Round Robin Redux

Wow! That post brought you out of the woodwork. A little research shows Nic and I were in the Prairie Schooler RR together, and Mercy was in the group too. All of us hosed.

As for outing her, she's already been outed. If you googled her, you'd find her on the "Stitcher's Report Card," an assessment of stitching traders. Frankly, I don't even think she's stitching any more.

The sad thing is that this wasn't even the first time I had a lousy RR experience. Back before the interweb, when we just had e-mail and 50 on-topic RCTN posts a week, I did one organized by Theresa Venette (she organized all of them back then). The very first RR I was ever in was stolen by the woman right after me. Excellent.

So a couple of years ago, I did one with friends. And still! Mines MIA. Its' like a freaking conspiracy. I can't win for losing.

When Round Robins Go Bad

Two years ago or so, I was in a round robin yahoo group. The leader of the group started a new group about every 15 minutes and apparently she joined in all of them. Apparently she was the only one who knew that you couldn't join nine million round robins and keep up with your commitments. Little by little people became disgusted as their robins failed to make their ways home. Eventually, the group was disbanded, and many half-finished robins were sent around the globe to their respective homes. Except the 50 (fifty) (5-0) held hostage by the group leader. She promised she would get them all back to us. Promised. I waited a while and then sent a priority envelop to her so that she could return my three pieces that she had. Allegedly she never received it. This woman had a post office box and yet her mail went astray so often, you would have thought it was in another dimension.

At any rate, I started thinking about those missing robins again and decided to google her. People, she is out there carefree as can be! She is on Linked In, on Facebook, on mySpace, and has two, possibly three, blogs! She should be hiding from me, but she's not. How outrageous!

I read her stupid blogs. Not a word about stitching. So there she is in Utah, listening to heavy metal and watching football and not stitching. So does that leave those 50 (fifty) (5-0) projects languishing in Rubbermaid tubs in her basement? And if so, why not just send them back to their owners?

At any rate, I haven't written her name or linked to her stupid blogs because I'm still thinking about whether I could approach her to get my things back. My best bet probably is to show up on her doorstep one day. But I'll probably start with an e-mail.

White House Briefing

Now, do you really think I would have taken a photo of my mammogram? No one wants to see my boobs (excepting the dude) and no one--not even the dude--wants to see them squished flat in a giant machine. I managed to finagle the prescription from a doctor across the hall from the imaging center, so that worked out. And eventually I stopped feeling antsy from just having walked out at work--my boss was out so I didn't have anyone particularly to tell I was leaving. And why tell, if I can get a free few hours off work? Once home, I picked up the RR and stitched up that damn white house. (You'd have thought I'd have had hours in the waiting room, but I arrived at 2:30 went and got my scrip, checked in at imaging at 2:45, and was on my way home at 3:10. I know!)

At 11:00 last night, I finished! I need to add my name and off this goes back to Edgar, a complete and completely lovely LHN round robin.

A close-up of my white (actually 712) stitching to prove that everyone has trouble stitching white. (Even with railroading and a laying tool...sigh.) Hey! Good thing I took this close-up because I just noticed the door jamb needs some work!

By the Sea

The dude was on the computer all day yesterday catching up on his lectures before he writes his final today. He took only a few short breaks, and I fell asleep on the couch waiting for him to be done. The dog--we're watching Sissy's while she's at the beach--and I crawled off to bed where she got a much better night's rest than I did. (And she's sleeping next to me right now.) A giant moth was caught in our drapes and I was too tired to do anything about it. Every time Mothra beat her wings, I woke up. Then at 6:00 the dog wanted out. At 7:00 I relented. So now I know how early you have to get up around here to blog. It's not going to get better next weekend, because the dude has to write a paper.

I took a little trip to Strawberry Sampler yesterday to get some floss for my Fair and Square project. I had received a newsletter from them saying if you bought $25 worth of stuff and said,"It's sizzling at the Strawberry Sampler," you got 20% off. So I bought By the Sea by the Yankee Stitcher and all the stuff to stitch it (way over $25). Do you know how embarrassing it is to say something like that, even if you do get a financial break? I said, "I think I'm supposed to tell you that it's sizzling here." The two women working the counter shouted, "we got one!" Fortunately there was only one other customer in the store. Which is probably why they were "giving" stuff away.

I spent the rest of the day working on Edgar's RR, and I'm pretty sure that stitching white houses must be the most time consuming thing a person can stitch. I'm hoping that today I will also get to stitch on my knot garden so I can show you some stitching pictures already!

Edgar's Neighborhood RR

It's been a while since you've seen stitching out of me. I'm still working on Edgar's RR. I don't know what is taking me so long. Well, yes. I keep getting interrupted. This weekend, though, the dude is eyeball deep in work for his MLIS. So I should have nothing to do but sit on the couch and stitch.

Abandoned

The dude took off to a conference in Chicago with the computer which means I will have to blog from work where I am ass-deep in it. My senior and junior colleagues are now long gone, making poor-you faces at me from their new desks and laughing their asses off. The good news is the evil AVP is off on a ten day holiday. The bad news is she has increased my responsibilities to 60 hours a week and refuses to discuss salary with me. The good news is I fully intend to go over her head while she is gone. In fact tomorrow. Hey, I gave her chances. And also, I have only been doing my regular jobs rather than work 60 hours a week. I think that's reasonable. Anyway, now you know why the posting has been erratic. Some days it's all I can do to sit upright at my desk and avoid weeping openly.

So anyway, no pictures til the dude returns*. Just boring old blather and whine, whine, whine from me.

*Too bad for Edgar because I've been working on his round robin. (DD, yours is next, promise!)

Way Past My Bedtime

Last night, I stayed up way late to get this robin done, and just as I finished, I got an e-mail from Donna telling me she's dropping out from our "contest." Pooh, I could have gotten an extra two hours of sleep! (And taken a better photo!)

In order to balance my cockeyed placement, I added the second (darker) tree. The butterfly button was included because "camp" was lined up properly with the cabin but way off center. How come I find it so difficult to do math?

I do love the little redbud tree on the right.

Cheaters

Pictured are my new cheaters. Can you see the copper crystals that match my hair? I bought them when I went to Stein Mart to attend to the Great Pants (Trousers) Fiasco.

Moving into the cheaters phase of my life while I have a face that screams "card me" when I order a drink is so confusing. But I guess that's what mid-life crisis is all about: daydreaming about running off to Monaco with Gus Hansen while wearing your cheaters. Daydreaming about running with the bulls in Pamplona while wearing your cheaters. Daydreaming about running down the Malibu coast with Matthew McConaughey, firm skin--a firm body like you haven't had since you were 12--glistening with the oils you've rubbed on each other mixed with pure sweat... Or daydreaming about running anywhere at all while you're wearing an orthopaedic shoe after your bunion surgery. Yeah, that's middle age.

I picture myself looking up over the edge of these glasses to see the distance and imagine that I look exactly like my father when he imitates my departed grandfather. I'm looking up over my cheaters and seeing my old, decaying self. (Dear friends, remind me not to wear them in front of cute boys.)

In stitching news: I'm in a race with Donna to see who can get the RR in the mail first. Of course, I have a two hour head start being as I'm a "liberal democrat from the east coast." (I say that with a little wink.)

What I Ate for Lunch

Take that Margaret Mason! I so wish I could be more like Michelle and whip up a vat of something to eat for a week. I often marvel that the dude does this when I go away. I'm much more like Cheryl. Even taking 5 days of Lean Cuisines in 5 different cuisines is too much like punishment.

I'm really good about meal planning for dinner, but I always fly by the seat for lunch, so I decided to plan lunch! (It takes a PhD, friends.) Even getting a crate of clementines (like little balls of sunshine) and a giant bag of Utz's snack packs we still spent the same amount on groceries. Have I found the free lunch?

Today I brought egg salad on a hard roll (which I won't eat again for a month or two), a handful of grape tomatoes, a tiny bag of Utz's potato chips, and 2 clementines. Think of it not so much as lunch as an afternoon buffet. Look mom, two servings of fruits and vegetables! Tomorrow I plan on having a tuna salad with tomatoes and cucumbers, a bagel, and chocolate pudding. Friday is peanut butter and shredded carrots on whole wheat, chips, and 2 clementines. (I love pb and banana but you can't buy bananas when you get a crate of clementines. Not for a family of two.) On Saturday we will eat leftovers, and on Sunday we're having baked potatoes with salsa and cheese. It's stunning what changes a little bit of effort yields.

This morning I realized how badly off-center my rr is; tonight I hope to locate some little buttons that I can use to make the empty spaces seem deliberate. I should be done this project by Friday. (Did you hear that, Donna?) I'd like to get it in the mail soon so that we all have enough time to get these robins finished by camp (March 8th). You know, and not be taking the last stitches on the plane to Tulsa. Then I can get on to the next obligation piece--the Dolly Mama Kitty for my niece's birthday. Sometime in between I have to finish my Christmas cards--now New Year cards. I have about 20 left. And someday I'd like to make my new start. I deserve it!

Round Robin Help

I received my camp friends' round robin today. My friend's theme is "cross-stitch," which is pretty broad. I have a chart of "antique needlework tools" that I was going to use, but now that I see what the person before me (the ubiquitous best pal) did and I don't like my idea so much anymore. She made her own design with four little stitching queens (hair color correct-ish) surrounding the quote "I cannot count a day complete 'til needle, thread and fabric meet."

Now my idea seems sterile. So I was thinking that at camp, they gave us a chart of the cabin where we stayed. I could use that. Or I could stitch some of The Meri Wanderer's scissor charts, which are great, like this one or this. I could do Lynn Nicoletti's Thimbelina over one so it will fit in the little 75x75 area. I could convert Glory Bee's chart "Chart: 6.00/Linen: 12.00/Afternoon stitching with friends: Priceless" to be about camp. I also found the quote: "I pray that risen from the dead/ I may in Glory stand/ A crown, perhaps, upon my head/ But a needle in my hand." So much pressure!

I welcome your ideas.

round robin focus

I have been working on my best pal's round robin today, so no pictures, unfortunately. We are doing Christmas trees so she can hang it in her Christmas-miracle-baby's bedroom. My pattern was designed to be stitched on black fabric, but her fabric is ecru, so I'm worried that it's not green enough. It's sort of chartruese. I think she'll love it anyway.

Of course, this means I haven't been working on attaching the (twisted cord) trim. The worst thing that could have happened to me happened at the post office on Friday. The postal worker told me that it would take 4-6 weeks to get the presents to England by slow boat. Given that the dude's mum's present cost $11 to mail and it wasn't even that heavy, I'm a little bit worried about the ones that will weigh more--there's no way I can send them airmail. Nevertheless, I just have to mail them next week for surface to get them there on time. She should never have told me that. It. just. slows. me. down.

July in Review

1. 10 hours on Anna's Bird I hope to have pictures soon on this one.
2. 10 hours on Enchanted Alphabet See progress here.
3. 10 hours on Tulips See progress here.
4. Take Hardanger napkin rings as travel project I finished everything up to the cutting point on one of the pair.
5. Prepare sheep RR No, I haven't lost my mind or forgotten about my missing robins. I am doing this one with friends. I've finished stitching and must complete the basting (yes, I do everything backwards) for our Aug 1 mail date.
6. After 1-5 are complete, start something new! Well, I didn't wait. My cousin's kid turned one and I still hadn't stitched his birth sampler--and his sister has one on the way. Have to churn these suckers out! Again, I've been reunited with my camera and hope to have something to show you soon.




I also started a Theresa Layman design--the mermaid. I worked on it briefly in my mother's beach house. She thinks it would be perfect for her, and she wants it. Well, I think it's perfect for me, and I want it! Maybe I can figure out how to do it again with punchneedle. Or maybe by the end of the project I will want to stitch 2000 more French knots!

#5 Prepare Sheep RR

I have figured out that I need a piece of 28 ct linen 19"x19" for my upcoming round robin. My plan is to stitch a fence (from a Moss Creek chart) to divide up my fabric into four squares. Into my square I will stitch Drawn Thread's Two Friends.

So last night I went through my fabric. I have no system for storing my fabric. In fact, I'm so desperate I sent the question to the SBQ. It's "on the list." I just don't know how to keep it so I can find what I am looking for. If you take it out of the package, you'll have to count every time to find out what hpi you're dealing with. But if you leave it in the package, the poor linen can't breathe! And what about those scraps and odd shapes? I am at a complete loss. Anyway, I didn't have any large enough pieces of 28 count fabric. I tend to go for the higher counts. So, I'm over on ebay seeing what I can pick up for a song. Don't bid against me!

I didn't get any work in on Enchanted Alphabet. I'm hoping to do an update before we leave for our highly anticipated trip to Maine. Just for a few days. Nothing big, but away from work and this stifling city. I swear I might melt today. Melt.