And There Was an Envelope-load of SEX

One load from One Star's Light is in! PRETTY! OOOOOH!

Yes, I live a dull life. *grin*

At least one of thise Little House Needleworks' charts goes to my CJC list. Either "Acorns" or "Comfort". Or maybe both...

Christmas Quaker II - Songs of the Season

Dyes found. I got Dylon's "Flamingo Pink" and black as they didn't have turquoise and that pink is so pink that it hurts.

Options at the moment in my twisted mind are:

1. black 40 count fabric, pink floss
2. black'n'pink 40 count fabric, white floss
3. natural 40 count fabric, black'n'pink floss

Remember Alter Echo?

That thing I stitched in Bangkok?

I have been thinking about it for quite a while... Alter Echo and what I should do with it. I have decided that I will start it over as this version of it has too heavy baggage. I just couldn't finish this version and hang it on my wall as it would always remind me of those days after my world crumbled

Alter Echo v.2.0a has, most likely, changed colour scheme, either a bit or a lot, haven't decided yet. And most likely I'll change the fabric too, or at least dye the current one after I have done some serious frogging.

Actually I have been thinking of using various colours for this. Maybe some pretty GASTs and left-over what-evers and then tea dye the fabby... though I think I want 40 count for this, and then tea, or coffee, dye the fabby to give it that aged look. Maybe even soak the floss in beverage-of-my-choice to give it some patina...

SALitis

I have said it several times and I say it now: it's an illness. SALitis, or startitis for that matter.

There's a SAL of "Quaker Christmas II - Songs Of The Season" starting at TSSSDDDC and I can feel my resistance weakening...



Funny thing is that I never have liked the design much because of the texts and boring muted colours in the model picture, but now I find myself wanting to stitch it - and, because it takes a ton of hand-dyed floss, to dye my own floss. A ton of it as I really can't decide do I want it in shades of red or blue.

Maybe royal blue with dark red accents? Or to go with my current insanity: turquoise and pink. *grin*
Or maybe bright pink or turquoise on black... over one, naturally.

Yes, I am slightly insane. Luckily only slightly.

August Weekend Stitch-A-Long

It has been a LONG time since I have managed to participate any stitching activities... But better late than never!

Beginning...

OOOPS! Wrong WIP picture! Now corrected!

... and the end.

Birth Sampler: Branching Out

Boy and I are vacationing so I have been, much to my surprise, more or less offline last few days.

But, I have managed some stitching during evenings when Boy has been sleeping. (We have a great sleeper in our midst.)

It seems that I may actually get this done before Boy turns 18.

Birth Sampler: Mama Owl

I have shocked myself! Stitching! Finally got started with the birth sampler for Boy!

Last summer, around the time of our first sonogram, 1-2-3 Stitch! had a birth sampler sale and you probably can guess who purchased a few (I think curious stitchers want to know which ones so let me link: this, this and this - and of course the one we are now blogging about), just to have options and so on and this was one of them.

Naturally I sold that piece of aida this came with and went with natural 36 count linen and I am really happy how it's turning out even it still lacks backstitching, but I won't get to that before the sampler is otherwise finished. (I "may" have to purchase this growth chart in near future.)

Otherwise... I have been sick and hence MIA as Boy has taken all my flu ridden energy.

The Spanish Sampler aka "Where the time went?!"

© Periphaeria Designs

Here it is (and also available for download for next two month at the usual place) in all its gorgeousness (even I say so myself as the designer). Funnily enough I feel like the project started last week and not 20 months ago!
Now I only need time to finish both versions of it and then get the thing on sale... anyone knows where they sell time turners (the kind Hermione had in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban")?

Since then I have met my Wonderful, since then I found a steady job (two weeks from now I have my anniversary there o.O) and since then Mr. Wonderful moved to Finland after me (and that's not all my dear readers, but more about the rest later ).
Life has been busy, and there hasn't been enough time to stitch or do anything actually, but I hope that some of these days I get my rhythm in order and have energy again.

One of the things keeping me away from everything has been odd exhaustion, but I have found the reason for it: doctor and I agreed today that I really do have sinusitis and I am on antibiotics again... (But on a brighter note: I am not on sick leave i.e. I am not feeling sick nor have fever (my boss will be happy *grin*).)

Mr. Wonderful and The Deadly Spanish Bureaucracy

Yes, my knight in His shining armour is still in Spain fighting against the ugly monster called Spanish Bureaucracy. (Sonnenschein always told me how insane their bureacracy is, but now I really get it... Sorry if I ever doubted you. )

As I am used to Finnish bureacracy which is insane, but at least quite fast - usually - Spanish one really makes me fume, but Lady has to be patient even she would love to go and kick their bureacratic behinds to make it faster.

But, my throat hurts so I guess it's time for some medication... like cranberry- caramel ice cream, for instance.

Rose Sampler WIP

I had some extra energy in Thursday and I worked with Rose Sampler (I also learned how to stitch when laying on my side in bed ).

That light green isn't s yellow as it seems to be in the picture and I need to figure out something to fill out the gap between the roses and the top of the frame.

Few additions....

• Nature's Alphabet
• Nature's Alphabet II
• October Sky Sampler
• Sheep & Rabbit
• Green Old Garden
• If the Hat Fits

A happy dance!

Finally, after ages and ages and some shaking issues of few days (I upped the dosage and suffered few days of various symptoms, one of them being uncontrollable shaking in my limbs (hands mostly)) it's done!

The darker greens ARE of different shade, it just doesn't show too well on the stitched piece.

The Spanish Happy Dance! Part I

First part of the Spanish Sampler is now done!

(Once again an upside down picture... but it looked better that way as it didn't lay flat in the scanner...)

Even it is my own design I dare to say that this is beautiful. ^^

Only the monochromatic version left to stitch (luckily it will be faster to stitch).

The Spanish Sampler Mystery Stitch-A-Log started!

The Spanish Sampler Mystery Stitch-A-Long finally started. Spite of a dreadful case of stage fever I had the first part has been well received and the feedback has been amazing.

I have been stitching the first band today and I have to say that I am loving the design and the silks - VCs cover so well that I almost started with one strand instead of two, but decided that as I have charted and estimated the floss usage for two strands I should stitch it with two.
This is how the first band will look like:

And this is what I have now:

(Yes, it is upside down, but the picture looks better this way because of the angle I took it from.)

Unfortunately the picture doesn't show the subtle shade changes the purple has and which give a really positive boost to the whole band.
I guess I have about 35% done and I am quite sure this will be the first SAL I will be able to keep stitching within the given time limits.

Now I will stitch rest of the Here's to Ewe piece and get back to TSS after it. Stay tuned!

Just a quickie

Hop at the Periphaeria Designs' Community and read about the Spanish Sampler Mystery Stitch-A-Long I am organizing - for free!
It starts officially 15th of March, but project info and the gridding line chart has been posted so you have enough time to grid the blocks to their rightful places.

See you there!

Evil Enabling

By the way, are you aware that Ellen Maurer-Stroh is having a sampler SAL during 2008 and provides the pattern for free, as monthly installments?
You aren't? Then click here and start collecting. ^^

And while you are there, try to crack the safe. If you get the combination right your stash will benefit from it.

Oncoming holiday, exchange things and model scheduling

I will leave you for a while... as I am packing cats with me and going on my mother's cottage for a bit over a week.
I will be offline from 6th to 14th and when I return this blog will be filled with backdated entries of all the stitching I managed to get done and the fabrics I dyed.

I will also get my new camera when I go there so I will probably have loads of pictures to show - as I need to get used to it, right? *grin*

Halloween Exchange

I modified the design I had in mind for Halloween Exchange in a way which I had in mind and I have to say that it turned out way too cute (I just hope that my receiver is not afraid of spiders as there's few of them too).
My intention is to stitch it on a fabric which I dye by myself specially for Halloweeny use. I also know what finishing method I will use and the finished item will be cute, cheeky and useful, perfect exchange item - and I am quite sure I will have hard time to part from it when the time comes.

The Big H. (... project formerly known as The Big Secret Project)

I just got a big envelope from Violarium filled with DMC's 4210. This means that now I have everything I need for The Big H. (14 skeins of DMC 4210 and piece of Zweigart's 36 count Summer Khaki Edinburgh linen), now I just need to make some room into my schedule and start it.

I have been thinking of the schedule of Big H. itself and if I make a goal of 22 hours per month I should get it stitched in ten months. Therefore I need to give it at least five hours per week, which means more or less two evenings. If I get it done faster I am one happy camper, but I think that is quite good goal - anyway I have to work on other designs while stitching the Big H. and notice the possibility that I get to work/ studying (I have applied to one course which is directed to people with health related employment issues and I am quite hopeful on getting on it as my employment rehabilitation councellor (she's really great, by the way) made it obligatory for me to apply -> that obligation may weight enough to get me in when they choose people on that course (and in my opinion they should choose me anyway as I am young i.e. I still have decades before retirement and therefore it would be good investment from government's point of view too)).

אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי aka. What's all this then?!

Could someone tell me why I got this odd, uncontrollable urge to buy this in last night?! (For those of you who don't read Hebrew: אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי equals 'Ani l'dodi v'dodi li' which equals 'I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine' (note to self: interesting little linky).)

[Digress] I have just got in the phase of actually enjoying being single and I have absolutely no one in my life. I am not even interested of anyone at this moment (it's simpler that way) and here I am buying a wedding sampler (which, admittedly, has been in my wish list for a while).
(... not to mention few other current "limitations".)

Have I lost my mind?!
First there was Something Blue... and now this... what's next? I begin to plan huge princess wedding just in case? (I am not princess wedding type at all (as you may have noticed) - if it would happen that I'd met a man who'd like to have big wedding I'd probably wear simple crimson dress (with corset, probably *evil grin*) or something... Do you know that traditionally Finnish wedding dresses were actually black?)[/Digress]

Now, my vision: stitched with shades of crimson, and little touch of gold (ie. metallics) on something completely different than 18 count aida, and I would modify the design a bit (ie. leave some parts unstitched).

Still... I don't understand why I had to get it now.

Boo.

There haven't been that much stitching... as I slept 15 h in Sunday.
I did stitch Alter Echo...

Anyway, we had a happy dance today! (It'd have happened yesterday, but it's quite difficult to stitch when you're glued to the keyboard...)

Info:

• Design: Morning Wizard
• Designer: Jennifer Aikman- Smith
• Fabric: 28 count Quaker linen. Mocha (IIRC)
• Other:
  • I left wording and sun out because they didn't strike my fancy.
  • Colours are tweaked
  • Newspaper is changed to be The Daily Prophet

And this was fourth happy dance within one week (and second unplanned HD for this month). In moments like this I really love (or maybe I should say adore) myself.

Though, I've a problem: what next? I could think of Stitching Devils, but I don't have enough black denim - as I decided to make my mother's knitting bag from that, and I've reserved all denim I've for that. And Dovey has a place in my rotation already.
Dragon Soul QS? I've no fabric for it, and I lack some of the threads... Can't start Loy Krathong even I've the flosses and fabric as I've no dyes to dye the fabric.
So... it's either You're Never Too Old... or Taj Mahal - though I still don't have that #8 perle.

Maybe I just get wild, compromise, and stitch Futurecast. It'd be good for variety's sake.

Must resist...

Argh, new things to want/buy: Big Girl Knits - 25 Big, Bold Projects Shaped for Real Women with Real Curves (allow me to disapprove using word girl)

And the official quotes...

'One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.'

'If you smoke after sex then you're doing it too fast.'
- Woody Allen

Alter Echo: One down, six to go

Put on your dancing shoes... Probably the worst part of AE is now finished (though I'll do backstitching when whole piece is stitched).

(Ok, I forgot to stitch one of the brown areas, but that's only six stitches, and j lacks its dot, but it's already corrected in actual piece)...

Damdidam...

This is disturbingly cute, don't you think? Bit like Brain Slugs and Robot Companion. (Cursed be LJ's knitting!)

On samplers

Odd things has happened to my taste with designs lately... Year ago I was ready to make one exception, and one exception only (that being AE), to my No samplers allowed policy, but now... I've gotten fond of few Long Dog Samplers' samplers.
As we know, I'm curious as a cat and one day when I checked Leena's blog she mentioned St. Hippolyte which she's model stitching for her own business. Now, it doesn't look that good in sample picture, but changing the fabric makes the difference: look at this.
And /me wants that design - and actually I want this and this too. They are not the cheapest designs, but they're huge.
(Silly thing, I've meant to blog about this new addiction of mine, but remembered it just now after getting feedback from her to my feedback.)

And stashy goodness

Just got an email... My Silkweaver order has been shipped!

Behold, a picture!

You know what this means? First part is almost finished!
Depending on how long I'll spend on my father's 60th birthday party in Sunday I may have 1/7 of a happy dance.

Altering echoes from world of WIPs

When it comes to yesterday (Saturday)... I spent whole day by

1. Waking up.
2. Looking for suitable layout for my blog.
3. Fixing CSS overrides, and adding layout.
4. Vegetating.

I had no time to stitch as when I was ready to do so it was obvious that I'll end up spending night in somewhere else once again. So, no Silhouettes update (but I did touch needle yesterday, I swear! (Ok, I sew a button back to his jacket...)), but let me introduce new stitches in Alter Echo:

Firstly: that upper border is possessed. I had to frog part of it again, but I won that battle! Now it's finished, and perfect. I'd have stitched that ornament in left side without that mean, mean frog, but still... we have progress. *happy sigh*

In addition of having some (this time even visible) progress in AE I'm having good day feedback wise. Three (3) separate individuals have given me positive feedback considering my person. I'd really get used to that.

And, thank you for the feedback on my nightly pictures.