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.

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.)

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.

The Luck of the Irish, times three

"Wherever you go and whatever you do, May the luck of the Irish be there with you”

I haven't been at my best, but I have been stitching...

Tidbits:

• Design: Luck of the Irish - set of three biscornus.
• Designer: Lady Periphaeria of Periphaeria Designs.
• Fabric: 36 count flax Belfast linen.
• Fibers: VC silks and DMC/ Kreinik.
• Buttons: Vintage metal buttons from my mother's button box.

ETA: The set is available for purchase through PD (just click the image) or one of the retailers. *enabling grin*

Mad as a March hare... erm... goals

As usual strike and green equal a success. Orange is for "put some work to said piece, but not enough for a success", and red goes, as you guess, for a failure.

And the goals for February were:

1. Work on models: must finish two before 14th. Done! Finished three, and a half, models during February.
2. Participate Stitch-A-Thon. Done!
3. Start Here's to Ewe piece.
4. Stitch Flashes of Gold at least a bit.
5. Belated Christmas ornament for a friend at EMS board as her exchange partner apparently forgot the part of making and sending an ornament. Done!

Not too bad noticing that I had some health issues during the month of February. (It ended with an exploding migraine...)

The goals for March are:

1. Import at least two old designs (different software) to *.pat/ week.
2. Stitch at least two, and a half, models.
3. Stitch the accompanying piece to one of the latest designs, finish it and send the PIF to $COUNTRY.
4. Finish and send Terri's ornament.
5. Participate Stitch-A-Thon.
6. Stitch and finish Here's to Ewe piece.
7. Grid the Spanish Sampler's fabric before 15th and start TSS.
8. Organize my design tree (it's not a folder, it's a tree).
9. Decide the design for the biscornu exchange at FlossMoms.

Can we say lots of red in next month?

By the way, two new designs:

1. I designed a while ago a card for Violarium and it's now officially in use:
   
   
   
   I charted five different colour schemes: spring, summer, autumn, "rekipeitto" and winter. Second from the right is called rekipeitto because Leena named it like that (its colours remind her of old Finnish sleigh blankets).
   Rekipeitto is the original colour scheme.

   This design is loosely related to the Violarium Collection.

2. And I figured it would be fun to have general retailer complimentary design, dug my design stash and came out with Illusion (it has been sent to One Star's Light and Violarium):
   
   

There's no stitched model for either one, so I itch to stitch these some of these days.

And on less joyous Periphaeria Designs related note: Happy birthday PD aka. yup, I am famous now.

/me tired... New designs!

Also known as: What I have been up to.

Violarium Collection

A new series of stitcher's tools. White/violet is model stitched by Leena so I am only the evil mastermind behind that one.
I stitched the white/red one and enjoyed all those confetti stitches on it tremendously. Maybe I am sick? *grin*

 

New parts will follow each other every few months - the series is exclusively available through Violarium.

And the six others

  
  

And the seventh other....

Periphaeria's birthday is soon!
It was 1st of March, 2007 when Periphaeria Designs' first site went officially live... As much I would loved to invite you all over for coffee and cookies (those chocolate chip cookies are ALL mine! ) it's a logistic impossibility so I came up with another good idea, and this one has zero calories: "Heartfelt".

Available for limited time from the "old place". *grin*

Now... my cookies await me.

Valentine's Exchange has landed!

I just heard that Michelle has received her Valentine's Exchange item, and as there's only couple of days until the launch pictures will follow right about... now!

Info:

Design: 'Bumblehearts', will be available 14th of February.
Designer: Lady Periphaeria, Periphaeria Designs
Fabric: 30 count black linen
Floss: As charted
Bead: Generic transparent red heart bead

The picture does not show the colours very well, as it had to be taken in artificial light. Nevertheless I am totally in love with this design, and it was a sheer pleasure to stitch so I wouldn't be surprised if this was one of those designs I will stitch several times in future.
I sent some goodies, but didn't take a picture of them - in the end this was the important thing.

Damn, I'm fine!

Launch related happy dance!

Designs are ready and emailed. Now I just have to model stitch the complimentary design and write the new design pages.

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!

And some stitchy content with SBQ

Happy dance №7

And as shocking it is I may have the designs ready to be emailed to Jenna day after tomorrow latest... O_o (Remember, the next launch is in Valentine's Day!)

And I still suffer from insomnia caused by creative activity, no matter how much I wanted to sleep - and it shows in my peak flows, last two mornings have been bad in comparison to the previous week. I wouldn't wonder if the doctor would want to check my medication and either up the dosage or change the cortisone completely.
Though, last night's streak was quite a pleasant one (started from one tiny motif I had in my head and evolved to a pile of sketches).

But to the regularly scheduled memesy: this week's

Stitching Bloggers' Question

was suggested by Kathryn and is:

Are there other crafts that you have tried and abandoned? Why do you like stitching better?

I used to be a knitter in my teens and I actually wanted to become a knitted garment designer when I was young. (Well, I became an artisan of textile designing and manufacturing, but majored in weaves and weaving techniques, and ten years later begun to use my skills for good in form of cross stitch designing...)
Nowadays my issue with knitting is that... I have became very easily bored and I always had issues with not being able to make anything too detailed with knitting needles, no matter how small.
In theory I do still like knitting and would like to do it more often, but those tiny crosses just seem to be more suitable to my anal character...

And she had S.E.X.!

But, I didn't fail my goal of not buying more stash as this stash is for a new project, a Mystery SAL to-be, organized by Lady Periphaeria... (More about it later, but quite soon.)
I have been hanging around at Hand-dyedfibers.com's forum for a while and drooled after all the lovely VC silks in the store... then I went and designed something just to try certain style and it ended up to be a project which demanded silks - and as I don't have that much experience on Vikki's silks I decided to give them a try.

"To try" may not be an approriate term for the whole purchase: I bought 31 five yard skeins of six stranded silks. (The order has already been shipped!)

Family can shock you

When I left to grocery store yesterday I turned lights off... and when I came home I saw a light in my bedroom window.
I can say that I was a bit "WTH!", but as I wanted to know why the light was on I went home and what did I found? bits_2_whole had popped by to fix my desktop computer.

Lesson learnt: giving your key to your family members can lead to confusion.

Another thing I have learnt during last two days is that scripts which are claimed to be easy by their developers rarely are so - but it seems to me that I eventually found a suitable (easy enough, clear enough and has all the basics I need) online community script.

A tease, aren't I? *grin*

Lady Periphaeria cross posts

"For the understandable reason of having health problems (and then I got a trainee position which has meant even less time for designing or stitching) new designs have been nowhere to be seen.
I DO miss launching the new designs and therefore I decided to leave the current Design-In-Progresses be in the DIP pile and concentrate on a completely new set.

That seemed to be a good idea as the urge has come back and I am eagerly awaiting to be able to launch new designs during the first months of the coming year. (One reason for this urge is that I have been inspired by someone and my creative juices are slowly starting to flow.)

And to give myself yet another incentive to reach my goal I will thereby announce a competition!

The spiel goes like this....

1. How to join?:
   The only thing you have to do is to join Periphaeria Designs' mailing list and have your hopes high! If you already subscribe to the newsletter you don't have to do absolutely anything. It won't get easier than that!
2. The Prize:
   One of each of the designs to be published in the next launch. (In *.pdf format.)
3. The competition runs...:
   From now to February 1st and the lucky winner will be announced in Valentine's Day, 14th of February, when I will send the winner an email.
   IF I don't receive a reply from the winner within one week new name will be drawn, so use such an email address you read frequently to ensure to get your possible winnings in due course.

It is THAT simple and everyone has as good probability to win than the other stitcher as I will use an impartial Lady Fortuna, Random.Org, to choose the number of the winner (all the newsletter subscribers have a subscriber number and that will be used as your lottery ticket).

Feel free to spread the word (with link to this entry) to your stitching friends, in blogs and on forums.
I keep my thumbs up for every one of you! "

The Gift of Stitching, December 2007 issue, page 17

I am there! Or rather my little Artichoke Lace is so get the magazine while the stocks last!

Extremely evil cross posting...

I have just released Halloween Ornaments for sale!

Click here for more info!