2017 JCS Ornament Issue Review

I don't know if it is lack of interest in the JCS Christmas Ornament edition or if I haven't gotten around to enough blogs or whether the blogosphere is down too many stitchers, but I haven't heard that much about this new magazine. I do hope, that it doesn't mean that you don't want to hear my annoying opinions about it!

The magazine opens with "Frosty the Snowman," six ornaments featuring snowmen and one from Keslyn's that just says "Let it snow!" As you know, I am a big fan of the snowmen. Of these I really like StitchyFish's Sno-Cone (she had a companion piece featured in the preview) and SamSarah's Hats Off to the Holidays. I've never encountered StitchyFish's work before.

What I am not so much a fan of is the way the pictures are organized. The numbers are laid out a bit haphazardly. For example on this page the numbers start in the upper left-hand corner, and moving clockwise: 6, 2, 7, 5, 3, 4 with 1 in the center. After being confused, what I did realize is that the key is now alphabetical by designer. (Check to see if this is usual). It does make it harder to find your favorite designer if you start with the key rather than the photo.

The next section focuses on "The Friendly Beasts." Hands down, my favorite is Amy Bruecken's Rocking a New Holiday Hat which is a sheep! I am blind to all the other designs, but to be fair there is a series of three penguins that put together make a 3D ornament, a dragonfly (?), a cardinal, a nice Rudolph ornament with fancy antlers,  a robin and a partridge--two patterns, one designer--a red bird that I think will appeal to many, a birdhouse framed simply with sticks and a sheep surrounded by male and female shepherds, but very Jesus-y.

"Here Comes Santa Claus" is the next section and sigh, I feel like I've seen this lot before. Forced to choose favorites, I'd go with Needle Bling and Angel Stitchin's Santas. Cat fanciers will enjoy Swallick Stitchery's "Santa is Coming." But I guess there's only so many ways to design Santa's head.

"Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" section is as beige as the title seems. There is a cutesy penguin (Oh, see that's Frosted Pumpkin, cutesy.) a dragon from Dragon Dreams I didn't even realize was a dragon (and I'm not sure about "Balance" as a message for my Christmas tree), two elves which I really don't like since the Elf on the Shelf and the rise of surveillance culture, a merry go round, some mittens and a series from Always Time to Stitch. Remarkably, this is the third designer who has submitted two or more designs (in this case four!) as their ornament. Finally, there is an ornament made from Weeks wool by Fern Ridge that appears to have no cross-stitch on it whatsoever!

"Joy to the World" features ornaments that have the word joy or are kinda Jesus centered. I really like Ink Circles "Modern Nordic Ornament" not sure if is is modern or Nordic, but you can tell it's Ink Circles. I also like the Gracewood Stitches Beaded Joy, although I'd probably change the colors. There are two more joy ornaments, a peace sampler, another sampler heavy design by My Big Toe, who has the craziest name for a full-on Jesus stitcher. There is also a Believe ornament and one that is backstitched "They Followed the Star." The last one isn't quite as centered as I would like.

The next section is snowflake-backstitching-Quaker-bells if I had to put it into the fewest possible words. I guess I like Guilia Punti Antichi's "Little Purse" best out of these.

The Penultimate section has trees or the suggestion of Christmas trees. I like Gentle Pursuits's tree featuring long lost pets which may be a cat and a dog or maybe those animals found only in schoolgirl samplers from 200 years ago. I love the finishing on that one though. JBW has a tree of trees and Pickle Barrel has a seaside scene. Hardanger enthusiasts will be pleased with Lisa LeAnn's colorful Hardanger Tree.

At last that brings us to a section which seems to feature Christmas words, and honestly I like almost all of these. This section, for me, is the clear winner with designs from Cherished Stitches, Lizzie*Kate, Lucie Heaton, Praiseworthy Stitches, Samplers Not Forgotten, Turquoise Graphics, and WDC Needlework. Besides Lizzie*Kate, I don't think I've stitched anything from any of these designers, which may tell you something.

But you know, for me, the real meat of this review comes from the Recipes and Memories section. I perused it recently on a plane, and was at four pages of notes, so I think this will be a two part review! Stay tuned!

Favorites:

1. Amy Bruecken's Rocking a New Holiday Hat
2. Samplers Not Forgotten Christmas Stocking
3. Lizzie*Kate Very Merry
4. Lucie Heaton Merry & Bright
5. Turquoise Graphics Rustic Noel

What are your top five?

I Wrote 2000 Posts and All I Got Was...

I’ve been away. First it was the silent auction. The day after that my parents showed up. They stay with my sister but they seem to occupy my life when they hit the border of Pennsylvania. It was nice. We celebrated my birthday with a trip to Teikoku. I took them to Han Dynasty, the best Szechuan restaurant in Philly; they raved about it the rest of the week. My mother and I went shopping at King of Prussia. We didn’t do too much else. On Saturday, we went shopping with my sister—looking for furniture for her house. Blah blah blah. I kept thinking about posting because I know it’s been a while, but it was my 2000 post! It had to be a good one. 

Since last week, when I went to see my internist, I have been wearing a giant splint on my right ring finger. When I told the dude, “I have to see the orthopedic hand surgeon," he responded, "again?" We must not blame him; can there be another response? That little injury I reported a month ago, from my beautiful puppy? Left ring finger avulsion with swan neck deformity. (That's broken with ligament damage to you and me.) The good news is no surgery. But it has compounded the obstacles to posting lately. I’ve figured out how to work around the problem of typing ess, double u and ex.

So here it is ladies and gentlemen, my 2000^th post ….the 2012 Just Cross-stitch Ornament review. You have been waiting patiently for a long time. Open your magazines. Let's compare notes.

This year’s magazine opens with the snowflake and snowman ornaments. I like the SamSarah and Amy Bruecken ornaments, but I love the Cherry Wood Design Studio snowman. It’s really all in the construction, but it’s different. (That said, I found something similar in a card making magazine I was perusing recently.) People will be pleased to learn that some ornaments have their photos on the same pages as the design this year. Not all. In fact, there’s not a lot I can say about the layout. It’s still not great.

The next section has animals. And I can’t believe I’m still complaining about the stupid moose puns. Christmas moose is not a thing, and you shouldn’t make a pun with it. “Merry Moose Wishes for Christmas.” Seriously? That just rolls off the tongue. I like Dragon Dreams’ ornament and I may have to stitch it for my dad the Golden Dragon (my niece Lala is one too). People will like Charlotte’s Web’s deer in a landscape. Twisted Oaks Quaker Mouse will appeal to the stitchers of things Quaker. Blackberry Lane’s  Emperor penguin is well-shaded and in that sense artistic, but it kind of looks like we’re watching the penguin give birth. (Don’t worry, like most birds, they hatch.) So it is and it isn’t. Jemini’s bird is not as crazy as some years. So, yes, I love that one less.

Since some people think Christmas is about Jebus, they will include crosses in the ornament issue. Rosewood Manor’s is a needlebook. I like Keslyn’s. I’ve never heard of the designer, but it’s really neat with a purple and green crescent stitch framing the central motif. Tempting Tangle’s ornament is called “Star of the Magi”—each point on the star kind of looks like a magi, but that can’t be because there are four points and only three magi (all those years in Catholic school, and I can count!). Casey Buonaugurio’s doesn’t feature food, amazingly enough. (But she will fill you up with her pineapple cheese ball.) Fern Ridge’s isn’t a cross; it’s a purple and pink tree. “Christmas can come in many colors too.” Is that a thing? Because you know I have nothing against non-Christmas colors. I’ll decorate with pink and green or turquoise and lime but I didn’t know we needed a slogan. Charland has a painful poem about her visit to Christkindlmarkt. Writing poetry is kind of like designing needlework. In needlework it’s not just the design but also the color. And in poetry it’s not just the rhyme, it’s the rhythm. And in this case, rhythm is way more important than rhyme. Next time you write a poem, remember that.

Standouts among the trees include Prairie Schooler (which matches their recent Christmas release), Country Cottage Needleworks and Acorn House’s Mistletoe. Do I really have nothing cleverly snarky to say about the rest? My notes are crap.

Here comes Santa! Heartstrings’ reindeer Santa is cute. As usual, I love Mosey n’ Me’s Franknsanta (that’s my new name for Santas that look like Frank). But where is he? He doesn’t appear in the photo with Judy, and that worries me. I don’t love Imaginating’s ornament but there’s a sweet story about her design partner. I like Primitive Hare’s “I Believe in Santa” as you know my Christmas is all about the Santa. But you’ve got to read her story about Jesus and the Christmas donkey. Wait…what? (Why am I thinking about Shrek right now?) 

I don’t think I can explain why there are so many ornaments that feature houses but we’ve reached that section. I think I might stitch Cherished Stitches, Little by Little, Plum Street and Little House Needlework’s ornies. The prim fans will love Niky’s Creation. These are mostly all good, but mostly very similar to ones we’ve seen before.

I’ve labeled the next section “soft rose” which must mean all the ornaments in this section are of a certain colorway. I don’t love La-D-Da’s stocking. I think it’s the wrong shape for the color and design. She’s designed a Turkish genie’s stocking and made the colors soft and the decoration colonial. A stocking with this shape should have crazy colors. Moss Creek’s ornament looks quick and easy. I shall reserve my judgment; I’d need to see it made up to see what I think. I’m not in love with Blackbird’s design which is shocking. Gentle Pursuit’s stocking says “Believe and Receive” which I somehow read as Believe and Relieve…and all I could think of was heartburn. Lo How a Rose fans will find a companion ornament in this section by Jane Timmers of Fancy Work, who writes about a Christmas tradition of a stitching group. Everyone chooses and kits an ornament from the issue and shares with the group, and they have an ornament stitching GTG. Now don’t you wish we were friends IRL?

My next note cracks me up. Over three lines in my notebook paper I wrote:

 Wiseman on p. 79. 

And it’s true. How many times do I have to say it? Wise Men is TWO words. WTF?  It’s not even one word in the Bible…I checked.

Red and green, the traditional Christmas colors some designers railed against, is the final group of ornaments. Sampler Girl has a Jane Austen Ornament. Fresh Threads has gone totally stale with their ornament which looks exactly like the last two. I mean, there’s design consistency and there’s boring. Lizzie*Kate is back, y’all, back from the abyss of her “I don’t give a shit” ornaments. This one harmonizes nicely with patterns she recently released. Raise the Roof channels the chipmunks with their “Please Christmas Don’t be Late” ornament. Who’s going to stitch candy ribbon when you can make them from ribbons, like this? Still Stitching with Susan wins the lame ass ornament of the magazine. But she may redeem herself with a recipe for crab dip. My last little note says “cute plaid ornament and coconut pound cake” which seems to be all I can muster to say about DebBee’s Designs.

Because they keep sending them, I’ll comment on the recipes. Every year someone sends a duplicate recipe. This year there are two hot artichoke dips—Dames of the Needle and Summer House Stitche Workes. Charlotte’s Web sends curried cream of pea soup which sounds horrible. Who’s going to try it and report back? Turquoise graphics sends a recipe for a Mediterranean Salad wrap; I don’t know what I was planning to say about this, but I’ve singled it out for some reason. I’m going to give Glendon Place’s “Holiday potatoes” a pass because there’s a 3:2 ration of potatoes to fattening dairy products. I’m not giving them to every veggie recipe though. Even though Workbasket’s Frosted Cauliflower is loaded with dairy…it’s still cauliflower, and I’m still not making my guests eat it! Also not going to inflict cabbage noodles nor sauerkraut caraway no matter how well it goes with pork or fowl.

Stitcherhood’s buckeye recipe is not on page 106; try page 108. Also look for it alphabetized under “The.” Ugh. Total pet peeve. This is why we don’t let computers do our alphabetization…unless we input “Stitcherhood, The.” I’m not a huge fan of hardanger but thank god for Roz Watnemo who knows holiday desserts should have scant amounts of fruit and loads of fat! She’s given us Fresh Fancy Fruit Salad with peach pie filling. The Shepherd’s Bush ladies send a candied popcorn recipe, which I cannot make because I don’t know what “soft Christmas candy” is. Oatmeal cookies: There are two kinds of people in this world, those who use add chocolate chips and those who make oatmeal cookies the wrong way.* Jeannette Douglas is a good woman.

I love the idea of the Christmas morning breakfast cookie sent in by Sue Hillis. But the execution? Puhlease it’s a cookie not a “health bar.” Thea Dueck gets crap from me every year because year after year her recipes are too healthful. This year—fried cheese. Yay, Thea! Now that’s the Christmas spirit!

Now rush out and stitch some ornaments (let me know and I’ll make a collection again) and try the recipes. I need some reports on how they taste.

*Recently I heard a shocking tale of someone who made them with raisins AND chocolate chips. All I can say is that is a sin. Just when you think you’re biting into chocolate, squish, it’s a raisin.

JCS Ornaments Reviewed

Oh, goodness gracious, I got so far behind with this task, people have already finished ornaments! Please check out the new page above for links to some of the finished pieces stitched by our friends. Check back regularly as I will update it, often to no fanfare. This year I'm limiting each ornament to the first five that I'm notified about. Last year six million people stitched French Country Star and trust me, you get it after five.

I see once again JCS has not taken this opportunity to change their layout. This year, there's the added inconvenience of a chart that is printed sideways. Because turning the magazine won't be cumbersome. They print magazines in landscape all the time; they call that...pornography. And if men can hold the mag with one hand, so can we.

I need to quibble with the cover which touts that these patterns are "from your favorite designers." There are designers in here that I've never heard of. Which is fine--I always like to be introduced to new designers--but if I've never heard of them, how can they be favorites?

Let us turn to page six. Phyllis Hoffman got married! Now why is she still editing this? She is president of Hoffman Media, she doesn't need to edit the magazines. Is she too difficult to work with, and thus can't hold on to an editor? Or is she just saving money? I know...blah, blah, blah, get on with the review already!

Red Work
The first set of ornies are the "red ones." Heartstrings' Santa is on this page but these are the palest colors I've ever seen her work with, almost too washed out. You've already seen Sampler Girls' Good Tidings Rabbit over at Barbara's. Back to the reds...Lauren Sauer stitched a woven heart which is real finger-on-the-pulse redwork but she carried her floss on her confetti stitches! JBW does a word heart this year. I think I may be tired of those. I like Angel Stitchin's Santa, but mostly for the use of funky fibers.

Prim and Proper
I like the Noel Stamp, but is she going to be dictated by the post office forever? The Gift by Blackerry Lane is gorgeous but you know I don't do the whole Jesus thing so I won't be stitching it. I'm not crazy about the Shepherd's Bush but they certainly did jam a whole lot into three square inches. I like Niky's Creation's deer, Gentle Pursuit's Rejoice, and Plum Street's Yuletide. Moss Creek's is pretty; I like the long stitches for the pine but the words? A little off.

Snowman and Flakes
Amy B has a snowmen with a snowman growing out of its head. I like the colors (and I can hear the chorus, "They're not Christmas colors!") but I can't stitch that growth. LHN's is pretty and simple, a must stitch. And just when you think you've seen everything, SamSarah designs a pregnant snowman. Um, what? You know how snowmen are made, right? Praiseworthy has a Victorian-esque sleigh ride, but everyone's so tiny they have giant bug eyes.

Christmas Trees
I think the two best on this page are Elizabeth's Designs (I like sheep) and Workbasket's log cabin home. Blah. I'm a little uninspired. There's nothing funny to say about these. Although there are a couple, maybe just one, that are under designed.

Blue Christmas
You know how they use Christmas carols as headers? The blue ornaments are listed under "Blue Christmas" a little spot on. I like Little By Little's blue and brown design. Mosey N Me does the can-it-ever-get-old? pun of "Merry Moose-mas." (Though that's a reindeer not a moose; I'm from NH, I know from moose.) This year, I'm pretty sure this one doesn't look like Frank. Could it be Judy? Jennifer Aikman Smith didn't contribute a dragon this year; I hope no one is disappointed. She designed a little planet to hang from a "hopeflake" for the people of Japan.

For the Birds
Nine ornaments featuring birds. I'm pretty sure Tempting Tangles' bird is going to fall right off his perch. I usually like the whimsicle fuckery of Jemini Designs but this year's cardinal looks like he had a curry that disagreed with him. Some of the others almost work. Winter Song has the wrong font; the owl goes too far with the earmuffs. I do like Blackbird's blue bird. This may be my favorite.

But WTF Lizzie*Kate? "Half hour ornament?" You know the problem with stitching a half hour ornament? It looks like it took half an hour to stitch. She's still mailing it in. Maybe it's time to call it. Just for the Christmas issue, of course. Or do you think that she's pushing it to see how far she can go before Phyllis Hoffman DePiano finally says, "you know, maybe we don't need L*K to sell magazines."

More Reds
Another Christmas Butterfly! Good grief...fly away to Bethlehem crazy Christmas butterfly. But be careful, those office supplies can be dangerous. I like Christmas in the heart from Acorn House, but I'm tired of depressing stories behind the design. It's a Christmas magazine. We're supposed to be joyful that Santa was born! Wee Work's Noel has elaborate finishing and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

White Christmas
Photographed on mini marshmallows, this page is reserved for the twee. It's also the page that will get the traditionalists riled! These aren't Christmas colors! I love Cathy Jean's squirrel, but tying your recipe to the ornament is...well, that's how she landed on this page. CCN's confection is worthy as are Ink Circle's book and Miss Crescent's Jolly. If there were no marshmallows on this page, Brooke's Books would take care of the saccharine. I don't know what kind of crap they got for Christmas over at Raise the Roof, but the box is not the best part of the present. Fresh Threads' ornament feels so stale, I had to get out my old copies to see where I've seen this before. This is basically last year's ornament with a different color on the sock and trees in it instead of candy. Does that make it stylistically coherent or just recycled?

Recipes
I finally met someone who cooks extensively from the recipes. I thought maybe I should cook them all. But then I realized that was insane and no one really wants to eat Christine's broccoli salad. Okay, while I was perusing the recipes for a reject to include in that sentence, I noticed Charlotte Smyth has sent in the recipe for Caramelitas. Run to the store. Buy the ingredients. Make them. Now! These are perhaps the best bar cookie ever.  What's interesting to me about the recipes are the slight regionalisms. Lychees in heavy syrup? Just let me run to the corner store for those! Catsup and mayo on steak? Cheese in your corn chowder? But I'm sure many more of you will believe I haven't lived until I eat a cookie made with Jell-o.

The Stories
Breaking news: Designers bake cookies at Christmas. And have friends and family over to their homes, which they decorate with trees. They are busy during the holidays with family traditions, attending church, admiring Christmas lights, eating Christmas dinner, traveling, and watching Christmas movies. Yeah, me neither.

Number I might stitch (and I'm being generous): 18
But I'm making the caramelitas!

Hello, Cruel World!

Yesterday as I was driving to Jo-Ann's to get stuff to make this and this and a pinking rotary cutter (I hope to show you the results of that project soon), there was a huge line of traffic. About three miles before the Jo-Ann's exit, there is this fake third lane. It only lasts for about a mile, and you have to merge back down to two lanes well before the exit. So of course because the other two lanes were backed up, people were speeding down the fake lane, then screwing me over because they had to get back into my lane. I noticed that people were also driving in the break down lane (aka hard shoulder) to  take the exit. It was cheesing me off real bad. I inched along legally getting angrier and angrier that there's never a cop around when you need one.


But there was. He had pulled over five cars that were using the break down lane. He had blocked it with his car and was catching them like flies in his web. I rolled down my window and said "ha, ha!" as I crawled past each car. Terribly petty, I'm the first to admit, but you do not know how good it made me feel for driving responsibly. For a change.


You may not have noticed, but blogger is letting its users make separate pages. I have made two and may make another. One is my wish list. The other is far more important and useful. Since we agree that it isn't Just Cross Stitch's  photography that makes us want to stitch their ornaments--it's the photos on our friends' blogs--I've made a collection of links to photos of completed projects from the 2010 issue. So far only two links. As you stitch up the ornies--or find photos from someone else who has done so--please let me know and I'll add a link. 


Perhaps eventually we will have links to all of the 2010 ornaments, and we'll change our minds about whether we should keep buying the magazine.  

2010 JCS Ornament Issue Review

I've been sitting on this magazine for about three weeks. For some reason, I just haven't had the enthusiasm to move the review to the top of my to-do list. Of course, there have been jobs to apply for and minutes to write up and blogging to do for the dogs. So I haven't been just sitting here like a lump. In fact, there's been stitching going on round these parts! And knitting! (Shhh. Don't tell Stella; she hates knitting.)

All the complaints we had last year about the layout--designers in sections rather than alpha, graph and color key on different pages--continue as the layout is the same. Since there are 75 projects, if they gave each person a page and had the same number of two page layouts that they have now (eight), they would still use the same number of pages AND the readers (that's us!) would be happy. How hard can this be? Sigh.

This year, the divisions are labeled with Christmas carols and songs that seem to have nothing to do with the ornaments themselves. So, our first group of ornaments is called "O Holy Night," but only one is "holy." All are, however, primarily red. Several stitched entirely in red include JBW "Star" and La-D-Da's "Tis Red." Plum Street's "Love and Joy" is probably my favorite. As you know, I have stitched several of Fancy Work's carol ornaments. This year's bothers me because the song lyrics are out of order. At the top it says "Let earth receive her King," the middle section has "Joy" in large letters and under that it says "to the world, the Lord is come." Is it wrong of me to hate? Don't worry, you won't want to stitch it anyway, the floss key is on the reverse of the pattern. Sigh.

"Silver Bells" is one of the few places where the ornaments and title match up. The ornaments are all silver or bluish. Except the one I like, which is called "hope" (My Big Toe). Some people may argue that Christmas is the season of hope, but I kind of associate that virtue with Easter. Nevertheless... I like the "Holiday Peacock" from Courtney Collection more for its finishing than the freaky bird but even I am repulsed by "Dashing through the Dough" a "goody holder." And you know my Christmas is all about the Santa Claus. I do like Forget-Me-Nots in Stitches beadwork snowflake she cribbed from an old magazine. I've always thought someone should revisit needlework patterns from old women's magazines and reprint or update some of the patterns our foremothers would have stitched. I also like the lettering on Charland Design's stocking though I am not sure that the motifs work together.

"Carol of the Bells" contains no bells. These ornaments are red and green. On this page I am particularly fond of Blackbird's (of course!) "Floral Gift." I also like Ink Circle's "Stained Glass Pine" though I liked it a lot better when I though the background was stitched in an overdye that randomly made that pattern and not three different flosses that have to be placed particularly. Although I have a small collection of The Artist's Collection's Santas, I'm underwhelmed by the colors this year. I'll have to pull them and see what I think. (Early assessment is that they are too bright.) Moss Creek, who always gives us a history lesson, turns to Scottish tradition this year. My Scottish husband (he was born there to a Scottish mother) suggests that people aren't quite as into Oidche Choinnle (say it, it's fun!) as she suggests.

"Joy to the World"--the golden ornaments--has one of my favorites and one almost favorite. Monsterbubble's "Day Four"--the calling birds--is perhaps my favorite of the whole magazine. If you are looking for colly birds (blackbirds) you'll be disappointed, since they are red and green. Now, you may remember that monsterbubbles produced my favorite design last year too, but what I want to know, nay need to know, is what happened to the second and third days? The one that almost does it for me is Midsummer Night Designs "I love Christmas" which has a tone-on-tone background of the lyrics to "Oh Christmas Tree." The reason I am not fully on board is that the lyrics don't run across the ornament. You have "Oh Christma/Oh Christma/of all the tre/lovel each/you b...ng to/ light meani." See what I mean? The rest of the ornaments in this section practically fade into the background for me.

"Silent Night" is another red and green section, which includes Homespun Elegance, Sweetheart Tree, and Prairie Schooler. My favorites here are the Cherished Stitches Pin Keep and Jeannette Douglas's (yes, I'm surprised too!) Christmas Stamp Ornament. She says that this is based on the new Christmas stamp. Since she is Canadian, I figured it was a new stamp from north of the border, but I have been unable to find it. I'm hoping they did a lousy job editing her story because she talks about filling her stamp collecting book with Easter seal stamps because the only ones she got were from Holland and Canada. "And it was quite something to get one from an Eastern Bloc country." Um, hello?

"White Christmas" is the snowmen and snowflake ornaments, and you know how I love snowmen! My favorite of this bunch is SamSarah's "Love." I may even be inspired to stitch one of these before Christmas. I also like Amy Bruecken's and Miss Crescent's snowmen. Honestly I don't think anyone's gone wrong on this page.

"The First Noel" seems bright and cheerful but that may be caused by the backdrop. Little by Little and Legacy Designs seem to have perfectly coordinated their Quaker-inspired designs. Like them both. I like Ladybug Lane's "Joy" ornament that is accented by JABC buttons. Casey Buonaugurio continues to focus on converting flavors to cross stitch with a peppermint latte. (How does she not weigh 1200 pounds?) I like the Erica Michaels 40-count rendition of "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" though I'm not so fond of the finishing. I also like Charlotte's Web's angel. The story on this one is cute: Charlotte was nostalgic for a particular Christmas ornament of her youth, so she stitched a replica. Nice! How much do I hate to see large chunks of magazine being wasted on literary Christmas quotes? Use it to perfect the layout!

Last, and perhaps least, is the "Little Drummer Boy" section. This is where the much ballyhooed sock monkey appears. The crazy bird from Jemini this year is a puffin! I'm always happy to see those birds, even if I've yet to stitch one of them. The dragon lovers will be happy to see Jennifer's gift, and the kitty lovers will be pleased with Brittercup's design of a cat among the presents. Dog lovers can hang. Finally, I'm a little disturbed by "When Santa Got Stuck in the Chimney." People, we don't want to freak the kids out.

I know many of you skip over the stories, and frankly you're not missing much. I think many of the layout problems could be solved simply by including only the ornaments. From my perusal of the stories, I think they are often harder work that designing the ornament. They're either poorly written or poorly edited. And most of them are boring, frankly. Family stories are either the same (we all have that story about...) or are so odd that they should be kept under wraps. And I honestly don't care about your grandchildren; you're the only one who finds their antics cute. Everyone is being polite when they nod and smile. Look carefully, you'll see our eyes have glazed over when you start telling us all their ages. Sandra Sullivan (Homespun Elegance) puts Martha Stewart to shame with her story which isn't about Christmas at all--it's about her daughter's wedding. (See why we need to get rid of these?) She handcut savory shortbread into a "W" to put on all the salads at the reception. Frankly, I would have been a lot happier not knowing that.

There are only 16 ornaments that I would put on my to-be-stitched list. The fewest in ages. I also blame the magazine for the lack of funny in my review. I keep looking at it and reading it but I got nothin'. Maybe we're all a little tired.

Missing Recipe

In my review of the JCS Ornament Issue, I mentioned two missing recipes. Well, I said there were two but only gave you one example because my magazine was in the recycling. The second recipe is Imaginating's Candy Cane Cookies. Judy from Imaginating says the missing stuff (like the alphabet chart for her ornie) is supposed to be on the JCS website, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Oh, they got the kits up there soon enough. But go ahead and click on the survey. Uh-huh. Out of date. As usual.

You can find the cookies here.

Just Cross Stitch Wants You!

Changes are on the way at Just Cross-Stitch. The new editor wants our opinions. Go. Take the survey. Tell them; please, tell them. I beg you!

From what I remember when I browsed the magazine in the newsstand, they are relocating JCS operations. The editor, Lorna Reeves, doesn't want to move. She's going to be taking over another magazine. With any luck she'll take Martha Bloat Lewis with her.

Miss a JCS Ornament Issue?

Just Cross Stitch is reprinting the favorite designs of a select group of designers who have appeared in their ornaments issues over the last ten years. So if you have a gaping hole in your collection, here's your big chance. For those who don't have a gaping hole, the designers have "updated" colors and fabrics.

Me, I've learned too many lessons from Better Homes and Gardens. I have what I need...

Oh, and I didn't link to JCS because they're still "getting ready to have a makeover." When will the new site go live?