10 Lords A Leapin'

Another day of Christmas is done. 

I have started my Horoscope Quaker. It started out to be Virgo, which I was when I bought it. Now that they have changed the signs around on me, I guess I will just leave out the Virgin and put in a design. I'm not altogether sure I like the new alignment. I don't particularly feel like a Leo. But, in the old alignment, they considered me to be on the cusp.

I just got home from the dentist. He pulled the offending tooth. Now he has to make the partial plate and crown. One of these days I will have teeth. I hope.

6 Geese A' Laying

Finished!!

I don't really like the ecru thread for the beads, but that is what the designer (and her stitcher) used, so, I'm leaving it. Other than that, I'm please with the way it turned out.

We didn't get snow for Tuesday Stitch. Vivian did her usual over-the-top refreshments. We did get a little snow last night, and more is predicted for today, but from what was there has now melted.

Birth Sampler

The Hinzeit America that I chose for the birth sampler is done. All I need is the name and birthdate. I won't know those until July. Well, the photo is standing on its head, and I guess it will have to stay there. My PC is being persnickety about the whole picture thing tonight.

Today was the January meeting of the Oatlands EGA Chapter. I was honored to have been asked to install their officers.

We started a Mystery Sampler. Donna, Kathy and Amanda were our leaders. I put in the first two rows, only to rip them out. After stitching those two rows, I could tell that my center was far enough off (five unstitched threads on one side of the design and seven on the other) to bother me. So, at the lunch break, I ripped it out and started over. I didn't quite finish those two rows. The next row will be a Marking Stitch row. April and July are when we are scheduled to work on it in a formal setting again. That should give even me time enough to complete the sections we were given today.

Bill is heading to Richmond tomorrow. Tuesday stitch group will be in Alexandria next week. Once again snow is predicted. I am hoping it doesn't snow, because I don't do snow.

Hardanger Ornament

The stitching in the hardanger ornament is done! Now, I have to trim it, give it a backing and a ribbon for hanging, but those are chores for another day.

Mixed news on my son-in-law today. The oncologist told him that he had not seen the actual scans, but the written report said that  the growth of the tumors had been stopped, but that there was no shrinkage. He was recommending that they switch from Interleukin-2 to another treatment. But before the final decision was made, he wanted to actually see the scans. Perhaps he will see something in the scans the doctor who read them originally didn't see. Prayers, please.

Snow, Sleet, Ice

Well, perhaps not the snow. But the streets are completely iced over. We aren't going anywhere for now. Not even to the library where the books are due today.

My Tuesday stitch group has cancelled for today. Our hostess has a v-e-r-y long sheet of ice for a driveway.

I am working on the hardanger ornament. I hope to finish it up this afternoon and post a picture.

Day 15

YAY!!!!!
 Today marks the last of the 15 starts. Day 14 was  9th day of Christmas, and today was 5 gold rings.

We are in Farmingville, NY about 20 miles from our son's home. The motel bed is grossly uncomfortable, and the duvet covers instead of plain old sheets are for the birds. With these gems, you get too hot or too cold. There is NO middle ground.

I always forget how impatient my husband can get when we are traveling. I take a diuretic and before we head out I like to give it a little while to work. So far this morning he has almost driven me crazy with wanting to leave. So, I guess I have to leave now. Pictures later ... maybe today, maybe tomorrow.

Catch Up Posts, Days 11, 12 and 13

I knew keeping a blog would be the hardest part. And now, I've proved it. Here are the starts for Days 11-13

Day 11 ... my regular stitching group met today. We talked, we fretted about the impending snow, and occasionally, we stitched.

Day 12. The Washington DC EGA Chapter meeting should have been today. Instead, it was stitch at home day because the meeting was cancelled due to snow. We didn't get much snow, but the schools opened 2 hours late. Even without the meeting to head to, I didn't get a lot of stitching done.





Day 13. The furnace repair man FINALLY came with the ordered part. A couple of weeks ago, our heat pump for the back part of the house went out. It iced over. The repairman said he didn't have the part needed, and he HOPED he could order it ... the heat pump is getting pretty old and parts are hard to find. While he was here, we heard funny noises coming from the main furnace. Perfect timing....one of its parts was also on its last legs. He managed to find the part for that one and installed it that day.

Here is today's start.

I probably won't post again for several days. We are heading to Long Island for some birthdays. My oldest granddaughter turns 11 on January 29th, and youngest grandson turns 8 on the 15th. Combined birthday party this weekend. Then, we have to come back quickly because we are babysitting our grandson in Maryland while his parents head to the doctor to get the verdict on Rick's cancer treatments. Has the Interleukin-2 treatment helped? That is the big question. If it has done what we all hope it has done, he will get the start date for the next series of IL-2 treatments. If it hasn't been effective, the doctor will suggest some alternative treatments. Prayers please, that it has done it's job!

Day 10

Today I started the hardanger ornament. I got the first round of kloster stitches (and part of the second) done.


I don't think I'll have to look too far for that needle though.

This is what the Christmas Blessing looks like in its frame. If I had set it on the fabric properly, I could have had a bit more fabric between the design and the frame, but it isn't too bad.




The weather people are calling for snow tomorrow. Ugh. I really don't like to drive in snow. I guess that stems from a nasty auto accident I had some years ago. My office let us out a little early and I was 3/4 of the way home when I appeared to hit an ice slick and rolled the car. The policeman who was traveling right behind me told my husband that I did everything right... except I hit an ice slick. I was thrown from the car. When I woke up in the hospital, I was positive the elevator in my office building had crashed. I had no memory of driving home. The hospital folks kept me overnight because they thought they saw a problem with one of the vertebrae.... my doctor came in and told them they just can't read a wet x-ray. That ought to tell you how long ago it was, and I'm STILL not comfortable in snow and ice.

So, thanks Anne, for the offer of a ride for Tuesday Stitch Group. You'll NEVER know how much I appreciate it.

Merry Snow.

Day 9

Kind of a lazy day today. Bill has had the play-off games on and I have been stitching all afternoon.

Not a lot got done on the challenge projects, but I have picked up Betsy Morgan's All Year Box, and have completed 1 of the panels. 5 panels to go .. and mostly over 1.

Today's challenge project is 6 Geese A Layin' and you can see part of the 6

I think I will start the hardanger ornament tomorrow. We are planning to visit the family on Long Island toward the end of the week, and I think the dark green fabric I chose will be hard to work with in motel light. 

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Day 8

Day 8 - I started 3 French Hens. Didn't get very far though. It was a very busy day. he memory disk in the Canon says that it is write protected. We can't get it unprotected, and neither of us knows how it got protected in the first place. Guess we need a new memory disk before next weekend when we head to see the LI grandkids (well, parents too, but kids first). Bill dug out the old Nikon and after a bit of finagling we got a picture ...-

This morning was the January meeting of the Loudoun Sampler Guild. Nice turnout for an almost snowy morning. A fantastic breakfast selection. One of these days I am going to remember to NOT eat before I come so I can nibble on some of the goodies. To day was a stitch-in with a bit of old business to take care of. The next few months have some really neat sounding classes.

The 'Crazy Project' folks had varying reports on their projects. Some are doing a variation on the challenge ... finish projects that have been lingering in the UFO stack. I am wondering if perhaps that should have been my goal. Nah, I don't have 15 that are worth finishing.

Then it was off to run errands. Many hours later we got home. I was tired and really didn't feel like starting a new project, but my sense of 'you gotta do it' won out.

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Day 7

2 Turtle Doves ... and you can actually see one of them.

OOOOOPS. I put the chart down upside down and backward. Oh, well. You can still see the two turtle doves.

Almost half way through the first part of the challenge ... 8 more days of starts and the rest of the year for finishes. Doing this I have made a discovery about myself. I don't like starting a project every day. I might have several projects going at the same time, but I start them days, weeks, or months apart. I always thought of myself as a serial starter. But I won't do that again.

Day 6

11 Pipers Piping is off to a start. Not necessarily a fine start, but a start.

I got an earlier start than usual today.

If I don't get to the grocery store today, there won't be much food in the house. I am heading for Wegman's in Fairfax.

Day 5

Once again, getting started took a lot longer than it should have. It's not like it was hard to do ... just reach in the bag, pull out a chart, pick up a piece of fabric (also in the bag), pick up a skein of thread, add a needle to the mix and there you are. Uh huh. Yep.

Before I could stitch today, I HAD to visit a store that is going out of business. No, it doesn't have a thing to do with stitching, but with my daughter and my son-in-law both VA TECH grads, I found it absolutely necessary to visit to pick over their Tech gifts. They have lots. Make that = they had lots. I got some of them for next year's Christmas.

On the way home, we passed a bird on the side of the road. I made Bill turn around and go back because it didn't move when we went past, and it was sitting up. By the time we got turned around and back to the spot some one had picked up the bird and was in a nearby driveway with the bird and was calling for help. I'm not that good with iding birds, but it looked like a falcon, or perhaps a hawk. It was sitting on a fence as we left the area but not trying to fly away. I sure hope it got help.

We also visited the framer. I had two pieces I wanted framed ... perhaps they will go to Woodlawn, perhaps not. One was the Christmas Blessing. The other was a large red piece by Sampler Cove (Diane Jourdan) called Rhapsody in Red. I wasn't that rhapsodic while stitching it, but I love the finished product. The fellow at the frame shop kept bringing alternate frames for the Red one ... all of them looked fine, but one really jumped up and said BUY ME BUY ME. Until he brought the mahogany one with the little bit of gold |_| |_| |_| ... mimicking the border on the piece. That one was the final choice.

Aster we got home, I got around to reaching into the bag ... out came 8th day of Christmas. Picture below.

I didn't get a lot done ... at least not a lot of stitching.

Day 4

Today I started 12 Drummers Drumming. Didn't get very far though, but a start is a start. Didn't get a good picture either ...

While I am talking about didn't's ... I didn't get to Jean Schlappi's memorial service. I feel bad about that, but one of my meds was keeping me close to home.

From the time I joined the Washington DC Chapter of EGA, Jean has been my greatest cheerleader. I worked with her on the Reservations committee when I first joined the chapter, and she encouraged me all the way to being a co-president. I served with Jean Esswein, who lost her husband recently.

I will miss Jean.

Day 3

Third day of the challenge, and I pulled "America" by Hinzeit out of the stack.

This one is to be a welcome baby gift. I don't need it until July, but it is off to a good start.

My nephew and his wife are expecting their third child in March. The anticipated due date is also my son-in-law's birthday. Quite a birthday present for Cousin Rick. I have finished their gift, all except for the name and actual birth date. They haven't completely decided on a middle name, but if it is a girl (and she is expected to be a girl), then her first name will be Stella. I don't have a picture of it yet, but I will post when I have the name etc stitched in.

Four Calling Birds

On the second day of the challenge, I reached into my bag of projects, and up came 4 Calling Birds.

So, 4 Calling Birds it is. I have stitched the two borders and part of the number 4. Birds, vines and the rest of the number to go. Here is a picture ... the colors seem a bit off, the green is DMC 500 and the red (which looks brown in the picture) is DMC 816.

My regular Tuesday stitch group is meeting in Stafford County this week. I don't think I will make it. One of my hearing aids is in the shop, and I find that driving with just one ear to hear is treacherous! Sirens, road noises, etc., all come in from the left ear -- no matter where they actually are. Too much whipping the head around to keep track of where they actually are.

Day 1 of the Challenge

Well, I got started with the 15 projects. I began with the Pamela Darney (Guildhouse Samplers) Red Bird. 

Basically, all I got done today was baste the top and left hand side borders, the initial S in the upper left hand corner and part of the gold and blue block at the top middle. Then I decided to work on the greens, and hit a snag. Autumn Arbor flows from green to bronze to gold to purple to red. However, in the piece of silk that I have the green part isn't very big. The biggest piece of green I could pull out will make only 7 stitches and 2 of those were because I used the smallest petite needle I could find.  Now I have to find more of the thread that has a bit bigger sections of the green.

By the time I am through with this challenge, I may learn how to take pictures that are really in focus.