Swirling Snow

I'm at the point on Bent Creek's Snowman Stocking where I've completely run out of threads! I need at least four more skeins. Sigh. So close--and I actually have the drive to finish it.

Tomorrow, I am going to finish my Christmas shopping. While I'm out, I'll swing by the thread shop. I'll need to do a lot of stitching to soothe my nerves after a trip to King of Prussia, no doubt.

In the meantime, I've been working on Button Border Pumpkin--a CJC piece.

Today I spent some time in the horror show that is my craft room (photos coming, Donna Jo). Somewhere in there is a Christmas project that I have not shared before that I was hoping to use for Jo's (Serendipitous Stitcher) Advent Calendar. Where can it be? It seems to have run off with MLI's Enchanted Alphabet. Ideas?

I'm Melting

Bent Creek, "Snowman Stocking"
recommended fabric and flosses

It's good something isn't melting around these parts. {mandatory reference to the horrible heat} The dude and I volunteered at the library's family game night, corrupting the youth of Havertown by running a roulette wheel. It seems wrong until you recall that Maggie taught her four granddaughters to play black jack as soon as we could count to 21. She would divide up her tip money between us, and when you lost it, it was gone. It's a tough lesson to learn, but some of the kids tonight got their PhDs in gambling. The dude was funny. When no one won he'd announce a bonus spin or he'd subtly stop the wheel so someone did. He's an old softie. Me, I told 'em, "that's what it feels like in Vegas*, kid." The parents loved that. Then I remembered how close we were to Atlantic City so I changed my patter.



*Unless you're my dad. He was there last week and he won $9000 on his first night. A couple of days later he won $15,000. I could use some of that luck.

Snow and Ice

This is a little message for Kelly: wonton in chili oil, dumplings in chili oil, scallion pancakes, Taiwanese sausage, beef and tripe in chili oil, chicken in chili oil, spicy crispy cucumber, cold sesame noodles, dan dan noodles, mung bean noodles, crispy chicken, Chinese cabbage, double cooked pork, beef kidneys, hot and sour fish, mapo tofu, eggplant in garlic sauce, beef with scallions, lamb with cumin, and six more dishes we can't remember. It was a great deal. And if you're looking to fill a table for ten, you've got two.

Anyway, that's also my excuse for the tiny bit of stitching I accomplished.


Today we had an icy start to the day. I had to walk the dog both times since the dude is home sick. And with the frozen slush on the sidewalks, it was a little like walking in sand. We're both exhausted.

I pulled out Liz Turner Diehl's English 16th C. Knot Garden. Apparently I haven't worked on it in over a year. There's a lot of confetti stitching here, so lower your expectations!

Unofficially Up for a Challenge

Well, that was easy. I have completed the Monthly Mania series at long last. (I know I stitched some of these when we lived in Los Angeles, and we moved in February 2005.)

Monthly Manias
Heart in Hand Needleart
28-count antique ivory linen
Called for flosses

The next WIP to take a turn out of the basket is Bent Creek's Snowman Stocking. I have done a little work on it since the last time I showed it to you (July 30, 2008). I don't know how much I will get done today. I am going to finish a couple of writing projects this afternoon. Tonight, the dude and I (and one friend and seven strangers) are going to Han Dynasty's now bi-monthly Szechuan banquet. I am so excited--mostly because we finally found a Szechuan place that will serve really spicy food to gringos. (One of the reasons we miss L.A., or should I say Monterey Park.) Not sure how much stitching time I'll have.

Snow What?

I have worked for ten hours more or less on Bent Creek's Snowman Stocking. Here's what it looked like before, back in August the last time I showed it to you worked on it. This could go fairly quickly if I put my fingers to it. I am using the called-for fibers except the light purple. It's supposed to be Lavender Potpourri. I can't find mine, so I substituted the recommended DMC 3041. But I had two different dye-lots and then I took a couple of stitches with 3042. Eh, voila, it looks like I stitched it with an overdyed. Sort of. Maybe.

I received another of the slightly Slavic blogging awards; this time from Nic. "Kreativ," who came up with that? Okay--a German, Pole, or Swede, possibly others. That's good because I would hate to think that someone would give me an award that has some really annoying English spelling. It seems you will insist that I choose. And I will continue to desist. If you want to find new blogs to read, check out those -->> over there. They're pretty good reads and lots of kreativitea.

In two days I will have a big announcement. A reversal of previous blog policy. Oooh, what can it be?

Pull up Your Stockings

I have started one of the Bent Creek Christmas stockings. This one is for me. I'm going to have to put it aside to focus on making Christmas presents, but I set out to start it and now I have. (White blob wearing scarf.)

I also set out to begin one of the Shepherd's Bush stockings for my nieces. I started Elisabeth's stocking for Lala. I'm awaiting an order of pearl cotton for this one, so you can see, I actually had to count on this one, which I hate. It's not much, but it's a start.