Tis A Season, Anyway

I know last time I was talking about projects, I said I was going to start something new to commemorate what I've taken to calling The Inside Time. I didn't have all the colors of the project I chose, and it was getting late, so I just grabbed a project I had already started--Tis the Season by Blackbird Designs. It is stitched on Lakeside Linens Pear with the called for Belle Soie (that's how old this is) silks. I started it in July of 2013 for my aunt who had asked that I stitch something she could take out every Christmas. Then she told me to take my time. I bet she regrets that!

In November 2017, I started those snowflake motifs (shown here) and I put the one under the tail in the wrong place. Because I am a changed stitcher I took it out and restitched it. First one at a time and now fixing variations. I hardly recognize myself. 

Anyway, I am really, truly going to start a new project. (The third sign, no doubt!)

In other news, I need a new place for my workspace. I am tired of working on a laptop when I usually work on two huge monitors. I haven't gone to retrieve my work computer because there's no place to put it. The dude is working in the study and I am a nomad living out of a bag working on the dining room table and clearing up every night before dinner. It's become clear we are in this for the long haul--at least the summer. By mid June, I'll know what's happening next semester. I'm sure that if the students aren't back on campus, we won't be, but I think our office might not go back to campus no matter what (we don't work directly with students). It suddenly occurred to me the disaster I call a craft room (the work with the organizer didn't stick) would be a logical place--one where I could even stand to work. (I am also missing my standing desk.)

So I've started shoveling out. I'm 1/3 of the way there...and finding projects and kitted projects I had forgotten about. Lucky us!

Tis the Season

I didn't get much time to stitch yesterday but I did complete one of the snowflake motifs and start (just barely) the lettering on Tis the Season by Blackbird. You can see how it looked the last time I took it out for a spin here. I am stitching on the called for fabric with the Belle Soie silks.

As I was deciding on a title for this post, I went with the project name. For a split second, I thought well, it's too soon to refer to The Season but then I remembered that I saw the Hershey's kiss handbell advertisement and I groaned inwardly realizing we are a week out from Thanksgiving!

And I have made precisely zero Christmas cards.

I need a schedule!

To Be Jolly

There was lots of time on the train ride back to Philly to stitch. I finished the cardinal on this round. (See how he looked previously.) And started the small motifs I had looked forward to back in August. In fact, I said this about them: "Once the cardinal is done, most of what's left are smaller motifs which should give the feeling that I am zipping along toward a finish!" But...not so much. That Quaker-style snowflake on the far left took me three tries to get right!

Blackbird's Tis the Season

So many bloggers seem to be marveling at the fact we have reached the end of January. This can only mean one thing...we're all equally old! (As we age, our perception of time changes. "The days are long and the years are short.") 

My final round of this month's rotation ended with Blackbird's Tis the Season. The last time I showed this to you seems to have been when I started it in January 2014. You can see that I have made great progress on the bird. The second photo shows that I have made it almost to the rightmost edge as well. Not bad--and there's still time to stitch on it!

I am stitching this for one of my father's sisters. She requested a piece she could take out every Christmas, and she told me to take my time. Which you should pretty much never do because I will! At least I know it will be appreciated!

Catching Up

Dear friends, many thanks for your enthusiasm about that soap dispenser. In addition to making the man crafts, I have been trying to keep up with two threads a night on that giant list of stitching projects. I did miss one out because I had to finish a book (American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half of Its Food*) for book group.

On Tuesday, I put two threads into Blackbird's Friendship Sampler. This is how it looked last time I stitched it (scroll down). The basket is starting to come together, and while I stitched I've already been thinking about which friends I might document on this piece.

On Wednesday, I put a number of threads into Emerald Mermaid. She is probably etched into your memory, but in case, here's where we left her. I stitched a bit on her at stitching group, where people are so used to seeing her they don't even ooh and ahh anymore. I guess I'd better get a move on!

On Thursday, I finished the first band of the Thistle Sampler for my MIL's birthday and started the over one lettering. (Before, middle photo.) I was wondering if this should end up in the stack of over one stitching for summer, but then I realized the birthday IS this summer. I must press on.

On Saturday I put a couple of flowers and swirls in the Green Snowman's hill. (Last time I worked on it, here.) We're getting a little better on catching the green of this fabric. At least this time you can tell it is green! (That shadow is me, I took this in my office with a horrible overhead light and there was no escaping it.)

And on Sunday I did a little work on the Great Pumpkin Conspiracy. (Previously, on Stitch Bitch.) (Horrible photo but it's is pouring here.)

Back to the grindstone for me! Thanks for stopping by.

*Please read this book. It's not an easy read or terribly well-put-together, but it is so important for us to understand our food waste and work to change it, especially when we have such a high number of people who aren't getting enough to eat in our country. And we're not talking about that head of broccoli you bought to make yourself feel virtuous, and then never used because (ugh!) broccoli. (Not that I know anything about that.) But the millions of tons of food that never get harvested, don't make it past inspection (seriously, I would eat a curved cucumber; wouldn't you?), and get thrown away by grocers because it's too much of a hassle to mark down blemished food. Yeah that. Please.

Are All the Balls Still in the Air?

Whew! It feels like the weekend just blew right by. Must have been that looooong two day workweek I had last week! Unfortunately, this post has been further delayed by my inability to get a decent picture. The sun is just rising when I leave for work, and it's set when I return. So we're just going to have to make do.

When we last communicated, I had tried to start Blackbird Designs' "Friendship Gathering" in the office and was foiled at every turn. We had friends round on Friday night--such fun! (And I will strongly urge you to serve Brillat-Savarin cheese with homemade strawberry jam for dessert.) When they left, I still hadn't taken a stitch and I needed to put in two threads, so I just grabbed Hang a Shining Star (SamSara) and put a few stitches in.


On Saturday, I still needed to collect some threads and fabrics for my starts, so we drove over to the Strawberry Sampler. They had many of the regular threads, but their fabric stock was kind of low. They usually have a fabulous collection to choose from. It was still early, so I conned the dude into driving me to the fiber store--it's a needlepoint shop--and they always have every thread I need (except NPI; they don't carry that). We pulled up at 3:30 to find...they had been closed for half an hour. And they wouldn't reopen until Tuesday! (Doesn't matter, I can't get back there until next Saturday.) Ugh.

Still, I started Friendship Gathering (Blackbird Designs). I have no idea what the fabric is but I don't think it is the count I thought it was. I started stitching with two threads and quickly realized that would end unhappily so I switched to one thread and was incredibly pleased with the coverage.The fabric has a small vein of green running through it, and I am wondering now if I even bought this piece of fabric for this project. Too late now!

I went home and ordered online. Which I don't love to do, but I want my stuff, dammit. It took orders with FOUR online shops. Fabrics here, NPIs there, more thread here and there. What the hell has happened to this industry? The good news is that I did find a store that stocks *some* DMC Flower Thread, which has been discontinued for years. (I'm stitching a design from 1997.) I stumbled upon them when I was looking for a substitute. (The ultra bad news is, upon further review, I forgot to get more Thread Gatherer threads.)

On Sunday we took down the tree. And...I guess I did stuff all day because it wasn't until that night that I chose a project to stitch on, Tis the Season (Blackbird Designs). (Just two threads)

Monday saw two threads go into Love Me Love My Dog.

Tuesday saw two more threads in Lady Gray.

This morning, I hurriedly threw threads into a bag, grabbed my needlebook, cheaters, and a piece of fabric (that I hope I hadn't "reserved" for anything else) so that I would have something to work on at lunchtime stitching. You'll just have to wait to see that though because I started my smalls for the SAL.

I am glad I made my goal "stitch two threads each night" rather than fifteen starts at the beginning of the month. I thought I was going to get much farther on making sure all the kits were prepped than I did this past weekend, yet I was able to keep up with my goals. I think that's the secret to success--having the right goals to start with!