Down to six

I counted on my WIP shelf. I am down to six projects carefully stored in their project bags with origin dates from 2019-2022.  Looking at them, I don’t think I really have anything left over from last year. Strange that – or perhaps they were easier and smaller projects that I knocked off first.  The issue of course with those that are left is that they all are bigger projects.  Two are single issue items (the Tea Sampler from Governeur and Silowitches from Teresa Kogut).

Six projects are easy – I didn’t even need to go and borrow a fancy die – a normal six sided one was more than sufficient.  And Silowitches it is. I will have to look up start date (2023 sometime) and fabric. I think it is 18ct by the looks of it, the thread I am using is Vampy from Leo&Roxy Floss (Now Roxy Floss Co).

My helper is still taking over the chair at every opportunity

(and once I finished with this whole discussion I realized that I have three other projects left over from last year, it is just that they are hanging up rather than having a home on the shelf – Treasure Island from OwlForest and two Nora Corbett Zodiac Girls needing backstitch/beads – Gemini & Taurus. Total number is still in single digits. That is compared to the 21 finished from previous years so far.  Plus the three projects both started and finished in 2024).

 

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Turkeys!

And…. they are back!

It has been more than a few months since I have spotted any of the stupid birds around the intersection of San Pablo & Marin in Albany.

But there they were, on a Saturday morning hanging out near their favorite gas station. One that I suspect has feed them in the past.

and in case he isn’t all that obvious –

I look at the size of their heads – and how very little brain there can be. It is a wonder that they survive at all. I think, however, at least around here, they have been spotted crossing the roads IN THE CROSS WALKS often enough that everyone just stops and waits.

 

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The 2022 Hanukkah SAL

Which I mostly stitched on while cruising or in Australia during the last quarter of 2022. And then I either forgot about it, couldn’t find it, or just plain ignored it for all of 2023.

When I first pulled it out, figuring it wouldn’t take all that long to finish, I found out that I was totally wrong. Totally and completely. But today – I put in the last stitches on the Menorah and it is done!

Obviously, I left the date alone – given that I would have had to change both the Latin and Hebrew dates – it just didn’t seem reasonable. It was close to 100o stitches today…

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Napping

Today was a day of little to no energy. I can blame the extensive day yesterday. Or being back on medication. Or just being tired.

I think Miriam’s cat demonstrates it the best.

So, rather than celebrate PI Day, I just didn’t get much done and am headed to bed early.

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Round 2

of six scheduled.  I keep thinking – escape in August.  Meanwhile, it is once to twice a month across the bay, the Bay Bridge, and SF traffic to spend most of the day literally hanging out in the Infusion Center. I seem to have survived Round 1 with minim side effects so, with lab looking ok – today marks the start of Round 2.

I figured out before that cross stitch actually is too complicated to work on, but knitting? Especially garter stitch blankets are easy, sensible and portable. I made significant progress and am thinking I should have this one done and the next started before next month’s round.

Meanwhile, we will not discuss the 90 minutes it took me to get home (18 miles…).

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my grey shadow

It has been a long time since I lived with a cat. Decades in fact. I am not counting  temporary cat sitting, especially of one that spent all its time living in the linen closet. This time it is different.

My morning started out with a cat (the cat belongs to by youngest who is helping the Eldest and as a result just isn’t going to be home for the next couple of weeks) announcing very distinctly on my side of the bed that it was breakfast time. Further, I was totally falling down on my job since it was LATE!

Breakfast, coffee, cat box all taken care of, I sat down to stitch and had first my lap taken over, then my chair with eight + kilos worth of cat. Makes it really hard to do anything. I finally took a break and cleared off a section of the table which he deigned to use for a while.

But it didn’t last.

As a result, I didn’t get anywhere near as much accomplished today as planned. I have no idea what his opinion tomorrow is going to be of either the sewing machine or the steam iron.

Progress worth showing:

.

all seven side squares are done, complete with backstitching. I am about 35% done on the Menorah – my goal for tomorrow,

and just down the street –

we are still obviously seeing more than a bit of moisture.

 

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Did you spring

forward? This question obviously applies only to those living in 48?/50 US states. I know that Arizona decided a number of years ago that Daylight savings time was stupid and doesn’t play.  Smart state. They don’t have some of the issues that go along with time changes. Especially in the more northern states – that extra hour in the evening equates to more electricity used. More kids up late. And it irritates the dairy famers.

Anyway – I found the PDF’s for the Hanukkah SAL from Snarky&Modern that I started in 2022 while visiting in Australia. That means that my head was saying FALL, while around me it was spring. Anyway. I had stitched the frame + the first ~four parts (which were along the left and right side.

I added the latkes last night along with some gifts. That just leaves me the menorah and the sufiyot.

More completed on the Greenhouse –

which means it is about time to move the Q-snap. ~45%

and I have a house guest.

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and Libra is 23

Never mind that dyslexia struck sometime back in 2022. I decided that I am not frogging about 120 blended stitches and redoing them.  Additionally, I had assumed that a bit of backstitching & 250 beads was all that was needed. I have forgotten about the Kreinik – never my favorite.

So, backstitch. more beads that I ever enjoy and that Kreinik –

and the color that is wrong is that orangey looking strand blended in along her shoulders and neck..

Finishing her meant that I am down to eleven older projects that need to be finished. A Teresa Governor is the oldest being prior to 2019. There are two from 2020. Two from 2021, and six are from 2022 (which was my year of the SAL which accounts for 5/6). Anything started last year has either been finished or tossed as not worth the time. All of these are at 75% or more, which does make them worth finishing.

Meanwhile, I have three projects in rotation that have been started this year  and the fourth (another SAL) has the third section dropping tomorrow.

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And 22

Of this one – there is really no excuse. It should have been finished years ago.

The Tired Trio by Plum Street Samplers.

Stitched on some nondescript 14CT Aida with the called for specialty floss. Start date? I think March of 2019. Looks like it should be simple? Nah – bunch of ½ and 1/4 stitches which are a pain on Aida. I didn’t know about them when I started and just didn’t want to shift fabrics. Mistake that. When I pulled it out today I started looking for what needed to be stitched. Turns out it was three small flowers, one leaf, and a few outline stitches. THIRTY STITCHES! That was effectively all.

It is done,

Earlier I had put time into The Greenhouse, and my Modern Folk Embroider piece, Since I had finished the Solar System yesterday, I had needed pull out another old WIP. And that is where it became challenging. Most of the patterns I have are digital. Near the end of last year, I had backed up most of the files and pulled the non-current ones off my computer. Now, the flipping external drives are refusing to be read. Noah has them to excavate but meanwhile, it turns out that I needed a few of those files to finish two projects (SALs).

But, and this is important, I use an off-line reader on my MAC and save just about all messages of any importance. Obviously, having an attached pattern file was important. As a result, I managed to salvage the four files needed to complete each project. I managed a couple hundred stitches into one of the two projects before deciding that reading and computer games would be much more fun…

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Finish 21

So far this year..  Wonders of the Solar System. The 2021 mystery stitch-a-long from ClimbingGoat Designs. Stitched with DMC on 16 ct Navy Blue Aida.

I had finished the comet and went on to those two bits of “rock stuff” in between the Sun and Earth. And thought I was through but decided to check the floss list anyway (Pattern Keeper is so useful for this) and found that I still had four colors beyond white which had stitches left. It turns out that belonged in that little dumbbell bit toward the lower right corner. So instead of having 272 stitches today it turned out to be 331. I am electing not to add in various random white stars and a few constellations. Yes, we can see them, but they aren’t part of the system. It wound up being 3265 stitches in total to complete this WIP  starting on the 26th of  Feb through to today.

A Field Guide to Dragons (2024 SAL also by ClimbingGoat Designs). Part 2 which is the Welsh Dragon is complete.

and I also put in a bit of time on Cottage Garden Samplings’ Greenhouse

I am really glad that I have changed the color on the greenhouse structure. The white in both the bell flowers and decorative edging barely shows in person and not at all in pictures.

Otherwise? Errands… my life seems to be overtaken by needing to make trips in the car.

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and now found

As should be obvious, as soon as I didn’t need my mail-in ballot anymore George pointed to it sitting on my sewing table partly buried.

It should have been obvious. But then, we often don’t see things directly in front of our faces….

As like most days – there were errands. It was also a great day for renewing friendships.  My walking partner from pre-pandemic and I started to pass each other on Walnut St, then stopped and made plans for resuming out weekly walks. Another friend and colleague came by for a visit. We also haven’t connected for more time than I would like. Looks like it will be lunch every couple of weeks.

And then there is the cleaning avoidance (see messy desk top above) which I resolved by continuing to stitch…

The Welsh Dragon is about 2/3rd complete. I need him done by the 10th when the next pattern section in the SAL drops.

Since I had finished Earth yesterday (well after my voting nag) I moved on to the comet today. This leaves me with only two random chunks of something that go into that open space  between the Sun and Earth. Then I will be finished with this SAL. 

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Go vote

If you are a US person, and live in one of the states which are holding primary elections today – please go and vote. Or mail in your ballot, which ever applies.

California is an automatic mail ballot state. This is becoming more common, but is still not universal, obviously since it makes voting much easier for a large number of people.

George, good citizen that he is, promptly filled out his ballot, signed, sealed, and autographed the envelope. Me? I put mine in a safe place. Since I hadn’t rediscovered that “safe place” by this morning, I actually headed to my local polling station to vote in person.

Thinking back, this is the first time that I have voted in person since about 1980. We moved to Germany in 1981, registered in Texas on our way and have been voting by absentee ballots since.  Shifting to Florida for residency at some point (something about being military overseas and not feeling like paying state income tax when being out of country).  California became the default when we relocated here at the end of 2015.

Polling places have changed a lot.  The registration people have tablets with which to verify name, address, status, and party preference. Tap, next screen, tap, next screen, etc. Sign with a finger,

“Do I want to use the computer or paper ballot?”

Computer, thank you very much.

Turning me over to the next poll worker, he logged me into the computer with the just issued ID code and turned me loose. Less than five minutes later, (easy, peasy) I was done. Surprised, I followed the directions and printed my completed ballot, then dropped it in the turquoise ballot box. I noted that it had a neatly printed list of what I had voted for, and a QR code as well..

And now we are back home.

Today also marks Noah’s 33rd birthday. He has elected to have a quiet day without any fuss or bother. I handed him his pile of presents which included –

which he recognized immediately as the “Death of Rats” from Terry Prachett’s Discworld.

 

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and on to Earth

This is the last planet that I need to stitch. Beyond that – there is a comet and a number of floating chunks of this and that. It should be complete by the end of the week. Then I need to pick up Libra.

With Chart #4 in the Fabulous Houses series just released, I decided that I should go ahead and just start the Greenhouse (#3). The fabric is Zweigert’s Vintage Stormy Clouds in 18ct. I am using the same fabric for all of the houses. It has left me with the dilemma of needed to make a color change or two. The called for 3865 just doesn’t show up at all, nor really does white. So I have substituted B5200 for those areas that need actually white, and went with DMC 002 for the outline of the greenhouse. This also makes a bit more sense to me since I think of old fashion green houses as having iron frames. And then there is the added advantage of showing up clearly…

As such patterns goes, this one is several thousand stitches smaller than the first two in the series…. Also part of my rationale for going ahead and starting it…

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Saturn

is now stitched and I am one more planet close to a finish on this SAL which has been hanging out way too long. Perhaps it is because I didn’t touch it last year at all?

Anyway –

In family new – Ilan’s bris was today. There was a communications mix up on and I wound up taking my nausea home before the Mohel arrived.  The Eldest is looking better but obviously not completely recovered considering all the surgery in the last week +.

 

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Aries Completed

Done, done, done and I still have both hair and some sanity – in spite of 437 beads today. Which took a lot more hours that I would have thought.

I wound up having to make a trip to the local bead shop on Solano Ave and getting three different 11/0 Miyuki beads in order to find one that would substitute well. It was raining. Except for the few minutes when apparently the clouds decided to spit out a bit of needle sharp hail. But anyway – she is DONE.  And counts as finish #20 for this year. That leaves me three left to backstitch and two of the three also need beads.

I put a few hundred stitches into No Time Like the Present and then started the Welsh Dragon in the Field Guide.

Tomorrow it will be more Dragon and also Saturn. Or cleaning, since I also did laundry today I guess that a bit of clean up for the craft room might just be in order

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Starting March

It is a new month, and I am trying to resist starting anything new until I am reasonably caught up on old projects. But there are three potential projects that are calling my name.

Anyway – I finished the backs on the two birthday presents –

just with a felt circle sewn to the laced up back of the stitching just to make it look nice and neat.

A few hundred more beads on Aries which still leaves me with almost 500 more beads to go. And the challenge of figuring out what can replace Mill Hill 10001 since I can’t find that particular bead anywhere in my stash

A bit more on Saturn from the Solar System SAL –

and finally I finished the Wyvern from the Field Guide to Dragons

 

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summing February

I could make all the bad jokes about leaping years, months, and extra days. But since poor February is still short a day or so, I am not going to indulge. Rather, I am just going to summarize what I have managed to get done. Accomplish is such a freighted word…

Knitting

– made significant progress on the Ten-Stitch Blanket –

I have finished a full ball of each color and am likely to run out of the blue by the end of the next 1-2 sides.  This is my car, waiting room, etc project so there isn’t a great hurry…

Cross Stitch

1) Started (9Feb) and finished (14 Feb) a birthday present. The picture will appear next month.

2) Finished the following –
a) Alice in Wonderland – OwlForest. 2021 SAL – 3 Feb 2024
b) Castle – Fabulous Houses #2 – Cottage Garden Samplings – 22 Jan – 8 Feb 2024
c) Virgo – Nora Corbett Zodiac Girl – Aug 2022- 10 Feb 2024
d) Cancer – Nora Corbett – Zodiac Girl – 2022- 12 Feb 2024
e) Olivia Morgan – ForbiddenFiberCo – Nov 2023 – 13 Feb 2024
f) April Quaker – From the Heart – April 2022 – 20 Feb 2024
g) Cleo – Barbara Ana – Sept 2023 – 21 Feb 2024
h) Capricorn – Nora Corbett -Zodiac Girl – Sept 2022 – 22 Feb 2024
i) Scorpio – Nora Corbett – Zodiac Girl – March 2022 – 22 Feb 2024
j) Tea-Rex – Silver Creek Samplers – Nov 2023 – 24 Feb 2024
k) Pisces – Nora Corbett – Zodiac Girl – Feb 2022 – 25 Feb 2024

additional starts

a) A Field Guide to Dragons – Climbing Goat Designs. Started 25 Feb 2024. This is a 12 month SAL. The Frame, parts 1&2 have been released. This is – I think – 18 Count Aida from AfterGlowWorkshop (Etsy)
and about 32% complete to this point.
b) No Time Like the Present – Modern Folk Embroidery. 18 ct Rustic Aida with DMC 3371 & 3750. Also started 25 Feb. About 8%.

the other current WIPs

a) The Solar System – ClimbingGoat Designs – left over SAL from ?2022?. I am down to Saturn, Earth, a comet or two and some random fragments.

b) and finally – Aries who is turning out to be a real pain. Whopping number of beads (some of which aren’t available anymore) and just general irritation. But she is 8/12 so I am definitely making progress..

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Early morning

and apparently the metering lights now go on before 0600 on the Bay Bridge. Which means that the backup starts even earlier. At least I had my latte from Peet’s while crawling along with the traffic. Once I had cleared the bridge, it was clear sailing all the way to the park, across the park and up what feels like a mountain to the VA.

A blanket was knit upon while waiting. Blood was drawn and I was on my way out before 1000. I made it through Costco, dropped of supplies at two locations and got home at a reasonable hour.

Some stitching, but mostly exhausted and headed to bed early so that I don’t make any more mistakes that have to be frogged.

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Also too many beads

This is Aires – whom I stitched back in early spring of 2022. On the same  32ct Vintage Country Mocha linen as almost all of the rest of the series. She will be number 8 of the completion stack of Zodiac girls.

Backstitch? – Bleh, but no problems…

Then I went and looked at the number of beads. Five colors of beads. I could find four. Good excuse, that – so I went on to consider dragons, time, and then pulled out the Solar System SAL by Climbing Goat Designs. It is a left over from 2021. I have Saturn left to stitch. And some random stars. And a comet. Now if I can just find the PDF….

Oh, yes, and I actually did some dishes last night.  Something about feeding a cat (who needed his food bowl washed) and deciding I might as well empty out the sink while I was at it.

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She is finished

The last 169 beads –

Pisces – by Nora Corbett on 32 Vintage Country Mocha linen. less than 5k stitches but it seemed like all the beads. Started about Feb 2022, finished 25 Feb 2024. Which is actually during Pisces..

Also arriving today was Ilan Rehm weighing in at 8# 7oz or so (3.845 kg) by emergency C-section. The youngest is staying at the hospital tonight as the Eldest is recovering from follow on surgery secondary to complications. A fun time wasn’t had but it looks like both mom and baby will be ok.

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