There was stitching this week!

Yes, I did get some stitching done this week.  Still none during the week getting home at 7:45 puts a crimp in everything, not just stitching but I did get a bit done during the weekend.

First up, iStitch's SAL:

Only one more part to this one.  Like Jo mentioned in her last comment, I think part of it will be an initial.  I hope it is as I should be able to fit an initial into the smaller space that my counting error left me.

Next is Lizzie*Kate's Socks and Underwear: Santa 2010

This one is giving me counting fits also.  I did those darn suspenders about three times.  I'm not sure what's going on, but these "easy" ones are really giving me fits.  I guess I should be happy about that as I really hate frogging the speciality stitches.

Next is Hawaiian:

This little section was soooo time consuming.  I thought I'd get two done this month, but I was lucky to get this one finished.

Last but not least is Birds of a Feather:

I ended up with a striped tree but it's not as bad as I thought it would be.

I did the last bit of stashing for a good while.  ABC Stitch updated their clearance pages and I was able to get Victoria Sampler's Gingerbread House and Gingerbread Church with the accessory packs and The Nutmeg Company's The Castle Inn.  I'll probably have The Hub's collect the package and give it to me for Christmas I do this frequently as he doesn't pay attention to the lists I give him, so this way I get exactly what I want.  The antique almond cashel for the Victoria Sampler stuff is very *hard* to find.  I finally found it listed at Needle in a Haystack in California.  They don't have it listed as one that's on the frequently produced list, so I hope they have enough in stock.

An August Saturday Morning

Not the most original post title, but the brain is running slow today. I do need to ramp it up a bit as I have a lot to do the next couple of days. I'm traveling again next week. I fly out Monday for two days of training in Alabama - giving not taking last count was 63 attendees so should be lots of interaction, then fly to Atlanta to spend two days standing at a booth at the Fire/Rescue International Conference - it's actually put on by the International Association of Fire Chiefs. I've got the floor plan for the exhibit space and it may take me all of the two days just to find our booth!! I fly home Sunday morning and back into the thick of things on Monday. Anyway, the Hubs seems to think he's helpless when I'm gone don't know how he survived as long as did on his own if that's true, so I'm making extra casseroles this weekend, so he'll have something to eat even though I know I'll hear "There's nothing in the house to eat" around Wednesday... And somewhere in between the cooking and cleaning, I've got to get myself packed for two very different events and make it all fit in one suitcase.

As this is a stitching blog, I'll talk about stitching. I didn't get too much done this week, but some progress is better than no progress.

I did finish part 1 of iStitch's SAL:



Stitched on 30-count R&R Reproductions Espresso with HDF's Cloud silk thread

There was progress on BoaF mystery although it's not really a mystery anymore:

Despite it looking like the picture I posted in my last post, there actually is progress. The red flower on the lower right side now has berries, two leaves and some red on the flower yes, it took me a week to stitch just that. By the time I got home at night it was all I could do to stay sitting upright, never mind stitch.

I did a little more stashing this week. A.C. Moore has DMC on sale for 5/$1.00! And if that wasn't wonderful enough, a coupon for 30% off total purchase popped up in my email Thursday, so that works out to about $.14 per skein! I finished kitting up Cricket Collection's Three Gables, Elegant Pumpkins from the latest Just Cross Stitch, Calling Birds from the Christmas Preview and By the Full Moon from last year's Halloween issue.

I had a weird cut (8"X26") of PTP's Haunted in my stash and it's the perfect color for By the Full Moon. I just have to decide which end to cut. One end is more dark green/grey/purple with the other having more purples and some white. I'm leaning towards the purple end, but may do both and then I'll have one to give to DSIL.

The difference shows up much better in this picture, but the colors are more true in the previous one.

And just to prove that they're not always brats of course they did start fighting just after the picture was taken - someone must have breathed wrong:

Trouble and Spot napping

Trip and TUSAL

Despite the traffic, going and coming home, I had a wonderful trip. Seeing DSon was the highlight of the trip not that the training didn't go wonderfully and it was great to see all my former workmates, but they don't stand a chance in the "which was better" contest. We had dinner together twice and a good long chat Friday night. Not sure when I'll see him again as I think he's going to spend Christmas with his Grandparents and it's our turn to spend Christmas with the Hubs' family.

I didn't do as much shopping as I'd planned, which was okay as I did some other errands but I did make it to ABC Stitch - twice. Had a lovely time looking around - all the models, all the fibers and fabric, just inspiring. I did find Nora Corbett's Holly (bought the chart and some opalescent antique white fabric as well as the beads, I converted one to Delica but couldn't find a good match for the other and metallics, converted both Kreinik to Petite Treasure Braid) as well as Blackbird Designs Rose Garden I changed the fiber from Jakey Brown to GAST Faded Rose and Lizzie*Kate's Snowman 2010 (I'm planning to stitch this for my co-worker). I also picked up Little House Needleworks Pine Tree Inn but I want to make some changes to it so will be a while before I start stitching.

Burlington was wonderful! It had been almost 10 years since I'd been there and the changes were all positive. If you ever get a chance it's well worth the visit. I especially recommend the lemon-ginger truffles at Lake Champlain Chocolates.

Stitching? Well none happened on the trip, but I did finish the frame lines on BoaF before I left:

Spot is modelling my second TUSAL for this month:

There are bits of BoaF mystery and Socks and Underwear-Santa 2010 in there.

Suppose I need to work on my recap and goals for August. I'm starting a Chatelaine SAL over on The Speciality Stitchers Yahoo group and will be working on Hawaiian Garden so need to pull that out and get it ready as well as finishing up the other things I said I was going to do in July.

Last but definitely not least - thank you for your comments and to the new followers. I certainly never thought that people would actually have any interest in what I was posting as I started all this to help me keep track of my life and stitching. Thank you everyone.

JULY?!?!?!

It's July, which means the year is half over! Where in the world is the time going? I know where the next two weeks are going - holiday!! For the first time in better than 10 years, I'm taking two weeks off in the summer! I'm going to a family reunion (my Dad's side) on the 9th in Michigan, but other than getting there, back and spending a few days with my parents and my sister and her family there is NOTHING on my to do list. I am soooo looking forward to the time off.

Lots of stitching stuff this post...

First on the list, my recap of June. My goals were:

• to finish two more rows on both Santaberry Pudding and Just Nan's Christmas Elegance
• finish part one of With thy Needle & Thread's Birds of a Feather Mystery Sampler.

Hmmm, well I finished stitching Santaberry Pudding and mailed it off to Jill for framing, did nothing on Christmas Elegance and did not finish part one of BoaF. I'm not sure the finish balances the other two, but I'm not really stressing over it.

Next, goals for July:

• Finish part one of BoaF
• Stitch two rows on Christmas Elegance
• Finish Lizzie*Kate's Socks and Underwear - Santa 2010
• Finish-finish the last four Secret Needle Night projects
• Finish parts 3 and 4 of Tree of Stitches

Big goals, but I've got lots of time this month famous last words!

Next up, a FINISH!!

Holiday Joys
Homespun Elegance
27 count linen
DMC floss

Other than a counting error that was fudged into okayness, and leaving off the year and my initials, this is as charted.

Next is a start. Lizzie*Kate's Socks and Underwear - Santa 2010 I'm doing one for DS, DNephew and DNiece. I'm deciding between flat-folds and cubes for the final finishing.

Socks and Underwear - Santa 2010
Lizzie*Kate
New Khaki Lugana with DMC

Last but not least, my progress on With Thy Needle & Thread's Birds of a Feather mystery sampler.

Karen at Wasatch Needlecraft is having a 4th of July sale. The pattern for this:

was listed on the sale page and when I clicked to see it, she had the option to buy the fabric and threads at a reduced price (reduced more for the pattern), so being the weak person that I am when it comes to stitching temptation, I bought the "kit".

Phew! I'm worn out just from typing! I'll probably post progress pics throughout the week, but no long-winded major up date for a while, but of course, it is me and one can never tell.