Mermaid (I Got Nothing.)

Whatever the dog has I've got it too. I was home yesterday (and today) trying not to cough. And sleeping. I am so exhausted. All I can manage is to stitch and watch tv. (And, apparently, let the dog out 100 times. What does she do when no one is here to let her out? Why can't she do that when I'm home?)

I picked up Off the Deep End by Raise the Roof Designs. I am stitching it on (I think) Gunmetal WDW fabric probably 28 ct. I am stitching with the prescribed colors. I worked on this the last time I did a project a day in November. This time I finished the orange flower, added the goldfish (it's probably supposed to be a saltwater fish, but it is stitched with Crescent Colors goldfish so it will be a goldfish to me forever), did the lower ribbon, and started the seaweed. It feels like a great accomplishment.

In fact, writing this feels like an accomplishment. I have to go back to sleep!

Bond Girl

 Yesterday, in what little time I had, or rather made, I stitched a flower. This is the upper right hand corner of Off the Deep End. The pink one was half stitched the last time I worked on it in...(gasp) January of 2014. And then I got about halfway through the orange.

Last night was the James Bond Gala. And I am super happy to report that we made over $6000--more than we did last year! We made almost as much money as we do at our annual book sale, which has always been our big money maker. The book sale is much more work because you need monthly sorters, people to set up the thousands of books for the sale, people to work selling during the nearly thirty hours, and people to straighten up the books. Not that I am saying the silent auction is a walk in the park. 

Instead of taking Sunday to recover, we met my sister and the girls at Longwood Gardens. Phew. After prepping my recipe for Cookbook Club, I need to finish my book for my Books and Brew book club. Don't be too hopeful about tomorrow's stitches!

Small SAL--August Mermaid

The moment keen readers have been waiting for! Just which piece was I able to zip through so I could get back to that handsome bearded fellow from the arctic?

"In the Pink" is a breast cancer awareness piece from Elegant Stitch. It was designed by Midsummer Night Designs, and it sold out before I could sign up. But someone--and I've lost track of who at this point--sent it to me. I started it last year for the Smalls SAL but only got halfway through.

This piece is very pink, stitched on "Awareness Pink" from R&R. (I couldn't get the fabric to photograph well.) It's stitched over one, and so the eyes look like crazy bug eyes.

I think I got this because my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer around the time it came out. Of course, it has been out for ages; happily, my aunt is cancer free. Maybe I'll give it to her anyway. They say it's the thought that counts.

If you were the person who sent me the kit instead of stitching it yourself, please feel free to give yourself madprops in the comments, and I'll right this half-assed post.

Linking up with Heather of Stitching Lotus who hosts the Smalls SAL.

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.

Work in Progress

Some days are better than others, but I'm getting in a couple threads a day just not a lot more. I had big plans for stitching this weekend, but now I have to work--big event and I have to staff the green room. Sort of worked out because I had to leave work early today. The snow had piled up on Stella's daycare (think warehouse) and the fire marshal evacuated them in case of collapse! Crazy, right?! I had to get there by 3:00 pm or they'd ship her off  to a vet's office for temporary holding. (Sounds like jail!) She's safe, and they were removing the snow when I picked her up.

Anyway, I'm not sure I'll get a lot of rope done this weekend. I was hoping to have all the crosses stitched by Sunday. Fingers crossed. I'm still going to try.

This is my accounting for Sharon B's Work in Progress Wednesdays.

Mermaid Exes

All the cross-stitches on the mermaid are complete! On to the seaweed...

Work in Progress Wednesday--More Mermaid

I love that I see Sharon B's "Work in Progress Wednesday" post in the middle of Tuesday afternoon. It's nice to be reminded so early. (Or look at it another way, to have an excuse for being so late to post my Wednesday report.)

I was going great guns on Emerald Mermaid last week. It was just too cold and freezey to do much else. So the dude and I watched Elementary--one a night, we're half a season behind--while I stitched. That progress came grinding to a halt. This Sunday was our turn for Sunday dinner (briskett, mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, and peanut butter cup cookies) and we had to prepare for Monday's cookbook club--"family favorite recipe." The dude made scones, and I made a potato babka; the recipe starts "grate five pounds of potatoes."*

Having recovered from my babka coma on Tuesday, I got back to the mermaid, and I even put a few stitches in her today at work-stitching.

She's getting there. After I finish her tail, I have to turn my attentions to her seaweed rope. I may have been optimistic thinking this would get done this month (when am I not?) But the good news is, I can always give it to my mother unframed. She's cool.


*It's not like sweet babka. It's also apparently very localized to Eastern Poland--and my peeps left Vilnius (now Lithuania) in the late 19th century. Funnily enough, I think the cookbook club would have been happier with a more "our family always makes this recipe we cut out of the newspaper" recipe than with this ethnic monstrosity (everyone in Havertown is Irish or Italian). But I was het up on making it because the last time I was told to make a "traditional family food" at Christmas (for the office party) I brought a cheeseball and everyone was like, "Cheese ball? Where's that from?" So I got my recipes confused. Next time!

Mermaid Update

I had today off; the power was out at work. Actually more than 500,000 homes are without power in the Philadelphia area. I'd say more about this but I am bored with winter. So over it.

Unfortunately we were not among the powerless--instead of stitching I did laundry and cleaned.

But when I do take up the needle, I've been working on the mermaid as promised. This is what she looked like the last time I had her out. Actually, you can probably just scroll down and see both at once, but for posterity I'll add the link. I've concentrated on the area that I guess would be her knees.

I'm joining in on Pintangle's Work in Progress Wednesday so that I can be held accountable.

Thanks for stopping by.

Running in Place

I have some photos to show you as a catch up. I put two threads into Tall Guys (Holiday and Sparrow) last Friday, and I started June Morning (Good Huswife) on Saturday.

But I have to admit I haven’t been able to keep up with my goal of stitching two threads every day.

On Sunday, I went to take out Fish Tale—Teresa Layman’s mermaid. You may remember that I had lost the color key. I was so on top of it, I emailed Teresa requesting the color key only for the parts I had yet to finish, and she sent me a whole new one. Color key in hand, I went looking for the project—and I couldn’t find it. I’m sure it is somewhere but I was a little disheartened. So I started grabbing other WIPS—St. Basil’s Cathedral, seems I’ve thieved all the fibers from this one for other projects, same for Watercolor Geranium; I’m still waiting for my orders from three of the four stores (one of those is my fault); I just felt discouraged by it all so I just went and sat.

On Monday, we had Cookbook Club at the library. I don’t think I’ve told you about that. The dude and I joined last summer. Every month, the program director at the library* chooses a cookbook. Sometimes with our help; sometimes with our general direction; sometimes whatever grabs her fancy.** Anyway, we all sign up to make a recipe from the book. Then we get together to eat and talk about what we’ve made. It’s quite a diverse group—a grandmother who loves to cook but is married to a meat-and-potatoes man comes with her adult granddaughter (and sometimes her daughter), mothers and teen children, mothers and adult children, husbands and wives—one of the husbands has over 2000 cookbooks in his collection—single young women, older women with families who leave them at home. It’s fabulous. In fact, it’s such a hit they’ve started Cookbook Club Junior for the littler set.

Anyway, we ate the tiramisu I made on Sunday (soooooo easy! And good!). (The dude made roasted pepper salad.) Then I had an appointment; we didn’t get home until 9:30. And I just didn’t have it in me to face the basket of projects to put in two more threads.

After another day of sitting, I dragged out Off the Deep End for Wednesday stitching with my knitting peeps. And when I pulled her out of the bag, I found Fish Tale. Emerald Mermaid was in there too, so I guess it was a little underwater maiden party. Sometimes you just got to stick together.

*she’s not an MLS and hates when I call her a ‘librarian’ but dude, you work at a library…most people don’t know the difference. Though all props to those who are trained.

**June – The Dean Brothers’ Get Fired Up

July – The Everything Ice Cream, Gelato, and Frozen Desserts cookbook

August – Main Course Salads (agreed: “A lot of work for a salad”)

September – The Greatest Ever Jewish Recipe Book

October – The Dead Celebrity Cookbook (disappointing, but of course)

November – 1896 Boston Cooking School Cook Book (early Fanny Farmer)

December –Appetizers, Finger Foods, Buffets and Parties (we missed this one when the car died)

January – The Soprano’s Family Cookbook (surprisingly good!)

February – Our own family recipes

Christmas in July

Last Month, I planned to stitch mermaids, and I did: 
June 1-8 Off the Deep End-- She has a tail and an alphabet, as you can see here. (Click here to see how she looked before.) She tried to go for a swim. (It is so disgusting outside, I have no idea why anyone comes to Florida in the summer. It is surely the grossest time of year to be here. And it it weren't for my parents I'd never come after April.) (Just to emphasize the point, my parents have a pool, and I didn't even pack a bathing suit!)
June 9-15 Ornament SAL--done! 
June 16-22 Emerald Mermaid--She's really coming along. (Can it be I really haven't shown you this one since January 2011?)
June 23-30 Teresa Layman, A Fish Tale--I couldn't find the color chart. Sigh. 

I also finished Boris from Plum Street Samplers. Thank you all for your kind comments on that! 

For July, I'm doing Christmas in July!

July 1-6 New start! SamSarah's Shining Star
July 7-13 Shepherd's Bush's Black Snowman
July 14-20 Ornament SAL/ Tall Guys' Christmas
July 20-27 New Start! Blackbird's Tis the Season

I probably shouldn't be making new starts since I have plenty of Christmas projects to fill my dance card. However, one of my aunts asked me to make a Christmas stitchery so she could have one to pull out every year and think of me. How could I say no? She's getting "Tis the Season." The other new start is for me, which means it will be done in about five years. I've been collecting the thread and waiting and waiting and waiting for the Morris blue fabric which arrived (at last!) last month.

Mermaid Tale

When I arrived at library stitching last Friday, I realized I had forgotten my cheaters. There was no way I was going to be able to work on this dark, 30-ct fabric without magnification. Fortunately the library carries a magnifier for reading, on a stand and everything. The librarian went and fetched it for me. I'm talking to her when this newish woman wanders over and says, "Black fabric? Good luck with that!"

First of all, honey, I'm a good 20 years younger than you, and so are my eyes. For instance, they can tell that's not black, but rather a bluish steel gray. Secondly, I've already made really good progress on this. It's not like I'm just starting it and have no idea what I am getting into. Finally, who the hell taught you manners?

You might think only my nemesis could be so delicate, but apparently everyone's a critic. In fact, the influx of new people has really diluted the nemesis's sway over the group. She has been much, much quieter over the past month or so. Which is nice.

But back to the mermaid, I finished the tail and added some pink streamers.

Before:

And after:

A Little Tail

I did take Off the Deep End out for a little spin last weekend even though I've just gotten around to photographing it. She took a ride out to Longwood Gardens with us. To see the orchid-palooza. Oh, you do want to see the photos I took? Okay...

This giant cone of orchids greets you when you walk into the large greenhouse. That's a full-size palm tree there to the left, for scale. They go big at Longwood.

The orchid ball is much smaller but still just dazzling, perhaps even moreso because it's hanging right over your path. And it's almost small enough to hang in your house. Almost...

Now the arch! The arch. Imagine being a bride with this one? Just stunning. My photos do not really give you the sense of wonder, I think.

Don't these look like they are made out of chocolate? They were the most fabulous soft brown. I don't think I've ever seen orchids this color before. They were in large hanging baskets over another  path. What's that? A close-up of these wonderful flowers? I think I have that...












What? Even closer? Okay...

This is not an orchid at all. It's a South African flower in the geranium family that they had planted around the lawns in the greenhouse. I thought they looked like butterflies.

And at last our mermaid. She may pale in comparison. 

Day Three

It's been pouring rain on and off for the past few days. I'm pretty sure I'm going to molder if it doesn't dry out around here soon. That's why this photo is days late. Above is where we left our beautiful mermaid back last November.

She can almost swim now. Just needs some more curlicues on her tail for navigation. I've moved onto "Mind Independent" but I can't promise this kind of progress. I had seven hours in the car and a two days of watching tennis after all.

Long Beautiful Hair

I finished my ten hours on the Raise the Roof mermaid. I spent most of my time on her long beautiful hair, shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen, hair down to there, hair. It is quite a head of hair! But looking at how little I was able to do on this project--one of the larger pieces for the Crazy January Challenge--I'm not sure I'm going to be able to add the very popular Leave a Light On to next year's challenge. But you may twist my arm yet.

When I was looking through patterns considering which to start at the new year, I was cuddled up under the heated throw (not currently plugged in--I do wait until it gets properly cold!). I got up for a minute and someone stole my spot! I don't know what the attraction is, but this dog loves "Blue Blanket." (We named it for her.) She has several of her own blankets, but she prefers this one. Probably because it is on the couch. 

At Thanksgiving, I put it in the study because it doesn't really match this room. Long story but "Beige Blanket" got chewed by a puppy. Anyway, Stella was wandering around, obviously at loose ends. The guests had left, so I went and grabbed Blue Blanket and said, "Stella, I've got Blue Blanket for you." She came trotting into the living room and snuggled in for the night. Silly dog.

Mermaid Hair

Would you look at that hair! Mermaids, it would seem, have a lot of hair. I was wondering why that might be.

It's not just the Raise the Roof mermaid. Check out Emerald Mermaid and A Fish Tale:

And it's not just mermaids I'm stitching: There's a suggestion that cultural ideas about modesty resulted in  portrayals of mermaids with hair long enough to cover their bare breasts. I suppose once one guy paints a mermaid with hair covering her breasts Darryl Hannah's tresses are inevitable, as is the trend in giving yourself mermaid locks (so 2009).

I probably should have read Dorothy Dinnerstein's The Mermaid and the Minotaur in grad school. Then I could say fancy and interesting things about this. But the reality is all I got is that short hair just isn't that sexy underwater.

Off the Deep End

That Dern Parrot
Sheepish Designs

Oh goodness, where to start? We're all fine after duking it out with Irene. On Saturday, we brought e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g from outside into the house because we are good little do-bees. The patio table wouldn't fit down the basement stairs, so we made a space for it next to the dining room table, you know, right by the giant planters. I had put together a box of rations--tuna, mandarin oranges, sardines, peanut butter, crackers, goldfish, and granola and energy bars. Notice I did not buy milk and eggs. That's because if you lose power, you are going to need to eat things that 1) don't need refrigeration and 2) don't need to be cooked. I piled that on the 12 gallons of water. We were ready.

While watching New England vs Detroit, we got our first tornado warning. We popped into the basement with Stella (her first trip down there) for 15 minutes. We noticed some of the regular flooding we get with wet weather. About an hour later, the tornado possibilities were closer--not just in our county, but 5 miles away--so we spent half an hour in the basement. Stella wasn't so freaked out by the French drain this time, but we were more freaked out by the new places that had sprung leaks. {Sigh.} So we brought the luggage that was in the line of flooding up to the dining room. It looked like a jumble sale.

Long story short, we're fine, the important stuff in the basement remains dry, and our dining room is back to normal. My parents, who live a mile from the beach in Maine, rode out the storm at Foxwoods in Connecticut. My cousins in Vermont and Massachusetts have not come out as well as we have. The Bostonians have been without power for over a day and are complaining about it on Facebook. (Suck it up; you've lived through worse winter storms!) And, well, you've seen what's happening in Vermont. Fortunately, they are fine, but my cousin is a reporter. He has recorded some of the historic covered bridges falling into the rivers they spanned. It's such a shame. I have a soft spot for covered bridges.

The worst hit, however, was my BIL from London. His family vacation* was scheduled to end on Sunday when he flew out of JFK. Of course, no one was flying out of JFK on Sunday. In fact, 12,000 flights were canceled nationwide, so you can imagine the logistical nightmare of rescheduling everyone. They were finally rebooked after about four hours on hold; they'll fly home Saturday out of BWI. Fortunately, he bought natural disaster insurance after seeing the wrath of Eyjafjallajökull. (Who does that?) 

Disembodied arm, "Off the Deep End"
Raise the Roof

Anyway, on Sunday, I was a bit tired of being indoors, and I thought I should have something new and fun to stitch. So I pulled out "Off the Deep End." Which I've just now realized was a rather strange choice. Or apropos. You decide.

*Don't worry, they're staying in a hotel.

Think of Your Own Title

As promised, I did a bit of work on my Teresa Layman mermaid. I have completed the light blue background. I seem to have mislaid the color key to this one, so tidying the craft room may be in order.







On Thursday, I became a willing prisoner in my house (that's from Billy Collins's Snow Day. Go read it, especially if you have a dog.) I turned to Treasured Tulips (Nutmeg Needle). This was a class I took with Sue Stokes in 1999 or so. The last time I showed it to you, I had just spent ten hours ripping out and restitching the right hand tulip...in 2006. I didn't get much done on this round, just those feather eyelets below the section that has been unwoven and  the box that will be filled with triple crosses. Every time I pick this up, I have to freak out about that middle section which will someday be filled with coral knots, an interlacing stitch. When I was in the class learning coral knots it was like my brain was shut off. No sooner would Sue walk away then I would completely forget what I was doing. I may have to give her a call and make a special trip to Connecticut.

I didn't have very long to work on this because I had to do the calligraphy for my sister's wedding invitations. I had a doctor's appointment in the city and since I was going to be there anyway, I wanted to bring the invites to the Ben Franklin post office where they could be hand cancelled with the franking signature Franklin himself used ("B. Free Franklin"). (I mailed them yesterday and our invitation arrived today!)

Last night I didn't take a single stitch. My Stampin' Up! rep had a "PMS party"--pizza, music, and stamping--where we could use all her stamps and punches and Big Shot stuff and inks--the only thing we had to bring was paper and adhesive. Let me tell you something, she has a Ton of Stuff. Still, I only used one set of her stamps and one wheel stamp. Next time, I'm packing much less of my own stuff.

I concentrated on making cards to send to people who get Meals on Wheels in Manhattan (the Etsy project under "Love One Another" -->>). Meals on Wheels fed Maggie when she was in New Hampshire on Thanksgiving. She didn't feel up to the drive to Pennsylvania. But she wasn't forgotten. They even gave her two desserts. Now I want to repay them. (The "Olive You" is reserved for her though.) I made two dozen cards to send.

The gang is coming here for Sunday dinner--gotta spruce up this joint!

Little Stitches

The mermaid got an elbow. I had a three hour coffee klatsch to attend during my regular stitching time. Since I was drinking salted caramel hot chocolate, there was no stitching.

Sorry both pictures are so blurry. I had to take them at dark o'thirty. Stella needed to go to daycare before my 9 a.m. dental appointment. I'm a dentist's dream girl; she looked at my mouth for about five seconds before she told me my teeth looked great.

Gardens and Mermaids

 I finished the corner garden and made headway on the other three corners, but not so much as you need to see it.

I'm bringing out the troubled mermaid. Longtime readers will remember the tragic unstitching that had to be done with this one. I pulled her out last winter during the Olympics when I became a one at a time stitcher for two weeks. And then I didn't put her back into the rotation once. Let's see what I can manage.

Procrastination

What exactly can I be procrastinating? All the gifts are out of the house, right. Trust me, not everything is in order for this trip we are taking to Florida but I wanted to take a quick minute to show you some of the gifts you haven't seen.

The spa boxes. Although I had planned to make the paper flowers (seen here in blue and white) on all four boxes (35 on each box requiring eight punched scallop circles each), I realized the two that would be shipped had no chance of survival. I swapped out paper flowers of a different sort on those (below, pink). The spa stuff itself was very easy to make. It's just a matter of finding high quality essential oils.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a shot of the pillow remote holder, but my BIL brought it right down to the den and popped the remotes in it. And then he cuddled it. (Don't let him know I saw that.) (Actually, he's the only family member who reads my blog with any regularity. Hi, Big Guy!)

The pet t-shirts. Of the pets, not for the pets. Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos of those, but just try to picture my sister's dog on a white t-shirt, and a myriad of other dogs on various colored tees. These were for my younger niece, and she thanked the dog profusely for them. (Ahem.)


The frame on the mermaid. The Strawberry girls were kind enough to bring this to me at stitching. And doesn't it look fabulous?

The Weasley clock. I sanded this thing for more than an hour, that's why it took longer than it looks like it took. And also why decoupage has fallen out of favor as a leisure time activity.