer has made it to here--

Ok, so I only put in enough stitches to know I liked the 2nd new color I picked for the bird. So sue me.
BBD America has gotten to here --

Even the needlepoint sand dollar made a reappearance and after two nights work with three needles in process at once (memo to self: never pick a stitch no matter how cool that requires you keep three different threads in action at all times.)--


And you know what, there's even more to show, but you'll have to wait for the pics. Sorry.

I do have to leave you with my personal vote for news of the week -- Might be news of the year here:
From Monday's Clovis News Journal -- Officers Remove Badger From Outside 21st Street Restaurant
Honest, it's a good laugh. For the record, I'd be pissy too if you relocated me next to a dump.

Hmmm, maybe I need to start a badger-themed news feed.

Up to no good.. of course

Hi there. My name's Ruth and I'm a startaholic. Need proof (really, if you've been here before you shouldn't lol)

My latest in-the-door aquistion is freshly under needles.....
I "finalized" the color selection on my Tree of Stitches (designed by Abi of the yahoo group, Stitch Specialists, and she's marvelous. You've probably seen a number of these trees sprinkled around blogland. I think I personally may create a small grove of them because I want to do them in all sorts of colors.). I narrowed it from this:

to this:

And I started stitching.......

The color adjustments started with the purple. I decided it needed something to set the corners of the rice stitch off, so they became Kreinik braid in a matching purple. (At the same time two other Krienik braids had to join other pending parts of the tree --- you wouldn't want it to be unbalanced would you?)

I've even made more progress on my BBD Summer --

Actually last night I made it over to the dove and got that started. Of course when I got to him I had to change color from the Belle Soie I'd picked. Sigh. Can't I leave well enough alone?

Two new starts. That should be enough for a person, right? Oh noooooo. I've joined Pumpkin Patch & Co.'s breast cancer fundraising/ornament stitching blog. It's a community of us obsessive stitching bloggers working on donations for The Attic's annual ornament silent auction. A great cause! No doubt about it -- but also a thinly-veiled excuse to START some new stitching. hee heee Ornament patterns, here I come. Come on, you know you want to do it! Stitch and happily tell your family and friends that you *had* to start a new piece because it's for breast cancer research!

Should I seek counseling about my startitis? Should I be cured? Do I really *need* to be cured? I doubt I *want* to be cured, but...

I guess, ultimately, the real question of the day is why can't I ever catch FINISHitis??????

The Good, the bad, and me

Why do I make plans? I was going to have a peaceful and accomplishful day. I had a list of things to do. It was going to clean my desk and do some advanced Excel training. Instead I got a weird series of specialty projects including two that are still pending further input. I should have stayed home and stitched.

The Postman did his job, and delivered unto Elaine my Round 25 Fair and Square offerings:

I did a swan for Ireland (Elaine) and a squirrel for my college campus (where the squirrels will steal any food regardless of its appropriateness or the owner's vigilence). I was stitching Elaine's while I was at Discworld, and I liked how they turned out enough to do this:

My second square however is in honor of Discworld convention -- the quote (If you take thee top off, there's biscuits inside") is Sir Terry on what he thought of the Wisconsin statehouse. By the way, he's right; it looks like a cookie jar.

Now you know since it involved me, there had to be a saga with F&S 25, right? Poor Elaine. Her very first round and she gets stuck with El Idioto. I didn't check the assignment email below Elaine's address. Hence, I did not notice that *MY* address was wrong. The Post Office very kindly sent it back to her so she had to mail it twice.

Claiming to be celebrating this fine F&S accomplishment, but really I'd have done it anyway so why bother with the justification, I've begun the starting process for another new project --
The Stitch Specialists' Tree of Stitches:

That's the designated fabric (a baby blue lugana which I really wish were jobelan--- I might have to do more scouring of Chez Hovel this evening to see if I can scare up more fabric) and attempt 57.4 of the floss pull. I think I need something like 16 colors. Yes, Virginia, I do believe there's more than 16 colors there. Narrowing will be tonite's job.... and boy am I looking forward to it! No more urban agriculture questions, or requests for the economic impact of marinas in the Caribbean, or frantic calls that begin "I heard about this article......"

Happy stitching to all and to all a good weekend!

I should have just joined the Crazy January Challenge

Yes, dear friends, I started something new. Annnnnd not only did I start another project, but I *ordered* the project just to start it. Did I think I lacked for potential projects??!!??! Sheesh

Here it is -- BBD's Summer with the fabric it apparently called for

I couldn't control myself. I had to have it. And I loved the fabric the model was stitched on so I had to order that as well. But do you see the problem, fair stitcher? The pictured fabric and the ordered fabric aren't even close. Ok, I get it, "hand dyed," but can't we at least get it remotely close?

Never fear! I strolled through the vat of fabric under the bed (and on the floor by the TV, and on top of the boxes of threads and misc stuff) and settled on a 28-count RR Creme Brulee. Then we had to contemplate threads... (mind you this is one day after it's arrived in the mail.... only 24 hours of restraint!). Let's face it, the Belle Soies called to me far louder than the Sampler Threads. So off I went a-foraging and came up with this:

I have to admit I wasn't happy with that bright green near the middle, but I was too lazy that night to go scouting for the other bags of silks. So off I sailed. The pic above shows Night 1's accomplishment.
By Night 3 I'd not only made good progress but also pulled some different greens--

I'm a little further along now and owe you a new picture, but that will have to wait for another day. Trust me, I'm loving this. I have other stuff that needs accomplishing and I'll miss this like all heck when I need to put it down--- it's hard enough to go to bed as it is!.... just one more stitch..... you know the drill.

By now I must have started nearly the full 15 new things required for the January Crazy Challenge. I might as well have joined it! I guess the benefit of starting them slowly throughout the year is that the UFO list doesn't get overwhelmed all at once. ..... like I need help with that. hmpf

And what about the ornament challenge that I *did* join? At this point I deserve to be asking "what's an ornament?" Yes, dear ones, it is that bad. Apparently I need to discover the folds in time that would allow me 9-12 hours of work time, 8-10 hours of stitching time, and 12-14 hours of misc stuff time per day. When I find it, I'll let you all kow how to get there.