Hand Model

I want to thank you all for your wishes for my recovery. I'll keep you posted on how things are going. But I have to give props to the dude and his mum who have been fabulous to me.

Last night, I bullied best pal, who is in town for our 20th reunion, into visiting. She asked if she could bring anything for me. "Ice cream!" I shouted with abandon. Because I had asked the dude, and I knew he wasn't thrilled with the idea but he had already done so much. She showed up with 3 pints of Ben & Jerry. And you wonder why I love her so much.

This is taking forever. I'm signing off for a while.

Surgery Tomorrow

Sigh. I had thought it wouldn't end this way. The good news is that this should help the whole caboodle heal faster.

She's Packing Her Bags

I've been stitching!

And I have finished Flossie, as I've been calling this sister. I know you are looking at her and thinking, "What is with the clown clothes? Is she the new female Ronald McDonald?"

But I stitched her to have pride of place in the new craft room. Not so silly now, hey gringo?


So she's ready to move on. Please comment on this post, and I will use a random number generator on June 4th to see where she's off to on her crazy world tour!

Wonderful Weekend...Crap Tuesday

I could spend all day telling you what a wonderful, relaxing weekend I had but my boss--the good one--told us she is leaving. She'll be here until mid-June then I get to deal with the wicked grandboss directly and on my own. Things may really deteriorate here, people. I will have a finish to show tonight so you can look forward to more than me bellyaching. Courage!

Another Photo Op

I've already taken my first photo this morning. Others to follow: MIL and the dude in our new garden, then the three of us at Chanticleer Garden, maybe us having dinner with Sissy, and I think, maybe a finish. You heard right! I started stitching again last night, and I think something may be done soon.


Photo by Shimelle; used by permission.

Follow the Links!

Sometimes I think people are reading my mind. By which of course I mean to refer to this guest, or this one, but not the current one. Though her little pigeon laugh will get on my nerves before the visit is through. Why am I not a better person?

Hello, I'm Your Hostess, Cupcake*

I frequently talk about how talented my cousin is in the cake decorating department, and today I'm finally making good on showing off her talents. These are some cupcakes she made for me this weekend. She "owed" me a birthday cake, and I was hosting the alumnae knitting group (total bust), since I am the invalide I asked her to make cupcakes for the gtg. I saw the flowers on Bakerella and forwarded them to her, but she found the butterflies in a book called Hello, Cupcake! (which I was trying to win for her at Bakerella's site. Well, at least I don't feel any pressure now in that regard.) The butterflies are chocolate and tasted awesome. The flowers are cute, but are made with candy melts. There are worse things you could eat...but look at what a gorgeous display of cake and confectionary I had!

I visited the doctor today, and it looks like I may not have to have a skin graft after all--and that's the word of the fully trained doc, not the pessimistic resident. We'll know more in ten days. They encouraged me to wear a bandaid instead of a bandage. They want me to bend my finger more. I still can't hit keys with it. I keep trying for the "i" and getting a "9;" I'm getting warmer...

*In college, I once had a party where we made people wear nametags. I ended up wearing one that said "I'm your hostess, Cupcake." The play was on Hostess and was lost on many of our midAtlantic guests who ate (shudder) Tastykakes.

For Coral

Regarding the celebrity face in cross stitch, Coral said she might stitch someone famous, like Marilyn Monroe. Which reminds me...

Given how regularly I make fun of the B-list celebrity face in cross stitch, I probably should be embarrassed to show you this. But I'm not. Because it's not a face. Not a whole face. The pattern is by Dimples Designs. It's Marilyn Monroe, but my dad, a huge fan for whom I stitched this, didn't recognize her. But he did appreciate how many tiny exes there are; it's stitched over one on 22 count fabric with the called for DMC.

And I think David Tennant's mum getting a cross stitch of his face from one of her friends is brill...I might have to rent the DVD!

Stats

Last night the dude asked me what "google analytics" was. So I was showing him the stats on this blog. In the last 6 months, someone has visited from every state in the U.S. (California is the top, New York second, then PA) and a surprising number (to him) of countries from all over the globe. We were looking to see if anyone visited from Durham where the dude grew up (no, but Darlington, Newcastle, and Sunderland residents stop by). Then we were looking at N.H. where I grew up. People, I have what can only be described as a HUGE following in West Lebanon, N.H. More people visit from West Leb (pop 12,000) than Los Angeles (Glendale even). I'm thinking Hanover doesn't show up on the map, and that a handful of students or staff or faculty at Dartmouth are reading but using different computers and showing up as unique visitors. Or maybe I'm going to go to West Lebanon and be honored as the conquering hero (maybe you remember me as the girl who handed out Kudos bars at the grocery store when they were first introduced). Or maybe a bunch of kids at Kimball Union are just really, really bored. So, if you are visiting from West Lebanon or the surrounding community, do tell! Is my URL on the bathroom wall at Four Aces Diner?

The dude is also utterly convinced that my visitors from places like Bulgaria and Ghana* and Egypt are expats. So, a poll which is up there ^^^^. I can't make blogger put it down here. Also, I haven’t researched this so maybe I could but I am lazy today with the rain.

My MIL arrives today for 16 days. Don't forget I adore her. It might be rude to blog the whole time she's here. I will try to keep you up to date on the finger—doctor's appointment Monday.

Edited: *Oops, they speak English (officially) in Ghana. So change that to Brasil.

The Nine Fingered Pedant Strikes Again

This week's SBQ is:
For seasoned stitchers: Define a stitching term or acronym for new stitchers.
Because I so rarely do exactly as I am told, I am going to undefine an alleged acronym. Lots of people have claimed (okay, I've seen it twice) that ort stands for Old Ratty Thread. No, it does not; that's a false etymology. Ort is a word in English. Go ahead, check the dictionary; I'll wait. I hate to say I told you so... (no I don't) but you should do more crossword puzzles.

I am a member of the yahoo group Stitching Bloggers, and I'm supposed to answer questions, which I never do.
Which of these do you prefer to use when stitching, and why? Hoop frames Q-snap frames Laptop/Tabletop stand or Needlework Stand.
None of the above. I stitch in hand. I like touching the fabric.
What's your favorite guilty pleasure? I won that list book with this list of guilty pleasures:
1. sour cherry balls
2. [redacted]
3. lying on the bed still wet after the shower and air drying
4. Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name"
5. reading so intently I can't hear what's going on around me
What is your least favorite household chore? Dude, all of them. That's why they're called chores.

Someday I'll be interesting again. I swear.
Also, if you got a random e-mail from facebook telling you that you should join, that was me. You won't recognize the name at all. Apparently my mother is a more sophisticated facebook user than I am. Apologies.

More Celebrities in Ex

More news of stitchers who cross-stitch celebrity faces. This time she's in Wisconsin, and she loves her some Johnny Depp (she's the only one).

Because I love the crazy of stitching celebrity faces, I went to my favorite British mag, Cross Stitch Crazy, purveyor of stitched celebrity face, to see who the Brits are stitching this month: Freddie Mercury. For some reason, I've been drawn to the back issues: April Gethin Jenkins, a Welsh Rugby player; April Daniel O'Donnell, an Irish singer; in Feb "the smouldering Scottish star"--who can it be? Issues 107 and 108 sold out, but in issue 106 (November) Lewis Hamilton, F1 driver (and I'm restraining myself from a dig at NASCAR). I couldn't stop exploring the website, and I found the woman responsible for the celebrities. Now that you have this knowledge, use it wisely.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

The Kindness of Strangers

Linda from Litla Skvis has been too, too kind. She sent me three charts from my wish list so I can have something to look forward to stitching when my finger heals. This gift couldn't have come at a better time. First, I am tired of the whole finger situation and not being able to do the things I normally do--even the laundry. Next, I have deduced that I won't be getting a second interview for a job I really, really wanted. (I had the worst phone interview ever, which came mere hours after I found out I would have to have surgery on my finger the next day. I was a jumbled mess. And it still upsets me that I blew it so completely.) Then, just before I opened the package, I jammed my right long finger on the closet door jamb as I was hanging up my coat. That kind of hurt, you know, a little. So it was just a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. And then a little surprise from someone I've never met. It just makes you smile, doesn't it? Thank you, thank you, thank you, Linda!

While I was over at Linda's blog telling her how fabulous she is, I saw this meme:

Why did you start your blog? I started my blog because I wanted people to know that you didn't have to be a little old lady or a demure housewife to enjoy cross stitch. But I like how it has become a stitching journal and a diary--I've never been the sort who could keep one.
How did you come up with your blog name? I had a project that I hated.
Do your friends and family know about your blog and if so, what do they think of it? I'll take this separately: my family is vaguely amused by it. I think only my cousin's husband reads it, not even the dude. Everyone else thinks I'm a big dork. I have a few friends who read it, and since I am not much of a telephone person, it's a good way for them to know what is going on in my life.
How do you write posts? That's sort of a weird question. It's kind of like asking how I breathe air.
Have you ever had a troll or had someone leave unkind comments? I think people know better than that. It's all in your attitude, people.
Do you check your stats? Yes.
Do you care how many people read your blog? Sometimes. Depends on how lonely I feel.
What kind of blogs/posts interest you? My reader includes mostly cross-stitch blogs, a few sewing blogs, a couple of designer's blogs, some craft magazine blogs, a couple of friend's blogs, a grammar blog, and a beer blog. I think the posts that interest me most are the ones when people philosophize about their hobby. In an interesting way.
What do you like and dislike about blogging?

I like having met people from all over the world who share my hobby and understand the depths of my obsession. And don't judge! I dislike when native English speakers abuse the language. You are on a computer, use spell check and grammar check or do a little googling for goodness' sake! You're letting the side down! The "foreign bloggers" blog in better English than you do!

Needle and Floss

It occured to me that I hadn't shown the progress I was able to make on Needle & Floss before the accident. I did pick it up for a minute on Saturday, and now her shirt is done. It took me forever and my hand started cramping. So on Sunday, we went to the library to get some books so I will have something to do in the evenings.

Yesterday, we hosted brunch for my aunt, grandmother, and cousin. Sissy brought bagels and the dude whipped up a beautiful chicken salad and a quiche. It was a fun day, and it all broke up around 2:30 so that Lala could get to her soccer game. Around 4:00 I started getting a headache; it was excruciating. I threw up a couple of times and ended up asleep in bed by 6:30. I slept almost straight through to 6:45 this morning.

I woke up when the dude came to bed. He had to tell me about his idea for his 40th birthday trip to Thailand. It involved backpacks and overnighting on a train, which doesn't sound nearly as exciting to me as it might have 20 years ago. (And it sounded even less exciting as I lay in bed with my bandaged finger raised, having just had a sick headache.) We're having trouble planning this trip. It's kind of like our honeymoon to Alaska. I wanted comfort and luxury, preferably with a guide of some sort (to avoid an Into the Wild scenario), and he wanted to do it on our own with a little more adventure. For the Alaska trip, the compromise was that we hired a guide and had big adventures. Anyway, if you have experience traveling to Thailand in your 40s, I'd love to hear about it. We're thinking about doing a tour because it's just so foreign, but we don't want to be on a seniors' tour with a bunch of old farts; otoh, we don't want to be the old farts on the 20-something tour of Thailand. He's also beginning to consider Eastern Europe (non-Euro countries) and central America, which is a long way from Thailand.

Happy Birthday, Stephanie

Stephanie of In Stitches was my birthday exchange partner, and even though the Royal Mail hates me (Christmas presents arrive in March; empty boxes delivered to my inlaws), it arrived a mere three days late. She liked it a little (see comment below). Here's what I sent to the birthday girl.

The fob is Ewe and Eye and Friends Heart Fob. I saw she liked EEF and was interested in more fobs for her scissors (and more scissors!) so I made two fobs, one that I stitched and one that I beaded. I made her an Amy Butler Stash and Dash bag as well. Then I added some variegated DMC, a pair of scissors, a couple of fat quarters for finishing, and some linen (not pictured).

Happy Birthday, dear Stephanie. I'm not going to comment on being upset over turning 34. Really now.

Book Review: Last Minute Quilted and Patchwork Gifts

If you've seen Last Minute Knitted Gifts, you have an inkling of what Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts is like. It's by the same author, Joelle Hoverson, owner of Purl, which now has a quilting division, Purl Patchwork. There are some great patterns in here, but what really makes most of these items is the fabric choice. You have to have an eye for color, copy exactly, or have a fabric store owner who can really help you if you want your things to come out half as cute. Just a warning. Fortunately for you, the book opens with an extensive lesson on color choice. Maybe there's hope.

The book is divided into chapters by the amount of time each project will take to complete. While I completely believe that the projects listed as taking 2-4 hours and 4-8 hours will take that long to complete, the 12 hour projects I am skeptical about. Mostly because some of them involve hand quilting. Every stitcher worth her salt knows any stitching takes about nine times longer than you think it will!

In under 2 hours, you could make a felt needlebook, quilted coaster (or is it the whole set?), a bird ornament (on the cover), a pillowcase, scrapbooks--is there anything you can do to screw up a Moleskine?--or a "made by" patch. Let's face it; that last one's a bit of a cheat. Would you really give a quilt patch without a quilt? Would a quilt take you less than two hours?

In 2-4 hours, you could make a whole cloth baby quilt with tiny bits of embroidery, a colored pencil holder (adorable and designed by Kathy Mack), a flannel baby blanket (hardly worth the effort), a simple bag (made all the better by the Amy Butler fabrics), pieced pillows, or a pin cushion. I bought this book for the pin cushions; they're so cheerful. And before the accident, I had planned on making a bunch as gifts. We'll see how that goes...

In 4-8 hours, you could make a puzzle ball. This is based on a ball she picked up in Lancaster County. Frankly, in 2 hours, I could drive to Lancaster and pick one up too; so that is right out. You could also make an embroidered pillow, a patchwork tablecloth and napkins, a duvet cover (though I hate duvet covers, this one has a pinwheel done in an interesting scale), a sailboat quilted wall hanging (very cute!), or an elephant--a pattern by Wee Wonderfuls.

In 8-12 hours, you could make any of a number of quilts--one that has six large panels on either side (Six of one...); one called "Just Sweet Enough" that features a lot of white with some pale yellows and pinks; One called "Cutting Corners" that is centered around one of the corners; one called "Little Bits" that is done in browns and blues and would add that je ne sais quois to our bedroom; one called "Summer Breeze" that I would never use as a picnic blanket; and one called "Stacked Coins" that I would do in a heartbeat because the colors are fabulous!

In more than 12 hours--are we still talking "last minute" at this point?--you can make a gorgeous color wheel quilt, a whole cloth quilt where you follow the lines of the fabric's pattern to quilt, a washed silk quilt, a crazy quilt of sorts, a log cabin quilt with an interesting layout, and a wall hanging that features an owl that is perhaps more complicated than it needs to be.

Hoverson, who worked as a stylist for Martha Stewart, is a natural fiber snob, especially when it comes to batting and thread. She has her reasons, so I checked with my mom, you know, the one who owned a quilt store. Mom said that you might want to use polyester batting to get a higher loft, but she over the years she quilted, she grew to love the look of quilts featuring cotton batting.

The last section of the book covers all sorts of quilting techniques; in my notes I've labeled that ++. She offers a thorough glossary that explains everything about sewing from finger pressing to blind stitching.

The photos are fabulous, and I think you can see the Stewart influence in some of the photos featuring children sleeping under quilts.

Coming soon, more reviews including Softies: Simple Instructions for 25 Plush Pals.

Herb-al

What spice am I? It turns out I'm no spice; I'm an herb. (Spices are dried. In America the dried form of cilantro is coriander; in the rest of the world, the whole thing is coriander.) Look--a nine- fingered pendant!

You Are Cilantro

The bad news is that there are some people who can't stand you. The good news is that most people love you more than anything else in the world. You are distinct, unusual, fresh, and very controversial. And you wouldn't have it any other way.

What Spice Are You?

Fresh and controversial, indeed! Irony: my dad hates cilantro--he doesn't taste it the way other people do. When I told him it tasted like grass he told me it tasted like soap. I wouldn't like that either.

Anyway, mom and pop left today. They're off to continue my dad's retirement celebration in Vegas. Let's just hope they don't blow the whole retirement account...I want some of that for an inheritance. ;)

Smokey Gets the Finger

This morning on the bus this guy I see pretty much every day but had never spoken to asked me if I'd had a needle injury. It took me a second to figure out he was talking about my finger, because that would have to be one helluva needle. And then I connected it to the stitching because I had been thinking, does he think I shoot heroin? mistaking myself for Amy Winehouse again, before I remembered I used to stitch on my commute.

"Kitchen accident."
{Grimaces}"You've had to give up knitting?"
"Yes." {But knitting, dude, that's two needles.}
"What did you do?"
"You know the mandoline slicer?"
"Did you have to get stitches?"
"Skin graft."
{Grimaces}

That was all, but it started me thinking because I haven't been to the library yet and I'm still staring out the window on my commute. I know, for instance, that the guy who talked to me for the first time today always carries his Starbuck's traveling mug and stops to have a cigarette on the El platform because apparently being on the bus for 20 minutes is too long to go without a smoke. So why did I think that he hadn't ever noticed me?

The dude and I have little life stories we've pieced together for some of our commuting characters, but what stories do they tell themselves about us? What does fastwalker call me? Slow poke? Fastwalker lives somewhere up the street from us and has an adolescent girl--I know because of the books she reads in between the pleasure books, all from the library.

What stories does the 112 driver tell himself? He did ask once because I'd raced onto the bus before the light turned. And before he drove away he leaned forward to look down the street behind me. Where was the dude? So he knows we're a pair, but what does he think when one or the other of us is missing? What stories do we inspire others to make up about us?

{Helen told me one once. When I'd had the bunion surgery and gained 20 pounds overnight, the word at the bus stop was we were going to hear the pitter patter of little feet. These feet were allegedly going to come out of my vagina attached to a baby. I didn't like that story; it was scary.}

What is it that people think when they see me lean over to the dude between 40th and 34th and give him a small peck on the cheek and whisper in his ear. {I say the same thing every day, but I'm not telling.}

What is it about the way we live our lives--we, all of us--that we keep so many of our stories* to ourselves? {You know, until we blog them.}

*You know what story I'm getting tired of? The kitchen accident. And there's at least another month of bandage wearing. I'll just have to remember the lesson I learned while I was teaching: just because I've said it a million times, doesn't mean it's not new to them...

A Bored Blogger is a Boring Blogger

Barbara pled. How on earth can I ignore her?

Like my bandage? I know it looks like I've decorated my hand with crepe paper, but it's a self-adhesive bandage. We got it at Pet Smart--I need the 1" size, which they don't sell in human stores. You will be unsurprised to learn that bandages you buy at Pet Smart don't come in "fleshtone." While we--I have to be driven everywhere like a diva, so the dude came--were at the mall, I popped into AC Moore to see if I could find a book or magazine to alleviate my boredom. Things are really bad, people. I haven't stitched since Sunday* and nothing, nothing, grabbed my interest in the craft store. What can I do? I'd read, but I'm so easily distracted lately, I'm not sure how far I'm going to get. I have been reviewing the Book Lust books to see what I can find, because this is going to be a long two months if I don't have anything to occupy my hands. In fact, I should just warn you now: watch for the second coming of satan. These hands have never been so idle.

The only news on the crafting front is the cleaning woman found two pairs of embroidery scissors under my bed? nighttable?. One pair has been lost for ages. She's a keeper!

*A full day of work leaves me in too much pain to stitch.

Injury Report

I want to thank you all for your kind notes regarding my injury. It's very heartening to know so many people are thinking about me. I'm also pleased that you have been so accepting of my little txtmssg notes that I have been leaving at your blogs. I was so happy to have your blogs to read after the surgery when anything more was too much activity. I wanted to respond even though typing was trying. (Still is.)

I have done very little stitching. When the injury was numb, fresh after the surgery, I managed to do a little work--I did have to pop the project into the q-snaps, but otherwise no problems stitching those two lengths of floss. Since the numbing medicine wore off (3 a.m. Saturday), I have had to stitch with my left hand. This has slowed me considerably. Everything has been moving slower. As with any injury or handicap, you (eventually) find ways to adapt, but you have to settle for working longer or harder for it. Typing, for instance. I have trouble with "ik," and can't hit u, i, or o with accuracy so I've been much slower of late. Still beats handwriting, which is just ridiculous...and people keep asking me to sign things.

I saw the doctor today and he tortured me removed the bandages to have a look. He said it all looks very good. The resident thought things were very promising for not having the second graft. 50-50 he said. He must be a giant pessimist, because 50-50 doesn't sound that great to me. Everyone--the surgeon, the resident, the fellow--said it looked good. The fellow taught me how to re-dress the wound, since I will have to do it daily. She thought it might be a good idea for me to look at it, so I finally have. It wasn't as nausea-inducing as I feared. It does look better than my foot did when the podiatrist told me that it looked great.



Thanks again for all your good wishes. Although my recovery will take a few months, I'll try not to abandon the blog. Keep writing because my stitching thrills will be coming vicariously for a while.

Surgery Will be Involved

I saw the doc this am and, because I hit the nail bed, and because I write for a living, we're doing surgery. Tomorrow am they will put a double layer graft (silicon and proteins) so blood vessels will grow. In about 1 month, they'll take a pinch of skin from the side of my hand to make me a new fatty pad. It would heal under normal conditions, but I'd be left with scar tissue over bone that would feel "like getting kicked in the shin" every time I hit a key on the keyboard. It seems like the right thing to do even though it's all happening in a whirlwind. Not sure how much I'll be blogging.

And I was going to review Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts too.