Fee-Nee!

As our fearless Spinster Stitcher  her very self would say.

Behold “Joy Sampler” by Lizzie Kate:

I just have to attached the charms and it’s “finished” finished.

And today, thank the sweet baby Jesus, is the last day of NaBloPoMo. I’m sure you’re all sick & tired of me by now. I only missed one night where I totally forgot to write, so in my new version of normal, I think that’s pretty good.

Here’s a funny video I was telling the ladies about at stitching last night (I hope this works!): Cat-Friend vs. Dog-Friend

TTFN

O.M.G.

She stitched!!!

A tiny bit more on Lizzie Kate’s “Joy Sampler”:

Down to the bottom. There  are some snowflakes and a bottom border and the snowman’s nose, the charms and she’s done.

And I realized between yesterday & today, the ornament per month thing (and stitching in general) is a good source of blog post fodder. Progress photo & a description, and another NaBloPoMo post is ovah!

As Promised…

Here’s the update photo of “Joy Sampler” from Lizzie Kate:

Also for your entertainment- sunset on Friday night:

That is all, folks.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat…..

Here’s my latest Beacon House update:

I had to unstitch about 3” of the top line of the water, back to where I stopped infilling, because I had mistakenly repeated the previous section of chart. This JCS version of the chart is horrible. The chart runs across 3-4 pages and breaks at very inconvenient places- it’s been difficult trying to keep my place. I finally taped all the sections together into one big chart.

Em got me a new purse for my birthday. It has smaller outside pockets than my previous bag, and a single large inner compartment. So I made some zippered organizers so I can find my all-important lottery cards: 

Here are the lining colors:

And this is for my Mom- the thread catcher:

Then Em got me this- a leftover from the Olympics:

Google “Steven Colbert” and “Dressage”. He’s made several hysterically funny videos in an attempt to skewer the Romneys, but the videos are too funny. Oh- here: From The Colbert Report and this. And dressage queens united to produce this at Gladstone (site of the Olympic Trials) 

Stitchy Update….

First of all, thank you for the kind words and electronic hugs- they are much appreciated and comforting. I am doing a little better each day, but then I am also trying to keep my activity level at 155 MPH to be distracted as much as possible. At night when I inevitably have to slow down, I watch a little TV, then go to bed early. Needless to say, I have a LOT of DVR hours to go thru.

Anyway- here as promised, are some stitchy pictures:

Beacon House- here’s where I left off last time:

I rolled the scrolls over and here’s where I am now:

And a zoom of Mr..Snowman:

Here’s Joy Sampler by Lizzie Kate:

I could finish this up this weekend if I sat down to it.

Here’s Jackson from the barn:

His 2 big sisters were put to sleep a couple of weeks ago, so this was his first time being all alone while I barn sat. He’s been vaguely “not right” since before that, and the vet(s) can’t figure out what’s wrong. He’s eating, pooping and peeing normally; he’s just not the bouncy wing-nut he’s always been. He got along good with Chicken, just a few growls, but no fights, so I was able to have her sleep over with us instead of leaving her alone at my house.

Off to do house work- my favorite! 

 

NOT!

Good News & Bad News….

The good news: I barn sat this weekend, and stitched a bit on Beacon House and on the Lizzie Kate Joy Sampler.


The bad news is: I was supposed to stay over both Friday and Saturday nights, but at 6:00 pm Saturday, I got a call from the barn owner who was at a horse show in Topsfield. Her horse had coliced and was about to go into surgery. They were going to come home Saturday night around midnight.
Long story short, her horse came out of surgery fine. She’ll be at the vet’s until the end of the week, then back home for several months of recuperation. So basically my barn owner’s show season is over, which is sad because  she does so well. She was hoping to go to Nationals this year in July, but that won’t happen. And even if her horse is recovered in time for Worlds in October, I don’t think she’ll have the points to qualify. (I’m assuming one needs a minimum amount of points to qualify.)
Needless to say, no discounts on my board for a while. %^(

Strange Days…

I had to barn sit this past weekend and it was very odd not to be stitching on Garden Grew. So instead, I put lots of time into Beacon House. Here are some daily photos from Friday thru Sunday:

  

I also started Lizzie Kate’s Joy Sampler (because one cannot have too many ornament-of-the-month starts in any given year-even if we’re still on January’s ornament):

This is on  a piece of DMC 28 or 32-ct. linen with the called-for threads.

Ta-da!

What’s Next?

My fingers are starting to itch for Christmas designs. I picked out the following designs for my own pleasure, as well as some gifts:

Top: “Peace & Quiet” by Erica Michaels and “Joy Sampler” by Lizzie Kate

2nd row: “Merry Ho Ho”  and “Winter Sampler” by LK, “Barnyard” by Bent Creek

3rd row: “Sleigh Ride” by BK and “Sweet Nothings” by JBW Designs

Bottom row: “Think Snow” by The Sweetheart Tree and “The Holly Berry Sampler” by Bent Creek

“Barnyard” I’m going to stitch for a barn person. I can personalize the horse to look like her own. I think I want to do “Sweet Nothings” for my barn owner, or maybe one of the squares from “Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow”. She gave me that chart a couple of years ago. I think I want to start that next as my BAP, when I get Garden Grew done.

Snoopy Dancin’ Time…..

Behold:

“A Quaker  Halloween Sampler” by Cherished Stitches

on 40ct. ivory linen with Thread Gatherers’ Silk ‘N Colors of my choosing

I will have to do some snipping of hanging chads on the back, but it is done. I looked back & my first post about this was March 30, 2010. I did enjoy every minute of this one, though., even though I screwed up the bottom. Here’s my fix:

I also threw in a couple of more bats and an extra cat in some of the unintended large voids.

I imagine I’ll find a couple of missed stitches when I do my snipping.

I just received my fabric for “Winter at Beacon House” from the Jan/Feb Just Cross Stitch magazine. I have to get my floss- there is a large quantity of floss required for that one, 5 skeins of the white, 4 of the oatmeal, 3 of the sea blue and reds, etc., plus all the individual skeins. I also have my eye on starting Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, which I received as a Christmas gift 2 years ago. I have the fabric for that one too, and I have all the DMCs, and I think I bought the required multiple skeins of ice blue over dyed. I also need to get back to Hilltop Seasons. That’s been collecting dust in my bag….

Bizarro…

Corn Chex sampler:

http://jgklausner.com/work/cereal-sampler

Garden Growing by Leaps & Bounds..

I finished a ten-day stint barn-sitting, and I’m trying to get back to my normal routine. Chicken was at my BF’s for the 10 days, and was spoiled rotten; so much so that I think she’s unhappy at being home!

Here is my Garden Grew progress. I am now 3/4 done!

    

I have created a fix for my Quaker Halloween and installed an A/C in my downstairs office (formerly the kids’ room) in preparation for the Hotter-Than-Hades Heatwave Tour coming to a town near you soon. Chicken demanded that at the very least. She also wanted dropped eggs on toast for breakfast and a medium rare rib eye for supper, too.

Yeah, right….

Big Ooops!

Current progress on Quaker  Halloween:

If you’re familiar with this design, you may be able to figure out my HUGE mistake. I think I can alter the last half medallion along the bottom edge, so that I won’t have to rip out a whole bunch of stuff….

Welcome to Crazy Town…

So Em trashed her ankle while falling off her horse going on 3 weeks ago. She found out today after 3 doctors, 2 sets of X-rays, an MRI and a CT scan that her heel bone is broken and she tore a (the?) ligament on the front of her foot/ankle.  So no riding for her for 6-8 weeks (ouch for me) nor driving either for at least the foreseeable future. Which means lots of running around for me.

Anyway, here is more Garden Grew progress:

Friday I got numb-butt:

 

All day to do this one basket (to the right of the trellis):

Saturday involved helping the patient, so with little actual stitching time available, I finished the basket on a previously finished flower, plus had to add the badger. I didn’t take another overall shot after completing the little guy, but he’ll be adjacent to the basket of flowers above &  to the right of the  “all-day basket” in the photo up top.

Here’s the latest on Quaker Halloween:

I’m going to miss working on this one; it’s a ton o’ fun!

Other progress…

I’ve been remiss on posting my other stitchy progress:

I’ve now reached the bottom pages of Quaker Halloween.

Hilltop Seasons:

This quadrant is “Spring”.

My other progress:

One more glass to go!

Some X’s…

Quaker Halloween:

As you can see, I now have dangling threads on both sides. A close-up of the wee spider below left of Mr.. Squirrel:

And a tiny, boring bit of progress on Hilltop Seasons:

I needed some spring color for motivation.

Sunday Stitch Wrap-up….

Quaker Halloween (previously):

Thursday:

 

Sunday:

Sunday close-up

Garden Grew (previously):

Friday:

Friday close-up:

Saturday & Sunday efforts:

The white lattice is a bitch. Count, re-count, unstitch, re-stitch. But that’s what we like to do for fun.