Oy, such drama over thread

It's been all over the boards for the past two days that DMC France (Keep that in mind, folks, FRANCE) filed for creditor protection. So of course, people freaked out. They were actually starting to tell people to go buy floss and hoard it, in case DMC ceased production.

This was such silly logic on so many levels. The article stated there was competition from China. Competition for . . . floss? Because we all know we stitchers JUMP at the chance to stitch with cheaply manufactured, unknown quality materials. Look at how people react to the introduction of Sullivan floss in Hancock fabrics. Yeah, we're feeding the competition. But then again, I am trying to get my act together to start dying thread, so maybe I am . . . the competition. But then again, I need thread to dye, and I would most likely buy from DMC, so I am the competition to the competition for DMC. Doesn't that make me an ally? Or does it just mean I suffer from delusions of grandeur? Anyway, it turns out that their clothing fabric business is what was being competed against, and losing badly. And some retail stores. I didn't know til yesterday that DMC made clothing material, did you? I could be wearing DMC and not even know it. Those are what is in trouble and that is what went into court.

Secondly, DMC is the major needlework manufacturer in the world. It's been around like 250 years. There are very few designers in the world that don't chart for DMC (and y'all that don't irritate the heck out of people like me--I can't afford expensive threads, I got a sick dog, people!). They've kinda cornered the market on floss for the greater part of the stitching public. Why would any court just say, "Yes, let's take all the business and close it down, including the people who actually make money, and probably a decent amount of it. It's basic economic sense. So they cut jobs in the low earning areas. Which is bad, but you do what you have to do to save a company.

And lastly, even if you were to hoard, how much floss do you need to buy to last the rest of your lifetime or until you burn out on cross stitch? I was thinking about this yesterday. I'm 31. I could be doing this for 60 more years. Granted I have probably 1000 skiens of floss at home, but, seriously, that isn't gonna last no 60 years. Especially not the colors I use a lot. So what would last? 5 skiens? 10 skeins of each color? 50? 100? There really is no way to calculate that. And then where would you store it all? I think it was really in poor taste to suggest people do that. Not the least of all because when people run out and buy stuff up, it just makes floss shopping really a PITA. Walmart was a heck of a mess when I was in there when they clearanced out their stock--floss thrown across the floor, dirty, messy, disorganized. No pleasure in stashing--not that I find searching for floss to be fun. It's just not worth it to rile people up.

And there wasn't a need. DMC USA put out a press release saying that it was the fabric department and the stores that were the losing areas, and those were in court. DMC planned to be here to supply us with floss. YAY!

But one thing this does teach me. I tend to be wasteful with my floss, and if it gets dirty, I throw it out. No more. It's too precious to waste.

Backstitch, lovely backstitch

I am stitching around my lovely biscornu to get it ready to be stitched. I found a thread in my current WIP that compliments it, so will be using that. It provides a good cover so that SO doesn't see me working on his stocking. I'll work on finishing this this weekend between going to the LNS and getting the stuff for my garden. It is my fondest hope that every tomato we eat this summer lives its entire existence never seeing the inside of a supermarket, and I really want to get into growing heirloom plants. My boss told me that I must have an old soul, cause I am into the old ways, and to be honest, I consider that a compliment. I've always looked at stitching as a way to connect to the past, and heirloom plants, well, they are just pretty darn fun to look at. And,let's be serious, is there anything more DELICIOUS on a summer day than a burger with a slice of home-grown tomato on it? That is proof, way more than beer, that God loves us, and wants us to be happy! Wasn't it Weezer in Steel Magnolias who said that wearing funny hats and planting tomatoes in the dirt is what Southern women do? I've always said I would have been the perfect Southern belle, skilled in the needlearts, French, music, and not much else . . . Now where's my funny hat?

Ohhh, Robbie is doing better. We had a whole day problem-free! He has, of course, decided that he is now going to go on the boneless skinless fat free chicken breast diet (supplemented by dog cookies) forever. The other dogs have started an eating strike in protest. In my next life, let me not come back as a dog if a boiled chicken breast is something worth getting excited over--I've had them, and they are foul, especially boiled without salt. GAAAACK. He was still not allowed to sleep in the bed last night, which he is not pleased about, but he's pretty normal. My vet called today--honestly, she's about as fed up with our frequent-flier status at the e-vet as I am. She thinks probably the latest visit was due to him really being sick on the stomach, then getting back pain, then having a reaction to the Rimadyl and getting like this. I figured the Rimadyl figured into the equation somewhere--he is Robbie of the iron stomach, but at the same time, he's a former worldclass showdog, he's dainty! So she noted in his file to find something other than Rimadyl to treat him if he needs a painkiller. Hopefully, we're finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Cause I'm so tired. All I do is go someplace lately. Go to work, go home, go to the vet, go to Mom's, go pick stuff up, go to sleep. I need a day to sit and enjoy doing absolutely NOTHING.

Rainy day, perfect for stitching . . .

but I am at work. I did not want to come in. I have still not recovered from the vet visit of Saturday night (but I did sleep last night good, just woke up at 4AM to check on my boy--he was mad at having to be kennelled up away from me, but he seems to be doing better), and didn't each much yesterday (note to self: you have to eat more than barbeque, angel food cake and pita chips, cause it doesn't do the dog much good to get better if you're malnourished, LOL), but I bought a new mattress pad for my bed which has done wonders for how I am sleeping and Robbie does seem to be feeling a little better. Poor guy has been through so much in the past seven days, last night he was lying on my lap, crying, and of course that upset me, and now, today, he drank water for me out of the mug from that cruddy job I had. Mom didn't fuss about me using a coffee mug to water the dogs; I guess she knows how I feel about that particular company, even though, really, my dogs are too good to drink out of their crappy mug. Chancey was particularly confused as to why her brother got to drink out of a coffee mug, while she usually has to drink out of the bowl. So she tried the water and decided it was good enough for her to drink too. Robbie shared with her; I was surprised because he had his possessive face on (can a dog really be that sick if he is about to start a fight he will NOT win over TAP WATER?), but he did. But he didn't really want me to go to work this morning and leave him. He stood in front of the door and whined. I couldn't figure out if he had to go potty or wanted to go with me. I decided that it was the latter, prayed it wasn't the former, told Mom to watch him, and left.

Anyway, Julie told me that I have to have a border on my biscornu, so I'll be working on that! I really should stop by the fabric store and get my stitching supplies tonight to do that, but I think I better get home and take care of Robbie. I can do the supply-buying later this week, I'll be busy for the next couple days anyway, so it's not pressing.

I did go get some supplies I needed for SamSarah's I Could be A Prince. I started it this morning. I love it. I am super-pleased with the Silkweaver Solo of Tula I bought. It's a lovely blue-y green-y and yellow hand-dyed. Looks just like a sun dappled pond. There's even a section down towards the bottom that looks like a sandy bottom. The only thing I think is throwing me a little is that my skein of Abalone is a paler green/purple combo (you know, these colors do not sound remotely pretty when I describe them, I just realized) than in the picture. I will see if my other LNS has a better option, but, if not, I'll deal with it. It does work with the fabric. I think that is the most important thing.

I also took a little bit of a plunge and bought the floss to stitch a sampler by Saundra White, with I Done My Best. I bought a bunch of her charts on Ebay a couple years ago and never started them. They are are really pretty. Not cross stitch, but primitive stitchery, which I think I will enjoy. It doesn't appear she is in business anymore, which is bad, because she did such cute charts. But I want to do some.

Pix of hand-dyed floss

I think I was exhausted when I posted this morning, because I forgot I had this photo. Staying out at the vet's til 1 AM with a dog with hemorraghic gastroenteritis (or gastritis, I stopped paying attention when my dog looked at me with a face of abject horror when the vet walked in with his bloodtest results; Robbie had been given a rectal exam that hurt his feelings and, frankly, just hurt) will do that to you. Anyway, I took this picture when I first brought the threads home. They look much more beautiful on the bobbin!

I finally used the floss I dyed

It was a hard decision for me to let go of the floss I hand-dyed at CATS in 2006, but I finally did it. Friday was Doodle Day at the Sanman Originals message board, and I liked the doodles so much, I wanted to stitch one. So I decided to make a biscornu and figured, really what was I holding all that floss in reserve for? So I picked out one of the Sanmans I liked, chose a really pretty color I had made with plum and navy on a beige-y grey base, and got to stitching.


It's gorgeous. I am really getting tired of the no-camera situation, because I am really proud of that floss and I want to show it off. It doesn't look like something I dyed; it looks like a professional dyer did it, if I do say so myself. I did have an expert teacher, though, so it's no wonder. And the best part is, the threads are COLORFAST. The dye was steamset, and then we rinsed them when we got back to the room, and so they are set. Now, all I have to do is press it, and then put it together. I don't know if I am supposed to stitch a border, but I am gonna let it go on this one. After all, if it took me 18 months to find something to stitch with it, it's pretty precious stuff.

Of course, now that I've used some of it, I have to dye more, LOL. I am trying to figure out a decent way to set it up to do this. Somehow I am not sure the set up around the dining room table will work well.

Another bright Friday here in Crazyville

What a week this has been. I broke out the flip-flops today, because, after this week, I deserve them. (Of course I have to change out of them for work tonight).

Tuesday, woke up and my sweet Robbie-do was not acting like himself. I realize that is an intangible illness, but when you sleep with a dog for the vast majority of 8 months, and you know him the way I know my son, you know what not acting right is. His normal routine is to get up in the morning, and launch himself off the bed to go potty. Chancey and him run out to the kitchen in a race that is part Nascar, part hockey, part roller derby and then go out to the dog yard, where he greets the morning by barking furiously. Then it's into the living room for water and breakfast, and if Chancey gets there first, he gets thuglicious with her. Tuesday, none of that. No get off the bed, reluctantly go down the stairs to go potty, no breakfast, no water. Go in the livingroom and quietly sit down. I can see not wanting to go outside, but to not eat breakfast? Ever since he retired from the show ring and gene pool, Robbie's been making up for lost time and eats whatever he comes onto--he would eat Chancey if she laid still long enough. So we knew there was a problem.

I took him right out to the vet, because I don't stay at home on Tuesday nights and if he got worse, no one would know what to do. They found some mystery fibers when they were examining him, so kept him to make sure his illness wasn't caused by toy guts being stuck in his colon. I got him back Wednesday morning. He was eating by that time, but still not . . . Robbie. I just figured that if I had had to eat barium, I wouldn't be in the best of shape myself, so brought him home, put him on the couch and turned on trashy TV, which we all know is an essential part of getting better when you're sick.

I got home Wednesday night, and he looked awful. He came lurching out of the back of the house and wanted to jump on me to greet me, but he couldn't do it. I bought him baby food on the way home from work to eat, in case his tummy wasn't right yet, he didn't want that (my co-workers have informed me they don't blame him for that, meat babyfood stinks. I can't confirm, I didn't smell it, I wasn't putting my nose up to it, it was for him, remember, this is the dog who would eat his SISTER. Stinky babyfood should have been downright JUMMY). Took him outside to see if I could diagnose what was happening, and he was walking around like he was really sore. So that ended in me sitting on the front porch, crying because my dog was sick. I wanted him better.

Mom and I took him into the emergency vet's office. I hate that place, but they saved Felix's life and at 9 at night, you don't have options. I figured we would not have a catastrophic meltdown, because my vet checked him in the morning and she was x-raying him all the time. You would think things that cause dogs to die show up on X-rays. And of course the natural showman in my son came out at the vet's. He wanted me to hold him while I was filling out his paperwork. I passed him off to Mom and got the dirtiest look from him, like, "You know I do not feel well, and you are the one who comforts me best, and Grammy Shirley does not give me adequate bellyrubs, and that is all that is getting me through this and you pass me off to her. You are a horrible MOTHER." And my mom goes, "Don't put him on the floor, we don't know what's on the floor." Umm, just hazarding a guess here, but tile? I am not sure what she was thinking, I guess maybe MRSA? So we get the paperwork filled out and start doing the passing back and forth.

I finally decided he could sit on his own chair, because he kept shifting weight and I know my lap is not comfortable. So I set him in his own chair. Surprisingly, he didn't pout. And then a big dog walked in, and that made him mad. He started growling at this dog. I told him, point blank, if he was too sick to not be in the vet's, he was too sick to be starting fights and embarrassing me in the waiting room and to cut it out. And then he wanted a belly itch. I explained to him that he was not going to act a fool, then get a treat. He seemed to understand my logic.

He pulled a muscle in his back. That was the diagnosis. They gave him painkillers and anti-inflammatories. Gave me some Rimadyl for him (BTW, whoever invented that stuff is a saint and I hope they get a good Christmas bonus). He's good about taking it. Last night he got it in cheese on a cracker. He slept on a pillow Wednesday night, last night, he just had his head on the pillow, in the middle of the bed, with the covers mounted around him. What a life!

Today, he was pretty much back to normal. He slammed Chancey into the wall on the way outside; he advises rubbin' is part of racing, she just puts up with him. It's a pretty day today. My dog is better!

So I haven't had a lot of good stitching time, but last night it was nice to sit down and watch TV and stitch.

Early Friday Foolishness

I found this online today--don't ask me how.

It made me laugh. It might make you laugh.

Don't click on the link if you can't handle profanity. I can't control what other people write

http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/

It's finished

Crescent Colors'Autumn Secrets is done. I just sewed on the little rook button. Yay! That gives me 13 finishes for 2008 so far. Pretty impressive, considering I don't feel like I've finished anything substantial this year. Now to make this into a no-sew cube, but I guess if it's a rectangle, it can't really be a cube, can it?

LOL.

I am going to get Sheep on the Meadow finished next. I promise.

Going to a stitching retreat

I am going to a get-together at Sue Hillis' in one month. Other than CATS, I've never been to a get together. And Sue is SOOO nice. I met her in 2005; we discovered we have a mutual passion for men who drive big trucks, LOL. And really, to get time to stitch that no one infringes on with requests to, "Tell me what this random piece of paper regarding something urgent about our retirement, stock, or something equally important, but that I lost page 2 to, that your Theatre degree renders you woefully unprepared to decipher means" or "Please tell me why the cat is limping even though he was totally fine when you left this morning, you've been at work all day, and you don't speak cat" that, my friends, is GOLDEN.

I wish I could go to more stitching retreats. I wonder how one finds a list. You hear good and bad, some people have bad ones. I never go to the one my LNS has; they used to go to Ocean City, to that AWESOME LNS down there, but I haven't seen anything lately. I guess I could get SO to go to a retreat there. He could go hang out on the boardwalk while I stitch. Or go to Hooters (he tried to tell me Hooters has the best wings ever, I do not agree). We could make it work.

Otherwise, it's gonna have to be a cruise. Which I can also see him going on, there is not that much stitching going on from what I heard, and we wouldn't have to be together all the time. He could go play poker in the casino. It's not like I would be sitting on the deck, stitching all day, I don't do that on vacation, especially not leaving the US--I might never get back to wherever we are, so I never want to waste the opportunity.

A new layout for a new season

I felt green and springy--the new baby brought it out in me, I think. So I changed the template for this, at least for right now.

Plugging away at Autumn Secrets right now. It's gonna be done, hopefully tonight or tomorrow. I had a bit of a sidetrack last night, had to go out to my mom's to move 15 bags of mulch onto the driveway because the delivery people thought it would be a lark to drop them in the middle of her yard. I do not get this logic, as they are supposed to be lawn and garden experts and yet, could not figure out that no one, particularly not my 70-year-old mother, can possibly spread 15 bags of mulch throughout her flower beds before the bags lying on the grass begin to kill it. So I had to go out there and haul them out of the yard. That was a lot of fun--it rained for two days and the wind blew a bunch of petals off her ornamental crab apple tree and they STUCK to the bags. So my fairly new khakis, and then my hands and the car seat had a lovely combination of mulch and petals stuck on them. But whatcha gonna do. Can't have a big ol' bare spot.

I think I am going to wait til payday to start finishing things. I had to take off from my part time job next weekend because my parents are going to Pennsylvania and there is no one to babysit the Mongrel Horde, so I think I may roll up to the quilt shop next to my LNS and get some fabric for my finishing. I think I can get some pretty good progress made. Autumn Secrets is going to be a no-sew cube. I decided that. It will be cute just like that. I kinda wish I had some of the fabric left over from doing Country French Pumpkin as a no-sew, but I think Aunt Susan has that, and well, with the new little one, she's gonna be busy.

Ohhh, the little one has a name. She is April's Calamity (at least I was told that is her name), but they are going to call her April. Is it just me or in that picture, does it look like she's thinking, "Whoa?" I guess those legs take some getting used to.

Ain't she sweet

This is my aunt's paint mare, Sweetpea, and her new baby, as yet unnamed. She is about as cute as babies come.

Wow, that was fast

I placed an order with Volarium, in Finland, last Monday. I figured it would take probably two weeks to get here, because I didn't specify any fast shipping. It was here Friday night. Intact. Full order. Clean envelope, neatly packaged, with freebies. WOW! There are places I order from in the US that don't come that quickly. I was amazed.

Not much else is happening. I was busy most of the weekend, but had some time yesterday to work on Autumn Secrets. I ought to have that finished later today. Then I have to finish my sheep, cause SO saw me working on the fall one, and asked about the sheep. I can get that done probably the end of this week or next, then I am finishing his Christmas stocking. He's going on a trip in the middle of May, so I am going to try to work on it and get it ready to go be finished while he is gone, so he won't know about it til he sees it at the fair.

I did hear back on the computer. The motherboard died. It can be replaced, and is not tooo expensive. It's gonna be about $200. Which is still less than a new one, and I won't have to pull all my photos off it. So I think we're going to go with that. I can't wait to get it back because it's a bummer not being able to post photos.

Happy Spring

Not much to write about stitching-wise. But I did want to write, because this is the first day that I really get a sense that winter might finally be over. Not that we had a lot of snow, but I am not a winter person.

Today was one of those mornings that really spoke of what's to come. It was warm when I got up at 9 and let the boys out in the backyard. They seemed to be pretty happy about the weather, even though SO told me they aren't allowed up on the deck anymore because he caught them peeing on the deck chairs--they are dogs by the way, LOL.

I had to work today. Figures, right? Anyway, of course, I had to drive in with the windows down and the stereo blasting. Why live in the country and work in the city if you can't do stuff like that? SO lives close to a Thoroughbred farm, and they have been letting the mares and foals out in the mornings. Sometimes they stay close to the barn, and you can't see them as well, but this morning, the mamas were close to the road, and their little ones were right up against the fence. And nothing is as "spring" and hopeful to me as a new Thoroughbred foal. I guess it's a holdover from being in Kentucky. I used to beg to be driven on backroads to see the foals as soon as it got to be March. And there really is nothing more wondrous than to see those gorgeous babies running on their long spindly legs and wondering if you just saw a future Kentucky Derby winner start his preparation for his win.

And the flowers that are out. At one point on the road, I go through property owned by a nursery. They have all their flowering trees going now. It smelled sweet. I read something that said that flowers today don't smell as strongly as they did in the 1800s, because of the pollution, and they maybe are thinking that this might be part of the cause colony collapse (which, we were told at the state fair, is not happening in Maryland). If that's what happening, those bees need to come here! There was no mistaking where the flowers were.

And of course, speaking of smells, the farmers are starting to clean out their cattle barns and spread what they have removed across the fields. I know it's great fertilizer, and I try not to act like too much of a yuppie, because I was raised in the country, but, good googley moogley, it was pretty rank out there this morning. It's supposed to rain later, so I think it will be OK. And at least it wasn't as bad as I've dealt with (and driven through) in the past.

So, anyway, Happy Spring, y'all. You've now been officially warned, it's time to get the toes in condition for flip flops, check to make sure your swimsuit is ready to go, buy you a new beach bag, start looking for a place to plant your tomato plants. Summer is coming!

Why do I do things like this?

Back in August I bought the kit for Crescent Colors' Autumn Secrets. I bought it to work on on the plane to Dallas. I think I worked on it all of about 15 minutes before I realized I didn't like it. I blame this entirely on choosing a project with hand-dyeds because I was antsy about Robbie, and I don't really like crossing one by one when I am agitated (it's no wonder I have high blood pressure, I get agitated too easily). So I put it down for 8 months.

I picked it back up again I guess Tuesday, and I have been working on it ever since. I am liking it a lot. I have to pick out a bunch I did to fix a mistake, but I still like it. I just wonder why I couldn't just suck it up and work on this one and get it finished. It is not hard, it has pumpkins on it. It's a fall design. I love fall stuff.

I am in Love

Look at these!

Are they not awesome. And the photos on the website are of the stitched models. I looked because I couldn't believe these weren't the artwork, and not the actual stitched pieces.

They are gorgeous. They are stunning.


And I am back on the wagon.

http://www.stitchingstudio.com/suecoleman/index.htm

More magazine reviews

I didn't get a chance to finish my reviews yesterday, so wanted to keep going.


Cross Stitch Crazy, May 2008


I am starting to get a dicey on this magazine. Maybe it's because I am starting to realize I just don't have time to stitch all these designs anymore. Or because they keep having the same designers over and over. But this is a good issue.

The main design in the magazine is a Sarah Kay design. It's a pretty little girl holding a Raggedy Anne doll. Very sweet. This would make a good pillow or you could make a quilt square out of it. Lesley Teare has also contributed a sepia toned portrait of kids playing instruments. It's pretty cute. I don't know as I would stitch it, but it would be good for a school music teacher.

There are lots of baby designs, which would probably be good on that green cat I featured yesterday. Oh, I did learn something new yesterday--an American pacifier is a British comforter. They mentioned a comforter in the other magazine yesterday, about the design keeping it clean, and I looked at the small object in the picture and thought to myself, "Well, it's very cute, but how in the heck would you stick a baby blanket in there?" It took me a few moments--I was even looking at the baby quilt kit next to it, trying to see if that was really a comforter cover and I have just been stupid for all this time. And then I realized that it was to put the pacifier in. Hee hee . . .

Karen Britten has contributed a cute little design called, "Summer's coming," an orange tabby sitting on a porch surrounded by flowers. The ABC this month is flowers. They would be pretty for Mother's Day. Lucie Heaton has done some butterflies for cards. I don't do cards, but they would be cute for a spring tree, or else stitched as a trio on a t-shirt or a tunic. My mom would wear something like that.



Cross Stitch Collection, Issue 156

I have been waiting for this one. And it's worth it. Anchor has provided a lovely sampler, called down by the Riverside. It shows all the little birds right on the river. I think it would be so cute, especially because there are little ducklings. So sweet.

Maria Diaz did a really adorable design of baby pigs. They are darling. I don't know how I would finish them, because, really, unless you collect pigs, they aren't something that you put up on the wall, but she has them as a pillow surrounded by gingham, and that would work.


DMC has a nice old-fashioned design of a train going down a track with some children watching it. I like this one. It might be good for SO because he likes trains. And you can't definitively say this is British countryside, it could be the area near SO's house, the way it looks.

Sheila Hudson submitted a design of tulips. It's beautiful. Though it just hit me, Sheila died last month, so we won't have many more designs from her. That is really sad; she had a great talent and will be missed. But this is very lovely, and a great tribute to her gift.

The reviews this month are of art cross stitch. My personal favorite is the Landseer of a bloodhound and Westie, but I like dogs :) There is a pretty Monet reviewed, and a snippet of a Renoir.

I am pretty excited about next month's issue. There is a beautiful mermaid by Joan Elliott. And lovely Jane Netley Mayhew lions. I am a little dismayed because there is an AOY design in this issue that was in WOXS a couple years ago, but I just won't stitch that.

It's here!

The online Needlework Show:

http://www.needleworkshow.com/index.html


Lots of cute stuff.


For those of us not on the wagon

A Bonanza Day at the Bookstore-magazine reviews

It's spring, people, and time to review the latest mag offerings. We have a good selection this month, based on the covers.


Cross Country Stitching, June 2008


I normally do not buy this magazine. I need to stop saying this, but I don't. This one had animals in it, so it was a must-buy. And it didn't hurt that I am on a primitive kick.

I think my favorite design is the Country Sampler. It's an alphabet one. Pretty simple, fairly easy to do. There is also a little scotty dog and cat sampler. I am always happy with Scotties, because, lop off their tails, refine the face a little, bring up the body, and you have a Schipperke. And we all know how I love my Schipperkes. And there's an Airedale terrier sampler. It's pretty cute, even if you don't have an Airedale. The design for the Folk Art Mirror would make a cute pinkeep (I don't know why, but I am suddenly obsessed with pinkeeps).

There isn't much to criticize in this issue, other than the fact that all their designs look just like every other magazine. I am not big on the Lovebirds Anniversary Sampler. The birds look a little wierd, and I can't think of anyone I know who would appreciate having a sampler with a pair of fuzzy-headed birds on it that look like they ran into each other.

One question I need to ask: who stitches Jeremiah Junction designs anymore? Not the ones that are interesting, but her standards: quilts and angels and primitive samplers. Someone has to be stitching it or else the magazine wouldn't be in print anymore, right? I just want to know who.

Cross Stitch Gold, June 2008, Issue 6

OK, first of all, I hadn't noticed they redid their numbering. Wierd . . .


My Barnes and Noble appears to have not gotten an issue of this one, but this is a really nice issue. There is a lovely design by Carol Thornton, who, with Sandy Littlejohns, is my favorite UK designer. I love the shading on her charts and the way they are so modern and rich. This doesn't change with this design, a pattern of flowers along with a small inset of a bird in a nest. And it's in DMC, which is unusual for her, but appreciated. Next up is a design of teddy bears by Leslie Teare, not my favorite--they look a little too much like Joan Elliott bears for me--but they would be great for a pillow. Also, we have a gorgeous heron design, very pretty and it would go in my sewing room, because there are lots of herons in the marshes of the Eastern Shore. I also found a Lucie Heaton design I really like. It's an alphabet afghan, but I can see taking the blocks and making an alphabet book for a baby.

I just wanted to make special note of this:

http://www.dmc.com/majic/pageServer/1q010101rs/en_GB/ct/col/prid/43218/index.html

I do not think one would have ot be a child to think this cat is cute. It would be a fun and funky, "I am so glad we are friends" gift, with maybe a little trinket in the tote bag. Heck, I would just buy it to keep around the house..

Continuing . . .

There is a design of a flower seller. I am not sure I like her white-haired, but it's still a very stitchable design.

I think the sweetest, most competition friendly design in this issue is Susan Bates' Pecking Order. It's similar to Marjolein Bastin's design of the same name, and therefore will probably get the designer in trouble, but it's pretty And not a complicated stitch. It's little birds in a bird feeder, very sweet. It would be nice on a hand-dyed.

There is also a design of my kitchen. I wouldn't put cross stitch in my kitchen, just because it could cause an issue with steam, but it would be cute to put on the cover of a binder you kept recipes in. Lastly there is a section of little houses. Where were these when I was doing my Neighborhood RR a few years ago? That was hard. I could have used these. There is also a little section about Marilyn Leavitt-Inblum. Nice.

I am going to try to do some finishing

I can't do it this week, because I work tomorrow night, Friday night and Saturday night, and I can't see myself doing anything fiddly at 10PM, when I get home. But I finished a cute little design from The Gift of Stitching, I think it was last month, called Love Ewe, and it would make the cutest little pinkeep. I read the directions on the finishing blog, and I think I can handle making it. I think, at least. I am even going to try making it real, not doing it no-sew. I know, ambitious, but I can try! I have some fabric in my stash that would probably work, and I can just buy some thin velvet ribbon and pins at my nearby fabric store.

I am pretty proud of myself. I really haven't been too bad on the S.E.X. since I started back on the wagon. I had to buy some VC silks for some stuff I had, and I had two small E-bay purchases, but other than the Volarium purchase, that is all. I did realize last night when I was looking at I Could be a Prince, by Samsarah, which I bought that Tula Solo from Silkweavers for the other day that I have to buy Watercolors for it to look right on the 10-count. I had bought Wildflowers, but one strand on 10 count won't look right. I would rather spend the $20 on the right threads and have the project I want, rather than be cheap and have it look stupid. So that's that.

Guess what I found!

I think I have made it abundantly clear that I lack organization skills. I tend to lose things everywhere. In general, if you ask me where stuff is, I pretty much know--my houndstooth shoes and a WIP of border collie puppies, along with my Timberlands are in my car, I suspected another WIP was in the attic where it got packed away with the Christmas stuff, and my Cross Stitcher magazines are in my room. Other than in general terms, I pretty much can't hone down where things are. Don't even ask where my bills are in general, this is why I have a computer, to get rid of the need to know where they are.

So imagine my surprise when I misplaced Prairie Schooler Birdsongs 1 and 2. Whoda thunk? I know I had them in a Barnes and Noble bag, but I thought they were in my room. And they weren't. I looked, because I have also managed to misplace my kitted-up PS Autumn Leaves (I am getting frantic about that because it's got $40 of VC silks in there) and I got to thinking, "Hey I haven't seen that lately." This is why I go stash-diving so frequently, to keep in touch with my stash.

So I've been getting a little freaked out by the issue. It's not like I don't have plenty of stash to stitch, but when you want what you want, well, you understand, don't you? And I've been on a primitive kick lately, so I wanted something Prairie Schooler in my fat little hand and I wanted it now.

I don't know what inspired me this morning to check two paper boxes in the living room. It seemed so illogical. They were boxes I put stuff in I bought this fall, mostly at CATS. I bought these two springs ago. I kitted them up in the late summer of 2006, when I was working at the job I lovingly refer to as Purgatory, and they would have never been in that box. Not to mention, said box was on the bookshelf behind the ratty chair I posted a photo of the other day (the one with the smiling dog in it). That dog is mean as sin, honestly, it growls all the time. It growls when you give it a cookie, it growls when you ask it to sit up, it growls when it sleeps. It defends that chair with its dear life, because we all know that my goal in life is to sit in that ratty chair the dog chewed. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So, my search this morning involved walking by said dog, who I do love, BTW, she just growls at me. She realized I was going to her chair, so of course, she had to get up, and do her best to trip me on my way over, and then hop in the chair so I couldn't sit down. I put my boxes on the arm of the chair, all the while being growled at, and I kept talking to her. I am gonna start hiding my treasures behind that chair; that dog is crazy intimidating.

In the second box, there was my Barnes and Noble bag. Yay! I told Mom I had found it, she was not suitably impressed. She'd have felt differently if she had had to open a box while being growled at by a very large dog.

So now, I am staring at them. I have my charts. I love my charts. Birds. I can stitch birds.

Now to find that darn Autumn Leaves?

Does anyone else have this many issues keeping track?

I am really itching for that sewing machine

Between Michelle's blog and the finishing blog I have on my favorites list, I am jonesing for a sewing machine. Like I used to jones for a Coke. I know I need the thing. It's not a matter of it being a want versus a need. I could finish my stitching, sew my clothes, fix SO's work pants (I am not Martha Stewart but I am pretty sure that sewing his belt loops back on with DMC floss and a size 28 petite needle is not a viable long-term solution to the problem. However, and I have to applaud him for this, he is always very grateful for my less than mediocre hand-sewing skills.) Sears has one on sale for $99. It has 54 functions and a needle threader. Not that I ever found threading the needle to be the most difficult part of sewing (making sure the pattern on the fabric flows right is way harder), and 54 functions, whew, I could be a seamstress. Though I do have to note, and not with glee, the listing does not mention what those 54 functions are, and I probably don't know why I would need 53 of them. And just think, while SO is out mowing the lawn, I can be in my little sewing room, making loungepants out of Repro Depot fabrics. I am now trying to decide if I should charge one on my Sears card and just pay on it a little longer, or if I should hold off and just pay cash for it. Hmmmmmm . . .

I caved

I caved hard.

I ordered that horse chart. I would hate to be in a situation where I went to buy it and couldn't find it. I've done that before. I never got those gorgeous Clydesdales that were offered as part of the Border Fine Arts James Herriott series. I was so dumb. The dollar was doing well against the pound then, too. Bugger, bugger, bugger.

I am not going to kick myself over this. I had a bad week last week. This was not much to spend. Plus I paid all my bills for this payperiod already, except the car payment, and I am putting that in the mail this week. It's not like I went to the LNS and had a field day.

Not to mention, I am in that first group for the tax rebate check, and I have, um, managed to misplace my checkbook for the account it's going into, so that money is basically safe.

Besides this will be fun. Let's see, I'll be stitching a French design, sold by a Finnish website, using American threads. That is pretty cool.

Now to decide what colors to use on it. A realistic horse color. Maybe a grey? I don't know yet. That might be really pretty, a dark grey for the mare, medium grey fabric, and then the letters in light? Or else a rust--I always was a sucker for a bright red chestnut horse, probably why I love my Breyer Phar Lap model so much, LOL.

finally, a WIP pic

It's not great, I know. This is a shot of my Monkey Sampler. It was taken with my cellphone, so please forgive the cruddy pic!

They just keep sucking me back in

I found this today. Totally by accident right here:

http://www.violarium.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_68&products_id=1270

Dang it.

It figures.

I am going to have to fall off the wagon for this. It's too pretty not to have. And it's not toooo expensive. It's not cheap, but it's not expensive. It would be one thing if I bought a bunch of charts, but just this one?

Is that forgiveable?

Not much in the way of Friday foolishness

It's not been the best week. Bad news all around. I have a monster headache because I laid awake last night, worrying. It didn't help that the dogs decided that, despite the fact that they have no jobs, didn't purchase any of the bedding, and have no thumbs, they were going to take over the pillows. And at 4:15, Robbie decided to stand on the pillows and bark out the window; I don't know if he was busy barking at the birds who were twittering at that hour--whoda thunk they were up that early?--or if he was just barking because everything looks scary when you are small, brave, but dumb, and it was a window he's never looked out before--it's behind the headboard. Anyone want a cute little mouthy dog? He's really good if you want to get up early. Anyway, today is better, a little. It's payday for my P/T job, I am off to Barnes & Noble at lunch to get my magazines, I am going to a play at my part time job tomorrow night, the official opening night, so I get to schmooze with donors and reviewers, maybe get some hor d'oeuvres (that's not spelled right, is it?). The saddest thing is, I've worked at that theatre for 6 months, and I have yet to set foot in the actual theatre space, yet I sell tickets to it like a champ. Well, I did have theatre training, and I have such a sweet accent, how could I lie? Like a dog in summer, LOL.

I did find this site, www.websudoku.com. I actually have been enjoying it. I am not a math person, other than word problems. But now that I kinda know how to do it, sudoku makes sense. And the good thing about that site is you can check your answers as you go.

I am starting to think about getting ready for the get-together designer Sue Hillis is having in Richmond next month. It's on Memorial Day weekend, which is a slight bummer, because if the weather is good, that is the opening weekend for the beach (have I told you before how absolutely wierd it is to me that a beach is "closed" for the season?). But, I've decided that I can do one day there. It's only, what, two hours from here, maybe 100 miles. I can go down Friday night, come back Saturday night late, and still be on the beach with a frosty beverage on Sunday. I really wish I could afford to attend more retreats, it's just not possible now. Sorta like I can't join FOTM clubs right now. But I'll get there. Soon.

Rest In Peace

I found out this week that two stitchers on the 123 stitch board, Lurker and 2Believe, died. Lurker died suddenly, but 2Believe and her daughter were killed in a car accident yesterday. I didn't know any of the three people personally, but I still feel a sense of loss. I feel like that whenever we lose someone in the group, be it Roni who died two years ago, or Cheryl, who died last winter suddenly. Our group was cranky, crochety at times, but they were part of it, and their loss is felt. Funny how love of an art created a shared experience and a sadness.

Lurker--her real name was Liz--always seemed like such a genuinely nice person. I know, it's easy to say someone seemed nice, but she did. 2Believe, I don't know much about her, other than I recognize the name, but I sympathize with her family. They were killed when someone lost control on wet pavement. It took me back to losing my grandmother in a horrible car accident when someone lost control on a rain-slicked road. And this family lost a mother and a daughter. I know the road they are starting the walk down, and how their lives will be split into two eras: before the accident and after the accident and how they will fight to get the second back to how it was in the first.

I pray that God is with these families. And that they come to peace. You never heal from these things. I will never drive in the rain without wondering what's coming at me around a curve or down a hill. But you do come to peace with it, in whatever way it takes to get there, eventually. And I ask, for the rest of us, we hug our loved ones tight and let them know that we love them, even if they think it's silly or they don't tell us back.

Good freebie site

http://www.carinne.ht.st/


Lots of nice stuff here! Thank you, Louise! Louise's blog is to the right as well. She is Raggedy Stitcher!

if you could see my WIP

you would be breathless!

I know, stop exaggerating. But it really is beautiful. I think I have made my most inspired stitching choice in months. This is gonna be gorgeous for the fair.

I decided to put Monkey Sampler aside. Just briefly though. I am waiting on a skein of silk I need for it. For some wierd, most likely undiagnosed OCD, issue, I can not stitch around an area of floss I do not have and so it was making it very difficult to work on. That and the fact that I can pretty much sum up working on it as, "I stitched a monkey's navel" sorta made it an easy choice to take up that gorgeous fabric and work on Sheep in the Meadow. And I am making decent progress on it for only working on it a day. I was baking last night for once, and til I got that in the oven, did the dishes, and fed the boys (my nickname for the pitbulls), I didn't have a lot of time to work. Michaels didn't have one of the colors I needed when I was kitting this up, so working around the unavailable area was difficult, but I persevered and watched it during CMT's "My Big Redneck Wedding," which, as a country girl, horrified me in ways I don't know how to explain.

If you have not seen any of this series, they are very informative, but not in the good way. For example, I didn't know there were so many things available in camoflauge, including wedding veil material and a ONESIE FOR A GIRL. I did not know this, did you? And I also learned there are people who think a used push bar for a truck or a hog-butchering set is an appropriate gift to give your spouse on a wedding day. At this point, I turned to my SO, who is my expert on matrimonial things as he was previously married, and asked him what he purchased his bride-to-be, if he did purchase her a gift. He advised me it was not an item like that. I breathed an inward sigh of relief over that one.

I really love how this fabric looks. It looks like the way the light looks when it falls on a hilly pasture on a nice summer day. I am hoping that the judges get that feeling when they look at it. I was a little bit worried last night when I was working on it because I know that someone is gonna enter something stellar and huge in the fair, and I won't win first place in that special S contest. And then I sat back, breathed (this is a new thing I am trying to do as SO pointed out with good reason, I tend to go from zero to hysterical in 3 seconds, which tends to impede my problem-solving skills), and decided that, as I have said before, it is not the size of the project that is being judged at the fair, nor the complexity. It is the skill with which the stitches are executed that counts. So, as long as I am careful and thoughtful, I should be OK. And if I don't win, really, my life will not end. At least I am not deciding, a week before the fair, to enter the contest though, in fairness, my last-minute efforts last year got me 3rd place with my cute Dragon Dreams ornament, which is not too shabby, considering that others probably carefully invested time in their projects and got lower than me.

That said, if I want to get this done and get the other stuff on my plate done, it's time I get off the computer and get to stitching

Out of necessity comes inspiration

I was sitting around last night, not wanting to fall asleep, looking though my binders of charts. My good friend Julie--her blog is over to the right there--sent me a perfectly lovely piece of this beautiful fabric for Easter. Aren't I lucky? I decided that this would look great on it for the fair (and that is my entry for the special contest at the state fair), but I had some left. I couldn't leave my fingers off that fabric.

So anyway, there I am, sitting on my bed, looking through leaflets, and I came onto my Fire Wing Design charts--you know, those adorable dog and cat charts. Well, I've been going back and forth about those charts, because I don't like the shade they are stitched on as models, but I do love this color! And I have enough to do one of them on it! Yay.

Can you see me snoopy-style happy dancin?

Fun little meme

I found this on Lonestar's blog, which can be found here:http://lonestarneedleworks.blogspot.com/ Check it out!


She had a cool stitching meme. I thought it would be fun. I do need to show I really do stitch, I don't just sit and wisecrack about my projects:

1) How do you hold your fabric? It really depends on the project and what it lends itself to.
2) Floss licker? Yep
3) How do you thread your needle? Lick thread and poke it through the hole.
4) What needle do you like best? DMC. I lose them so often, I have to love what is available.
5) Are you a needle loser? Of course
6) What fabric do you prefer to stitch on? Whatever works for the project. Basically, I am pretty easy-going with my stitching like that.
7) Bobbins or floss bags? Bobbins. I hate floss bags.
8) Are you a scissors collector? No, I can't afford to be.
9) Do you do your own framing, and if so, do you lace or pin? Not normally. I am too impatient and my framer is so good at it.
10) Are you a floss floozy? Yes, I think. I have a lot.
11) Silk? Yes. If it's a project I think could benefit from it..
12) Railroader? Yep, top leg only
13) Are you a pattern or designer snob? Nope. Why would anyone be a snob about their patterns?
14) Do you get antsy when you give someone a stitched gift? No, I hate to say this, but I give so few stitched gifts that I don't stress about it. If you get a stitched gift from me, I am pretty sure you will like it.
15) Have you reached S.A.B.L.E.? Oh yes, I think I have. If they had the seventh level of SABLE, I would be there.
16) Do you wash your projects? Usually.

We may have pictures soon

Woo hoo. Happy dance with me, kind hearts, gentle readers. Get funky!

Thanks to the kindness of my best friend, Brea, who you may thank all you want, and the midlevel advancements of Verizon Wireless technology, we are going to try to send a photo by cell, then have her email it back to me. I wish I could do this without her involvement, but as SO can tell you, some people just weren't meant to have internet access on their cellphone, and I am probably one of those people. So is he!

My house is framed now. That was my major accomplishment of the weekend. And my momkey has a head. I don't know whether to refer to them as modern dance monkeys or else as cast members of the all-mammal production of "West Side Story" When you're a Chimp, you're a Chimp all the way . . And I do have some issues with the fact that these monkeys are going on a panty raid on these poor people's house, and all their animals, who they've been feeding and sheltering pretty decently, cause none of them look sick, are just ignoring the situation. I know they can see them. The peacock and one of the rabbits is looking RIGHT AT THEM. I know, I know, snitches get stitches. I know, it's a cross stitch picture, it's not supposed to be analyzed or interpreted like that. But I would still cut off the free lunch. Monkeys stealing your underwear is probably something that is pretty terrifying and these animals ignore it. I would hope the my dogs would be more loving than this.

Another adorable dog photo

I put this photo in cause it just tickles me to death. This is my brother's border collie mix, Nikki. She is probably the most intense dog ever. She doesn't let her guard down very often, so you have to snap her photo then. I snapped this when she was on "her" chair; it was pretty ratty in the first place, and then she chewed it when she was a puppy, and in our house, you chew it, it's yours. She didn't stay in this position for long, and was right back to her old self, cranky and ever-vigilant, like my ex-Marine 8th grade social studies teacher. But I have evidence now, there is a free spirit under all that fur.

OK, raise your hands-don't be shy

Who wants to stitch some monkeys over one on 28 count black Monaco for me? Come on, I see you there in the back. Stop hiding behind your fellow readers. Don't hold back. Did I mention they are dark brown monkeys? Oh, what do you mean, you have a biscornu to stitch? This is a work of art, people! Well phooey . . .

Obviously, I am still hard at work on the Monkey Sampler. I got a wild hair yesterday and decided I would work on the two creeping monkeys. They are over one. (oh, yeah, I just wrote they were, d'oh) It's going OK. I wish the directions were a little more clear on this one on how to place them. Especially because not only are there two monkeys, there is an owl and the saying to put in over one. But it's still fun to stitch.

I had really good light to work in yesterday. SO has a skylight in his livingroom, and on cloudy days, it's the most perfect stitching space ever. The light that comes in is really nice on those days and you can really see the individual threads better.

I don't think this should take too long to get done.

I am starting to get advancement on the computer situation. I took our Dell in to the office to have the IT guy see what he can do with it. Hopefully, it can be salvaged, otherwise it's a new computer and scrambling for time on borrowed PCs to upload photos. Which stinks.

The Monkey Sampler

I decided I am going to have a run at finishing Midsummer Night Designs' Monkey Sampler. I've had the chart forever, and it's such a fun design. Irreverent and quirky. I started it back in the fall on black, and then put it aside at Christmas. I pulled it back out again Wednesday night. Hopefully, I can get it, if not finished, then majorly worked on this month. I stitched MSN's Lady Prim and Lady Proper Sampler two years ago, and that was a pleasure to stitch. This is just the same.

I converted all the colors to Vikki Clayton silks. I used them on Lady Prim and they were loads of fun to work with. I like how vibrant they are and how they really seem to pop against the black. And they are CHEAP. I think I paid less than $1.50 per skein for these. You can't beat that for silk threads.

One thing about me, I am cheap. I hate spending large amounts of money--I drive a cheap car, my dogs were free or reduced in price, I don't do expensive shoes or clothes. I rarely use over-dyed threads because the thought of spending the money on them makes me nauseous. Especially Silk n Colors. I have a gorgeous chart by Workbasket, the Bay Sampler, and it uses Silk n Colors. I priced them out. At $5 a skein, which is what they were at the time I was doing it, it was over $100 for the threads alone. OMG. But these are cheaper. Even if I bought 3 skeins of each, it would still be way less that.

So these are fun to use. I am not doing the variegated ones, so it's going a little fast. I am working on the house, which is a lot of brown, so had to stitch part of the date in a gorgeous rose. But I'll get to do some other colors, soon. I am almost done the roof, and am moving on from there.

Some Thursday cuteness

I don't think I posted this picture before. I think this is the most adorable picture of my furry son. (Please excuse the background) He looks like a puppy, doesn't he. You wouldn't beleive he's eight years old. This picture makes me smile. Who knows what he's looking at. I probably was offering him a cookie. Anyway, I hope it gives someone a grin.

(We need to take some new pix).

The Christmas Kitten is finished

I am so pleased with myself for getting this finished. I almost lost it last night at the nail salon. I got it out to work on while I was waiting for my girl to finish her other client, and realized the stitching was not in the magazine. I almost threw up. Then I went outside and it was lying in front of the car. Whew. At least no one ran over it and it wasn't in a puddle.

I did most of the backstitching today. I spoke a little too soon about that ease of stitching. The face on the little cat was full of those wonky stitches. But I got through them. I even managed to do his little French knot eyes exactly the same size. They were neat and in the correct, symmetrical position. I am particularly pleased about that--usually my French knot eyes end up being off and it makes one of the eyes look like it's bulging. So, yay for me! He really is adorable, and he does remind me of Gussie.

I sent my payment for this month's Sanmans. I don't consider this a fall off the wagon, because I placed my order before I decided to go on. And I really wanted these charts. I realized I am a horrible dog mother, and, as far as my stitching, I favor the cats. I have very few dog charts, and, sadly, 3 charts that could marginally be Schipperkes. Those are the Mosey and Mes that are of Molly the Mutt. If I take her tail off, she is the perfect Schip. So I wanted to get the dog Itty Bitty to at least start to make it up to Robbie and Chancey. I haven't determined yet the extent of the guilt I should feel because I usually end up stitching other breeds of dogs when i do stitch dogs--we'll leave that for another day, hee hee.

I have decided that being on the wagon does not include not buying magazines. It would be different if they were like fashion magazines, I can live without those. But my magazines are a collection, a highly limited edition collection. I can't just stop buying, not when I have been consistently buying them for this long. It's only about $60 a month. I can afford that, especially if I am not buying anything else stitchy wise. Right?

But, as soon as I get two credit cards and my car paid off, I am joining a FOTM club. I figure I'm worth it then, since I would be paying $300 a month less in bills. $40 or so is NOTHING next to that.

Trying to finish a Margaret Sherry freebie gift

I have had the cutest little Margaret Sherry cat in a wreath free kit in my to-do pile for over a year. I am particularly careful with this kit because you have to have the mount to make it work, and I have a habit of trashing paper mats. It was in Cross Stitcher 181, which, BTW, is a good issue of that magazine, pretty diverse in the subject matter--we got a Tigger, the cat, a robin, a winter sampler. Pretty good value in that one. Anyway, I am digressing.

I spent a good part of yesterday working on it. I worked late late night, so had a pretty good 4 hours straight to put in. I have it pretty much half stitched, the bottom part though. I still have his cat face to do. I really have to compliment whoever charted this design. I do not do a lot of MS because of the fact that you have to split threads on the backstitch. After I did that big afghan last winter, I realized I hate having to fight to get the needle and thread down through the middle of an X, then through the fabric. It doesn't seem like it would be hard, but it is. But the charting editor, who, and this may be why this is fun to stitch, stitched it as well, did a fantastic job of making it a user-friendly chart that is fun to stitch.

I don't have any grandiose plans for this one. I don't think my LNS could figure out how to frame this any better than me. I thought it would be kinda fun to just mount the finished piece on a piece of card stock, or else a fun scrapping paper, and mount it in a store-bought frame, maybe I can find a cool one at the thrift store. Nothing fancy. It's not a fancy design, it's just something that reminds me of my Gus, and makes me smile when I see it, because I just know, if he could figure out how to get into a wreath, my tubby tabby would be swinging in the wreaths at the holidays. And, since it was free, and I can get a cheap or reclaimed frame, I am staying on the wagon. Ha!


Somehow I suspect giving up buying cross stitch is going to be a lot harder than giving up drinking soda.

In case you need a reason to eat popcorn . . .

Fisher's popcorn is pretty popular if you know someone going to Ocean City, Maryland. I didn't know about it--we went to Virginia Beach when I was growing up, so we did not know about this "downy ocean, hon" treat. They are right down the boardwalk from a killer little LNS (imagine an LNS right on the boardwalk) and their other location is across the street from an LNS in Fenwick Island. The popcorn is yummy, even better when you visit in late fall on a chilly day and it's still warm, and you can sit on the boardwalk and eat it. Chancey is not a fan of it, but Nikki likes it and I assume Robbie will, when he gets a chance to eat it, LOL.

Anyway, you're asking, why is she talking about popcorn on a cross stitch blog? Because they have the best tins to use to store WIPS or floss. I have three. Two of the small, one which got used to store cookies in it, the other has my white floss for Hummingbird Trellis, and the big one is for one of my caches of unsorted floss. They're very beautiful tins. I can sit the big one out in the livingroom and no one would know it holds stash. Anyway, I thought I would share. but if you are ever up for a ride down to our Eastern Shore, they're a good stop on the way to the LNS.


POPCORN

Back on the wagon

I am back on the Wagon, as of today. I made that decision this morning. Between all the magazines I buy, and my stash, and the freebies available online, I think I have enough to stitch. Scratch that, I know I have enough to stitch.

My plan to stitch last night fell apart. But I did not waste my time, I promise. I just didn't feel like stitching after I got off the phone with one of my CC companies, but I had a huge bag of floss and managed to round up some of the paper bobbins, so I wound floss for 3 hours. Antiques Roadshow was, in fact, on, which is fantastic. That is a show you can listen to, rather than watch, so it works well for cross stitching. And I watched Law and Order and CSI: Miami. I was actually watching CSI: Miami. I realized it was time for bed, that I had been floss winding for too long, when I realized I was trying to figure out whether Elizabeth Berkeley had had plastic surgery since Saved By the Bell, or if it was just that hairstyles have changed that made her look like she had had surgery (I know that sounds wierd, but I figure I look way different since I am not rockin the big hair as much, and I figure I can not be the only one . . . please let me not be the only one). Anyway, I made some good progress on getting it wound.

I have to stop kitting up projects well in advance of stitching them. I waste so much money on floss that way, because I just keep spending money on floss that I probably have in one of my caches of floss that I seem to have stored all over the house. For some reason, once it goes in the bag, I don't seem to want to use it. Until I have a night like last night where I got to looking and ended up going, "Why in the name of all that is holy do I have 3 skeins of 780, 2 of 781 and 2 of 782?" That is $1.75 I could be doing something else with, buying half a gallon of gas, or a can of dog food, or, yee gawds, putting it on my car payment to get it paid off. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Anyway, I am back on for now. I have about 5 projects in my tote bag to work on. i should be good for the week, LOL.