The year in stitches

Five are my design, many were changed from original charts.  But truth be told, it was a year of waning needle love and stitching slumps.  The most difficult I've had in quite some time resulting in small projects and no desire to work on a larger sampler.  Lori Rippey's Polly Cole was the only one and having short rows made it easier for me.  Very wide projects really test my patience so Polly was not a problem.

One Santa was stitched in 2016 and finished in 2017, I believe the others were all 2017. 

 

Not sure I could pick a favorite, but 1776, my minis, Chums, the Kogut Santas are at the top.

Nitzy has improved, is drinking water and taking some food.  He is using the litter box and staying inside to rest, I am sure he will be fine.  He was drooling with his tongue out and not moving much which is what the vet said was common with poisoning.

 

 

 

Happy 2018!

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Not running as fast as my nose

Hello friends.  My progress on Ellen Ford has not been what I had hoped.  My pounding head allows for very brief periods of stitching.  I am not crazy about the green and wish I would have used 830 instead.  As you can see, I changed direction of the stitches on the large Hershey Kiss crown's left side.  Usually it is not noticeable on 40 but it is this time.  Once I get to the house at the bottom, I will do the first half of the stitch horizontal and the second half vertical.  Makes for a really nice even fill with my tension issues. 

Since this 40 count is so sheer (as you can see from the white paper beneath) I have been careful with the back side's tails.  Pretty darn neat! 

 

Mark is going to Carole's soon and I am watching trucks run up and down the road with radioed dogs running all over the yards.  I have the cats in and am afraid to let them out.  PA doesn't allow hunting on Sunday but we think they are running coyotes. 

 

Poor Nitzy is very sick and after calling an emergency vet place in Ohio, they said his symptoms are almost surely from poisoning.  He was perfectly fine 12 hours before.  We can't really get near him but are keeping him in the house and comfortable, which is what they recommended.  He does seem to be a little better today and drank a tiny bit of water.  Hoping he can recover but if he worsens, we will not allow him to suffer.

 

Regular programming back on Hallmark tomorrow!!  I wish they would switch Frazier with Golden Girls.  Just can't get enough of that endearing yet pompous ass.

 

I hope you all have a wonderful 2018, the joy to celebrate the good things, and the strength to weather the bad. 

 

Happy New Year everyone!

 

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2017

I guess it's time to look back and see what projects were completed in 2017.  I am still in shock that the Y2K question was 18 years ago.  So hard to understand the passing of time, when some incidents seem like yesterday, and others decades ago.  I guess that depends on our emotional attachment to them.

 

I received a card and coaster from Krissy.  The card is Lori's (Notforgotten Farm) and will be kept for display.  Love it. 

The coaster's line is something I have been considering.  Watching carbs works, but when I slip, it's more like falling off a moving train.  What did I get from my family?  A pound box of melt-aways which after a week, have mysteriously disappeared and left behind little brown paper cups.  Lots of them.  All empty.  How could this be?   

 

 I wrote to thank Krissy and informed her that the laugh-your-ass off diet does not work, unless you count bladder leakage as a pound.

 

Since I am now sick either from the shopping day or the sadists at therapy, I have cancelled our New Year's Day slider fest.  Tomorrow we will (hopefully) go to Carole's and try the cranberry meatballs, candy bacon, and all the other goodies she has prepared.  All I am to bring is the "funeral" potatoes.  Hate that name.  LOVE those fricking potatoes.  If I am not up to it, Mark already has a list of what to put in the box I am sending for my pleasure.

 

Have a safe and happy new year!

 

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Touchdown!

Greetings folks.  We had no problem exchanging the tool set at Sears.  On to Macy's!  I miss having that store local.

 

Trying on coats there created some concerned looks.  An old lady with wild hair and gray roots kept grabbing her left arm and wincing in pain.  When I grab my arm in pain I also bend over as if I'm ready to hurl.  I'm not sure if the other shoppers were concerned about that or if I was having a heart attack.  After several attempts, even with his help, I had to stop.

 

  While Mark was watching TV in another room, I tried on an older coat (younger days, thinner hips) and happened to get stuck.  First of all, it was too small, and trying it on with a sweatshirt beneath was just .. well... stupid.  The delicate maneuver of slipping the bad arm in at the same time as the good one without his help failed, and the coat somehow ended up stuck on my head and covered my face.  I could not lower either arm because my head took up all the slack in the coat, nor could I raise the arms any higher to release the tension.  I started to panic and ran around with a full length coat covering my face while signaling a touchdown.  Not quite up all the way, may be called for a review, more like a cheerleader signaling the V for victory.  Mark looked at me as usual with that "what the hell" look on his face.  Couldn't pull it off the arms without breaking my neck, couldn't pull it off my head without breaking my arms.  I started laughing so hard, and although the bathroom was close, it was an unattainable goal.   

 

In case you ever see a woman signaling a touchdown with a coat covering her face and head, grab the hem and pull it up over the head to release the victim.  If she has claustrophobia, expect a panic until the coat is completely removed.

 

I'm taking several Tylenol and going back in to score today.

 

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Sparkle

Hello all.  I'm sorry.  I didn't intend to boo-hoo or appear to be exploited.  It was just an example of a typical gifting session in this family.  I am 13 and 10 years younger than siblings, and the only one with technology skills although limited.  When asked if I have children, I answer yes, a 79 and 76 year old.  Many of you wonder why I put up with being the go-to efficient one in the family.  Because I am.  Rather than deal with endless phone calls of inquiries about stores, online offers, reviews, payments, and the constant issues with using technology, it's much quicker to do it myself.  But I am also Type A (well.. used to be but fading fast) and get a kick out of finding fabulous bargains with precision, exactly what is needed.  The frustration is because their requests are incorrect.  Carole is a Food Network junkie and her prior years gifts were for items she saw being used and just had to have, but when received, not at all what she expected.   This year, she was happy.
My brother the perfectionist doesn't even have internet service.  He prefers basics and donates a little too much to organizations every month.  The problem with him is, he obsesses.  I am on the phone for close to an hour at least once a day listening to the same thing over and over and over.  He has enough in his house for several antique stores (which he and my SIL planned to open before her second cancer diagnosis).  He's at the point of wanting to keep and display it all, which is creating quite a space problem.  Unfortunately, I cannot reason with him to get rid of the many items that are prefect for flea markets and vintage shops, and just keep his (too) many favorite collections.  If he passes before me, it would take me years to go through it all, literally.  And every item is spotless, clean, not a defect in sight.  Being the only family left, I do what I can and accept their faults, all the while reminding them that I have none.
 That information is always well received.

 

I received a sparkling gift from Catherine (I Love to Stitch).  She makes these light catching ornaments with tiny beads, mine is red, and I love it.  Thank you Catherine!

 

 We took a ride around the area called teacher's woods (most residents retired teachers), a development with huge beautiful homes.  The theme this year was outlining the dramatic roof lines with what appeared to be large white bulbs in a clear tube.  Absolutely perfect alignment so I doubt the bulbs were wire strung.   We may go riding in another exclusive area tomorrow before the displays are taken down.  But it is SO cold!!

 

We did have an icy dusting of snow Christmas Eve and temperatures are predicted to stay very low for a while. 

 

Since our mall lost its stores, a trip to Macy's and others is planned today since we have to drive into Ohio to exchange the tool chest anyway.  I can't believe Sears shipped this chest with obviously missing parts and a total mess inside. I still have difficulty dressing with my shoulder problem so trying on a few items may not be feasible.  I missed out on all the bra sales because of it.  You know I've had mishaps in dressing rooms before.  But this is minor and not even a blip on a screen compared to others so I'll accept the limitation and smile in pain.

 

I am having more difficult a time than I expected with the 40 count linen and had to remove many stitches to reach errors.  I was coming up one linen thread over instead of two, noticeable when looking over the work but not while that row was being stitched.  I need to go much slower than usual and that's OK because it is a small project, but I would never attempt a complicated or large design on 40.  Who am I kidding?  I wouldn't attempt them on 30 count either.

 

Hope the week goes well and you stay warm and safe. 

Please pick up any strays that you may see in cold temps and take them to shelter.

Thanks for visiting.

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Gifting, schmifting

And so this is family ....

Carole - Could you find a nice pair of golf shoes for Chris?  His are in terrible shape and really beat up.
Carole - Could you get a good headlamp for Chris?  He could use one when going out to the shed or cleaning snow at night.
Carole - In answer to your question, yes, Chris could definitely use a new ShopVac.  His is missing a leg and very old.
Carole - Could you order Mexican jumping beans for Tyler?  I know he would love them and even though you told me they only live a few months and require care that he won't give, order them anyway.  They'll be alive I'm sure.
Carole - Could you order a boy's youth watch that is digital and has other features?  Not expensive cause he is reckless and not cartoony because he is getting older.
Carole - Could you order a Thomas & Friends mini car track?  No one is getting one for little Matt.
Carole - Could you order sleeping bags for the kids that have characters for the head pillow?  She likes Minnie and Peppa, he likes Thomas and Dash.
Carole - Could you order the tool set from Sears on sale for 199.99?  Just found out that's what Matt wants and that's the only one at that price.
Carole - I know you already bought the little ones clothes but they really need snow boots.  I can't stand seeing them in the snow with those old shoes and you always buy their shoes, know how to get a bargain, and you can order online because there is probably nothing left in stores since it is TWO DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS.
Carole - Could you tell Chris that I want a small bird feeder for the back window?
Carole - Could you tell Chris that I want a steamer instead of an iron?  A good one?
Carole - This is the wrong tool set.  Hmm.  Must have two for that price.  Could you carry these 340 pieces of metal in a case back to a store, hold it while waiting in line for customer service, and get the 450 piece one?  Are you going to therapy today?
Chris - Will you find a small feeder for me to give mom?
Chris - Will you find or order a steamer for me to give mom?
Brother - Could you look for insulated underwear that are heavyweight and all cotton waffle weave?  All my others are large because they shrink so even though I am skin and bones, order the large if you find them.  If you have coupons.  And they're on sale.  With free shipping.  Dark, not white.

And so this is Christmas...

Chris - Mom was wrong. I have two ShopVacs that I won in golf tournaments and the big one from Dad.  Matt's is missing a leg, not mine.  I don't need another one.
Chris - Mom was wrong. I have several of these headlamps, powerful bright ones, from work and the fire department.  One in the house, one in my car, one in the shed, and a brand new one.  I don't need another one.
Chris - Mom was wrong. I have two pairs of golf shoes.  Neither leak.  They may be beat up but they are comfortable.  I don't need another pair.

Carole - Only one of the beans are jumping!  The other ten are dead. 
Carole - Grandma bought him a BIG Thomas the Train track with cars and a big train that jumps.  He won't want this small one.
Carole - They don't want to smash Minnie's/ Dash's face on the sleeping bags. They won't put their heads on the faces.
Carole - Tyler didn't like the watch because he wanted one like his dad has. So the hours you spent looking for a non-cartoony youth's watch with a camo band were for what I wanted him to have and not what he wanted.
Carole - The 450 pieces in the tool set are all over the place.  Nothing is in its place, there is a piece missing, and the pivoting doors to hold the drawers in place are missing from the chest.  I certainly can't carry something this heavy so you'll have to drive 40 minutes and exchange it for another.
Carole - I love my birdhouse and this is a nice steamer!

Brother - Holy moly these large are enormous.  I threw the bags away and cut the tags off, didn't realize they were this huge.  Can't wear them.  Take them back?  Are they still on sale, with a coupon, and free shipping, to order a smaller size?

Me - to one and all, get out of my house. 

And so this is stitching ...

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