A chill in the air

There is a definite chill in the wind today. It is also damp, definitely feels like autumn. The trees in the low, wet areas are changing color and the others are looking very tired.  I have also noticed a shift in the bird population at the feeders.  More chickadees, cardinals and titmice and fewer finches and the gold finches are putting on their winter colors.  The hummingbirds have headed south.  There are two females that showed up earlier this week, but I don't expect them to stick around much longer. I read that they migrate to Central America and Panama for the winter.  It is hard to imagine something that small flying across the Gulf of Mexico. Nature is truly amazing.

What hasn't been amazing this week was my stitching.  As I mentioned in my last post, I worked from home this past week and had several hours a night for stitching that I don't normally have.  You know the old "best laid plans?",  yeah, that was me.  I did some reading, I did a ton of net surfing, I spent at least one evening searching for fabrics for Serenity Harbor, I got all my unkitted and three kitted pieces of  DMC loaded into my Xstitch app (Jo at Serendipitous Stitching did this review in April) .  The inventory has been eye opening, more for the questions it raises than anything - for instance, why do I have 16 skeins of 501? The only thing that I would change on the app is how the thread is sorted.  Currently the 3000 series is interspersed with the 300s and the 4000 with the 400s.  A fairly minor issue, but it did make initial entry and additions a little awkward.  I will quit whinging about what I didn't get done and show you what I did:

99 by Ink Circles came up in the rotation.  When you last saw it, it was here:

today it is here:

One piece I did start and finish this month is Jayne Netley Mayhew's Bluetit for The Sampler Life's SAL.  The only change I made is the addition of the backstitched border, it needed something to stop your eyes.  This is a minor addition /change and pretty much the limit of my ability.  If you'd like to see some amazing chart changes/modifications, you need to check out Kate's blog at Needles and Haystacks.  Her work completely blows me away every time I see it.  The blocks for the SAL are my  entries each month.  Heather at Stitching Lotus hosts this SAL that focuses on smalls and ornaments.  So here is my September entry:

and here is the whole piece:

I was a bit worried that it wouldn't fit with the other blocks, but I think its closeness to the rose block helps.

I am going to start my rotation back up in the hopes of getting through this stitching slump, so 99 will stay on the frame through tonight and Just Nan's Florentine Floral will go on tomorrow.

So what am I catching up on this time?

Month:  June
Spent: $0

Yes, it has been a while. No, nothing exciting or earth shattering (other than some massively wicked thunderstorms), but before I get into anything more...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TREVOR!!!

Here's a then:

and now (well a year or so ago):

Hard to believe it's been 32 years!!

Hope those of you that have been in the line of the storms the last week are all well.  I don't normally mind a good thunderstorm, but I have had enough for a while.  We've had more in the last week then we usually have in a couple of months.  There was a tornado (unconfirmed) just south of us, but we only had high winds. No damage, but I did take the lantern and sit in the basement for a while.

As the title suggests, I am AGAIN late for check-ins and updates. I have stitched a bit, but I haven't been reading blogs or even turning my computer on. I have; however, been reading a lot as I signed up for a month of Kindle Unlimited (all the books and audio books you can read or listen to - well there are specific books, but there are a lot) and I am going to get my $9.99 worth!! So according to my list, I am late for Gifted Gorgeousness, Stitch from Stash and the Smalls check-ins. I also signed up for IHSW last weekend and didn't post, so that one too.

So in order of check-in dates:  is hosted by Jo at Serendipitous Stitching and is designed to say "Thank you" to everyone that has gifted us with stitching or to show a piece of stitching we intend as a gift.  My main gifted piece is "Shakespearean Fantasy", I don't have a lot of progress to show on it. When last I left it, it was here:

This is on the frame for some attention this afternoon, so slightly larger blobs of color next time I show it.

I had categorized two more pieces as gifted because they are freebie pieces and are therefore, gifts from the designers!

"Christmas Presence" is one of the designs in the HAED freebie SAL this year.  I put a couple more colors into him and he went from here:

to here:

I do need to get busy on this one. The last page was released this weekend and I would like to finish him this year. I stitched on this as part of my IHSW.

The next freebie is The Sampler Life Yahoo groups SAL. I did not care for the design released this month, so picked Chatelaine's "Debi's Roses".

I switched out the called for Kreinik braid (all those eyelets were charted for Kreinik) for plain old DMC and quite like it. This was part of IHSW too.

And this month, I have two pieces that are going to be gifts. The first is Ink Circles "99"

which will be for DNephew and for DNiece:

"Sentimental Heart" from The Sweetheart Tree. This is the order that I mentioned in my last Stitch from Stash update.

And speaking of  it's time for the last check-in for 2015A!! Mel at Epic Stitching hosts the SAL and this year decided on two separate challenges each 6 months long. So my tally since January 1st is:

Total budget: $150.00
Total spent:   $  27.67
End balance:  $122.33

I have signed up for 2015B which starts July 1st and I believe sign-ups are still open if you are interested.

And finally, , which is hosted by Heather at Stitching Lotus.  I am using the blocks from The Sampler Life SAL as my monthly small piece. This month's finished block is shown above and here they are together:

I was concerned that the new block would be too heavy, but it fits rather well.

And finally, a piece that isn't part of any SAL this year, Just Nan's Spring in the Air.  It went from here:

to here:

I really do love the colors in this one. I am going to put it back on the frame for the week and maybe, just maybe finish it in the next few weeks. This was IHSW too - really shows that my concentration is shot - three pieces in two days!

PHEW!!! I think that's everything!  A short week for work this week and an extra long weekend - Independence Day is on Saturday so I get the day before off and because that is my normal Friday off, I get to move that to the next regular business day, so I get Monday off too.  We are going to the in-laws one day but no plans for the rest of the time - maybe I really will settle myself down and get some stitching in.

Three for one

Once again, I'm late on check-ins. I was out of town for work last week - again - and didn't have access to my computer, so I am behind on my posting and reading. My next planned travel is the end of July so a few weeks to settle back into a routine - oh wait, you've heard that before haven't you?

Welcome to my new followers. Hopefully, I can add something to your day. And Thank You to all of you that have stuck with being a follower through the last few months of blah here.

We have moved from spring into early summer here in central Virginia.  Have been doing a lot of outside work that was put off and I think we are just about caught up. There are  a couple more things to get done before it gets too hot and humid to be out much, but I am really happy with what has been done.

The first batch of fledgling finches and sparrows have been into the feeders and it looks like the crows have added at least one youngster to the murder. I expect to see the cardinals and wren young any day now.

Besides travel and outside work and a bit of housework I have done a bit of stitching and I think each piece fits into one of the three SAL check-ins.

First is the 2015 HAP SAL. It is hosted by Stacy at Crossed Stitches. Pick a Huge A$$ Project, stitch and post on the first Saturday of the month. I did all but the last.  My piece for this SAL is Shakespearean Fantasy from Heaven and Earth Designs.  Last time I showed it, it was here:

And now, it is here:

I do need to concentrate on getting a few more lengths of black in but otherwise, I'm happy with the progress I've made.

The second check-in is for WIPocalypse and the third is YOTA.  As I have the same project list for both of these, one batch of photos. 

 is hosted by Melissa at Measi's Musings and YOTA is hosted at Pull the Other Thread.  Both SALs are reminders to work with what you have first.  My WIPocalypse/YOTA project list is in the tab up top.   From that list I have stitched on Shakespearean Fantasy, Santa's Magic, and Christmas Presence.  Santa's Magic ended up here:

Just a bit more and the beard will be finished.  Christmas Presence went from here:

to

 

And before I forget, there is a question each month with WIPocalypse. This month's is:  Do you find yourself more productive with stitching in summer or winter?  I am definitely more productive in the winter. I have had a summer stitching slump for the last four or five summers which has kept my summer stitching progress fairly low - but my reading backlog is reduced so it works to a win for me.

 

I also stitched on a couple of piece that are not on the list.  Ink Circle's 99, went from here:

 

to here:

only 98 more to go.

 

And for my small piece this month:

 

 

This is Chatelaine's Debi's Roses. I didn't care for the design that was released this month, so went searching through my freebie files and found a couple that would fit.  The other was in blues and I wasn't sure if it would fit right here so will save it in case of another "eh" reaction to future releases.

 

Just Nan's Spring in the Air is going on the frame later this afternoon. I may leave it on until I finish it, but will see how much progress I actually make this week.

What's this?

It looks like a neglected blog.  September was a bit crazy here in my little corner of Virginia.  The Hubs had two surgeries,  he has severe carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands, that we are hoping will be successful.  After almost a month, neither one seems to be doing any better but the surgeon said that it could take up to six months for the nerves to wake back up if they are going to wake back up.  Work was absolutely crazy but that is pretty typical for the end of the fiscal year, unfortunately we weren't able to tell each other "good job" as my division is part of the several hundred thousand Federal employees that are locked out of their offices until this country's leaders and I am using that term loosely get over their childishness. As of today, I have been out of work longer than I ever have been since I started working and I am not liking the feeling.


I tried knitting years ago but never learned anything other than how to knit.  A few years ago, I knitted a number of scarves on huge needles (50 US/25mm) and really enjoyed it, so I started looking around for scarf patterns and have had the yarn and needles in my stash for this scarf since then.  I figured now was as good a time as any to give it a try and here's where I am:

I do have to work on keeping my tension even and pattern reading but I am happy with how this is turning out with simple knit and purl stitches.

I do have two finishes since my last post!  I am as shocked as any of you over that news!!!

Here is 99 by Ink Circles:

This is stitched on 32-count Golden Walnut with DMC.  Mine is in a different order from the pattern due to a placement error when I started so I do have to type a new guide but I am very happy that it is finished.

And here is Twilight of the Tsar by Dimples:

This is stitched on 32-count Smokey Pearl Belfast with DMC, Kreinik and Mill Hill beads.

 In addition to the finishes, I have made progress on several other projects:

Serengeti by Chatelaine stitched on 32-count Summer Sky Jobelan with recommended fibers and beads.

Sugared Almonds Gingerbread Houses by The Nutmeg Company stitched on kitted fabric, fibers and beads.

And, Mary's Sampler II SAL by Plum Street Samplers.  Stitched on a piece of mystery linen, it is actually browner than shown in the photo, with provided DMC conversion.  I used Simply Wool in oatmeal for the white sheep as it added a little bit of dimension.

Santa's Magic by Mirabilia has been put in the rotation.  That gives me three very large projects in my rotation so I am glad I have Sugared Almonds and Mary's Sampler II or there would be no finishes for the rest of the year.

I do have to get busy finish/finishing things soon and have been searching through the house for some boxes that I bought years ago (years before I moved to Virginia).  I know I brought them with me but for the life of me, I can't find them.  I know I will find them as soon as I figure out an alternative. 

Late on Everything

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, but I did take a slight vacation from blogging and to a lesser extent stitching.  As the days start to get shorter, I feel myself having the need to start getting everything ready for winter although that need is not as necessary as it was when I lived in New Hampshire as we don't have much of a winter here in central Virginia (of course now that I've said that...)  A sure sign that the season is changing is the number of young that are being brought into the bird feeders now.  I've seen two cardinals and a wren coming in with their parents, along with the crows and finches and last evening a mother raccoon and two cubs.  I'm not as excited about the raccoon family, but the sighting explains the amount of feed we're going through.  Another sure sign is the hummingbird invasion has started.  I counted as best as I could with the things whizzing around 15 of them the other day. They are so busy chasing each other away from the feeders that I doubt they have time to feed.

So what have I missed since my last post?  Well, first IHSW but I can't go back and participate so will have to give that one a miss.

Then I missed posting my TUSAL, now that one I can show you:

Not a lot new in there, but the color mix is very pretty.

Next I missed the August WIPocalypse.  Another one I can fix.  I know you're very surprised to see this one aren't you?  67 done, 32 to go.

And one I haven't missed!  My August ornament:

This is Strawberry Delight Ornament by Tink Boord-Dill Needlework.  It's done on a 28-count Lambswool with DMC.  It is definitely more of a springtime pattern, but I like the colors.  Glad it's number came up for the ornament rotation.  I haven't run the random number generator to see which ornament/small is up next.

YOTA Saturday

The calendar say it's August, but I don't know where July went,and since it's the first Saturday, it's YOTA Saturday. Taking two weeks off from work sure did mess with my internal clock - not that I am complaining well except for the 300+ emails I had to deal with on Monday.  I did a staycation for a week and was off to my sister's and then my parent's home in Michigan, for a week thanks Mom and Dad and Nancy.  My mother's family had a reunion and it was fun catching up with folks that I hadn't seen in a while okay it had been 23 years but that's just embarrassing to say.  I definitely have to make an effort to see them all sooner.

I took 99 with me with some delusions grand thoughts that I would stitch all afternoon and evening, and managed to stitch one bottle.  Yes, one bottle, having nothing to do takes a lot of time.  I was able to do a few more once I got home, so there is progress to show but not what I hoped.

Here's where 99 was:

And here's where it is today:

Lots of catching up with housework and errands this weekend and then packing for a work trip to St. Paul, Minnesota.  I'm going to be more reasonable and not take any stitching with me - I'm training and know that won't have the energy at the end of the day to concentrate on stitching or much of anything as we're down a trainer.  I am behind, again, on my blog reading and commenting.  This time, instead of trying to catch up, I may just call a "from this day forward", certainly takes a lot of pressure off me pressure that I am so good at putting on myself.

YOTA Saturday and a finish

It is the first Saturday of July already!  I finally picked a focus piece for this year and have been steadily stitching on 99 by Ink Circles for the past month.

Here's where I was the beginning of June:

And here's how it looks today:

I stitch about a row and a half each month, I am taking a couple of weeks off the end of this month, so maybe I can up that count for July.

So that none of us becomes terribly bored with looking at bottles, I am still stitching on smalls on alternate Fridays and have another finish.

This is Heart in Hand Needleart's Wee Garden Gate:

The bird is charted to be white, but I don't have any white birds around my house and I like crows so a crow it is.  Since there is a finish, I also have a new start.

This is a freebie called Strawberry Delight Ornament by Tink Boord-Dill Needlework.  It's copyrighted 1999 but I'm not sure I have had it in my stash for that long.  It is stitched on 32-count Lambswool with DMC.

Strawberry Delight Ornament by Tink Boord-Dill Needlework

 The Smyrna crosses are charted as Algerian eyelets but I didn't feel like pulling this fabric as it is rather stiff.





 

A few more bottles and a gate

I didn't get as much time to hermit this weekend with my stitching, I did spend a lot of time hermitting in the yard - mowing, trimming and weeding.  Not fun but everything does look nice.

We had a new bird come into the feeders this weekend. As I glanced out the window, I thought it was another cardinal, but on closer look, it was a summer tanager.  It is a bug eater so it was using the feeders as a perch and not for the seeds but it was a very nice surprise.

No, I didn't take this photo, by the time I found my camera it was gone.  With the gold and house finches it was very colorful at the feeder station.

A bit of stitching progress this week:

99 by Ink Circles - stitched on 32-count Golden Walnut with DMC

I am hoping to get to halfway on this soon.  Would be nice to say I was on the down side of this hill.

And here's Wee Garden Gate by Heart and Hand Needlearts:

Wee Garden Gate by Heart and Hand Needlearts - stitched on 32-count Lambswool with DMC

A few specialty stitch flowers, back stitching and Mill Hill Treasures and this will be finished.  I am enjoying my smalls Fridays, I do wish I had the idea sooner, but it is something that I will continue with.

A start, a finish, a few more bottles and June's TUSAL

We survived what was left of Tropical Storm Andrea with about 2-1/2" of rain.  We didn't have any problems with flooding, but there were a number of trees around the county that came down due to the wet ground and wind.  We also seem to be surviving the cicada invasion - the rain the last couple of days kept the noise to a minimum but now that it has cleared off, they are back in full force.  In case you haven't seen them, I saw this wonderful specimen resting on the mailbox this morning:

We have another three to four weeks left in this cycle and then quiet again because of the number of cicadas singing at one time there is a constant, very loud hum coming from the woods. On a cuter side, the finches have started bringing their babies into the feeder station.  Although, they are only babies by age as most of them are the same size as their parents.  Our crow family has added two new members.  One of the youngsters has been trying, very determinedly, to pull a rose off the bush the last couple of days.  I am not sure what the attraction is but every time they come in it heads straight for that flower. 

Of course, none of that has anything to do with the blog title so I should probably get back on track.

My start is Wee Garden Gate from Heart in Hand Needleart.  I bought this back in the Dark Ages when it was first published back in 1998.


Wee Garden Gate by Heart in Hand Needleart
Stitched on 32-count Lambswool with DMC

I was able to start the gate because I finished Autumn Blackbird by Waxing Moon Designs.


Autumn Blackbird by Waxing Moon Designs
Stitched on 28-count Summer Sky Jobelan with Gentle Arts Sampler Threads

I was able to stitch a few more bottles on 99 this week.


99 by Ink Circles
Stitched on 32-count Golden Oak with DMC

And last, but not least, here is my June TUSAL.

If you're interested in the TUSAL, hop on over to Daffycat's blog for all the information and to join.