What a difference a few days make

Here is the back deck Wednesday:

High winds and a total of about 4-1/2" of snow.


And today?

It is bright, sunny and a forecast high of 55 F.  Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer.

A few days also makes a difference in stitching.  The snow and cold of Wednesday seems to have chased the frogs away and I as able to finish Just Nan's Christmas Elegance.

I finally have a photo that accurately shows both the fabric and fiber colors, and Blogger doesn't want to orient it correctly.

Elegant Doily is on the frame for this weekend. Lots and lots of Algerian eyelets are in my future.

Frogs and YOTA

They're back......

Yes, they look cute and sweet, but they are evil, just plain evil.  Every stitch I did last weekend had to be frogged at least once.

The nastiness of the frogs was greatly mitigated by the wonderfulness of stitchers.  Jo at Serendipitous Stitching posted her finish of Joyous Noel by Elizabeth Designs a few weeks back.  I commented on how much I liked the pattern and it showed up in my mailbox yesterday!!!  Thanks, Jo!!

I am putting this one in the rotation soon.  I have the threads pulled but need to dig through my fabric stash for the perfect piece.

I also found out that I won a fabric give-away that Julie the Red Couch Stitcher hosted.  As I said, stitchers are wonderful people.

Yesterday was the first Saturday of the month, so it is time for my YOTA post.  I don't have a specific focus piece, as my rotation plan this year includes WIPs almost exclusively, but I spent most of February working on Just Nan's Christmas Elegance.  

Here's where I was at the beginning of the month:

And here's where I am today:

Yes, the whitework at the bottom is the frog playground.  A few more stitches, some backstitching and  beads and this will be done.  I am, again, going to hold off on switching pieces and continue with this one until it's finished.  I am sure that statement is an invitation for the frogs to stick around.

IHSW and Not IHSW

Between my telework day on Thursday, my non-work day on Friday, the weekend and the President's Day holiday, I almost feel like I have a normal life! I leave the house at 4:45AM and don't get home until around 7:30 most week nights so have very little time to do, well much of anything during the week.   I did a lot of stitching, found a new to me show, DCI Banks, and watched every episode I could find, and read.   There was some boring housework and cooking thrown in there too - oh and my car had to go in for some repairs - fortunately *that* wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.

We also had a minor invasion the last few days.  Two or three times a day we hear birds, LOTS of birds chattering in the trees around the house and then a black cloud descends on the yard.  Here's just a small portion of the yard just as they are starting to land, by the time they are all landed, there is hardly any grass to be seen just lots of twigs and leaves being thrown in the air as they look for food.  They're grackles, which I think are rather pretty birds, and don't mind them in ones or twos which is what we usually have but I am not so fond of the flocks as they chase all the other birds away.

Please excuse the trash can..

So stitching wise - I have two sets, all that I did last week the non-IHSW and all that was part of the IHSW.  

My non-IHSW piece was Dimple Designs' Twilight of the Tsars.  Here's where I left off last time it was in the rotation:

And here's where I left off Thursday evening:

Dimple Designs Twilight of the Tsars
Stitched on 32-count Belfast with recommended fibers and beads

This project is getting to the point that lots of stitching time doesn't equal lots of progress as the large sections of color are mostly completed so I'm down to confetti- and back stitching.

For IHSW I worked on two different projects, an ornament and my Just Nan.

Here is my progress pic for the ornament:

The Nutmeg Company's Oranges and Lemons Gingerbread House
Stitched on 14-count yellow Aida and 18-count white Aida with DMC and Mill Hill beads

I finished the roof, one side wall and the front wall, and made a start on the second side wall.  I don't think I'm going to get this one finished for the ornament SAL, but I do still have a few days until the end of the month.

My second IHSW project and still on the frame, so hopefully there will be more progress by the end of today is Just Nan's Christmas Elegance.

Here's where it was a few weeks ago:

And here's what it looks like now:

Just Nan's Christmas Elegance
Stitched on 32-count Antique White with DMC and recommended beads

The "Christmas" was all over 1 and took the better part of yesterday afternoon thank goodness for my Mighty Bright magnifier - not affiliated just a very happy customer - and new glasses.  I am hoping to finish one band today.  If I can do that, there will be two bands and the beading to finish next rotation.