Weekend Report

I hope that all of you had a fabulous weekend!

I was really happy to see the comments in regards to the post about introverts!  First off, I did not kill everyone by boring you to death and that is good news!  It is also very cool to hear what other stitchers' thoughts and experiences are!  It seems pretty safe to conclude (based only on the comments left here, so we won't base any scientific articles on this "research", right!? ;-)) that a fair amount of my blog readers are introvert.
The one posting exception is Joysze, who is a clear extrovert.  Joysce did also mention that she has "mellowed" a little during the years.  I can relate to that.  With age, I have also "mellowed" - I go out sometimes even though I absolutely don't feel like it because I know that a) it is "good for me" to interact with people, b) most times I have a really good time once I get myself out of the house, and c) the weekend tends to feel longer in retrospect when I experience other things that just stitching or "staying on the inside of my head"...
Back to the comments!  The rest of you count yourself into the introvert category, including my stitching peeps L-bug (...I think, she made me guess...), Bzz*Bzz*Bee, The Barbarian, and a new friend, Maggie.  The Barbarian exclaimed that she is "definitely an extrovert" until I told her what defines extrovert and intrioverts, after which she agreed that she is included in the introvert category.  That would have been my clear guess; I know The Barbarian pretty well and in addition, people in general are much more likely to make friends with people from the same category - this is an unconscious choice, but very prominent.  To Bzz*Bzz*Bee, whose DH is hinting that she needs to be more extrovert - my guess is that he is very likely also introvert, or the chances that they would get married in the first place would likely have been minimal.  (Plus, I do not see running as the ultimate "extrovert" sport.. ;-))
My Littlest Sis, who left a comment in Swedish and counts herself towards the extrovert side most of the time (she is not a full-time stitcher, but she does enjoy craft), pointed out that some people may swing between extrovert and introvert.  I agree that this may be true for a low number of people, but I would think that this is pretty unusual.  I think that it is more common that the traits get more exaggerated during different phases in life - I know that I need more alone time when work is crazy hectic, but I also remember how incredibly lonely I was when I moved to the US and that I really missed my friends in Sweden.
What can be said however, is that there are different degrees of extrovert and introvert.   I am an engineer and I work with a bunch of other engineers every day.  One of my managers pointed out that compared to some of my, much more introvert, coworkers, I probably come across as extrovert.  That is not the same as actually being extrovert.  Any additional thoughts or comments?  I love to hear what you think and tell me if you think that I am talking BS, it would be really interesting to hear why!


Well, this weekend I hung out with 15 yapping birds, one (extremely introvert) hedgehog, 6 dirty cages that desperately needed cleaned, a DH who was passed out either in bed or on the couch once he was actually not at work, and the Moss Creek SAL.  The SAL pick for this round is finally stitched up.  I really enjoy Rae's designs, but can you believe that a piece that is less than 1"x3" takes three evenings to finish!?  It is also very tricky to find a good place on the back to bury the floss ends in, since there is an ample amount of confetti going on....  Here is a picture showing the finished thimble cage piece.

The stitches included broad chain stitch, basket weaving, Algerian eye cluster and diagonal cable stitch, cross-stitch over one, coral knot, diagonal herringbone stitch, sorbello knot, Williamsburg stitch, and Rhodes stitch.  Whiew!!!  Nothing that whips up in a couple of hours, but I learn and get to practice a lot, and it looks pretty nice once finished.
I also wanted to show you how the Moss Creek kits are put together - wonderfully and with a lot of thought and love in a binder with a large picture on the front.  All the flosses, ribbons, finishing materials, come in separate plastic zip-lock bags taped to a sturdy green paper piece inserted in a plastic pocket.

 

The linen cuts are always very generous, which I find a great quality in a kit.  I do have to admit that I have run out of floss a couple of times, but if you e-mail Rae, she sends you more floss without a problem (as far as I understand, Rae uses a Chinese silk that none else uses, so there is no where to get this stuff but from her, to my knowledge.)  This particular kit comes with 4 pages of stitch diagrams, 11 pages of charts, and 4 pages with further stitch and finishing instructions.

Let me also show you what I got in the mail the other day; a bow with Xmas candles from Homespun elegance.  Big Dog gave L-bug one of these adorable candles as a birthday gift last year and I want on-line ASAP, tracked down the kit, called HE and ordered a bunch of them!  they will be small Xmas gifts this year.  Let me tell you that the photos on the web does not do this cutie justice at all!  Can't wait to start on these puppies!

Oh, and here is what I got in the mail on Friday - I needed some Weeks floss for the band sampler from Heartstring Samplery and here they are!  (I forgot to order one of the colors btw - I don't know what's wrong with me!!!  :-()  I did also get a Shepherds Bush Xmas ornie kit and another cute kit from Island Cottage NeedleArts; Eliza's Heart.

DH and I hit Pier One on Saturday, kinda' by mistake.  I was actually aiming for Pottery Barn, since I saw the cutest towel and pillow set there; Splish Splash.  Shows up that the closest Pottery Barn is hours away... Anyway, I got a parrot kitchen towel and a parrot runner - both adorable with borders and ruffles in flowery and checkered fabrics.  The latter was on sale for $3.49!!!  A lot cheaper than PB, right!?  Here they are in all their colorful glory (no, they don;t really go with the home but who cares - they have parrots on them!!!  By the way, have you ever seen a sad parrot picture?  I can't recall ever seeing one either...

 

Finally, Henny is showcasing what will be our next project...  I'll give you a hint - it is not the Richmond sampler - I just have to finish this one before getting back to her.  Hopefully this will be done before next weekend!  I'll post pics as soon as it is done!

Before I go, I have to tell you that I am really excited about the Moda Pillow Talk Blog Hop that will start on Feb 1st and run through Feb 20.  I gather that it is a blog hop featuring pillow designs with 20 different design companies, complete with interviews and giveaways!  Here is a link to more reading!  

Have a great Monday and talk with you son!

SALs

Are you involved in any SALs (Stitch Alongs)?  I am!  I am currently working on three different projects with stitching buddies all over the country.  I thought that I would share them with you today.

Here is a progress picture of Bent Creek's Snapperville:

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My friend Pink and I have been stitching on this baby for a while now.  A really fun stitch!  We take one scene at the time, with no set due date.  I enjoy this stitch for several different reasons.  First off, this type of "whimsical" design is something that I would have never contemplated purchasing just a few years back.  There was also a time when I felt that overdyed threads were just too complex (and expensive) to work with.  It is truly a joy to feel movement and expansion in a hobby.  There is no end to all the fun that is to be had!  Another fun thing is that Pink is one of a handful of friends that I have gotten to pass over to the "dark side".  Pink is probably more of a chef and baker than a stitcher, so I figured that a SAL would keep her on track..  ;-)   Even though lately, she has been spending a good amount of time knitting or crocheting.  Her excuse is the large amount of babies that keep popping up in her family and among her friends.  We may have to sit down and have a talk about this (the knitting/crocheting part I mean, not the babies).  Another thing that is neat about this SAL is that Pink lives 20 minutes down the road, so every now and then we meet up and stitch, chat and drink snazzy coffee drinks at the local Starbucks.  As you can see, we are doing pretty well - only two scenes left and we are finished!  That reminds me that i should probably call Pink, wish her a Happy New Year and ask when we can meet for stitching and dishing next!

Here is another SAL - DT's Sampler of Stitches.  The progress photo is a bit out of date, we have since added on one additional part. 

This is a great SAL piece, since it is huge and get a bit overwhelming at times - support group and cheer leading troupe are recommended tools.  I am stitching this with my friends NJ-Babe and Having-a-Ball.  NJ-Babe also invited a couple of her friends which is really neat - a great way to make new friends!  We are 2/3rds done and we may even finish up this year.  Both Having-a-Ball and I discovered that we did not line up part 4 with part 1 properly.  Both of us realized this when we started working on part 6...  No, we are not going back to correct our errors!  I have slowly learned to be less OCD about needlework than I used to be.  A lot this more relaxed attitude is thanks to NJ-Babe who always says "can you see it from an airplane?".  You can't so I'm all right.  I have also decided that I stitch for fun.  Stitching is my hobby and I do it to relax, not to add some extra bonus stress in my spare time....

Here is the final SAL and this one is a really big one too; She Maketh Fine Linen designed by Rae Iverson of Moss Creek Designs.

Rae is in a class by herself when it comes to needlework design.  She keeps learning new techniques, which she then incorporates in her designs so that her students can learn them too.  I have been fortunate enough to participate in her seminars, ASG (A Stitchers' Gathering) a few times in the past.  I highly recommend ASG!  High class teachers and great projects every time.  The SAL group consists of four ladies that met at ASG; NJ-Babe, Fly-Girl, GoTo-Stash (she works at House of Stitches in Indiana.  Practical?  Life saving?  Dangerous?  You bet!!!), and myself.
I think that we are about half-way done on this one.  I am the one slacking here; we have had a part due for a long time now.  Guess I need to pick up the binder and get started on it today!

Tell me about your SAL experiences.  If you don't have any, try it - I am sure that you'll like it!  It is "safer" and more relaxing than Round Robins or exchanges.  No worries about items disappearing in the mail and if you need to take a break it's all right.  Just tell the rest of the group to go on without you for a bit.  You can always catch up down the road.  Works great!
I enjoyed the exchanges too, but you are not on your own time anymore.  I think that I did three or four rounds of the cross-stitch ornament round robin a few years back.  It was fun, but could get pretty stressful at times.  (I have yet to finish up all those ornaments, but that is another story....)

Happy Stitching!