Bit o' Pumpkin

I spent a moment working on Cricket Collection's The Great Pumpkin Conspiracy yesterday. (This is how it looked last year around this time.) I got to the center of that purple quilt patch and realized that I don't have all the silks for this project (it is stitched in a handful of silks but mostly DMC). They're ordered now!

More Leaves

Last night, I pulled out Great Pumpkin Conspiracy for a tiny bit of stitching. I managed half a leaf and about a dozen stitches toward a pumpkin. Sadly, this one hasn't seen the light of day since 2014.  If someone could tell Santa that I need to win the lottery so I can stay home and stitch, all would be right in my world.

I started a small tonight for tomorrow's SAL check in. (I'm probably going to have to finish it tomorrow, but it's close!)

Until then, comrades!

Cinnamon Hours

Doctor, asking me about my stitching: How long will that take you, ten hours?
Me: (laughs)
Him: Twenty?
Me: A good stitcher can do about 100 stitches an hour.
Him: One hundred?! How big is that?
Me: It's 168 x 100, so about 168 hours.
Him: That's a whole week if you stitch 24 hours a day!
Me: Yes.
Him: So who are you making that for?
Me: It's for me. Not enough people know it would take 168 hours to stitch it.

This is Cinnamon Stars by Plum Street Samplers. I am using the called-for materials. You can see what it looked like previously, here.

I Made It Monday: Finished Fob

I stitched this in October of 2006 when my stitching friends from camp met up in Maine. So this 52x52 piece has taken me eight years to finish! (If I spend more time finishing, I am going to out myself as a procrastinator.) (Oh, really? You don't say. I hadn't noticed.)

Pumpkin Keeper, Drawn Thread

That fabric is not the backing. I went through the origami machinations of finishing the way Cynthia of the Drawn Thread outlines on the pattern (pdf). As my mother (the sewist) used to say when I tried to fold my way to sewing success, "That is not the way fabric works." It will do.

You can't tell from this photo, but that ribbon matches the vine exactly. Kind of a mushroom soup color.

This puts me at having finish-finished two projects for the year (of 12).

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.

Day 19: The Super Unnecessary Scarf

Yesterday, Sissy (seen here) and I flew down to Flo-Rida* to see our parents. I cast on when we got on the plane and bound off when we hit the tarmac in Tampa. This is a seriously quick scarf.  It's the Eleventh Hour Scarf from Purl bee. Knit on size US35 with chunky yarn doubled, you could warm up an entire village of homeless people in a matter of days. I used the Blue Sky alpaca in Jasmine. (So you could warm the homeless but it would be an expensive proposition.) I think Sissy is angling for one in a brighter color. (Though soft, the alpaca sheds like a mother.) Knitting with the giant needles put a little strain on my hands, so remind me I won't be able to make twenty of these in November.

I am also thisclose to a finish on Sisters and Best Friends Button Border Pumpkins. I ran out of cornhusk four stitches shy of completing the border. I guess it will have to wait until we get back to Pennsylvania.



*Ever since the dude and I first heard Flo Rida, we can't pronounce Florida the normal way.

Pumpkins

Thank you for your good wishes for the old lady--and for my sainted aunt. I'll keep you posted. If you want to send a get well note, please email me.

I have been so busy with the silent auction and my job-that-had-previously-only-given-me-an-hour's-worth-of-work. It's good to be busy, and especially to be busy and get paid for it. (Second place: busy and the library gets paid for it.) A few photos for your infotainment.

I finished Frost at Old Lady Stitching two weeks ago.

I have been working on Button Border Pumpkin.

I tried to make the yard look respectable.

I signed up for another class with Shimelle Laine.

Citrouille

I knew once I picked this project back up, I should finish in no time. Well, it took me twice as long as that because I had to restitch almost every motif. Ugh. This pattern is not that complicated but I have a secret. Come closer. Shhhh. Don't tell. I don't like to count! Some counted cross stitcher I am, right?

Funnily enough, when I was working on it at old lady stitching, I only made one tiny error and I caught it right away. Poor Marion sitting next to me can only do two rows in the two hours because she's so busy gossiping she loses count! But I managed to finish this cursed project.

I am happy to report that my liberal friend continues to recover from her cancer treatments. Today I asked if we could gauge how well she was feeling by the complexity of what she was knitting. She's moved from washcloths to a baby hat. She smiled and said that was the case. She said she's going to knit a sweater next; when we all cheered her progress she made sure we knew it was just a baby sweater. These women are so adorable you could eat them with a spoon.

Unless they are being fierce, then watch out. One woman has a loon for a son. He and his four year old son live with her; she refers to them as her "grandson and his father." She's always complaining because the grandkid eats like three things, none of them vegetables. She is always telling us how much he weighs and how tall he is. He's not growing very much, but OTOH his grandparents are munchkins and his mother (from what I gather) is Asian, maybe Thai. So he's not really getting a lot of height from that side of the family either. Someone asked what the doctor thought of his growth, and she admitted he hasn't been to the doctor. "The father" won't take him because they give vaccinations which cause diseases. (You knew that, right?) So the old ladies wonder why she won't take him herself. "What can I do? I'm the grandmother," she rightly says. "I have half a mind to call Child Services," my liberal friend says. Gotta love her! The father does so many dumb things (lets the kid stay up until 11 on a school night, doesn't make him brush his teeth, doesn't attend school functions sending his parents in his place, I could go on...) you wonder if they wouldn't declare him incompetent. Enough with the old lady gossip...

I'm trying to decide if I should finish this as a pillow or a flatfold. I'd like to have some seasonal pillows. The only drawback is that all the mammals in this house think that cushions are for putting their heads on. I know the human male would avoid putting his head on the stitching, but I'm not so sure about that female canine.

Oh, I can't believe I forgot to say, this project was stitched on some random fabric with Sweetpea Threads died by Jennifer in Autumn Leaves and Apple Cider. I knew this is exactly how I wanted to use them when she sent them to me shortly after we met in person. (Gosh that was a long time ago. We should do it again! Who's in?)

I Would Rather Sit on a Pumpkin

You know how I love a pumpkin. 


When I saw these pumpkins on one pretty thing I knew I had to make them so I followed the link to Make Mine Lime. I had a lot of bright orange scraps. Instead of adding a paper stem, I went with the lime green brad. Although the instructions suggested using 14 strips of paper, I found the larger size needed more on the outside as well as the inside. On the bright orange, I went with more on the inside. On the muted orange (below) I went with more on the outside (about 18). 

The rusty-colored pumpkin might benefit from having a stem as in the original project, but I kind of like the idea of not adding it. That way, one could fold them back up for storage. (Always thinking.) Still with brown brad, the rusty pumpkin doesn't quite look pumpkinish enough. Maybe it's the colors, which, ironically, are the ones found in nature.


Thanks so much for commiserating with me about traffic scofflaws. It can be a little frustrating when you're the only one around here who gives a shit about the rules. 


I hope to have my scrappy wreath to show tomorrow. 


Happy fall!

Help Me

Love!

New one from Cross Eyed Cricket, "The Great Pumpkin Conspiracy."

Is anyone surprised?

Queen of the Pumpkins

I know I promised a picture of my gifts but the sun shineth not this morning in Havertown.

I am queen of the pumpkins.

I was looking at the searches that landed people on my blog. Pumpkins are the number one: pumpkin cross stitch, scarry [sic] pumpkins, tree pumpkin pattern, xxx pumpkin patterns*, cross stitch pumpkin, cross stitch pumpkins, celtic pumpkin pattern, heart in hand the great white pumpkin, heart pumpkin stencil, pumpikin [sic] designs, pumpkin list**, scared pumpkin pattern, xxx pumpkin pattern, stitch pumpkin pattern, tree pumpkin patterns, trees pumpkin pattern.

Strangest one-word search that lands you on my blog: sonambulent

Most ironic (tie): jesus loves me counted cross stitch, jesus loves cross stitch

Some people came and stayed:
Visited the most pages: Catherine Theron cross stitch
Visited 10 pages: Walt the Malt cross stitch
Stayed for 45 minutes: the hearts content floral afghan***

And the most disturbing: "penis ornament" latex. No, no, no: I'm felt boobs.

---

The squirrel photo is a little visitor who demolished my beautiful white pumpkins. We weren't sure who was responsible (bunnies? squirrels? chipmunks?) until the GTG tea; when people left, we surprised the pumpkin eaters.

* They didn't find what they were looking for. Bounced right out.
** Surprisingly, they weren't looking for mine. They left early too.
*** It's like they stitched it with me!

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.

Ewe & Eye & Friends Kit Sale

The Needlecase just announced a sale on Ewe & Eye & Friends kits. Instead of $30, they are $12. It won't show up in the cart, but you will be charged $12 when they ship. While you're there, sign up for the newsletter, and you'll know about the good sales too.

I think I see some pumpkins in my future...

Pumpkins!

Adrienne of Martini Made e-mailed me to ask about pumpkin cross-stitch patterns: where could she find them, and what were my favorites

I'm sure I'm not revealing any industry secret when I direct you all to Hoffman Distributing's website. Hoffman is the world's "leading" cross-stitch pattern distributor. They don't have everything--most of the designers they carry are American, they don't carry all of the American designers, or even the whole of each designer's oeuvre. Still, they've got a lot of it. You can search their catalog three ways--by designer, by keyword, and by category.

I did a keyword on pumpkins, and came up with 254 designs. That does include punchneedle designs, and some where the pumpkin was really not central to the design. I started out to find all the cross-stitch patterns that featured a pumpkin, but found myself getting distracted. Even designs called things like “Just Pumpkins” weren’t just pumpkins. Then sometimes I just didn’t like the pattern, so I didn’t include it. And because, in another life, I should have been the official listmaker of the web, I present...

The Great Pumpkin List
(all of these can be viewed at the Hoffman website)

• 4 My Boys Pumpkins Three for Thee*
• Angel Stitchin’ Country Pumpkin
• Bent Creek October Curls
• Bent Creek Autumn Snapperland
• Bent Creek Pumpkin Patch
• Bent Creek Snapperville Pumpkin Farm
• Blackbird Designs Fine Collection (October)
• Bushmountain Walking Mooncat Pumpkin
• By the Bay Pumpkin Hill
• By the Bay White Pumpkin Patch
• Cedar Hill Pumpkin Patch
• Cricket Collection Frost is on the Pumpkin *
• Cross Eyed Cricket Seasonings
• Ewe & Eye & Friends Pumpkin scissor companion
• Ewe & Eye & Friends Scary Pumpkin
• Elizabeth’s Designs Pumpkins
• Full Circle Designs Punkin’ Patches
• Glendon Place Pretty Pumpkins
• Heart in Hand Little Pumpkin in the Patch
• Heart in Hand Monthly mania—October
• Heart in Hand Perfect Pumpkin
• Heart in Hand Pumpkin Hill
• Heart in Hand Pumpkins (Wee Ones)
• Heart in Hand Pumpkins Galore
• Heart in Hand Pumpkins Three (Wee Ones)
• Hillside Samplings Party Pumpkin
• Hillside Samplings Pickled Pumpkin
• Homespun Elegance Pumpkins Aplenty I & II
• Homespun Elegance Shabby Chic Autumn
• JBW Designs French Country Pumpkin
• Just CrossStitch Pumpkin Patch Pillow
• Katidid Designs Too Cute for Pie
• Knotted Tree Pumpkin Topiary
• Liberty Street Checklet Pumpkin Collection
• Liberty Street Pumpkin Alley
• Lilybet Designs Pumpkin Row
• Lizzie Kate Autumn ABCs
• Lizzie Kate Plumpkin
• Mosey N Me Sitting Pretty
• Mystic Stitch Pumpkins (scary)
• Plum Pudding Harvest Thyme
• Prairie Grove Peddlar Pumpkin Time
• Samsarah Autumn Crow
• Samsarah Full Moon Pumpkin Farm
• Sekas & Co Pumpkin Row
• Sekas & Co Pumpkin Square
• Sekas & Co Watercolour Pumpkin Patch
• Sisters & BF Thanks Be To God
• Sisters & BF Punkin’ Head
• Sisters &BF Autumn Thanks
• Sisters &BF Button Borders: Pumpkins *
• Sunflower Seed Celtic Pumpkin
• Sweetheart Tree Pumpkin Patch
• Trail Creek Farm Pumpkin Love
• Twisted Threads Pumpkin Gingham
• Whimsey and Wit Pumpkin Pie

This list makes my small pumpkin patch, which includes just over 20 patterns, seem much more normal. I don't even own half of these patterns!

If you would like to own some of these patterns, and your LNS won't order them for you, Elegant Stitch has a shopping cart where you can shop Hoffman through them. (Elegant Stitch processes the orders, so it may take a little extra time.) They'll give you 20% off your order.

Also, I once stitched a Little River freebie "Harvest Moon" (very cute, companion piece to "Welcome to the Pumpkin Patch") which I cannot find anywhere! While I was looking, I did find a pumpkin freebie from Homespun Elegance.

Just to prove that Hoffman doesn't carry everything, these patterns are in my collection but not on the Hoffman site:

• 4 My Boys Autumn Square
• Heart's Content French Harvest
• Hillside Samplings Jack O' Lantern (hardanger)
• Historic Needlework Guild Seasonal Pins Two
• Marilynn and Jackie's Collectibles Ribbon Pumpkin**
• Sheepish Designs Scarry (sic) Wabbit
• Threadbear Creations Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater
• Twisted Threads Sweetie Peetie Pumpkin
• Twisted Threads Itty Bitty Trio of Pumpkins (This is OOP. I did find it for sale online.)
• Window Garden Designs Pumpkin Sampler

Go forth and stitch pumpkins, friends!

*A favorite of mine.

** Could not find in an online store.

Apples to Apples

Here's an update on the Apple Sampler by Curtis Boehringer. I've finished the alphabet, and it's on to the apples. I love the alphabet on this one. Look at that "s."

And how cool is this? I got a message from the Boehringer studio because they read my blog! They're happy to see me stitching this piece. (But will they be so happy when it takes my five years to finish it?) I went to the website where Mr. Boehringer has some new samplers. Did you notice the pumpkin sampler? That will be a nice companion piece.

What I really want is that set of santas and all the time in the world to stitch them!

To Market! To Market!

Hillside Samplings, "Autumn Willow" You know about the pumpkin obsession, but there's a willow obsession too. Camp is in three weeks and I have three gift certificates to spend.
Workbasket, "Bunny Attitude "Loyal readers will recognize my dedication to spirals. Love it!
Plum Street Samplers, "Dead Man's Chess" The dude (chess rating 1665) took one look at it and said, "Do you know what's wrong with the chess board?" Since I have been subjected to that question a hundred times, I knew right away, the board is set up wrong. The square in the lower left corner should be white. I have been with him in a variety of places where he has told people their chess boards are set up incorrectly (stores, showhouses). In one showhouse there was a "no touching" rule that they broke so he could reset the board--in that case, it wasn't just the right hand corner, but also some of the pieces were in the wrong place. And don't get him started on that ad for some sleeping pill with Abe Lincoln. He goes nuts, e v e r y t i m e he sees it.

In a Handbasket

So Saturday I get home from the hairdresser and I'm feeling really queasy. No idea why. I lazed about on the couch, even had to cancel dinner with Sissy, which I hate to do 'cause she's a peach and a pip. Right after I hung up with her, I finally puked. Nothing to do with her of course.

Sunday, I felt pretty punk, and didn't manage to pick myself up from the couch until my niece called to see if I wanted to go to the pumpkin patch with her. Of course I did! But I wasn't sure if I felt up to it. I experimented by taking a shower, and that went well enough that we drove out to podunk to ride in a bumpity, smelly tractor out to the unnaturally arranged pumpkin patch. (Usually you can pick your own, but the bad pumpkin crop this year meant they had to be shipped into the field.) It took this photo.

Grey Sweatshirt and Pink Shoes are my nieces. Blue Sweatshirt is the neighbor girl.

I set my sights on finishing the presents this week. Yesterday, I went home from work, had to go out to dinner because there was bupkis at home, came home, and fell asleep on the couch at 8:45. Way to get on the projects! I'm thinking the presents might go airmail this year...

The Photo You've Been Clamoring For

WindowGarden Designs
"Pumpkin Sampler"
Started: September 4
EDITED! Completed: September 7 Lee's right! I'm not that speedy
September 10

I love the colors--they're so 70s. Harvest gold and avocado green anyone?

I wonder what happened to this designer.

The Dog Ate My Homework

If I were on the ball, I could share pictures of the other pumpkin I stitched. Yes, I had to keep stitching pumpkins. I have so many patterns, but none on the walls. It had to be done!

But I haven't managed a picture of it yet. I've been making dinner in the mornings when I usually take my photos and upload them. It's a big hassle: take photo, transfer to computer, download the pictures to my jump drive, so that I can upload them at work. Phew! What a process.

Tonight, boys and girls, the dude and the bitch, they finally get the internet access from home. (The guy we've been stealing it from must have moved, and we went months without.) This is the first time we'll ever pay for access (we used to have free dial-up because we worked at a university). And you wonder why we don't have an iPod.

Mombitch is coming for a visit on Thursday, so we have a ton to do before then. I hope I can squeeze Dancing with the Stars in between chores. And of course, a little stitching...

My Pumpkin Patch

Well, the Glendon Place pattern arrived. And I did buy the Trio of Pumpkins that came with a Duo of Trees on ebay. Here are all my pumpkin patterns together. Because I just have the sneaking suspicion that this is what my pumpkin patch will look like for a few more years...

Here's the list, if you can't make them all out: Glendon Place, Pretty Pumpkins; Sheepish Designs, Scarry [sic] Wabbit; Twisted Threads, Sweetie Peetie Pumpkin, Itty Bitty Trio of Pumpkins, and Pumpkin Gingham; Heart in Hand, Fall Fobs and Monthly Mania October; Lizzie*Kate, Plumpkin; Bent Creek, Pumpkin Patch; Window Garden Designs, Pumpkin Sampler; Holiday Sparrow, Boo Guys; Hillside Samplings, Jack O'Lantern; Historic Needlework Guild, Seasonal Pins II; Marilyn and Jackie's Collectibles, Ribbon Pumpkin; Homespun Elegance, Shabby Chic Autumn; ThreadBear Creations, Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater; BOAF, Scared Silly; Cricket Collection, Frost; Sisters and Best Friends, Autumn Thanks and Button Border Pumpkins; and 4 My Boys, Pumpkins Three for Thee. Whew.

Pumpkin pattern total: 20.

Stitched: 0.

Ones I don't even care for anymore: 2.

Me: pathetic.