Last finish of 2011?

Thanks everyone for your comments, I do need to provide some comments/answers...  Joysze, I like Hawaiian on lighter colors as well obviously, but it does look amazing on black.  I'm doing mine on Wichelt's hand-dyed Jobelan - Summersky.  It's my favorite neutral hand-dye.  It has a very subtle blue/white mottling and reminds me of, well, the sky. I'm using it for several mandalas and love the way it highlights the stitching, but isn't a flat color.  Dani, I hope you were finally able to get your treadmill - I would really miss mine.

I hope everyone had a wonderful whichever-winter-holiday-you-celebrate.  I've been on the run since last Friday and am really looking forward to some real down time.  Friday was errands, packing and general getting stuff around.  Saturday we went to DFIL's in Virginia Beach to have Christmas with him and his wife.  That evening we went to the Hubs' Aunt's house for her family open house.  We didn't stay very late as we were driving home that night but it was fun seeing everyone from that side of the family.  The Hubs and I were up semi-early Christmas morning he's really a big kid and gets very excited at Christmas and did our gift exchange, cleaned up and headed to DMIL's for Christmas with her and her husband.  Another good time with good company and too much food.  Home mid-afternoon and I started packing for a trip to New Hampshire to see DSon.  He just moved into his own apartment he previously shared a place and decided to stay home for Christmas, but he did invite us to come up for a visit.  The Hubs declined but I jumped at the chance I mean as if I was going to pass up the chance to see my son, especially as this was the first Christmas he had ever spent by himself.  We had a really good time just talking and catching up.  We also went to IKEA and he came home with some very nice Christmas gifts - a chair and ottoman, a computer workstation and a television stand/bookcase.  His place looks much less like a dorm room now and he really likes the extra storage space.  Rumor has it that he has a cat, but Tessa didn't show so much as a whisker the entire time I was there, so it is just a rumor.  I did see snow, so at least it felt/looked like winter even though it's going to be in the 60s by the end of the weekend.

And as the title says, I may have had my final finish of 2011.  We had a bit of time before DMIL got home from work on Saturday, so I stitched on Lizzie*Kate's Santa 2010: Socks & Underwear and had a finish on Christmas Eve which was very fitting.


Lizzie*Kate's Santa 2010: Socks & Underwear
Stiched on New Khaki Lugana with DMC thread
Finished December 24, 2011

 So as every good stitcher would, I went through my WIPs and pulled one out to finish went through my stash and pulled out a new project. 

This:

is Blackbird Designs' Rose Garden.  I'm doing it on 30-count Old Mill Java from R&R Reproductions with Gentle Art Sampler Threads' Faded Rose. I'm planning to stitch this one until it's finished, so I may have another finish before the end of the year, but I will not be upset if I don't.

I've made a couple of changes to my WIPocalypse 2012 list, but I think it's pretty well set.  I've even worked out a schedule, but as I'm sure I've mentioned before, I'm a really good planner...

Final TUSAL - 2011

WOW!  I actually kept up with this!  I am so completely amazed! I am a wonderful planner, I am not; however, wonderful at following through.  It's not that I don't try, I just tend to underestimate how long things really take and overestimate how much time I have which explains the *cough**mumble**cough* or so WIPs. 

As you can see, Santa has arms and the start of pants.  There is still a very good chance that he will be finished before the end of the year bet you thought I was going to say "Christmas" didn't you?  I probably would have, if I hadn't just made the underestimation statement. 

As far as the TUSAL, there are bits of Santa 2010, Hawaiian Mandala, Tree of Stitches, and Birds of a Feather mystery in there.

Thank you to Daffycat for hosting.  If you're interested in joining a just for fun SAL jump on over to her blog to join in TUSAL 2012.

I Hermited This Weekend

After following the International Hermit and Stitch Weekend for most of the year, you can read more about it on Joyze's blog,  I finally got around to officially joining for this weekend.  Of course that meant that I didn't get to do as much stitching as I usually do, but I did craft and finally finished our holiday cards I put them in the mail this morning, so I can say that I am DONE with holiday preparations!!

Before I get to my update pictures, thanks to everyone that left comments, I really appreciate them.  Dani, no treadmill for the last month?!?!?!  I'd be in really sad shape, literally and figuratively, if mine every went.  Ouch on the washing machine - not exactly what I would have wished for as a gift.  Over 1?  Are you doing Enchantment of Winter?  I have that one in my stash and if by some miracle I finish Twilight of the Tsar I plan to start that one.

Since it is now 8:40 and I have to be in bed in 20 minutes the joys of getting up at 4:00 AM, here are my update pictures:

Twilight of the Tsar.  I did the backstitching on the ring and added some blue.  I also remembered why I don't like stitching with blending filament, but the effect will be very worth it.

Next,

Hawaiian Mandala.  Added the gold topstitching in the outer border, the algerian eyelets not fun in metallic thread and worked on two side pineapples.

And finally,

Santa 2010: Socks & Underwear.  I put this one on my scroll frame and it went so much faster than stitching in hand.  I finished the body of the shirt and hope to give Santa some arms and hands during the week.  This one could actually be a finish this week as all that's left, aside from his arms and hands, are his pants and boots.

All in all, given the limited time I had to stitch, I feel pretty good about what I did get done.

An Up and Down Week

It has definitely been an up and down week, unfortunately, the down is the most recent part (another car repair - this one more expensive than the last  - believe me, it was a surprise when the power steering stopped working!!) so it is definitely coloring how I'm seeing everything right now.  I'm working on adjusting my attitude I found TimTams at the store tonight and hope to be in better spirits soon or at least before I eat the whole package and feel more miserable!!!

Thank you all for the kind comments on my finish.  I have it pinned to my design door I would take a picture but the battery in the camera is dead!  I swear the thing turns on at night as it runs through batteries faster than anything I've ever used!! so I can see it and dream of actually getting it framed someday.  They spliced the cable line into the main line today and The Hubs has been on the phone trying to get an appointment for them to come run the line to the house we live about 1/4 mile off the road, so getting the majority of the line run by the cable company was a HUGE plus, we only have to deal with a few hundred feet now. Jo, I had to smile at your description of your cable - fortunately, ours is buried, at least the bit running up our drive so pigeons should not be a problem - now the moles might be another story!

We had a fairly nice day on the water today I don't know if I ever mentioned that we own a boat - well the bank owns it and they kindly let us use it each month for a fee - I really need to take my camera and get some pictures - it got very choppy around noon, so we didn't stay as long as we had planned nor did we catch any fish, but it was nice being outside.

No stitching during the week, but I did get a fair amount done last weekend.  First up, I'm sure to nobody's surprise, is Hawaiian Mandala:

The white squares are either filled with algerian eyelets or bicones.  The eyelets will be done, but the bicones won't be added until I finish all the stitching.

Next is a new start Twilight of the Tsar by Dimple Designs

I found this series late so grab them when I can.  This one was an unwanted WIP that was given to me.  Unfortunately, the stitches were crossed in the opposite direction of mine, so I had to do some frogging right away.  Fortunately, there were less than a dozen stitches, so it wasn't terrible.  I think I will be going back this weekend and doing the backstitching on the ring.  I really dislike backstitching and there is a lot of it on this piece, so if I leave it until last I'll have another WIP/UFO.

As I was looking for my stitching pictures, I found one of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel at sunset. The CBBT is a total of 17 miles long with two tunnels and three bridge sections.  It connects southern Virginia to the Eastern Shore.  It's an amazing view from the bridge, but if you're too timid to do the drive yourself, they actually have people that will drive your car for you.  During really windy weather it can be a white knuckle drive and I can see how people would be nervous.  Anyway, as is usual, structures in the water attract fish and other sea life I caught a 4 foot eel along here once so we spend a lot of our fishing time along the bridge or over the tunnels. 

Wrapping, baking and card making are on the agenda for this weekend.  I hope to get some stitching time in there too.

Let the Merriment Begin

Phew!  I think the Christmas decorating is done - the tree is up and decorated, the stockings are hung, the Santas have all found homes, and the garlands are strung.  I'm sure I'll find a few places that are missing something, but I have plenty to fill in any blank spaces.  Next weekend will probably be baking if DSon will answer my voice mails about what he wants!! I only bake for DSon as The Hubs and I do NOT need the temptation of cookies and whatnots.  I will also have to finish up wrapping all the gifts that have to be mailed.

We've had a crew of people along our driveway all day - we're getting CABLE!  We've relied on satelitte for television (it's actually really good) and an aircard for our internet (it's not so good) so we need to decide exactly what we are going to change over - internet for certain, but I'm not sure about the television.  They'll probably be able to hook us up sometime next week - The Hubs is a gamer (WoW and soon Star Wars) and is over the moon about the internet - I'm happy that we'll both be able to use the internet at the same time.

There was a bit of stitching this week and it resulted in a finish!! With thy Needle and Thread's Birds of a Feather mystery is a mystery no more:

As I mentioned an earlier post, I changed the house color to red and because of that I had to change the door color as it was supposed to be red - it is the same color as the roof - WDW's "Caper".  Not sure what I'm going to do with this one, I'm still leaning towards the guest room.

November Recap and December Goals

December?!?  Already?  I had a very difficult time with spring in New Hampshire - my brain was on southern spring time, well, I have an equally difficult time with  Autumn/Winter here in Virginia - my brain is on New England time for that.  I have not been able to wrap my head around it being 60 degrees in November and December.  Yes, we've had frosts, but it is still warming up into the high 50s/low 60s during the day.

 So the calendar has turned and it's time to recap my November stitching.  My goals were: 

• Finish iStitch's mystery SAL Done!
• Finish part 2 and start part 3 of With Thy Needle and Threads Birds of a Feather Mystery Done and more!
• Finish part 2 of Hawaiian Garden No
• Finish Santa's shirt of Lizzie*Kate's Socks & Underwear Santa 2010 Nope

I suppose I didn't do too badly especially as I didn't have the extra stitching time I had planned to. 

For December, I'd like to:

• Finish With Thy Needle and Thread's Birds of a Feather Mystery This is sort of a cheat goal as I finished stitching this last night.
• Complete two volcano corners and two pineapples on Hawaiian
• Finish Lizzie*Kate's Socks & Underwear: Santa 2010
• Stitch on Dimple Designs' Twilight of the Tsars