Ain't got no rhythm

Start #1

The Coverlet Needlebook

Lucy Beam

Stitching from the chart but following the angle of my berry template.  The stars' points on the right are charted one stitch less than the other points so I added to balance.  But I can't get a rhythm.  Nowhere near.  So many placement errors and picking it's ridiculous for such a simple star and also the tulips.

Thread is called Gunmetal, very soft, shades of lavender and faded blue.

If I continue having issues, I can shorten the height and finish into a beautiful heart.

Kitting another now for my monogamousity pause.

Be safe!

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Choices

Yoi. 

I don't have a lot of charts.  When I see floss tubers with entire rows of bins holding charts, I am grateful for my measly stash.  If I have difficulty choosing from a few dozen, how could I possibly with hundreds+?

Hannah Schofield, Chloe Smith, Mary Spinney partial are all available to add a row when I can.  Just staying away from anything over seven inches for now so they will not be worked on often. I have four other big girls started and pouch perched for some time.  It's not just the issues distracting me right now, I haven't felt the drive for larger samplers in a long while.

 Louisa Snow is gorgeous with the golden browns ending with the row of roses.  Creating a drum of that bottom section is being considered since I won't stitch the sampler.  But only if I find a box with the correct circumference and height.  Wouldn't it be beautiful?

This collection of minis are not dmc, must look up every color to match, not doing that now.

So moved on to these, too much border work for a slug, even though only 5".

I love Spot the Cat so much, stitched once, want another mirror image orange tabby.  That drum has called me more times than I can count, still haven't kitted.

One of my favorite previously stitched smalls, considering a redo on 40 count finishing at 5". 

And now, the final of the group.  Lots of stitching, but I am envisioning this finished as a berry.  Same size or similar to my Berry Basket finishes.

This will probably be my choice.  But I vowed to get over my monogamousity so will choose three.  And then work on one as usual.  Hey.  I'm trying.

Stay warm, be safe

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Four times

The number I will final finish today.

And the number of times these guys and gals came for a snack.  The flock so large they divided.  Are they carb loading because of the weather forecast?

I am.  They offer a dozen with butter and onions, frozen, just pop in the oven.  My hubs always enjoyed eating out, but we haven't since my diagnosis.  Just ordering coffee or tea while he eats is always greeted with looks from the server.  Sorry people.  You do not want to witness a person with no saliva eating.

I watch Colorado Cross Stitcher videos and she showed her hand warmers.  I immediately ordered the Ocoopa UT2s mini, smaller than hers.  I have Raynauds and my finger tips turn solid white in cold.  Honestly, gloves help but don't prevent.  I am most affected in stores.  These minis have a wrist lanyard and fit nicely in my hand, easily in a pocket.  Worked great in the car today, anxious to test in store.

Magnetic, pack is two.

  I saw a video online of a disgusting excuse for a mother ridiculing her little girl with obscenities in a group of children.  She was crying at the table, friends watching, telling her mom quietly she was embarrassing her.  Monster responded with more ridicule.  I've been in a highly stressed, agitated, anxious state lately.  Oh how I wish I was there.

Be safe, be warm, be careful.

A boarding kennel here is offering shelter for strays picked up.

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Next

Found this screen shot photo in my gallery, very similar to my other.  Must have been featured a while ago. Quick, easy, misaligned, perfect for distracted stitchers making errors.  This antique was not offered in a chart.

VERY similar to the 2.5" I previously stitched, looks like the same stitcher?

 I chose 36 count this time with the much darker dmc 221.  Now that I see the two together, sorry I didn't go lighter.

Not following exactly but with borders will finish about 3.5".  

The $641 for Eliquis is because almost every Part D rx plan for seniors carries a 618 deductible before coverage.  Eliquis is classed as tier 3 for Medicare, other plans it's tier 2.  As always, seniors pay more.  Deductible is not required for tier 1 and 2, but 3 and up it is.  Also for 3 and up, no more set co-pay.  Cost is 20-40% of actual cost depending on your plan.  My plan is 20%, so a $500/month drug in tier 3 will cost $100 after I pay the $618 deductible.

For Sherry B - no reply so here 'ya are.

Notforgotten Farm

Spools of my Thread

Today was brutally cold.

Physical therapy for my back starts tomorrow, shoulder ended.  I wish I wasn't such a slug.  I used to exercise, now I detest it.  That's sad.

The End.

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2026 Finish #2

Lion's Heart Pin Pillow

Bittersweet House

36 count ptp Sand

Every color changed.  Even the lawn.

Border omitted.

 

Denim backed after fringing the entire piece and changing my mind.

Enjoy your day.

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Leaf it

With what color?  I don't want several colors as charted, prefer one or maybe two shades.  The acorns? nuts? I did as red to show up.  I tried an orangey brown but being a single stitch it was not noticeable.  I chose 543 for the windows, slightly pink/peach/flesh, the pale creams seemed too bright.  

The heart was done with two threads on this 36 count to stand out.

Not sure about finishing the second one right now.  An ativan would help!  I saw posts from The Attic festivities and adore those small floral pillows.  Spending that much for a kit when I would not use the linen or especially the kitted backing, not going to happen.  And I'm not sure I could handle the detailed and confetti stitching.

Hope your weekend is peaceful.

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It's always something

 Continuing with the blue, liking it.

Something is not sitting well with the other.  Started stitching the tree which is charted the same color as the house, changed to several shades of brown, not right.  Maybe it's the blue of the windows?  Can't figure it out.

My stress level is quite high which may be clouding my judgment and focus.  I'll finish the blue first and then decide.

In the meantime on this snowy day, we'll make a batch of nutrolls.  First batch was gifted to friends.

Have a good day.

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A house of another color

I remember now why I didn't stitch this a second time for myself.

Didn't like the color, but I had no intention to study the chart for changes.  It's great as is.  But as I'm stitching, I'm thinking of 311.  So.  I stitched two.  This one as charted,

the second with a 311 blue house and rich gold lions.  

I think I prefer the original, but will continue to work on both and make a decision after lawn and tree are in, only because it's a quick and easy project.  Beige or dark gray for the windows will also change the look.  

That's all folks.

Be safe.

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The easy house

 While the repair tech was here for hours, I decided to go through old working copies for disposal.  And this was just the perfect little project for my psyche right now.

The house is SO easy and quick, the tree of many colors can hide errors of any kind, and the grass is not overwhelming.  My copy is a disaster of colored pencils and notes from the first finish many years ago.  It was gifted, I failed to do another for myself.  

This is ideal to display among the small samplers for something different.

Happy as a clam.

But still a crab.

 

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Dots and dust

Hi everyone.  How is the year going so far?

Mine has been expensive.  The 231 for dental visit, extraction/graft will be 1032, Eliquis was 641 (tier 3 for seniors, tier 2 for others), 175 for scan (that's a good deal), and the fridge died (that's a biggie).  Repairs in 2025 didn't hold.  What's next?  A partial.  Damn.  We're not even two weeks into 2026!

I enlarged and colored the Spinney chart section, tested and pulled through threads, started, stopped.  Too much going on with brother and others, not sure I want to stitch.  But if I calm down enough, a single color is my best bet.  Maybe two.  Three at the most.  No confetti.  Spinney calls for many colors as it should be so not a good start right now.

The dots ....

I have three medications that are round white same size pills.  They don't make them in the needed dose, so each must be cut on the score, a royal PITA especially being small to begin with. My arthritic and numb fingers sometimes cause one of the halfs to fall at the wrong time.  Pill stamp is barely visible once cut.  So  I decided to mark them (and the bottles) with a fine tip marker.  Such a tiny amount, I doubt it would do harm.  Taking them all twice a day allows a second chance to confuse, but now, problem solved.  Weekly pill cases are guaranteed correct!

The dust .....

Amazon offers these washable dusters to use in place of disposables.  What a great product for wood floors.  Every cat hair, my hair, speck of dust ... gone.  No water, no cleaners, just dry for dusting floors and it works great.  They collect so much dust that I use the vacuum nozzle on them before throwing in the washer.  No dryer as with all microfiber.  Love them!

We had a female fox running through the yard, followed four minutes later by a large male after her.  Both panting excessively.  An hour later, still chasing.  Mating season.

Hope your weekend was good.

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Spinning with Spinney

Looking through charts while jumbled thoughts are spinning, Mary Spinney seems a good option. 

She was completed on dark green linen, now lounging in the chaos with her neighbors.  But she was in the iffy pile to eBay, and I realized her center area would make a perfect 5" soft finish.   Working the top down to her name would work too, but the center is more interesting.

The bottom people and motifs are wacky but without other portions of this sampler, make no sense.  This may be the next project.

Went in to my old dentist this morning, he can't fit me in for extraction for three weeks.  Had I known that I would have stayed with the 3 day a week doc and saved a few hundred.

Have a good day folks.

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Not a good start

to 2026. 

Spent Monday with brother in er, now trying to get heart tests we no longer have locally.  Waiting for appointment.  

Nephew needing surgery, waiting for a specialist to schedule.  A small sore red bump on a decades old scar indicates an abscess.  Who knew?  We did not.  After antibiotics and blood work, he needs a plastic surgeon to remove the old very large and messy appendectomy scar and take care of abscess, restitch. If it wasn't for his girlfriend having a sister that spent a week in ICU because of a little bump on a scar, this would have become very serious.  Chris cannot be in that house with a large incision to heal.  It's that bad. He has told them to leave before, no response.  There are grandkids involved, it's difficult and upsetting.  After making calls, no help, no agencies willing, no options that are humane and acceptable.  I may explain later.

I haven't made the appointment for my tooth extraction, too many calls and such happened and they are closed for their 3 day week, need to wait until Monday.  My old dentist is 4 days a week, closing at 1:00 daily.  No opening tomorrow and I need to go to new diabetic doctor with Chris anyway (out of town of course). Taking antibiotics for a week now, still painful, swollen, draining.

I hate my newer Samsung tablet.  Horrible photos, green, blurry, have to tilt to get a level photo.

This is CrowsfeetStitching Hannah Schofield that I started before.  Not a large sampler but is for me.  Can't think straight right now to choose something else, don't even feel like stitching.  I did start a new sampler a few nights ago but decided to quit.  On the for sale pile now.  Will continue on Hannah until I can focus.

I hope to get some sleep tonight.  Dealing with my brother and this situation is exhausting.  Tremendously exhausting.

 Hope all is peaceful for you.

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2026 Finish #1

I need another shelf.

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The alpha

Finally.  

I did chart this a while back but made changes that I no longer wanted.  Plus, the chart was in color, not symbols, and that made it even harder to adjust back to the original photo since the greens and rusts were not being used.  So I tried to work from the photocopy best I could.

The alphabet will be followed from the chart.  I wasn't able to get the flower stitches counted, quite blurred, so the shape is different.  Not a problem.  I may add a small motif to the top right of the bottom section to sort of balance it.  The heart interior is done with half crosses.  I like the texture.

Stuff happening this weekend.  I've had the days wrong for over a week, holidays shuffled me.  And my previous root canal is killing me so I'm hoping another will correct this and prevent extraction.  They only work three days a week as most around here.  Seems in order to keep employees, you have to make sure they don't have to put too much time into responsible productivity.

Hope your year started peacefully!

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Tough

Working from a copy is slow going.  Trial and error as I stitch.

No way it will be a 2025 finish.  I had too many distractions and calls today to complete a good amount of stitching, plus the lack of chart issues.

Wishing you all a healthy and happy 2026.

Be careful!

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Tiny tiny lights

I found these at Kraynak's today, perfect for my two and three foot trees.

Requires 3 AAA batteries, beautiful light, almost invisible wires.  Never saw them before.  I may return and get a few more packs.  These are 100 lights on 33 feet, others are double lights, copper, silver, or gold wires instead of green, multi colors or pure white light.  Not bothering to add to trees this year.

Weather/wind is brutal.  Stitching more tomorrow, not making much progress.  

Using 3722, 221, and 355 for the reds on this.  Didn't realize it would be this wide, perfect little drum.  The bird is center, dividing band is to right side edge. 

Stay warm, safe, and well.

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End of year finish?

Doubtful.  

What is that other color doing on the second floor?  Debated about following, but pulled 612 and will stitch it.  You can tell the stitcher worked vertically in that area and door.  I erred in the width of the house by two rows.

The situation I'm having difficulty with involves my nephew's (Carole's) house and the emotionally charged decision.  Well, the decision is a given that I made and am enforcing, it's what happens after that decision that will have repercussions.  None of them good.

Have a good day.

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I think I've got it

This putz removed two completed houses except for the windows.  

I thought I would like something different than the label.  I did.  For a day.  Removed and stitched the trim three times, the house color three times, the door twice.

I gave up. 

And matched to the label.

Been a very stressful and difficult few days, which will only get worse.  Heartache situation that needs to be done.  Two months.

Hope you had a nice Christmas.

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Wishing you

 a magical Christmas

God bless.

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An amazing card

Card maker Brenda sent me another handmade card that will be part of Christmas decorations for many years to come.  Beautiful!  Isn't it great?  

This looks quite complicated, yet perfectly constructed.

Thank you Brenda!

This is my handmade card, ashamed to be in the same post.

I couldn't find the wallet style cards for gift cards less than 3.99 (waited too long and others are gone).  I took basic card stock, cut it in half at 5.5", then folded for a perfect size to hold the gift cards (and their packaging).  Typed and printed a greeting ( ran out of stickers), tore the edges, glued to the front ,,,,, done.  Envelopes are the basic note card size found in craft stores.  I could have glued all the edges shut and sealed the card inside.

About that lekvar and prune filling.  We made pierogis with that filling along with baked goods.  The stores here all have it along with apricot, berry, and poppy.  The containers are set out at holidays and filled from the store's bakery.  They must purchase large quantities and package for customer's home baking needs.  As the older community passes, less and less is offered since the younger community doesn't bake as much.

Please keep hand sanitizer in your car and be careful.  The flu is spreading wide like the pattern on my leggings.

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