Along the Paths of Pins and Needles

Before-Christmas Catch-Up!

2011-12-21T10:20:00.000-08:00

Whew! It has been a while, so I will try to keep it to the photos! Just because it is my treasure, here is the birthday card Marc made for me in its perch with some of my other favorite treasures on my coffee table. Yes, That PS Halloween small is still out. :)

And here it is with the beautifully wrapped gift it accompanied. I adore this card because he drew it, and it uses the darling caricature of me which we developed a couple of years ago. (He rendered, I "art directed": "Okay, have a rabbit making tea. Yes, but the rabbit should be like an eggplant. LIke a waterskin. Yes, okay over here...") Additionally, it induces a neat bit of recursion in the form of a Droste effect when I hold the present. :D :D :D

The darling paper, which is a gift in itself. It is a long story, but the gift inside is not a surprise, and is somewhat "owed". This makes the love and care he put into the packaging the REAL gift, and I adore it. He went above and beyond to order this wrapping paper; it is a good produced using motifs from one of my favorite comics, Ochibisan, which I spoke about here.

Inside the box? Why, it's this mug! There is also a blue version, which I also recently acquired. :) The food shown here is a green tea latte and okonomi senbei.

I was also blessed with other kind gifts. Wonderful Christina not only remembered my day, but sent me a pattern I had admired her finishes of! And, scissor charms, too! Thank you, Christina!

Meanwhile, I decided at the beginning of my birthday week that I would make the "Ultimate Gift" for myself--I would stitch The Chart: PS Fox & Grapes. (Do you have a "The Chart"?) Well, it was "ambitious", shall we say...I wonder if I will finish in the new year. It does have a lot of leaves!

Myra must have really been on the same wavelength (Not that my Fox Mania isn't somewhat legendary)

She sent me this amazing fox project bag! :o She said she got the fox fabric panel from etsy, and this mystic fox has really grown on me! It even has a rabbit! I like the co-ordinating black print she used; though multicolored the confetti dots remind me of pinhole constellations in a magical sky.

Here's a "batman snap" showing the scale and lining of this beautiful bag! About a week later I realized it even has green grapes!!!

I caught quite a cold in November (Right before Thanksgiving; the guys had to make It All!), and I feel like I am still catching up even now!

Okay, On to Christmas! (Somewhat)

I promise to get some better tree shots, but I do like the light quality in this and seeing ornaments from my friends! Don't you just love The Tree? I adore tree pics on blogs. :)

The messy desk layout of all the ornaments I have stitched since the summer--there are 12! (Well, 2 were from last year). I am surprised and glad to have reached part of my goal--more on the goal as I get closer/organized on it.

Some of these are officially for Becky SC's Ornament Challenge, and here follow closer pics of the ones I have worked on since I last blogged:

fr. Prairie Schooler Bk. 151 "Santas and Snowmen"
worked in the recommended DMC

With thanks to Myra for the loan of this OoP Chart! This was the "stitchin'-est" ornament in memory! Does anyone else "forget" that white or light stitching umn, has to be stitched when they are sizing up how much of a BAP a chart is?

fr. Prairie Schooler Bk. 117 "Prairie Stars"
worked in the recommended DMC

I've been pining for this one since I saw Edgar stitch it a year or two ago.

Here is a Mary Garry Santa ornament which I previously stitched for an exchange; I need to get a few colors I am missing to finish up santa!

Now, here is this week's WiP:

Yup, I started PSS Yuletide! I think the overdyes really make this piece, and I am glad I bought the JCS this year! This is another one which has a goodly amount of stitching, but once you figure out how to "work" the townhouses they are a fun repeating motif. :D

Also, I decided I had to have a noro scarf (as seen on Nicole's Blog).

Here is my trial run (I cast on 29 stitches instead of 30-something), and only used 2 balls of yarn. Learning the rib stitch to make this was so irritating, but I was really satisfied when I did.

Okay, friends, this is already overlong! I hope to be back soon with a shorter, stitching update type post. Just in case,

Merry Christmas!!
Berit

Christmas Ornament Challenge!

2011-11-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

I'm taking part in the 2011 followup to last year's Pumpkin Challenge, the Christmas Ornament Challenge! I thought it was a good opportunity to motivate myself to stitch an ornament I have been wanting on my tree for a few years, but never got around to stitching. More accurately, I stitched it for an exchange, but then it was LOST in the mail (Later UK Post reported it as Stolen, of all things) and I had to re-stitch. I can tell you, I stitched a different piece and I completely lost my mojo for stitching my own!

So, yesterday I started, and today I finished up the last third of the pedestal and did the long stitches--hooray!

I don't have any info on this chart; I was inspired by Anita's finish of this, and wanted to make my own (I used the same thread as her version; I only remember that it is by Threadworx. It is stitched 1/1 on a 28 ct. evenweave; I THINK the color was called Mushroom. I looked around a bit, and I see it listed about halfway down this page as a 2008-2009 free chart.

Anita is great to work with; just email her if you are interested and I bet she'll set you up!

Too bad she doesn't sell Finishing Mojo; I think I can eek some out of The Challenge, however. ;)
Speaking of setting up, I want to thank everyone who responded to let me know about that PS Chart I asked after last time! I was pleased to learn that the chart, Bk. 63 "Christmas Traditions", also contains the other PS Christmas pattern my heart so pines for--even more than the one I asked about! It contains the verse "O Christmas Tree" and is loaded with rabbits. :D

I am also happy (shocked, but happy) that Sadie was even willing to lend me her copy! :o So, thanks everybody and especially Sadie!

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Considering this stuffed squash for dinner; Chef John's recipes are on the whole easy and awesome; but I am still thinking, "Oh, if only this would make itself!"

"November" finished already?!

2011-11-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

I just put the last three letters into this piece!

But, is it done? I put this one off because I was not sure about the word "nights". I don't think I like the "n", and the "g" looks like a digital display numeral"9". Also, I was pondering how to sign it. Now, I am pondering "if".

fr. Prairie Schooler Bk No. 149 "November"
Fabric: 28ct. Purely Primitive linen by Silkweavers
Fibers: Mostly cotton overdye picked by me; some recommended DMC.

Moving on, "Have You Seen Me?":

Saw this in my wanderings the other day, the stitcher said nothing more than that it was an old PS, and a favorite of the family, and that she stitched it in 1997. I only know that it is amazing, and probably OOP, and that I am perishing to know the title if nothing else! Any stitchers out there with any info? :D

Finally, because I am perishing for want of them, I share with you some Macarons from a City trip several weeks ago:

Feast your eyes upon (from foreground L snaking around to foreground R): Rhubarb (filling too wet and smooshy), Cassis (my favorite!), Early Grey (Too Strong--I know, blasphemy), Pistachio, Lemon, Mocha, Apricot, and Lemon (Marc chose 4, and I chose 4; hence the Luscious Lemon Repetition.).

Yes, these are from the same place from whence came the cast iron teapot of a recent post.

Happy Mid-Week!

Berit

A Hallowe'en Finish

2011-10-31T13:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Prairie Schooler Bk. 174 "Cats, Bats, & Witches" (Selected Elements)
Fabric: 32 ct. Ivory linen by Wichelt (Walnut-ink stained by me after stitching)
Fibers: DMC as charted excepting bright orange silk overdye.

Falling Cat yowls, "Happy Yowl-o-We'eeeeen!"

A Merrie Hallowe'en~

2011-10-29T08:53:00.000-07:00

It's Snowing!

These were taken about an hour ago, when it had just stared coming down.

Beginning to accrue on the roof after only 5-10 minutes!

I had Marc rush out to get these pics so that you can see our autumn color on the trees through the snow. Insane! It is still falling thick and fast an hour later. It is pretty warm, however, and I hope it melts off fast w/o stripping the trees. We are still at only 40-60% "gone" for our yearly turn-and-fall leaf show, and I don't want to endure extra weeks of barren trees this autumn! :(

I may update later with pics of the snow-blanketed landscape if there is interest.

A wonderful package arrived--a generous loan from Myra of an OOP PS that I really wanted to make an ornament (Or two!) from. She included a pretty scallop-edged fashion plate card AND best of all a fox-themed fabric bookmark which she made herself! She said it was just a little experiment, I say, "WoW!"

A (clearer) view of the other side. Myra said that she printed this design onto special fabric and then made up the bkmark!

Stacy Nash began selling walnut ink crystals, so I decided to take advantage because I have been wanting some for such a long time! Of course, I also had to get the sweetheart tree roll. something in this calls to me, though I don't know I will be making it into a roll!

This is part of the Primitive Betty's pillow I have been working on; I love the whole design, but it was working up too big on that 28 count Antique Tan! So, I grabbed an element from here and there, and added a little pumpkin! It was fun doing the ink dye, I went dark on it because it is a a Halloween piece, and small enough to not be a big risk if I botched it. I also tried dyeing some of the trim I received last time (It is pretty blue for this piece), but I think it still needs another round! :)

To keep us (me) warm in our travels, here is a pic of the tea I had at Macaron Café this week while in the city waiting for my medicine to be prepared. I was amazed when a $3 to-stay order of tea (Wedding Impérial by Mariage Frères) yielded a 2.5-3 cup cast iron pot's serving!

If it looks small, blame the barge of a cup the gave me to consume it from! Now, I really want a cast iron pot. (I want THIS cast iron pot.) lol. MF is my favorite tea house HANDS DOWN. This blend, however, is not. It is okay, but their standard French Breakfast Tea fills my desire for this type of taste better.

They were out of their divine Cassis Macarons, but I was able to make do with a Rose and Litchee. :) After the Niçoise salad I ate, it actually didn't matter (Shocking, I know!)

Well, I am off; Marc has planned a surprise for me this afternoon (Before you get jealous, let me tell you this is a First--and apology-related--but I am still so excited!) Wish me luck!

With Spooky, Snowy Wishes to you,
Berit

Yesterday's Three Finishes

2011-10-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

How did I manage this? It is almost cheating, but technically true...

Day 11
fr. Prairie Schooler Bk. 127 "Santa's 12 Days of Christmas 9-12"
Fabric: 36 or 40 ct. Days Gone By
Fibers: Recommended DMC

Shown with Scissors for scale, here is M.F.H. Santa in all his gear on the field. The fox seems to be popping up; "You called?" or maybe "You Mad, Bro?" I did change the white to B5200 to make it show up better on the linen. I DID rip and replace the the red after reflecting on Vonna's advice particularly. It seems that life's trick is knowing what "moving on" in life means in each situation. I will say that I thought the previous red was prettier on the linen; too bad I don't know what color number it really was.

I am beyond thrilled by this Autumnal Hunt themed Ornament. But...I couldn't figure out what the fox was doing. Their paws are actually white, so I though he was pointing. Is he telling the chasers to run the opposite direction from what the Huntsman is calling? That's awfully goofy for PS. After comparing the cover image, the graph, and mulling it over, suddenly I knew! That appendage is his brush! Oh.

I like the idea of fox hunting, though I only know reports of it as given by Rita Mae Brown. She portrays it as a noble game which the fox naturally always wins, as he is so sly. Recognized American clubs never kill the fox.

fr. Prairie Schooler Bk. 159 "Fall Fields"
Fabric: 28 ct. Wichelt Antique Tan (?)
Fibers: Recommended DMC

Have you seen this before from me? Well, I added in the ring around his eye, finally, so that now he doesn't look like some sort of soul-less carcass! :)

A Visit
fr. Prairie Schooler Bk. 48 "A Christmas Visit"
Fabric: 28 ct. Wichelt Antique Tan (?)
Fibers: Recommended DMC

Though I am quite vocally sour about The disease of Early Christmas brought on by our American Marketing Machine, this one had me singing Jolly Old St. Nicholas all week. Though I only know the first two sections, I somehow love this old song; perhaps one of the reasons is because aforementioned Machine hasn't worn it out for me. I can't recall the last time I heard this one; can you?

The colors seem quite different from the model picture, particularly the chimney/window. This publication is from 1994 (eep) and I think perhaps the dye lots are that different now. I decided to just go as charted, however, because I fell in love with the version seen on Mary Katherine's blog. If possible, I'd like to find some green gingham ribbon just like this to finish this piece! :D

This roof-haunting santa wound up with a bit of a smirk. :]

I started this goody from Primitive Betty on big, big 28 count wichelt...and I don't like how huge it is. But...It looks so good in the picture that it makes me want to finish it rather than moving on as I had planned. Hurmn. I think this will be a good candidate for the walnut crystals I have on order from Stacy Nash. :) Maybe I will stick with the plan to make it a smaller pin pillow...but will I re-stitch the whole design after that? This calls for over-two stitching on 35 count, which I find tortuous! Even some tight 32 counts I hate to stitch over two. What do you think about the 35 or 36 count 2/2 practice?

Speaking of my love for this pic, I almost love photos of stitching more than the real piece. (Does anyone else concur?)
Here are some Stitchy Still-Lifes; I just love this stuff when I see it in blogland!

Three Culprits

I love the floss toss for Santa's Days! Why is only poor languishing JB in focus? I found the fill text I want to use for her, now I need to decide what image editing software I want to use for charting now that I have moved to my new computer. Any suggestions. I had macstitch and it was an abomination.

~*~

Previously, I wrote that I was struggling to "Get My Autumn On", but I have been making strides:

Do you remember "My Tree"? It is one of the first in the neighborhood to turn its leaves and loose them, so I was happy to catch this photo recently.

I made Oxtail Stew twice last week! Chef John is my modern american cooking source. I made this with a friend using his pressure cooker (50 min meat and etc., + 5 for the veg), and subbed thyme for the rosemary. We made it again adding Guinness and some mustard powder, and while both were good I would prefer Chef John's italian style with a pint for drinking!

Oh, also! I did not add any potatoes but instead did roast veg (cauliflower, carrots, brussels sprouts, fingerling potatoes) in the oven and served it in the same bowl. This is an amazingly delicious, incredibly healthy collagen-rich (woo-hoo; youthful skin!) way to eat red meat. A small amount of meat is incredibly satisfying. I really want a pressure cooker now!

I love presents; especially giving and wrapping them! So, here is Edgar's Birthday Card.

And some of the two spliced together with a few already-wrapped packages in the background!

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Thanks everyone, for your visits and comments! I am behind on reading last week's, so please excuse me while I catch up.

Yours,
Berit

Stash, Startitis, and Sweet Mail!

2011-09-30T06:04:00.000-07:00

I have these:

This would be complete; but the top large snowflake at right is one stitch too high. I can't decide to change it because stitching on this 18 count aida with two threads was beyond punishment (Not a fan of the ol' Stab-and-Yank!) I picked up a piece of 35 count black linen that Nicole was clearing out, so now I am actually thinking of stitching another from this leaflet, Santa's Night.

Homespun Elegance's House on Pumpkin Hill, from their A Halloween Year series. The spider and tiny cat need legs. And I need to learn how to do colonial knots for the tree. Wonder how they compare to french knots (which I am fine with.)

I even have this one; which I was supposed to Reveal to You All Finished this time on the blog. It lacks only the cat's body at Top Right. :/

These are only a few. November Nights (remember that PS?) is just as close. Jenny Bean Christmas needs only her words charted and snow and berries stitched. And the signature area added (okay, more to do on this one).

...

So, I started these:

Not sure I like the linen/thread combo I chose for this one.

Day 11 from Santa's 12 Days of Christmas. This is the second of the charts I chose from Kathy A's gift; an important one for me as I love (and want ALL the PS Foxes! :o)

Stitched 1/2 on 36 count Days Gone By, this is an easy one due to to thread laying (non-existent) but a bit of a plodder due to small-size finish making the progress less appreciable. Also, I have run into a problem with Huntsman Santa's coat. It is supposed to be DMC 815. The last skein at the shop had the number tube shoved back on, and only one of the adjacent colors was in stock. I bought it anyway, and thought it looked dark at home. I went through my DMC stash to look for it, and did not find it, but DID find 814 and 816. I decided I thought the one I purchased fit in between them. So I went ahead with it. Yes, it looked too deep in comparison to the cover photo, BUT PS covers are generally washed out/yellowed up (as a former film processor, I call it the Kodak Effect!), so I wrote it off. But, when it was time to lay in the 902 browny pants, UHoh! They are pretty indistinguishable from The Coat.

Should I: Frog, Find, and Change the coat? Frog the pants and choose a more brown color? I would obviously take the second choice, BUT the fox is supposed to Match Santa's coat, and I don't think want to make him this pseudo 815. Also, I think I want to stitch 1-3 more of this series. How much will it bother me if they are different in their Brightest Christmas Red. Since this is a Prairie Schooler Fox(!!!) Piece, I don't want to see only error and disappointment when I spy it on my tree.

Ah, DMC; the low-hanging fruit of my childhood is now more rare than hens' teeth! The Michaels I went to for it (atrocious parking; never go there but in desperation) had less than half my list. Six facings of Blanc--ALL EMPTY. So, I inquired about the back room. Was told it was all out. "But Really?? No White?!?!?" "Okay, I'll (pretend to) check for you." Even my ONS has to be cajoled into selling me DMC. "Yes, I have it, but you should buy it from Michael's. Mine is 6X cents per skein. You really don't want to buy mine." Umn, yes. I do. That's why I asked for it. And I don't care if I have to spend an extra $2.47. Cost/Benefit reveals it as a bargain: Gas, fighting nightmare parking, never-my-complete-list-in-stock/Definitely Getting What I need. My kingdom for a skein of 815! (And 437, one of those 5200 whites... Oh, and there is the supplies for my new stash...)

Thanks, friends, for listening to my DMC rant. I should also say that my ONS does totally send it to me, when pressed.

Isn't this floss toss pretty, though? And I think this is a new record in away waste knots for me.

The Stash:

I am forever coveting "Hallows Eve" finishes, so I figured it was time. Mary Katherine's beautiful "A visit from St. Nicholas" still tempts me all these months after I first saw it. At first, I did not like this New PS Halloween, but when I saw it again on Kathy A's blog, I thought, "Okay, I do need this" I can envision some nice smalls made from it. :D I also bought a skein of GAST's new Otter Creek. It is lighter than I expected.

Perhaps best of all is this giveaway I won from Marjorie! She offered a Halloween Goodie to anyone who could guess the title and designer of her new Halloween Start! Of course, I knew right away that it was Primitive Needle's Ouja Board. :D I think of that piece as a sister piece to Kindred spirits. Thanks, Marjorie--the BBD pin pillow and finishing goodies will be enjoyed!

Thanks for visiting and all your kind comments,
Berit

P.S. Any other Downton Abbey Season 2 watchers out there? We are following it with avid interest over here.

Autumn Comes Again~

2011-09-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

I am still acclimating myself to the concept that Summer is Over.

Stitching PS Christmas Ornaments. Some of them are even for Autumn. :)

First

Second:

Shops (4 in5 of my experience) need to do a competent job labeling their linen counts. Though these two are the same linen, they are not the same size. I filled the background 1/2 for ease and looks. I even like the sparse primness of the stitchy black sky. :)

Motifs fr. Prairie Schooler Bk. 132 Autumn Leaves

Fabric: Vintage Antique Ivory

Fibers: DMC per chart

More fr. Prairie Schooler Bk. 150 December

I love this Little Dog. It is my second favorite resident of this book (after The Fireplace).

This Tannenbaum seems so Norwegian/european to me. Warm Black, yumm! I altered the border on this a bit. I also changed the tree's color to a cotton overdye (WDW kudzu, if memory serves.)

Above as they stand now, with borders. I am planning to put "Merry Christmas" in the blank one using either French or German; can't decide. "Happy Holidays" seems like an over-PC Americanism that sticks out like a sore thumb in context of these designs. Fits neatly, however. :D These are worked on a neutral Wichelt (either 28 or 32). I did not always, but I do Love their stiff linen best!

The wonderful Kathy A. held a gift-cert giveaway in the spring which I won, and at length I settled on some stash! Yup, I got Prairie Schooler goods--Fox-Based ones I had been putting off forever! I want to collect all the PS Stitchy Foxes! :D The LK's were a bonus gift included by the shop.

Fox and Pheasant! <3

I still need to buy the DMC to rim Reynard's eye.

Previously, on Kindred Spirits:

I am even further along after getting inspired seeing another stitcher's Prim Needle project. I swear, this is a lingerer. I really want it done and framed; but I don't think this is happening this year. Putting a bit of a crimp in my mojo for it.

Next time I will show where I really am, as well as my new treasure (PS Santa's Night Ornament).

Thanks to everyone, as always. Should you have any spare finishing mojo, please send it my way. No frogs Necessary, however. We already need to frog out the final snowflake of aforementioned Santa. :D

Finish, Finish, & Finish-Finish

2011-07-29T12:10:00.001-07:00

(Does this title remind you of a "Pete and Repeat" joke as much as it does me?)

What I've been up to (crafty-wise). :)

Finished the quilting on:

Fig Tree Quilts
Scrap Lab Table-Topper Quilt

The angle of my shot exaggerates it, but some of the colored bands ARE definitely longer than the others. lol! Good thing they are my favorites. ;)

This is my first-ever quilt finish: Machine pieced, hand-quilted, turned-bound, washed and machine-dried. It really does get nice, scrunchy, and wonderfully quilty after drying.

A Stitching Finish:

Nighttime Hearth Motif from PSBk150 "December"
Linen: 28ct. Natural by Wichelt
Fiber:DMC to spec.

Usually, I consider stitching Christmas ornaments to be a pain, b/c there are only 50 I want NOW and I don't feel Christmassy stirrings in the slightest until after Thanksgiving. I do look forward to stitching an ornament alongside the tree however. I'm ALL ABOUT The Tree. So, I'm pretty happy to be on a bit of kick for it lately. I consider PS with its easy-to-read graphs and good ol'
DMC to be the ultimate comfort stitching. Otherwise, I can't say I find stitching particularly relaxing. I'm too excited to own what I'm making!

This needs ironing and finishing, now. I'm so excited b/c I know exactly what fabric to use...now if only I could decide HOW.

Oh, P.S., I am SO excited about the new PS "Santa's Night"!!! I'd be stitching it right now if my order were in. :D But, what to do about the fabric??? The models us 18 ct. Aida to make them both small and black. How I wish Wichelt had a high-count black linen! What are you doing about the fabric choice? (All you other gotta-make-this-one stitchers.)

"The Finish-Finish"

Mary's Pin Pillow by Indigo Rose
Linen: Belfast Natural 32ct.
Fibers: DMC 4210 and AVAS unknown ruby color.

Some of you may recall this as a biscornu I was working on in the early days of this blog. I finished the stitching in 2009, and only did the finishing recently. You see, I LOVE this biscornu pattern, and I love biscornu, and LOVE (or did at the time) love that DMC variations color...but i didn't love them all together as much... Until I tried putting it with these items in my display case. <3

The spider web rosettes were really fun to make with silk!

A view with the door closed. You can see some of my "treasures" on the shelf above.

The Whole, recently reorganized to contain most of my tea implements which were just knocking around. You can see a teacup and saucer set is missing right below the biscornu; I need to wash it after my tea! (Yesterday's, shhh!)

I'm not really a drunk, btw. Nope. Not even because my treasure cabinet is full of empty liquor bottles. That's because I'm a little crow! lol! I love shiny things, and things made of glass, and packaging and typography. The St. Germain and Domaine de Canton are pretty good ( I used them; the St. Germain is an elderflower liqueur--wonderful as a syrup with soda, yup! And in Whipped Cream, too. DdC...well...I bought it because it was from the same Co. and with a parallel dress...it was just meh. But it was great in hot chocolate all winter! lol! I loved the Sapphire bottle as a kid, and swiped this from a friend who can't live without his "GeeAndTee". It IS good with the St. Germain and Soda, however.

Haven't convinced you, have I? Please, just check out the St. Germain bottle next time you're in a shop before sending them to take me away, m'kay? :D I still need to re-work this cabinet above the biscornu.

I'm also:

• Woefully behind on Blog Reading
• Compiling the final kits for FenceCat's Hallowe'een; Thanks to everyone who picked one up! If you are still "on the fence" (lol!) I've only got enough supplies for 12 more. As far as I know this linen is disco, so once they are gone there will be no more. :(
• Breaking in a new computer

Stay cool, enjoy your summer, and sink a few stitches into a project! :)

Yours in Stitching,
Berit

Scissors Case Giveaway Winners!

2011-07-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! Thanks to all the faces new and old who stopped by for my giveaway party! :D

I do apologize that I'm getting these winners posted up late; it has been quite busy in me-land lately, but above all the ruckus was the arrival of my new computer late last week! I was SO overdue for an upgrade and transitioning to the new system is eating my computer time. In a good way, though. :D

Without further ado, the Scissors Case Giveaway Results:

For the "Purchasers" Case, there were 5 people who bought a kit, and the winner is Barbara Sturtz! She will get first pick on the colorway (original blue or variant plum).

For the "Partiers" Case, Parsley wins! She will receive the other case. :D

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Ladies, I've emailed you to request shipping addresses.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to enter and Special Thanks to my kit purchasers!!! You guys are the best!

Berit

P.S. Hope to see you soon with a small stitchy update!

Announcing Jaunty Fox Designs!

2011-06-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to finally begin publishing cross stitch design works with this first release, a freebie entitled

Fence Cat's Hallowe'en!

The chart itself is free for download from The Fox Shop.

I hope everyone will love stitching this as much as I did and display it with Joy this Autumn. :D

If you love the look of the model as much as I do, you're in luck because I had some extras and I'm compiling them into kits available here.(Same post as above.)

If you are "on the fence" about the kit because you hate fill-in stitching (like me), go ahead and get it! The properties of the materials along with a tip I'll share make this the easiest and most enjoyable fill you'll ever stitch! That orange silk is an overdye which glides along like paint; and indeed the color variation which turns up makes you feel like you're painting a beautiful impressionist painting. I had fun "Hiding" shapes in the background; rather like reverse cloud-watching. :) I think you'll find it a great way to cut loose and brush away your perfectionism; it's no-fail artistic stitching!

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Now, on to the Release Party!

I want to thank all my friends and readers for their support while developing this work; it has been a labor of love! Of course I'd love to give away as door prizes more of my own designs, but they aren't ready yet! Also, I really wanted to celebrate with something I made for you myself; So, I chose a Prairie Schooler pattern that reflects my love of scissors AND exact feelings about this launch project! (design from PS Bk 115 "Pins & Needles")

Both of these Scissor Cases (but not scissors) will be given away!

How to Win:

Case "A"

• Leave a comment on this post for 1 entry.

• Post about Jaunty Fox Designs and this Giveaway Party in your own blog along with a link for +2 entries!

Case "B"

• Purchase one of the LE Kits!

• The winner of this pool gets first pick (Blue or Purple) on colorways, the remaining case will be the one given to the blog party!

Closing date for these giveaways is Friday, 15 July 2011. A winner will be chosen from each pool and prizes shipped out!

...

Everyone, for everything, Thank You! More than I can say with words, Thank You!

Yours,
Berit

Preview-Next Time, Your Chance to Win!

2011-06-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

...

Coming Next Post is my Big Announcement and your chance to Win one of these scissor cases stitched and hand-finished by me. :D

It is too long since I've had a giveaway, and I am SO excited!

Both cases (but not the scissors, sorry) will be given away, so please look forward to it and watch this space!~

...

Autumn Leaves Finished~

2011-06-17T13:26:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to it permanently joining these items!

Enough play; now on to Trim Attachment! :D

P.S. Do you think I need another brown bar above the "wind" at the top to echo the one beneath the grass?

P.P.S. Is there anything better than an Autumnal Prairie Schooler piece?

Whew! Springtime!

2011-06-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone's been well--I've been away from blogging (and often commenting too) for a couple of weeks now! I do miss it, but maybe you'll understand when you see some of my distractions:

My progress on PS Bk 132 Autumn Leaves (Recommended Fibers on 32ct. Vintage Antique Ivory). I'm only planning to stitch this bottom vignette--so I'm almost done! This one gave some frogging trouble, but I kept picturing how good it would look grouped together with the Autumn PS goodies I've received from Edgar and Christina. :D I'm still not 100% on how much more to stitch--it COULD be finished now, right? ;)

I do not even KNOW how to tell you how much quilting and un-quilting both hand and machine I've done on this piece. lol! I *think* I'm enjoying it, however. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that it isn't possible to finish the edges before machine quilting---perhaps a long-arm is required?

It's quilted in the ditch up and down the aisles, and these two panels. (Which right now aren't "done", but maybe I'll decide they are. ;D) Not sure why the sun disappears when I try to photograph this item, lol!

Also, I want to thank everyone--quilters and non--who commented with advice and encouragement about my quilting foray. You guys are the best! :D

Finally, a tinsy bit on Kindred Spirits:

My orange floss came in (along with a pair of rabbit winders from Kelmscott and PS December), so I wanted to put in at least a little of it. Please excuse the waste knots!

...

Finally, here's a sneak peek of what's REALLY been keeping me--you're looking at the trim I just finished making as the final part of trimming some GIVEAWAYS! Yup, I'm overdue to have some around here, so I decided the launch of my freebie and design line was a good chance! Please look forward to seeing what these belong to and your chances to win one soon!~

Yours,
Berit

More Kindred Spirits, Cooking, and a Quilting Conundrum

2011-05-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

I forgot the chart when away from the house, but was still able to stitch--thank you border! :D Usually, I pack EVERYTHING but the Needle. :)

Out of season, but these steam-fried yams were so good! The recipe calls for a black sesame garnish, but I used fresh-grated nutmeg and cinnamon instead. I glugged in a little extra oil, and they did come out too oily! As the recipe says, it REALLY only needs one tablespoon. They won't get too oily if you do over-use as the potatoes are surprisingly non-porous.

I took the good advice of Myra, Nancy and others and tried making a little sample bit of finished machine quilting.

I think I really need some supplies such as gloves for grip and a slide-facilitating plate to put down around the plate. It'd be even better if I had a sewing table which puts the plate on the level of the whole table. I could only have one if it folds up, however, due to space constraints. I hope they make one, but have doubts due to the likelihood of stability problems for a collapsible table. Do you, gentle readers, know of any?

One side is muslin, and one cotton. The quality of the quilting is dubious and inconsistent, but it will hold and may make a decent needle roll. I told Marc my stars look scared. :)

But, here's my real conundrum:

This was the walking foot, which I tried in the hope of preventing this sort of thing from happening at the end of a row! :P

Here's the ditch-quilting foot which helps you follow a line closely, and it's a little cinchy. It was my first attempt, but it was "off" enough to make me try the walking foot.

Here's the other side of the seam; the problem here is less severe but can also be seen.

Do I need more pins? Did I not iron the top flat enough and so it's too large for the base? I begin to see why a binding is put on at the end of a quilt. :) But, this little scrap-lab called for a turned finish to conserve fabric. I may just resort to hand-quilting, although I wanted to learn/use machine.

Hope everyone's enjoying a fine and relaxing long weekend (US readers)!

--Berit

A New Start and More Quilt!

2011-05-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

I've made a new start:

"Kindred Spirits"
by
Primitive Needle

I'm using the recommended fibers and linen, though I may change the cat's eyes as they call for Belle Soie, but are the only use of that color in the piece. Do I really need to buy a whole skein of BS for 4 stitches? It's a yellow-green not suited to a monochrome piece, either. I am having SO much fun stitching the border--it's all I want to do! I wonder if I'll still love it so when I have to "re-do" it by filling in the orange, lol.

Squee! I was so thrilled when I "turned" this tabletop quilt--I think it looks SO good and I have to hunt to find the imperfections. You can see in the foreground where I need to blind-stitch the opening closed. I have a document (or is it a link?) saved to show how, but I use this stitch so infrequently that I always have to refer back to the tutorial when it's called for.

I'm pretty nervous about doing the quilting, however. The open-toe darning foot I ordered arrived in the mail yesterday, but the instructions are quite sparse. I'm entirely unsure about how to attach it to the machine. Also, I should probably test it on a scrap first, but I don' wanna! :P I am so excited to have this done. I also feel anxious that I'll spoil the perfection I'm so admiring. lol!

This potato salad was so good. It was included in the method for assembling a packed lunchbox shown here. I substituted peas for corn, however.

Recently I tried a new Menu item on our visit to Mitsuwa. This is Mapo Tofu "soup" with fried rice. The flavor was okay, but I found it to be over-starchy with the thick corn-thickened soup. The best part was the shredded daikon topped with mayo and seaweed salad. Yum! (seriously) The cup contains savory broth.

Hope everyone's enjoying great weather and,

See you soon~
Berit

Quilt Tops & Crochet

2011-05-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

My first quilt top, which was the first "Scrap Lab" offered by Fig Tree is finished! Now to buy a thin batt and umn, quilt it. Yikes. This is supposed to be "turned" (like a pillow) rather than have a binding.

At last I let myself try out making a few crochet edgings from a book I got a few Christmases ago. These have yet to be blocked. I love white crochet. :) So reminds me of eyelet lace.

From the Bay of Evil, a rare treat for me~

This is an animation cel of the cat Luna from the Sailor Moon anime. I just love it. I can't recall the last time I bought a piece of original art--FAR TOO LONG.

The cel is only the black cat; the other elements are on heavy stock and behind the cel.

I'm so glad I treated myself, something I NEVER do. :)

Another Spring treat I forgot to show you last time; this is an avocado milkshake from the Vietnamese restaurant up the street. It may sound crazy, but if you love vanilla milkshake you'll at least like this!

This shot *almost* captures the soft green color.

In other news the model for my first design is ALL FINISHED all that remains is to wrangle my working draft into something publishable. From my experience with MacStitch 2009, I would advise any interested party to never buy ANY iteration of that software. Not entirely objective considering I've only used one version, but there it stands.

Quilts & Kylie

2011-05-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been having fun with the Scrap Lab Fig Tree recently introduced...

Some days (like the one on which these photos were shot) are dim, but with these fabrics it's ALWAYS spring in my studio!

I'm making the table-top quilt Joanna showed because I like it and I've never pieced a quilt before. The directions are found in the Summer volume of BH&G's "Quilts & More" Magazine. (I'm planning to list my copy for sale when I finish jic anyone wants it/can't find it when I finish.)

The print in center here is my favorite (though maybe not my favorite colourway). I'm also loving the overblown poppy print when it's cropped up tight like this--I love poppies and recently planted some seeds Edgar gave me for California poppies on my terrace. They are in containers and only planted a week ago--wonder if they'll sprout? :D

Thanks to a kind friend, I was able to attend one of the performances of Kylie Minogue's Aprhodite tour. It was held in the city at the Hammerstein Ballroom. (We went to the second of three nights, Tuesday May 3rd.) I am such a fan, so I cannot resist at least some comment here. :)

Kylie rose from the floor in a gorgeous gilt shell as the incarnation of Botticelli's famous Venus.

Creating the necessary materials for this stage spectacle cost 25m. D&G is reported to have created all the costuming--not entirely sure about how much of the dancers' and backup singers' wardrobe they contributed.

Aprodite, which shares the name of the album it promotes, is Kylie's second tour in the US. I actually attended a performance of her first (For You, For Me) in Oct. 2009, but never mentioned it here because it proved a heart-wrenching experience. Our tickets were the closest to the stage available--general admission to the ballroom floor. While Kylie is much beloved overseas, here her small but devoted fanbase is quite homogeneously comprised of homosexuals. Which proved problematic for me, because....

MEN ARE TALL! You've never been engulfed in a thick crowd until you've been stranded in a sea of unrelieved men. Tall, tall men!

Oh! I saw Kylie for a grand total of 4 seconds as entered the stage from above that night...and the stage itself never. They were forever just beyond the reach of the eyes in my 5'4"-5" frame.

This time, I made sure the tickets were in the small balcony! So, I did see the show! I also learned that though the balcony LOOKS close, an opera glass or other binocs are a necessary item. I'm so glad friend Tak took so many pics b/c I get to "see" the show again... up close! Marc saw a sign posted advising attendees that they consented to filming by being present, so I do hope this will be a video release. :D I also hope Ms. Minogue will tour here again.

These winged earpieces put me in mind of Valkyries and the PS2 game Odin Sphere.

All of the music on Kylie's show is live--a band performs the music and backup singers sing accompaniment which was tracked on the album. No lip-sync with dance here!

I do have quite a regard for this most famous of Kylie's Fine Assets. ;)

The "Bathing Beauty" costume for the finale.

Overall, I feel her shows have not been as "fun" as they were before her Showgirl tour and cancer battle, but I still beyond enjoyed it.

Thanks for everything, readers--I so appreciate you and your comments, too. I feel that I must apologize for being somewhat absent online. I'm still "keeping on" and cooking up something good which I hope you'll enjoy. I had a few more "spring things" to put in this post, but will save for next time as it has run long already! Hope you saw something you enjoy!

Yours,
Berit

Two Spring Finishes!

2011-04-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

Last week I visited a nearby park to get some photos of the budding Cherry Trees:

Some not-so Spring-like lighting on these; but isn't that Spring after all?

This is a really delicious concoction: Lemon gelatin made with one cup hot water (and the zest and juice of one lemon) and after it cools to room temp you mix in another cup plus a few tablespoons extra of plain yogurt. I used half lowfat (1.5%) and half whole (3.5%) This is divine!~ And perfect for spring/summer.

I had TWO FINISHES THIS WEEK! They were even on the same day!

The Bunny Biscornu is now a rectangular pillow, and Sweet Bird's stitching is done!

Yes, the Pomander balls are still there. I do love them, but they may need a trip to storage at least until the Summer. ;)

I love the pearlised glass shank button I used for the cinch on this side. :)
I also thought the Clove Bits were fine at the time I took the photo, but...

The back is some seersucker I got in NYC. And the button from W***-M***. :D

I used a blanket stitch to secure the seams before I whip-stitched the two sides together. I intended to take it out, and still could, but left it because I felt it gave a sweetly whimsical prim touch.

Here is Sweet Bird, a spring freebie from The Sampler Girl, posted to her blog Spring 2010. I had a bit of a time picking fibers for it, but in the end I'm satisfied.

Now I'm stitching on my November Prairie schooler! I am longing for a lighter stitch, BUT I ALSO want PS and don't want to add another WiP, so~

I'm also working a bit on the Halloween freebie! I'm so nervous about it that I have to take it easy so I don't get overwhelmed. :P

Thanks for stopping by, everyone!

Stitching Tragedy and a Sneak Peek~*!

2011-03-24T12:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening, I defrosted some cookie dough batter I'd made, sliced some Dove Dark, pressed the shards into the sliced dough, and baked:

Mnn! Because they are "well-done", you can taste the fresh ginger I grated into the vanilla extract.

Why I so-enjoyed those cookies:

I have so little stitching mojo. Yet, I SO wanted to own this darling leaping rabbit biscornu. Ever since I saw the one Myra made, I've dreamed of having it. Now, I've pretty much learned that I don't like to stitch biscornu. Particularly Floss Box's Biscornu. They look small, but they are huge (don't laugh, all your Ann, Mary, Elizabeth stitchers. They're totally larger than they look finished, so that makes them big. ;) Also, it's the same thing 4x!! Whether I stitch each quadrant to completion for variety, or do the duplicate parts all in sequence for assembly-line efficiency, it's still a chore to slog through. Particularly for all those fiddly little color changes. (All you in the HaED Peanut Gallery can keep your opinions to yourself. :D).

My point: This is most definitely not Process Stitching. Oh, no, it was all about the Destination. Which now can't be reached because IT'S NOT SQUARE!

I checked it. Oh, yes. Because it came from an LNS who-shall-not-be-named who always sells me the wrong count of fabric. They are forever miss-marked. It SHOULD have been 32, but my check showed me that it was 28. I pondered, b/c I wanted the finished product smaller, but went ahead b/c the fabric was cute. BUT, I didn't check that it was square. :( Gah!

Not sure what will become of these bunnies now. We shall see.

Weather Report: When it isn't raining this week, it's snowing, and last night we even had hail and lightning!

Yet today there's my favorite clear sky with puffy, fluffy cloud combination. :)

These tracks on a neighboring roof keep getting washed away or snowed over, yet someone keeps making them again and again. :)

~***~

Now, a sneak peek of my first design~

~"Fence-Cat's Hallowe'en"~

The colors are not quite showing true (the linen is more of a rich plummy brown), but enjoy, nonetheless! This will be a freebie design once I rustle up some interfacing, dye some trim and do some model-finishing!

Happy Spring (and Halloween) All,
Berit

Can it be that Spring is coming?

2011-02-25T13:12:00.000-08:00

Previously, On Jenny Bean:

And, after Saturday:

Yowza, WAY more than I thought even though it's been so long since I posted! :o

As I close in on the verse I'm pondering what it should be. I decided to change the verse almost before I began stitching; I get that it's Shakespeare, but somehow it smacks of starvation and poverty to me. :/ How Festive.(Love's Labor's Lost isn't numbered among his work's that I've read, so I likely don't *get* it, but...)

I looked into other Christmas quote-ables, but most of the ones I liked were too snarky to be sampler-suitable.

In lieu of inspiration, I considered enumerating the ingredients of a tin of tea I had, as they appeared in French. French is *so needlework*. Names of fruits and spices--it could work!!!

But, this week It struck me that I could just use the lorem ipsum! This seems like a fabulous idea to ME, but that might just be my graphic design roots and lack of sleep talking. lol! Hey, I can even argue that the source text (which was by Cicero, and argued that no healthy person enjoys "pain itself" for its own sake) offers a counterpoint to my interpretation of the original text! :D

But, no-matter-what, the "gingerbread" stays. Because I love ginger and spiced sweets, and the word looks awesome in the font used. :D And it'll all be fine, because the lorem ipsum is gibberish, to begin with! yay!

I've been all about clearing-out and cleaning up lately: I shuffled and un-displayed some things in the bedroom with the result that I was able to eliminate a useless piece of furniture in the bedroom--seems like we have LOADS more space now.

Then, Marc and I celebrated the 6th Anniversary of our First Meeting (on the 20th) by adding this white ikea bookshelf to the living room. Hey, assembling cheap particle board-overlaid with laminate does it for some people, lol! :D :D :D

I am so thrilled to have the PS3 OFF of the should-be-clear shelf beneath the TV!! And, the wires for it (it takes 4! Yes, Four! Can now be stashed behind as intended. I still need risers for the DVDS there, but am thrilled. :)

I don't have a "before" pic, but it was a tall, thin shelf full of those same DVDs, and this Tower of Plastic Power in that corner before.

You probably already knew this, but these plastic drawer bins are hideous: squeaky-creaky, and I'm CONVINCED that no matter what you put in them they'll look horrible--like a pile of JUNK that stays suspended by some mysterious power in compacted cubes instead of falling to the ground in a heap. I don't think there's anything you could put in these drawers which is so pretty it won't look like clutter! The Must-be-accessible wires and accessories I'll put underneath the PS3 in some pretty fabric bins (yeah, gotta make those), and the others are destined for decluttering or the closet! Seriously, don't fall prey to buying these Expensive plastic drawers!

Okay, some spring Needlework stuffs:

Started this biscornu from The Floss Box which I've wanted to do/had kitted up since Myra showed hers last year. I changed the vine and flower colors so far. (Not that it matters to let you know with this picture quality. It's been a Storm-n-sunshine day, but the storm has returned like it means it now!)

It's stitched on some white-running-one-way, pastel-green-the-other (warp or weft, not sure which is which). The other fabrics I'm trying to show are all seersuckers I piced up for myself during the supply run to the city I made for the rumored Original Freebie. One is a natural/neutral tones and the other two pastel (no, really!). I do love a good seersucker. Or a bad one. I think the only other in my heart is a nice eyelet lace. These, and the finishing fabric for Original Freebie came from B and J Fabrics in the city. I first heard of them when my trim store gave me their card, and boy am I glad I did! :o Their site isn't much, but the store is amazing! The backing for my freebie is pretty "normal" considering it came from a store that offers "chain mail", but it's woven not printed and "works" with the design. :)

A scattering of books from my nightstand...

...to accompany my Test Results.

Some of you may remember me rambling and fretting from about the summer on over a language exam which I took at the end of last year. After taking it, I said that I'd done HIDEOUSLY. I predicted I'd have to raise my score to even fail!

This week, the scores arrived, and while yes I did fail, it's HOW that counted with me.

The exam is divided into 2 sections: "Listening" and "Everything Else". Now, you must score 80/180 or higher cumulative to pass, and since I didn't make that (I scored a "60") I failed.

But, there are also minimum requirements for both sections. "E E" required a 38, which I scored EXACTLY, and "Listening" 19 pts--here, I scored a whopping 22! :D SO, I'm feeling (absurdly?) happy that I "passed" the minimums for both sections, even though I failed overall. It seems that the score requirements allow for a weakness in a section as long as it's balanced by strength in the other.

I'm really quite pleased; maybe I'll even try again next time! :D

~*~

I'll leave you today with a sneak peek of the previously mentioned "Spider's Web" Trim which will be used in the Freebie kit:

I haven't dyed it yet, but it's going to be fab, I hope! I'd wanted to offer a peek of the stitching, but the light did not cooperate! :D

Happy Weekend, All!

Berit

A-Stitching We Will Go!~

2011-02-11T13:50:00.000-08:00

This week, I "partied" from my stitching basket. :)

from the November Prairie Schooler Booklet, Before:

After:

Running into some issues with the color changes I made; I feel like working on a PS these days, so rather than fret over choosing more overdyes from within the limits of my stash, I'm going to mix in the recommended DMC. The gourd is 2/3 DMC, and it looks fine so I think it won't be any problem.

I do hear other PS designs calling to me, though. :D I wish I could pick (preferably from stash1) a linen for my "signature" PS design, Fox & Grapes. This is seriously my favorite one ever, as I am fox-crazy, but I have SO many ideas for sizes/finishes/fibers whirling in my head that I never get down to it. I wonder if I could stitch it more than once. It DOES have a beastly quantity of vine, after all.

JB Christmas Before:

After:

Whew! This week's shots are decidedly un-blogworthy

I'm not putting in the Holly Berries or the Snow yet, and I'm hoping I don't regret it. I'm not a huge fan of stitching little bitsy single exes scattered across the field.

...

Freebie Update:

The stitching is finally complete, and I think it looks great (hoping you will too!) but I've run into a snag.

This chart will be offered as a freebie with no specific material recommendations to make it accessible for everyone, but I liked my picks SO much, and had access to some extra of the rather unique linen I used that I began plotting to offer some kits in case any readers were really besotted with the model.

*Non-Stitchy Whining-Ahead alert; skip if desired :)*

Really, it started with some awesome "spiderweb" trim I bought in the City, and planned to hand-dye and put on a little pillow. Then this design grew out of that. So, what's the snag? A corporation who decided we could live for 5 weeks on 75% of one week's pay, that's what! :P (Marc's changing his employment status from a paid-weekly freelancer to that of a Salaried Company Man paid every 2 weeks. So, due to their pay-cycle this means that we can expect 1 week's worth of pay 3 weeks after the last time we were paid...then another 2 weeks before we are paid again--but for a full 2 weeks at that time. This is the week we were *supposed* to receive the 1-week check-- but it, again, wasn't in today's post.)

*end Whine-Fest*

So, It means (among other things, of course) that I just do not have the "venture capital" for a yard or two of backing fabric plus the extra linen for the kits right now. But I'm not giving up! Instead I'm trusting that if it's meant to be the the trim and linen will remain available until I can procure them :D If the gridlock continues for too long, I will re-think offering the kits at all and just blog the design, but I really think some of you will want them because they combination is beautiful, easy (yup, it's possible to affect the "ease" with fiber choice on 32 ct! :D) and Fun! And that's not something I say about "filling-in" previously! Also, I'd hoped to debut with a complete-package type design. :D I've also been having fun calculating ways to make it less expensive so that it would be easier to pick it up! :D I do love a good deal on stitching.

So, I really want to thank my loyal and kind readers and friends for your patience and continued interest in my sight-unseen project. I am so touched by your interest. Also, I have heard (and been excessively flattered) some requests for a ~sneak peek~!

I do want to show one, though I'd hoped to have the finishing done first, and I've been waiting for some good light on these Winter Days for photographing.

Well, Please continue to look for Good Things soon from me, and

With my Best to You,
Berit

February Update!

2011-02-04T09:39:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty strapped for titles here today--and not only blogging but also stitching mojo, as well! But, I'm glad I'm posting here today because I do have a few things to share. On with the blog! :D

I don't know about you guys, but Winter can really take it out of me. These past few years I seem really prone to seasonal insomnia--I still sleep 7-8 hours, but sleeping between midnight and 4-5 A.M.? Not on your life! I did pretty well today, sleeping at about 3 AM and waking up at 8:30, so I'm going to push for turning this anomaly into a trend! :D

Marc needs to get his professional portfolio sorted, but has built it up into a mountain of a task in his mind, so I convinced him to just spend an hour on it a night for the next few weeks rather than living in dread of the time when He'll "have" to spend 3 days on it without sleeping. :)

And, I figured I'd better join him and do some things I technically like to do or want done, but have convinced myself I don't want to actually do right now. (And it's always "Right Now" so if you won't ever do a thing Now, well, then you'll do it Never. Doesn't that sound like Alice in Wonderland somehow?)

Some of those tasks are Finishing, and so Ta-Dah:

My JBW French Apple from Christmas: Ironed, Padded, laced, and framed!

Fiber: DMC 310
Fabric: 32 ct. Vintage Antique Ivory Linen

Wearing a simple off-the-rack frame from Ikea.

Whew, what a lot of lacing! I thought I'd pad it with a layer of batting to give it a nice look and get it off the acid-y board...and then realized it looked a little gray, so I laced on a white cotton layer--is it muslin? Then, finally, my ironed piece.

It's quite thick, so I think I'll need to get some tiny felt-dot sticky "feet" to prop this off the wall a bit. Otherwise the piece will so itself! I'm still pondering about sealing the back somehow as I want to hang this in the kitchen near my workstation.

Also, I worked on JB Christmas Sampler. It felt like I made no progress, but...

Jenny Bean Before:

JB After(!):

Wow! I definitely did more than I thought--these before and after photos are a real shot in the arm. :D

The linen colour here is pretty accurate, at least on my monitor.

The Bonus Round:

• I have not forgotten the things I'm promised to send for my "decluttering" winners. no progress on that, but I'm still planning to!

• I recently made the Christmas Rum Cake Edgar Recommended last fall--if you're longing for those fun Christmas times when the cold seemed cheery and enjoyable rather than stiflingly snowy, I totally recommend you make it! I made it using ginger liqueur (ginger is very warming, lol!) because that's what I had, and I also grated some ginger into the glaze mix before cooking it. Considering that the liqueur is also made with ginseng, it's practically health food, lol! This was a big hit with friends (I made it to take to dinner at their place), and I want to make it again both with regular dark rum and with my alteration. It's so easy, even for "Not-A-Cook"s. If you can make a box cake, you can make this! Hit the first link for the recipe!

• In the final-final stretch of stitching my Freebie--then to the City to buy some finishing fabric, then finish, and then publish! Easy, right? (okay maybe not!) But, it is still coming for those of you who recall its existence. :)

I'm going to have some extra supplies left over from making the model and am thinking of selling a few kits if anyone winds up wanting to make one exactly like it. I tried to make it as simple and universal colorwise as I could, so there will not be any recommended fibers for the design itself. I wonder if anyone will want to stitch it at all--I do wonder a bit if I'm getting ahead of myself thinking that someone will not only want to make it, but with the same fibers and linen as my example--I can only hope!

Pining for a slice of an Already-Devoured Cake,
Berit

Happy Friday; Happy Winter Hands :D

2011-01-14T09:22:00.000-08:00

Not an inspiring day for titles 'round here, but I did want to pop in and share my progress on my New Year's start, which is BBD's Mystery Sampler.

You may remember,

Last Week

This Week!:

I definitely like the warm plum of the "B". :)

And, here I was thinking I hadn't really gotten anything done. I'm aiming for a pace of "just doing a little" each day. It doesn't matter how little, but just to put some in. This isn't a piece I'm stitching for the fun of it--oh, no! I want this baby on my wall!! :D

SO, It's easy for me to get impatient with my slow stitching. I missed a day or two, and one day I stitched "a lot", but for me I'm impressed with my progress! I think I'd like to keep it up with a weekly photo log so I can watch it move along. When you stare at it hour after hour your eye just can't see the progress anymore, perhaps.

~*~

This week I've been seeing more and more reports around blogland of super-dry hands that complicate or even prevent stitching! Oh, no! I've been so blessed this year to avoid this plague (as compared to previous years), so I thought I'd share what I've been doing. I'd say that my hands are less than 10% "off" of their warmer-weather state, and they'd have to be 60% off before my stitching would be compromised.

I do feel like I have to warn that the supplies altogether aren't cheap at the outset, but what in stitching is? :P

Even if you don't change your beauty products, changing the way you use them can help.

Key point: Shower or bathe in the evening before retiring to bed, and IMMEDIATELY do your moisturizing routine. Personally I wrap my wet hair, pat off just enough water from body that I'm not dripping and go directly to the vanity in my bedroom where I have my stuff laid out. I take care of my face, then my hands, then my feet (due to the different products).

I consider the facial care products I use to be expensive, so I'm careful not to contaminate them and I also keep a small 1-2 oz. "mister" filled with distilled water with them. I mist my face then apply some lotion to extend the moisturizer a bit.

Right now I use various things, but my favorite commercial products are made by Shiseido.

Late in the fall I was out of cotton to apply my pre-lotion tonic. It's a thin liquid, and is used at the same step where you would use a toner, but it contains no alcohol and is very moisturizing. Speaking of shiseido, I'd say that their lotion is "okay, I guess" used alone, but that changes to "Amazing--Works Absolutely!!!" when you use this softener first. So, back to the story, I just splashed some in my palm and then patted it over my face instead of hunting down a cotton round. And then, when I was ready to moisturize my hands, I noticed that my "stitching pads" which had started to get a bit rough had "settled right down". So,

• Try using Shisedo's "Balancing Softener N" from their Benefience line on your crackly digits. Do this before using hand lotion. Hey, it works on your face, too (lol)! I'd advise against using the "Enriched Balancing Softener N", because it contains some alcohol, which will be drying. Side-by-Side the one you want is the lighter colored liquid of the two.

I follow immediately with hand cream, and again I've been having good results with another Shiseido product:

• "Advanced Essential Energy Moisturizing Cream".

Another key point is to save your hands from dishes and other too rough-n-tumble tasks. I found that re-useable dishgloves were giving me a reaction because no matter how nicely you let them dry stuff grows in them, so I switched to these. I do feel they're a little wasteful, but I don't have a better solution. They are also great for dying fabric! :3

Just in case I missed 'em:

• Consistency is key: if you want good hands every day, you have to care for them every day. I moisturize at night for 2 reasons: 1. I don't like the feel of lotion on my hands when I'm trying to use things (Books, stitching, video game controllers), so if I'm going to sleep it's a good chance. The second reason has to do with bathing, and gets its own bullet point!

• Moisturizing after bathing is TOO IMPORTANT. The goal is not to get some parafin-and-perfume gunk all over you and drenched in to replace your skin's lost moisture so it will stop cracking. Most lotions (even the ones I use) have some stuff that's technically not good for you. Like a scent. Scent is perfume, and Perfume contains alcohol, which drys the skin. Okay.

The Point of moisturizing is to seal in your body's natural moisture, and create a barrier between you and the harsh winter air (indoors and out). If you're suffering from dry skin, the wettest it will be is during the few minutes after you step out of the bath. This is because you are now a sodden sponge. Picture placing a new sponge in the sink, and turning a stream of water on it. Once it's completely soaked, you can carefully pick it up--there is a stage where it stops dripping, but it is still so sodden that if you don't support the weight just so it will squeeze itself out a bit. This is the point at what you want to seal yourself :) (Gross, eh?) You want to lightly pat yourself just enough so that you are not streaming water everywhere. If you are toweling vigorously, you've stolen your own water. However, the dryest you will ever be is about 15-20 minutes after that washing, when all the water that you poured into yourself evaporates TAKING ALONG WITH IT MOISTURE YOU HAD BEFORE BATHING. This is why you hear that too-hot baths or showers are bad for your wintry skin. Actually, they are okay, but you must be quick to "seal" and protect with a moisturizer.

I hope this soliloquy is able to help even one person enjoy better comfort and stitching this winter; I'm praying these for all of you, my friends! It may seem like a small thing but it can be big in your quality of life!

I want to especially thank everyone who has included me in their thoughts and prayers regarding my hair loss--I'm happy to report that it has stopped falling out! :D This is a HUGE Happy Dance for me! Now, to focus on growing-in!

I'm off to do some chores before a friend's birthday tonight--have a great stitchy weekend, everyone!

--Berit

Giveaway (Stash Clear) Winners!

2011-01-06T14:58:00.001-08:00

Happy Thursday, all!

Now that the Holiday Dust is settling, I figured I'd better get on with determining the winners of a little de-stash giveaway I ran...on December 2nd. Now, I know I said I'd do these *whenever* but I didn't quite plan on it taking over a month for me to get to work!

Thanks to everyone who entered; I wish I could magically multiply these items and give to all. I was touched anew with everyone commiserated with me or encouraged me about designing while sorting the entries! Thank you everyone for your kind friendship--I certainly don't feel like I was holding up my half of the relationship with so many of you this past quarter, so thank you even more with that consideration!

Winners!

Item 1: Gentlemen Quaker by Jardin Prive:
Hazel of Quietly Stitching!

Hazel, you definitely do have to be in it to win it! :D You were actually random's second pick--the first lady wasn't playing.

Item 2: Santa Arrives Tonight Ornament by Homespun Elegance:
Myra of Gr8dame's Place!

Friend, I was momentarily heart-stricken when I read your entry for this one initially--I thought, "Oh, no--did I actually promise this one to Myra already!? I need to ask her and if I did I can just get another one and send it to her." But I still haven't done that...but then you won the random draw! Either way, it seems to be destined for you and I hope you enjoy it as I did!

Item 3: Antique Book:
Daffycat of It's Daffycat

Sharon, I'm so glad that you'll be giving this a home! I remember really admiring a photo for a giveaway that you stitched because of the styling you did with a book-themed background! I hope that this will be a useful addition to your collection! :D I don't think I have your postal addy, so please email it to me.

Also, if you got around to checking out Bookmooch and decided to join I'd like to give you 5 mooch points. :) Just include a link to your BM profile in that email and I'll use it to "smooch" them to you.

Item 4: 5 Bookmooch Points:
Omashee aka Barb of Barb's Stitches.

Just as I said above, please email me a link to your BM profile and I'll smooch 'em over! Enjoy!

Winners, I'll also send you emails as soon as I finish this post!

...

Now, Bonus Round:

• Absolutely NO model stitching happened this week--oops!

• I've been adding a strand to BBD Mystery most days this week and had a bit of progress (and then the frogs struck!) BUT I'm liking the linen more now b/c I think it makes the green look good. And there's an awful lot of green on this one. A green that looks ugly on the skein, but good on the linen. So, I'm gonna kick back and go for it. However slowly. :)

• Animal Crossing. It's a game that some people play, but for me it's more like faith I practice. And, this week I'm back on that sauce for the first time in about 10 months. :D

• Still saving for a new computer. Seems like I've been saving and saving, but still have only amassed about 1/3 of the purchase price. Before tax. Le Sigh. So, I'm just thankful that my Precious Powerbook (Now "'Ol Faithful" in it's 7th year!) hasn't failed me yet! "Baby, you may be legacy, but you you're hangin' in there!~"

I'm so looking forward to various things. Like being able to run Google's Chrome browser. Or watch youtube. I actually hate youtube, but...It'll be nice to be able to see (read stop having to explain to friends who own better-endowed rigs and don't listen to what I say that I can't run 'em!)what these vid links my friends send me contain. It would also be nice to run Skype AND Firefox AND a third application at the same time, lol!

• Please include us in your prayers--Health for us and Marc in particular with this cold he picked up from work--we need it to stay out of his ears! :) You are all in my prayers especially those who have asked and those in the path of this snow we're expecting.

• I picked up a whole striped bass on my way home from walking my first ever ebay sale (an old calculator) to the Post. I'm so excited by the fact that it's reposing in my 'fridge as I type--we're headed over to a friend's house who makes the most amazing food. I'm so excited that we seem to be reviving our weekly dinner tradition with them. :D You should taste his stir-fried broccoli! Oh, if only I had a gas stove. And a real wok. And was Chinese. ;)

Yours Fishfully,
Berit

Onward to 2011!

2010-12-29T13:55:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

This week, there hasn't been much stitching, instead I spent my time dyeing (5-7 separate sessions) my cut of linen for BBD Mystery. My, the "Linen Drama" we've had on this one!

My desk at the moment. I decided that I liked some of this stiff linen that I ordered by mistake a year ago. Especially once it's been given the good 'ol Tan Rit Treatment. So, I ordered more (tried to order more). It's just some stiff wichelt stuff. Not even an overdye. How hard can it be? Let me just say that this is the 3rd cut I've ordered. And, now finally, though it was just slightly different, I figured I'd be okay with it.

But I'm not.

This black stitched heart shows some from the first lot which I was trying to replicate. It's got a bit of delicious green undertone which does wonders for the fibers in this chart.

This, the product of many dyeings, does not. :( And the colors show markedly drabber on it.

This will need a big ponder. Is it too late for a light something with green bath? Khaki has green, right? Hmmn.

So, to keep my hands busy, I started making these:

They were all around blogland a couple of weeks ago, I think I saw them first at Hazel's. I wonder if I'll make a whole bunch to garland around my big tree, or less with the idea of them being for the small ornament/feather tree I'm starting to see in my mind's eye. ;)

They are really neat! (And, they don't "need" any green so they look great on the linen I dyed, lol!)

I want to get a better hook for them, though; I wonder if Clover makes one in the size of the silver hook shown. The smallest clover hook I have is a 2.5 mm, and it just a bit too big for the thread I'm using.

The other thing I've been doing to chill out is gone back to playing "Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box" for DS. (If you check out the link, I picked it for the large and clear images of its image gallery. Didn't even read the content.)

Do you like mysteries? Charming illustrations with European (France, perhaps?) sensibilities worked in a warm palette that evokes candlelight? Investigating while riding a luxury train? Making tea? Cats?

Then, you should try this game. It's the second in a series of 3 (well, that have been localized for the west.), and I buy mine from Amazon 'cause it saves me over $2 on the tax at my local rate. That's a skein of cotton overdye, you know!

I'd better jet--I've got a train to catch! ;)
--Berit

Bonus:

• Snowstorm sank our plans to go see the billboard Marc made for ERA that's running in Times Square this month. I wonder if we'll be able to go before the new year when it's taken down. Of course it is just a 10 second animated ad, and I could see it on my computer...but I wanted to make the pilgrimage and see it.

• I wound up sustaining some emotional damage over the holidays, and I learned a couple of things as a result. Most importantly, I need to learn how to be direct in all things, yet not unkind, in my dealings with others. To put it the other way, the opposite of "passive-aggressive". This is a skill a person I know lacks, and I was hurt as a result. Incidentally, it's not really something that I can do so well either, so this is an illustration of how I can hurt others.

Being in the right on a situation is not enough; we must go further and handle it the right way. I'm going to be trying to make sure that I'm not "being nice" (thinking I'm such a saint to put up with someone who is trespassing against me) when I'm actually mad and using body language and other communication that is in conflict with what I am saying or what I really mean.

My Second Thought on this is as follows: It's possible to make an argument that we're ALL "crazy" sometimes, but wouldn't it be great if we could be known for using our craziness to bless others? I think it'd be great if the next time someone said, "Oh, Berit's just crazy like that sometimes." to shrug off my behavior they were speaking in reference to an unusually positive way I'd affected someone else. :)

• After a bit of a bump in the road, stitching continues on my first freebie! I DO hope some of you out there will be able to enjoy stitching this when I finish, but even if not I'm going to have Something Good for my autumn display next year. ;)

• 2011= The Chinese Year of the Rabbit~ Yay!

• Regarding personal stitching goals, I don't particularly have any new ones. I want to re-dedicate myself to what I've already been working towards: clearing the parts of my stash that I don't see myself using soon, getting BBD Mystery underway, and releasing that freebie!

• I've also decided to lighten my burden of guilt by marking all my unread items in Google reader as read at the new year. I got behind during my studying, and as I can't catch up, I'll go forward! :D :D :D

'Twas the Night Before (the night before) Christmas...

2010-12-23T22:59:00.000-08:00

The Tree, as of this morning:

It's a wonky tree from a certain retailer serving its 5th year of service; we call it the "Leaning Tower of Tree-za" and swear each year to replace it. I picked the star, but it's fitting as it's a "Capiz Star" and very evocative of the Philippines, so it "represents" Marc. :) Usually I stuff a few of the lights in it so it'll glow.

Love this strawberry! (Thanks, Patty!) There may not be enough lights (mine are "frosted white" and "metallic gold", but they still look pretty here.

I get these strands of bells from Walgreens, but I don't know that they had them this year. They look great (esp. the "embossed" ones) even though they are plastic! The berry/leaf/bell item in the center was the decoration on a Christmas cake from Mitsuwa.

My favorite section of the tree. <3

One of my two wishes (or would it be four?) this Christmas. I hope you all have these 3 wonderful virtues this season, my friends and readers! (Thanks again, Andrea!)

These wrapped-twine balls came from ikea last year-the black really adds something--yes, black at Christmas!

Squint through the wintry gloom to see my bear and grazing sheep! Previously, I had the wonderful hornbook Becky sent me wedged into the tree, but I love it here more! :D We haven't done presents under the tree since we moved here (we don't really do presents at Christmas, umn, well, 'cause we're young and poor. What's that? 28 isn't young? Well, the tree does look barren with nothing underneath, so I decided it would make great display space.) I've grown to like my quick-fix for a tree skirt: a holey ol' hand-me-down hunter green vellux blanket from Marc's mom. If you scrunch it around the base it makes a great hillock for the sheep. :D Don't dwell too long on the scale problems here--sheep are 8x the size of the salt-shaker Ginger Cottage and Teddy is 3x a sheep! ;)

I finished the stitching for Santa & Friends: Foxes by Prairie Schooler. :D

I've been agonizing for DAYS over how to finish it; particularly the backing fabric. I WANTED to use the Christmas Doors on a Black Ground that you see here. Finally I thought of what else I should use, and remembered that I want to stitch some of these, and that the black Door fabric is perfect for them. :)

I feel so relieved to know what to do, and will work on it at leisure. In the meantime, I might just wedge the linen, unfinished edge and all, into the tree (Hi, Myra! *waves*)

Finally, here's my not-quite finished Christmas gift to myself! :D I stitched this in DMC 115 over 3 days of not-hard-work. I'm so happy with it, and after I finalize the framing (ironing, padding, lacing) I'll put it somewhere in my kitchen. :)

I've always loved Christmas Eve; maybe it's some remnant of being Norwegian/German, but our family always did the "Big Thing" on Christmas Eve. So much so that I forget/scratch my head about bloggers who are scratching their heads over Christmas Dinner prep. Why, I'd be too busy playing with my new toys (or sleeping off Christmas Eve goodies) to make a Christmas Dinner!

A Very Merry Christmas Eve, And a Happy Festivus, too!

Berit

Christmastime is Here~

2010-12-16T10:22:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when I skip a week, lol! I still haven't read/responded to a goodly number of last entry's comments. So, Next Time will announce the "winners"/pertain to that blog. Today is to be a Christmas Round-up, including even some unposted 2009 stuffs.

I do want to say that I've been overwhelmed but the positive response to the mention I made of the freebie I'm working on. You guys are THE BEST! Work continues and I'm almost ready for "the fill" (Yes, the model has one but it is going to be So Worth It. :D). I really hope that if you decide to stitch it you'll enjoy it as much as I have.

Now, Christmas!

Key points: Santa Arrives Tonight looks WAY better against the green of the tree than otherwise. The other two are great ornaments from Patty C. as part of an awesome giveaway I won this summer! Don't they look beautiful?

I stitched these Mill Hill Holiday Harmony Kits in 2009. Blu is now the new owner of their charts, and mentioned a plan to make a cube on her blog--I think that'd be fabulous! :o

My favorite. <3

...though this one's probably got the strongest graphic impact. :)

I've been so amazed, touched, and happy to received gifts from so many blogging friends. They all just kept piling up while I was waiting to blog about them--each is so fabulous that it deserves its own post, but I know (from those Mill Hills) that if I don't do it yearbook-style it will suffer even more delay!

First was the amazing Christmas Goodie box from Dear Edgar! The candies are long-gone (I don't even like cherry cordials, but his were amazing! :o), but I am treasuring the prospect of that delicious jar of California Sunshine--his famed peach preserves. Little did I imagine when he blogged that he was putting up extra this summer for gifts that I'd be able to enjoy one this winter! :D I LOVE peach foodstuffs, and often have unsweetened canned peaches in my plain yoghurt-with-cinnamon-and-flaxseed oil breakfasts.

Next came the Faith-Hope-Love ornament (deservedly popular this year) from Andrea--Yup, I was lucky enough to win her giveaway! (Each year she prepares--in secret--throughout the year, and then has a draw! As they arrive with the new owners she reveals them on her blog! I loved following them on her blog last year, and this year I won one. :)

Her finishing is just as faultless as it appears on her blog. I can't believe her corners! :o And the pillow isn't lumpy in the slightest! :o I wonder if it's layers of batting? :/ At any rate, I love this DMC 115 ornament, and find the saying so comforting!

Then, came a no-return envelope, and when I opened it imagine my surprise to see this
gorgeous hornbook from Becky SC! Thank you, my friend! It is beautiful and wonderful in every way--I'd been wanting this design stitched for my home, and now here it is ready-to display! I just love that gingham ribbon. :)

Finally, Yesterday evening came this wonderful pouch from Myra--It's so small, elegant, and perfect! I love the sampler fabric. :o Myra's sewing is perfection--I feel totally spoiled to have a set of them in 3 sizes! :o

I really don't feel I can express my gratitude in words, so I'll have to content myself with: Thank you, Friends! You have truly made my Christmas with you kind gifts and warm wishes.

Details!:

Elegant "Blackened Copper" finish of the key charm. I love copper. And keys. And samplers. And Cream.

The back of Andrea's ornament. This is my first piece with one of those charms on it. :)

That Freebie's fill isn't the only thing keeping me from finishing it: I started my (second attempt; first had a mu-mu marc didn't like) 2010 "family" ornament. I found this scrap of R&R 36 count at the local shop, and decided to convert this PS to NPI silks--maybe because the Ink Spot linen seemed to Demand It. (R&R seems like luxury to me 'cause I never see it. I've still never seen a piece of Lakeside IRL.) For the snow, I'd planned to use Belle Soie Icing (IMHO the most perfect snow fiber ever), but it was blinding on this linen! Xo So, the change was made to Oatmeal Scone. If you're like me, and hate stitching with white fibers, I recommend a Belle Soie.

It Has A Fox. (and is almost solidly stitched.) I'm alternating Greenery and Snow to get through it. And wondering if I shouldn't have stuck with DMC.

And I hear the Bunny one calling my name. It has a sweet rabbit helping Santa decorate a tree. (Marc calls me his Bunny, which is a really sweet and flattering diminutive as I think he's calling me sweet and cuddly whereas I'm actually rather prickly-sharp with more than my share of predatory--not carrot nibbling or rabbit-lace making--teeth which I would truly love to sharpen on you.) Well, maybe DMC for this one. I need the green fronds to show better against the black.

Oh, well; "When the stitching's dim--call it 'Prim'!" :)

Wishing You Happy Holiday Stitches,
Berit

Bonus Round (Berit Likes to Talk):

The Tree
• My favorite part of Christmas Hands-down.

• I'd be giddy beyond measure if we had (as planned) a new pre-lit tree with branches that don't have to be individually attached and fluffed and ends like barbed wire.

• I'd be Very Happy if I'd procured a "lazy susan" for the tree to ease lighting and garlanding. I think they make such things. Do they?

• I'd be enjoying the Soft Glow Joy that is Contentment-With-One's-Circumstances if I could find a strand of Warm white (Not LED: I can see them "vibrating" and they cast a dead blue light the color of a searchlight on the prison-yard) frosted lights to replace the one that died between this year and last.

• "Well Ain't that a/n ____": My lights are several years old, but the strand that died was new last year.

• The lights are metallic gold (1 strand) and frosted white (2 strands) for a ratio of lights that is 2 parts white, 1 part gold. I like white over colored lights, but they are can be dull alone. (Plain lights + extravagant ornaments = Balance). I re-strung the tree, but the over all effect is running to yellow, and I'm not getting over it.

• "They" stopped selling these lights (the soft pearlized and frosted types) this year. Why now? They're "Just lights". $7 a strand. From all the usual suspects: Target, WM, etc.

• Must somehow get over it so I can Enjoy the Tree. :)

The Exam (for those who have expressed interest. Otherwise... :):

• Went pretty horribly.

• Was all in Japanese. Yes, it was a Japanese exam, but there was no "J-to-E" or "E-to-J".

• Was mostly Trick Questions. I've never liked a trick question. I think they're unwholesome.*derisive sniff* And the reason that such a thing as "I-just-don't-test-well" exists. The only possible defense of their use is that they eliminate the too-easy leading question. But they emply the device of leading you to the wrong answer to accomplish that effect. For the record, I've always tested Very Well.

• It's a 5-Level Japanese exam. I took the easiest level. Most of the "Vocab" section was comprised of a short conversation between two people with one word a blank. The examinee had to choose from a selection of 4 words to fill the blank. My problem was that the blanks were all particles. I'd understand the WHOLE conversation, and be able to make a reply in Japanese or answer questions in english about what was going on, but my particles (they're a little like English's article adjectives--a, an, the--, or "Genders") are weak. Weak enough to make a native speaker smile behind his hand, but I can be understood nonetheless.

Particles are "Grammar", not "Vocabulary."

I don't think the lowest-level of fluency person in a 5-level cert. should be expected to have the level of mastery they tested for.

• I enjoyed the listening section. It wasn't the nightmare I'd been warned of; probably b/c it was revamped to CD. (Rather than an Aging-each-sitting cassette tape).

• I'll know in March, but I'd say "I'd have to raise my score to fail". In school, if one scores a 60%, that's a failure, but really it's a majority. You can win an election with numbers like that, lol! I estimate a 25% would be optimistic.

• Conclusion: The material that I studied did worlds to bolster my reading comprehension (which is my personal goal), if little for my abilities on the exam. So, hence I'm going to enjoy studying in my own reading-comp oriented fashion!

I know I had some Upbeat Yakking Material in my head:

• Yay--My linen for BBD Mystery Sampler finally arrived (second order as there was a problem with the first.) Oh, the perils of sight-unseen linen!

Now to serge and dye! :) These are good times, folks! Thanks to Christina for her continued loan of 3/4 charts for this project!

Also in the order:

• Mary Arden 28 Petites--best needle. Bohin is great, but no petite, which I must have. :) John James gold are too sticky or grabby in the linen.

• The extra "black" I need for Jenny Bean Halloween chart and remainder-kit that I won from Robin. :D

• JBW French Country Apple chart. :3 Which will look great in my kitchen along with Good Morning Rooster. If I actually framed and hung it! :D

Happy Stitches and Holidays, Extended Readers. Winners of giveaway next time. :)

More Fox and Stash-clearing!~

2010-12-02T13:49:00.000-08:00

I've been stitching on WiPs and also started stitching the model for my first Original Design, which will be a freebie when I get it finished! I am SO enjoying watching it take shape.

Now, the progress pics!

Decided to change the "B" on this one, but don't quite like it. I'm thinking of making it a darker color. Or should I just put my signature initial "B" and be done with it?

And "November Windows" by Prairie Schooler (actually just "November"'s companion chart.

I'm already almost out of the darkest color's skein for this one!

The Fox!

Tom needs a body--perhaps someone ate it! (actually the color I subbed--thinking it was only for the words--is way too dark so a plan B is in order.)

Here's my finish of HE's Stitching Necessaire; I've had this one for a while, but still need to find the perfect finishing fabric. I know I need at least some felt for the pincushion, but I just don't have a source. I really wish I could see some samples in person.

I made a few changes to this; I put a bunny and key at the left where the original had an elk/reindeer. And my initial at the side where the quirky bird (who I actually liked) had been. This was because I killed the initial at the top so I could wedge in the fleur-de-lis. I've been trying to use that thing in something forever now! My first attempt was to put it in Good Morning Rooster, but I think it would have been top-heavy there. I may do it yet!

The Short List:

• Language exam on Sunday in the Bronx (Never been there). So didn't study for it (though I DID learn about 120 kanji), so I'm going to sit it with a "go and see" attitude. Less than thrilled, but the only other option is staying home and pouting.

• Christmas Spirit is Hit-or-Miss. Finally put up the tree last night, but one strand of lights was a dud so couldn't hang the ornaments. (but I hung up my HE one and the two that Patty C. sent me this year for her giveaway. The look great, but before retiring for the evening was suddenly plagued with the perception that the tree itself was clutter. This may be because it isn't finished (the plastic feet are showing and it's not tucked against the wall.)

• Have been enjoying wonderful apricot tea that Edgar sent me as a birthday present! Thank you, my friend--made my day!

• I've taken up washing my hair daily (as I did for about the first 23 years of my life) and left off after following guru advice after encountering altered condition due to migrating into to Jersey's hard water. (I began doing something between every other day and 2x per week). So far, I'm thrilled with it, and feel like the weight of being Pigpen of Peanuts fame has lifted from my shoulders. My hair is thick on the head but fine of strand, will curl if left wet, and of a carmel colour with red and blonde highlights. My brows are blond. SO not only was having more oil on my scalp uncomfortable, but it was dingeing-out my color! I'd been living with a "dishwater brown" for about 5 years! ugh! Hair still falling out, though perhaps less severely? I've been using Lush's Cinnamon oil solid shampoo bar, which is good, though you need a nice conditioner. I'm using a lavender one from Paul Mitchel. Usually, I use Goldwell or Shieseido.

• Have been pondering for a while now how much I would love-LOVE-Love to make up a nice personal care/spa deluxe gift set and raffle it away on my blog; especially during the "stress" of the Season. I do know SO many neat and nifty objects and products (both pricey and cheap) that I'd love to share! Unfortunately, I'd need about $200-300 to really "do it up right", when a tenth of that already isn't possible! :P

Please take care and spoil yourselves with a little extra personal care this season; Relax, Enjoy, and Stitch with more joy for the rest of the year!

Yours,
Berit

.~*~.

Okay, now for Round 2 of the Blessings Basket!

The Particulars Recap:

• If you want any/all of these giveaway items, just mention the one(s) you'd like in the comments section.
• If more than one person wants a particular item, a Randomizer will pick the New Home. :)
• If no one wants to adopt it, the item will go into the goodwill box. This just a chance let my readers rummage through my donations box first.
• I can't get too caught up in running this thing like a pro as I'm studying for this exam, so the listing will end when I decide to post the next thing(s); I'll announce the winner right before the new listing!
• Don't expect a super-speedy delivery; Saturdays are probably the only day I can journey to the post.
• All are welcome to "win"--be ye Lurker or Bosom Friend--you could get "all" the items or just one, and no limit on future "wins".

• Happy Hunting!

Items 1 & 2: "Gentleman Quaker" by Jardin Prive AND/OR "Santa Arrives Tonight" by HE

GQ is new, and SAT is gently used. Looking for good homes; would you like to stitch one of these?

Item 3: Antique Book (Prop)

Not sure we'll have any takers for this one. It's Green Dolpin Street by Elizabeth Goudge. Selling Point 1: Nice ('n worn) gilt embossed spine title.

Cover has a spot or two.

This novel is by the same woman who wrote the children's book The Little White Horse, which is an all-time fave of mine. I forgot that I'd read this elsewhere in my teens, and requested it from Bookmooch last year. It's perfectly readable, for all that I wouldn't recommend it.

I should advise that I would not recommend it the same way I don't recommend Great Expectations (or any other Dickens work for that matter), Wuthering Heights, or Ethan Fromme. :) It's not a "The Great (Insert-Country-Name-Here) Novel" that the aforementioned are, but you get the picture. DO read The Little White Horse (You'll just have to ignore the insipid, forgettable unicorn--yes, unicorn--inspired title.)

Selling Point: This book IS circa 1944, which makes it an antique; furthermore it contains a charming wartime "ration" note.

Item 3: 5 Bookmooch Points (aka 5 used books of your choice)

Speaking of Bookmooch, I'll share some of my mouldering points if anyone already is a member of BM or wants to try it.

About Bookmooch: Key points would be the overview and how points work.

So, if you "win" this prize, you must be or become a member of BM, but instead of listing or giving books, I'll then "smooch" you 5 points, which is enough to request 5 books of your choice!

This is honestly a great and fun service; I hope someone'll take me up on this and try it out! My profile is here.

The Red Fox of Happiness. :)

2010-11-20T09:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I made my start on the smaller of the two charts on Prairie Schooler's Bk 149 "November".

Of course, I started at The Fox. :) I've converted the fibers to cotton overdye, and given the fox a cream tip to his brush. :3

Envelopes went out to Hazel and Blu this morning; they should arrive in 7 to 10 days, ladies!

Addresses, Please!

2010-11-19T11:11:00.000-08:00

Hazel has won the draw for the LHN set!

Blu (as the only taker) will get 2 and 3!

Ladies, if you'll please email me your street addresses (link is in my profile), I'll get these shipped off!

Happy Weekend, All!

Berit

Birthday Presence...

2010-11-17T14:02:00.000-08:00

...and even some presents! :)

Friday, November 12th was my 28th birthday--and I even got some presents! I'll show those first. :)

It was just NOT one of those Birthdays (Can I just say that my hair has been falling out for the last 3 weeks to the tune of a 20-30% loss?), so I decided to refresh my mood and get myself a cat:

Jenny Bean Christmas WiP. :)

Now With Cat!

This cat is adapted from HE's Stitching Necessaire. It so reminds me of the dragon Toothless from the movie How to Train Your Dragon. Animal (esp. cat) lovers MUST see this movie--that dragon is simply adorable. :)

Marc brought home some pink roses. :)

On Saturday I got to pick our the restaurant for our friend group's dinner, and I decided upon La Riviera in Clifton 'cause we'd been there once before and it was well-received. Also, I REALLY wanted to try the Ossobuco, which you can see at the top of their dinner menu. It was so good, though really rich! :) They are really a seafood place foremost, and the Seafood Salad was even better than last time. :) One of my friends brought me an American cookbook as a gift.

NOW, to the Good Stuff: A couple of my good blogging friends actually sent me gifts! That they MADE! Boy, was I happy and touched. Just, really.

(With apologies for the poor lighting today:)

Myra sent me a large-sized pouch: Now I've got a set! :D As anyone who has been lucky enough to receive one knows, it is SO well-made! I also love the homespun fabric and tea-dyed pom-pom trim she included. Previously, I didn't really *get* the Pom-pom trim "craze" but this stuff is really special-must be the hand-dying. ;) Myra, thank you again: I love these gifts and can't wait to use them. The large pouch should be perfect for BBD Mystery--as soon as I can get the linen sorted!

I love the fabric and the skeleton key (a favorite!) zipper pull. :3

From Christina, a wonderful pin pillow of a PS motif! I actually loaned Christina this chart, and boy did that work out for me! (lol!)

Dear Reader, you may recall the "Checkerboard Moon Question" from WWGR--I told Christina that I'd just re-stitch an ornament so that I could have one with that effect--lucky for me, she beat me to it! :D

And, look at all those FABULOUS RIBBONS! They are ALMOST as good as the piece itself. Previously, she sent me an exchange finished with some of it (which I adored)--now I have SO MUCH! What a fun prospect to ponder. :)

Thank you, friends for the presents and also to those who sent me kind birthday wishes--your friendships mean so much to me; truly, I can only say I was quite moved that you would think of me.

Thanks also to all my visitors, readers, and commenters--I love having a space that you like to visit! I'm a bit "AFK" this month due to preparing for that exam on 5th Dec.; I've been trying to limit my computer time and I thus owe so many comments and visits! Please know that I'm thinking of you all and looking forward to having more blogosphere time next month.

...

Now, on to the "Presence" part. This blog is already growing long in the tooth, but I'm going to go ahead and launch a scheme that I've been pondering ever since I began contemplating having to leave behind "being 27"--sometime after the halfway point of October.

Two things I believe:

• We are blessed to be a blessing to others.
• I don't believe that for me there are any "neutral" possessions.

You see, compulsive hoarding is something that at least 2 members of my family exhibit, and I realized in my late teens that things either either hurt or help me, and nothing in between. As William Morris said,

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”

Now, anyone who saw my house would never think I have a hoarding problem, but it's because I've chosen to share, donate, give, and release that this is the case. :)

As someone who focused most of their secondary and all post-secondary formal education on the arts and design, I have A LOT of supplies and works I need to store. And a relatively small stash of cross stitch as I only started getting into it seriously about 2 years ago--BUT I still already have some things whose time has come to move on to a new home where they can bless a new owner who is excited about them! :D

...Maybe You? ;)

The Particulars:

• If you want any/all of these giveaway items, just mention the one(s) you'd like in the comments section.

• If more than one person wants a particular item, a Randomizer will pick the New Home. :)

• If no one wants to adopt it, the item will go into the goodwill box. This just a chance let my readers rummage through my donations box first.

• I can't get too caught up in running this thing like a pro as I'm studying for this exam, so the listing will end when I decide to post the next thing(s); I'll announce the winner right before the new listing!

• Don't expect a super-speedy delivery; Saturdays are probably the only day I can journey to the post.

• All are welcome to "win"--be ye Lurker or Bosom Friend--you could get "all" the items or just one, and no limit on future "wins".

• Happy Hunting!

Item 1: LHN WiP

This includes the leftover threads (enough to stitch again except green) and chart.

It is much cooler than the photo shows, stitched on 28 count unknown linen, finished but for a flower bud at the left, un-ironed, and contains a counting error at the white underlining "Who Believes".

I added some sweet beads to the blossoms: Would you love to have this to iron up and make into a little pillow or cupboard hang-up?

It was originally for a gift, and so it doesn't "fit" anywhere in my house. I'll include the beads you need to finish the last blossom. :)

Full Disclosure: This piece is from my "Early Days" of stitching, so here's the back so you know what you're getting into. ;)

Item 2:Mill Hill Holiday Harmony Charts

Last year I bought these bead/chart/DMC packs because my favorite Christmas ornaments from childhood were these tiny brass music instruments.

Now, I did stitch them, so what I'm offering you is CHARTS ONLY, except for a little of the Harp leftover. And an all-but-full skein of Au Ver a Soie 2936 silk. It's not called for, but I think you need it for Christmas stitching, anyway. ;)

Item 3: Halloween Chart by HiH

Today's only "all-new" offering!

...

Happy Mid-Week, all! Remember to stop and relax with a hot cup of cider or tea amid the Thanksgiving-Planning Hustle!

Yours,
Berit

Thursday's Child

2010-11-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

What a Day! What a Year! What a Decade! Dare I say, "What A Life!"?
I don't know that I could, factually, as I don't remember a good portion of it. :/

Well, Onward and Upward! :)

Here are some stragglers that I meant to post in September, along with all those deserts and such--they are almost in season again!

This was the first Arbor Day Exchange I sent to Lindsay. It never reached her, though a notice about a report being filed for its "theft" recently did. Wild!

This was a freebie that Anita stitched; I fell in love with not only it but the thread she used! I don't know how well it suited Arbor Day, but I was so happy to have an opportunity to stitch it!

Some fabric that I stashed a little while ago while shopping for "pastel" and "ecru" quilting prints to make a frayed circle quilt like the one Deb made a while back. lol--You can see how "Pastel" they are. :P

These are a little closer. ;) The pink-and-brown (shall we say blush-and-umber?) Toile de Jouy is an Easter fabric.

Next up is the replacement ornie for Lindsay--another design I had long wanted to stitch. By the time we were well-and-truly certain the first was gone, so was Arbor Day--Long Gone. So, I decided to just go-for-it and stitch a Christmas Ornament (in spirit and in truth) this time. I LOVE this ornament!

Happy Trails to you--
'til We meet again~

Berit

~Happy Hallowe'en~

2010-10-31T13:14:00.000-07:00

This year's decorating is suspiciously reminiscent of a pile of not-quite-finished needlework artfully deposited amongst the resident coffee table knick-nacks. ;)

This WONDERFUL Homespun Elegance goodie that Myra sent me is really lending an air of decorated respectability to the gathering. :D I completely love it!

Yay! I even got one of her gorgeous birds! The box arrived last week (I think...) and was full of wonderful Halloween goodies including socks for me and a spider fob and candy for Marc! :D You know, I didn't do a Halloween exchange this year, even though it's my favorite holiday (well, I AM thinking yearningly of the Christmas tree already!), but between having the fun of planning that present for Myra and being surprised by an overflowing box I sure feel like I did! I loved it all and you sure spoiled me, Myra!

The other side of the table...including the wonderful Homespun-ish fabric Karen V. passed on through her sale blog. Oh yesh, those cats are thready and woven. :3 I don't think I'll use it with WWGR as I want a simpler design that won't "compete" but they sure look good side-by-side, eh? ;)

Here's the When Witches Go Riding pin pillow I've been concocting. I love the linen I picked as it looks purple in some lights and brown in others. <3 I still need to fill it with crushed walnut shells...and close it up, but for now I'll admire it with my decorative pumpkin and the plastic charger I bought from Walmart. In August. For 1.99. I KNOW-that-I-know that I Should Not buy mass-produced decorative goods of plastic from WM...the spirit is willing but the flesh is so weak. But doesn't it look good?

I promise the bowl next to it holding the pommander balls is SO an authentically beaten-up from a garage sale piece of coppery goodness. (Have I ever told you how much I love copper and verdigris?)

And here on the bed is the reason I actually plotted up this pillow--a doorknob coathook from pier 1 that needed something Halloween-y perched atop it before hanging. ;P

Isn't that orange glass so appealing?

Good thing I'm not a surgeon.

And just-because-I-love-it. This is a jacket illustration from a wonderful work about cute little witch girls by Moyocco Anno, whose Jack I talked about last time. :)

This was a joke label I made for some holiday tea--the original I bought was called "Halloween Nights" and so...my rendition was called "Hallowe'en Tights". (Marc just LOOOOVES puns, and it's rubbing off on me.) I added the font and the "seal" (of Chocola shushing) you from another illustration also by Anno Sensei, so only the graphic design arrangement is my work. Technically, this is used without permission, but it was for personal use and no profit to me. If you want to taste it, it's available here. :) Just be sure to buy some plain Chamomile while you're at it and understand that while I "planned" this tea, designed and uploaded the label, and wrote the descriptive copy I do not own, am not the one who will send it to you, own no rights, and will not profit from the sale if you do try it. :D

(Oh, it looks like it's out of stock until mid-November as Adagio is waiting on one of the components to arrive.)

I'm off to pull out a strand of purple and orange lights and plug 'em in. :D

Have a great evening, all. :D

Yours,
Berit

"Graffiti Jack"

2010-10-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

A new start! But first~

Here's "Graffiti Jack"

He's a gray tabby with the trademark "M", and possibly my favorite character in Anno Moyocco's Ochibi-san, which I've been reading lately. I could go on for a while about how lovely this little Japanese newspaper strip is (Think along the lines of Winnie the Pooh or Calvin and Hobbs with a highlight on the deep regard of the Japanese of Nature and her Seasons), but that's not today's point. :)

Here follows a December entry featuring Jack:

For the sake of Translation:

Last night's new start! :D

"Stitching Necessaire" by Homespun Elegance. Recommended Belle Soie on 28ct. Antique Vintage Ivory. :3

"Dash-Away Jack" (Truly, this is a lovely little painting like so many from this book)

"Out-on-a-Jaunt Jack"? Am I the only one who sees a resemblance? :3

I'm off to eat a burger (yumm!) and stitch more on this fun project!

Yours Cat-obsessedly,
Berit

P.S. On a more seasonal note, He's a Jack-o'-Lantern here as he's carrying Chinese lantern flowers filled with lightening bugs to light the way home on a dusky eve. :)

~'Tis Near Halloween~

2010-10-22T06:29:00.000-07:00

...And it is. :)

Et Finis!

"When Witches Go Riding"
Designer: Prairie Schooler (signature and date charted by me)
Linen: Pilgrim Brown 28ct. by R&R
Fibers: CC and WDW

This might be the biggest thing I've ever finished....Yes, it is. :)

Remember the Moon Question? I decided to fill, and in the same color (WDW Honeysuckle). I think the variegation is spot-on for a harvesty moon. Still ruminating over the idea of making a small with that snazzy checkerboard moon, however.

Though I love those stars, I re-charted the area for the date. I just couldn't see my way to breaking the perimeter of the design.

My little over-one signature. It was even fun to stitch. I know I'd like to frame this one, but it's just not in the cards right now. I didn't iron yet as I'm not sure what to do with it; I'm thinking of ways to temporarily tack it to something to make a hanging so I can enjoy it this season. :)

"Halloween Fright" Freebie
Designer: La Chatelaine (I think)
Linen: 32 ct. Sparrow from Linens by Design (formerly a BoaF product)
Fibers: DMC and Belle Soie Lasagne

I've been hoarding this freebie for a long time (and the Sparrow Linen, too), so when I heard that Myra was having a birthday in September (and I didn't participate in a Halloween Exchange, and we're both Halloween Nuts, and it has little black cats all over it (like her Ziggy) and we both love purple, and she's been going all-out with ornaments for her tree this year...) and, well, the cosmos aligned and I decided to stitch this for her. How I held my breath each time she blogged that it wouldn't be about this design! In the end, it was more of an "Early Halloween Goodie" than a Birthday present, though.

I took about 40 shots of it without being able to get a single decent one. In the end, I threw it up on my bookshelf in front of a comic series about little witches. I do like this photo best, but that might just be because I like my books so much (I DO love my books.) Seriously. Please check Myra's blog for amazing pictures. There's some really fun homespun on the back, I promise it's worth it.

I wedged a little pumpkin into the signature at the back--wonder if this will count for Becky's GPC!? :D :D :D

Meanwhile, Kathy A. was touched by Marc's Plight (otherwise known as the Second Cold War Against the Canadian Goose), and sent him some provisions from The Motherland to sustain him in the fight.

Coffee Crisp! :D And, a lovely Halloween thread from Carrie's Creation (my first). I love the part where the gradation shifts from orange to purple...now what to stitch.

Marc said that the CC were "really fresh" and that the bag seemed endless; the more he took out the more there were to take out. I told him that was good, because I ate so many before he returned home to take possession that I feared for the first bag's life and had to hide it in a drawer to still my pilfering paws.

He completely enjoyed them and they held out until just a few days ago--thanks again, Kathy!

...

Speaking of "Thanks", I owe MORE of them. I thought I had photos, but as I don't it'll keep for next time, but I won an amazing giveaway from Robin and Myra sent me an amazing Hallowe'en box stuffed full of goodies AND a stitched piece! By Homespun Elegance! (Bet that got your attention. ;)

Also, I really need to thank you for all your prayers, good thoughts, and friendships. Still having a bit of tough times here, and my stitching, blogging, and even blog-visiting mojo are flagging a bit as a result, but I've missed you guys and am looking forward to being able to participate more. :) I even had a small Hallowe'en Giveaway planned, but while I finished the stitching (Oh, maybe even in August) I haven't done the finishing yet. :/ It might have to be a "Halloween at Christmas" giveaway at this rate! lol! I know you true fans won't mind; to everyone else, my apologies. Best-laid plans and all that. :)

With hopes that everyone is enjoying wonderful Autumn Stitches and Crisp (not Frigid like here today!) weather, I remain

Yours,
Berit

Autumn Private Exchange 2010

2010-09-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

How overdue this post feels! I must say I blame how much busier I've gotten lately (Was not at all busy before, and am only slightly busy now, but consider the percentage of increase!) Good "time management" is something I only have when working vigilantly to maintain.

Thanks, everyone, for weighing in with votes and evaluations of the Santa & Friends PS charts I asked about on the last post--BeckySC kindly double-checked her copy: They are indeed foxes! :D :D :D Be sure that I placed an order with Anita the very next day. Of course, I ordered a couple of other charts, too so that Santa (and his friends) won't get lonely in that envelope!

Did I say this post was over-due? "Recent" Stash acquisition from the aforementioned Anita:

Frederika by CHS (she's been on order since before retirement and I'm so glad she came in, uniting The Freds at last in my collection), Homespun Elegance's 2010 Snowman Ornament: "Snowmen 'A Gathering" (I am not a snowman fan, but as I consider this a "companion ornament to "Santa Arrives Tonight" how could I pass it up! Love those colours!), Hallow's Eve by Stacy Nash (Been wanting this one since I first saw it at Valie's--love at first sight!), and finally the Loose Feather that has the final section of the Mystery Sampler.

Now, the point of the post: I was blessed to be invited to participate in an Autumn Private Exchange early in the Summer, and I am just so thrilled by the outcome of the whole thing--beyond words, so, let's let the pictures suffice!

I'll start by showing mine, which I made and sent to Faye, because once you see what I received, you'll have eyes only for it--but as a teaser Edgar made it.

I had such fun gathering the materials for this: charmeuse silk ribbon (oh, I do love taupe!), BoaF Barn Owl 40 ct., WDW Straw 30 ct., stripe ticking, MoP buttons, Acorn Charm...

"Joyful Autumn"
Designer: Homespun Elegance
Fibers: WDW: Red Rocks, Terra Cotta, Indian Summer; CC: Almost Auburn; DMC for finishing.

I wanted to make something "Red and Quaker-y", yet very Autumnal because I read in Faye's blog that those 2 things are favorites of hers. I must say, I like them, too!

The back is a motif, I think, from an Ackworth sampler. I added in the year and Faye's initials. :) I really liked this color combination and may use it again if I ever get around to stitching a larger quaker. :) More (though not better) photos can be seen on my album, and the ones Faye took and put on her blog are just super--I am so pleased that she liked it enough to include it on her tree! As you all know, Faye is such a talented and high-profile blogger--I was rather nervous preparing this exchange. I really enjoyed getting to know her via her blog backlog, and counted this exchange a complete success. I was also beyond flattered when the designer of the piece asked me if she could include it in a blog post--OF COURSE! So, I successfully made my first hanging pillow (all those seams/different count linen were wrestled into cooperation with only one or two noticeably "prim" spots on the finishing), Faye liked it (best part), and even the designer and exchange moderator went out of their way to compliment me. How could it get any better? Well...

A couple of days later, a mysterious box was mixed in with the anticipated vitamin shipments on my doorstep. Plucking it from the pile, I mused, "Ah; that's right, the Exchange for me is still out." A glance to the return direction in the corner--"You're Kidding!!!", I cried aloud. Perching there was Edgar's name! Now, you may recall that I was lucky enough to have him stitch for me in the Valentine's Exchange earlier this year, as well. Lightning DOES strike twice, stitchers!

From "November" by Prairie Schooler
Fibers: Recommended DMC
Fabric: Mystery 32 ct. Linen
Stitched and finished as painted fabric-lined box by Edgar

Is it not perfect? I carried it around with me for several days and talked myself out of sleeping with it beside me on the pillow with great difficulty. :P

Pictures do not do it justice--I never thought I'd be lucky enough to receive one of Edgar's Incomparable Boxes! I've no idea how he managed to part with it.

My favorite part: It has a Red Fox!

Edgar knows that I've been fox-crazy for quite a while, he loaned me a copy of his Fox Forest by Workbasket (which is mere stitches--plus finishing--away from completion and showing off. I really want to find the perfect basket to use with it), and I also got the "idea" of stitching PS's "Fox & Grapes", which is my favorite of the PS Fox designs (and that's saying something!), from him.

Dear Marc also REALLY likes this one; he's mentioned points about it on several occasions and even brought it up himself out of the blue--he said it's "beautiful". His favorite part is the stark, twiggy branches of the trees with their last leaves clinging.

There was, perhaps, a slight issue, however...this design has Canadian Geese. Three of them, to be precise. Marc was born and raised in Canada (the child of parents recently immigrated from the Philippines), and he famously (half jokingly) loathes The Canada Goose. Something about them being the playground scourge of his youth--where they go destruction (and defecation) follow in their wake. I suspect it's also a bit of homesickness; If the best of Canada isn't to be had here in the States (Coffee Crisp bars by Nestlé) why is the worst?

So, when I saw the geese, I wondered if it would put him off the whole thing. "Surely he can't be so unreasonable...." I dubiously assured myself.

He did love it, though, and (true to form) commented with several sure-to-become humorous Marc-isms of family lore.

"*aggressive breathing from throat* What are they doing here!?! Interlopers!!! They are in my house!!!"

"That Giant Owl should just eat them!!" (Previously the programmer in him had been musing on how the too-large owl wouldn't fit inside the house, so this plan showed a shift in sympathies--an alliance with the Oversized Owl.)

Generally, it was a 10 minute performance of his usual trash-talk for them; his usual epithets and geese-centric threats. My favorite has something to do with "kicking them in the bitch-head", and is a well-established Marc-ism with roots in a particular roadside altercation with a few of their species. Something about their aggressive posturing makes Marc want to respond by running right up and punting them in the head with the flat of his foot. Perhaps it's the way their heads sit upon their necks like golf balls upon an oversized tee. Anyway, with apologies for the language, one does not just kick them, no--the proper way to "bring the pain to" or "open and can on" a goose is by kicking him in the "bitch head". It's worthy of noting that neither pregnant female dogs nor human ladies of any state of being have "bitch heads"; only Canadian Geese do. :D

The interior is lined and slightly plush. The novelty print is just perfect!

Spoiled with goodies, to boot: Hallowe'en pop rocks, Great Pumpkin Hot Chocolate, candy corn ribbon, fallen leaves novelty shank buttons, and "B" stationery set comprised of stickers, magnet, and notecards.

Thank you, Edgar, for absolutely making my season! :D I will treasure this beautiful work you made always.

Stop in and enter Edgar's 3rd Annual Birthday Hobbit Drawing! I know he included a piece of his stitching in this super event last year, so if you win you might even get to own your own piece of his work!
...

So, for now I'm finishing up a secret project and that PS Santa, too, preparing to mail out a trade/loan, contemplating whether or not "When Witches Go Riding" is done, considering the making of a present, awaiting a stash order from Anita--that's just stitching!

I'm also contemplating the change in season, fretting about the state I've let the house descend to while sick, and perhaps most "important" of all preparing to take an exam the first week in December. It's a foreign language exam, and I have wanted to attempt it for many years...but...it's been reformatted and so no one is entirely certain how to study for it anymore. Between that and my perfectionism I must be careful not to disappoint myself by letting the opportunity to "really try" slip away from me. I have a regrettably entrenched MO of waiting for the "perfect time" to "do it perfectly" before I get anything done. Or, I expend the time fretting about trying to make the planets align perfectly before doing the thing instead of actually doing it.

My wisest teacher always used to advise that we must "Plan your work and work your plan." So, now I'm just trying to "forgive" myself, relax, and get on with doing that piece by piece.

I hope all is well with you this fall, and that you've exciting (and slightly challenging) stitches and events waiting to take you through to the end of this year.
I do hope to step up my blog reading a bit, though I might be a somewhat absent until after the exam is held.

Happy Almost-Autumn, Stitchers!
--Berit

Tuesday's Desk

2010-09-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon, Friends! My desk is rather clear today (and even my computer one!) so I decided to toss my WiPs on for you to see.

Already There (from L to R): Stack of Fabric w/Ribbon (AKA Being-Finished Autumn Exchange), Fibers from Santa Arrives Tonight (but I'm using one to finish the aforementioned...), and a long print-out of the candidates for the When Witches Personalization.

This was going to be 2010's "Us Ornament", but Dear Marc has indicated a tangible hostility for "Santa's Mu-mu(sp?)". I tried telling him it's "European Santa", but he is unmoved. SO...already considering what I'll stitch to "replace" it. This one will get an regular no-dedication-to-marc sort of finish, lol!

A close-up; feels like I'm "ALMOST DONE"...but I've still got the over-one initial. And all that fill in. And what about the moon. ;)

So! Again I beg help from blogland--A question for you Prairie Schoolers out there: I've been eyeing PS Book 110: Santa And Friends, which has four Snowy-Woods Nighttime scene Santa ornaments. What ARE the animals in the ornament in the top/North position? Is there a Fox???

The East features geese and cardinals, elk and more cardinals to the South, Rabbits and, umn, squirrels at west, But the North? The animal on the sleigh; the one running alongside...they could both be young deer...or...could one be a fox??? I have googled and googled, but just can not find a picture to clear up the mystery. Thanks so much to anyone who can help--I am fox-crazy, so this might be the one (if it really has a fox...)

September Arrives!

2010-09-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

I'm an Autumn Baby (November 12th), which may explain why I start to feel like all's right with the world when this, the first of the "BER" months, rolls in.

Or, maybe it's because I was raised in sweltering Tulsa, Oklahoma by my dear Gramma who spent the best years of her youth in Bath, Maine. She may not have gotten back there, but the "Bers" were the closest she got. All summer she'd be counting down the days until September. "If I can just make it to September, Heaven can Wait!" Of course, that was also a bit of a farce as September is often so hot in OK that it makes you wonder if it's actually hotter than August was. You start to question yourself; searching back though a hazy memory (possible symptom of a season-long case of heat stroke?) of the month before. This bit of info might solve the mystery: She was born on September 17th.

So, the purpose of this blog:
To thank everyone who responded with offers, info, and sightings for my chart quest!
I am thrilled to announce that I've arranged a combination of borrow and buy that should make this project possible!
You, stitchers, are just the best around! I can't believe I got so many replies, help, and well-wishes about my "little problem".
THANK YOU!

And because a blog isn't a blog without pics, here are some I've been hoarding up:

I tried making (read: became obsessed with) a Treacle Pudding with Custard after eating at Tea & Sympathy. Boy, was that a hunt for Lyle's Golden Syrup! It was okay, but "overbaked". Custard covers (smothers) a multitude of sins.

I visited Savannah, Ga February 2009, and here's my choice at the Back in the Day Bakery. A buttercream cupcake and ENORMOUS curried chicken salad sammich. This induced the most major food coma/subsequent crash I've Ever experienced. Paula Deen put it on her show; you should put it on your Bucket List. Yes, that's a tall glass of milk lurking there; ah there were days I ate not only cupcakes, but milk, too!

From my bundtpan discovery days; the main feature here is the Mariage Frères tea I was also discovering. Oh, Tea! The best tea ever. EVER. The salt and pressurized butane, while pictured, did not make it into the cake.

From The Limelight in NYC; which was once a church, then a flamboyant gay bar/club, and now a "unique shopping experience" guarded by a very cheerful and friendly doorman in white gloves. If you're running low on that Olive oil scented with Meyer Lemon, it's only $48/bottle here! ;)

That bread or what-have-you wrapped in paper looks holy enough to grant absolutions!

This is my cell wallpaper.

Let's talk about how much I love this font. And wooden signs with inlaid gilt lettering. Or not--that's a Pandora's box.

I did take a photo of those cups (at the store before purchasing) after all; the one on the site was smallish, so here ya go.

These are from Gencarelli's Italian Bakery right here in Bloomfield, which holds the Essex county voted-favorite spot for several years now. I weep for those almonds--they are that beautiful. It's the sort of crying an atheist does watching the children sing at Christmas Midnight Mass.

Well, folks, I've got more, but let's call it a night. I hope you'll drop by next time to see the Not Food section of My Miscellaneous 2009 Roundup.

Thanks to you all, my good friends, for your friendship and support, and especially to Edgar and Carol, whose BBD Mystery samplers I posted here last time with neither permission nor Credit! Friends, I am sorry; I let my haste to just get up my nerve and ask for a loan let me forget to add the links!

I'm working with trepidation on the finishing of my Autumn Private Exchange--it's for a very talented, prominent, and well-liked stitcher--boy am I nervous! What if she doesn't like it? What if it's not "Grand" enough? (Pretty much anything I can make is paling next to the chest of goodies Patty just sent. And Christina, too, for that matter. :/) I know I like it so far, at least...

Until Next Time,
Berit

P.S., I Love You.

2010-08-30T15:24:00.000-07:00

A question, Everyone: (Yes, another one. No, I didn't decide what to do for the Delivering Autumn Finish, yet. It's because I have to complete the finishing for my Autumn Exchange. And stitch more Christmas Ornaments. Moar, I say!)

What to do about this moon?

I blocked it in like this intending to follow with another pass of the same color (WDW Honeysuckle) for hopefully a nice effect. BUT---

• Is it already "done"?

• Should I make the second pass with CC Sunflower, the darker yellow?

• Or should I just stick with the aforementioned Plan A?

Meanwhile, my start on another ornament from PS (to be emblazoned with this year's date, hopefully while this year yet lives. :D) I'm stitching 1/2 on 36 ct. Summer Khaki Edinburgh, and am almost over how washed-out the one strand is making the machine. I love P.S.'s sewing machine motifs and plan to stitch "Pins and Needles" again for myself (already exchanged it) sometime.

~*~

Finally, one more request: I have gone insane, completely insane for this beauty; below follow only two of the images I've squirreled away on my hard drive of it:

A few of you have been really kind in answering my pestering questions about stitch counts and flosses and charts (oh-my!) as I circle this one, so here's another: Do any of you have these charts (Blackbird Designs' Loose Feathers #31-34) that you'd be willing to loan to me? Unfortunately, they are just about OoP and (particularly 31) very hard to find. It looks like I can probably get a couple of them from my ONS, but without 31, which has the nicest bits, the whole thing won't do. :p)

Now, on the minus side of loaning this to me, I am hideously slow at stitching, but on the plus I take meticulous care of charts (my paperback books look unread 'cause I'm so neurotic about it!), and I make (small) stitched thank-yous for chart loans. But, again, I'm slow, and still need to make one for dear Edgar; It's all stitched in my head, I tell you! :D

Friends, I do realize this is a bit like knocking on your door and saying, "Excuse me but has you any gold ingots for me to borrow? I promise to return them and take really, really good care of thems." And, so, I will not be let down at all if you are not able, or willing, to send them out. :)

Hope everyone's enjoying cooler weather (as we are lately, though somewhat wistfully) and making lots of Autumn (or even Hallowe'en!?) stitches.

Yours,
Berit

Santa Arrives Tonight!

2010-08-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

...Well, last night.

I stitched and FINISHED an ornament, kids!

"Santa Arrives Tonight"
Designer: Homespun Elegance
Fabric: Unknown 30 ct. Linen
Fibers: Recommended DMC and cotton overdye with the substitution of Belle Soie "Icing" for snow
Date Complete: 26 August 2010

The dear sleigh. And the 'deer that I had to frog twice. Only 30 stitches, you say? But a pesky 30 they were! ;)

The shanty/Lean-to home makes my heart go pitter-pat. I put some snow on the roof, mostly 'cause I had to backstitch the porch post so it'd show up on the linen I chose.

I'm so glad I decided to try my hand at the braided finishing. It was easier to attach than I thought; "built-in" stitch here to attach to edge feature with the braid. My cording came out a little longer than I'd like, but I decided it was homespun and put a limit to my obsession.

This is 2009's ornament. Bought last summer. Planned for last year. Even has 2009 in the title, lol. I got "ornamented-out" from making a 6-instrument beaded ornie kit set from Mill Hill, and just couldn't do any more before the year ended. 2009 was the 5th Christmas Marc and I spent together, so I added the numeral.

You can see where I trimmed through the blanket stitch on the left; oops! I decided to just go for the homespun and cut another length of ecru and stitched over! :D Love it!

Have I told you how much I love blanket stitches? Also, I had to leave this 2009 'cause I spent forever charting up a "cute" "2009" last year and just HAD to use it.

I also love Homespun Elegance. Love, I tell you! Sandra's been putting in a lot of work to offer us a nice blog and even a freebie lately! o_o! You can see the picasa album of her autumn designs here. I've stitched more than one of them lately, let me tell you!

Meanwhile, I won Patty C.'s giveaway! It arrived just as I was ready to begin the finishing on SAT. She described it as the poppy pincushion (which I've been salivating over since she first started stitching it--whoopee!) and a few extras. What an anemic description! I was shocked speechless upon opening the box! 0_o (Brace yourself as this Giveaway sends the photo-count of this blog over the top!)

The "inner wrapping"!

Lift off "Out on a Limb" to reveal this treasure basket. :o

I love the apple pins! I think they're marking pins? Also, a watermelon-y crescent floss, and ribbon--I love grosgrain ribbon.

The star of the show! I really wanted to put some poppies in window boxes this year (generous Edgar even sent me some!) but it was not to be. Now, I have some that will last all winter! :D And they're gorgeous!

I think these are spider's web stitches.

Coquelicot! Yay! An adorable French vocab word; it's a region-specific type of poppy!

Santa has friends! :D I don't even like snowmen at Christmas, but I love this one! Now I know what Patti (Tapestry of Dreams) means when she says that the finishing on something is so good "it just isn't true". Patty is so talented! (Patti L, you are too! ;)

My first strawberry! The finishing on this is also breath-taking.

Marc was smitten with this because it's jingly (see the jingle bells nestled in there? And a "strawberry", his favorite fruit.

Well, Friends, it's the weekend! I hope you've all got a relaxing, stitchy, sunny, cool-weathered couple of days coming up. Thanks again for all your prayers and thoughts lately; they mean, and are helping so much. :)

Yours in Stitches,
Berit

Note: Those who admired the bunny cup and saucer in the last post can own their own (and the 3 companions) for the same price I paid plus shipping through the company's site here.

Delivering Autumn—Stitching Complete!

2010-08-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

Well, here she is in all her glory, with added signature and date! The orange checkerboard at the bottom was the part I was asking purple questions for. I put it in in both colors, but it didn't work there so I ripped it out and went with orange--much better! I decided to add a band of this checker because I liked it so much on the cart's banner BEFORE the other color was put in (I stitched that cart twice, you may recall, so I've had occasion to see both the umber and the ruby individually. It's the low-level relief effect that I like so much--I almost left out one of the checker colors on the cart...but I liked 'em both so this way I can have my cake and eat it, too!

This is un-ironed, even though I have the button wheels and other embellishment I'm planning to use--because I just can't decide how to finish this. I kinda wanted to hang it on a wall (but not framed; hanging pynkeepe?), but I'd also like to plunk it on a shelf (Pillow? Triangle pillow? Stuffed with what? Ribbons? Beads? Overdyed wool? Find some silk matka? Trusty homespun? Distressed neutral stripe ticking?) Can you not tell that various "cleansing symptoms" that delayed this blog update count "brain fog" in their number? (lol!)

So, I'm asking you, Dear Reader, for Finishing Suggestions. Just don't get your heart too set on me following them. I have a nasty habit of asking things of Dear Marc just so I can disagree with him (so claims he), and thereby make my choice. :P Well, no, that's not (quite) it.

Me: A or B; I can't decide!!!! (after endless, dizzying deliberation).
Marc: You should do B because X.
Me: What?! But what about A!? I must have A!
Marc: Well, you asked, so I picked B.
Me: Who cares about B--if there's no A there's no point! B would be great, but A comes first. Oh. Well. A it is, then! Thanks, Marc!
Marc: ...

So, you see, it's just that I can't see what really counts until it's being eliminated.

Today's an overcast, Autumnal Prelude sort of day (as about half of them have been for the past couple of weeks. A neighboring tree is even starting to turn!), so the pictures aren't the best, but forward-ho!

Here are some HDF fibers the wonderful Myra sent me recently; I've been wanting to try them, and she generously offered to include them in her order! The Purple is Prim Barn Purple, and the Green Old Maid of the Tempest. The brown was a bonus gift, and is the premium weight and the best color of the bunch. Haven't stitched with them yet, but they seem to be nice, if rather BRIGHT in color based on what I was expecting. They are way brighter than this pic shows--very nice, but I do have to say that I wouldn't call the purple one "prim" at all. I'm looking forward to seeing how it stitches up. :)

My new teacup and saucer--oh, how I love tea! I'm not allowed to drink it at present, though, so I enjoy hot distilled water or "ginger tea" from it. The shape is my all-time favorite. I grew up with some very similar Buffalo-brand white style, and I think nothing beats it. I'm having trouble finding those, so happily opted for this charming usagi (rabbit) pattern in the meantime. The other 3 in the set are nothing to do with bunnies in the slightest, though they share similar colors and are all of wabi-sabi theme (which is sort of the Japanese version of Prim-style Americana.) If there's interest I might see if I can't rustle up some decent pics for the rest of the lot.

The saucer: same rabbit motif as around the cup.

Here's what I stitched after completing stitching of Delivering Autumn and my Autumn Exchange (which also needs finishing thank-you-very-much.) Having first seen it on the inimitable Staci's Blog (though certainly I'm becoming known for trying--love ya, Staci!), I HAD to have one for my kitchen. I call it "Good Morning Rooster", but Marc looked over at the finished Rooster in my lap, looked up at me with mischief-filled eyes and said in his most innocent voice, "Good Morning, Cock!"

Well, name (and his suggestion that I mount it next to a photo of last year's Thanksgiving Turkey) aside, I had charted in some other motifs--not much for butterflies or those particular roses--including some fleur-de-lys that I'm just dying to stitch on SOMETHING, but now I can't decide if it's DONE. It looks like it is. And Marc (Utilitarian Man) says it is. I'm planning to mount it in a plain white Ikea frame and hang it in the kitchen so I can see it while I work in there. So, friends, is this bird "Done"? ;)

~*~

I want to thank everyone for the good thoughts and well-wishes you've sent to me and mine lately. We're still "going through", but we'll come out on the other side, and you've helped more than you'll ever know. Thanks also to all those I've been stalking/hounding regarding Blackbird Designs' Mystery Sampler. I've become so batty-obsessed over that thing the last couple of months and am so curious about it. You are all patient and kind dears.

Happy Thursday--I just love Thursdays (always have), and Enjoy the weekend Ahead!

Yours,
Berit

The Cat's Cart

2010-07-31T07:50:00.000-07:00

I want to thank you all so much for your kind, encouraging, and empathizing comments on yesterday's post; my spirit was so bolstered by all of you!

I "sewed" most of the grass in yesterday, and my plot is now almost solidly green. I didn't think much of the Kudzu until it was all done and I stepped back, but now I can see the variegation and I think it's just quite subtly perfect.

Next will be more of the personalization, along with a band that I'm considering working in purple--which would push this design more towards Hallowe'en--good or bad? Should I make the band with one of the colors already in the design or into one (which?) of these purples (they are WDW Concord and Eggplant, respectively. I know you can't see what the band is like, but that's the way it is! :P (It is very simple, though.)

Enjoy your Saturday, everyone! It's beautiful, clear and cool with breezes--I feel like we've really lucked out!

Yours Happily,
Berit

"Autumn Apace!" -or- "A Fungus Among Us!?"

2010-07-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

I'm adding in a signature section at the bottom of Delivering Autumn, and thought you might like to see the development. :D

Meanwhile, a lurker in our midst: this morning Marc is calling me from the Bathroom asking if I've seen "This"; seen "It". I kept replying, "No, what is it?" and only got the same question from him. Finally, he told me.

It was a Mushroom. Growing. From. A. Crack. In. The. Ceiling. Of. Our. Bathtub.

Now, we live in an Apartment, which means that there's probably some leak from the neighbor's pipes above. I just cannot tell you how bad things like mold are for your health. I've been doing so much research for this lately (Knowledge is Paranoia, as Marc says) surrounding my detox diet. After obsessing and working and tracking and dosing and God knows what for weeks, I had just had it.

I asked Marc to stay home for a bit and deal with the Landlord when he arrived because I knew I'd either cling to the poor man and weep inconsolably in my panic, or shred him mercilessly with my razor-sharp claws. Neither seemed like a viable interaction for solving this problem. Thankfully, he was able to do so, though with 3 or 4 anxious you're-on-the-road-in-right calls from the office.

Folks, I've been on a special diet for weight loss before this for about a year, but now the delightful "New Features of the Last Several Weeks":

* No sugar or starch (from one year ago, but done with breaks and exceptions, now, no exceptions.)

* No sugar substitutes/artificial sugars.
* No Caffeine (I do love my tea.)
* I can drink only room-temperature or warmer (not cold) distilled water.
* No fermented products (Vinegar is a no, unless it's unpasteurized. EVERYTHING has vinegar in it. I can't even eat mustard, folks).
* Maybe I could eat some dairy, but probably not. So, I'm not.
* Oh, yeah, No sugar means No Fruit (though I can eat about a handful of berries occasionally.

And,

* No Mushrooms.

I need a moment. Like maybe one that lasts about a week and is located in a posh spa, lol. Where there are no mushrooms growing from the sheetrock.

Let's ALL have a great weekend, folks. For now, I'm off to stitch and Ignore the Fungus. Which was dutifully removed by Marc, but...well. Define "removed".

Delivering Autumn, 2nd Edition

2010-07-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

As I finished up the cart on DE I realized it was kinda small for what I was wanting. (I'd calculated the size of the finished product at 36, and that's what I'd settled upon.) Turns out that tightly-woven 36 count linen was actually 40 after all--even though the tag it came with ID'ed it as 36 and I ordered 36, lol! I don't mind in the end--it's nice linen and now I have an excuse to re-stitch in 32 count!

The plan is to make the first one, which is only cat, jack, and cart into a needle keep of some sort, so here's the re-start! I couldn't get a decent pic, so here are 3 sub-par ones which will hopefully serve.

Stewebs in again for size comparison with the last iteration.

Colours are better in this shot.

One other deja-vu event this week: Again, I ordered from Besem Soaps, and since I talked a friend into trying it with me, the order was for 6 large soaps. Last week's order was 6 small soaps. 0_o Spooky. They've arrived and are heavenly. Last time I recommended the Ultimate and Anise variety for their awesome effects. This week I'll plug the Pink Grapefruit (nice for shaving) and Old Hippie for no other reason than their heavenly scents. There's no love lost between me and anything even remotely "hippie", and I can't abide the reek of unadulterated patchouli oil, but this stuff smells great. Treat yourself to some Real Soap. The Rustic Pine (or Rusty Pine as my friend mis-typed in the chat), Cinnamon Spice and new Granola are just the thing for a case of "Fall Longing" induced by Summer's heat!

So, now I'm off to season the meat for tonight's grilling at a friends and I must also chart-up the signature which I'm putting below the grass on this piece. Friends, I've already been procrastinating doing this for too long. If I still haven't done this by next week please come after me with the wet noodle; or whatever effectual motivator you can devise!

P.S. Sandra Sullivan of Homespun Elegance now has a blog! With Sneak Peeks! And New Releases! Thanks to Myra for linking me to "Delivering Tricks"!

Spice-ily Yours,
Berit

100 Days 'till Hallowe'en~*

2010-07-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

Last night while browsing blogs, I saw a countdown ticker informing me that we've only got 100 days and 3 hours until Halloween. Yikes! Here I thought I was early breaking out Homespun Elegance's Delivering Autumn, but there you go. I had a minor overload considering all the stuff I want to finish for this year's season. ;)

"Proof" that even in the heat, Autumn is coming, bringing Halloween, Harvest, and Thanksgiving along with it! (Now if only we could toss "Shorter Days" out of that wagon, it'd be perfect!

Looks like he's leaping over a candlestick!

Still giddy over the Stewebs Christina sent; I seriously took about 15 shots deciding which arrangement of the scissors I liked best. :D

In closing, the post brought these babies:

A sampler pack (minus Ultimate Travel and Sweet Anisette and a couple more) from Besem Natural Scents, which I've wanted to try ever since Edgar first posted about them; I think it was back in February! They are to-die-for. I tell you in all seriousness that the Anise is hands-down the best face cleanser I've tried, and the Ultimate Travel DOES, as reported, make an excellent tooth soap. I'm finding it very useful on my current detox mission. I completely recommend them to anyone, and if I could send ever reader a sample I totally would!

Speaking of detox (which is somewhat serious for me)--between that and Marc's workflow (he's a freelancer these past 18 months) we could definitely use any prayers or quiet-time thoughts you could send our way.

I so appreciate all of your friendships; please know that though I've not been Commenting, Blogging, or even Reading as much as I'd like this Summer that you are all in my heart. Thank you, Everyone! Have an awesome Week's End. =^.^=

Yours Dash-ily,
Berit

An Autumnal Harvest of Stash Arrives

2010-07-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

Greetings, Stitchers, from Hot, hot, hot Northern New Jersey. How hot is it? Well, only 100. And the humidity's not too bad...I keep reminding myself that it's like this for 3.5 months straight in Tulsa, Oklahoma (my hometown). But, enough of that, to put things in perspective, it's:

• 30 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than it's been for the past 10 days. (Well, starting on the 4th it reached that mark.)

• So hot that Friend Greg had to shamble over to Friend Tak's place yesterday because his power went out. Nary a cloud in the sky--so I was confused. Tak patiently explained that it's because it's hot and our power grid is old.

• So hot that the 2 window units are just barely passing muster--which means the one in the bedroom will frost up (humidity's climbing) soon, freeze over and refuse to work.

In conclusion, it's just Too Hot for New Jersey. I'm still amused that the NYC mayor declares a "Heat Wave" and talks of things like free city pools, "Cooling Centers" and ice creams in an address to the city when it gets like this.

Now, suddenly, I realize that I've got a strong Fall Longing. :P

So, if you're like me, and wishing to escape the heat then Look On to enjoy a (Happy Thing) tour of my recent stash acquisition.

After agreeing to take part in a private exchange (had been planning to take a break, but it was a Special Invitation! For Autumn! I was weak. :D), I dug in and looked deeply into the recipient's blog. I do know of the person, but not well, so it was fun catching up. But, not everyone loves Hallowe'en stichign as I do, and I pretty much reached that conclusion for this person. So, what to make. I really wanted to make something nice, that they would like, that also tickled my fancy, too! Searching and searching on the 'net brought Homespun Elegance to my attention. Now, I have an ornament (Santa Arrives Tonight 2009 WiP from them, but nothing else). I think I've become minorly obsessed. Do any others of you also hear their siren call? I don't usually see too much buzz around them on my blog wanderings.

This is an order from Anita, along with the OoP Fruit Sampler Salad: Cherry from Sisters and Best Friends(Hi, Sadie!) and a piece of WDW 30ct.Straw from an LNS. Please, please try her--you will not be disappointed. There are some great service places out there and then there are Disappointments. I don't wanna sling any mud, but if you've been recently let down, do try Anita. It couldn't be easier--you can just email her about what you are interested in and she communicates lightning fast. Only 1 of the 3 charts that I got were ones she "stocks" but the others were no problem for her to get and she did it so fast!

CHS Frederick: I finally got a copy of this goofy bird just under the wire. His mate, 'Rika, is on order for me as well, so soon they will be united in my stash. I've been agonizing for months over wanting to also get CHS "Designs from the Washington Post December 2005" before the OoP but just wasn't able to scrape it together in time. Hey; you can't win 'em all, right? ;) The straw and those flosses peeking in are a teaser for my autumn exchange--but the pattern's still a secret! I SO hope my partner will like it. I've already begun the stitching, and am second-guessing a part of the design, so we'll see how it works out as I go along. Do you also get So Nervous that your exchange will not be loved?

And This is the "Exchange for Me". I had it narrowed down to this or the one I chose, and I just kept fighting for Delivering Autumn even though it has a Black Cat and Pumpkin, inventing all sorts of rationales: "Well, this one's a little more complex so I should pick it; don't want Dear Partner to think I didn't care and just dashed it off." (Less is More.) "It's only ONE Jack o' Lantern!" (If one doesn't fancy jacks to begin with, how can it matter how many ?) "The orange isn't too saturated; it's not too loud, really it's very muted..." (I'm pretty sure that D.P.'s tastes are not much orange...)

Finally, I realized that what I really wanted was to stitch this baby and put it out at end of August to herald the Harvest Season and Hallowe'en. I could put it out WAY before it would be "okay" to bust out the Hallowe'en stuff...Yeah.... it's another LOL if I think I can get it done and dusted by August 1st, but I may yet! Wonder how I should finish it. could it be time to attempt a long cube? Or is this a wall hanging? Hmnn. I've got several other long-pillows in queue, so I'm shying away from that.

But, back to the point: Do you not LOVE these colors!? It's all the recommended except for 3 I already had. Now, I need to decide what count: do I go 1/2 on 36-40? Or do I do a 32 or 28 (as charted) with 2/2? I'm pretty sure I want to dye my own linen for this one as well--just a bit of some tan Rit crinkle-ings.

Well, I'm off to move away from the Hotsy PowerBook Screen to a Stitching Seat closer to the Air Con!

.•.

May your hands stay cool and dry
As your needles swiftly fly~

--Berit

Ever-clear, Ever-green

2010-07-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

Instead of letting my perfectionism get the best of my blogging, I'm going to take a page out of Staci's book (yet again!) and in tough-ish times make a nice blog to share some Happy Things. :D (Please don't compare my photography to hers though as it won't show favorably on my part! ;)

Happy Thing No. 1:

Marc and I have been members of the local YMCA for about four years, and I can't say that we've been regular attendees--I know for certain that that the months in which we darkened their doorstep are fewer than those in which we Stayed Home, but I still wouldn't un-join. It's a great community place with something for everyone. I've been having a great time swimming in "Adult Lap" and also attending 'Water X"-type classes for the last couple of weeks. I love the Montclair YMCA; I call their pools Legion, for they are Many. lol. I remember the YMCAs in Oklahoma were just as nice, if not as "historic" in their housing. Give your local Y another look--they are cheaper than you think, offer more, and generally don't require the contracts that fitness clubs do. Sure, there's generally a "joiner's fee", but it's a cheap health investment in the long run. It's like a mini-vacation/spa. The whole place is full of towels--more than one could ever use and not a one will you wash! They have a steam and sauna room! :D I can't say whether or not it's fun to live at a YMCA, but it IS good times to visit!

Happy Thing No. 2:

I finished the re-stitch of my ill-fated Arbor Exchange, so now I gleefully started what I wanted to since it was released in April: Sweet Bird freebie from The Sampler Girl. I Love this pattern! "Sweet Bird; thy bower is ever green, thy sky is ever clear"--how refreshing these colors are! How lucky is that sweet bird! A nice collection of waste knots are dwelling on it; I usually stitch and stitch one session, and then when I pick up for the next round I weave in before starting--I'm always impressed with how much I must have done last session. But, to stop stitching in the midst of a nice groove just to weave in--Oh, Never! :D

Happy Thing No. 3:

The not-quite ever-green flowers that SB was propped against. These came from Dear Marc (first ones I've ever received from a Boy! :o), and here's a fresher pic. :)

Whew; I have many more, including the Arrival of Stash! :o But the "Blogging Hour" has long since passed--what is it about this weather that makes it difficult to stitch and harder to blog? But we do love it. :D

For the US readers and everyone else, enjoy this weekend; Independence Day aside--just this idyllic breezy weather makes it feel like a holiday here!

May your bowers be ever-green; your skies ever-clear,
Berit

The Summer Exchange

2010-06-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

Well, Everyone, I hope you are all doing well! It seems like so many stitchers I know have one challenge or another going on this Idyllic June--so let's just do what we can and then stitch through it! :) You are in my thoughts and I hope we all have a greater weekend that we were expecting.

Today I'm sharing pics of the Summer Exchange I participated in through the Holiday Exchange run by BeckySC. Somehow I was lucky enough to have my name assigned to Christina, who sent me an unbelievably enormous pile of treasure! Christina is a great blogger and talented stitcher who hails from England. Seriously, you all should mosey over and check her out--if nothing else because she has clear, understandable pics of this wonderful exchange! Her blog is a good stop; I love the clever title, "Whilst Iris Naps". Now, "whilst" is a wonderful word, but as an American I simply don't have the panache to carry off using it properly. I'm so glad that I can experience using it, even vicariously by reading Christina's blog! :D

The whole shebang! Wow!! I know it's darkness in there; more pics are coming. The sun and the camera were in league against me, I tell you!

I said to Marc, somewhat stupidly, "Why are there 5 exchanges in this exchange??" They were all charmingly individually wrapped, and more beautiful stitching just kept popping out at me!

Some of the Backs: There's another cupcake there!

Christina said her ideal image summer is having tea and cupcakes at a favorite shop--sounds like a plan to me! :D I decided to celebrate my resolution to get this awesome exchange photographed with a nice cup of my favorite tea, "French Breakfast Tea" by Mariage Frères. With cream. Not milk, Cream.

Reader, you must try this tea (If you like tea at all). I've been planning to wax poetic (or is it just long ;) on this subject ever since I received some as a souvenir of a friend's business trip. When he gave it to me I thought, "Well, isn't this sweet; he remembered I like tea." Examining the wrap: "Humn; 'Mariage Fre'--Yes, 'Brothers Somethingoranother'--Ah, it was from France--poor thing, he got hosed." Browsing the types in the 3-tin box, "French Breakfast Tea--what do the French know about TEA!?" Tea drinkers of the gallery will know that there is "Irish Breakfast Tea" and "English Breakfast Tea", both storied tea offerings of Weight and Experience. Who is this upstart company to put forth their candidate styled as though it deserves to stand up next to them??!

It is the most singular and amazing black tea I've ever tasted. I try to keep away from Tea Snobbery, but this is just the tops. It's even a shame to spoil it with additives--no sugar or cream required! (Although I do add that delicious dairy rather often, I confess.)

Moving along--

Even the card was stitched! 0_o

Wow, a Chart! And Button! Previously, I couldn't understand what all the buzz was about these buttons--but now I see how well-made the JABCos are. If one peeks from the corner of the eye, doesn't the arrangement of the "M's" make the caption read as "Suffer"? lol That's what summer reminds me of in Oklahoma's sweltering humidity: 90-100 Fahrenheit 3 months of the year, roflol! I think I've got a good idea for re-charting the "M's" when stitching time rolls around! ;P

Back of the Rain, Rain Pynkeepe--Just Gorgeous!

Back of PS Fob; this thing has THE most scrumptious ribbon ever!! I'm a sucker for Grosgrain ribbon. :D

To close, my favorite shot--this little fob has been keeping me company tucked into my companion box at my stitching station. And, yes, in the Scissors spot are the Stewebs from Kelmscott that Christina sent!

Let me say that I'd had a rather unpleasant "happening" earlier in the week that had left me somewhat off-balance ever since. When I opened these scissors, after which I'd been panting ever since their Market debut, I thought, "Oh, yes, this item is very nice--they put me in mind of...those scissors from earlier in the year. That's what it is. *nods*" I had to look at them for way too long before I somehow worked out that they WERE the scissors I'd pined for since the winter. lol! Do you have those days (weeks)? I really couldn't think why they were in there; or how she'd Known. Then, I re-read the card to see that she mentioned my wish list! Reader, keep an online wish list. Previously, I didn't because it seemed somehow greedy. "What; I'm supposed to just blog up everything my greedy little eyes covet for people to read??" But it helps you keep track of what you're thinking of, and prioritize, and even see how your tastes change. And, for anyone who gets you as an exchange partner or wants to send you a RAK, it lets them know where your tastes lie. If I'm reading your wishlist, I'm getting an idea about what you like that goes beyond the WiP you're slogging through. I get to see not just where you are or where you've been with your stitching but where you are headed. :)

If that's what's been holding you back from making one, I hope you will re-think it, Reader.

I also have my own exchange to share, but it's Weekend-Ho!, so I'll keep it for Next Time (Perhaps it can keep the pics of Sailboat-Biscornu-No-I-haven't-forgotten-you-requested-it company!)

Yours Disconnectedly,
Berit

Ciseaux Heart Freebie for Becky

2010-06-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Becky has let me know that the little pyn pillow I sent to her arrived safely (and thankfully she liked it!), so I can now share it here. I took WAY too many pics of it, and I can somehow only narrow it down to eight to post here--maybe you can look through them, pick a favorite, and then pretend that you never saw the others? Thanks. :)

Colors pretty accurate here.

Shows the little impurity/striation in the (mop?) button at the right next to my signature.

Love that brassy antiqued button!

A bit of a gleam from its companion--a nice, thick mop button! Or is it no different that the above. Maybe I just love that comforter. I LOVE that yellow duvet cover. So much that it's still out. In June. Some nights it's cold, you know. Right. Down-requiring cold.

I used an irregular pattern for attaching the perimeter red mill hills (3 types left over from some Christmas ornament kits).

I love how the red looks on this teal/cream bedspread. Too bad I bought it rather than making it! I really need to learn how to quilt.

I somehow marshaled the restraint to delete the other pics of the back from the to-be-blogged folder. I had a great time using some tan rit dye to overdye this red stripe ticking. :)

Fabric: 32 ct. Vintage Antique Ivory
Fiber: DMC 115 & 434, stitched 2/2
Other: Mill Hill Beads, buttons from stash.
Filled with crushed walnut shells for weight.

Other-Other: I drew SO much inspiration and instruction from Staci this time: I used not only her idea of making a little beaded pin pillow out of this freebie, but also directly referenced her instructions for dyeing with Rit and adding a beaded edge. Unfortunately I can't find where the pattern came from, having only remembered it when I saw her blog about the one she made for an exchange.

Thanks also go to Becky for her gift of 115; I had been looking for some and asked her where she gets it and she sent me a big fistful of it. Of course, I had to use some of it NOW. Also, of course having stitched 2 (but done the finishing of none) of these freebies, I wanted nothing more than to further spurn my WiPs pile and make ANOTHER one! Seriously, I enjoy this stitch. It also served as great research for what linen to use for "Good Morning". I liked it so much that I went with the same.

Next time: Pics of my finish-finished Sailboat Biscornu and perhaps some links to cool stuff I like/want to make soon. :)

Happy Mid-week, Everyone!

Yours,
Berit

Surprises in the Mail!

2010-05-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

Look at this wonderful package I received from Myra in today's mail!

A wonderful pouch and an autumn/Halloween LK pattern! I was so surprised when I opened the pouch and found the pattern tucked in--I thought it was a piece of cardboard included to keep it nice in the shipping! :o

The back is so nice; it is really beautifully made, and even lined inside!

A close-up of the yellow zipper (!!!) and zipper pull--it's a feather that wonderfully compliments the feathery leaves of the print. :)

Myra, thank you so much--I am just beside myself with excitement! I'm thinking carefully on what to store in it--it's so nice that I almost can't bring myself to use it! :D Maybe a new WiP is in order, lol!

And now back to cleaning and my new project, which you'll recognize from Staci's blog, lol! I'm really enjoying putting the 115 Becky gave me to good use! :)

With best wishes for your weekend,
Yours,
Berit

"Cheater Cake" and Stitching

2010-05-26T09:08:00.001-07:00

Most stitching lately has been for surprises or exchange, but I have managed some that I can show. Here's a progress pic for PS "When Witches Go Riding":

I like it so much with this open circle 'cause it looks like an old "book illumination" (Imagine the circle being filled with an illuminated letter). If I didn't like the top, also, I'd just leave it. I was so tempted that I already put in the black part of the moon, before stopping due to agonizing over where to put my signature/year.

Now, for Cake! This is my favorite "Cheater Cake" so named because you're cheating not only on your diet but also by using a box cake.

Mix up a yellow box cake (I use Duncan Hines and add a few sloshes of vanilla extract) according to box spec. Then, break up the pieces of a Hershey's semisweet bar and arrange them thus. I poured 25-30% of the batter into the bundt before tiling them down today.

I love how the squares are printed with the company logotype and "1/2" oz. I feel so baker-ish.

Pour in the rest of the batter gently and "drop" the pan a couple of times to level the batter.

35 minutes later (I did over-bake slightly, darnit!)

Let rest for 20 minutes and turn out onto plate. Slice 'n Serve on your favorite mint-green "cat-plate" with total disregard of plate's intended pre-k audience.

Mmnn, Melty-chocolate! This is so good that a friend who Hates Yellow Cake (Who hates a yellow cake? He must be a commie. It's "America's Favorite Cake". That violator on the box can't be wrong, right?) Praised it in the same sentence that he abused yellow cake. I leveled my best "You just sprouted a second head" gaze at him and informed him that it was in fact a yellow cake.

Point: This cake is the perfect "carrier" for delicious chocolate. You could serve it with some whipped cream (add rum when you make it!) or pudding or custard, but that really is gilding the proverbial lily. It was a great way to celebrate Marc's recovery and the advent of a new 'Fridge at Chez Bunny-Bear.

I'd like to add my apology that these photos aren't more appetizing--our little nest's kitchen lacks any window.

In other news, SailBoat Biscornu is ready for finishing!

Photo from last night; not the best lighting.

The light colour of the waves is a Dinky Dye silk on this, the "front". I used the recommended DMC for the back, however. I think I like the slightly greener DMC better, but after ripping out the front's dark wave silk (Belle Soie Peacock) for being too green, I decided to let the slight varigation of the silk stay.

Just now, with plenty of sun. The true colours are somehwhere in-between. I love those bottles from Ikea, and so I wedge them into the photo whenever possible. (You should have seen our Christmas pics--Marc's face got obscured by one of them--but only partially so we could still use it for our cards. lol.) As for the desk-clutter, I must love that, too, 'cause it's always there no matter how many times I clear the desk.

I still haven't heard from the House Biscornu winner, but I'm going to wait it a bit more before re-drawing. I really hope I don't have to--I can't say how disappointed I'd be if I somehow won something and then wasn't able to claim it/didn't realize I needed to do something and it was whisked out from under me! I hope things are okay with her generally, and no major disaster has occurred!

For now, it's back to finishing my Sailboat Biscornu, packaging up some things (between exchanges, a pattern return, RAKS, and my little giveaway I've got quite a pile of things to haul to the post. Ugh--I wish the humidity would give me a break!), stitching on My New Start (Whee!!), and of course Wednesday is Bathroom Cleaning Day.

Happy Midweek, Everyone!

Yours Cheerfully,
Berit

EDIT: After so many requests, I'm adding the link to buy the Sailboat Biscornu from The Floss Box.com here. The only change I made was subbing 5200 for Blanc DMC.

The Lucky Giveaway Winners!

2010-05-21T07:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday, everyone!

Without further ado, let's announce the lucky winners of last time's giveaway:

House Biscornu Winner: Joan

Redbird Sampler Pattern Winner: Patty C.

Ladies, I need your street addresses so I can get your prizes mailed out to you. :) I'm sending an email request for it to Patty via the email addy from her profile, but I don't see one on your profile, Joan, so please email it to me at the link in my profile. :D

Thanks for playing, everyone!

We've had a few bumps in the road this week, too. Most significantly, Dear Marc ate a solid helping of an unfortunate broccoli salad at the salad bar on Saturday from which he gained a robust case of food poisoning that just won't quit! Later in the week, I was a bit under the weather myself, but thankfully it was a more garden-variety ailment of the monthly persuasion, and no cause for alarm. We both seem to be perking up with today's sunshine. It's the first in a while, so maybe I can do some finishing and get some pictures taken. Speaking of those little devils, while my own little nest is approaching sparkly my desk's clutter condition has taken a nosedive, and I can't at all find my card reader, so no pics today! I think it reached the tipping point after I spent yesterday helping my friend edit his graduate thesis--all that printing, ugh! I'll clear her out today, if all goes as planned.

Mostly, things are good, however. :D I'm all-but-finished with my summer exchange (need only to "cinch" a biscornu–AND I already made the extras), I'm ready to stuff a beaded-edge RAK (It's so cute I'm bonding with it, which means it's definitely good enough to gift away!), and I'm having fun customizing a design for a new start. :D

Yours with wishes you'll have a great, stitchy week-end,
Berit

Double Giveaway Time!

2010-05-12T10:36:00.001-07:00

Hello, Everyone! We've been having a bit of a week here so far: Our 'Fridge decided that it had fought enough of the good fight and all at once destroyed all the food inside. I really couldn't say what happened--it always seemed cold enough, but suddenly the freezer downright reeked of, well, carrion. Yup. It was so strong that when Marc opened it I smelled it from the other room! So, all (and I do mean all) of the provisions in the freezer and 'fridge had to be discarded on Monday night. :( The bad news is that since changing out eating habits last September, we don't really eat much packaged, shelf-kept food anymore. SO, on Tuesday I spent the day contemplating the possibilites of Spiced Jello Soup (why do we "own" 15 boxes of lime jello? Do you think Marc wants me to make some for him, perhaps? ;) with Navy Beans. I also had 2 cans of peaches, and 2 boxes of tomato puree. lol!

Parting was difficult--especially with the artisan cheeses (this time Spring Onion Jack and Havarti). I buy them in double-sized blocks from Sam's and cut 'em up for use (lately omelettes!). We're bigtime cheese lovers, so it was, "Well...maybe I could eat it! Yeah, sure, if we eat it all now it'd be fine! Probably..." Now, Stitchers, even if it had escaped the Evil Influence--eating all that cheese alone would have made us sick, lol!! :D :D :D

The good news is that our Penny-wise Landlord instantly agreed to replace it (not technically legally required by the state), and so a new one is on order as it's a special size (24"w x 58"h). The other good news is that I get to eat the pumpernickle bread (with peanut butter!) we picked up at the store last night--a definite Off-The-Wagon Treat!

This morning, I woke up to find that the chilly weather turned to rain, so I decided it's the perfect time to shake off these doldrums and get on with the Giveaway I've been planning for some time!

A month or two ago, while pining for spring simplicity, I stitched up this biscornu freebie from The Floss Box! I had such a great time that I made two--would you like to add one to your collection?

Just to be clear, this is an "Heir and a Spare" situation--one for me, one for you. So, only one will be sent out. I'll be picking the winner from the comments section, so just mention you'd like to join. :D (No hoops to jump through :)

There is one condition, however: I don't like the idea of the labor of my snail-speed stitching going to someone I've never heard from before and won't hear from again after, so I must recoginze you in order for you to win.

You don't have to be a regular commenter or my close pal--If you're not *sure* I know you, well, enter anyway. If you're drawn, and I can't recall you by name right off I'll have a look at your blog. If I've seen it before even in my wanderings, You Win! :D If not, I'll quietly draw another name. :D

And, because it's just too sad for new-comers to the party to be left out in the cold, I'm also giving away a second prize that Absolutely Anyone is Eligible to Win:

The Chart-only for Bent Creek's Redbird Sampler! I actually won this for the New Year Start giveaway hosted by the Generous Jolene--my first win ever! Oh, I was so thrilled--made my Christmas! This is a FUN stitch, and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did!

The Fine Print:

• Comment on this post for entry through Midnight on Tuesday, 18 May 2010.
• Winners will be drawn and announced sometime Wednesday (Yay for Midweek Cheer!)
• PLEASE Do Not type your email addy out in the comments as it's a GREAT way for SpamBots to acquire it. If I don't know the winner's contact info and it's not on their blog page, I'll ask for it at that point.

Good Luck! :D

~*~

Stitchers are the kindest people; you hear it again and again, and I really owe so many of you so much! Much more than my stitchy fingers could ever produce, more than even a pocket deeper than mine could hold, so since there's no way I can keep up with paying it back, I'm paying it forward in my own small way. Especially, this biscornu is made and given in honor of those who've been kind to me and extended their friendship even as a Nobody when I was first starting out--Myra, Edgar, BeckySC, Terri (of Raised by Poodles), Nicole, Annemarie, Sharon (of X-stitch Happy), Deb (Thread Gatherer), and so many others! Everyone, Thank you! I'm having such a good time making things, and enjoying your handworks as well through your blogs!

Yours in Thankfulness and Fun,
Berit

"Two Plugs" or "Here I am!"

2010-05-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

I just noticed in checking Edgar's Giveaway Post that I'd promised to mention it here. I was checking to be certain that I'd entered. Let's just say that the fact that I already entered wasn't the only thing I forgot! :P So, because I want to keep my word I decided to post "Now" rather than "Tomorrow, Maybe". At any rate, Check out Edgar's Giveaway: He's celebrating 3 Years and 700 posts--wow! You have until Tomorrow at 3 P.M. PST to enter!

Here's the second plug: Erynne, a blogger I only just got to know when she had to stop (aww)--but the good news is that she's back and publishing designs under the name Red House! Here's her newest, "Love Lives Here" and I think you'll LOVE IT as much as I do! Her official website also has some freebies, and if they are any of the ones from her blogging days then they're also keepers. :D

...

"Where have you been?" Asked a few comments and emails I've gotten. Everyone, thanks for thinking of me! I've been working hard trying to get some things in order (mostly the house), and so have been limiting my computer time. (Chiefly, I haven't been stumbling out of bed and logging on half-asleep then staying on for most of the morning!) I'm making good progress establishing workable routines, and soon I'll get to the point where I can schedule in blogging. They say everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, but not everyone has the same time-mgmnt skills! Whew!

But, on to the stitchies! I've been working on exchanges, so that means lots of stuff I can't show yet, so Boo!! Lately, I really hate doing things that I can't show here on my blog--maybe I'm an exhibitionist at heart!

I couldn't really get any acceptable pictures (overcast) and I know I'm forgetting more stuff, but we're going to proceed with the mottos of "You're not behind; Jump in where you are!" and "Progress, Not Perfection".

Here's Ferdinand (You may remember him; isn't he prim?) with an absolute PILE of DMC 115 that Becky SC sent me. I'd made an offhand comment that I couldn't find any in local stores and wondered if it was disco. I really like 4210, and have been curious about the "Legendary" 115. I was so amazed when I got a heaping pawful of them in the mail from her (with a few 4210's for good measure. I was down to one skein, so thank you!)! Stitchers, you are the Nicest People! Becky, I am so glad to call you "Friend". :) :) :)

Do you remember when I was working on that BBD freebie NIKM ABC's? Well, I finished it, but as for the finishing had about 3 things I wanted to do with it. I was so keen on all of them that I'd almost decided to stitch it 3 times. I still think I might! One of them was to add it to a liner for this scissors case I picked up on a tip from Deb. I was planning to make the "wood" white, but now I don't know. it does look good this way, eh?

Open that reflective glass door! I was also thinking of trying some of that chemical etcher for the glass...

A batman snap showing the colours a little better. :D I know it's lousy photography, but I have a soft spot in my heart for them.

My stitching station right now--at the couch-end opposite Ferdie, and Today's Target. I put a few stitches in last night; the letters are fun to stitch.

Just in case you were curious about what that was on my "companion shelf" A closer, also murky, view of the Sailboat Biscornu I'm stitching for myself! I love the floss toss for this one, and am almost ready to begin the waves. The fabric is an evenweave (the one that has no stretch--is it Lugana?) in a newish colour called "Cobblestone". I'm thinking of a stormy sea. I do love gray. The other floss ring peeking out is for my summer exchange. I'm glad to say I'm done with the stitching and in the middle of "finishing" it. :D

Just realized that "vial" full of white and wet stuff looks so discomfiting that I'll explain it--it's a photographer's loupe for viewing slides and negatives and the like. The white stuff is a cotton round I put into the "protective" vial after I discovered it was scratching up the loupe. Sigh. One of these days I'll shell out for another, unscratched one. It's from my art school days for viewing slides shot of pieces. Yes, when I was in HS ten years ago slides were THE thing for admission submissions, competitions, and shows. Can the 1999-2000 school year (My Junior year) really be ten years ago!? It CAN. :P

Finally realized that the bowl that came free with the liqueur chocolates we bought at duty free the last time we went to Toronto is Perfect for the glass stones I use (with haphazard regularity) to track my water drinking for the day. (And just about useless for anything else). Eight Glasses!? Remembering to drink is enough without keeping track of numbers!

The table runner with the Blanket Stitching (=Yes) came from Ikea (also = Yes).

My coziest book nook (aka My Bed). I usually read in here when it's warm and sunny, which it wasn't yet when this photo was taken. Overall, it's a very cheerful room. Rita Mae Brown's newest "Cat Mystery", Cat of the Century is new out now (today)! Thanks to Amazon for emailing me an ad to buy it for my kindle. Thanks to NJPL for letting me reserve it online, and then emailing me when it was a mile's walk away from me at the local branch. I LOVE books. I love to buy books. Just not this month. If you've ever wondered what was up with all those Cat Cozys--try one of Brown's. I tried 'em out about 5 years ago, and IMHO she writes the best. Crozet, Virginia--Here I come!

Just realized there's some crafting here, too! I made the "length" of white crochet 7 or 8 years ago, when I was first learning. The flower doily is more recent; perhaps a year or 18 months, when I tried it again. I realize that I love creamy yellows, pastel yellows (really all pastel save baby blue and baby pink), and eyelet lace!

And, there's a "Handkerchief" from when I first started stitching. I made it by hand using a barely-mastered blanket stitch for the edging and added Pikachu (yes, he's the little pocket monster) using 14ct. waste fabric and 3 strands of DMC. Needless to say, he was too difficult and cute to use to really wipe my nose. I still harbor ambitions for making my own handkerchiefs, though...:D

While working on my big cleanup/self discipline, I stitched something I'd seen on Staci's blog and loved absolutely. I'd have never though of stitching this freebie all in black, but I love the way it looks--simple and just the thing. I admire her taste so much; I think she's a fine and discerning eye for matching materials to pattern. It's my policy that Imitation (with credit) is the sincerest form of flattery, and I hope she agrees! I'm copying the way she rendered it to a high degree--I even bought the black mill hills for the edging. I am, however, leaving off the initials lol!

I liked it so much, and was thinking of it so much as a great addition to a Halloween display (it is my "2nd Most Enjoyable Stitch Ever"--Fox Forest holding the #1 spot), that I decided to stitch it again in refreshing white for the spring time! Also, as I was using up some linen that I "didn't like" I decided to try overdyeing it with tan rit after I finished the black. I liked the black so much that I dyed the other cut, then stitched the white one!

~*~

Whew, all along I'd meant to make this a QUICK blog, and pics only and leave the talking for the end here and for the purpose of thanking all of my kind readers for their encouragement about things like Laundry Disgruntlement but most especially for those who included me in their prayers or quiet time per my request last time.

I'm the type to get quiet when I have troubles--if I can't think of anything uplifting to say I'll just keep my own counsel (this is only partly true; I've been told I'm quite "Snarky". I'm not sure about that, but I'll own that I'm a "Harsh Judge", but I aspire to be an encouraging one. I might "Give it to You Straight" but that's only because I think "You Can Take It." "I Believe In You." but this is a bunny trail--).

Like so many of you, we have many things going on right now--the good and the bad are all coming at us tumultuously to the point that it can be hard to discern the one from the other!

But I want to share with you all one good report that happened since my request. One of the things weighing most on my mind at the time was this: In brief, the biggest effect of The Economy on our little household was that on April Fool's Day 2009 Dear Marc was called into the Home Office of his company. Dear Marc is a computer programmer, and at that point he was a Laid-Off Computer Programmer. He'd been pulling for the company for over 5 years at that point, and had stayed with them even when given rotten assignments with the view of loyalty and a possible transfer as it's a world-wide concern that supplies pinch-hitter programmers to mostly major corporations. So, following that the best/only opportunities for him were all "Freelance". Long story short, we've been blessed with work since then, but the current position keeps a 35 hour work week for freelancers with No Overtime Ever. On Thursday, April Fool's Day 2010, Marc's super 'phoned him after 7pm. Oh, how anxious I was! Can it be--two years running!? Is it any wonder Marc has No Sense of Humor for this silly Holiday? Well, it was not as bad as that, but they called to arrange it that he would take that friday, the next day, off due to a lack of projects that had made it out of planning and budget stages. And every subsequent Friday until further notice. Oy. What a worry! Sometimes even on the days he did go in he wasn't able to bill more than a few hours, and now only 4 possible days a week!?

The Good Report: that Friday, April 2nd was the ONLY one since that he hasn't been needed for work at the office! :D Thank you so much, everyone--I feel like this is due in large part to your kind inclusion of us in your prayers and thoughts! It's not like all things are resolved, but this is a definite Light!

Everyone, I hope you are well and you are often in my thoughts. With a wish that all good things come to you and lots of "X's", too, I remain

Yours,
Berit

Inside, Outside.

2010-04-06T16:20:00.000-07:00

First, the "outside" I noticed while taking out the trash.

I bet some of you will love that tractor, so I picked this shot.

Yet I prefer this one. :)

The temperature's too nice for even the sunset to make one feel melancholy.

My poor neighbors (yes, this tree resides in their lawn)--whoever loved and cared for their large, yet oddly shaped (It's very long) back garden is has been long-gone these 15 or 20 years at least. It's an absolute ruin--and I can honestly say it only shows beauty at this part of spring. Their postage-stamp sized front is clinically tidy with 2.5 shrubs under the picture window--all the "i's dotted and t's crossed". I'm no green thumb, but I do long to go and spruce up that yard of theirs. The lay of the land is such that They are 20 or 30 feet below our little apartment house; anyone walking by peers right down into their back yard as into a goldfish bowl. I used to talk myself out of going and offering to do various yard work tasks for them--"Certainly they'll have a restraining order brought against you for even suggesting it!", I lectured.

Then the end of last summer they started in with my landlord because I hang my linens (sheets, towels, pillowcases, etc.) to dry at my balcony. "It doesn't look nice." "This is a nice neighborhood, not a slum." "What if someone were to see your clean laundry drying!?" If you were raised thinking this way, think again--the average American family spends over $300 a year just to dry their wash! The dryer is one of the most wasteful of home appliances, and it literally pummels your clothing while blasting it with scorching air to get it dry for you. Your things will last longer and look nicer if you hang them out, not to mention how healthful and anti-mold it is; particularly for bedding which takes up a certain amount of moisture from you body and doesn't always get the airing it needs. There is no local ordinance against line, drying, but I gave it up because I couldn't decide whether or not it was a battle I wanted to "choose". Now that the weather is so balmy, It's definitely resurfacing in my mind--hence the ramble. I hadn't even realized how much I was thinking on it until I looked up at all I'd typed! Well, at any rate, here's a website with more details on line-drying, particularly from a standpoint of protecting and promoting the right to do so: Project Laundry List.

Now, for the "Inside" (I had intended to make this a Pict-o-Blog; "Hah" to that!)

It's my progress on Quaker Diamonds! I left the blossom of the center flower 'till last 'cause I was thinking of making it purple rather than red. Now, seeing it "all" I'm leaning red. I'm so loving this piece, but it is enormous and the 14" Q-snaps make it HEAVY! Also, the 3-strand perle is FUN to stitch with, but after a bit the effort begins to tell--you feel like you're yanking the thread through! So, my advice is that it's great fun, but pace yourself unless you're made of sterner stuff! :P

•••

Finally, I'd like to ask those of you who keep a prayer/quiet/reflection time to remember me for an "unspoken" request this week.

I want to also thank all my kind readers; I so enjoy your visits here, and being able to stop in at your blogs as well!

Yours from a Spring Eve,
Berit

Quaker Diamonds, Go!

2010-03-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I made my start on Quaker Diamonds, which you may recall was a RAK from BeckySC.

Today, like all of the last 7 (or so it seems) is a very grey and rainy one, so please excuse the quality.

The Valdani perle is such a joy to stitch with. I decided to stick with the recommended PTP Mello in 28 ct. Cashel, and I'm glad I did. The wonderful colour aside, their Cashel seems to have a really dense, stand-up-to-it quality that takes the perle well. I think I looser linen would be pushed around too much. So, for me Valdani perle + PTP is a must. I wonder what linen Becky used for her Quakers and Quilts WiP. She would be better qualified to make recommendations regarding suitable linens for the perle than I am.

Here's a bonus shot from our trip to Mitsuwa marketplace, a wonderful Japanese shopping center which just might be the happiest of all my happy places. :D

Look at those darling bunny containers! :D The sweets contained within are in front to the far left. The Japanese see a rabbit (or 2) in the moon making traditional mochi, a sweet rice cake made by pounding and turning cooked rice outdoors with a mallet (mochi-tsuki), flouring and sweetening as you go. So I'm pretty certain that this is packed in a rabbit more because of the fact that the sweets inside are rice cakes than the fact that spring is approaching.

It's from the gift counter, which has imported sweets with regional, seasonal themes. Very expensive, they are souvenirs brought back from traveling (omiyage), gifts for taking along on a visit to someone's home, gifts for your boss or those who have helped you in the past season. (It's traditional to give such things at 2 points in the year: New Year's and I forget the other; possibly golden week. Birthdays are much less important than they are here.) These are all facts from memory, so my apologies if you happen to know better than I and I've made a mistake there.

Well, spring's coming on slowly but surely, yet I do wish it'd hurry up! Or, just go back to winter. No more gloomy rain, Please! Hope all is well with you and yours--I'm back to my cake in the oven and Quaker Diamonds! Thanks again, Becky! I can't tell you how enjoyable this one is to work on! :D

Yours Spring Feverishly,
Berit

Exchange Arrival Rings in Spring!

2010-03-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

Just look at this amazing pillow Lindsay sent me for the Easter Holiday Exchange!

Cherckerboard Bunny Freebie from Waxing Moon Designs
on unknown pale blue linen
using GAST with some substitutions.
Stitched by Lindsay

The bunny is such an nice colour--I LOVE him!! :D

Her stitching is so neat--I wish I could make such nice french knots!! I only recently learned, and, well...

Other fun goodies were also included: A sunny notepad, some of that scented floss (I've been curious about wanting to try it), and some chocolates which missed the picture because I've put them in the fridge to re-solidify so that we can eat them! The LLV (That's what the boxy mail trucks in US are called; short for "Long-Life Vehicle") must have been pretty warm today 'cause they got a little melty--fortunately Lindsay had the clever thought to seal them in a bag just in case! :D

Thank You so much Lindsay; I'm so excited to have some spring stitching! I've been doing lots of fall/winter stuff lately (which I love), but I also love pastels! :D I'll be enjoying each warm spring day (as we get them) together with this darling pin pillow! :D

Longer Days

2010-03-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

...are here again in the US. The time switch (whether it be "springing forward" or "falling back") always throws me: I realized that I'd been suffering horribly the previous week from seasonal depression. Insufferable winter blues--what nerve they have to elbow their way in as the gloomy weather ends!

Fox Forest

Please pardon the "away waste knots" I always use them. Do you? I hate stopping stitching to tidy them up, but when I begin a session I really enjoy weaving them in--makes me feel as though I must have accomplished a lot last time. Fills one with a sense of industrious pride. lol

Redbird Sampler

As she has stood for what seems like weeks! To the left, 2 strands of green needles. To the Right, only one. 2 are called-for on the chart, but the chart also specifies a much lower (28?) count linen. I used 36/2. Everyone I've asked seems to like the double strand, but I can't quite give up the idea of a single. Opinions, please? The sooner I finish this baby the sooner I can pass the chart on to a lucky reader. ;)

Easter Holiday Exchange

Modified motif from "Strawberry Summer Sampler" by C Street Samplerworks, as published in the Summer 2003 edition of Sampler & Antique Needlework Quarterly. Stitched 2/2 on 28 ct. Cashel "Fog" by PTP.

This image shows the colours a little bit more clearly; it was a hideously overcast day when I took these photos.

This is my first pynkeepe, and I was very nervous that Bonnie should like it! I am pleased with the first attempt, and hope that she is too. :) I sent another exchange (Arbor Day) at the same time, but as we're still waiting on that one's arrival I can't show the pictures yet.

What's next:

• Finishing that Darned Fox Forest. I seriously love this piece. So much that I could stitch on it forever and never finish it! As it's a chart loan, however, I'm cracking the whip. All the foxes are now in and all that remains is the alphabet and me deciding how to sign it. And If I'm gonna add some other stuff (Like a phrase beneath it).

• Secret Project! Can tell this much, however: All it lacks is a bit of ironing, some perimeter stitching and a few perfect buttons/beads/baubles.

• Finally was able to order linen for Quaker Diamonds, and it is in the mail!! Oh, the joy! I think I'm going to start a monthly thing with myself on this one; otherwise HOW can I finish it. It's my "first" BAP. (Not the first to plan, but the first to start, I think. I planned another quaker, but when the fabric came in it was a total bust.) I need to block the design off into monthly sections, methinks.

• I *wish* I could start JB's Christmas Sampler, which I've had for a while now, but idk if I can handle more winter right now! Can I wait 'till next year!? :D

• Did you see Staci's gift for Paula?? I swear; I'm stricken with the compulsion to copy half the stuff she rolls off her presses! :D

Thanks to everyone for all your kind comments on my last post! Sorry I've been somewhat absent lately. I've got about a dozen of your blogs open in tabs in my browser awaiting comment. But, my computer time for this afternoon is now up! ;)

Have a great weekend, all!

Eat Your Carrot(s)!

2010-03-04T10:07:00.000-08:00

On Monday morning, while sleepily checking my email/reader, I saw that Tanya of The Sampler Girl had released a new freebie: "eat your carrots".

Because it was such a glorious, spring-y,sunny morning, and because I've been doing fall stitching most of the winter (which I love, but don't want to do winter all spring...), and because Marc's nickname for me is some form of the word "Bunny", and because I LOVE pastel colours (I'm happy as a pig in, umn, mud when the spring comes because I can just roll in pastels, eyelet lace, and seersucker regardless of whether or not anyone I know's got a baby.), I decided this would be an easy, fast spring make which I could then finish and enjoy as spring comes on. I think we all need a little cheering up from the winter blues. So, at some length, I finished, and "finish-finished" it.

"eat your carrots"
The Sampler Girl
Start: 01 March 2010
End: 03 March 2010
Fabric: 1/2 on Mystery White Linen
Fibers: GAST Straw Basket, Grape Leaf, Avocado, Bayberry; DMC 3854, Anchor 305

I used some of that ubiquitous pink-bud seersucker (gosh, how I love that type of fabric!!), and some taupe stripe ticking (another favorite) as the complimentary fabrics. I wanted a half pastel-half prim look, and I'm reasonably satisfied with the result. Too bad almost I stuffed and/or ironed almost all the "seer" out of the "sucker", but I still find this rather saccharin print a guilty pleasure. :D

I noticed this morning that this finish has yarn hair. Not unlike a Cabbage Patch. I think it's the "pig tails". I'll do something about those guys later on; maybe tie more knots in them...or castrate them. It might be all in my own head, as I was too rough turning the pillow to begin with and thus endowed it with "ears", and so planting the seed of the idea that it's a plush with a "head" which is now sporting yarn hair, lol. What think you, Gentle Reader?

Well, It's time for me to slink back to the warm nest I've made of the couch. That fleeting Sunny Morning is long gone, but I still have my Sunbeam Blanket, so all will be well even if I am a bit under the weather this week. Happy stitches to you all, and Thanks for stopping by. If you see a creepy little doll peering at you from the upstairs window as you leave my house, don't worry, it's just my pillow-finish. :D

Your Couch-Dweller,
Berit

A Wonderful RAK Arrives from the "Queen Bee" of Our Little Hive. :)

2010-02-25T14:53:00.000-08:00

What a miserable day it's been outside! It's just a snowin' and a snowin' out there, but as the weather's been above freezing for several days prior it's doing nothing more than making the most un-picturesque slush imaginable! The report said 18-odd inches, however, so Dear Marc's company shuttered their doors as a preventative measure against stranded office-ites. So, he's been here all day, yet I can't quite "settle in". I wish I were a cat today; they always know how to curl-up and cozy-in, and should the weather spite them they know just the degree of disdain to exhibit so it knows they are unmoved. :D

I've been stalking the post with eager eyes these past couple of days as I was awaiting the delivery of this:

Lizzie Kate Quick It: Sampling Halloween, 30 ct. WDW Havana Linen (as called for), CC Stepping Stone (The one colour neither I nor the LNS had for NIKM ABC's from BBD), PS Santa 2006 (My favorite of their Santas!), and the Kelmscott Tudor Rose Scissors!

The fruits of a RAK gift certificate from Becky! I was on the fence for a long, long time about what to get, but finally had my mind made up for me when Myra, who received a similar gift, posted about getting The Same Item I'd been contemplating getting, which is the LK Halloween Quick-It with a cut of WDW Havana Linen. :D Myra is a great blogger, and I've so enjoyed knowing her since I first found her blog through the original Tiny Treasures Exchange we were both a part of. We were never partners, but I was new to xstitch blogging, and I checked out most all of the other members' blogs trying to get a feel for things. Myra is so talented and funny, and her works are so enjoyable to watch; I feel like she is just really enjoying herself with the things she makes! I'm really hoping that when spring comes, she'll be reinvigorated to tackle Dog's Day Out ;).

So, overall I was able to knock 2 charts off my wish list, try out a new brand (WDW) and count (30) of linen, "fill out my troop roster" for a WiP, and feed my scissors need! :D I feel like all my deliberating paid off in bigtime mileage! :D

More scissors porn! *squee* I've been wanting these puppies since they came out. Next up on my hit list is the Steweb style (also from Kelmscott). I've decided to stop (for today, at least, lol) pining for the Mia from Ginger (which seem to be about as common as a Gryphon) and those $500 Fox 'n Grapes scissors!

And here's another, 'cause it shows the linen color more accurately. (But, I can't say I'd spare you it even if it didn't!)

...

I'd like to take a moment to thank you all so much for your kind visits and comments! Thanks for your kind words regarding Eileen's Mixer--I'll be doing my best to live up to it! If I could, I'd send every one of you a cookie! If you're *very* (and I do mean exceptionally) lucky you'll get one of the ones that are a full moon rather than a "crescent". ;)

Your Crumby Friend,
Berit

"Too small to count as another WiP."

2010-02-24T12:12:00.000-08:00

...Or at least that's how I rationalized it to myself. ;)

NIKM ABC's Freebie by Blackbird Designs
2/2 on 28 ct. Antique Ivory Linen
Recommended Fibers (GAST and WDW)

Strangely focused, but it shows how pretty the colours are.

My big blog seems to have fallen through, but in case anyone was wondering about my Manjula's Kitchen Experiment, here's the Baingan Bharta I made on that snowy Wednesday.

The end result was really good, and a big hit: Marc liked it, which is more than I can say for the restaurant version that inspired me to learn the dish. He's a "Good Eater", and has enthusiastically eaten everything I've ever made save 2 instances, though I'll spare you those anecdotes for today (at least. ;). It came out really "yellow" which I attribute to either a mistake in the quantity of Turmeric I added, or the fact that I had to make do with corriander powder, rather than the called-for seed format. I've already got 2 fat eggplants awaiting a similar fate in my kitchen. :D

The second "make" of my too-busy snow day was Snickerdoodle cookies! They are quite possibly my favorite cookie ever, and that's saying something. I'll say something else: Creaming Butter, Shortening, and sugar together until they are "fluffy" by hand is not for the faint of heart. "Where are the cookies? This is a lump of dough.", you say? Somehow, they were all eaten before I could get a pic. I won't link you the recipe, though, because I wasted at least half of the batter trying to find the baking Time and Temp. In NJ (or 2 of her ovens, at least) the magic number was 6 minutes at 360 degrees Fahrenheit.

They were such a hit (the pickiest amongst our set pronounced them to be "perfect".), that I can say my efforts on the behalf of others' taste buds brought me back a *very* nice return in the form of...

An Artisan Stand Mixer from Kitchen Aid! I was admonishing the boys (Marc's college set; though they graduated one and all nearly 10 years ago, they are still friends who have a monthly "party". One year ago 4 of them established a bachelor pad together, and we often pass the evening there. They have three Playstation 3's, and a pool table in the basement--the draw reveals iself! Fortunately for my stitching eyes, a sister also recently gave them a lamp!) that they should be grateful for these hand-mixed home-made cookies--I suppose I was in a particularly shrewish frame of mind--when one of them pipes up that his family's got a stand mixer moldering unused and would I like it. I made all the proper protests due to the value of the object, and the fact that they not only have disused stand mixer, but within the last year or so also acquired a Dead Mother...Yep, this would be her stand mixer. Without going into the personal details of other people's lives, it is such a sad thing: Her son is only one year my senior, and she was a lovely woman. Though I never met her in person, I know her son well, and he is full of praise for her: A whip-smart (Yet retiring and sometimes uncertain of herself) gynecological nurse, she was the first in the state to earn special qualifications which allowed her unrestricted prescriptive permission. Dad was quite powerless against her knack for adding cats to the household. :)
The trompe-l'œil she muraled in her kitchen (with more enthusiasm than skill, admittedly) featured a stone hutch filled with cheese, grapes, and a garnet-filled glass. Hanging alongside, her favorite cheeky quote:

"I enjoy cooking with wine; sometimes I even put it in the food."

I've been charged with the proper use and good care of Eileen's Mixer. So, I tried making more Snickerdoodles (as you see above) they came out perfectly; now if only I'd remembered that I cut the sugar to 2/3 on my first run-through!)

Those of you who do own stand mixers: Any ideas for what I could/should make? Hints, secrets, dish on dishes?

Yours Somewhat Reflectively,
Berit

Red & Green and Redbird Sampler(s)

2010-02-17T08:33:00.000-08:00

Here's an update on Redbird (Thanks to Jolene :). At some point, a Red Bird (It's a cardinal, right?) will appear. This is on the same piece of linen as Fox Forest, BTW. When unfolded, it's like they are opposing armies lining up for battle. I completely love stitching with the Juniper (is it CC or WDW; can't recall, sorry!) on this Meadowlark. It's pictured in a crocheted basket from Ikea, one of my 3 or 4 "Happy Places". Annemarie ID'ed it last time as being from their Hallowed ~~Halls~~ Showroom, and it is only my desire to finish Redbird this year that is restraining me from waxing long on their wonderfulness. :)

Meanwhile, my enormous blog hasn't made it off the presses, but I want to go ahead and share my joy at the wonderful surprise I received late last week in the mail! Feast your eyes, Dear Reader, upon

Rosewood Manor's Quaker Diamonds

BeckySC hosted a GENEROUS giveaway of this amazing piece, I think, because she is enjoying her work on their Quakers and Quilts pattern (which is a "sister piece" to QD and uses the same Valdani Floss. Now, if you followed that giveaway (who didn't?) you'll know that I didn't win. Yet, Here it is with me. I COMPLETELY wanted to win (how greedy, having won from Vonna in December) and must have been too open in my admiration of the piece! In truth, I feel a little guilty--but only a little. ;)

These Valdani perle cotton balls are one of my favorite things about this piece--I've never done x stitch in perle and so wanted to try it! I never expected, however, that Becky would send them too along with the chart--I've been SPOILED! I love-love-love them! They are so tiny and perfect; brings out my cat nature and makes me want to pop one out and bat it around with my paw!

Oop! There goes one! I quickly put it away before I succumbed and batted it all around the room. Wouldn't want it to get dirty! (=^.^=)

I'd LOVE to start it right away, but I have to finish my Arbor Day exchange (loving it; hope my partner does, too!) and do the finishing on my Easter Exchange. I picked up the materials for that this weekend, so all should go well. Also, I don't have a suitable cut of 28 count linen. The chart calls for 28 ct Cashel in Mello from PTP, and after seeing a piece of it in 32 at the LNS which had come in on special order, I've pretty much decided to stick to it--pretty! For those of you who use PTP, where do you like to/is the best place to get it? I'd love to get some without having to wait for them to dye it, but I think that may be a pipe dream!

So, where's this Red & Green Sampler?

BlackBird Designs has seen fit, in their infinite wisdom, to release this little gem as a freebie!

I am head-over-heels for the colours, and have been since they blogged a sneak peek a while back. It is a reproduction of the antique sampler that Barb fell in love with which inspired their creations for Market this year, and I think Market-Exhaustion has overtaken these poor ladies because they've titled it "Now I Know My ABC's". I don't know about you, but that title goes over with me like a lead balloon! I sure am desperate to have this beauty, though! Wonder how I should finish it. What's that? Finish A WiP first?

Okay, ~~I'm off to ferret around in my stash to see if I can find the fibers for NIKM ABC's~~ work on Redbird and prepare for dinner.

Snowy Stitching

2010-02-15T19:33:00.000-08:00

Gosh, but I have a beast of a blog in the works. Updates on all that cooking. Answers, answers, answers. Awesome stitching, and even more awesome SURPRISES in the MAIL.

But I've only a moment, and so here's how I'm ringing in tonight's Snowfall.

Red Bird Sampler
Bent Creek Designs
Recommended Fibers (CC & WDW)
36 count Meadowlark (1/2)
Start Date: 10 February 2010

Other ~~Snooze~~News:

• Have you seen the Steweb scissors from Kelmscott? I wants them! :)
• Patience 1898 from Hands to Work <--Also want. lol

Seven O'Clock Snow

2010-02-10T05:02:00.000-08:00

Because the Weather Report said that the accumulation of Snow at daybreak would be 2-4 inches (and because they were dead wrong on Friday: I saw about 2 flakes in the city), continuing ALL DAY, I went out to take "progress pics" just before 7 AM today.

Approaching the wooded area behind our building.

Getting Closer. :)

Deep into the Woods(y Area).

A Neighboring "Pink Lady"

Recently-Awakened Me. :) (Can you tell I'm approaching that age where Makeup ought to be a necessity rather than a luxury?:P Well, really it's more like my eyebrows are stark blonde and without the aid of a darkening powder disappear altogether.) On Friday I got a haircut, and I'm still getting over my separation anxiety: It was long enough to sit on. I wanted it trimmed, taken up, shortened. I felt like it was eliminated. But...It looks fine...probably...

From the Balcony, Whee!

•••

What's Next?

• Snickerdoodle Cookies

• Some Veggie Recipes from Manjula's Kitchen (finally stocked my Indian spice arsenal last night.) I'm trying Aloo Gobi first. My friend and I have long been laughing (not always kindly) at Auntie Manjula's videos because they are nearly 10 minutes long each and consist primarily of her listing off all the spice components first in the intro and then as she cooks with them. "Halba Teaspoon of ____" times about 20. :D But we've been getting so into the Indian restaurant around the corner lately, and I'm excited to have her as a reference to try my own hand. :)

• Try jalc.org's (Jazz at Lincoln Center) Archives. In particular I really like the recent Danilo Perez installment
It's all good, of course, but start with "Ask Me Now". The music show is all one file, so you'll have to advance it to 20:15 on the progress bar to be selective. (The whole "Song" is a little under 8 1/2 minutes long.

• Red. Bird. Sampler. Jolene gifted me with this snowy sampler, and I really want to make a start (My first non-exchange start of the year! :D :D :D) today.

• Want to walk to the LNS, because it is only a third of a mile away. Before you expire of envy you should know that it's a Needlepoint shop, and so they only have about 50 x-stitch charts (lol) but the proprietess is a Lovely lady, and I can see all the floss I want there. :)

• I also owe a tonne of replies to comments. Thank you everyone for stopping in; I will endeavor to somehow be organized enough to answer questions and properly reciprocate. If I manage to miss you, PLEASE have pity on me and give me a gentle nudge (or swift kick) by way of a reminder.

Yours Snowfully,
Berit

More Witches...And Black Cats To Be Seen

2010-02-09T07:26:00.000-08:00

I was so encouraged by those comparison photos I took and all of your kind comments (Thank you so much, everyone!) that I kept working on WWGR. Because I'm getting addicted to seeing it magically progress flipbook style in my album, and also because I now like taking photos thanks to my cell phone (of all things), here are even more progress pics.

I so love this acorn needle minder. I should take this opportunity to throw out my hoard of acorns from this Autumn. Yes, the ones I spent 5 hours drying out in the oven.

Marc was in a Clash of the Titans mood last night and he kept making jokes about "Bubo the Owl" and answering in robotic-owl tongue when I spoke to him. Bubo looks really scary here as a Zomb-Owl with no eyes or beak.

•••

Here's Ferdinand (Cousin to Felix). I've had him so long that he's picked up a touch of "real-boy" magic. Isn't he so prim? What's that? "No, he's just dirty!", you say? Well, Ferdie (a diminutive Marc's given him which I'm not quite sure he likes) takes exception to that. Ah, isn't that just like a cat--often one isn't sure if he likes you or hates you body and soul. :) (I love cats, jic you somehow missed my obsession, Dear Reader.)

Ferdinand recently took his almost-annual "spin" at the laundry. I put him in one of those commercial front-loading washers (cells) with the glass door (bars). Occasionally, through the sea of white suds there flashed a dingy grey paw--swabbing desperately at the glass in a heart-wrenching plea. It was with great difficulty that I resisted springing him, as it had been considerably more than a year since his last "bath" this time; in truth I feared that extreme old age (He won't see his 10th birthday again.) coupled with the fact that I'd just fished him out from the Abyss of the Underbed had conspired to somehow tip the scales of his plushcat to swoot ratio--would anything remain when the cycle was complete? It was with great joy that I at last transferred him from the washer to the largest of the dryers, where he proceeded to amuse all present with his "hamster wheel" antics. Two pertinent facts: He generally led with his face. And Marc took video. :P

•••

Yours Cat-fully,
Berit

Riding With Witches

2010-02-07T14:18:00.000-08:00

You may recall that I was working on When Witches Go Riding by PS, and I've done some here and there between exchanges and my monthly HalloSAL. Today, I decided to take a progress pic, and I was shocked by how much I'd actually gotten done since last time just by doggedly sewing in black, black, and more black.

Before:

And Now:

This one does the best job of showing the colours on this grey day.

But this one is clearer, and un-cropped. You can see where a I had to take out some black border at the corner due to a knot-loop. Sigh. If you're looking for the "ruffle" at the bottom of the frame as charted, never fear. I am quite in love with it, yet contemplating inserting some sort of signature-date-etc at the bottom in a box before that fancy trim. I actually have--somewhere--about a million thumbnails sketched for personal logos that would be, in my recollection at least, very suitable for adaptation to the medium of needle and thread. Now all I have to do is stop stitching (or rather starting) new projects long enough to find it and knuckle down to the conversion!! This is what's preventing me from showing a finish on about 3 projects, Beneath the Sunlit Sky included!

Have a great one everybody--stay warm for this last push of winter.

It's Open Season on Kathy Barrick. ^_^

2010-02-03T19:48:00.000-08:00

Just in case you hadn't heard, Kathy Barrick of Carriage House Samplings has put a bounty on her own head:

"Oh! I had an idea.....the more comments you guys post (positive OR negative), the quicker I'll load the images! Work for you??"
--Ms. Barrick, via her blog along with a pic of A@HRH Block 1

Autumn + Cat + Porch Swing = Yes.

You heard the woman--Now, take your torch in hand and let's all storm over and form a mob outside her blog's virtual gate until she releases the next eleven blocks! :D

(For my part I'll be taking along my Easter exchange for the Holiday Exchange Group, and after that either the Arbor Day one or my HalloSAL to occupy myself during the mob's "Quiet Time." ;D)

A Valentine Arrives!

2010-02-01T13:02:00.000-08:00

How thrilled I was to find Edgar's handwork on my doorstep:

•••

So many items were fished out of the packing peanuts! The lolly is a truffle chocolate! (I'm pretty sure it is from Walgreens, if anyone wants one. I worked there during my High School days and I can spot their packaging from a mile. Also, I studied Graphic Design post-secondary, so that might also be why. They have really great seasonal items; just a couple of aisles, but it's pretty unique stuff for good prices. It's my favorite place to buy Christmas Tree stuff. Just don't buy Ritz crackers, unless you're comfortable paying $7 for a box of 'em, lol. Okay, back to the action!)

Did you want to see the card? No? Well, I did. :D It's a darling Wizard of Oz colourplate crop from one of the original Frank L. Baum books. I'm honestly not too much of a fan of the famous musical, but I DO sure like Return to OZ, with its Jim Henson puppetry and Drew Struzan poster.

*ahem*

The wrapped stuff: Candies, a bejeweled heart frame, Prairie Schooler's Santa Rides (Yay, now I can scratch that one off the ol' wish list. I'm deciding if I should do the ship first--most Norwegian--or the baloon--most wacky.) And, also a wonderful packet of California Poppy seeds. I LOVE poppies 'cause they are so pretty, and I was inordinately thrilled to receive some! I'm not sure if Edgar included them because he read me gushing about them, or because (as I noticed) they are a favorite exchange inclusion of his, but I am so excited to see if I can get 'em growing! I'm not much of a green thumb, but this is worth a go! :D Also, they are singularly appropriate to the Oz Theme. ;)

V is for Valentine from the CHS Alphabet
36 ct. Purely Primitive from Silkweaver
Recommended Fibers
Stitched by Edgar

Okay, it's off to see what's for dinner and to start work on the upcoming Easter exchange! I'm feeling good about it because now that the partners have been assigned I find that the design I was mulling over in my head should be JUST right. :D

Yours as long as I don't have to come out from under the Sunbeam Blanket,
Berit

Remember Heart

2010-01-31T00:46:00.000-08:00

Hello, Everyone! I'd like to share my version of BlackBird Designs' Souvenir de France today. (^_^)

Un Souvenir du Coeur

This was my first time using this sort of blanket stitch appliqué with the raveled edges; I used Anchor perle cotton--love this colour!! I wish I could remember on whose blog I saw a brief tutorial on this technique! In any case, thank you!

I made this for the Valentine's Exchange on the Holiday Exchange Group which is moderated by BeckySC. So, I added my own name (Berit) and that of the recipient (April) along with the year and the name of the group.

Around the time I was making up this walnut-filled pyn pillow, I also upgraded my cell phone to one which had a 3.2 MegaPixel camera, which made it superior (in many respects) to our old Kodak 3.1. Now, I can enjoy the ultimate in lazy blog-photograpy: The good ol' "snap it with your phone then text to your email" procedure. I actually HATE taking/uploading/cropping pictures. I think this is for many reasons, but may be most influenced by the fact that I used to work in a photo lab. I know many/most of you stitchers own really fine SLR digicams (and I'd love one too), but I still think it's impressive that the above image was shot by my cell phone!

...And this one, too. You'd better hope I tire of this "camera" soon!

Now, I spent most of December stitching this one up because I wanted to make it nice: I don't think I have to tell you that Becky and her friends are No Slouches, and I'm a relative novice at only about a year of stitching/being in the online stitchery. And, The part I was most nervous about was The Finishing. I'm also a new owner of a sewing machine, and I decided I'd try making a turned pillow and using fusible interfacing AND stuffing it with walnut shells...all at once!

I had a bit of a bad experience with the walnuts shells: my first bag of them from PetsMart was all full of spiderwebs/insect filaments and so I grumpily decided to return it. When I got there, they rather urgently informed me that it was contaminated with paper moths and enumerated a laundry list of precautions to prevent an infestation in my home: I had rather foolishly thrown out about 1 cup of the offending litter in my kitchen garbage, you see.

So, Stitchers, heed my Cautionary Tale: Carefully peek through the bag around the printing to see if you see any insect silk at the top of the walnut bag before you buy!

Ah, yes. The photo. After all this, I wanted to close it neatly, using what I only knew as "That invisible stitch for closing pillows", which turns out to be called a "Ladder Stitch". And, there above you can see my first attempt: Not half bad, though I say it myself! :D

Adding hearts to this pyn pillow sure was enjoyable!

I also sent along some Heart & Bear (Rilakkuma) stickers, DMC stitchbows, and a heart-shaped acrylic magnetic frame from Ikea (one of my happy places :). To Becky, thank you so much for letting me participate in this exchange, and to April, I enjoyed stitching for you and am very glad you liked what I made!

"Un Souvenir du Coeur"
32 Ct. Natural Linen
Fibers: GAST Antique Rose and Apple Cider, Anchor Perle-8: 375

What's Next: Stitching on Fox Forest continues (What a joy this one is!), I also picked up When Witches again for a while, but boy does that have a lot of black! I grew weary quickly. I'm still working on the bottom, stitching in the witch and etc. Monday will bring a new installment of the HalloSAL Sampler, and I've also agreed to be part of the HE Easter exchange (Already getting ideas for this one!). But, wait--Becky announced an Arbor Day exchange. I do LOVE trees, and am so tempted to join in: Oh, the dangers of over-committing! But, I'm getting (I think) a great idea for this one, too!

Finally, the Valentine I stitched for myself is all done, now for the "finishing" I have 2 appropriate backing fabrics, and myriad buttons oh-so-charming; it may come down to a vote from you, dear reader, if my decision-making should fail me! :D :D :D

I want to thank everyone who has been reading and/or commenting on my blog lately. There are ever so many wonderful blogs and sites and things to do/visit on the web--it makes me very happy that you've spent a few moments here! I've been trying to return comments and visit all the blogs I can in good etiquette, but I often fall short. Please continue to regard me kindly!

Stitchy Updates

2010-01-28T10:19:00.001-08:00

Whew; December is not an easy month to recover from! I've been feeling kind of quiet lately, and making a proper blog post--Whew! I don't know where to start! But, I do want to share what I've been working on, so I'll let the work do the talking this time, and away we go!!

Here is my first finish for the year, a cube scissors fob to thank Nicole for kindly lending me her copy of BlackBird Designs' Beneath the Sunlit Sky (Loose Feathers No. 26). It is an arrangement of various motifs from the design, as well as our initials. I decided to make them a bit like a children's alphabet block, because we share the coincidence of having our first and last names begin with the same consonant ("N" and "B", respectively) I was a little worried that this was too forward of me, to put my initials on it as big as hers were, thinking, "This is for her, why will she want something personalized for someone else?! But, I decided it would be okay due to the motif.) The cube is about 1" square in finished format. So, without further ado,

"Merci Cube"

And my favorite pic, Nicole's from her blog showing it adorning a lovely pair of pewter-finish scissors. I'm so honored that she decided to use it.

Thank You Nicole, for your generosity and patience!

You might notice that I've got the chart for PS Fox & Grapes under the glass there; I really want to stitch and enjoy this one, and I just determined yesterday that I have OVER TEN WiPs if you count the smalls awaiting finishing!!! This will certainly not do! I know some of you are lauging at me for being alarmed at only ten, but when you consider that I've only been "at it" about a year, and that I have...I don't even know, but one hand has enough digits to count them with room to spare, well... I should make a deal: If I finish 2 more I can start F&G! ;)

I also finished my Valentine's exchange on the Becky-moderated Holiday Exchange Blog, which is now accepting new members and is open for sign ups for Easter until January 31, 2010. Please check it out if you are interested. I'm a bit concerned about my package, though, as delivery confirm shows that it was delivered on Monday, but here it is Thursday and no word from the recipient. I really hope she received it safely, and that she likes it! I also look forward to showing it here, as I had many adventures in finishing it! (That should make for a funny post!)

Fox Forest Update:

I do know I used 3 where 1 would have served, but with this new phone I've got (the EnV Touch), I'm really enjoying my needlework photography. Trust me when I say I spared you oh-so-many more. Mostly, I'm enjoying looking at the "floss toss"; I subbed all the colours in, and I like admiring it on the sunny coffee table more than I do stitching it. And I LOVE stitching it. Thanks, Edgar. ^_^

Proof that foxes are really cats:

Because it really was a quiet, sorry-feeling sort of morning, and then the post came, and now as I'm typing the sun's come out, here is the nicest part of the Afternoon Post (My mail is, of course, delivered only once per day, but it was after noon. Sometimes, it's The Morning Post. ;), my order of Scissors from Yuko!

Her service is so lovely, if you are on the fence about this, please order from her! I ordered her styles "C" and "D" from a French seller, who charged 24 and 26 dollars for scissors and S&H, and NO combined-shipping! Yuko is a much better value, and her service is fast--only 8 days after shipping they arrived!

The packaging is lovely: Even Marc remarked on the rose-printed wax paper.

In an amusing bit of "Engrish", the packaging says that they are "Manicure Scissors". lol! They are very nice, but I wouldn't touch my cuticles with them! You are to use them WITH your hands, not ON them! :D Pesky Prepositions! This is the manufacturer's mistake, and not Yuko's, though. Her English is very good (certainly superior to my paltry Japanese), and EVEN if she did I would never laugh at it! :D

Thank You, Yuko, for collecting and offering such good products for us! I will enjoy my scissors today!

Well, all, thank you for your time and kind attention (and to the owner of the Preying Fox who posted his image on Wiki), next time I hope to show you the Valentine I made for the exchange and also the one I'm now making for myself!

Yours in Stitching,
Berit

"'Zee Renard"

2009-12-26T15:51:00.000-08:00

Hello, Everyone! I do so hope that all is well with you and yours. December has been quite a month (and still is) yet I HAD to stop in for a very important reason: I have been lucky enough to win Jolene's Generous Christmas Wish Giveaway! I could not have been more surprised to see this image on her blog amidst photos of her family's Christmas Fun:

The condition of Jolene's giveaway this time was that you made a wish by telling her what, from your wishlist, you wanted to have as a new Start in 2010. Now, there are a lot of nice things on my wishlist, and I love them all, but I thought about what I might actually be able to START right now/soon (considering my WiPs, and an exchange commitment) and also the winter season and so narrowed it down to two things- Red Bird Sampler and Sweetheart Tree's Think Snow. I asked her to pick if I won. Secretly, I think I did want Red Bird More!!! Squeee! I'm really so thrilled about this one. Now, I'll have TWO WiPs featuring Red Birds, but I'm gonna keep the first under my hat for a bit longer. ;)

And, while I'm here, I finally have a tidbit of a thing I can actually show you! And it's even my own stitching at that:

Feast your eyes upon my start on the Workbasket's Fox Forest, or as I like to call it, "Zee Fox" lol (Marc's corny humor is contagious)! This chart is a generous loan from Edgar, who stitched it earlier this year and finished it into one of his "Incomparable" Boxes for his contribution to an exchange. I've been just batty for red foxes for quite a while now, and am so pleased to have done this little bit, at least, of a fox design. I can say that this is also my favorite fox of the whole bunch in this piece, so he can keep me company while I stitch up the rest.

Well, I'm off to a gathering of Marc's College Friends called "The Monthly Party" (You must forgive these guys; they are programmers and haven't the talent for titles that we stitchers have. ;) I hope everyone is having a very Merry Christmas and general good time. Please find some cozy stitching time and expect a return of my Wednesday showcase posts in the new year (if not another blog from me before).

Yours in Stitching,
Berit

Wednesday Wish-Its (Three)

2009-12-02T03:00:00.000-08:00

Leading the pack today: a mouse variation of the darling humbugs Ann has been making lately; Isn't he just the cutest!? I love everything about it--fabric and even the cute lace-edged jar he's perching upon. :D

Next is Carol's sophisticated "Pearls and Rosebuds Fob" from Drawn Thread. Carol, I understand, has been very busy with other commitments this year, and has not been as active in blogland as she has at other times, so I don't know her that well, but I sure feel like I know and enjoy her work! When I first started looking online for xstitch stuff, her works really stood out to me in places like the world's largest collection of smalls blogs. I am Such a fan of her works, and get so excited each time I see a finish perched upon a windowsill.

Here's a little something from a photo tour of Mituswa I did a couple of years ago at my video game blog. It's a set of darling cat-themed mugs that were sold at Utsuwa no Yakata. They have a nice bit of texture in that the glazing was done in such a way that the "line art" on the cats is at a lower level of relief than the rest of the mugs. I really do wish I'd bought some when they were still available. Has anyone got a time machine they'd be willing to lend me? ;)

Aaand that's all I have for this week! Boy does the holiday season just fly! We've only just started, but I already feel like I'm behind. I also feel like I haven't done any stitching, yet the truth is that I'm almost finished with an ornament! I also made some pomander balls, and am hoping that Marc will get interested and make some, too! I've got the cloves and oranges laid out along with an invitingly-placed awl. I also want to show 'n tell about Thanksgiving: I cooked my first turkey ever and it came out perfectly--so juicy! But, it looks like we are going into the City tomorrow to see the tree lighting, so I'd better go to bed now before I oversleep again (This morning we slept like logs until 11:30 AM! Marc's work is casual about arrival times (he can leave here as late as 10 AM--but not that casual! It's important to show a properly punctual commitment to arriving in time for lunch. :P Or, at least early enough to justify taking a lunch when the Noon-1pm hour rolls around!) We've also been busy driving to Ikea what seems like every day this week, but is in reality only two. Amazingly, I have to go back again to exchange a defective apron!! After we finish with our tinker-toy assembly, I might take some pictures to post up! :D

Yours in Stitching,
Berit

P.S. Primitive Bettys has released two new patterns as of the first of this month--please check them out if you <3 prim like I do! I love how her patterns are available via etsy, too!
Also, Sampler Girl has a new freebie out--My True Love Gave to Me. Have I ever mentioned how much I want that toffee apple pattern from her Stitching Janeite's Pattern Book? Tasty! Now, if only it were sold individually.

A Winner is You!

2009-11-27T09:29:00.000-08:00

Everyone, we have a winner!

Robin, an order with Carol for Sew Winter has been placed--check your inbox; it could even be there now!

Thank you all so much for your support of this giveaway; I am truly touched. I've joked to a few of you that I wasn't sure how to handle the draw--initally I figured that the number of entrants would make flipping a coin the most reasonable way to determine *which* entrant won. And, even then I was thinking that I'd have to enter myself, and keep flipping 'till the other person won!

While entering your names into the randomizer, and reading your dear comments I was struck with a pang of sorrow--could you all not win? The Sew Series is sew(so) affordable...I actually did the calculation for how much it would cost to gift you all with it! :P Unfortunately, for 47 entrants there was no way! So, if you really did like the chart, consider treating yourself for me--you'll be assuaging my guilt in a big way. ;) But, in all seriousness, I was sad to learn from Carol several weeks ago upon ordering her Sew Noel that while she had had over 1,000 requests for her free charts, only a (literal) handful of people had thus far clicked that paypal link to pay the small fee for Sew Noel. So, remember the Sew Series you have DL'ed been generously gifted with--and think on her newer charts. I can vouch for the fact that they make a GREAT gift. ;) You could give your stitchy friends (If they don't have her charts yet) 4 charts for only $4! Show me a better deal in just-released designs--plus they are so charming; dear and just-right for travel stitching and making gifts. Well, that's enough of my salesgirl soapbox; I'm now off to accompany some friends on a bit of Black Friday shopping; wish me luck!

With Thankfulness that my first turkey (19.8 lbs.) ever came out moist and juicy, I remain

Drowsily Yours,
Berit