Dying dog -> no party.

I liked how that Patrick Lose snap peas fabric looked so much, I ordered it for the Ewe and Eye scissors companion. I'll have the scissor fob to bring with me to Tulsa in (yipes) 5.5 weeks. I've got to pay the balance soon. I'm also seriously considering taking a whole week off --I'll be at Camp for 4 days and then I'll come home and stitch for 3 before going back to work. All on my own, just a tv for company. I could get lots done on the afghan. My mother is much less sure about the party these days. Her beloved yellow lab has Cushing's Disease. She claims that she is currently unable to think about the party. Now, how weird is this: two of her friends died in the space of 6 months which was the impetus for the party. Dead friends -> party. Dying dog -> no party. (It's not like the dog will die tomorrow, not for about two years.) Should I just put the afghan in the rotation and keep it for myself, or should I just keep plugging away and give it to her party or no party? It's a little too twee for me and too much work to give it to anyone else.

I've had news recently that results in this dire warning: when you have to name a baby, think about it. For a long time.

It might be about stitching.

deleted because I think this post was stupid.

Only a bit more

I have a new picture of the peony. This is what I have managed to do since Sunday. Last night, I spent the majority of my time blotting up dog urine from the bedroom carpet. Now, all of the trash has to be emptied every day. You can now access close-ups of each square on the afghan page.

Man's Best Friend

My sister dropped off her hounds for babysitting while she is away on business. Belle, the 45 lb mutt, immediately ensconced herself in my stitching chair. This wouldn't have been so bad, except that I was in the chair stitching. I tried leaning forward, but it was no good. I considered moving to the sofa, but my dh was battling with Luka, the 70 lb mutt. (Luka is a shepherd/lab mix and Belle a shepherd/greyhound/beagle mix--if you've ever been to the Caribbean, you've seen a "Belle", only they call them potcake dogs after the dogs' main grub. Luka looks like Belle's dad.) So I only took about 10 stitches last night. I'm going to have to find a way to manage to stitch with the dogs in the house because I can't put this off!

I've been getting e-mail (maybe I'll try to find a comments feature that I can work with so you can see it too). The most important news is that Keepsake Needlearts, that I discussed on September 25, 2003, has a website. Their sister store Keepsake Quilting has the perfect fabric for backing the Ewe and Eye Peas in a Pod Scissors Companion.

Off to battle the dogs.

Picture This . . .

My friend NS has offered to host some photos for me. I'm hoping that this will work. I did a great deal of work on the afghan this weekend, although I was unable to complete the peony. I have just a few days' worth of work to do on that before I move on to one of the potted plants, narcissus perhaps?
You can see the afghan and the peony on her website. As we work out the details, we'll post some more photos of the afghan and other projects in process. I'm really excited that you'll be able to see what I've been talking about for the past six months!

Hookie

Well, I've done my civic duty, and another man's gone to jail for possession with intent to sell. Next time I'm called, I'm telling them I just don't believe police officers. This is the second case where I just have the tendency not to believe the cops. I don't know where this prejudice comes from (maybe it's just that creepy-looking cops end up in the LA Court System) but it's definitely a trend. Maybe I just rebel at the sight of "authority."

I did get some good progress on Hearts and Flowers since it is my portable project. I haven't got a whole lot left on that one. And I've been working on the afghan at night. I'm almost done the leaves on the peony, but I'm not going as quickly on this project as I would like. I need some time away, preferably alone in a hotel room. I could probably finish 3 squares if I didn't have to go to work, cook, clean, or entertain anyone. Boy I like that idea!

Long weekends

I thought I would get a lot of work done over the long weekend, and I did, just not in the area I expected. The extra room--the one I hope to turn into a craft room someday--was a real pit. Nothing like the one we had at my parents' house growing up. Still a few episodes of Mission: Organization and Clean Sweep have led me to believe that most Americans have a room like this. It was uninhabitable, a storage dump for books, papers, craft supplies and stuff that needed to be stored (like the giant roasting pan I only use at Thanksgiving). It's almost there! There is definitely a place for everything, and as soon as we can get rid of a couple of spare computers and I can get my husband to recycle his dissertation research--and I part with some general craft magazines and the Aussie Embroidery and Cross-Stitch (or should I work harder to find a spot for them?)--we're done. Unfortunately, this means I only did a few hours on the afghan. I was usually too tired to manage it. We also watched a foreign film, and I had to watch too closely to stitch. I did get to Michael's, and I picked up a skein of pearl cotton so that I could finish the Wooly Zipper by Bent Creek. It's done. 19 more to go! I'm still on jury duty and I did a little work on the Hearts and Flowers sampler for DH while hanging out in the jury room. But that won't last (we hear closing arguments tomorrow).

I'm very boring...

I'm back at work on the afghan! It seems like forever since I touched it. I was worried because I thought I had goofed and was going to have to fix it, but I got out the highlighter and I'm right on target. Because I have a mere 11 weeks to d-day--and 5 flowers to finish--I think I am going to stop doing the backstitching. If I have time, I can do it at the end, but if not, it will look done enough to give. OTOH, maybe it's a really bad idea--I'll be left with nothing but backstitching at the end. Then you'll hear me bitch!

Keep Christmas in Your Heart

Since my sister and cousin were so generous with the gifts this Christmas, I had to let you know what I received.
Drawn Thread: Random Thoughts and Sanctuary
Mosey 'n Me:Cold Hands; Ho Ho Ho; Hanging By a Star
Carriage House Samplings: Willow Tree Sampler
Lizzie * Kate: Cold Hands, Warm Heart; Merry Ho Ho;
Twisted Threads: Sweetie Peetie Pumpkin
Heart in Hand: Fall Fobs, Winter Fobs, Spring Fobs
Cross-Eyed Cricket: Why Is It?*; The Social Call
Barrick Samplers: 1999 Christmas Sampler

My aunt wins the prize for getting me a big gift certificate from Silver Needle.

What could be cuter than getting a little pattern from my neices--one that looks just like their dog! (Find Gracie.)

*Why is it when
I'm halfway through
Creative joys diminish
It's more fun to start a piece
Than it ever is to finish

That should be my motto.

Bloggus interruptus

I know I promised this for Monday, but I've been on jury duty and away from the good computer. I have gone through the UFOs. I haven't made any decisions about not finishing any of them, but here's a list:
Projects about 70% complete
* Wooly Zipper by Bent Creek I have exactly 21 stitches to go; I ran out of #5 890.
* Fa La La by Twisted Threads From the JCS Ornament Issue, begun last time I was on jury duty.
* Noel Ornament by CA's Eclectic Collection I've got about 30 palestrina knots to make--some of these are way more than 70% complete.
* Sunflower Smalls by Lauren Sauer I took this in a class a hundred years ago (okay it was in the mid-90s when SOXS was still extant). I finished the scissor keep, but lost it on an airplane. I've lost the will to finish the other stuff, but the needlebook is really far along.
* Itty Bitty Trio of Hearts by Twisted Threads Another class. It's so pretty, I should finish it to hang.
* Pins and Needles by Lauren Sauer I finished the pin cushion--I had it in a women's arts show on campus a few years ago. But I haven't made progress on the rest of the pieces.
And the two I completed while compiling this list
* Keep Christmas in Your Heart Also a JCS Ornament I started when I was on jury duty two years ago.
* Tipsy Tree by Mill Hill At least I have it done for next Christmas.

Projects about 35-50% complete
* Sewing Roll by Sewing Chest Designs Also from a SOXS class. I completed the mini pouch, which was the practice piece but I haven't begun on the whole sewing roll. Maybe I should get someone to finish what I've got and be done with this. It's pretty--monotone with lots of beading--but not outstanding.
* Hardanger Napkin Ring by Stella Bjerg Yet another class at SOXS. (Now I know where all my money's gone.) This one I did with a broken finger. Interestingly, Stella Bjerg needed to do an internship to complete her needlework design degree in [Denmark?] and she did it at the late great Rose Cottage, my former LNS. And we recognized each other!
* Hearts and Flowers by Carriage House Designs For the DH for our 2nd anniversary last July. I've been carrying this dutifully to jury duty, and I've made some progress.
* Williamsburg Doorway by Maureen Appleton The 1998 Annual Ornament. I started it in 1998. I'm pathetic. It's clearly an addiction.
* Toy Gatherer by Shepherd's Bush I'm not even going to speculate about when I started this one! Actually I know it was the year my mother gave me $50 to buy some things for myself at my first SOXS. She was shocked when I showed her the one thing her money had bought me!
* Alpine Garden by Drawn Thread This was going to be a wedding sampler for friends but I missed the one year mark and sent a pine needle bowl instead. I love working with the silks on this.
* Watercolor Geranium a Sandy Kinnamon design adapted for needlework by Barbara Sestok From a 1999 edition of the defunct Cross-Stitch and Needlework. Egads, the projects outlast the magazines.
* Majestic Rooster by Linda Gordanier Jary From the May-June 1995 edition of Cross-Stitch and Needlework. AKA the "Frickin' Chicken." Seems most ripe for abandonment, but I did give it to my mother for Christmas one year. I'll see what she thinks.
* Elizabethan Rose by Rae Iverson A tiny little detached buttonhole flower, I can't believe I'm not done. I took this as a class in NH at Celebration of Needlework. I've got about 3/4 of the petals to do. Then I can stuff it into the antique salt cellar she gave us. Oooooh! a new use for those salt cellars I got for my shower (I kid you not).
And the ones that I've started but didn't get much done
* Professor Fizzby's Freebee '99 by Dimples Designs 1999 seems to have been a banner year for new beginnings in my cross-stitch world. I wonder what was going on?
* St. Basil's Cathedral by Dimples Designs So beautiful on that bleached blue fabric with all those sparkles, who could resist? Apparently me, I have about 2 square inches done on this.
* You are My Sunshine by Bent Creek This was going to be a birth sampler for Ben, I think but I preferred to match the two boys' samplers (neither was intended as a sampler: both are Ewe and Eye and Friends patterns). Fortunately, my cousin will need a birth sampler for her offspring in May or so. I can do this by then!
* Enchanted Alphabet by Lavendar and Lace When my cousin Steph got pregnant I went wild doing baby stuff for her. And then the baby was born. I was still stitching, of course. She does have the first piece I ever designed myself--a "bee" sampler that fits in an adorable bear and bee frame that was my inspiration.
* Treasured Tulips by Nutmeg Needle Another class. This is so pretty, but I was very stupid when I was learning coral knot. When I actually get to the drawn thread work, I'm going to have to do something else.

Phew. Please tell me I do not hold a record for the number of projects that have been begun but not completed (20). I don't think abandonment is going to work for more than one or two of these either!

I got sent this link by a friend, and I'm all about sharing. There's a nasty girl designing cross-stitch out there. Let's be supportive

stitching resolutions

I've never made a public resolution. Lots of private moments of saying, "oh, I have got to lose weight," but none where I've said anything to anyone else. This year I did. I've resolved to keep in touch with friends and family better. It's kind of sad when you only talk to your friends once a year when you see them. (I'm a phone phobe.)

Obviously the big stitching resolution is going to be finish the afghan on time (4/4). Next, I am going to go through the UFOs and make a serious effort to finish them. I'll put up a rotation schedule on Monday--but remember nothing gets started until the afghan is finished (I'm so one note). I'm also going to get rid of the projects I don't care to finish and to sell off the patterns I'll never do. (I have to do it now that I've said it, don't I?)

Working Backwards
Christmas: For the first time, I made a list of all the patterns I'd like to have and gave it to my family. Who knew they'd go to such lengths to get them all for me! Christmas was a load of fun. My sister and cousin must have spent some serious time in the LNS--places neither of them frequent. Again, list to follow. Too bad I blog from work (superior computer power) and all the stitching stuff's at home.

Happy New Year

Well kids and kidlets we have less than 4 months to the big party when the afghan project needs to be complete. Unfortunately, the trip to NH with its attendant five hour plane ride was lost to the project. I just couldn't bring it along given how large it was and how little time I'd have to work on it out of my mother's sight. She does seem to be cooling on the idea of the party, though, so perhaps I don't need to have it done for her specific birthday, but more like her birth month.

When we put up the tree with all its Santa ornaments, I couldn't help but long to stitch some more. And I did...I finished Olde Time Santas Sinter Klaus (Dutch) and Father Christmas (Irish); and two very old kits another Sinter Klaus and a Santa with striped socks. Sure it dug into the afghan time, but so did finishing my cousin's scarf (12/24) and my sister's shawl (12/27). It made all of us so happy.

I'm doing a lot of paring down of my craft stuff. It's just everywhere and seems to be breeding. I'm sure none of you know that feeling. :) So I've resolved to get rid of about 80 craft books--I guess I should have stopped buying books through the mail well before I did. I'm also getting rid of the scraps from various kit projects. I always save the pattern, thinking I may want to do another (who am I kidding?). But now, I've stapled the original picture to the pattern, written down good DMC number matches for the floss, and thrown the crap out. It's remarkable how much less space that takes. I've also found that I have about half a dozen duplicates. I've got to find out how to sell stuff either on ebay or wherever. I've got stuff, boy howdy.

Here's to less of it in 2004.