How much longer?

My only needlework activity is browsing for charts online.  I can't get in to the cardio doc for another three weeks to work out a suitable med, but blood pressure is not causing this wonkiness.  I have to limit my screen time, reading and stitching are impossible.

Hoping my browsing and ordering online during this break will prevent a deep slump, so far it's working.  The perforated paper I jumped to order will probably require a report to Paypal for refund.  This company doesn't answer phone calls, emails, has not shipped.  Most receive payment when an order is filled and ready to ship, this place takes payment and ignores you.  We'll see.  

  Lizzie is still missing, as is the linen I wanted to sell, and my Cat chart from 1984.  Dammit.  I stitched a number of these and adore this design in various colors and sizes.  I have a finished pillow, I have the chart's cover page, and there is no chance I would have discarded it.  Charting from my finish is certainly possible and should not be difficult.  But where the hell are these items?  I know I set the linens aside but they seem to be in witness protection.  With Lizzie.  But Lauren lost a recently finished hooked rug so I don't feel alone.

To add to the other issues, another crack opened next to the healed one.  Cream, gauze, finger, repeat.

Cavatelli and meatballs for dinner. Easy enough when you have a great Italian store a few towns over.

I hope to catch up on blogs and IG posts soon, very limited right now.

Stay safe everyone.

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Fingers crossed

 Hey!  I'm up and about, rested today. We'll get this worked out eventually.

But those crossed fingers are for .....

The hard to find Mill Hill black perforated paper!!  Ordered, paid, hoping an out of stock email isn't sent.  You know what it's for, right?

I've been searching for a while, never got a hit, but this time,,,,, bingo!

I considered (and still am) using 36 count black fabric which may be a struggle to see.  I couldn't pass up the black paper when I found it, so I'll have options.  Tried to visualize a pillow finish but until I get the chart to review, won't make a decision. 

If I wait until stock is replenished at shops, it may sell quickly and I will miss out.  I miss quite a number of sales featured in an IG post or elsewhere since I don't have a phone to get instant notifications.

I'll let you know if it ships!!!

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Not yet

I don't follow the rules when stitching.

And thankfully did not when taking these meds.  Never a good idea to change dosage on your own, but I have grown tired of medical professionals not listening.  

I AM DRUG SENSITIVE.  Read my chart.  Do you honestly believe I would get a colonoscopy without sedation just for fun, or is it possible they don't want the crash cart wheeled in again?

Thank God I followed my gut.  My heart rate has finally reached 55 today, diastolic has also risen to 60.  Lots of water, salt, and assisted walking helped to raise those numbers, but not yet stabilized.  Horrible feeling.  If I had taken the full dose, what would have happened?  

No stitching yet.  Fabric for finishing has been looked through this week, with little success.  After losing both local quilt shops, my choices are limited to HL and JoAnn.  This little drum's faded red is a stinker, nothing in my stash is similar.  The red in prints were too orange, too strong, too pink, too blue.  Black wool was my only option.  Why not the same linen?   I have time to decide.  

Hope you have an enjoyable weekend.

Be well, stay safe.

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Happy mail

 Hopefully soon, designs and threads will be tested on this darling linen.  First will be a simple small in red on .....

left is Cocoa, right is Straw. If the eye dizzies are diagnosed as a sinus issue, I could be tossing floss by the weekend.  Seeing my PCP Thursday morning.

When something excites me, it becomes sort of a fixation.  I purchased gingham years ago, have seen it huddled with the 28 counts when browsing the linen drawer, and ..... meh.  

So what the honey has me all sugared up!!  After my recent finish on the red, I started thinking about other projects that would look great on it.  That steered me toward the add to cart button for more.  Will this infatuation last long enough to complete a project, or add to the meh in the drawer? 

No more snow, warming to 40 this week.  

Hope you're all staying well during this flu season.  So may are affected.

Be safe!

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Standstill

Not up to stitching.  The issues I've been having are getting more complicated to explain, and are now preventing any needlework.  Close work causes a weird dizziness which then hits the stomach, not caused by BP.  

So.  Before this setback, I reworked the motif chart of Nash's Little Redwork Pinkeep to a smaller size.  Looks the same, just tighter. 

The other start was to be this snippet of an old sampler I saw online and charted.

I thought simple fill in (no chart reading) of Julia's large house would be doable, but even that was a problem.

This post is being worked in short sections, taking long breaks between.  Reading, whether on screen or paper, causes the same feeling.

The courtship of Tootsie.

Have a good week folks.

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Lizzie!

 Where in the world is Lizzy Peddie?  I have a complete mess in the sewing room and started sorting for some semblance of order.  Many samplers are draped over a rod, covered, wondering when they will see the light of day.  Lizzie is not one of them.  Several were a surprise, forgotten finishes.  Another roll revealed some Christmas pieces, not fully finished, Lizzie was not a guest in that group either.  Cannot imagine where she is.  How could I have forgotten about these?

In the search, I decided that this guy will be an easy stand-up finish slipped over this.  I can easily cut the plastic condiment bottle down and insert a few items for weight.  Add a drum top and glue bottom to a wood base.  Stable and tall to stand among pumpkins. 

These two may end with a taller drum finish, the larger fits perfectly around the straight tall glass from a spent candle.  I save them and their lids after frozen wax is removed and glass is cleaned.  

No stitching.  The glove finger was removed too soon and the crack reopened.

Hope you are doing well as we are another day closer to spring.

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Drum or roll

 Snow.  Need I say more. 

So here's the little fat drum.  Very difficult to get a good photo of the gingham pattern or depth of red which is much stronger than it appears here.  Added the pen for scale ( blue tape identifies Frixion for me).

One error when adding that top border - there should be two stitches together in the center which would allow the end stitches to fit into the side border pattern.  Added a few additional stitches creating a solid area at edge, may remove and leave the error. Also increased the side border height by two.

Option to finish as a pin roll, no?  If I make another with the charted fabric, one drum, one roll?  Or do the complete sampler on the straw gingham?  

Larger than I would like if 28 count gingham is used.... thinking about it.

Did you notice my healing thumb crack in previous post?  Thanks for recommendations, Cetaphil crack healing balm and also the lotion are at local walmart, but I am ordering on amazon since ... you know ..... white crap.  Tried all the others so I'm anxious to get these, but will still use the glove finger.  Keeps the bandage/balm in place and water out.

Ollie is walking just fine this morning.  He has that type of very thick hair that snow sets on, doesn't seem to penetrate.  Like a deer.  One (deer) that we are feeding was either born with an unusable leg or was injured.  It just dangles and she is so thin, shunned and alone.  An unexpected video clip when scrolling IG showed adult elephants throwing and shunning a baby and I couldn't sleep last night.  Probably not for a while.  The photos of bloodied dogs that people deliberately injure, claim the animal is stray and needs help, and then offers links to send money for treatment is a new disgusting scam. Some are legit and if inclined, verify the group by entering their name/link in another tab.

Hope your day goes well.  Stay safe folks.  

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Meet Ollie

 A frequent visitor and suitor of Tootsie.  A big boy that needs trapped, he must live somewhere, and is not as skiddish as the Toots.  This boy can eat!  Yes, he is limping.

With a comfy house and another shelter not as closed in, they never stay.  Ever.  Even the two far from the house are not used.

I found out what may be the cause of the BP problem (lowest is 145, high is 180, bottom # is steady and good).  The start and then increase of meloxicam.  My pharmacist said it can definitely raise pressure, also interfere with effectiveness of bp meds.  Bingo.  Never had HBP before this and being drug sensitive, I agree with him.  

This will be a little peek of what the fat baby drum will be like in the red.  I like it.  But will still start the other color.

Stay in, stay warm, stay safe.

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Next!

The blue thumb is coming along.  My gloves are nitrile, I always include a box in hub's quarterly OTC allowance from his Advantage plan.  Great for potting, painting, messy jobs, but using a smaller size finger tight and long enough to stay put and hold bandage/balms in place is a great aid for healing.  My thumb is already less sore and I should have protected it as soon as the split started.  My hands become velcro like in winter, was told it is a form of seasonal hand eczema (?) and using cortisone cream really calms the condition.  Miracle Hand Cream and others recommended are also used throughout the day but without the steroid cream, mine does not resolve. No rash, no itching, just sticky paws!

First, I decided to add a darker green thread along the border of what will become a roll.  The light green was not strong enough on this linen.

Trying to choose a small project is really tough, but the BBD book that the above project came from is my next stitch.  I've stitched so many of the projects in this book, so so glad I have it.

So this one was chosen, but the bottom section is also featured as a sweet short drum pincushion.

The book recommends 32 count WDW linen shown here, but I don't ever remember the gingham offered in 32 count.  Was it?  I have a small piece of 28 count, would have preferred 32, but never found it.  I ordered two eighths from HobbyHouse and will shrink to a higher count. I have it in my brain that I want a small sampler on a dark gingham .... we'll see how that goes.

So.  In my mind, this baby drum in red check linen with black thread would be adorable.  Doesn't look it with this start, but envisioning the finish ... sweet.  But just in case, I'm also stitching it on the straw check with red thread.  When you can't decide, do them both.   I am adding a top border, do not like it without.

Winds have been brutal, snow is not welcome but came anyway.

Feel better today, not sick, just .... I don't know. And my BP meds are certainly not keeping it down.  Doc called in the script, did not require office checks, and told me to return in a year.  Through my own research, I found that when your cholesterol rises, chances are great you will have HBP.  I stopped my statins this summer when Advil and Tylenol were taken around the clock for months, and it rose quite a bit which coincided with the high BP.  Hmmm.  Why did I have to find that on my own?  Regardless, I'm hoping it will lower as my number goes down, but no blood work for 12 months.  I'll message the cardio office NP for a requisition in a few months.

This is what my Italian family calls spitini.  I have heard of some restaurants offering spidini which is probably the same.  One of our favorites. The beef (usually eye of round roast, best is filet if affordable) is partially frozen in order for the butcher to slice wafer thin which we cut to smaller piece when rolling.  The dish for breading them combines lots of garlic (twice through the press), seasoned bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil.  Rolled and alternated with onion slices and bay leaves on skewers, broiled on second rack for 3 minutes each side (less for very thin rolls).  The bay leaves are every other roll and really flavor the meat.  Hubs always makes early in the day and covers in fridge for the flavors to meld.  My sister's friend was too embarrassed to ask, and ate the bay leaves. NO!!

Hope everyone is staying safe and warm.

Every day, closer to Spring.

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Thumbs up?

 Hello hello.

My stitching has been sidelined because of a painful deep split that is not healing.  It is no longer fresh to allow the two sides to meld and heal, the skin inside has hardened preventing that.  Happens during cold weather but visiting more stores during holiday shopping increased sanitizer use, and dry skin suffers. Covering with a finger from latex or nitrile gloves protects and holds the healing balm.  Snug fit stays in place all day (not worn at night), even through water, shortens healing time. 

My last project had a row of solid fill with negative letters.  And that is called .... ?  Reverse stitching?  Negative fill?  Whatever, it has always been difficult for me.  This time, I worked rows vertically making them shorter and so much simpler to count.  Filling the graph's negative space with a color also made it much easier.

These were finished before the split.

Kathy and Lauren's trees inspired me to try something different next year.  While browsing, these real glass icicles caught my eye.  A seller on Amazon offered a three box set for cheap so I grabbed them.  Now there are single box offers for more than half of my three box price.  Some sellers state  "GLASS",  but description beneath states "acrylic".

My new same brand, style, size, compression stockings are ... well ... a little smaller than a year ago.  Really?  Too late to return, did not expect a problem, a costly mistake.  Surprisingly, those silicone dotted bands stay in place without the It Stays roll on. 

I've been feeling crappy for a week but thankfully am not ill.  I hope it's not caused by starting bp meds.  My body does not like drugs.  Was hopeful that Pilocarpine would help the Sjogren's but even a low dose caused a reaction. 

Hope your new year is feeling good!

Thanks for visiting.

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Helper gifts

 Hi stitching buds.

Today is nutroll day #3.  The first yeast cake dated 1/24/24 was opened after all other dough ingredients were in the bowl, and it had black spots.  Hubs went to the store for another, same date, but dead.  Not a bubble, no foaming at all.  Day #2.  A different store with date of 1/17/24, very active, but hubs insisted on using the previously prepared bowl and I knew the foamed yeast would not incorporate once the dough's butter had hardened in the fridge overnight.  Men.  What can I say?  Another failure and wasted cake, this time, our fault.  At $4.50 each x 3, I was ticked.  So today, starting over from scratch, with dry yeast.  We could go back for another fresh cake but what if it's not as good as the last one?  The store would not replace or refund the first two duds and I will not take the chance again.  Never ever in all these years have I had a bad cake, and this year, two.

This week I plan to start cleaning Carole's house and I've already purchased a few items to organize and hold the clutter in the kitchen.  

A stand that creates a shelf over her air fryer and coffee pot, adjustable to 23" wide, was a surprise.  The quality for the price is great and the shelf will get items off the counter.  Several options offered HERE.

Wire baskets on the inside of the broom closet and pantry door will hold lots of packets, treats, spices, wraps. Larger and deeper ones will be installed inside the linen closet door for often used OTC products and soaps. 

She was really pleased with the Christmas gifts I chose for her making food prep easier.  The magnetic double sided spoons, rechargeable can opener, battery motion light for ceilings in closets and stairs, easy hold peelers.

When  you can't get out to see what's in stores, or browse/order from a flip phone, receiving gifts to make chores easier and safer is a great help.  This motion light requires 4 D batteries which should last for months and gives a good amount of light for a battery lamp HERE.  I now check lumens before lighting purchases!

I started watching Colorado Cross Stitcher's floss tube and added her to my top five favorites.  Her latest showed an oddly shaped project and wondered how a final finish would be.  The first thing I was taught when working at the framer was to check the borders of needlework for missed stitches, and notify the owner.  Then we moved to creative options when necessary for odd shapes.  For that Alpine design, the mat and frame looks the best (to me) but much higher in price than having wood or HDF cut to shape.  Affix the stitchery to the wood like a hornbook, maybe outline with rustic studs.  The PAINT program is a great tool to play with, helping to envision options.  And fill your time when the knee immobilizes your overweight body. 

The butter is softened, the flour measured, it's time to make the dough!!

Have a  wonderful  day!

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Oh those professional finishers

 Vonna and Faye always tempt with photos of their work.  Many times, designs were never seen, and in some cases, designers not heard of!  Such is the case with Needles and Fred and their chart titled Three stockings.  Oh my.  So I searched and searched, with no satisfaction, and will try to stitch from the photo. Shouldn't be too difficult (sure).  Separately on perforated paper, sweet!  Or on fabric sewn into stocking shape or square, just darling.  Or as charted, divine.

Watching flosstubers reveal their hauls, WIPs, and stash, there are so many designers that I am unaware of.  Maybe that's a good thing.  

Nutroll day!!  Finally.  Unfortunately, the 1/24/24 dated cake yeast had black spots.  Hubs is roaming the stores now looking for another, probably end up with dry.  Searched and searched online, found five different reputable sites claiming entirely different measures for subbing the dry for cake.  Flour and all else is bowled and ready so ....  let's rise!  Bolbalki this weekend hopefully.  I found a new pastry cloth and will try it for kneading the sweet doughs.  My MIL was an excellent baker and would not knead/roll without it.

If you are interested in the hemstitch finish, search for how to videos online, better than diagrams.  Jeanny Cobben is not blogging now but you can still visit her remarkable works HERE.  She shares many photos of edge finishing, visit her September 2020 post.  If I wore a skirt, it would fly up.

Hope your day goes swell.

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Boom 1

 Many changes!

Small pillow ..... or hemstitch edge?

3.5" x 6"

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A stroke of luck

 Working on the primer chart with changes (of course).  Should have been completed but ....

The last row will be solid fill with her name, I may add the date also, the two rows above that are left off.  Small, very quick, quite similar to my favorite small of last year.  

My aging brain was shocked when I realized Notforgotten Farms little thread pouch was not stitched in 2023 (another favorite small).  Since I fail to add labels to posts, looking back for the year's finishes took some time.  Where was that pouch?  2022!!  Very hard to accept my sense of time is that bad.  Vocabulary too!  What the hell is happening?  I wrote 2024 at the end of the date line on a load of personal checks, guaranteeing no flubs until I adjust to the change.

Now for the luck.   Decided to change all bulbs to LED bright white from the soft white.  Not the stark ultra or bluish daylight, the bright is mid range.  Just grew tired of the warmer yellow, this bright is soft enough but whiter, without being harsh.  While browsing that display, a man said "hey, you got old".  As we turned to face him, after a few seconds I recognized the construction pro we had used a few decades ago.  Wow!  He got old too.  So he spent time here yesterday (hours) catching up and we have an excellent knowledgeable pro now!  YAY!  He was working as the foreman for a large builder which is why we couldn't find him.  Now on his own after major surgery (no more scaffolds and roof trusses), he will be fitting our projects into his schedule. 

Someone asked for the source of Spring Green and Budding Twigs finishes in my 2023 recap.  They are both in BBD's Ooh la la book.  

Hope everyone is well and safe.

Happy 2024.

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