A Large HD

Hi all and thanks so much for all your wonderful comments!  I am especially delighted to hear what you had to say about the fabric choices in my last post.  Get this, not a single person had picked the same fabric!  I love it - that means that whatever I pick, it will be right!

I have to show off my latest finish real quick.  This is the Drawn Thread SAL that I have posted about a couple of times in the past.  Well, she is done; here is Drawn Thread's Sampler of Stitches:

Here is a picture of the entire sampler:

 ...and a close-up of the last part (finished yesterday night):

 

I loved to work on some of the parts while other parts were pretty painful. 

I did notice that I enjoyed stitching the larger areas rather than many, many very small areas.  The larger sections allow you to practice the new stitch and get a flow going.  

I also learned that I love to do pulled thread work!

I have absolutely not idea what I'd like to do with this sampler.  I am looking at it and it is pretty and all, but I am very much undecided.  Right now, I have a real hard time believing that I will ever frame it and hang it on my wall. 

I'll bring it with me to tomorrow's stitch-in and see what my peeps say...

I also got a really nice surprise in the mail earlier this week - my floss from Examplarery arrived, so I guess that the Canadian postal strike is over.    All the text is in and now I get to concentrate on the border, which I really do enjoy!  I think that Queen stitches are a lot of fun.  

It is not all song and dance though; I almost threw a fit yesterday when I realized that the border is not the last part that I have left after all!  I also need to fill in the rest of the grout in the house!  Blah - I am not looking forward to that.  Not  at all.  I know that this is the very last part, and that it should be "easy" since it is just filling in areas with cross-stitch, but it is that boring "invisible thread" type stitching, so I am real keen on skipping it all together.  I know that I won't, but I will at least dream about it for a while... [ Oh, and I should probably work on whining less too.  ;-)]

And this is the final stitch-update for tonight - the Rosenstand bird bell-pull in coming along nicely.  I think that I have completed 1 page out of 4 now, which is not too bad.  As I mentioned in the last post, it really is a long piece, but the stitching-intensity is pretty low, due to all the naked areas. 

This is yet another one of those kits where the colors on the cover-photo have very little resemblance to the real thing.  The real-life colors are much brighter and greener than the dull browns and olive greens in the picture.  Luckily, I still like the way it looks, so that is great.  The bird is clamping onto the bamboo (I think that is what it is) very close to the bottom on this design.  I am already looking forward to stitch on him!  But fist there is a large tuft of leaves to take care of at the top of the bamboo.

Lastly, I wanted to show you the somewhat funny in a low-key (and probably low-cost) way; the "fortune cookies" that we get from the Thai restaurant close to work.  We eat lunch there about every other week and I have now convinced my co-workers to ask for the statement cookies rather than fortune cookies with the bill.  Here is the interesting mix of random sentences we got last time:

All in all, pretty funny, I think!  My coworkers do this thing, that I am sure is in no way unique for that group, where they read the fortune to the rest of the lunch participants and always end the fortune with "in bed" to make it all so much more amusing.  

After glancing at the examples above, I don't think that "sprucing up" is necessary at all.  But, now again, DH keeps claiming that I have an odd sense of humor and that I am easily amused...  I hope that maybe one of you, dear blog readers, has the same type of humour.  Makes the world such a more amusing place to be, doesn't it!?

Well, time to get to bed.  We have a "morale boost even" at work tomorrow, which means that we will have to play games and eat sandwiches in the park from 10 AM to 2 PM.  I am looking forward to it, even though I have a feeling that we will be up in the 80:s temperature wise.  Take into account that I am the type of woman who "glistens" bucket-fulls and  you get the picture.  Not necessarily a pretty one....   :-b

Take care, stay out of the heat, and have a wonderful weekend!

Finally Friday - Finishing Weekend!

Do you ever feel like all your stitched up pieces just keep piling up in a box or on a shelf somewhere?  That is one of my biggest problems... I just don't take the final hours to finish up!  Well, this weekend I'll try to finish my newly stitched fob, ornament and the Birdcage designed by Just Nan!  The laundry can wait; I'm on a mission!!!

But first I have to show off the completed part 8 of the DT SAL!

Joyce was wondering which design this is, since I neglected to share that in my last post - sorry about leaving that out... (Go and check out her progress on her gorgeous Chinese Mandala, by the way!)  The design is the Sampler of Stitches by Drawn Thread.  It was published as a 9-part series of "chart packs" a few years back (2008, I believe).  Each chart pack (included charms or beads where the design demanded it) was $10 or more, so I told myself that if I bought all 9 charts, I would really have to stitch the sampler!  Luckily, a couple of my friends were really interested in stitching the project too, so we made it a SAL and that has kept as all fairly well on track.  
Just one more part to go, iron, add charms and wooohooo!   Oh, I have to frame it too?  Kinda' like "finishing it"...? Oh....
                                            ;-)

Here is the pile of Grand Plans...  Bitten off too much?  Yeah, aim high and maybe finish one ornie, is my motto!

Well, have to stop babbling - time to get that ironing board out!

Happy Stitching and See You in a Bit,

Stitchy Update and Strange Candy...

The last couple of evenings I have been recovering from my cold, getting used to being back home, and relaxing after some sweaty hours in the office trying to catch back up.  What is amazing is that I have actually had the energy to stitch a bit in the evenings.
Tuesday night, both the Richmond and the DT SAL came back out from the stitch room!  Last night, Pink came over and, instead of going for pedicures which was the initial plan, we went to the local coffee house and brought our stitching along.  We spent a few minutes stitching and several hours venting work related issues.  We have very different work situations (type of work, type of companies, office size, pretty much everything is different), so it is real interesting to hear what kind of problems Pink runs into compared to the ones I struggle with.  Anyway, after a large coffee, a biscotti that was far too soft, and some additional stitching time on the living-room couch after the visit was over, I can show you the following - voilà:

This is the "first third of the 8th part" of Drawn Thread's Sampler of Stitches!  We are getting very close to the finish on this one!  Out of the original 5 stitchers, we are only three stubborn ones left! 
If you'd like to celebrate with me, click on the video below and feel free to belt along to It's the Final Countdown with Europe, which, if you didn't already know it, was a Swedish synth rock group in the 80's!  (As a Swede I'd rather claim Europe than Ace of Base any day, by the way.  I usually say that AoB was Norwegian and hope that I can get away with it.  DH thinks that it is hilarious.....).

So, speaking on weird things from Sweden (smooth segue, ey?), did you know that Swedes love salty liquorice?  We do!  As a matter of fact, we love liquorice so much that we have an entire store in Stockholm devoted to it; Lakritsroten on the large central avenue Sveavägen.  I just learned about this wonder of a shop from my Littlest Sister, so of course I had to stop by to see if it was as amazing as she told me it was.  It is!
The store is divided into sections; one area contains salty liquorice (yum!), another displays the sweet stuff,  and one section is devoted to the luxury type (Finnish and Australian).  There is also a corner with gift bags and baskets, a section with the "hot" salty hard candy, an area with more unusual delicacies such as chocolate covered liquorice (this is fabulous stuff!!), and so on.
Here you can see just how large this specialty store actually is.  (Note DH's less than thrilled expression in the window below....)

 

 

DH and I walked through the better part of Stockholm to get there and were lucky enough to make it in to the store about 7 minutes before closing.  I did a lot of damage in those meager minutes...

Since we are speaking about salty liquorice, I would also like to share that the Swedish Swedish Fish comes in salty liquorice taste back home (scroll down the page here).  This is "the real fish" in my book; the "black fish" bag is the one I select over the sad fruit flavored fish any day.  Both types can be purchased at Meijer's international food isle or at IKEA (where else?).

Since I am writing about "black fish", I have to share a story.  When I first started working at my current company, I had a very nice and very proper boss.  The first year I had enough vacation to fly home on, I went back to spend it with my family in Sweden.  Of course I had to bring some Swedish goodies back.  Among other things I brought home - you guessed it -a bag of "black fish". 
I was eating some at work one day and all of the sudden I got called over to my boss' office.  I ran over quickly and forgot to let go of the bag.  My boss looks at the bag with big eyes and asks what in the world I am eating.  I explain and naturally offer him a piece or two.  He takes one, very sceptically, and tells me wearily that he won't try it until later in the day.
The next day we run into each other in one of the corridors and I ask him what he thought of the Swedish candy.  He laughs and goes completely red and says: " I am glad that I closed the office before I tried it; I had to spit it out in my garbage can!".  Oh boy!  I would have loved to see that one!
I guess that the moral of the story is that taste is in a big part acquired.  That is why (some of) us Swedes also eat surströmming, sill, and lutfisk... (personally, I only eat sill out of the three).  If you hadn't had enough yet, here is some additional reading about Swedish delicacies.  Bon appetit!

Finally - what is better after coming home from travels than running out to the garden to look at everything that has happened since the last stroll around?  It almost looks like everything exploded into greenery while we were gone.  I do believe that we will lose both our Magnolia trees in the back yard (probably due to the constant rain), but other than that, everything looks wonderful.  (Yep, the lawn "exploded" as well, please ignore that....  ;-))

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love the Bleeding Hearts!  I may have to get some more of those...

Well, time to say "Happy Stitching" and get back to work...
Take care and talk with you in a bit!

Quick Update - Invisible Stitching...

Well, I am being a bad girl and staying up way past my bedtime.  Again.  I just have to write a quick note before bed!
I have been busy doing stuff other than stitching the last couple of days.  One of my co-hashers and I have been discussing T-shirt designs for our next set of shirts.  I like drawing, even though I am not skilled in any way - it looks so much better in my head than on the paper... :-(
Anyway, I have pumped out 4 designs in 2 evenings, which is not too shabby, right?  You can check'em out in this pic:

We'll see what the verdict is later this week.  I may have gotten these done too late in the game, but we may be able to use one of them in the years to come.  When I showed DH, the comment was "it's for the hash, so they don't have to be perfect..".  Hmmm, translation is probably something like "not too great, honey, but at least you tried...".  It's been fun drawing,  but I really do get stitching withdrawal and end up being a tad cranky.  Anyone else notice this type of reaction to events interfering with stitch time?
He is on my list of people I adore today though - I actually squealed when I got home and walked into the kitchen, since he had left some Valentines Day surprises on the kitchen table for me.  Best of all was a tiny pot of baby crocuses.  I can't wait to see what color they turn out to be.  Wait, I lied - best of all was the waist high pile of freshly washed and dried laundry that was magically folded away before I got home from work.  THAT is my kind of Valentine!

I did get a bunch of stitching on Saturday and Sunday, but unfortunately most of it is invisible!  :-b  If you click on the photo you may be able to see the fruits in the vine resting against the right side of the house.  It is not real motivating to stitch for hours on something that does not show up at the end of the day (over-one at that).  At least I am done with the white on white stitching on this piece.  The left side vine is also completed and I got in all the colorful blue doves flapping around the house.  The motives that are left to get down are the two riders and the tiny black dog galloping across the yard.  I am NOT looking forward to figuring out where all the over-one stitches are to be placed....

 

Oh, and here is the last photo - I never showed off the finished 7th DT SAL part.  I got in the silk I ran out of last week and whipped out the last stitches.  I am really pleased with this project.  I was pretty unimpressed and unmotivated during parts 4-5, but now I am back to being happy both with stitching it and with how it looks. 

Before I get ready for bed, a piece of sad news.  Poor Hogsie passed away Friday night.  He seemed a little bit tired the last few days, but he kept running in his wheel and eating and drinking, so I did just not understand that he was sick.  I have now learned the hard way that it is really tricky to keep track of the health of a nocturnal pet.  He was generally not up when the rest of us were out of bed.  I think that it got too cold and he started to go into hibernation mode, but pet hedgehogs should not do that because it can be mortal.  When I checked on him before going to bed, I found him cold, damp and fatigued.  I fell dozed on and off with him on my chest and folded a rice warmer around him to get him to warm back up.  He seemed to be doing better, but I fell asleep and when I woke back up he had passed away.  Poor, poor little guy.  He is buried in our backyard now, so we can visit him whenever we want to, but I will still miss him. 

I have hugged and kissed all the birds a little bit extra today.  I am very glad to have them!
Well, off to bed with me!  I am awful about responding to your comments and e-mails right now, but I will do better this week!  Last week was a whirl wind, but now I should be able to get back to what's important...  ;-)
Good night and talk with you in a bit,

Partly Part Seven

Hi all peeps!
First off, let me just say how fun it is to see that you visit me and that you leave comments on this blog.  It is so much fun and I enjoy getting to know all of you better!  Who knew that having a blog is a fantastic way to make new friends!?
Speaking of making friends, at the stitching retreat earlier this month we discussed the hypothesis that many stitchers are introvert and for me personally, this hypothesis fits right in with with my Meyer-Briggs test results...  (I'll write more about this in another post).  That is probably why I feel so at easy in the guild.
What is also interesting to note, as an introvert, is the prejudice that sometimes seems to get connected with the word "introvert".   Does these misconceptions sound familiar: Introverts are shy, socially incompetent or awkward, withdrawn, self-centered?
I recently read a really good definition of one of the trades of introverts; we recharge and re-energize by being alone.  That is probably why so many of us enjoy stitching - the recharging process!  I feel that I can be alone in "a social way" in a stitching group.  I often find myself longing for my stitching after hours at work with meetings and phone calls.  That longing is probably not based solely in the craft itself, but also in the relaxing solitude.   Don't get me wrong; I love to hang with my work buddies during lunch and to talk with DH in the evenings, so loneliness is not the single choice - it is just a necessity on a regular basic (pretty much daily for me!). 
Here are some other statements that generally apply to introverts:

• I am seen as “reflective” or “reserved.”
• I feel comfortable being alone and like things I can do on my own.
• I prefer to know just a few people well.
• I sometimes spend too much time reflecting and don’t move into action quickly enough.
• I sometimes forget to check with the outside world to see if my ideas really fit the experience.          (List taken from this site)

I feel that most of these statements are pretty accurate for me personally.  What do the rest of you think?  Are you a stitcher that is introvert or extrovert?  It would be really interesting to hear!
I did a quick search and found this article by an introvert woman, which I find very well written.  Some of her observations really ring the bell of recognition....

And finally, there is a reason why introverts may not be heard as often; the population ratio:
"According to several sources, extroverts make up 60% to 75% of the population, and introverts make up the remainder. This might explain society's alleged preference toward extroverted behavior. One introvert vented his frustration in an essay entitled "The Tyranny of the Extroverts." Introverts shouldn't fret, though -- even though they're outnumbered, 60% of gifted children are believed to be "on their team.""  (Taken from this web page.)

Sooo, you guys probably already knew all  of this, but I was so excited to learn more  about "myself" that I just had to share!  It is also good to hear some statements that actually make sense rather than the often repeated misconceptions stated by some extrovert individuals that think that introverts are weird... ;-)    Anyway, I apologize if this was the most boring read you ever struggled through - let me know and I'll do better!

Anyway, this evening I recharged with the DT SAL: 

As can be seen, part 7 is now completed with the exception the U and 1/2 a T - I ran out of the dark blue silk. I called both LNS over lunch break today and they don't carry Needlepoint Silk, go figure!  I proceeded to call the closer-to-KY on-line shops, since I would like the missing skein as soon as possible.  All of the stores I called have NPI, but they were all out of the particular color I needed.  I think that I had called 5 shops before I finally lucked out with the Attic in AZ....  Yay!!!  Then I get informed that they do not ship anything out that does not cost more than $5....  Well, I had to do the only rational thing - I ordered the Ann Rayner Sampler chart.  And the linen.  And the silks....  Yes, I know that I am bad, but she is just too pretty!  and the Richmond sampler will stitch up in noooo time!  (Eye-roll at myself...)

Take care and Happy Stitching!

S is for SAL

I hope that everyone had a really nice weekend.  I slept for hours, snuggled with parrots, dragged a very reluctant DH out for a walk in the winter landscape, and stitched like obsessed on the Richmond sampler.

The Richmond sampler is an interesting stitching experience..  I love the sampler, the motifs, the colors, the feel of the silk on the stitch covered areas.  I also love to see how all the silk lengths disappear from the thread holders while a sampler is born.  (Isn't that one of the wonders with stitching; you look at all the floss hanks and at the "blank" linen and you know that a picture will grow from it all.  Amazing, I think!)
The over-two ares stitch up fairly quickly and are a true joy to work on.  The over-ones - not so much.  I am way too detail fixated to be able to deal with charts, over-one diagrams and photos of the sampler that are not in agreement!  When I stitch a sampler, I want the sampler to look as it did on the photo or model on the cover.  That is what I fell for and that is why I got the sampler in the first place.  I also think that stitches out of order in an over-one section can really create problems.  So, to cut this story short, I have also done a great deal of ripping out over-one stitching that did not follow the detail photos.  It will all be worth it in the end, so it can take the time it needs.  Just need to be more careful with looking at the photo before I read the chart....
Here is a progress photo.  Sorry about the less than flat linen... I am an in-hand stitcher and this is how most my samplers look while in the process.

I also had a thought while stitching this sampler.  It has to do with the well-known video to Sledgehammer, the song by Peter Gabriel.  If you have never seen it before (my jaw dropped when I realized that both DH and P.Snickety at work are too young to remember seeing this classic!) hurry up and watch!  I remember that this was the coolest thing I had ever seen - it was truly the height of technology and art mixed together back in 1986!  I showed this video to both DH and P.Snickety and both of them looked at me and said "I don't get it!".  Sigh!!!  (For the more sensitive readers; excuse the female and male "cells" in the beginning of the video below - I don't remember seeing those on MTV, so that section was likely never shown on TV.)

 I got so obsessed that I even researched the song & video on the internet.  Plus I listened to Sledgehammer about 15 times in one evening - I don't think that I have listened to the same song over and over for ... .. well months!
Anyway, I thought that there were some really interesting things to learn about this video. :
-  This video was widely popular and influential, using claymation, pixilation, and stop motion animation that gave life to images in the song
-  Peter Gabriel was filmed under a glass table - it took 16 hrs to complete all the pictures of his face that were stitched together to make the video
-  Won nine MTV Video Music Awards in 1987, a record which still stands as of 2010.
-  Ranked at number four on MTV's 100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made (1999). MTV later announced that "Sledgehammer" is the most played music video in the history of the station.
-  The portion of the song featuring the synthesized flute solo was realized in the video by first one and then two oven-ready turkeys, headless and featherless, animated using stop-motion. These were animated by Nick Park (of Wallace and Gromit fame) who, at that time was refining his work in plasticine animation.  (I love Wallace and Gromit - have all the movies at home!!!)

So why am I writing about this?  Because, the thought struck me that it would be so cool to make a stop motion video of a sampler in the making!  Yes, I know that I am a nerd, but really - how cool would that be!?!?  :-D

Other than that, I have pulled myself together and decided that I cannot ignore my SALs any longer.  Tonight, I finally started on part 7 for the Drawn Thread Alphabet sampler, and I have the S section complete!  The T section is pretty large while the U part is itty-bitty.  The hardest part is to drag this piece back out of the stitching room and start stitching on it, but once that hurdle has been climbed, I enjoy most of the stitches - even though in today's section, the "square boss" stitch looks pretty much identical to a rice-stitch to me (both the finished stitch itself and the way to get there...).

After the DT SAL is completed for this time, I need to get to the Moss Creek piece.  It will be hard - I am already missing the Richmond sampler.  Sniffle.  We spent so much time together this weekend that I am going through withdrawal right now.  Not good.

I also pointed out a gorgeous sampler, that is new to me, for DH today.  He didn't really get the hint...  Even though he did do a double take when I told him the prices for the silks packs that Attic Needlework offer (the sampler was their "sampler of the month" back on Feb-2010).  The trick is to read the most expensive floss first and everything else sounds almost reasonable after that...  Anyway, here is a link to a beautiful version of the Ann Rayner sampler charted by Threads Through Time.  This link will take you to photos of the original sampler and some background information by Nancy Sturgeon of TTT.
Finally, I have been updating all my WIPs to the right, so that you don't think that I ran out of unfinished projects earlier this month.  Nope, there is an almost never ending well to scoop from...  The list to the right isn't even close to complete!
Happy stitching and talk with you in a bit,

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!