Star Sampler WIP

I got stuck in a rut after I started "Star Sampler" (Stitch-A-Long by Periphaeria Designs) and haven't touched it since... before yesterday!

Nice progress I must say even it didn't feel much.

I have been under the weather for few days, mainly because my neck hurts and I am quite tired. GP thinks it's laryngitis, I think it's thyroiditis (in my opinion my thyroid wouldn't hurt if it was laryngitis), but we are none the wiser before Tuesday... which has meant that I haven't been stitching much.
I did stitch one sampler the other day, which I can't show as it's one of my designs, but didn't got much progress in it either. Wanted to stitch one corner tile, but made about half of it... but, hey, I can always share a material toss!

Stitchy things, flowers and iGoogle

First a word from our sponsor: My alter ego is looking for model stitchers so if you want some fame and bragging rights you can find the details under this link.

Hibiscus

I have always been more as a brown thumb than green one so what I found from our bigger hibiscus the other day made me really happy...

I have never ever seen blooming hibiscus and always thought it would be difficult to make blossom... but this bugger did this all by itself!

iGoogle

I've been using iGoogle for a while and am really happy with it (because I can see feeds (now that I have slowly migrated to Google Reader), email and news in one place without having to run around internet) with one exception... lack of really nice themes so one night I made one myself!

It's from a picture I took at mom's cabin 2008 and you can find it from the database as Chive Flowers.

November, designs and thyroid

November isn't my kind of month, I guess. I have been on sick leave last week with varying diagnoses. It started with viral infection and asthma, then went to asthma and now we are back to viral infection and asthma... but I think I am finally getting better, at least I am coughing less, now that I was prescribed HC cough syrup to stop the cough (ethylene morphine hydrochloride and rum, sounds like fun, right?).
Which is nice actually, I haven't been able to talk normally since I got sick because I have been out of breath. In addition to that I haven't slept much and have coughed too much.

Apparently it was a viral infection making my asthma go worse, that cramping my bronchi and cramps causing me to keep on coughing (and panting if I had to talk) even though my bronchi are ok. (And "funnily" my asthma was once again questioned by a doctor. It's fun to have abnormal levels of normal in so many things.)

Funny thing is that this is third year in a row when I have prolonged sick leave in the beginning of November. Last year it was that crazy three weeks fever...

But there is silver lining in everything

Because I have been tied to bed/ sofa whole week lacking energy and inability to have much social contact with anyone I have stitched a bit and designed a lot. (The best way to deal with insomnia is to forget it and spend the time not spent sleeping well.)

Actually stitching a bit is the reason for why I have been designing a lot as I fell in love with the colour scheme I used with the ornament exchange item and things kind of evolved from there to a point where I have now designed two, gorgeous (even I say so myself), complementing samplers.
And I have to admit that I have a plan for the smaller one, a SAL plan. (Actually only thing I need to do it to decide when...)

Did I forgot to mention?

I got great news regarding my thyroid in October: we have medicational balance!

Officially I am slightly hyper, but as I am feeling good (no jitters) my endo said it's not an issue.

What surprised me was that it took only 4,5 months to get there. (Actually I think my endo was surprised too as my bloodwork really crashed in six weeks, from TSH 2.7 + T4 18.3 to "whopping" TSH 0.19 (0.4 - 4) + T4 21.4 (11-21).)

Now it finally feels that my hormone levels are really getting where they should be as this is really the first time when my ankles aren't swollen after standing on my feet whole day and when my throat actually looks something like normal person's throat... and sometimes I even feel attached to things happening around me. That hasn't happened in quite a while.

On a negative side my wedding ring is getting loose and I hate the thought of having to have it made smaller as it would ruin the carvings inside. And I am emotionally attached to that lovely piece of jewelry, I don't want to lose a bit of it.

But now, after being awake for 20 hours I think it is time to start another day and hope that when the time comes later today I could actually sleep at night.

Ta-ta.

Only good things

Surprising as it is - or maybe I just imagine that I have been companing quite a bit last year or so.

The most important good thing, is that today is/ was our 2nd anniversary as a couple!
Admittedly it is not surprising as for some reason it has always felt that we are us, period (if anyone undertands what I am trying to say).
But I have come to realise that I have really been found by a really great Man, much greater than I thought even I have always thought very highly of Him. (Admittedly He is sometimes somewhat frustrating, but no one is perfect, I guess.)

Secondly: recently I have come to see the light after years of darkness.
I would have never imagined that my life was so dark, muted, dull than I have now realised it was. And all just because one wise doctor gave me prescription for little white pills. Those little pills are like candles, they are bringing light to the ultimate darkness I used to call "life", and now I see how dark it was and still is.
But I know it is only getting better from now on and I know there will be more and more candles. Some day my life will be filled with light, even occasionally some candles become dimmer.

I don't know am I exorcising evil spirits as I am beginning to hope that my thyroid would just turn off completely as it would make life much easier in the end. Even though it would also mean that in case I do not have access to thyroxine I will fade away fast.
I just hate not being able to eat nectarines. I hate seeing my thyroid grow and shrink on daily basis. I hate those dim days because my thyroid has decided to take a day off causing the glass jar dose being too small.

Thirdly: I have finished (stitching and finishing wise) six (6) stiching smalls within last month!

I am soon beginning to think that the medication has had some kind of an effect on me!

Alive and well

They say you should never compare people so I won't, but let's just say that this life has taught me many things and one of them is value of a man who calls you when he is late and tells you why he is late even when you are not asking.

Those tiny things, those tiny things which say "I love you" louder than anything else.

I may have said it before, but I say it anyway: it was really worth every second to be single so long before Mr. Wonderful found me. And soon we have been together as long as I was waiting for Him.

So...

Everything is well, I am not, but that is normal anyway. *grin*

I have even been stitching lately, not much or quickly, but I am loving every minute spent stitching over one on 36 count linen. I have missed that. Maybe I even give you some stitchy content some day again. o.O

So, I am off to stitch again! Have to keep my mojo going now that I have found it again!

Stitchy Giveaway: And We Have A Winner!

I am SO sorry it took this long, but work has been crazy (rather it takes time for me to get used to working until 23:15 - and be at home around 1 am) and I have lacked energy big time (and I actually am dead certain that I do suffer of hypothyroidism after all, but that's for a later rant).

And the lucky winner is.... Maestro, drumroll please...

Lady Fortuna draw the winning comment and it is entry numer one

which means that Jenna was out lucky winner!

Congratulations Jenna, I hope the email has already arrived and you enjoy your newly acquired design stash (needleroll, biscornu, fob and pincushion).

And now it's laundry time. Then some stitching (mom's Valentine's Day gift (which is going to be gorgeous) - by the way, we have our 18 month anniversary then ) and enjoying time off.

1997: A Happy Dance

Yes, you DID read right! A HD! Ohmigosh etc.!

Tidbits:

• Design: Poinsettia Star
• Designer: Lady Periphaeria of Periphaeria Designs
• Fabric: 32 count charcoal grey linen.

There hasn't been too many of these lately...

1995: Stitchy Giveaway

I thank those of you who voted and now... it's time to announce a giveaway to celebrate snowprincipessa's 2000th entry!

There is one set of unpublished needleroll and biscornu design by Lady Periphaeria up for grabs. I will keep you in suspense, being the evil person I am, but if you love summer, sun, dragonflies and bees you will love them!

Here is a colour swatch for you....

The spiel is simple: there is one (1) lucky winner (unless I decide to be nice *evil grin*) and all the comments with email address (as I will email the designs) posted to this entry in this particular blog (not to the feeded entry in Facebook)before my 2000th entry apply.

Posters of published comments agree to respect my copyrights of the objects given in this giveaway and will not copy or share the designs involved by any means (except by stitching, of course! ).

So, what are you waiting for? Comment with your email address and you may be the lucky winner! Feel free to also tell about this to your friends!

And now I am off to eat and then trying to finish my mother's holiday gift (which will be a complimentary design, btw.)

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.

Can it be?! O.O

Yes, indeed! Stitchy content! o.O

From the backside as it's one of my unpublished designs... This is about two nights' worth, though I have been doing stuff in between of stitching so that explains why there isn't more - but it's progressing nicely and I think I may actually get it done on time.

Advantages of being sick

I haven been stitching, not much, but that is much more than I have managed lately. Those antibiotics are bad for my stitching though as they make me tired and I can't concentrate on anything after I take my daily pill.

And, I surprised myself yesterday and spent some lovely hours with my designing software - and actually designed few things, couple of them got finished yesterday and some are still waiting for some fine tuning.
I have to say that I am very pleased with the big design I finished yesterday, I have actually already been looking for the right floss (I need something "desert-y". burmt umbra, burnt orange, muted...) for it, but I guess it is one of those cases which require lucky accidents. (ETA: 12-Grain, Colonial Copper, Just Rust)

Otherwise life is going on: I am getting better and cats are enjoying extra company (my sister came here yesterday, which means that there is 10 cats now in this two bedrooms apartment ).

Learning to be reasonable

I realised yesterday that it is not reasonable from me to stress about the ornament set I have been model stitching for quite some time with an intention to get them published this year. Even though my goal was to get them out this year so much have happened since I started stitching them that I simply have to accept the fact that I am not a machine, only a human.

There's always next year and good things are worth waiting for (and they are, even I say so, gorgeous).

This decision has freed me to think of the designs of next year and I know what I am going to model stitch next: a cute Valentine's Day design which I have wanted to stitch since I designed it - all three versions of it.

I want to know what's wrong with me!

My health issues continue and current ones are rather scary... I almost choked this morning when coughing, twice, and because of this I went to ER. Like that had been a good idea, quite contrary: the doctor honestly said to me that she has not idea nor means to check what's wrong with me (that is a hospital, for Pete's sake!) so she prescribed antibiotics and stronger asthma medication for me - no use, it's Father's Day and I couldn't find a pharmacy which had been open.
I decided to go to my mother's, just in case I get another choking attack and bronchodilator isn't helpful - as it is quite difficult to call an ambulance when you can't breathe.

When I came here I took some terbutaline, which used to cause nasty twitching, and to my surprise I feel quite fine now (I do still cough, but for now my larynx has been behaving) - I just hope this continues and I don't need to have another panic attack in the morning because I simply can't breathe...

Regardless, I am going to book a doctor's appointment through my employer's health care plan (private sector has the fun side that they do have interest towards you because you, or in this case your employer, pay good money for them).

Cross posting: This the Season to Be Jolly

The Gift of Stitching's ornament number was published earlier than normal this year and I can't say anything else, but WOW!
It is filled with beautiful designs from several designers one of them being Frosty Pinecones from Periphaeria Designs!

I have loved the design since I designed it ages ago and when I was looking for ornament design for TGOS' ornament issue it was an obvious choice.
The design style is generally very traditionally Slavic (the name comes from the "pinecone" motif within the whole design), but I wanted to give it a special twist and make it suitable also for those stitchers who don't live in Northern Hemisphere and decided to go with shades of raspberry and rose to make an example of how varying the design is.

It was originally planned to be stitched with only one colour, but my household gnomes hid not one, but two skeins while I was model stitching the design and it ended to have three colours - very succesfully, if you ask my opinion. :)
The design can, of course, be stitched with just one colour or three colours of your own preference.

Feel free to play with the colours and I hope you enjoy stitching the design! I did.

(Originally posted to Tales from Periphaeria.)

A Happy Dance! O.o

I am shocked.

This is yet another part of the complimentary design series of stitcher's addictions and I will publish it in some of these days, when I am inspired enough to prepare the file it is now available for download at Periphaeria Designs.

Tidbits:

• Design: Stitch-A-Long Addicts Anonymous
• Designer: Lady Periphaeria of Periphaeria Designs
• Fabric: 32 count unknown Belfast linen from Silkweaver.
• Floss: Anchor 1206

Even though Addicts and Anonymous are slightly misplaced (I didn't spot the misplaced Addicts before I was half done with Anonymous and with Anonymous I had already frogged the A once and when I noticed the other error I just decided to leave it) I am very happy with the outcome even though I wasn't completely sure about my colour choices when I started stitching this earlied today (well, if the design is amazing you can't ruin with bad colour choices, can you? ).

Life in general

I haven't been feeling very good lately, for various reasons like being very short of cash and therefore not eating very well, getting used to lower dose of sertraline (I am on 100mg now) and missing Mr.Wonderful.

Money: I have been unemployed from the beginning of August and I am still waiting for the first allowance payment from SII - I should get the money in next week if all goes well and then I can apply for the rest of the money SII owes me, after that I hope to actually have enough money to buy some new clothes and stock some food items for November (so we can hide in bed whole time *evil grin*).

Mr.Wonderful: is slaving his (gorgeous) a** off, working 7 days a week to get the assignment done in time (if they don't get everything done on time they have to stay there longer until everything is done) and living in a hotel without internet connection so he has no opportunity to send me emails in our regular pace (which is daily). In addition to that the phone lines in $country suck so even he does call to me we can't talk too much because of the lousy line - but at least I can hear his voice, that is what makes me go on - and the hope of getting him here when he returns from Africa (if he works seven weeks seven days a week he should be able to get two weeks off as he plans).

So, everything is basically fine, but I am just suffering from withdrawals of money and Mr. Wonderful.

TSS progress

Due life (read: Mr.Wonderful (and running around Metropolitan area in interviews and writing applications)) and health issues I am badly behind with the Spanish Sampler MSAL, but I am slowly getting there (though I should be stitching models and not this... AAARGH!).

The more I stitch this the more I like the design. Stitching the design really makes the difference compared to previews.

It's Stitch-A-Thon weekend so I'll head back stitching Loy Krathong, we'll see next time when it's time to post my SAT achievements.

Exchange Addicts Anonymous

Even this day was shadowed by yet another copyright infringement report I am glad to cross post a bit.

After designing Stash Addicts Anonymous I came up with few other addictions related to cross stitching and only five days after the last complimentary design I am proud to publish the next part of this complimentary series called Exchange Addicts Anonymous!

This beautiful model is stitched by Leena from Violarium on 30 count light blue linen with Pomme de Pin floss called Water Plouf, both of the materials are available through Violarium, and I want to thank her for the amazing work she did with the design.
So, Thank You Leena!

There's more to come in future!

(Cross post from Tales from Periphaeria.)

"Stash Addicts Anonymous" and yet another SAL

It just happens to be so that some time ago I heard that there is Monopoly SAL going on and the SAL organizer has written permission from Hasbro to photocopy the pattern one-time basis for the SAL participants as the original booklet is OOP - and even when you can find it from eBay it costs you arm and leg.
Of course I just HAD to participate and my pattern arrived today through mail. I have also ordered the floss (I converted to Anchor) and fabric for it, and as I am an addict I justified both orders (I kind of forgot to order the fabric with the floss ) by ordering some patterns...

Today I checked how many justifications I ordered and the realization led me to admit that I should join Stash Addicts Anonymous which led me to design little something as I thought that I am not only one who'd love to manifest their addiction.

This is one of the three versions, actually my favourite:

The file with all three versions is uploaded to Periphaeria Designs so if you admit having a stash addiction you know what to do.

I haven't model stitched it yet as this design really is newborn and I just wanted to get it published, but I am sure I will take some me time some of these days and stitch one of the versions for myself with some nice overdyed.

Somehow it feels that cross stitch gods are against me at the moment. Every time I intend to stitch TSS' second part something comes to disturb me. Regardless, I am having fun with it and love how it looks.

The Great Outdoors

Yes, more kitty pictures! They just are enjoying the summer (in here summer is when average temperature is over 10° C...) and showing it.

 
(The latter one is great example of Her Highnesses ears before and after the blood ear last spring.)

And now I should be going to shower, I have to be out of the door ten past nine!

SAT epilogue

The goal is met!

The colours remind me of Mexico, for some odd reason.
At first I wasn't quite sure do I like the floss choice, but now that the first part is stitched I am very pleased with my choice. It's good in many ways, one of them being having two completely different colour schemes of the same design.

And... I managed to add some stitches to Loy Krathong after several months!
This is how it looked when I started, this is how it looks now:

The biscornu has landed!

I heard that Barbara has received her monochromatic biscornu, and loved it, so yet another stitchy picture!

Info:

• Design: Yet another unnamed, unpublished design (I need to figure out how I want to publish it)
• Designer: Lady Periphaeria of Periphaeria Designs
• Fabric: 32 count hand-dyed Belfast linen by Silkweaver
• Floss: Dinky Dyes' 'Turquoise' silk
• Other: Iridescent blue bead in the middle