Stitching Rotation Updates

I've worked on two projects in the past couple of weeks...

"Winter White Tree Skirt"


and "Winter's Grazing"

I'm 3/4 done with this one. I expect to have it completed within the next 2 rotation rounds.

I've definitely decided to add book marks to the rotation. They are small and I know I won't feel overwhelmed by adding them. The first one I'm making is for hubby, who is no help picking out a pattern (whatever, honey). I've decided to go with "Renaissance Bookmark", a freebie by Teresa Wentzler (TW Designworks).

I've also found another SAL I want to work on; Ink Circles' Celtic Mystery SAL (affectionately being called BoINK), which is based on designs from the Book of Kells. I'm considering kitting this up and then, because I'm going to buy silks for this instead of using from my stash, restart the Project Challenge. Well, maybe I'll restart after I renew my magazine subscriptions.
{GRIN}

Rough weekend

It has been a rough weekend at the house.
It started off with a phone call from the vet. Several weeks ago, we took Q.C. to the vet because she had a very large lump on her side, by her neck. The vet believed it was a tumor at least the size of her head, and we were given the option of an operation, to let her live out the rest of her life (which wouldn't be long because the tumor was growing fast and she had stopped eating), or to put her to sleep. G-Teen decided that although Q.C. was near the end of her life-span (the hampster was full grown when we found her over a year ago), that she wanted to at least try and save her. The good news came when the vet opened Q.C. and found that the tumor was not big, but was encapsulated, so she spent two weeks draining the cyst and giving the hampster anti-biotics. we took G-Teen in every couple of days to see her, and that hampster was running everywhere her wheel would take her. Thursday was the surgery--finally. Q.C. had made it through the surgery and the vet asked us to bring in some more food for her for the weekend and we would be able to bring her home this week. Friday morning, we received a call, Q.C. died during the night. My daughter was, of course, heart-broken, but she is coming to terms with the death pretty quickly.

Then Sunday rolls around and The Boy starts complaining that his stomach hurts. To keep the grossness to a minimum, by Monday morning, I had very little sleep, my house smells of carpet cleaner (those never have a 'good' smell) and the doctor could not find anything wrong...rotovirus, something he ate...whatever it was, after he woke on Monday, he wanted to go to school. To top it off, he requested Sloopy Joe's for supper last night...

UGH!

Project Updates

Finished up another set of 10 hour blocks on a few projects...

"Winter's Grazing" - 60 hours total. This is on a set of scroll bars so it is hard to show everything I've finished.


wXSw Mystery SAL - 40 hours total.


"October Box" - 20 hours total


And another square on The Boy's blanket

This is "Summer Tree" by Stitch Witch. Its a freebie patern I got from Cyberstitchers.

My daughter (here-to-after known as G-Teen), has asked me to make her a blanket too. Good thing I have another blanket in my stash! I'll be hem stitching that thing while she look sfor the first pattern she wants on it. As a result, in a trip to my LNS for a gift for someone else, I picked up "Cat Squares" so G-Teen can have a few more patterns to choose from.

I made it to 15 projects (a year and 6 months) before buying more stash!!! Of course, people GIVING me stash during that time made it much easier. And I'm cleaning out my own of ones I no longer want.

I think I need to add bookmarks into my rotation too. I can never seem to find my paper ones. Maybe if I look in all the books I'm reading right now, I might find them. That just means I don't have enough!!


Today is my daughter's 14th Birthday. I always feel old on her birthday and not mine, even though mine is next month. She had her party yesterday, at the park. All the girls had fun. Most of today was spent taking her every place she got a gift card from. Boy am I beat!!!
Word to the wise...Whipcream icing and 85F, sunny weather make for a melty mess.

~I've been working on the Railroading, all the live long day....~

Something that was sent to me, that I thought I'd share...

It starts out as a WHIMM (Work Hidden in My Mind).
After a FART (Fabric Acquisition Road Trip) and some SEX (Stash Enhancing eXperience) it becomes a PIG(Project in a Grocery Sack).
The PIG become a HSY (pronounced hissy ...means Haven't Started Yet).
Once you have a HSY fit and begin work, it becomes a WIP(Work in Progress).
The WIP becomes a UFO (UnFulfilled Opportunity ...(I like that better then Unfinished Object whichsounds so negative), as soon as some other project grabs and holds your attention more than the project that was a WIP.

Updates Galore

Now that I've finally been able to bogart the camera from my hubby (who is at this moment wandering the house trying to figure out where he put it, as I download), I've gotten picture of all my finishes and updates over the past several months. So you know this post will be jpeg heavy.

First up is my last finish of 2007.
"One Starry Night" by Carol Scott Higeli of The Stitcher's Habit. From JCS Christmas Ornaments: 10th Anniversary Collection.

On 28ct Navy Cashel Linen, using recommended DMS treads. Substituted Kreinik 102 with 002, and 085 with 095.

And two finishes, so far, for 2008:
"Merlin's Oak" by Hermon Adams
Pictures never do these things justice, do they...

This is an Embellished Cross Stitch kit from Candamar Designs Inc, which I started in July 2005.

And "Daisy Dream" Mill Hill kit.

This beaded pin pillow is on 28ct Cashel Linen, and took approx. 15 hours to complete.

And the Baker's Dozen RR returned in time for Christmas for my son. Although once he saw the package when we picked up the mail, he knew what it was and has refused to let it go since (Oh the uproar when he realized he forgot it at his Aunt's house in San Antonio!).

THANK YOU to all the ladies who worked on this. My boy absolutely loves it, and has me read all the letters you wrote at least once a week. You all did great work and I am grateful to you.


Now for my lovely ongoing projects...
Here is "Winter White Tree Skirt" at 180 hours


"Winter's Grazing" at 54 hours


wXSw (Yahoo group) Mystery SAL "Back on the Road Again" at 30 hours

I'm using 14ct Oatmeal Aida (I think it is Oatmeal. Its part of some stash I was given and it was not labeled.) and DMC threads. I have substituted DMC's Light Effect colors for the White, 334, and 818.

And lastly, "An October Box" at 10 hours

Is it Spring yet?

Wahoo!! I've been working some serious overtime lately and am ready for a vacation. Which I start at 3:30 today! Of course, now is the perfect time to get sick (I've been fighting my throat hurting the past couple of days). I don't plan on heading anywhere except from my bed to the couch, with a couple of pit stops for necessities. Updating my WIP on the sidebar too. It seems I'm a little behind on updates.

In all this extra work I've been doing, I finally got the rest of my Stash-To-Go cataloged and posted (http://ets-stash.blogspot.com/). Well almost all of it. There's still a few things that got stored someplace I can find (in other words, I put it someplace safe and now can not figure out where...I really need some decent sleep), but those will go up as I find them.

So head over and find something you have to have.

You know you want NEED to add to your stash!

American's Average MPG

A 2006 study by Texas A&M University found that the average American walks about 900 miles per year.

Another study by the American Beer Institute found that Americans drink an average of 22 gallons of beer a year.

That means, on average, Americans get approximately 41 miles per gallon - not bad...

How can anyone forget a finish?!?

Well I did!

A couple weeks ago, I finished this!


"The Enchanter" by James Himsworth for Dimensions.
On 18 ct. Black Aida, with DMC and Kreinik threads, various charms and beads.
Started August 2005. Approx 228 hours to complete.


ALSO-
If you haven't heard yet, my Aunt gave me all of her cross stitch stash. I now have more charts than I can shake a stick at. I know. I tried. The kids just giggled. Head over to my new stash blog and see if there is anything you have to have!

http://ets-stash.blogspot.com/

New "Christmas" Project

Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments on my last stitching update. I did add a new project to my rotation. Not so much a Christmas project, as I have the tree skirt for that, but it's winter themed none the less.
For the progress reports:

Since I free'd up a scroll bar, I got "The Enchanter" into it to work on the detail work. Here it is with the backstitching done (Well the part that the scroll bar will show).

Just the embellishments and cording left to do on that.

I'm getting close to finishing the main work on "Merlin's Oak" too.

Just the bottom right corner left to do and onto the backstitching.

I'm sensing a theme this week...

And the Tree Skirt! A 10x10 block left to do on the first page:

I'm going to backstitch each page as I go, as I about had a heart attack thinking about leaving it all for the very end like I usually do.

Oh yes, the new project added...
"Winter's Grazing" by Lois Winston from The Cross Stitcher (February 2007). No pictures of it yet, including the one from the magazine, as my scanner isn't working and just feel like troubleshooting it. (LOL, I know...bad techie! Bad, bad techie!) However so you can have a visual, it's three moose in a pine forst cover in snow.

I could have sworn I haven't read this

There are occasions where I have read a book and then forgotten that i read it, until I picked it up again and got halfway through the book wonder why I know what is going to happen next. This usually happens with series that have long stretches of time between each book.
The most recent of these is buying "A Storm of Swords" by George R. R. Martin three times, reading halfway through it, then realizing 1.) I've already read the thing, and 2.) Oh, look, there it is on my book shelf. Luckily, the bookstore has understood each time, and the book was in good shape, so I was able to return it. One of those times to a cashier who was laughing her ass off at me (Thanks, sis).
This does not happen often with me, as I usually know exactly what books are on my shelves at home. I mainly run into picking up the same book over and over again at the library. Or wondering while I'm there if I've read a certain book. Or my husband asking my opinion of a book we both know I've read, but can't remember reading it.
So, I've decided to start keeping track of the books I've picked up to read, and the one's I've actually read. Maybe even comment on those I have read. Maybe. Quite honestly, my book reviews have only ever made sense to me; made it hard to get passing grades on those book reports in school. The last reviews I gave hubby of a couple of books:

King Dork by Frank Portman - Put yourself in the mindset of a teenager and read. You'll laugh your ass off. Will be a good read for TeenD when she stops thinking kissing is gross.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy - Do Not Read If Prone To Depression And/Or Suicide. Seriously, by page 5 I was contemplating finding the good kitchen knife and taking it to my wrists. I didn't even attempt to make it to page 6, and just took it back to the library. It still took me several days to pull myself out of that depression.
This book is now on my very short list of books I've started, and will never finish. I believe that list is only 2 or 3 books long. (I'm kind of anal about finishing a book I start. I keep thinking that it will get better.)

Funniest multiple book purchase ever Award: Goes to my Mother!
One year I got the same book from my mother 6 times. That's right, she bought and wrapped the same title 6 times and never caught on until I opened them Christmas Day. It's even possible she picked up two of the copies in the same trip.