Should we bypass Thanksgiving?

 I follow very few decorators on Instagram.  Using my laptop, not the app, I only see those that I follow.  Using my tablet with the app, I am bombarded with ads and photos from people that don't interest me.  One thing I noticed is the multitude of "white farmhouse" sites, all white, all the same, shiplaps, thick pillows, rugs, candles, and foliage.  I am about to stop following, tired of hearing "buy my book", "swipe up", "go to my blog".  I know the sites are businesses and doing very well, but I am getting too old to enjoy them.  Daily videos, everything seems rushed and hyper, room decor changes daily, and it's an overload rather than an enjoyable visit.  Well now, it's Christmas decorating which has already changed several times since Halloween.  Slow down people!  Are you trying to outdo and get the jump on each other while we try to maneuver through the ads to find the info you promised?  Today is warm and beautiful, but like Maxine, I'm still a crabass and can't seem to keep opinions to myself.

I wanted to show you the tree I purchased.  The one I really wanted is 58" wide and that's just too much for my small rooms.  I have had the same skinny trees for many years, have quite a few sparse shorts, but would like to move to a more traditional tree.  The pencils are good, but look solid and unnatural.   This isn't really a pencil, wider than I would like, but manageable.  Thinning (cutting) out inner branches to get a more sparse form works for some, but many have wire branches and pipe trunk which look better covered.  The prices vary (MUCH more at Macy's) but Target and Walmart are the cheapest and also can be returned easily if not happy.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/seort/206567886

This one from Puleo is not available, I've tried everywhere.  It was my first choice and I requested info from the company if it has been discontinued but no reply.  This model also comes in a fuller version and is in stock (Amazon) but I prefer the slim.  If it becomes available, I will order it for the other room.

I like them because they are "natural cut".   I do like the sparse one from Balsam Hill but don't care for the fairy lights, and the other similar Red Spruce model is $500.  Not willing to pay that when I change Christmas trees as often as underwear.

So.  Is anyone already decorating?

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Well that's not good

 My overdyed came in today and it won't work.  It could, but not if I want to be happy.  The 738 is more apricot-ty but the conversion to Weeks recommended this Gold.  Nope.  A nice gold, sort of greenish, not a good fit with the other colors.  I could follow the chart but I still think the large house in a solid will be a little flat.  But flat it may be.

I'll continue with the body until I decide on another order for an overdyed or the time consuming brick pattern.

I bought a bag of Reese's cups Saturday afternoon, ate them until the bag was empty on Monday evening.  What is wrong with me?  Good thing I don't care for alcohol.  That started a viscious carb cycle ending tonight with the chocolate zucchini bundt cake.  Complete lack of self control when it comes to sweets.  I can tell myself not to take another, know that it's ridiculous, have a talk with myself about it.  But you know, she's a crabass and a little pushy which triggers a spiteful response.  So I ate them.

My oh my.  What a piggy. 

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Incoming!

 I feel a slump in my bones.  Really.  But I'm plugging along.  Hoping to get through a row of very large letters in eyelet, and a shorter row of smaller 4-sided letters.  I'm working half the sampler at a time so that will help with the tedium.

Still having a hard time seeing the 36 count.  My eyes are drying so fast, and setting everything down to install drops every 10 minutes is a PITA.  Maybe this slumpiness is more annoyance which makes it unpleasant rather than enjoyable.

Remember when I mentioned that I saw an eyelet stitch video being done opposite of the correct method?  That was coming up in the center and going down at outer edges?  I did it with the green in the this row, the white was completed up on the edge and down into the center.  Hard to see the wonky since the thread is so light, but certainly not as neat, overlapped threads here and there. So I continued even though through habit some stitches were executed the traditional way.

It snowed.  

The end.

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When mama ain't happy

 ain't nobody happy.

But I am!!  Took a while to find a gold that wasn't too close to the 420, or a rust that wasn't close to the 400, and the brown of 801 seemed to be a good choice.  502 was a close second to coordinate with the 500 but I didn't care for it next to the bright blue. 

Cold windy and rainy tomorrow, the FIRST OF NOVEMBER.  WTH???  We are both walking like cave people from another day of blowing and raking 10" deep leaves.  Our yard is 190 x 210 and not one spot is immune from the fallout.

I've never had an orange mum with red center, most all here are gold/yellow and orange.  It's really pretty.

Have a good Sunday!!

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Seeing the light

 No I'm not.  The 738 and ivory are causing me much distress.  I don't like thread that melts into the linen to begin with, and I just can't distinguish between the two.  I'm coming up in the wrong hole, can't count the linen threads, can't tell if I finished crossing the stitch.  I'm giving in.  

I need to assign a new color to those symbols but will still use ivory in some areas like the side border flowers.  But alpha, no.   I'll remove those light letters (third time) and decide what color to use tomorrow.  I had already replaced the 738 in the zig zag upper border, should have realized it wouldn't work in the body either.

Hope your weekend goes well. 

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Confused?

Sorry.  I've posted before about my method of filling in blocks of stitches.   Several posts showed detailed photos but I never use labels and can't seem to locate them.  So here goes.

I used to fill in blocks like roofs, houses, grass with the standard sewing method of first half of the cross the length of the row and then returning with the second half.  I go from left to right /////////// and then return right to left with the other half of the cross \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\.  Over a larger area with my tension issues, ditches appear between the rows.  So I started filling the entire area in with half crosses (basically a tent stitch) working all the same direction either vertically or horizontally.

Once filled in, I complete the stitches going the opposite direction.  This roof was stitched horizontally, so I would be completing with vertical.  This gives a really nice appearance to the block without ditches.  For me.  If using an overdyed and you want the striations to be horizontal, the first fill would be vertical.  Striations going top to bottom would be the opposite.   

This is another fill that was completed vertical after first filling in horizontal.  The left half is completed (and no ditches!) and the right only has the first cross.   I don't believe there will ever be another post that has those two words this many times.  Wow.  Am I explaining it?

I turn the piece upside down every other row so I can utilize the sewing method (top to bottom).

This is the way the back looks when using this method, a bunch of squares.

I hope this helps!  It's just a way for me to create a uniform block instead of my usual ditches and pulled/overlapped corners.

I searched for a similar color to the 738 in an overdyed (for Elizabeth's house) and most looked too bright, too gold, too yellow, and unreliable on a monitor.  So I took a shot and ordered a skein of Weeks that may or may not work out.  

Can you believe October is ending this week?

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