Happy Halloween! It's Indian Summer here now :-)

Well, I don't think the password came from Martina today for Medieval Town Mandala (but honestly, I only just thought of that about an hour ago and have not even gone to look for it yet), so I managed to get in another evening with Angel of Love. That was a treat! I did a whole bunch of beading on her skirt tonight, and now I really must sing the praises of my new Tacky BOB that I bought over the weekend at Colonial Needleworks. What a pleasure it was to keep little piles of each of the six or seven bead colors all in different areas of the box - so easy compared to juggling all those little Mill Hill packets! And, my Tacky BOB still has beads for this angel in it, and they are not budging! I am sold - love my Tacky BOB! Who would have thought? I only bought it to give the new shop a sale :-)
Mondays seem to be particularly good for mail delivery here - no matter when I order something, more than likely it will arrive here on a Monday! Today I received my Spooktacular Sale items from Silkweaver: a fat quarter of 36 ct sand edinburgh linen and a fat quarter of 40 ct antique white newcastle linen. I am very pleased with these - they are just what I needed for some upcoming samplers, such as the Long Dog Samplers SAL for next year. I also received the belfast solo from Silkweaver, which is a stunning combo of greys and browns, so nice! My Monthly Bits from Stitching Bits & Bobs arrived (monthly fiber club), and this month, along with a little bag of Halloween candy (which I will give to a niece, no sugar eaten here!), were a skein of NN 166, a skein of Dinky Dyes cotton in Nullabor, a short skein of Gloriana silk in Apricot Grove, a skein of Soie d'Alger in either 611 or 119 (??) and a skein of Delta perle in 18 - very autumnal this month! As well, the Americana Sampling chart and left over threads by Little House Needleworks, and a fat quarter of 32 ct Parchment evenweave by The Blended Needle came in from ebay :-) I also included in the photo the two Silkweaver lugana solos that came in on Saturday. Oh, and my two JABC buttons (a tiny maple leaf and a tiny Canadian flag) also came in today for Ottawa Sampler, but I already have popped those in with the chart for safekeeping :-)

I broke down today - after seeing pics in several blogs of how pretty the Silkweaver Medium Treat Bags are, I ordered one before they were all gone - I am so weak! Now I can't wait to see what they choose for me!

Bye Bye Theo... the GM of the Red Sox declined the offer by the team and has resigned... what is up with that?? Is there strife in the clubhouse? I would not be surprised, honestly. I am not impressed by the new team management, even if we did win a World Series last year :-( It's only baseball, it's only baseball, it's only baseball.... I keep telling myself this. (Different speculations are coming out in the news now - many think a stupid article by a local sportswriter, which insulted Theo's qualifications, may have sent him away - what a shame, really, he was with the organization for 13 years and is a local boy who grew up a Sox fan... now to leave, saying he gave his heart and soul to the team and no longer can....??)

Stitched on today: Angel of Love

I fixed it :-)

I fixed it! My satin stich row now lines up properly. Whew. As I began to remove the previous stitching, I paid close attention, and I found about mid-way through that on one of my satin stitches I came up in the proper spot but then brought my needle down one thread over to the right. Ah sneaky! Fixed it!! Thanks for all the encouragement after last week. Some suggested I keep it as it is, but for several reasons I just could not. The first is my OCD. I know it was wrong and it would bother me forever. The other reason is that this is stitched on pricey linen using pricey NPI silks. Therefore, I felt it was justified to do my level best with it. So, this is what I worked on while watching NASCAR (argh - Newman came in 23rd and way down to fifth in points now - he was just an "also ran" today!).... now to do something different after the Trick-or-Treaters and for while I watch the Patriots game... what will it be?? I did hear from Karen and Tannia this week - Karen, who had already started this sampler a while back, is about 2/3 down, and Tannia is round about where I am...
And tonight I put more time in on Legends of the Dragons - I have so much catching up to do in this SAL. Truth be told, this project would be a UFO if I were not participating in a SAL :-) I'm not loving all this tedious stitching on Wisdom, that is for sure. Just when I think I am done with a color (which are all primarily blended needles), I see one or two tiny symbols way over on the other side of the dragon that requires me to start up a new needle and do the tiny little bit. Sometimes it is just one tiny quarter stitch that pops up in need of filling. Yucky. But the project is pretty :-) I have to give it that much! And, stitching this along with Nikki has actually been a lot of fun - we are already having preliminary discussions about what next year's SAL will be.

Stitched on today: An Open Heart and Legends of the Dragons

*****Patriots 21, Bills 16 - a nail biter, but a HUGE victory tonight! Welcome back Tedy Bruschi! Looking good!!!!!!!!

Brrr... it sure is getting cold.... earlier than usual!

It's Saturday, so I got to stitch on Mermaid Heaven today. What I like about rotation stitching is getting reintroduced to projects I really enjoy - like this one :-) I didn't realize how crooked the fabric is in the bottom right corner where I was stitching today - that's just how it is sitting in the Q-Snap.
OK, I just could not go to bed last night without filling in her hair - voila! Not as creepy anymore!!

Your Daddy Is Pedro Martinez

What You Call Him: Dada Why You Love Him: He knows best

Who's Your Daddy?

Too, too funny - and strange! All I did was type in that my father's name was Clyde, and now, suddenly, Pedro Martinez, ex-Red Sox pitcher, who broke my heart when he left and went to the Mets, is my "Daddy"???? Oh geesh!


Oh - got in two solos from Silkweaver today... but still waiting on my Spooktacular Sale purchases... I didn't remember to take a picture of the two solos, but just realized I had saved the scans of them from the Silkweaver site, and they turned out to be quite accurate, so I will just post them here instead :-) I do hope my Spooktacular Sale items come soon - one fat quarter of 36 ct and one of 40 ct. I didn't buy a treat bag with the hand dyed fabric - we all know I have enough of that!

Some areas in New England got a little snow last night - already! I don't think we got any here (we may have had flurries, but no evidence of them this morning). Wow, that is pretty early for us! I hear the temps are supposed to warm up again now, but I am sure that won't be much or last for long. Yuck.

I ordered the linen threads I will need for the new Flower Fairy chart in Quick & Easy, and while visiting the sale at Stitching Bits & Bobs today for the threads, I also visited their inventory clearance... got this little coffee dragon chart... he is a bit funny looking, but the chart pretty much sums up me and coffee!!!!

And, a few days ago I ordered Sugar Maple Fabric's custom color for Mermaids of the Deep Blue - Mindy calls this one Lake of the Woods. It's cashel, and I would have preferred 32 ct for this chart, but decided to have a look at this one. It is a custom cut for the design.... it looks kind of green in the scan, but I trust Mindy - I am sure she worked the color out well for the chart.

Meanwhile, Silkweaver is happy to take the Tranquility opalescent belfast back... I think I will swap it for their Treasure Trove opalescent belfast - I just really like it and have been admiring it for a while - I am sure I can use it for something!

Stitched on today: Mermaid Heaven and Girl with Cat (before bed last night)

Colonial Needleworks

I decided not to follow my rotation tonight, because I really just felt like working on Girl with Cat tonight. I really feel like I made some progress with this one tonight. I think she will look less creepy when I finish her hair, though! LOL!

Mike and I went to the Grand Opening of Colonial Needleworks in Bedford, NH today. Nice shop. It has a ways to go with getting their stock catalogued and out into the floor space. Mike chatted the owner and her hubby up while I browsed. They have tons of items in that they have to put in inventory before they sell them. Can't wait for that! They seem so nice. It was awesome to have a new shop about 15 minutes from home - when we go to Yankee Cross Stitch it takes so long to get there and back (about 45 minutes, less if Mike drives his Corvette LOL!). Stitches & Stuff is about 10 minutes from here, but never seems to be open when I have time to go there... argh. Anyhow, there was a beautiful display of Elizabeth's Designs models there... perhaps a trunk show, I did not ask. I picked up some much needed Tacky BOB, especially for all those beads in Angel of Love's skirt, I ordered a whole lot of size 28 needles, and Mike surprised me with a pair of Gingher scissors - he knows how I like to collect my scissors :-) And, since it was their big grand opening weekend, I also received a little gift bag that included floss away bags and a ring, some needles, a needle threader, and a small pair of really nice scissors!

I want to thank Sharon H. in Australia for quickly replying to my request for help yesterday! The gorgeous sampler I pictured in yesterday's entry is in Donna Kooler's Glorious Needlepoint, an OOP book. I found it on amazon.com, though - and I ordered one... they say the designs in the book can be converted to cross stitch. OK.

Your Inner Child Is Surprised

You see many things through the eyes of a child. Meaning, you're rarely cynical or jaded. You cherish all of the details in life. Easily fascinated, you enjoy experiencing new things.

How Is Your Inner Child?

I forgot, but last night Mike picked up both Seasons Two and Three of 24 DVD sets for me last night! Woo Hoo! I already had Season One, and Four is not out yet... can't wait until January for Season Five to finally start up! These are great to stitch to!

Your Brain's Pattern

Your brain is always looking for the connections in life. You always amaze your friends by figuring out things first. You're also good at connecting people - and often play match maker. You see the world in fluid, flexible terms. Nothing is black or white.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

***ATTN Passione Ricamo Fans!: Laura is giving us a tiny hint/peek at her soon to be released Christmas Fairy Spirit! Gorgeous! Check out her home page on her website :-)

And, look who is on the pole for the race in Atlanta on Sunday... yep, of course, Rocket Ryan Newman, yet again :-) Of course, I am thrilled! (photo from www.nascar.com)

Stitched on today: Girl with Cat

Confetti! ...And, do you know this sampler? Help!

Lots and lots and lots of confetti stitching on Legends of the Dragons tonight! Wisdom finally looks to me like he is growing :-)
Does anyone recognize this sampler?? A lady in Australia is dying to know! I got a request from Karen who owns Dragonfly Dreams in Wentworth Falls, New South Wales for help figuring out what this is.... a customer of hers saw it as a model in an LNS, but nobody knew what it was.... help! Isn't it pretty?? Please let me know if you recognize this and know who the designer is - thank you so much!
Well...just when I was beginning to think I must have somehow insulted my mailman, all the mail I have been waiting for finally arrived today! Seriously, the mail coming to me has been soooooooooo slow in the past couple of weeks. I was really and truly beginning to think that something was wrong! But, today I had great fun opening all of this up. My issue of Cross Stitch Gold finally came in from the UK (about two weeks late). It is 90% Christmas themed - is something wrong with me? I am Christian, yet I dislike Christmas issues of xs magazines. Hmmm... Anyhow, I also got in three gorgeous hand dyed fabrics from an ebay seller - SMF Shimmering Jelly Bean, SMF Bling and Silkweaver Ocean Opalescent belfast... wow, all are stunning! My Silkweaver Fabric of the Month also arrived - a couple of days late, but a stunning brown jobelan solo. I needed this one!! Yay! I also received the specially dyed cobblestone linen and the L&L Firefly Fairies chart that goes with it - it is dyed very nicely! And, part of my Paw Prints order too - the Gatekeeper chart (Amanda has warned me to make sure the color key is correct - yikes! I will get right on that) and the Autumn Fields belfast for Jeannette Douglas' Ottawa Sampler (the NN #4 Kreinik braid for Ottawa Sampler that I also ordered is on order, but they were kind enough to send these two items ahead!). I also received another hand dyed evenweave by Hidden Treasures - Mermaid Garden. So pretty! She is going to do well in the hand dyed business - I am sure of it! Then, while Mike and I were out and about tonight, we were at the bookstore and I got the latest Quick & Easy UK mag, because it has a flower fairy in it :-) Hmmmm, need some of the new DMC linen thread to do this one - good excuse now to go out and try it!

Your Blog Should Be Purple

You're an expressive, offbeat blogger who tends to write about anything and everything. You tend to set blogging trends, and you're the most likely to write your own meme or survey. You are a bit distant though. Your blog is all about you - not what anyone else has to say.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

I am not sure how to take these results - I have mixed feelings about them, but then again, hey, it is "my" journal, so I guess it is about "me," but I dispute the negative connotation about not attending to what others say? And no, I am not apt to write my own memes, I don't care much for those! But, I do like purple - LOL!

D+

You know that you remembered to put on underwear today... But really, that's about it!

How Observant Are You?

Now... I KNOW I did better than a D+! Only one question confused me, and I even looked at the phone in my office to verify - NONE of the answers to that question were even right LOL! Guess that is the whole point, right??

Stitched on today: Legends of the Dragons

Celtic Winter...and Therapy School too

It's Wednesday, that means Celtic Winter... I had things to do tonight, like get my MSN Messenger set back up and replying to some emails... but I didn't do any of that... I just kept stitching away! (I owe several of you emails right now, and I promise to get right to them tomorrow as I have more free time tomorrow night...sorry!).

Q. Have you ever stitched something as a gift and later realized that receiver doesn’t respect your stitched gift a bit (for example it’s never on show, or you have other reason to suspect that it may even be nonexistent or at least placed in some dark storage room corner)? If so, what have you done? If you’ve been lucky enough to avoid such people what would you do if it’d happen to you?

A. No, this really hasn't happened to me. I did stitch my niece Erin's name with little girls climbing on the letters. It hung in her bedroom for years, but now that she is 13 years old, her decorating style has changed and the picture is stored away. I am not at all insulted by that. I have not stitched many items for gifts. My mother-in-law has an old butterfly themed round robin from 1991 or 1992 framed and hanging, as well as a La Broderie sampler I have done for her. Those are the only gifts I have made for others. However, I doubt I would be insulted if something I made were not displayed. You take that chance. I think other stitchers appreciate stitching more than others do... though moms are pretty good at appreciating it too :-)

Well, I was up "with the birds" this morning and off to "therapy school" - a seminar for continuing education credits for my counseling license :-) Today's course was "Is it ADHD or Pediatric BiPolar? Differential Diagnosis and Effective Treatment" presented by Hanno W. Kirk, LICSW, PhD. It was pretty decent. I sat next to a gentleman who also works in Lawrence, MA, with whom I have had significant phone contact over shared cases, etc. Nice to meet him in person. I think he is the same man who interviewed me for a different clinic position years and years ago... which I turned down. Kinda funny. The conference was great - it was only 10 minutes down the road in Manchester, NH and Mike came and met me for a quick lunch - plus Dr. Kirk did give us some wonderful assessment tools and cute therapy tricks to help us out... pretty good! I definitely feel educated, as pediatric bipolar was not even a concept back when I was in graduate school. Now I feel pretty confident with diagnosing it, communicating with prescribers about it, and treating it too :-) I have another "therapy school" day coming up on November 14th, and then I will have all my necessary credits for the year - whew!

Congrats to David Ortiz for winning the AL Hank Aaron Award! Woo Hoo! And to Manny Ramirez for making the Latino Allstar League too :-) Very cool - nice to see some honors go to Red Sox players :-)

Stitched on today: Celtic Winter

The season's first Nor'Easter is upon us...

The rather large rainstorm (aka in New England terms, a Nor'Easter - meaning a storm with northeast winds... the type that brings heavy rain or snow...) that is upon us has given me some time today to stitch a bit more on Angel of Love :-) This was a treat! I got out early due to client cancellations thanks to the storm. More of the skirt today - though I wonder if that is obvious in today's pic or not. (??)
Then tonight I worked on the Garden Spot Sampler SAL. The pink flower up in the center top of the photo still needs its stem and leaves added, but I couldn't stay up late enough to do that tonight - I have to get up very early to go to "therapy school" (aka a conference on the treatment and differential diagnosis of ADHD and Pediatric BiPolar Disorder - wanna come?? - LOL!!)

New DVD Release Tuesday! We got Bewitched (watched this one already while stitching) and Herbie: Fully Loaded (there's NASCAR in this one!)

Stitched on today: Garden Spot Sampler, Angel of Love and even some 17th Century Irish Garden at work today...

***Oh, and thanks to those of you who have written to compliment my Earth Angel in the Silkweaver Showcase. You made me smile. You see, I never, ever win anything. I can't recall ever winning anything in my life... but I did catch a bridal bouquet once! Anyhow, it does not stop me from entering - that part is fun ;-)

17th Century Irish Garden

I have finally gotten around to posting a WIP picture of 17th C. Irish Garden, which I work on at work (when I can, and lately, that just isn't often or for very long...). I still have a ways to go - this garden is much bigger than I had originally realized it would be. I love it, though. I hope I can fit it in enough to finish it by the end of the year. I write about it a lot, so I figured it was time to share how it is going.
And tonight I worked some more on Angel of Love - this project has been making Mondays more enjoyable for the past couple of weeks :-) But now it gets put away for a little bit, as Martina is due to release the next password for Medieval Town Mandala some time around next Monday... but I will go back to this angel once I finish Part 2 of MTM next month :-) I got a bit more of the beading done tonight, as well as part of the cape.

I got some exciting news today! My friend Carol emailed me to let me know that a new LNS, Colonial Needleworks, is opening up next weekend in Bedford, NH! That's only about fifteen minutes from my house! What fantastic news! Thanks, Carol, for the heads up! Mike already said he has made plans to take me out there next weekend! Since I have Friday the 28th off, we will probably go then :-)

I received a lot of stash in the mail today - here it all is. Leslie sent me this beautiful Celtic Angel chart, just out of kindness! Thank you, Leslie! She is even prettier than I had expected her to be - and yes, I will finish a few projects before I start her - LOL!! Thanks for the reminder :-) I also received The Red Heart Sampler by La-D-Da and Australian Heart kit by Victoria Sampler from Rocky Mountain Needleworking... two gorgeous hand dyed evenweaves by Hidden Treasures: Fairy Glen and Summer Sky. I received the beads and Kreinik for Mirabilia's new Garden Beauty, as well as some white Kreinik Silk Mori for Jingle Bells Christmas Tree Farm :-) Did I miss anything?? Pretty good day! (oops, I did miss one - a fat quarter of steel gray cashel came in today too - no plans for it yet, just was a huge bargain on ebay).

I was high bidder on ebay today for a custom dyed piece of cobblestone linen for L&L's Firefly Fairies (along with the chart, which I have already... hmmm... would make a good gift!!). I had been planning to dye my own fabric, but when I saw this, I copped out, I guess :-) Also, yesterday I was high bidder for the chart for LHN's limited edition Americana Sampling kit! Very cool!!

I have to agree with others who have been writing about this - Mirabilia's new limited edition pixie kit is adorable! Wow! But $50?? Yikes, I don't think I can swing it either!!

Jenna asked me where I got Porcelain Nosegay, which is sold out in a lot of places since the pretty floral button is no longer being manufactured.... I got mine at Down Sunshine Lane for $6.50. I saw on ebay today that someone is selling the chart, embellishments and the frame for only $12.00 - you might want to check that out too - sounds like a good deal!!

Stitched on today: Angel of Love and 17th Century Irish Garden at work.

Off by a thread.... ???

I am off by one thread in the cream satin stitch row below the beginning of the verse... I have no idea where this went awry.... but my OCD won't allow it to stay that way, and next week when it is time to stitch on this sampler again, I will pull that row out and re-do it. Hopefully that will fix it :-) I still have no real idea how I am doing in this SAL as compared to Karen and Tannia... Karen wrote that hers is going well, but no pics to share.... Tannia emailed that she has had an unexpected houseguest, but no update on the sampler. I do still feel like I am in this one all by myself, so whatever pace I choose, is working for me anyhow....
Here is how my mermaids looked after I went to bed in the wee hours of the AM....I wanted to get some of her tail done and see how it is fitting on the fabric. I never realized how HUGE this project really is! The mermaids really take up a fat quarter of cashel linen! I think I put this down at 2:30 AM.... stayed up watching "Fools Rush In" until 3 AM.... I think this explains today's low energy :-)

Ryan Newman is now third in the points standing! No great showing for him today (10th in the race), but he stayed out of trouble, and benefitted pretty well from Greg Biffle having troubles.... only four more races to go!

Back to work tomorrow.... but a decent week.... I work Monday and Tuesday, then off to "therapy school" (aka a conference) on Wednesday, work half a day Thursday and have Friday off :-)

Stitched on today: An Open Heart and Mermaid Heaven (early AM hours)

The frustration of finding the right fabric...

It is Saturday.. time to stitch Mermaid Heaven. We were out and about most of the day today, but I did find a couple of hours in the evening to work on my mermaids. I completed Part 6/8 today, which means I have stitched four of the eight pages now. But I am nowhere near half done :-) The remaining four pages are more dense with stitches than these four were!!

Tonight I am beginning the fifth page, Part 7/8. I will probably do a bit more tonight than what you see here in the photo.... just not feeling tired enough to quit yet, and this one is such a pleasant stitch... as long as Lily, one of my kitties, will allow me to stitch, that is! She is all over me right now!

I have sent an email off to Silkweaver, asking if I can exchange that all too green Tranquility for something else... and today I got in this fat quarter of their Ocean Fantasy 32 ct lugana. I admire how some of the projects in the Stitchers Showcase are stitched on this fabric, so I ordered some. Mine is not as varied as the ones in the Showcase (bah!)... but it is a pretty piece of fabric and is not as very aqua as it appears in this photo... maybe I will just end up using it for Mermaids of the Deep Blue...just holding off for when the Mithril lugana by Country Stitch finally ever gets here... choosing fabric for this project is starting to get annoying.

And, today I ordered all the rest of the items I shall need for Ottawa Sampler... two JABC buttons, two Weeks Dye Works, a Gloriana silk and a pack of MH beads... from two different sources. Should be all set now!

Stitched on today: Mermaid Heaven

Itching to start a new project....

I must be strong... I must be strong... I MUST be strong... I am itching to start a new project right now! I don't know which one, as I have several all kitted up and ready to go... I have that craving to start something new. But, I can't! I don't want to risk having another of my projects fall into UFO or extended-UFO status! Help!!!!! I MUST BE STRONG!!! LOL! (Becky's magic mumbo jumbo spells in front of her computer screen are helping me - thanks Becky!!).
And, I did decide to stay strong tonight. I put some time in on Legends of the Dragons earlier tonight, since I did not work on it last night. I did some of the knotwork underneath Magic tonight... then moved on to my usual Friday night project later on...
And, of course, that is Convent's Herbal Garden... :-) (When I went to edit this photo in, Blogger Photos was down, so I had to use Photobucket.... sorry you can't enlarge it).

I got in the Tranquility opalescent belfast from Silkweaver, which I had hoped to use for Mermaids of the Deep Blue... but now I doubt I will use it for that design. It is GREEN! It is gorgeous, but is is GREEN. The scan on Silkweaver's site shows it as turquoise blue green... very much on the blue side (and yes, it was the linen scan I referred to when I ordered it - see my October 8th blog entry to see a pic of the scan they show). I was surprised, because Silkweaver generally does very well with their scans being quite close to the true colors. I could return this, but it sure is pretty fabric... so I will put it in my stash, and I will also still do a floss toss on it when it comes time to make my decision. Who knows, it may look great with the fibers! (I doubt it, though - there is a lot of chartreuse metallic in the design... too close to the fabric color of Tranquility!). And, I received the lugana solo I had ordered around that same time... it is a subtle moss green 32 ct lugana. And, my Porcelain Nosegay chart & embellishments also came in today :-)

Mike wanted to go to Best Buy after dinner tonight, and I picked up Fast Times at Ridgemont High from their DVD sale bin... that's one of the old high school movies we still lacked :-)

Stitched on today: Convent's Herbal Garden and Legends of the Dragons

Too Tired to Stitch Dragons Tonight...

...I worked late tonight and by the time I got home, had dinner, read the mail, talked to Mike, fed the cats, various other things... I was just too tired to stitch Wisdom tonight. I couldn't really see myself doing all of that confetti stitching. I know I would have messed it up! But Girl with Cat had a lot of appeal... it is an easy and pleasant stitch. I actually got a lot done... filled in the seat of the chair, gave the cat the finishing touches to his face, did a good amount of her right sleeve.... not bad for a night when I am so tired. I will probably find time this weekend to work on Legends of the Dragons, as I very much would like to keep up with this SAL.

And, a little bit of stash came in today - a pack of Mill Hill beads and a spool of Kreinik #4 for upcoming Mirabilias.... and a pretty fat quarter of Sugar Maple Fabric Eye of the Storm belfast :-)

And... did a little bit of shopping today too... sigh... I bought a cut of Autumn Fields belfast for Jeannette Douglas' Ottawa Sampler, as well as the Needle Necessities Kreinik #4 braid for it... and this new Fanta Cat chart, Gatekeeper. I love all the different elements in the scene.

I gave Silkweaver a bunch of business too - guess I am looking to put her twins through college LOL!! - I got this pretty belfast solo, and I also ordered two fat quarters of either edinburgh or newcastle linen (their choice) in colors of their choice from their Spooktacular Sale :-) Cool! Looking forward to seeing what they choose for me! I hope to get good colors for samplers.

Stitched on today: Girl with Cat and 17th Century Irish Garden (at work)

A Celtic Winter Update...and Thank You Becky!!

It's my chosen night tonight to work on the Celtic Ladies SAL... I am really starting to get hooked now on my Celtic Winter. She is so much fun to stitch, and I realize I am a total "Lavender & Lace Addict" anyhow!! My fabric is darker and deeper than my photos show. Mike is a better photographer than I am, so I will ask him to photograph her soon to be able to more accurately show my fabric color :-) (How strange, my photos of CW give the appearance of the floss not making good coverage on the lugana, while in real life, it covers very well... what is up with that??).

Q. Do you mark or hi-lite your patterns or can you follow them without any markings? Do you make copies to mark up, or do you mark originals?

A. No, actually, I don't highlight my charts, or copies of charts. I always figured it was more work and more time-consuming to put down my needlework, grab a highlighting pen and then highlight the chart... I prefer to just keep stitching. I usually do just fine with following a chart without any highlighting. And, I only make working copies of my charts if it is a large, flimsy, fragile chart... like the big flimsy fold out charts Passione Ricamo prints... I have found it impossible to stitch from those... they tear almost immediately :-(

Thank you Becky! I just received the most lovely package from her today, which included fibers for the Jeannette Douglas design we both want to stitch... and the most adorable M Designs chart, Dragonflies, Ladybugs & Bees! This was done simply out of the kindness of her heart, and I appreciate her so!! She is such a good friend to so many of us :-)

I had some free time today and was feeling the need to be uplifted... and I was working on 17th Century Irish Garden at work, and needed a lavender floss to stitch the lavender (as in the herb) in the garden ( you see, I am using the DMC conversion for the chart since Madeira floss is impossible to get around here... although the factory is here in New Hampshire... go figure!!.... and this one floss color has no DMC conversion).... so I made a jaunt to the LNS and selected Pixie Dust Crescent Colours floss to use for the lavender... and while there... well, I broke down and got Baby Bug Ball (I can finally scratch that one off my wish list!!) and Sabbath Day (a must-stitch for my Mom)....

While I did get in the last fat quarter of 25 ct lugana for a HAED design... I can't blog about my other arrivals today because they are gifts for others... Christmas is coming all to soon!!

CONGRATULATIONS HOUSTON ASTROS!!! I hope you win the World Series!
And, even better....Welcome back to practice Tedi Bruschi!! The Patriots have missed you and your leadership - woo hoo!

Stitched on today: 17th Century Irish Garden and Celtic Winter

P.S. - - - Happy 20th Anniversary to my brother Scott and his wife Renee :-)

Autumn Leaves...

...I think those are autumn leaves that I finished stitching on Garden Spot Sampler tonight! Wow, the Victoria Clayton conversion sure is different from the Soie d'Alger used by Samplers and Such. The bottom leaf in the original is a vibrant, electric blue. Victoria's conversion makes it a baby blue... what a difference!! I think I would have preferred something closer to the original electric blue here, but I am still really pleased with the conversion. The sampler is really starting to grow now :-) ****Karen B. asked what fabric I am stitching this sampler on, so I figured I would edit that in here - it is on R&R 40 ct Creme Brulee linen, which I am starting to think may be a bit too dark for this sampler, but no turning back now! LOL!

Some more stash came in today... the much coveted Ottawa Sampler by Jeannette Douglas surely did not disappoint when I got to look at it. I have compiled my little list of fibers and buttons to order for it... I am excited to do this one... probably next year at this rate. And, the three opalescent solo luganas from Silkweaver are stunning. This photo does not do them any justice, but they are actually even prettier than the scans that were on Silkweaver's site... wow... they do such a great job!

Oops! Almost forgot... it is new DVD Release Tuesday... of course... this week it is Batman Begins and Land of the Dead (this one is all Mike, not my kind of movie at all)

Stitched on today: Garden Spot Sampler

Angel of Love

Angel of Love is back again now... at least for a while... I had great fun with this one tonight. I started beading an area at the top of her skirt. I love it! Mike noticed this one tonight and really likes it too... maybe I can find some way to work on this one more regularly.

I got in some stash today.... someone commented that that might cheer me up, and it did a little :-) (I know I sounded sad yesterday... I rarely blog sad feelings...thank you to those who expressed concern..the Patriots lost yesterday and my husband has health issues... felt bluesy about all of this...oh, and the Angels got eliminated too...) But today my Michael Powell kit came in the mail, and I got in two gorgeous fat quarters of 36 ct by Silkweaver... both are solos and are so nice!

Even more exciting, though, is this pair of 14k earrings Mike bought for me today on ebay... he saw I had bid on them, and today he took care of making sure I got them. I love the design... 1 1/4" and elliptical design. Nice! My husband is a sweetie... I love him... wish he would take better care of his health though.

Anyhow.... I got some new fabrics on order the past couple of days... will just post them when they come in.

Stitched on today: 17th Century Irish Garden (I missed it, so I made time to work on it at work today) and Angel of Love

An Open Heart

I completed Area 1 of An Open Heart today. This is a SAL I am in with two other ladies.... my motivation on this one is a bit low. I love the piece, so I plan to stick with it. It has just been hard to find time in my rotation for it. I am saddened that I feel as if I am stitching this one by myself. I have no word or updates from the other two stitchers. Are they still stitching? Did they quit? I just don't know. I know one has been in the process of moving. She had started this piece some time back and is already near the midway point anyhow. The other lady, I have not heard from since the first stitchin night, back on 9/19/05... oh well, I will just plug along at my own rate, I guess. I really miss Karen V., who closed her blog earlier this month. She has been working on this same lovely sampler, and I was hoping her progress would keep me inspired too..

And then Girl with Cat finally resurfaced for a little while before bed tonight - I again really enjoyed working on this one... just wish I could find it a more regular slot in my rotation....

The rain is gone, and now the winds are here. Strong winds. I had to run out and do errands. Mike is still struggling with health issues. While I was out I picked up Kicking & Screaming because I have not seen a Will Ferrell movie that I didn't like. It's been an otherwise dull and disappointing day, so maybe I will see if I can watch that tonight....

Well, the Angels are done, and the White Sox are going to the World Series. Oh well.

Stitched on today: An Open Heart and Girl with Cat