A Peaceful Weekend

I didn't do any stitching yesterday but I did manage to sit down for a while with Anna Thies this afternoon and make some progress. The Celtic Knot thingy on the right corner repeats on the left and that's it for the top border. It wasn't difficult and not really terribly tedious. I usually don't care much for alphabets either, but I'm liking this one so far. I don't know about the E and F; the color gets a little lost against the fabric. It stands out better in real life than in the picture, so I'll have to ponder whether to pull it out and re-stitch it with something that will offer a touch more contrast. Since it does look better in real life, I'll probably end up leaving it alone.


A couple of cat pics from the weekend. This is the first time I've seen Timothy actually sitting in the window, checking out the view. There wasn't much to entertain him outside this afternoon, so he didn't stay there long.



I walked upstairs yesterday and found this:


It's nice when things are peaceful :-)

Happy stitching to all!

Flowers and Sunday Stitching -- A New Start!

I broke down last weekend and bought 2 hanging baskets, these orange flowers (I think they're called "goldies") and a pink verbena. The dish of dahlias came from a flower sale near work; I love the red and yellow colors.

I started the Anna Theis sampler this afternoon. It's in a past issue of SANQ and I've been eyeing it for a while. I finally pulled the flosses -- I'm using DMC -- and I found a piece of mystery linen in my stash. The chart calls for 32 count linen and what I ended up with is 28, but that's okay. I think it's one of the Country French linens, but I didn't have a label on it, so that's just a guess. It's been forever since I've stitched on 28 count, but I like the look that I'm getting using 2 strands of floss. It also stitches up pretty quickly. I started early this afternoon and stitched on and off until about 7:30. It doesn't look like much progress for so much time, but for me it's a lot.

Stitching Blogger's Question for May

Lee posed the following question:

Suppose we say that there are two types of stitchers.
There are those who enjoy the “process” of stitching. They stitch for stitching’s sake and if something gets finished, so much the better, but it’s not necessarily the end goal. Primarily, it’s the application of needle and thread to cloth that makes them happiest.
Then there are those who are “project” stitchers. They move steadily through their projects, certainly enjoying their stitching time, but finding their greatest joy in the completed stitching.
If you had to pick one to describe yourself, which type of stitcher would you be? I imagine that we could all say that we fall somewhere in between, but really think hard about this and try to pick just one. And once you’ve decided whether you’re a Process or Project stitcher, tell us if your recognize that approach in other parts of your life.

Wow. Am I a process or a project stitcher? Well, if you’d asked me that 10 or 15 years ago, I probably would have said “project” without a second thought. Those were the days when I worked on one project at a time; I started one and finished it before I started another. Then somehow I began working on two at a time, a large one and a small one. Then it was three, and large one and a small one and a middle-sized one. And now I have an over-flowing WIP basket and more starts than finishes in any given calendar period. Somewhere along the line, I became a “process” stitcher. I love the satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment when I have a finish, but for me “the pleasure is in the process.” (That’s not original, by the way; I read it years ago in an article about quilting, and kind of adopted it as my own mantra.) I enjoy selecting a project and kitting it up, asking myself what fibers do I want to use, then choosing a fabric that suits them. There’s also something soothing about the rhythm of the needle going through the fabric, and it pleases me more than I can say to watch a design grow on a blank piece of fabric.

The last part of the question is a little harder, but I have to say that I'm more "project" oriented in other parts of my life. I either get things done because I want the feeling of accomplishment or I want to get them over with and be done with them, or I procrastinate as long as I possibly can because there is precious little pleasure in the process involved. Except for cooking. When it comes to cooking, I'm both a process and a project person. I enjoy the both the process and the project! (Not necessarily always a good thing!)

Great question, Lee!

Weekend Stitching

I put in quite a bit of time on the stocking this weekend and thank goodness I got that blackwork band across the top finished -- tedious! I also pulled out the white stitches I had put in for his candy canes and I'm going to re-do those. The chart called for DMC 822 for that symbol, but as I started stitching the beard I came to the conclusion that the symbol for 822 should be DMC 712, which is more of a cream color, while 822 is more "bone." Anyhoo, it was no big deal to pull out and won't be much of a problem to put back in and I think I'll like it better.

I hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day. Happy stitching!

The Reading List

I put a few stitches in This Is the Day this evening, but otherwise I haven't been doing a lot of stitching lately, so I thought I'd post about books. I got the idea from Karen V, who shared what she's been reading lately. Here are some of what I want to read this summer:

My current reads are the bottom three. "Blackout" is Connie Willis's latest novel. I've read 5 or 6 of her books and I really like the time travel stories -- which this is -- but the others, umm, not so much. Then we have a book about the notebooks in which Agatha Christie jotted her ideas for plots and characters, her outlines, and even the occasional grocery list! As a long-time Agatha fan, I had to read it. I just started "This Book is Overdue"; it's about modern librarians. The next three up are mysteries: "The Blue Rose" by Anthony Eglin (I've not read him before but I saw another of his books mentioned on Anna's blog and was intrigued), "The Language of Bees" by Laurie R. King -- one of her Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes mysteries (they're excellent!), and "A Sea of Troubles" by Donna Leon. She writes another excellent mystery series, set in Venice. Finally on the top of the pile is Madeleine Albright's autobiography. I've browsed through it and it looks interesting and very readable; I'm looking forward to getting into it.

I'm sure the books on this list will shift :-) I know that Alexander McCall Smith has a new Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency book on the way, so that'll have to be added to the pile, and I have quite the stash of unread books plus a magnetic library card that just draws me to that wonderful place! My new job is making it so much easier for me to find time to read; I only have 30 minutes for lunch so rather than go out, I stay in and eat in the lunchroom or at my desk and read. I also get home much earlier, which gives me more opportunity at night.

How about you? What are your reading plans for the summer?

Celtic Birds - A Little Progress

I pulled this out of the WIP basket this evening and put in a few stitches. I like this piece -- I like the design and I really like the fiber I chose; I had part of a skein of Needle Necessities in my stash and I thought the colors were perfect for something Celtic. I like to have one or two small pieces like this in progress all the time. They're perfect go-to projects for work evenings when I don't feel like or just don't want to get into something involved. The model picture on the chart shows this mounted in a box, but I'm thinking I'll finish using Blackbird's instructions for a pin cushion (although the chart is from Sunflower Seed, not BBD). I don't know that I want to stick pins in it, but filled with ground walnut shells it should make a very nice book weight.

On the job front, I talked to the manager at my new place and she told me that I passed the security screening (I didn't think I'd have trouble with that but one never knows!) and I officially start on Monday! Friday is my last day at my current job. It's been a good job as far as the work, working conditions and co-workers go, but the new one offers much more opportunity, pays a little better (with the possibility of increases) and cuts my commute from 30 to 12 miles each way. Plus, it's in the field I went to school for. It's time to move on.

Happy stitching!

Hello Again After a Time of Not Much Stitching!

My stitch has been at the beach for the past few days; wish it'd taken me with it! It's been kind of a wacky week. I started training my replacement at work, and I think she's going to do very well. I start the new job on the 19th if all goes well -- they have to do a security check, which I think I should pass! I'm looking very much forward to the transition. Aside from going from a commute of 60 miles round trip to one of 24, the new job is what I went to school for and it's time I got into it.

I didn't get any stitching done last yesterday -- the afternoon turned hectic and I just didn't feel like it, but today I finally got started on Robert's Stocking! And I actually got a decent picture of it; I finally invested in a new digital camera and it takes awesome close-ups. I knew the problem with the other camera wasn't totally operator error!

I'm stitching this over 2 on 25 count lambswool linen, using #5 perle coton and oh boy does it feel strange! It's almost like working on canvas. I can't remember the last time I made such large stitches. The fabric is sooo stiff! I have it in Q-Snaps and it's really kind of awkward, but I can't imagine trying to stitch it in-hand.

I did get a good bit of work done on Moon Garden last weekend, mostly while sitting in airports -- 3 hours making a connection in Charlotte on Saturday and 3 hours waiting for a flight in Charleston, WV, on Sunday.

Finally, I haven't posted any kitty pics in a while, so here's some togetherness.

Mimi just pesters Timothy to no end, so it's nice to have some peace in the family for a change.

Have a great week and happy stitching!