How many times?

I lost count.  First I removed the bird breast because of counting errors.  Then color after color, all of which were too strong.  There had to be some color, otherwise the breast did not show on this linen.  I'm done.

The other two birds are charted in different colors than the large bird but I may not do that.  Surprised?

I took Carole to a lab for blood work and she did not know a urine sample was needed.  She doesn't bother reading anything even though she had the requisition in hand.  So they show her into the bathroom and when the alarm went off, somehow, I knew it was her.  As I said, she doesn't bother reading anything.  That red cord ain't to order an iced coffee!!  Read the sign!!

Enjoy the final day of July.  I complain every year of summer passing too quickly.  This year, more so.  Stay safe.

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Color happy

Pleased with the 3045 roof and 3031 windows.  I'm lightening the mortar color to 3866 since the called for matches the linen.  I'm surprised at the coverage for this being 36 count.  And look how uniform the roof stitching looks with that method!  

Local Michael's is a disaster for floss and I don't believe I will ever get over the loss of Pat Catan's.  The display goes from 500's to 900's to 3000's, to 700's and none are the full range within that row.  900's are in two places, they don't even have a bin for 3866, and surprisingly, not 869 either.  Many colors are missing within the sections and the sections are in such a random order that it takes forever to look.  And after listening to the two employees talk about their jobs and money and departments, I threw my rather large hip to the side and added my hand.  Finally, "do you need help?".  They could not explain the numerical order and told me to bring in the floss itself so they could scan the label as if that would make a bin for 869 magically appear.  Whoever set this up must be a student of the new math taught by one of my neighbors and have no idea of numerical sequence.  

Good thing I was seeing the chiropractor after Michael's.  That hip throw ain't what it used to be.  Bet it doesn't look as good as it used to either.  Younger and thinner it was pretty demanding, now they probably think I need a hip replacement.

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Solid color blocks

Greetings folks.  Not much stitching accomplished yesterday.  Carole called and asked for our help, sudden and severe vertigo again, so most of the late afternoon and evening was spent there until the Meclizine (Rx) kicked in and she was able to get around by herself.  Dramamine (OTC) is meclizine and the newest is long lasting with nausea relief.

I tried 3031 and 420, wasn't happy.  The 3045 seems to be working out well and since the reproduction used 436, this isn't too far off.   My test area -

Doing a block of stitches using the sewing method cuts the time in half if not more.  I've shown this before and it makes such a difference in the uniformity of my stitches which are usually lopsided pulls and tension issues.  Both noticeable when it's a block of one color.  I do the first half horizontally, and then complete the cross vertically.  Such a difference from my wonky stitches.  Plus the sewing method of course makes it so much easier.  I turn the piece upside down every other row with that method.

Hot here again.  Still waiting for a red tomato.  Chiro pretty soon and errands to run including a few floss skeins.  My JoAnn does not have all the colors so I need to stop in Michael's.  I offered those bags of floss with hundreds of skeins, and I have been needing to purchase replacements!  But that's fine because it's only certain colors and I did not need all those others.

We found several places with elderberries!!  None are easy to get to and one is along I-80 but not near the road.  We're watching daily, those tiny berries need to be harvested within a day of ripeness and used or frozen within 12 hours.

Have a good one!!  

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Wasting time on color

Again.  These are the charted colors, 436 for the roof, 3371 for outlines and window trim.  I think the 3371 is way too harsh and dark but I can't find a dark brown that isn't reddish when next to the brick's 869.  Not sure I like the peach roof.

I've narrowed down the roof choice to two, 420, or the lighter 3045.  The outline will be the brick's 869 and I'll give the 3371 a try.  Using one strand in a single row won't be near as stark as the skein looks but I'll probably skip that for now. 

The grass color is Colour & Cotton's Willow, I lightened the critters, and reduced their head size.  I really like the subtle variegation of their threads and they are pretty consistent from skein to skein.  And eight yards rather than five.  Looking at this photo I can see that a front foot is missing.  Light thread on linen is difficult for me, I must not have seen the single stitch in place and went over it with the green.  

Had a pretty rotten weekend so far.  Ate a hard boiled egg Friday that looked fine, but my body didn't agree.  Yesterday, I happened to see a wren leave one of the bird houses and a baby came out with her.  We found it, as big as my thumb and feathered but eyes shut and not yet a fledgling.  We put it back in. Three times.  The box I attached to the pole to catch it before hitting the ground was empty, the baby was five feet away.  We then realized the mother was throwing it from the nest.  I checked several times in the evening and found no other babies so this one must have been ill even though it did not appear to be.  This morning, the nest is empty.  She must have taken them out one by one and dropped them into the high grass.  I held that little squawker and studied his tiny wings and legs, my heart is broken that they all met his fate.  There are birds that will abandon the nest, throw out the babes, kill them in the nest, it's nature.  That bitch.

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AND..............

we're back!

The more I looked at the mottling, the more I realized it was sort of crappy.  So......  I hate to tell you, but I bleached it.  Only took three quick dips, didn't affect the DMC (it usually doesn't unless I soak it), and we're back to where we started.  Yes I know.  Reckless.  Should change my Instagram to the The Reckless Stitcher.

The stiff linen can stand on its own.  I don't mind stiff fabric but when it has better posture than I do, it's a little disconcerting.  I need to change my needle (to one that will certainly prick me and draw blood) in order for it to get through some of these holes.  

I gave up on a tablet for Carole since Verizon refuses to tell customers which will be compatible with the service, since they prefer you purchase from them.  I found several 4G LTE but read that is not a guarantee, there are many that some services will accept and Verizon will not.  So I'm done wasting my time.  The sales department at two Best Buys and two Verizon locations would not answer (yes they are open) to help me so the heck with them too. 

Chris came home from work yesterday with the news that someone in the locker room at work, different shift, has tested positive.  He didn't realize it because his symptoms were stomach upset, diarrhea, only now is he positive for fever as they are tested daily before entering the mill.  Chris has tested OK but being Type 1 diabetic and Carole being very compromised, we're concerned.  He was here, said he passed testing, but I was not comfortable talking with him.  The worker's temp was checked every day for fever, obviously not a reliable indicator.  We're holding our breath.  Our local paper reported an increase in cases, and also noted that one death "never showed any symptoms, was not tested, but a physician listed Covid as the probable cause".  Really?  Do cities or individuals benefit from claiming Covid as a cause of death?  Do not professionals have an obligation to be truthful on death certificates?  How can they do this without testing or symptoms?   As we take our rides in neighborhoods looking at houses for sale, we see so many people congregating outside, graduation parties, and young folks playing basketball and swimming.  I don't think if we stayed inside for 6 months it would matter, it will still be there.  But the more people testing positive will develop antibodies resulting in less people that can spread it.

Take care folks!  Be safe.  Enjoy your weekend.

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In a mottlin' mood

Crabby mottlin' mood.

So I dabbed two shades of dye on the project with a crumpled rag.

The house color is as charted, it looks better than I expected.

I'm not choosing the final threads for the large bird until later.  

Later could be anywhere from a half hour to two days.

And I dislike this stiff fabric that feels as if it was spray painted.

Soft wimpy linen is worse and I have happy mediums, but this small piece was the perfect size for the project.

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