Review

July in review

• finish Edgar's neighborhood RR check! See it here.
• start DD's rabbit RR check! I'd show you but it's just a white blob.
• 10 hours on the apple sampler I did a few minutes...
• 10 hours on 16th Century Knot Garden check! See it here.
• 10 hours on Snowman Stocking check! See it here.
• 10 hours on Anna's Bird I just didn't get around to it
• bring the total of finished finishes to 8 I'm up to six which is not eight but is closer...
• blog every day, sometimes about food I didn't make it. Once I didn't blog that first time, it was all to hell. But I think everyone will agree that the interview was important.

For August

• send Fair and Square sqaures by 8/11
• bead the Toy Gatherer! 08.08.08-08.24.08
  Even though the goal of Olympic stitching is to be a one at a time stitcher, I'm not going to be able to bead on the bus. I will allow myself travel projects.
• finish LHN Dog House Sampler
• continue to work on DD's RR
• finish Noel ornament
• sew two messenger bags and a set of stash and dash bags for (dare I say it?) Christmas (Don't forget I have to ship in October.)

Snow What?

I have worked for ten hours more or less on Bent Creek's Snowman Stocking. Here's what it looked like before, back in August the last time I showed it to you worked on it. This could go fairly quickly if I put my fingers to it. I am using the called-for fibers except the light purple. It's supposed to be Lavender Potpourri. I can't find mine, so I substituted the recommended DMC 3041. But I had two different dye-lots and then I took a couple of stitches with 3042. Eh, voila, it looks like I stitched it with an overdyed. Sort of. Maybe.

I received another of the slightly Slavic blogging awards; this time from Nic. "Kreativ," who came up with that? Okay--a German, Pole, or Swede, possibly others. That's good because I would hate to think that someone would give me an award that has some really annoying English spelling. It seems you will insist that I choose. And I will continue to desist. If you want to find new blogs to read, check out those -->> over there. They're pretty good reads and lots of kreativitea.

In two days I will have a big announcement. A reversal of previous blog policy. Oooh, what can it be?

You're a Doll!

I think I'm going to make Tuesdays doll day if enough of you are interested in my collection.

When I worked in the ORU (organized research unit), we were often the university "home" for scholars who came to study at the local gay and lesbian archives. One time we hosted a Fulbright Scholar from Azerbaijan who needed a SSN so the Fulbright people could pay him. I started to explain where he would have to go on public transportation to get to the government office that could help him, and then I just thought, "fuck it, I can take him." So I did. He liked me because I could pronounce his name without apologizing. (See, those two years of Russian came in handy!) Also, I could say Azerbaijan, which is really not that hard to do.

The next day, he brought me this doll. She's about 6" and is "cheap and cheerful," if you can say that about a doll. Her value is in the relationship and memory. Frankly, the fact that he was a straight psychiatrist working to remove the "crazy" from homosexuality in Azerbaijan was enough thanks for me. I call her Zumrud, an Azeri* name meaning emerald.

And, I bring you a cockeyed photo of my stand up finish of my cousin's son's birth sampler. For the longest time, all I had to do was sew the front to the rest of the cube and glue on the cording. I finally did it this weekend. Now to mail...

* I think he was of Russian, rather than Azeri, descent.

Tied Up in Knots

It's good to know that I'm not the only one gaining weight watching my husband eat. Barbara reminded me of the dude's (eating) feat of strength. My dad and one of his friends took us to Morton's. (You know Morton's rep for giant portions, right?) The dude ordered the following: a bowl of black bean soup, a tomato and blue cheese salad (three huge slices of cheese and a giant beefsteak tomato), a 12 oz steak, a head of broccoli--no kidding a whole head--with cheese sauce, a baked Idaho potato, and a hot chocolate cake. He ate every bite, and my dad's friend, who'd never seen the dude eat, was amazed by every forkful.

Thanks for all your comments on the framing! It's so exciting to be finishing things to hang in my house instead of giving everything away.

I have finally finished ten hours on Liz Turner Diehl's 16th C. Knot Garden. Here's what it looked like before. Back in August when I started it. How is it that I get so sidetracked? And now it looks like this:

Framed

I got a call yesterday from the Strawberry Sampler! When I walked in they greeted me by name. I have apparently crossed a threshold, which is nice but a touch embarrassing. Without further ado, I give you My Needle and Floss. I went with the same frame I used on Tall Flowers.

Pop over to Sue's blog because the traveling pattern is getting ready to go again!

Next is La D Da's A to Z and in Between. I thought this deserved a plain dark wood frame to go with the letters. I made changes in the floss, you can find those recorded here.

Finally, Moon Garden by Birds of a Feather. I love how this came out!!!

And a close-up of the frame because I.Am.In.Love!

The dude was pleased with my cooking yesterday as well. We started out with eggs in a basket for breakfast. He had a midmorning cold brewed coffee. For lunch I was making zucchini/summer squash fritters, when the dude suggested tomato and cheese sandwiches. Since I had the cast iron skillet out, I grilled green and red tomato and cheese sandwiches to go with the fritters. For dinner, I popped a pork loin into the slow cooker with 2/3 of a bottle of LC's barbecue sauce (our favorite from the KCMO trip), roasted some CSA green beans and made sweet and sour red cabbage from the head that has been languishing in the vegetable bin. He told me I could have charged $20 per plate. I love that he loves my cooking so much. Not that it shows. Skinny fucker.

White House Briefing

Now, do you really think I would have taken a photo of my mammogram? No one wants to see my boobs (excepting the dude) and no one--not even the dude--wants to see them squished flat in a giant machine. I managed to finagle the prescription from a doctor across the hall from the imaging center, so that worked out. And eventually I stopped feeling antsy from just having walked out at work--my boss was out so I didn't have anyone particularly to tell I was leaving. And why tell, if I can get a free few hours off work? Once home, I picked up the RR and stitched up that damn white house. (You'd have thought I'd have had hours in the waiting room, but I arrived at 2:30 went and got my scrip, checked in at imaging at 2:45, and was on my way home at 3:10. I know!)

At 11:00 last night, I finished! I need to add my name and off this goes back to Edgar, a complete and completely lovely LHN round robin.

A close-up of my white (actually 712) stitching to prove that everyone has trouble stitching white. (Even with railroading and a laying tool...sigh.) Hey! Good thing I took this close-up because I just noticed the door jamb needs some work!

Sigh

Forgot camera.
Mammogram today. Can't find prescription. Can't get in touch with the dr.
Sigh.

Charge up the Camera

Photo courtesy of Shimelle.

News Agent

Thanks for your comments on my doll collection; I do indeed need to invest in stands. I haven't moved Raggedy Annie Beez yet, mostly because she deserves to be seen! Last night I was obsessing over the fact that one of my dolls is a Ginny doll. I spent the evening trying to find out about her online. So I didn't stitch. This morning on the bus, I turned the boner into a bone.

I'm given to understand that people on the innernets like clicking. Here's a gathering of items google alerts shared with me.

# “Like Grandma’s Needlepoint” only art. Now with more dirt.

Seattle artist turns trash to needleworked treasure.

# There’s hope for public school, or something.
Kids learn cross stitch in Wisconsin, among other fun activities.

# Sometimes it can take 13 years to get your story told.
A belated obituary for "Townsend needleworker"

# Why is it crafters can’t leave orphaned items in the shops?
I too bring stuff home I don’t know how I’ll use.

# Why are people still pretending that feminists can’t sew because they "completely" rejected it?
I’m tired.

# Even academics are coming around to pins and needles
This book sounds pretty interesting

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Hello, Dolly!

When I brought the box into the house last night the dude asked what it was.

"I bought a doll."
"I thought we were done with dolls."
(I sold a collection of Little Souls Dolls when we moved east.)
"So did I but I loved this doll. Maybe I'm not done with dolls."
"Okay, so we're not done with dolls."
"I'll put her in the craft room. But right now, I am going to put her in this chair [in the living room]."
"I don't care if you leave her there. I just thought we were done with dolls."

She is from Annie Beez and I'm calling her Raggedy Annie Beez.

We weren't really done with dolls anyway; I brought my childhood doll collection back from my mother's attic. I'm just trying to find the right way to display it. Here's a photo of the lot. Sadly, many of them can't stand on their own. Maybe I'll sort through them and tell you a little about each one. (Perhaps next time I photograph them, I should clean them up.)

I was awarded with a Kreativ Blogger award and I'd like to thank CinDC, and the academy, and all my readers for inspiring me. I would pass this on like I am supposed to but when I start reviewing the list of blogs I read, by the time I get to the end, I have about 30 people I'd like to give it to. Then I have to go back to the beginning and see why I thought I should give it to the people at the top of the list and it quickly becomes a never-ending review cycle. Let's just say I love you all! You're all creative in a slightly slavic way.

Gone to the Dogs

I'd like to tell you I finished stitching that white house on Edgar's RR this weekend. I did do quite a bit; the house has a front door and four of five windows. But I know you're all feeling me with the white. Fortunately, Edgar is a doll and he tells me to take my time. Words he may live to regret!

In between loads of laundry and an obscene amount of cooking*, I started a new project. I know. It's LHN's Dog House Sampler. I'm making it as a Christmas gift for Sissy. And since Belle was right there--that is, on the other end of the couch--the whole weekend, I tried to match her. Not easy since she has that beagle/shepherd mix coloring.

I'm thinking of further personalizing it by substituting the dog's name where the sampler has "Bark." Just because I like to get way ahead of myself, I'm also considering making it for my mother and getting rid of bark in favor of writing her name, "Coco," in the first line or substituting "ball" for bark because that chocolate lab is crazy (as in OCD) when it comes to balls. Then I'm thinking all the dog lovers in my family should get one. I just need to figure out how to work in something specific about Jameson the airedale and Jett the bedlington terrier (French knots down the nose?). But maybe I should finish this one first.

* turkey breast slow cooked with marmalade and cranberry sauce served with roasted CSA carrots and potatoes; CSA pesto; CSA zucchini bread; pesto eggs; cold brewed ice coffee; sausages with peppers (from our garden) and CSA onions; and roasted CSA eggplant with baked ziti. Now we're almost ready for Wednesday's delivery.

Yankee Stitcher

When I was younger I hated being called a yankee. Mostly because I thought it was derogatory (it is, mostly)--and it didn't even have to do with baseball which was totally off my radar. Yankee Cross Stitch, the fabulous stitching store in my home state of NH, softens the blow a bit. Of course, now that I'm married to a Brit there's a different meaning to it; we're all in that together. Those people hardly know there's a baseball team with that name.

It was a little ironic the other day when I bought a pattern by the Yankee Stitcher while wearing this t-shirt. That Sissy bought for me. That I love. Go, visit Boston Accents and order something. Jo, I know you want to.

By the Sea

The dude was on the computer all day yesterday catching up on his lectures before he writes his final today. He took only a few short breaks, and I fell asleep on the couch waiting for him to be done. The dog--we're watching Sissy's while she's at the beach--and I crawled off to bed where she got a much better night's rest than I did. (And she's sleeping next to me right now.) A giant moth was caught in our drapes and I was too tired to do anything about it. Every time Mothra beat her wings, I woke up. Then at 6:00 the dog wanted out. At 7:00 I relented. So now I know how early you have to get up around here to blog. It's not going to get better next weekend, because the dude has to write a paper.

I took a little trip to Strawberry Sampler yesterday to get some floss for my Fair and Square project. I had received a newsletter from them saying if you bought $25 worth of stuff and said,"It's sizzling at the Strawberry Sampler," you got 20% off. So I bought By the Sea by the Yankee Stitcher and all the stuff to stitch it (way over $25). Do you know how embarrassing it is to say something like that, even if you do get a financial break? I said, "I think I'm supposed to tell you that it's sizzling here." The two women working the counter shouted, "we got one!" Fortunately there was only one other customer in the store. Which is probably why they were "giving" stuff away.

I spent the rest of the day working on Edgar's RR, and I'm pretty sure that stitching white houses must be the most time consuming thing a person can stitch. I'm hoping that today I will also get to stitch on my knot garden so I can show you some stitching pictures already!

Edgar's Neighborhood RR

It's been a while since you've seen stitching out of me. I'm still working on Edgar's RR. I don't know what is taking me so long. Well, yes. I keep getting interrupted. This weekend, though, the dude is eyeball deep in work for his MLIS. So I should have nothing to do but sit on the couch and stitch.

Missed One

Well, I blew it. Last night I couldn't tear myself away from preparing for a job interview to spend just two minutes posting about the heirloom tomatoes we ate last night. All in all, I think it was time better spent. Now it's a waiting game because after tomorrow's candidate, the hiring manager is going on vacation for a week.

The interview went really well from my perspective. I had a huge portfolio of my work, and I'm going to start carrying it around with me all the time. Apparently I can carry on an articulate conversation when I have visual reminders right next to me. But for the life of me, I had the most difficulty remembering the word "program." I hope they don't think I'm some kind of twit.

They had good answers to my questions too, and concerns I had about the job initially have been allayed.

Because you've come to know and expect my entirely clumsy behavior, I will close as I did when I left the august and historical building where I interviewed. I missed a step on the way out and took a header down the stone stairs. Fortunately nothing broke. My knee is terribly scraped. The good news is that this was a little like "A Girl Walks Out of a Bar," because they had said good bye to me inside and no one saw it. Phew. At least they know I didn't have anything to drink at lunch!

Finish-finished

Look at you all, congratulating me on seven years of inertia! (Actually 16, but who's counting?) I've been privately chastised for pretending not to be romantic when I have been stitching little love notes every anniversary for the past four years. Five if you count the one that got lost. It's true; we just prefer our displays of affection to be private. Last night we went to General Lafayette Inn where I had a matrimoniale, and the dude gave me a beautiful amber ring. Thanks again.

In my quest to increase the number of completed works that I finish, I put this little sheep that I stitched in January 2006 in his frame. Three down, five to go.

This is a Homespun Elegance kit, Wee Sheep stitched on the kit's linen with the called for DMC. It's finished in the brass frame that comes from the kit. I should aim for something bigger next.

Anniversary

Today is our seventh wedding anniversary. And this is what I made the dude.

It's the 2001 Collectors Heart from Heart in Hand Needleart. I stitched it in the called for colors, substituting beachcomber for the (now retired) julep.

I sewed the pieces as a sort of flat pillow (there was no way I was hem stitching in my condition). I then attached it to a second piece of linen. I probably should have let them do that. Well, I didn't know they would until I got there. It came out a little lumpy in the end. I had them make a shadowbox. Some days I think it's cute. Some days I think it's attrocious.

Kind of like the dude. (Just kidding. I'm the anti-romantic. Really if I waxed poetic about my love for the dude he might vomit a little in his mouth. I know I would. And he certainly wouldn't believe me.)

Mercy

Tonight I was mercilessly mocked for blogging. My cousin asked me if I had seen this comic strip. Of course because I am doing nablopomo this month the dude had to tell them how I was all het up to get on the computer last night. If you have a thin skin in my family, you will be eaten. It's kill or be killed.

Today I continued the domestic drudgery by weeding the garden. Here's the result. It's a good thing the results are so noticeable, or you'd never do it. (I love how I swept the walk before I took the photo.)
Our butterfly bush has finally reached the size promised on the container marker. It is taller than the dude. He's 6'.
I also went off to my alumnae knitting group today. I worked on Edgar's RR. There were 5 knitters. There was too much talk about children and grandchildren for my taste, but one of the newer alumnae ('08) was knitting a yeast molecule. From a pattern she was making up in her head.

Bananas

The dude finally got off the computer! He's been watching lectures from his library course all day.

I've had a strangely domestic day. In addition to doing four loads of laundry, watering indoor and outdoor plants, and cleaning the kitchen, I rescued the rotting bananas from the fruit bowl. Here they are in their new incarnation as banana muffins. The recipe is from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home. Unfortunately, I didn't alter one thing so I can't share the recipe. I can, however, highly recommend that you go get yourself a copy. They have a basic muffin recipe that you can change to accommodate your excess zucchini, abundance of apples, or rotting bananas. I can name about eight recipes in this book that I know by heart because we cook them so often. In fact, the book fell apart right at Hawaiian skillet beans. Which, with hot dogs, is a fabulous summer meal. Look, just because it's a vegetarian cookbook doesn't mean I can't eat an all beef frank with those beans!

Stitching content tomorrow, with photos! I'll have two finishes and Edgar's RR to show.

Silly Silliness of Epic Proportions

I am working on things I can't show, don't want to show, or I'm waiting to show until I finished ten hours. (I'm close to having two pictures for you. Really!) So I was thinking I've shown you food you can stitch, but do we ever have occasion to stitch our food?

I came up with trussing a turkey. (Thought Alton Brown says you shouldn't.) We string popcorn and cranberries which involves a needle but that isn't quite stitching.

So, do you stitch your food?

Photo courtesy of Wikicommons.

When Life Gives You Kohlrabi

fuck the kohlrabi and bail.
Sorry, I loved Paul Rudd's character in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I'm so easily amused.

When life gives you kohlrabi, get out the parmesan cheese!

So, you know how ingredient lists aren't copyright-able. This was a cookbook recipe, but I read the amounts incorrectly. So now it's my recipe (especially since I revised the directions). You may want to use less parmesan. Like a third less. But I wouldn't. I didn't.

3 kohlrabi
2 T butter
3/4 c parmesan cheese

Grate the kohlrabi coarsely. Grate the parmesan finely. Heat the butter over medium heat. Cook the grated kohlrabi in the butter for about 8 minutes. Sprinkle on the cheese, cooking until it melts. Season with salt and pepper. This is what it will look like.

Yum! Kohlrabi has a nutty flavor that marries well with the parmesan. And eating cruciferous vegetables helps prevent cancer! (Especially when you eat crap all day.)

---

Today is the dude's 40th birthday. Because of his craptastic summer schedule (he is busy busy busy at work), we won't be taking his 40th birthday trip until October. Tonight we were going to have veggie curry, but I bought some grass fed filets at the farmer's market and I think we can roast some potatoes and steam some sugar snap peas for a delightful evening repast. You'll forgive me if I spend my time paying attention to him tonight.

Haunting

I'm not into Just Nan. I usually think her designs are too fussy. But I am in LOVE! with the inside of the needlework etui, Scream House, the new exclusive from the Silver Needle. Do you see that pumpkin inside? Removable pincushion.

As usual, it ain't cheap--$80. Plus the pins are $6.5 and the floss is $11.25.

Available in late August; reservations taken now.

Photo totally swiped from Silver Needle, but how can they mind? It's enabling free advertising.

Eight Eight Oh Eight

Back in February 06, Melissa needed help finishing a project so we decided to become one at a time stitchers for the duration of the winter games. She's doing it again. I thought this may be my opportunity to finally bead the Toy Gatherer. The last time we saw Toy Gatherer back in May 2006 I had finished the stitching, a mere 11 years after I started it. (Talk about a UFO.) So two years later and I still haven't beaded the stupid thing. But beginning 08.08.08 I will work on this until the last medal is handed out in Beijing.

When Life Gives You Broccoli

...realize that broccoli casserole is too heavy to eat in the summer. Then contemplate how it is virtually the same recipe as your mother's macaroni and cheese. Decide mac and cheese can be eaten any time of year. Contemplate the CSA broccoli in the vegetable bin and, eureka, combine the two recipes!

3/4 pound of elbow macaroni

a head of broccoli

1/4 c butter

1/4 c flour

2 c warm milk

1 lb white cheddar, diced (orange cheddar is unnatural, don't use it.)

two slices of bread

butter

Set the oven to 375. Boil the macaroni to just shy of cooked. It will soften when you bake it. Then boil or steam the broccoli. Using a blender, pulverize the broccoli. Some chunks of stem will remain, but you mostly want broccoli mush because you really don't like eating flowers, do you?

Melt the butter. Brown the flour in the butter, stirring frequently. Slowly whisk in the warm milk. When the sauce begins to thicken, stir in a handful of cheese at a time. Once all the cheese is melted, remove the sauce from the heat.

Butter a casserole dish. Add the broccoli and macaroni. Stir to combine. Slowly add the cheese sauce. You won't need it all. You want the mixture pretty wet, but not soaking. Save the extra cheese for baked potatoes. Mmmmm. Butter the bread. Cut into 1" sqares. Sprinkle over the mac and cheese. You really want to do this because the bread will soak up oil from the cheese and it will be very very yummy. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Photo courtesy of Wikicommons.

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I am trotting out some of the recipes we've been using with the CSA vegetables for two reasons. The first reason is, for some of these veg, we're having to do full scale research to figure out how to prepare them. It's like I'm getting my PhD in vegetables. We are eating some crazy ass veggies. Like pod radishes. Did you even know about pod radishes? I sure as hell didn't. We had Hawaiian lettuce, anuenue, last night. Which I highly recommend to people who like iceberg's crunch but not its lack of flavor. The second reason is that I have thrown out my rotation in favor of secret traveling projects by day. I haven't been stitching by night. Lately, I've become obsessed with these stupid Jane Austen mysteries. It's embarrassing. But not so embarrassing that I'm not reading them in public... Oh, and there's this whole food theme for the nablopomo this month.

Anyway, enjoy the veg. I'll get back to stitching Edgar's RR and showing snaps of my work soon.

When Life Gives You Swiss Chard

make curry!

1 bunch Swiss Chard, spinach, Han Tsai Tai etc.
1 T butter
2 chopped shallots (or a small onion)
1 T minced ginger
pinch red pepper flakes
15 oz can red kidney beans
15 oz can tomato sauce
palmful curry powder
1/2 can coconut milk

Boil the greens until tender (about 7 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water.

Heat the butter over medium high heat, cook the shallots until lightly browned. Stir in ginger, and season with red pepper. Mix in greens, kidney beans, tomato sauce, and curry powder. Stir in the coconut milk, and continue cooking until heated through.

The sauce very closely replicates the sauce from our favorite mushroom dish at Chandni in Santa Monica. So I think you could change this up by skipping the greens and doubling the butter so that after you cook the shallots you could brown a ton of mushrooms, let's say, a pound. Then everything else the same. No, skip the beans. So no beans and no greens. It'll be delish.

Quilts!

This is a very popular part of the festival we attend each 4th of July--sadly, this is our first time through the quilt exhibit. We're usually at the fair with my nieces, and by the time we hit the area the quilts are in, it's getting to be time to go... Anyway, this year they're in Maine, and we got to see quilts.

A quilting bee. I overheard a guy being outraged on behalf of these women because the lighting was so poor. "They're going to ruin their eyes!"

Attendees were invited to quilt a bit and sign their work. I wanted to but I could tell the dude wasn't that interested. Plus when we walked by after buying our quilt the frame was full of (amateur?) quilters--including two guys. (The woman in the middle said she was making her quilting debut when I took her photo.)

There were a lot of quilts--over 2500--all for sale or up for auction.

Here are some of my favorite award winners:

"Storm at Sea." Something interesting happens when you photograph this quilt. It looks like there's a heart in the middle. You don't see that in person. Optical illusion?

This one is called "Something Old, Something New." It's a bunch of very traditional patterns put together in a very nontraditional way.

"Courthouse Gardens." These are being auctioned today. Most of the starting bids are $1000. You can see more of the award winners here.

Ours! This 22"x22" log cabin wall hanging was labeled "No Sunday Sales" which means it was made by an Amish woman who can't allow her work to be sold on the Sabbath. This is the cheapest hand quilted Amish quilt I've ever seen. Now to find just the right spot for it.

Fair Food

As is our 4th of July tradition, we headed to the Pennsylvania German Festival in Kutztown today. We looked at the quilts (and bought! I'll show you that tomorrow) and checked out the crafts and the artisan demonstrations. Mostly we grazed. It's going to look like we ate a lot...but we shared...okay, we ate a lot. But what are these holidays good for if not for eating?

The dude wanted to start with ox roast. This ox was put on the spit last night. They take about 20 hours to cook. This was the fifth ox of the festival. We ate its predecessors. They were good.

I turned this photo around. Promise. I don't know why it's uploading like this. This was billed as a corn fritter but it was a corn pancake. And pretty yummy.

Homemade chips. We sprayed them with vinegar and sprinkled salt on. These were awesome.

Pickle on a stick. The dude's was spicy and mine was half sour. Everything tastes better on a stick. (I was tempted by the frozen cheesecake on a stick, but the dude pooh-poohed the idea.)

After we bought our quilt we brought it to the car so it wouldn't get wet. On the stroll back through the food area, the dude saw pie and coffee and had to have it. That's blueberry. I had a bite, but it turns out I still don't like fruit pies. He thought it was a good solid pie.

I only had two bites of the ox sandwich, so I was still hungry. I had the sweet potato fries and the hickory smoked sausage with onions and peppers. The dude who'd just had pie and coffee claimed to be full but the power of sausage was too great. And those peppers and onions were awesome.

To make up for the lack of vegetables (that weren't fried) we had a veggie dinner of kohlrabi and salad. The salad included spicy greens mix. They taste like mustard and horseradish. If I liked roast beef, I'd totally put those greens on a roast beef sandwich. But they're good in salad too. More on kohlrabi in the days to come.

Hope your 4th of July was as tasty as ours!

...And Drink?

Yesterday, Jo asked if drink was included in the "food" theme. I don't know. Most bloggers who are doing nablopomo seem to be talking about food, or food for thought, and no drinks. My list from yesterday included hot chocolate, but gave short shrift to some of the drinkier stitching patterns. Even though I included many LHN food patterns, I ignored her coffee menu, Angel Stitchin's coffee series, Waxing Moon's coffee philosophy, and Lynne Nicoletti's coffee stitch. There are all kinds of tea samplers, tea samplers, and that doesn't include all the tea paraphernalia. (So I shan't.)

But it's not all tee-totaling. Several designers feature beer designs: Amy Bruecken, Sue Hillis, and Hinzeit (scroll down, they're in alpha). Not to be outdone there are some oenological patterns: here, here, and here. You knew they couldn't resist the pun. We have the dry turkey (I guess that is tee-total) from Raise the Roof, Glory Bee's Another Martini and Margarita, and Ole from Sister's and Best Friends. Sunflower Seed tells you how to handle life's lemons. The sisters and Sue Hillis have the right idea with their drinking philosophy.

Definitely fewer forays into drink. My guess is that booze's association with vice--and cross-stitching's association with virtue--account for the lack of boozy stitching patterns. Because those definitely don't mix.

Sisterhood Travels

Wendy is close to finishing the traveling pattern. Get your name in the drawing. She's picking tomorrow morning.

July's Theme: Food

As you saw from the list of goals I am doing the NaBloPoMo thing again this month. I sort of owe it to you because of all the "oh my finger hurts" posts from the last two months. And speaking of my finger, on my last visit to the doctor (26th) they were a little disappointed that the shrivelled brown skin hadn't fallen off yet. I shouldn't have been wearing the bandage, they said. But I ask you, it was this nasty brown lump of shrivelled skin, would you go waving it in everyone's face? I thought not; hence the bandage. I was ordered to soak it twice a day and switch to a band-aid. I soaked it at work and when I went to soak it at home, it fell off. So now I look like I have a wart at the top of my finger. There are two black spots on my nail (from the stitches). Besides the small scar on the side of my hand, you'd never know that I cut the tip of my finger off just two short months ago. But I digress...

This month's theme for NaBloPoMo is food. You'd think stitching and food wouldn't mix. But there are loads of stitching designs for food.

The mother and daughter designers at Little House Needleworks and Country Cottage Needleworks have given us Cherry Pie and Chocolate Shop (LHN) and The Bakery, Ice Cream Sunday, and Summer Strawberries (CCN). Marie's Garden reminds us to Eat Good Food. Fruit shows up in fruit bowls, della Robbia wreaths, and packs. Not to be outdone, Janet Powers Originals has a whole series of veggie still lifes including onions. Unsurprisingly, there are lots of cakes. Birthday cakes, cupcakes, blueberry cheesecake--all kinds of sweet treats. Candy is widely represented from candy corn to candy canes. We profess our love for candy and get more specific about where we spend our calories. You can even find a recipe for love. We're sometimes reminded of the drudgery associated with food. There are lots of messages about diet too; something for the Atkins adherent and those who know Weight Watchers' mantra and those in deep denial.

But our most food obsessed designer has to be Casey Buonaugurio, who has brought us these tasty treats:
Carrot Cake Sampler
Cherry Cheesecake Sampler
Chocolate Cake Sampler
Cupcake Sampler
Hot Cocoa Sampler
Irish Cream Sampler
Lemon Meringue Sampler
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Pink Plaid Pear
Strawberries and Cream Sampler
Taco Sampler.

Piece of Work

Piecework Magazine has turned a corner, I think. I actually read all the articles and didn't think, "man, they need an editor."

This month, the pincushion contest winners are featured. I like the winner, a biscornu with French knot berries and beaded edging pictured on the cover. But I am not that impressed with the cross stitched entries. Either the stitching on the others was defective or the judges were high--or influenced by the tatted edge--but I'm not crazy about the cross-stitch piece that won. But how about that knitted pincushion purse that opens to display scissors! The "pincushion" featuring tatting or lacemaking is groovy. And I can't believe the stumpwork camel only got an honorable mention. I guess you'd have to see these in person. They're on display in Kentucky from 8/1-11/30.

I was especially impressed by the article about Dorothy Reade who championed the symbol chart in knitting. The article about lace-making in Poland knows what the story is (how lacemaking brought the area out of poverty). (Many times the articles in Piecework are listlike or boing lacking story or purpose.) An article tracing the history of a sampler maker succeeds in making me care and finds the girl's life story. Anyway, a page-turner that I can recommend.