All Good Things Must Come to an End

So closes another NaPoBloMo. Phew. Did I feel this frenetic last year over this? (Probably not; I was sitting on my rapidly expanding arse with my foot up, so it gave me something to do.) There were a number of nights, most of them this last week, where if I hadn't come so far I wouldn't have blogged. Crazy to walk in the door at 9:00, eat dinner, and blog before dropping into bed at 10:00. (I need my beauty rest!) And it showed. The polls (see below) might be the lamest thing to result from the experiment. Or maybe it's pure brilliance. As Jean-Francois Lyotard once said at a conference at USC, "Boff, oo is to say, ehn?" (The dude gets a lot of mileage from that.)

So, I've lost track this crazy month: did I have goals? Why, yes, you did.

• Finish 60th birthday gift before 11/17--check!
• Finish Summers to Come before 11/17--check!
• Stitch "Beer" for dad--See above. Mistakes were made. Some were unstitched; some we kept.
• Finish in-law ornaments--scrapped, and that was a brilliant idea
• Finish caterpillar eyeglass holder--on tap for this weekend. Look for photos Monday.
• Finish Skull Girl for Sissy--Plans changed. But, Melissa, I will stitch this someday!
• Make felted soap for the dude--this won't take so long, she says checking in the cupboards for extra time to put in the day.
  
• Blog every day--Done. (Swoons and falls down in heap.)

Here is my actual list for the first 25 days of December:

• create snowman tree topper
• caterpillar eyeglass holder for 12/5
• finish fisherman ornament for 12/24
• finish Elisabeth’s stocking for 12/24
• finish Jillian’s stocking for 12/24
• make lobster stew for 12/24
• sew overnight case for 12/25
• finish beer stitched piece for 12/25
• felted soap for 12/25

I'll keep you posted!

PS Thanks for sticking with me for 30 days!

Sporty Spice

I happened upon an old post where I said I'd love to do a poll about stitchers and sports. Well now that I know you like clicking, here it is:

Which sports do you choose to watch while stitching? (You can make multiple choices.)



I ran out of space; damn these free polls. If you watch others, leave the news in the comments!

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Or, more like, tell someone to do it and eventually someone will.

There have been a lot of rumblings in the stitching blogosphere about "selfish stitching." Always one to entice people to the dark side (really, my sister almost bought me these jammies for Christmas), I've been encouraging people in the comments. "More selfish stitching in 2008," says I. "Someone should make a button." I think I only had to mention it twice. Lo, Annemarie has made a "Selfish Stitching" button.

Of course, I just joined a Birthday exchange. And Michelle invited me to SAL with her on Emerald Mermaid, which I am stitching for my mother (she asked) for her 65th birthday (4/2009--she's no dummy). So, yeah, besides those things, more selfish stitching in 2008.

Goodies

What do you mean there was a 25% off sale where the shop owner got her orders delivered within the week? That's right! My order from One Star's Light--complete with extra goodies sealed with sealing wax--arrived today. And now Puff the Magic Dragon is running through my head.

I got some petite needles, Ink Circles Sea Stars, and, as an excuse to buy some Crescent Colors Belle Soie, a couple of French Country charts from JBW. And it's here already! I didn't have to wait for decades just because she had a sale.

Thanks for your understanding about my aborted rant and sage marital advice. My mom was full of advice for us girls as we went out into the dating world: "Never marry with intent to change [him]" and "All men are assh*les; you have to find the man that's the amount of assh*le that you can live with." Now you know why I didn't marry until I was 34 and Sissy (38) remains unwed. She also used to say--with much regret--"You don't just marry the man, you marry the whole damn family." Fortunately for her, his family didn't appeal to him all that much either (of course, there was the family business to deal with). Fortunately for me, I'm treated very well by my in-laws. (Each of the dude's aunts likes to tell me secretly that the dude is her favorite.) So I really should be able to behave better, but, sadly, I am a horrible person.

Where Things Turn Out Well ...in the End

My first draft for this post began, "Never marry a foreigner." Generally, I think it may be good advice, but because I would prefer to stay married (right now anyway) I deleted that little rant about an ungrateful spouse and buying Christmas presents for people I hardly know. Today, I pulled up my socks and hiked over to Borders. Amazon didn't have the book I was looking for for my BIL. I found it there--after quite a search in the sports section. Then I decided to buy my FIL an Images of America book on Gettysburg. And even though he doesn't deserve it, I bought the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving for the dude who made onion chutney for gifts this year (orange and lime marmalades last year). While I was reading Martini Made, I found the perfect solution for my nephew whose mother still hasn't sent me a list. (English people don't make Christmas lists, donchyaknow.) I am crossing my fingers that it arrives before we take off. It's going to be close, so watch this space. (I bought Cariboo, for the little boy who at the last visit was into pirates.) And I decided not to make any presents, except for the cards I made tonight (see below) and the felted wool eyeglass case for my MIL, the sweetest angel who somehow raised a real prick of a son. (Okay, most of the time he is a really great guy.) And I might not finish my Christmas cards because I think I am putting too much pressure on myself when I am going to be gone for a whole week while trying to get ready for Christmas.

Applique IX: Sew Ready for Christmas

At last I have finished Amy Butler's Frenchy bag. As you can see, I used a toile. I think my aunt will love it and not just because I made the pockets inside fit for pens and pencils as well as a cell phone. I can't believe this bag took so long! Next week, our last week, I will start Sissy's overnight case. Actually, I hope to do some work on it this week. I should at least give you a peek at the fabric I am using.

As for the camera, I found it just before I fell into bed on Wednesday night. The dude was printing out our tickets between London and the northeast of England (where his mother lives) and he was bitching that there was no paper. I knew we hadn't used a whole ream of paper, so I got down on my hands and knees and looked into the desk cabinet (it's supposed to be a CPU holder). There is a shelf in there, and I don't think either of us realized that it doesn't hit the back wall of the cabinet. The camera fell back there, and then the ream of paper (minus 40 or so sheets) fell on top of it. I must have looked there 4o times! Who actually moves things when they are desperately searching for something?

Stitching Evidence--Pt 2

Nature Sings
Fancy Work
from a JCS ornament issue (not sure which one)

32 count raw linen
recommended floss (so far--I forgot to order the Shutter Green and Maple Syrup during Jenna's sale)

I stitched and restitched the right hand part of the border three times--and let's not even mention that I have completely restarted this one, so badly did I cock it up the first time around! My bil might get just a book for Christmas.

Stitching evidence--Pt 1

Here's what I did on the six hour drive up to NH on Thursday (the best day to travel in America...).

Hinzeit's Mini Block--Beer
Stitched with DMC on recommended fabric.

Weekend Wrap-Up

We are home. We unpacked. We food shopped. We have eaten the lightest meal we've had all weekend (my mother prefers not to cook, so we've had a lot of restaurant meals). And I think we are starting to get back to normal. I love my parents, but they yell a lot. And shop a lot. And eat out a lot. And it has just interrupted my life living like them for 3 days. (On the plus side, we played a lot of Family Feud on the computer; clearly Sissy and Mom should head up the team, but the dude and I should play fast money. We rock it. In fact, the dude once reached 200 with his first four answers!) On the ride home we listened to the Onion's Our Dumb World which is wicked funny. Especially the part about New Jersey. Especially if you are sitting in traffic on the NJ Turnpike. So 6 more hours of stitching in the backseat with the dog.

Yesterday, it took us almost no time to move the last of the big stuff in the attic, so we convinced my mom to go through some of the oh, *40* boxes of Christmas ornaments. I came home with two tree skirts, some random ornaments, and a Christmas quilt. The new tree skirt is maroon with silk ribbon embroidery (probably done by Chinese prisoners) I'll take a picture of it--and the quilt--because I found the camera!--when I finish up the decorating. I also took a couple of old Christopher Radko ornaments and some Longaberger cookie molds to put on ebay, but I don't think I'm getting as much as I hoped for those. Speaking of ebay treasure, I am pretty sure that the Blythe dolls are gone. There is only a small bit of unsorted stuff left in the attic. And about 30 boxes of Christmas stuff. My sister and I each rescued a box of ornaments and my mom kept some things, but four giant boxes are going to charity. And about 2000 white lights went into the skip. I know, we should have recycled but you have to understand the enormity of the problem my mother has. Clearly, the attic was some kind of black hole for her. It's like she couldn't find her ornaments so went out and got new stuff every year. For, I don't know, the past 25 years.

Young Go Old

Today we will continue the job we started in the attic. We have almost filled the skip my parents rented. We probably could have gotten the really big one, or even had them switch it out yesterday. There is some serious crap in that attic. My dad poised himself in the garage to make sure we didn't throw out any "good stuff." He rescued some duck decoys (he can give them to someone) and some beer POS (Those mirrors they put up in bars or the giant Heineken bottles). I didn't find the Blythe dolls (yet!) or the Bruins' program that's signed by four of the 70s era guys, including Wayne Cashman. I fear the latter is in the skip. Our goal for today is to take out the mattress, room-sized hot pink shag rug, and the old doll house. Then we're going to sort the Christmas decorations. I managed to salvage one tree skirt yesterday (gold, not really what I am looking for but it will do until I get to my Big Ideas), so I'm hoping to score another today.

---

I don't know who this potential 35-year-old grandmother is but she's "off down the shops to stock up on ...cross stitch patterns." Because that's what grandmothers do, you understand.

(Can I just point out that this is, like, not even news? A woman had kids when she was young and they might do the same? Stop.The.Presses!)

Old Lady Count: 6

Poll: 32 Shopping Days...

Now I feel like I have set some sort of precedent. You come here on Fridays and think, "ooh, I hope there is a poll for me to take." As my boss once said, "People like clicking!" (She said this to justify hiding information on our website under some crazy titles like "Get informed" "Get connected" and "Get something else that makes no sense and you will never find what you are looking for because someone wants to stick with this silly 'Get something' format!" We objected. She responded, "people like clicking; they like interactivity!" Yes, but they don't like searching for information that should be plain. D'oh.)

You like clicking, so let's get to it.

How are you doing on the preparation for Christmas or other end of year holiday you may celebrate?

Thanksgiving

Thankful * for family * for friends * for turkeys who give their lives in service of their country * for doctors * for needle and thread * for second chances * for women's community * for books * for intelligence * for the end of the visit * for ice cream * for safe travels * for football * and yes, Coral, for stuffing!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American blogging friends and faithful readers.

Thanksgiving Eve

I haven't been home for Thanksgiving since college. (20th reunion in May!) But tomorrow the dude and I and Sissy and her dog will rise wicked early and drive the 7 hours home to break bread with...I don't know, whatever crazy crew my mother rounds up to sit at her free dining room table.

1. Which do you like better: Cooking at your house, or going elsewhere? Cooking at home, then I'm in charge of what we eat.
2. Do you buy a fresh or frozen bird? Free frozen turkey. It's about how you cook it.

3. What kind of stuffing? I love oyster stuffing but my father makes the most excellent Triple Corn Stuffing from the Black Family Reunion Cookbook.

4. Sweet potato or pumpkin pie? I once carried a sweet potato pie from Aunt Kizzy's Back Porch (Los Angeles) to my cousin's house in Alexandria, VA. I was the only one who ate it. Honestly, though, I am not a big dessert eater on Thanksgiving. Did I mention there was triple corn stuffing?

5. Do you believe that turkey leftovers are a curse, or the point of the whole thing? Whole point.

6. Which side dish would provoke a riot if you left it off the menu? I don't know. The menu and players shift regularly. When we were little, there was hell to pay if my mother didn't make broccoli casserole. (Cheese sauce with specks of broccoli in it.)
7. Do you save the carcass to make soup or stock? Yes. Is that a yes or no question? If not, soup.
8. What do you wish you had that would make preparing Thanksgiving dinner easier? More burners on the stove.
9. Do you get up at the crack of dawn to have dinner ready in the early afternoon, or do you eat at your normal dinner hour? Crack of dawn. I've eaten Thanksgiving at 2:00 most of my life. I definitely prefer it.
10. If you go to somebody else's house, what's your favorite dish to bring? Homemade cranberry sauce.
11. What do you wish one of your guests wouldn't bring to your house? Once one of the dude's friends brought a bottle of cognac that he took home with him. If you're that cheap, well, I don't have to tell you.
12. Does your usual mix of guests result in drama, or is it a group you're happy to see? No drama, unless the whole family is together.
13. What's your absolute favorite thing on the menu? I think I mentioned the stuffing.

Tree Skirts

First, I think I forgot to thank you for all the wonderful comments on Summer Place. I hope to be able to get a proper photo of it when I pick it up from the framers. Again, thanks for all your kind words.

Michelle asked me what my vision was for my tree skirts. First, you have to know that I have a theme tree. I didn't know I was collecting snowmen ornaments and decorations, I just suddenly had so many of them it was a collection. (I think other people did this purposefully, but I haven't bought more than 4 snowmen ornaments.) So for that tree, I was thinking a blue (remember when I was having trouble typing tattooed? I just spelled that bloo.) wool felt skirt appliqued with white wool snowmen. What I probably will do is take a piece of fleece (blue printed with snowflakes that I bought on sale ages ago) and wrap it to hide the tree apparatus.

The other tree I have is mostly Sandy Cozzolino perforated santa ornaments. Here's a shot of it about a dozen ornaments ago. (Even if I had a camera I couldn't take a picture of the tree because when I went to by it at Joann's, they were out! So we are one 4-foot tree short around these parts.) I'd love to stitch some of those on a linen skirt but that would take a million years. And then I'd have to finish it. In the meantime, I have a red piece of fleece stuffed in the box with the blue fleece and I'll probably just use that. (I bought it with the intention of making a lap quilt for my grandfather, but then realized he wasn't worth the effort and then he died.) (OK that probably sounds callous but he was a real nasty man.)

So as usual, I have lovely visions and no get up and go. Speaking of getting up, my boss got a new boss ten days ago. So far, she has threatened her directors with poor evaluations if they don't "train up" and has insisted that everything for the higher ups go through her. The old boss's boss used to let us do our work; now there is a Chain Of Command. And the commandees are going commando.

Sale!

Jenna and Terry took the dude and I sailing this fall, so this is the least I can do to repay them: she's having a sale!

25% off of your entire order sale all day this Friday, November 23rd at One Star’s Light Needlework Supplies. The coupon code will be posted on the shop site at 12:00 AM on Friday and good through 11:59 PM.

Purposeful

I have noticed that some people who are participating in National Blog Posting Month have started to run out of steam. They hastily post short items or things that they think are not well thought out. Today, I'm going to put my teacher hat back on to tell them that they are doing as they should. I taught writing for eight loooooooooooooooooong years (college freshmen can make every minute an eternity) and you know, put together 200+ pages of bullshit they called a dissertation. Plus, I allegedly write every day at my job. So there are my credentials.

I finished my dissertation not because it was fascinating or because my director was retiring, but because I wrote every day (not the first four years, but in the couple of months that led to the defense, I wrote every day). Some days, it was one craptastic idea that got deleted the next day. Some days, pages of words flowed from my fingertips. But the important part was that I paid attention to the project every day. If you are trying to become a better writer, then even those quick posts at 11:45 do something. They stimulate something in your brain so that when you sit down again the next day or the day after that or fifteen years from tomorrow your writing is a little bit better, a little bit closer to something. You will never hear me say that it will be easier or quicker. In fact, the more you know about writing, the harder it is. You can imagine that the freshmen loved to hear that. That's what made it all the more pleasurable to tell them. So the moral is you have to think about why you are posting in order to see what you are getting out of the exercise. For me, it's been about providing my readers with fodder (justifies the polls) and about recording every day in this month (for two years now).

This time last year, the anesthesia was wearing off. And I was about to spend days on the couch. It almost makes me want to count my blessings, and then I remember that I'm going to the doctor for my one year check up on Wednesday to talk about carving up the other foot.

Mission Accomplished

I finished Summer Place today in just a few hours, as I suspected. I wish this picture were better, but I'm stuck with the camera phone until I manage to get myself somewhere where they sell cameras.

I didn't paint the bathrooms this weekend. I just couldn't motivate myself. I didn't let the weekend go to waste, though; I started decorating for Christmas. Yes, before Thanksgiving. So gauche. But I'm not going to be here next weekend and the weekend after I'll be preparing for my trip (and we do have an itinerary at long last). I guess this means I'll be painting up a storm when I get back from England. And if I don't everyone who complains can take a big bite out of my ass.

The Best Laid Plans

Today I dropped off Animal Samplings to be framed. We got there rather late because I was trying to finish Summer Place. And I would have been successful had I not forgotten that we were having dinner out with my family (my belated birthday celebration) last night. Mmmm Teikoku. I have about four hours more work on it. BUT! I did bring it with me and choose a frame for it, so that I can just send it to them on Monday. Yay! No more trips out to Chadds Ford. The traffic was gnarly today. It's already Christmas shopping season. When I went to Home Goods to get some Christmas-y kitchen and hand towels (we've never had people come to our house for Christmas yet!) the place was a zoo. I checked out the tree skirts too, but there was nothing I was looking for. It's terrible when you have enough skill but not enough time to make the things you see in your head!

At any rate, the woman who helped me with the framing was a doll, but they closed at 5:00 and at 5:20 we were just finishing up our transaction. The other woman there was such a bitch. I apologized for keeping them both late and the nice one said, "If we weren't so busy we would have been able to help you sooner!" The other one just stared at me. She didn't even say good night when we left. I don't know, a customer drops almost $200 on framing, I'm a little warmer to her. Apparently she doesn't know I can take my business elsewhere. Anyway, I've got to get back to Summer Place because it's throwing off my whole schedule for this weekend!

Poll: UFO Follow Up

Thirty four people took the poll on November 2, and owned up to roughly 600 projects on the go. So how did we get here? Whether the projects are actively being stitched on or are resting in a basket/rubbermaid tub/"The Pile," why have some of these projects become UFOs? (I'm calling them UFOs even though some people distinguish between UFOs and WIPs, and we're still only counting needlework projects.) This poll allows multiple choices. If you have other answers, please add them to the comments section. There's a love. (There are going to be lots of "other" answers. I couldn't even fit in all of my own responses when I made the poll. Like: "all that's left is backstitching...too much backstitching!")






By the way, thanks for sticking with me even though yesterday's post was cuckoo.

Brain Wave

Suddenly, I remember: I have a camera on my phone! So that is why this picture is so crappy. But you can see what is done and what needs finishing. I need to deliver this by tomorrow. Difficult, but not impossible. Worse comes to worse, I can deliver it by the 21st. I'd just have to keep my fingers crossed that they let us go home early. I should stick to the original schedule, especially as I've added duplicate-stitched boy sweaters to the to-do list.

Taking on Too Much

It looks like the tattooed (do you know how hard it is to type that word? It's like my fingers have dysgraphia or dyspraxia or sumpin) what was I even saying?

It looks like the tattooed stitchers are not nearly as rare as WHSV in Harrisonburg thinks. And, frankly, I am not surprised. We're creative! We love needles! (except maybe CinDC) We love color! If cross-stitch needles had ink in them, I'd look like Kat von D. It's true, I've actually pulled floss through my finger and stitched myself to a piece of fabric. (Lest you think I'm walking around with a big piece of linen sewn to my hand, I unstitched rather than breaking skin.)

Where was I going with this? I am brain dead today. The weather outside is frightful. I always do better with the sun out. Why I left L.A. I'll never know. And I just spent the past three hours proofing a donor report. There were about 10 pages of short text and 20 pages of columns of names. That's the worst. What totally freaks me out is that I actually caught mistakes in the lists.

My bil informed me that my nephews are totally into Harry Potter. They want some $20 wands for Christmas. I would so much rather make something so I am thinking about making "Weasley sweaters" only buying the sweater and duplicate stitching the monogram since I go to England three weeks from yesterday. Oh, and has the dude made any arrangements for this trip (beyond plane tickets)? Well, yes, we are staying with his sister for two days. Where we'll be for the other 5 days, (shrugging), who is to say? Ah, the dude being all dude on me. It's really best just to go into a sort of Zen state when he's having organizational issues that affect me. Pushing only results in stubborn. ("And even if he's a lazy man - and the Dude was most certainly that. Quite possibly the laziest in all of Los Angeles County, which would place him high in the runnin' for laziest worldwide...")

So anyway, if you know some good patterns for monograms that will fit on 6 year-old boy chests let me know. Man if you made it this day far, you earned yo'self a P-haitch-dee in modernist literature. You should go pick up some Joyce. (Y'up, I really wrote "day" for "far"...I've got to go home.)

Needles with Ink

Today, google thought I should know about a story that a Harrisonburg, VA television station did about The Tattooed.

Annie Holloob spends a lot of her time reading to kids and [doing] arts [and] crafts from crocheting [to] cross stitch and needlepoint. She also has several tattoos.

You're kidding me! A tattooed woman does cross-stitch? Or is it a cross-stitcher is tattooed? It's just so crazy! (You realize that is sarcasm, yes?)

So here's a non-Friday quiz:
Are you tattooed? If you are, pop a note in the comments telling us what it is. If you're not tattooed, you can still play: what would your hypothetical tat be?

Applique VIII

I shouldn't even call this applique any more. I'm still working on the Frenchy bag. All I have left to do is sew in the lining. I might try to finish this on my own because it is taking so damn long. I definitely want to have the overnight bag cut out for our next class, which isn't for two more weeks. I should be able to manage that.

After class, I worked on Summer Place for an hour. Camera...blah...blah...blah...sorry.

Weekend Review

Last Wednesday, I made a preliminary plan for holiday prep. This weekend I was scheduled to clean the yard, plant bulbs, and make Christmas cards with Sissy. I planted the bulbs (with plenty of red pepper to keep the squirrels at bay) and the dude cleaned the yard. We didn't get as far as we would have liked on the leaf situation but as far as I'm concerned leaf litter is god's gift to plant life everywhere. There is another scheduled leaf pick up, but I'm trying to convince the dude we need to buy a leaf sucker that also mulches. He remains unconvinced. Another hour or so of raking should change his tune.

And, as reported, Sissy and I started our Christmas cards. I counted my labels from last year, and it looks like I need 80 cards. I'll probably make 60 in the next few weeks and twenty when things slow down. The last 20 will be new year cards, which will relieve a lot of stress.

Finally, I went to my stitch-in which was an intimate gathering but great fun. Three of us were from the same decade, but we were also joined by a woman from the class of 1947. She is a treat. I hope that I am as active as she is at her age. She was knitting a "prayer shawl" for terminally ill patients. (She thanked us "youngsters" for letter her hang out with us. We thanked her for calling us "youngsters!") I worked on Summer Place. I really wish I were reunited with my camera because I'd love to show you how far I've come with this. (Too big for a scan.) I am definitely bringing it to the framer on Saturday. (I know, I can't believe it either!)

Another Lazy Crafternoon

Today, after I plant my bulbs, I am going to a stitch-in with my alumnae group. I hope there's a nice turnout. I'd like to have a regular stitchy group to visit.

In the meantime, here are the cards from yesterday. Stay tuned, I should have two more styles (if I can figure out what to do with the Santa face...)
Edited to add: that plain green square is metallic.

Dog Day Crafternoon

Sissy came over with Belle, her mutt. We started making our Christmas cards using the new craft table and the chairs I bought to go with it. I made seven of one card and a prototype of another. I tried to make a prototype of a third, but my circle punch got stuck is still jammed. Fortunately, the innernets told me what to do, and the punch is resting comfortably in the freezer. The fourth card got no further than to stamp the Santa that I want to use onto a piece of paper. I'm going to have to think about that one for a while. Sissy made two sets of cards about half a dozen of each. Hers are very simple, very sparkly, and very cute.

I'd show you some photos scans, but I have to leave in like a minute to go see a play: Moliere, School for Wives. We've stopped seeing the plays of playwrights we've never heard of after a subscription to the Mark Taper Forum and one dismal season. More later!

Poll: Complete but not Finished

For me, the worst thing about stitching is the finishing. Once I've put in the last stitch, I am so over the project. And then, I have to finish it--make it into a pillow or ornament or frame the piece, etc. (Which the stitchers know...apparently, I am writing for the, what, one person who reads the blog but doesn't stitch?)

Like Nicole, it's all about the process for me. Once it's done, it goes right into a plastic storage bin or, if it's large, onto a skirt hanger in the closet. Unless, of course, I decide to give it to someone else, then it gets finished. Right now, these bins and hangers--and a plastic bag of ornaments that just need to have trim attached--contain 78 FUFOs.

So, own up. How many FUFOs?

And really, you don't have to blush if you have more than 81. I wouldn't.

Cool Exhibit Confuses Critics--Might be Feminist

Sesame, a gallery in Islington promotes "emerging artists," and presents "shows that reflect exciting new movements in contemporary art." This month they host "Wild Styles: Hot Craft," an exhibit that will feature people we know well, like Jenny Hart, and others working in "craft media."

I think Kate Westerholtz's cross-stitch is likeable, cute even, though I bet she doesn't want me to think so. (I prefer Homer Simpson's version, "I want to rock and roll all night, and part of every day.") But I'm a little tired of reviews like this one. "To prove it, Proud is curating Wild Styles: Hot Craft, an all-girl exhibition of craft stars who, arguably, represent the feminist backlash to the domestic-goddess ideal. " It's not your grandmother's cross stitch, so it must be feminist. My main thesis in response to this is "not quite." That's good and academic-like.

It's the same reply I have to this article which is more "it is your grandma's craft, but it's/I'm feminist because I say so." I've been thinking about writing a rejoinder--about showing how craft and feminism have always been linked, and indeed, always ambivalently--but it seems like it would be so complicated I'd need a whole book. I don't know if I have another book-length project in me. I think my brain has started to atrophy. And the actual research would kill me. But I did think of a title, which had the words "new" "domesticity" and "feminis*" in the title, but I've already forgotten it--I did check it on amazon, and it seems to be available. If I can't even keep a title in my head, how will I ever work out a whole argument?

I guess the world will just have to go on being confused about the craft movement and whether it is or isn't or might be feminist.

The Goose is Getting Fat

So, when I went to get the muscle relaxant at the drug store, I noticed the big wreaths on the front of Staples. I really have no plan for the upcoming month. It's a little worrying because so many things are going to be different this year: I didn't have to mail gifts to England in mid-October because we're going to England at the beginning of December; I'm going to NH for Thanksgiving (I haven't in 20 years); I will be at home for Christmas and hosting people on Boxing Day. I think the England trip has really thrown me for a loop. Usually in mid-October, I'm already in my Christmas groove, working from the plan. And this year, I've actually got people coming to my house. And no plan.

Here's a rough draft
Nov. 10--clean yard, plant bulbs; make Christmas cards with Sissy
Nov. 17--paint bathrooms, touch up downstairs; shop for nephews
Nov. 24--In NH
Dec. 1--paint doors and craft room; finish English gifts
Dec. 8--In England
Dec. 15--decorate for Christmas; finish gifts for American relatives
Dec. 22--prep for 12/26

Does that seem like everything? I feel like I'm floating...That may be the muscle relaxants talking.

Trumpet Sounds

I give you

Animal Samplings by Hillside Samplings
Stitched with recommended NPI silks
on 32-ct Creek Bed Brown from R&R

Only one more gift to stitch by the 11/17 framing deadline. Summer Place is now my full-time focus project, on the bus, in the car, in front of the t.v., instead of doing housework...

I saw the doctor today. We've taken blood tests and gotten a prescription for muscle relaxants. We'll know more in two weeks. Things have gotten much better. Thanks again for your good wishes.

Applique VII

Ah suppose man, ah'm just too much ay a perfectionist, ken? It's likesay, if things go a bit dodgy, ah jist cannae be bothered, y'know? --Trainspotting

I thought I was going to finish the Frenchy bag tonight, but I have discovered why sewing's not such a good fit for me: it requires too much perfectionism.

I made pleats. They were such nice pleats. I made the handles. I wished again that I could sew a little straighter (and iron straighter). I sewed the handles to the bag, then I went to sew the top bit to the main bag panel. One fit. One needed a lot of "ease." The teacher was trying to get me to ease it, "that fabric has a lot of stretch," "it'll be fine." Then it occurred to me to measure both main bag panels. One was 11" and the other 11.5". Could the pleats be moved without repositioning the handles? No, handle location was measured from the pleats. So I had to take apart one half of the bag. Only when "ah jist cannae be bothered," it's not my perfectionism that's gotten in the way. It's what sewing demands that I cannae manage. (It's okay, my mil talks just like this. Just for proof: when the dude takes off his shirt, he glows; he's so pealy-wally. Shoogle the pot when you're making popcorn. If you stop and burn it, you might seem glakit. )

Upping the Old Lady Count

I don't know why this article just popped up on google's radar, since it was written back when hockey season was ending last year (5/2006). Hockey News wanted to make sure that fans had some way to fill their time. Apparently, making fun of others was the primary objective...

10. Needlepoint/Macramé/Crochet/Quilting: This group of octogenarian babes is a feisty crew. The one with the excessive chin hair kind of reminds me of Nana. It's nice we can all share a project like this. We each have our own piece and we each respect the other's space...Whoa. An elbow to the head from Gerta. Well then, take that. How's that artificial hip feel now, missy? A punch to the gut from Gerta's wingmate Audrey. Nice technique. I think Mabel may have drawn blood with that cross-check, I mean, cross-stitch. Wow. Finally, my kind of people. (emphasis added)

Because we all know the opposite of hockey is needlework. I have an idea, let's get a few thousand hockey fans who also stitch to show up at a hockey game with their needlework. (Hello, Canada?) Screw baseball.

Old Lady Count: 5

Thanks much for all your good wishes for my shoulder. I wish I knew what was causing it because then I would feel much more confident using heat (or ice) to help the pain. I also wish it didn't feel worse when I lie prone. (Go figure.) Because then I might sleep!

Searing Shoulder Pain and Clarity

My left shoulder is in unbelievable pain. Like an 8. Yeah, I used to not know what those pain numbers meant, then I had bunion surgery. I have been to the 10, and I know I'm not there yet. It's not a constant pain. It's worse when I breathe in and when I swallow hard. I have no loss of range of motion. On Monday, if I make it that long, I'll go see the former Phillies doc I work with. He's an orthopaedic surgeon, and he knows shoulders.

I didn't realize the poll would cause so much angst. A project is finished when you take the last stitch. If it has buttons and beads on the pattern, they must be added. And we're only counting, let's say, embroidery. So yes to punch needle, Theresa Layman French knot pieces, needlepoint, but no to knitting, quilting, sewing, and crochet. Just because I don't want to have to count the knitting, quilting, and sewing projects that are in the basement. As for the finished but unfinished projects--the ones that you have to make into pillows, ornaments, wall hangings, or framed pictures, we'll talk about them next week.

Of course, I am ashamed to say, I have to add the Mirabilia Christmas Fairy and the Theresa Layman mermaid to my count below. I don't, however, have to change my vote!

I went to Joann's today to pick up fabric for the Great Stocking Finishing project. Pictured here. The plaid goes with Elisabeth's stocking. The floral goes with Jillian's. Both are miniwale corduroy. I'm a little worried about the plaid, I prefer working with all over patterns. You know, because I suck at sewing...

Poll: Projects on the Go

Recently on Knitting Daily, they had a poll to see how many works in progress everyone has. Since I don't think Interweave will ever make "Stitching Daily" (though they do have "Beading Daily")--frankly, I'm not sure what there'd even be to say in Stitching Daily, though we may find out here this month--I thought I'd see how many projects we are talking about when we talk about things we've begun--just to be clear, you've had to have taken a stitch. (What you have kitted up doesn't count.)

I'll go first. I have: Anna’s Bird (Good Huswife), Elizabethan Rose (Moss Creek), Majestic Rooster (Eileen Bennett), Tree of Life Window (Heartland House), Watercolor Geraniums, Apple Sampler (Curtis Boehringer), Summer Place* (Cross Eyed Cricket), 18th Century Knot Garden (Liz Turner Diehl), Tall Flowers Sampler (Liberty Street Designs), Snowman Stocking (Bent Creek), Ancienne Marquior Bleu et Rouge (Gigi), St. Basil’s Cathedral (Dimples Designs), Hardanger Napkins (Stella Bjerg), Merry and Bright (Heart’s Content), Toy Gatherer (Shepherd’s Bush), Treasured Tulips (Nutmeg Needle), Santa kit on black fabric (this is from memory), Scared Silly (BOAF), Animal Samplings (Hillside Samplings), Jillian’s Stocking (Shepherd’s Bush), Noel ornament (Fancy Work).

I'm hoping I have not started anything else that I've forgotten about... Some of these are shockingly close to being finished. But if you had asked me how much I had to do on those, I would have told you that there were still weeks of stitching on everything. (I can just hear you saying, you mean she hasn't finished Toy Gatherer, yet? Doesn't she just have to put in the beads?)

Interestingly, while I was going through the archives, I realized I have held steady at the number of projects I have had on the go since 2004. Maybe I should just be a twenty at a time stitcher. I own it.

*I should retake that because I have more done on that one now. DD I have looked in the baskets, but I'm looking in the other places you suggested tonight! Then, we're buying a new camera, which we promised ourselves last Christmas.

November Goals

What I hoped for October:

1. Finish 60th birthday gift--I worked on it, and I finished another square and started the third (of four) This will go quickly now that it is my focus project. Crap scan courtesy of lost camera (not in fridge, but thanks for the suggestion!)
2. Finish Jillian's stocking, Shepherd's Bush
See it...when we find the camera (way too large to scan).

3. Finish Summers to Come--worked on this a little on the bus once I finished Jillian's stocking.
4. Start present for Sissy--didn't even think about it!

Hope against hope for November

1. Finish 60th birthday gift before 11/17
2. Finish Summers to Come before 11/17
3. Stitch "Beer" for dad
4. Finish in-law ornaments
5. Finish caterpillar eyeglass holder
6. Finish Skull Girl for Sissy
7. Make felted soap for the dude
8. Blog every day--It's National Blog Posting Month!