Hey. What's happening? We're a little chilly here in PA, and crabs prefer warm weather. So chilly that the Nit Boy came in to snooze with the Bud Man.
My border, after I got my rhythm, managed to end up on the right row. Amazing. The tiny design within it, is barely visible. Even the bottom's green thread fades into the linen. I am considering changing them to the rust or bright blue, maybe even the yellow. Instead of removing the four stitch design I may just outline those with the darker color. Have I ever done a reproduction as it was charted? Yes! All of my first sampler kits from the Scarlet Letter, but I was a youngster then and afraid of my own shadow.
The going is slow because of my thumb, which cracked. Too much detergent and lack of hand care causes my hands to turn to Velcro in the winter, a form of eczema, treated with hydrocortisone cream twice a day. Which I didn't do and the thumb cracked. Extremely sore and hard to heal so pulling the needle is pretty uncomfortable. But little by little I am getting her done.
See how the border colors fade away? Rust. It needs the rust. Hopefully the thumb will heal so I can do the stem stitches to finish Sally. Oh. I have to complete the stitches in the house, only one small section on the left is crossed. Keep forgetting that.
I received my Belfast Tumbleweed, a very nice sagey kind of greenish something. Still not as stiff or as dark as I like it but a very nice shade. That's R&R Sea Glass on the right. Ordering unseen browns online doesn't work for me because too many have a reddish undertone which I do not like. My Rook pieces should come this week and although not as dark as my original (gifted from a friend and I'm forever grateful), they should be a good shade, not like the last piece I received. Did I have a giveaway for that? I think I did. So even though I haven't crawled out of the slump yet, I am ordering linen. No new charts (and there are several I plan on selling) because this climb is more difficult than before and I have to decide if going to smalls is the best option at this time, forgoing the larger samplers.
I had a few questions from no-reply'rs and can't remember what they were so I guess I can't answer right now. And as for the Pringles, I love chips with chocolate. Pretzels and chocolate. I even dip hot French fries into chocolate milkshakes. My personality is that of a crustacean but my eating habits are more porcine.
Hope your week is going well, stay safe!
Thanks for visiting.
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34 comments:
Beautiful Sampler love the colors, you are very much like me when it comes to color, if it does not show up well I feel a need to change the colors, rust is such a stunning color, I think it should make that sampler really pop.
Ow I used to have cracked hands, had to stop using liquid soap to wash my hands, now the dry skin is only a quarter of what it used to be, we live in dry in the winter Minnesota.
I swear I have alzhiemers, ( I am too lazy to look up correct spelling)I have to go over all my comments and correct, or maybe I need CHOCOLATE and a latte, yep that's the answer.
Blessings
Catherine
Sorry about your thumb! That happens to me sometimes in the winter and I know it is painful. I am a secretary (I'm on my lunch break right now) and it is painful to type and file with a thumb like that. I have had success with "New Skin". It is in a little brown bottle with a brush attached to lid like nail polish. It is a first aid antiseptic liquid bandage. I used this morning to put on a file folder cut on my ring finger. Stung a lot but after that I can type and use my hand without the skin catching on papers, etc. And since I cannot type (or sew) while wearing a bandage -- this is great. I have used it on those cracks near thumbnails like your in the photo. Anyway, I love your work! Have a good winter!
Gorgeous progress on this sampler!!!
So glad that the boys are snug and warm :)
Love the house in that sampler. Also love how you change the colors. Have you tried Aquaphor (sp?) on your thumb. Works for me and may be worth a try. I also think the key to keeping hands feeling better in the cold weather is the INSTANT it starts to feel cold outside you have to wear gloves or mittens even if you are only going outside for a minute.
Sally looks great, Marly! Beautiful.
Sorry about your thumb. Tiny cuts on the hands are so painful. :(
(Except to shower) gloves any time my hands get wet. Otherwise I snag my knitting before I can finish the project! And lots of solid hand lotion bars!
A tip from my dermatologist...superglue! A tiny drop on a toothpick, very well cleaned crack, squeeze it together so it closes. Works like a charm! This assuming you aren't allergic to superglue. Thank the stars I am not! I end up every winter covered in spots of superglue!
Your sampler is beautiful and the size is Awesome Working Hands works very well
Your Blog ALWAYS makes my day Thanks for making me laugh today Have a great week
Linda m
Beautiful progress, Marly! Take care of your hard working hands.
Katya
I have cracked fingers 9 months of every year. I use O'Keeffe's Working Hands hand cream to heal up the cracks fast. My right thumb is also cracked right now.
chocolate + pretzels (anything chocolate + anything salty) is ALWAYS a winning combination!! :-)
this sampler is going to be Fabulous! and you are Almost Finished !!
I agree that Sally could use a touch of rust! I am wrestling with colors right now on a sampler and am hoping I don't screw it up! Sweet and salty is always good, as is chocolate!
I don't get those kind of cracks on my fingers too often, but when I do, they really hurt. I hope your thumb heals quickly!
Sally is beautiful! I hope your finger gets better soon.
It looks fine, but if the colors bother you than I'd change them. Boy have I been busy ordering some Beautiful charts. I worry cause there are NOT enough days in a week let alone enough hours in a day. what to do? Just be HAPPY and ENJOY. Yes?
Take care of that sore finger. Keep safe.
Peace & Blessings,
Barb
Hi Marly, love what you have done with the BIG girl sampler, just beautiful and something to sure be proud of ! LOVE seeing the boys cuddled up like that snug inside on the chair, bless you for that.
Those thumb splits are awful, I have one right now myself, usually that Neutrogena heavy cream helps, I have read that Vitamin D helps prevent them? Not sure about that...
Good luck finishing Sally, Debbie
What a precious picture of the two boys! You have made awesome progress on Sally and glad your outside border met. Lays sold small bags of chocolate covered potato chips around the holidays and after. I noticed them at Target if you have one nearby.
I know you probably have medicine for your finger, but have you ever tried bag balm. It is greasy and smelly, but cracked fingers and heels will be better in just a couple of days. It is made for cow udders but can be found online or in some pharmacies.
Oh, Sally is going to be a beauty!!!
Ouch on the thumb. My hands are like sandpaper but at least they are not cracked. I hope it heals quickly.
I used to dip my fries in my shake, too.
Hugs :)
Lauren
I have had those cracks too, very painful. I have found that using cerave cream in the morning and jergens ultra healing at night works. Also no antibacterial soaps, really drying for skin. Love the kitties and the sampler.
I have had those cracks too, very painful. I have found that using cerave cream in the morning and jergens ultra healing at night works. Also no antibacterial soaps, really drying for skin. Love the kitties and the sampler.
My fingers cracked the same way in winter. I've found that I can take the pain out and heal them quickly if I put a gob of A &D ointment on the crack and wrap it with a bandaid before bed until it feels better. One or two nights is usually a enough for it to feel better so I can stitch again.
I love The Scarlet Letter reproduction samplers I made when my eyes were young. I sure wish they were that good again. Even with magnification and loads of bright light my sight isn't anywhere near what it used to be.
I am in awe of your sampler. Love the snuggly kitties too. :)
Winter is the worst on hands. Hope your finger heals up quickly so you can stitch comfortably again.
That sampler is just beautiful. I have trouble ordering linen on line also. The colors are just not easy to determine!
My suggestion for your oh, so sore, thumb is Neosporone and a bandaid at night. It takes the pain out and heals quickly for me. Sorry you have the sore thumb when you're in the mood to stitch.
A friend gave me some chocolate covered pretzels with bits of peppermint (candy cane) on them for Christmas.. She said she got them at Wegman's. They were delicious.
So happy to see the "Budman" and Nitzy sleeping together.......where is the "girl friend" ?
Your Sally sampler is gorgeous. So glad you are just about finished with her. I know you're glad too !
Take care and stay well.
Charlotte in Va.
Before you go to bed at night, put triple antibiotic ointment on your cracked thumb and place a bandaid or two over it - do this for a couple nights. You will be amazed how it takes the soreness out of it and heals up the area !!! Hey, anything to keep stitching !!!
Rose
Hi Marly, Your samples is beautiful!! Adding a darker color to the border should do it.
Your kitties always look so content, love seeing them!
xo
Sally is looking great and I'm sure the colors you choose will look great as well. My mom has the same problem with cracks on her fingers. She uses the hydrocortisone and then uses Working Hands a couple times a day. After years of suffering with no relief, Working Hands is the ONLY product that has helped heal her cracked fingers (no, we aren't affiliated with O'Keeffe's in any way).
I feel your pain with the cracked thumb and now my index finger cracked as well so no stitching for me right now. The dr has been trying to find the perfect combo of meds to help me deal with this but we sure haven't hit it yet. I'm not complaining as long as my feet don't start the cracking and bleeding this winter.
Love the picture of the brats being snuggly warm.
I have cracked hands every winter and found very little relief until last year we were in Atlanta the day after Thanksgiving and we went into a Lush store my hands were hurting so bad I was really miserable the girl put several things on my hands and with her recommendation I bought a product called Helping Hands and within an hour of putting it on my hands the pain was almost gone so now as soon as winter gets here I make sure to use it all the time. This year I added Lemony Flutter to myhands it is for around your cuticles when they get hard and rough all their products are wonderful. I am sold you can order online.Check it out I would not have believed it but now it is a must have.
My husband swears by the superglue method. He farms and always has dry hands. He uses Udderly Smooth hand cream as well. He just said glue it first then use the hand cream. Good Luck, TNladybug
Marly, your sampler looks wonderful! And I say that those are lucky cats indeed. I wanted to add my experience with the cracked skin. My right thumb often has that problem--it sure does hurt! This year I heard about Arnica Salve. It's by a company called de la Cruz and I got it at Walgreens. Not all stores have it--I looked online to find a store that carried it--and it was in the Hispanic section near the pharmacy. So far it is the best thing I've found!
Your sampler is so gorgeous! Your thumb is not. lol! Ouch!!! Hope it heals quickly. Not fun.
I'm in love with Sally....And, truly, I believe that is the only "Sally" I've ever even liked...let along love. Not only are my eyes not 1/10th of what they used to be, but neither is my attention span. Something that large would be a lifetime project.... I've resigned myself to the world of smalls...well...that is, if I ever pick up a needle or hook again. My muse seems to be MIA these days. (Is she there eating Pringles and chocolate with you??) Porcine...you crack me up. I HIGHLY doubt that. ;o) Smiles & Piggy Hugs ~ Robin
Ouch! And sorry that happens! You have made great progress on Sally--but I agree that the border is practically invisible... sigh...I am with you on dipping fries... do that with Wendy's frosty's! Yummm...
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