Monday, January 26, 2009

The Unstitchening

About the mermaid? The one that looked like this the last time you saw her:




There was a little snafu.



I know you all feel my pain. I miscounted when I started the hair. It was one row off. I thought about adding a line of dress, but I don't want to screw this up since it's a pretty important birthday present. Or maybe Christmas present...


Twana asked if I didn't recently have a blogiversary drawing. The answer is yes! but of course! In honor of five years of blogging, I am having a drawing every month for a year. Aren't you lucky? Then I will go back to not stitching anything for you. All for me. ;)

Last night, my cousin made Ina Garten's fleur de sel caramels. Do not make these*. They are the crack cocaine of the candy world. I could have eaten the whole baking sheet on my own. She was begging us to take it out of her house. We took two pieces because a man has to know his limitations. I am eating the very last buttery bite. Oh mama... It almost makes up for the unstitchening.

* If you do make them, don't roll them up; it's too much of a mouthful.

23 comments:

Unknown said...

Siren! Temptress! I no candy maker, but I happen to be into flavored salts right now (Murray River Salt, mmmmm!) and I just bought some Fleur du Sel from Williams Sonoma Outlet (on sale). I will have to try this next week.

Anonymous said...

Sorry about the unstitchening, that's a shame.

Nic said...

Sorry about the unstitching, but you still have more of your mermaid done than I have of mine ... perhaps it would help if I took it out of the drawer :o)

mainely stitching said...

I fainted when I saw how much you frogged. Oh. My. God. You are such a hero for doing that. I could've been stitching for the Queen herself and not frogged all that. You're my hero. Heroine.

Annemarie said...

Ouch. You must love the person you're stitching this for very much. Those caramels must have been *really* good if they could almost make up for all of that!

Leah said...

Yikes! That is a lot of frogging. I would have been tempted to pitch the whole thing into the garbage and be done with it. But I'm stupid like that.

Wendy said...

Oh, no, poor mermaid. Not many lose their heads while being stitched. I hope you have a firm hold of your own, just in case. And I am resisting clicking on the candy link, I am resisting clicking on the ....

Patricia Lessell said...

I am so sorry you had to destitch!!!! I didn't resist on the candy link but thank g-d we don't have corn syrup in this country I live in - at least I don't think they do and I sure ain't gonna go looking for it. Lots of Love Patti xx

Michelle said...

Oh no. I would have cried!! You are an honorable woman for unstitching that much. I hope it doesn't take you too long to restitch. I'm here for you!!

Brigitte said...

Oh poor you, so much frogging. I've been there too when I had to unstitch a wall and half of a porch because I was two rows off. Not my best moment in my stitching career, lol.

Those caramels sound overwhelming, and I bet they are ;)

Alberta said...

Anna, kudos to you for frogging that many stitches! That must have been a difficult choice but the right, you will be so much happier with the finish when you do get to happy Dance!

Carol R said...

Oh no - that's a lot of frogging!

Anonymous said...

If it is any consolation I have mermaids of the deep blue....well maybe 70% done. Then as I am stitching the right mermaid I realize I am way off too, at least 2-3 rows, I can't really be sure it could be more.

So it sits in mt UFO pile. I too thought I could just add some more dress (does a mermaid wear a dress?) But I can't just add and fudge it. There is like a left right shift going on too. She has a ton of her hair and head done but it won't meet up to her bottom.

I know in my heart I have to rip, but it is like yours a lot to rip out. I have never been this far off on anything before, and wonder what I must have been smoking to get to this point. Since it is for me and not a present, it still sits.....I am telling myself I have to brave it this year and deal with it...(I have 11 more months though!)

Jennifer said...

That sucks about the mermaid!!! But it would drive me nuts too, and I'd probably rip it out too.

I caught the tail end of her show with the salted caramels last week, and started seeing them all over the place this weekend at the KOP mall. Not hers, of course, but salted caramels. They must be the new trend.

I try to avoid watching her show too often. I want to make everything she does.

Daffycat said...

Ooo, ouch! That was an enormous frog! I'm sore even thinking about it...

Melissa said...

Too bad to hear about the unstitchening. You'll be caught up again before you know it.

Anonymous said...

Oh no! That was a lot of picking out. I am so sorry, but you'll get caught up again in no time!

Jinger said...

I am feeling your pain! Hope the rest of the stitching goes smoothly and no more visits from the frog!

KiKi said...

You are very brave! I don't think I could ever rip out that many stitches. I would have to fudge it some how!

MyLifesAStitch said...

Oh my.... fecking frogging! I seriously feel your pain... I've never tried candy as a consolation prize, though. Hmm... I think I'll give it a shot. Then again, at the rate I frog, I'd gain about 20lbs within a week, sooo... mebbe not. I look forward to seeing her all prettied up again!

Donna said...

Sure torture me with a recipe for the caramels - just when I'm down to only two of the Trader Joe's ones left in the house.

Sorry about the mermaid :-(
That was an awful lot of reverse progress.

Von said...

Anna, I don't think I've ever seen anyone frog that much of a project. That's pure heroism on your part! You should have taken more of those caramels. :D

Teresa said...

OUCH! I don't mind frogging small areas but that much is a LOT of work!