Home stretch

As of today I am officially in my last trimester. thats 12 weeks, or 3 months, or 84 days, if you are counting. Which we are. As my stepfather put it so succinctly the other day, this baby is coming like a freight train, and I am starting to feel like a deer in the headlights. Anxious, excited, and scared out of my mind. I am slowly coming to realize that my world will come to a screeching halt in 3 months and while everyone who is a mother will tell you that it is worth it, that doesn't help me sleep at night. Anticipation of the labor and delivery is having me read a different book every night, only to reassure me with the knowledge that my experience will be completely unpredictable and nothing like what I have read. In the past few weeks I have registered for a ton of stuff that I may or may not need depending on who you speak to. We have painted the ceiling and installed a newer, smaller ceiling fan. My mother and stepfather came this week during spring break to help rip up the fabulous tangerine shag carpet and redo the hardwood floor underneath and it is much more fabulous, Don'tchathink?



Floor of the babys room
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Ceiling of babys room
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

OkOk it is not all that bad. I am just a bit freaked out. But Ian and I have found our pediatrician, are close to finalizing a day care for the fall, and are in the process of interviewing Doulas. So at least our network of support is becoming more solidified. My mom and I went out and bought some cute clothes at a couple of consignment stores so the layette (strange word) is finally starting to build.


closet and baby clothes
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Overdyed turtle

Turtle freebie
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Ain't he CUTE!
I used some of the new? varigated floss from DMC. I can't recall the # right now. But it felt the same as regular DMC, good coverage and it consistantly changed every inch or two. What I think I might like about this stuff is that it is colorfast (or so they claim, I haven't checked) but it would be nice to use overdyed on things I plan on washing.

the pattern can be found here

Can't see the forest for the paint

A forest on the wall
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Ian painted the ceiling yesterday, but I haven't taken a photo of that yet. I thought I would entertain you with his version of a forest that was done last week. It is a bit dark, but he promises it will get lighter as he moves forward and down. To answer some of your comments, no Ian is not a painter, just a self taught sketcher. Normally he does pencil sketches, and accents them with color or a bit of paint. He has never to my knowledge painted anything larger than a sheet of 8x11 paper. His "real" job is an aircraft mechanic, but like me has NUMEROUS hobbies (currently I can count 7 for him and 7 for me, see below) and this doesn't include the dozens we have both tried and stopped over the years. We have so many hobbies that our 3rd bedroom is technically called the Craft Room and is where we throw guests to stay overnight (there is a futon, so no, they don't have to sleep on the big piles of fabric). In fact both of us go far out of our way to avoid aquiring new hobbies because what we have takes up so much time/ money already...It is one of those things that made us wait so long to have a child, we really don't want to give these things up but know that time/money spend on a child will force us do ditch at least most of them for about 18 years.

Hobby List for Me:
Cross stitch
Jewelry making
Candle making
Quilting
Knitting
Reading
Scrapbooking

Hobby List for Ian:
Drawing
RC helicopter
Legos
Auto Mechanics
Woodworking
Reading
Flying (real airplanes)
Is Xbox a hobby?

Let's just say if we won the lottery neither of us would ever get bored.

Little stitches

Portrait of a Cat
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Portrait of a dog
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

While Ian paints, I stitch. Here are a couple of little guys I finished the past weekend. Both of these are Brittercup Freebies (I have plans for them but won't tell you what they are yet). Portrait of a Dog and Portrait of a cat. For both I substituted an overdyed floss that matched my current pets.

Landscaping....Inside

The background trees
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

So in preparation of the mural painting, Ian recalled that he had seen a muralist ( is that what you call them?) once working using a photograph as a guide. He thought at the time that was kind of "cheating". But now faced with a blank wall and the wish to make a mural look "real" he had decided that using the colors from photographs may be the best way to go. The result is this, a very real looking background of trees reflected in the water. Is it a lake? a river? I am not sure yet. It will be interesting to see how the animals fit in to this. We still have a ways to go

Stitching!

work on Nine Patch village by Bright Needle
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Yeah....Here is my work on Brightneedle's Nine Patch Village that I worked on over at the Tarheel get together on Sat. This is over one on 28 evenweave. I had to break down and buy a magnifier for this one just so I can stitch as fast as I do over two.
I have to say I am a bit dissapointed with the colors..they are just too light. I picked a fabric which I thought matched the model photo pretty closely (and I still think it does.) However as I started stitching I noticed that a couple of my fibers, ones that are called for, not substituted, blend in too well with the fabric. Like in the top block with the house, there is a fence. Can you see it? I can't. and even squinting at the model photo, you can barely tell there is a fence, so I know my fabric isn't that far off. I think I might leave the fence out of some of the other squares since I don't think it really enhanced the piece. The colors are so muted overall that if I darken up one fiber, I would have to bump up the whole lot of them. If I could start all over...which I am NOT I would pick a darker fabric.

I have also been working on another piece but I can't show it to you for a bit as it is a gift I am working on.

15 minutes of fame

Ok not for me, but the next best thing ...a relation! My crafty cousin Betsy was on Martha Stewart. You can check out her blog here. and a link to the video clip from this past Friday's Martha here it is the teacup pincushion clip. It will be up for 2 weeks. Is it just me or is Martha looking a bit fluffy? She also has a book coming out this year (Betz, not Martha), they all involve projects using felted wool. Someday I'll have to try out a couple of her crafts.

We have a sky

Sky in Baby room
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

as I edge into my 6th month I am noticing more and more that the blogs I read (majority of them about cross stitching) are almost all authored by folks with no children. I am guessing this is because stitchers with children probably barely have time to stitch much less blog. So in deference to my childless readers, so as not to bore you out of your mind with isn't she cute posts, I will try to only post about my baby once every 3 stitching posts Deal?

On the upside of that is that all our baby room prep is about crafting/painting. As you can see from the picture the main part of the sky is done. Ian took 3 original shades of paint and about 4 hours to do the whole room. He used a big brush in a technique I guess is best described as stippling. I think it came out much better than I had hoped for, there is shading and depth and it already looks like a real sky, and clouds are still to come. The ceiling will be done as well in the darker blue tones. Ian is already shopping about for the shades of green we need for the grass.

Valentines Exchange

Valentines Exchange
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

I recieved my valentines exchange on Mon from a fellow Tarheel, Linda. This was nice because I had someone in mind when I was stitching and shopping.. but I did not realize that she would be sending me stuff too! I thought it was one of those exchanges like we had on the bloggers exchange board where you sent off something but what you recieved was from someone different. Anyway, I got a lovely little scissor fob, a tuck in wall hanging frame, 2 patterns, floss, a candle, a homemade card, and chocolate. Above and beyond what was expected. I did not take a picure of what I sent her but it also had a fob and a candle involved ;) great minds think alike.

October Sampler

October Sampler
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

A freebie by Passion Broderie. I know it is February, But technically this has been "done" for over a year. Here is the full story: I first saw this as a finished picture on the now defunct Xstitch freebie website , it's still up just no longer added to or maintained. I loved this website to see how you could finish freebies (which is usually just a photocopy without a color picture). and cruised it often. Well since I could no longer find this freebie online, I contacted the original stitcher who kindly sent me the pattern. I decided it would look great on some green fabric with this hand dyed fiber that Aniza sent me long ago. Unfortunately I ran out of the thread on the bottom row. I tried to contact Aniza (who is in Malaysia) with no luck, then just put it away while I tried to figure out what to do. At the Pidgen Forge retreat, I took it with me to see if Brenda (our local dyer) could recreate the thread. But before that happened, my brilliant tarheels said "why don't you just do your initials and/or date in a solid color that matches" DUH. why didn't I think of that? See this is why we need stitching groups. So others help solve problems what you are too close to a project to see.
Well yesterday I pulled out some graph paper, thread, and an hour later....DONE.

A valentine for you

A Valentine for You
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Here it is my second finish of 2007. Well it has to be FINISHED into a fob in the next couple of days. ( if I can dodge the snow/sleet that is due tomorrow)..It is a freebie, the Heart Fob by Jeannette Douglas Designs. I am very happy with it. I was working with a black and white photocopy and did not have any of the fibers called for so I just picked a couple of GAST and Dye is Cast threads that looked good. I found the actual model on line here, and am surprised that is it so similar, (maybe just a bit more pink).

No Gnus is Good Gnus, with Gary Gnu

I have been working on a valentine exchange to be mailed by friday, just a bit if back stitching left. Maybe I will post a picture for you all tomorrow if it is done.

how about an SBQ? I haven't done one in a while:
What company produces your favorite hand-dyed fabric? Are there any companies whose hand-dyed fabric you do not like? If so, why?
It took me a while to get into hand dyed fibers, but i just am not that into hand dyed fabric. I will use it if I see it in a model and i feel it enhances the final project. I like subtle variations. In that case I will use exactly what it calls for. I am comfortable substituting various fibers, and color/counts of fabric. But not yet using hand dyed fabric. Most I feel are overdone, and overwhelm instead of enhance the picture. But back to the question. I use the hand dyed that is called for, Crossed Wings fabric for Mitten Games, R&R for the Dragonfly last year.


Baby room: Ian and I primed the walls yesterday, now it is bright white and ready for experimentation. My amateur drawing husband sketched out what he wants to put on the walls, and it looks great on paper, I am hoping that it will look as good on the wall and it does in our heads. We are going to attempt an outdoor mural on the wall. Like this. Sky, grass, and a pond. maybe a tree or two. In this big picture wil be all the various animal characters that Ian has created over the years. As they appear I will introduce them to you, but it is not the little stuff I am worried about. It is the grass/sky/clouds that worry me. I don't want it to look to flat, and I am no good at translating a picture onto paper. I think Ian can do it, it just might take him a couple of attempts, since he has never done anything on so grand a scale.
We also pulled up some of the carpet to take a look at the hardwood under it. (right now it will be the drop cloth for our painting) . It looks pretty good, there are some weird black marks like tire tracks but it looks like a bit of sanding will take care of those.

The Baby's Room....before

before2
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

the main focus of my creative mind these days is the decor for the room of my baby....GIRL. Yep we found out on Monday the ultrasound went great and everything looks good. Part of me was pulling for a boy just because I wanted to get this crib set. Now it seems to boyish for a girl. and I have yet to see any "theme" for a girl that appeals to me. but regardless we have started to prepare the room.

before1
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

orange shag
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

this fabulous room has Orange shag carpet (which is going!) and was the home of the office stuff and weightlifting equipment. We bought a computer armoire and moved all the office stuff to the library. It was cheap at Wally World...which I hate (the store not the armoire) but we couldn't spend too much with baby furniture in our near future. Pretty good I guess. Here it is :


computer armoire closed
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

the weight lifting stuff will head out to storage, and the desk to my sister.
The walls are spackled and ready to be primed.

ready to paint
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

the next step.... will be as soon as I decide what I want to do. Ian wants to do a mural in the whole room. grass, sky, beach, garden... the ideas are flying around like drunken pilots. so stay tuned for more.
Now I have to go start my valentine exchange piece

First Happy Dance of 2007

the big picture
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Check it out. Shoot if I had known I was only 4 nights (and a morning) away from finishing this thing I would of done so long ago. It ended up that the bottom bands were not as totally random as the top (see close up of the bottom of the sampler below). This ends up pretty big, and would love to have this professionally framed. now to see how long it will take for me to save up that money.

Finished Bottom of Sampler

Finished Bottom of Sampler
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

I take it back

View to a Spring Garden -Black Swan
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Figures, after all my whining yesterday, I got home pulled out View to a Spring Garden and started stitching on it. I would say I am 90% done with the center panel, which is 50% of the whole thing. The only fiber I am missing is 015HL Krenick for the gazing ball and the pond. I could of sworn I had bought it, but can't find it anywhere, so I may have to order that and move on down while I await its arrival. For a picture of what it will look like done...look here, anout half way down the page.

Halfway to Parenthood

Ian had to leave monday for 2 weeks in Orlando for school (his job makes him take updates on the airplanes he works on and sometimes they get to go to cool places). Unfortunately this leaves me alone and depressed with only the dog and cat for company. I have been trying to stay busy (read: clean the house). I have found a creative outlet that is working for me though. I have been working on my scrapbooks ...right now the one with all the pictures from Alaska. I think I can see the end of this one, with only about 6-8 pages left (I have done about 20 pages since Christmas). after that I am going to try to finish scrapbooking at least all of the 2006 pics. The only problem is that to use the only decent workspace I have (the coffeetable) I have to sit on the floor, and my butt is not approving of this after about an hour or 2.

If I had to analyze this (which I will) I would say that maybe (just maybe) my body is trying to get me to catch up on the photos that I been meaning to get to but have avoided, to get as much done as possible in the next 20 weeks. Even if this is true I am still a bit bummed about my stitching slump...so to cheer me up I looked at what I accomplished over the past years since I started this blog:

2006= 32 cross stitch projects completed and 25 finished off (framed, ornament ,etc)
2005= 33 cross stitch projects completed and 30 finished
2004 =12 cross stitch projects completed and 10 finished

Not too shabby, since I bet that those 3 years surpassed the sum total of my stitching up till that point. I think I will set a low goal for the year of 8-10 projects completed. Currently I have 5 WIPS. One of these View to a Spring Garden absolutely has to be finished so I can put that scroll frame away..it takes up too much space when I am not using it. I actually have more of it done than what is pictured there...maybe I'll take an updated photo for you all this evening... it will give me something to do.

New Year...Resolutions? nah...

....I have too much to do to make resolutions this year. Unfortunately Cross stitch is still elusive. I am going to sign up for valentines exchange though, even if it is just to force me to pick up a needle this month. Don't think I haven't tried, All i need is a new project right? Well the other day I started Four Trees by Bent Creek. three hours and one tree later I realized I was off center by a whole inch! this means ripping it all out and starting again. Like I said before, other pregnant ladies forget their keys,etc...I feel like I have lost my ability to stitch.

On the up side, (if it is an up side) I have entered the fat stage that all the books talk about happening during the third month. (where you don't look pregnant yet just fat) So even though I am entering my fifth month, my jeans only have another week or two of fitting.
In preparation of Babyhood, I started to clean out my Mary Kay stuff, which is currently housed in the baby's room. Being a consultant for 5 years can certianly build up a lot of trash, and I maintain a full inventory. Even though I am not fully active (I rarely hold classes) I still want to maintain my customers, so I reduced it down to the basics; inventory, samples, paperwork. and it is getting moved to a convenient location in the attic. This of course meant the attic needed a bit of sprucing...the result: 2 bags of trash, a giant pile for Goodwill, and a (almost) empty closet for Baby.

Disney, Christmas, Cross stitch, Baby update...Long Post

Ian and I at the Osbourne spectacle of Dancing lights
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Hi everyone, I would like to wish you all a belated Merry Christmas/Kwanzaa/Hanukah/Winter Solstice. But I am right on time for Happy New Year! Ian and I got back from Disney last wed, and he had to return to work the next day ...so that left me with laundry and refilling the fridge, and doing some (minor) prep for christmas, like cooking and baking a bit for the two of us.
But now the updates

Disney: I shall not bore you with the long winded version of 10 days worth of park hopping and hanging out, so let me summarize. The weather was great, it only rained one day and while it was overcast most of the time, the temp was about 75-80 during the day. We had 7 full days to visit all 4 parks and went to all of the at least twice and saw almost everything. Ian, having never been, absolutely loved it (except not being able to ride the coasters with me, and the fact that Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is gone). I had been to all (but Animal Kingdom) before but it was a great as I remember, if not better because we had the time to browse Disney instead of rushing through it, and being on their dining plan (a bargain for $30 a day per person...we would of spent twice to three times as much if we had paid the list prices) I got to eat at all the places that I had ever wanted to...and some I learned I won't go back to. We never had to worry about transport, the busses, boats, and monorail took us everywhere. We saw all the christmas extras, the fireworks at Epcot, the fireworks at Magic Kingdom (twice), and the candlelight processional at Epcot where we heard beautiful carols, and the readings were done by Neil Patrick Harris.
If you want further insights or review, you can email me at the address in my profile

Christmas: As I had mentioned before I did not decorate this year, so Ian and I just opened our gifts from our families in front of the fire, even though it has beenin the 60s outside. Ian and I did not exchange gifts this year, Disney was it. But I did get a couple of things off my cross stitch wishlist from my mom, Pine Mountain Designs, Stitching and Easter Pillows and Homespun Elegance Winter motif and Fall motif samplers (I have links to pictures of these here on my wishlist). Speaking of cross stitch

Cross stitch: I have done nothing. Sigh. This stiching slump started right after I found out I was pregnant and finished Santa of the forest. It is frustrating because now is the time to stitch...before my life gets kicked in the head by a baby. I want to stitch but it has been boring me after a row or two (even on small projects). Everyone blames weird stuff during pregnancy on hormones. and even though I have not seen my share of any of that yet (no cravings or big mood swings) maybe I can blame my loss of cross stitch desire on the hormones. Sigh. Maybe a new project?

Baby: I went in for a doctor visit yesterday and Ian and I were hoping for an Ultrasound because we were visiting 6 weeks instead of 4 after our last visit. But the doctor said they don't do it till 18-20 weeks. So then I whined a bit about it being 18 weeks for me in 2 days, she obliged by bringing in the portable ultrasound, an older model with a tiny screen and scratchy picture, But we saw a head, a nose, a mouth, 2 eyes, an arm, a spine, 2 legs, and 2 knees. I have to wait 3 weeks for more than that. But I can do that now, because I am finally feeling him/her. Like someone is flicking me with a finger from the inside, I have been feeling kicks since friday, and everyday I feel more of them (in strength and number). I am still not showing very much, my jeans still fit, and I haven't gained but a couple of pounds. But Ian and I have now begun heavy discussion about cleaning out the room that is to be the baby's room..and where all that crap is going to go now. You know...I think I might actually be having a baby.

We meet Stitch!

We meet Stitch!
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Just a quick post cause it costs us $10 for 24 hours of internet time. So no more posts till we return, You can see some highlighted photos of our journey so far if you click on the photo it should take you to a couple of other photos.

Ian wanted to meet Tigger and Stitch, we were very lucky and got to both yesterday (quite by accident) at the Magic Kngdom. Ian was upset that Mr Toads Wild Ride is no more. We have been to Epcot 2ce and are going back today to finish up the World part. MGM was done on Tues. Yet to go to Animal Kingdom...maybe Sunday.

Off to the Land Of Walt Disney

Peace By Heart in Hand
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

I finally got all the christmas gifts off in the mail to the Parents and Inlaws. Doing the last load of laundry and beginning to pack. Tomorrow I am dropping Max off at the kennel (we call it puppy camp) cutely named The Bed and Biscuit. Then off to a Tarheel stitcher meeting to do a christmas exchange. Then packing and off on Sunday morning.
The cross stitch is a ornament I made for the exchange ..Peace by Heart in Hand. I adjusted some of the colors to fit what I had on hand, but I think it came out ok.

I am bringing my laptop and will try to post while I am in FL. But if I don't get to, then I shall see you all in the 20th.

Sucked in by a book

So instead of stitching, cleaning, packing, shipping, preparing etc. Yesterday I was sucked in by a book. The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory. I came home fully prepared to cook, clean, and do all the things that I need to do in the next 5 days, and instead I read straight from 5pm till 1am. This is not abnormal for me, just abnormal for me lately. I used to read straight through large volumes when I was in jr high and high school, it was a struggle for me to put down stephen king so I could do homework. I kept track of all the books I read and usually averaged about 30-35 a year. I get sucked into books in a way which is not possible with TV or movies, and so I knew I had to swear off the novels while I was in Graduate school or my thesis would of never gotten done. Now that the grading is done and the final I am giving is copied and ready for judgement day tomorrow, I guess I just gave in to the reading monster.

Anyway, the Queens Fool was not the best book ever but it was pretty darn good. A bit more far reaching than most historical novels, this has a fully contrived character that we follow in the tudor court of (mostly) Queen Mary. I have loved the whole Tudor story and Elizabethian england since I was a young girl. I love to read historical novels of the time. I mentioned to my advisor this summer that I loved these types of book and she lent me two, The Virgin Queen by Maureen Peters, a facinating version of the relationship between Elizabeth and Thomas Seymour, and The Last Boleyn by Karen Peters which I had mistaken for The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory both are about Mary Boleyn, sister to Anne, mistress to the king. I will be interested to see how The Other Boleyn Girl compares to The Last Boleyn which overall whas written a bit better than the Queen's Fool, but then again maybe I just like my character exploration to stick closer to the known facts of history.

More ornamentation

side 2
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Here is Frosty Nights by Whisky Creek Ink from 2003 JCS ornament magazine. It is done in all DMC on perforated paper, there are 2 sides, see the back in the below post, and then it is folded into a open sided triangle I haven't had any time to stitch much else, been cleaning, finishing up grading and finals (I get to give them not take them!) and trying to get random things done like christmas shopping before we leave in exactly one week. 10 Days vacation!! I can't wait.

Frosty nights back side

side 1
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Parasitic infestation of the best kind

No I'm not kidding
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

And you were expecting cross stitch! Surprise!. I'm Pregnant.

Actually this is not a surprise for us, this child (our first) has been scrupulously planned. From years of heated debate, to a resigned decision, to waiting till I was done with school and aquired a full time job, to limiting time for conception so the birth would fall during the summer break when I was not working.

We will be expecting the baby June 1st. Of course it will be late because late babies run in the family (my sister and I were both 3 weeks late!). I have known since the stick test you see a day after my missed period, in Sept. It was faint, but the doctors took it as accurate, and that is all the proof I had till I got to hear the heartbeat on Nov 14th. Now that all the immediate relatives know (it is the first grandchild on both sides). I can tell you, my loyal bloggers/stitchers.

To answer the standard questions: I feel fine, I was only nausous the first few weeks. Yes we will be finding out the sex. No I am not showing yet, and No I do not have an ultrasound yet ( they make the healthy people wait till 18 weeks!).

I did finish 1 ornament over the break, but have not photographed it yet...so you will have to wait in suspense till tomorrow

And another one down.....

Symbolic X christmas ornament
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Here is my favorite this year, Symbolic X by the Sampler House, JCS 2002. I did not like alot of the ones in 2002 mag, and this one didn't "pop" but it is simple and elegant (and fast). I like how it is ornate but in only one color.

I think I might do a couple more before heading ack to the bigger projects. (though I'll have to save a couple for the flights to and from FL).

Which leads us to the Question of the Week (last week):Do you stitch Christmas ornaments? If so, how many do you stitch each year and for whom? If not, why not? Silly rabbit, yes I do. I started really stitching last year, most for myself. This year I am just stitching what I like, again mostly for me. Although I think that I would like to continue doing 4-6 a year and start giving them away in the future.

Another Ornament

Home for the holidays
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Here is Home for the Holidays, an ornament by Little house Needleworks. 2005 JCS ornament mag. I did it on blu linen instead of natural like it shows in magazine. I am not really happy with the green, it is a bit to dark, I thought about lightening it up, but I think I'll just move on. I placed an order with Nordic Needle for a couple of charts and some Krenik silk mori threads for Nine Patch. so that is on hold for now till that comes in. I am loving these fast ornaments. I will probably stop stitching and finish them after Thanksgiving.

My mom, stepdad, and sister are arriving on wed for thanksiving, then one last week of school, then one week after that till we head to Wald Disney World on the 10th. I don't know if I'll have time to even send out christmas cards this year. I haven't done any christmas shopping yet. Al though these past 2 months have CRAWLED by, thanksgiving seems like it got here quicker than usual, like it is a week early or something.

S.E.X. at the retreat

S.E.X. at the retreat
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

I had a great time, thank you. I arrived around 4 on friday and got right to stitching. I decided to start Mitten Games by Crossed Wing, (see progress below). I stayed up till 11 when I had to crash, luckily my hotel room was a full 5 steps from the meeting room...no kidding.

On Sat we went to Knoxville (30 min away) to visit a LNS..Doublecross. A couple of ladies had arrived the day before and had visited Dixie Darlin the local LNS in Pigeon Forge we usually visit and reported that it had gone downhill, there seems to be a change in management (not ownwership though!) and now it was not as well stocked. Double cross was nice and I was able to get a few things on my wishlist (it has been since updated).

• 
  Miss Mary Mack by La-Di-Da
  Pumpkin Patches by Full Circle Designs
  Dragonflies, Ladybugs, and Bees oh my! by M designs
• Priceless by Glory Bee
• Christmas Forest Ornament by Historic stitches
• and some fabric that was pretty, cheap, or both

That evening we did the Dirty Santa Exchange and the ornament exchange (I did get a handmade one), and stitched some on Mitten games, and once bored with it, started Nine Patch Village by Brightneedle, till about midnight

On Sunday, everyone left and since I had a bit of time and was n't carpooling, I stopped by the Pfaltzgraff outlet to pick up a couple things and then swung by Dixie Darlins to confirm the rumors for myself. Although the reports were slightly exaggerated, It was definately a different store than I saw 2 years ago...and not to the positive. I did buy Winter wonderland by LHN. but that was it.

Everyone loved Santa of the Forest (I brought him to show him off)

See progress in below posts

Start on Mitten Games by Crossed Wing

Start on Mitten Games by Crossed Wing
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

I am doing this one on the fabric called for, I got it last year at CATS, I think it will come out great, It is just tough to see with all the greys and whites so far.

Start on Nine Patch Village by Bright needle

Start on Nine Patch Village by Bright needle
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

On 28 count over one.. It calls for 32 over 1 on linen but I said to that HELLL no and it looks great on evenweave.... I really like this one, stay tuned

Thanks Pine Mtn Pillow

Thanks Pine Mtn Pillow
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Done on Sat while driving to Doublecross in Knoxville

Im heading out

The car is inspected, topped off, aligned and has been given the final seal of approval by the man...So I am off in about an hour. They kept adding meetings at work today, butI was able to get out of 2 of the 3 , the one I am attending means I can't leave till 11, but hey no complaints here....at least I get to go.

Have fun stitching this weekend, I know I will

Stitching Questions

Last weeks from Lee:
How did you decide on the title of your stitching blog? Was it random, or does it have a special meaning to you or about you?

I started this blog while I was a grad student in the field of biology so my life was consumed by science and stitching...hence... stitching scientist

This weeks from Jan:
How many different brands of “complete” embroidery floss sets do you own? How do you keep track of it? (i.e., spread sheet program, index cards, palm pilot, etc.)

Well I don't have any idea if my sets are "complete" I think I have like 95% of DMC and maybe 20% GAST and 10% WDW. with other random ones included in minority like, Dye is Cast and Six strand Sweets, and Cresent Colors. Only my DMC is organized and I used to have a complete list of what I did and didn't but it was never complete because a lot of my colors were kitted up elsewhere. It is easier for me to see if I have something when I go to kit it. If not then I go buy it.

The Car Lives!!

My husband said that my blog entry yesterday may have been a bit obnoxious and I trust him to recognize when I go too far. Since I can't stand other whiny blogs I try not to do it myself. I know I rarely comment here about my own personal stuff to such a deep extent, so I bet some of you were caught off guard. So if you were offended or put out by it I apologize.

An update on Little Car 2 (thats her name). As I mentioned before the damage was enough that we got the "totalled" cost of the vehicle. although the actual damage (bumper, condenser, light) was only about $3-500, the airbags were $2-3000, with no body work needed. Well my husband the mechanic (no kidding, he really is: works on airplanes for $ and vehicles for fun and to save $) went out and russled up some used parts at the junkyard (98 Nissan Sentras are a dime a dozen) and a few new parts wholesale. He even snagged some airbags and the control module for $300 at the junkyard too. All for less than the check we got for the car. He reassembled little car today and dropped it at the shop for a full inspection (due this month anyway) and check up. If you all will send good healing energy to my car, then it will pass with flying colors and I might be allowed to drive to the retreat on Friday.

Moral: If you are a bad driver, marry a mechanic

I am NOT OK, okay? so quit asking

Christmas Chorus
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

First the good news, here is The ornament I told you I was starting: Christmas Chorus by Elizabeth's designs. I did it on 32 instead of 36 so it is a bit bigger, and I used red beads instead of the black. I think I am going to finish this as they did in the magazine, blanket stitched on to a felt pillow. but that may be a couple of weeks.

Now the bad. I was in a car accident Sunday, no I was not hurt, yes it is my fault, and here begins my rant. I hate it, absolutely HATE it when people say, well as long as your Ok and no one was hurt. Why would I hate this sentiment, you ask? I am not really sure I can explain so it makes sense but here I go. First off if I am standing here talking to you then I am obviously fine, second even if the human bodies are OK that doesn't mean I am mentally. I am ashamed, and angry, I am upset that my car is "totaled" just cause the airbags went off and the cost of replacing them ($3,000!) is more than the car is worth. I am pissed cause I just paid my car off for the first time in my life am not making payments and angry that the girl I hit (who got away with a bit of paint transfer, not even a dent) is trying to get a ton of $$ from my insurance co. I am angry that my insurance will go up because of my stupidity. I am crying because I chose to take the road I did, instead of going straight home. I am infuriated that I may not get to go to the cross stitch retreat this weekend because I didn't hit the brakes soon enough.

Ever since I was a small child, whenever I fell down, I became angry at the person who asked me if I was ok, it is just an automatic irrational reaction. I think I was just displacing my anger at myself for falling. Once in college, I slipped and fell on my butt, my supervisor, came over, bent to my ear so only I could hear him and whispered "Can I help?" I was astounded, said no, and loved him from that moment on.

I gonna try to hit November running.

Ornaments
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Well as for my October Goals: I did finish and frame santa, I did not touch Spookline, and now that may sit in a drawer till next fall, but I did pick several ornaments out of my 7 JCS mags for, this season on Halloween! I picked way more than 5 (I think 10 or so) but plan on doing them all this year. I have decided to do nothing but smalls for the rest of the year to get my cross stitching mood back up. I may pick a medium project for the Retreat next weekend, but for the rest of the year it is going to be ornament city

As you can see pictured above I finished 2 ornaments this month already, the first on the left is Heaven and Nature Sing by Fancy Work..in JCS 2005 I had it half done from last year and finished it last night. The second one on the right is Seka's Doubled Sided stained glass ornament from JCS 2000. It is on perforated paper and was one of the first ornaments I ever did,. This one is for the exchange at the retreat, it was easy and I still had all the materials left over from my first one. I was burned 2 years ago, spending hours on a over one ornament that i adored, only to recieve a cheap 50 cent Target ornament in return (the ornament did not have to be handmade, I did it cause I thought (correctly) that it was the preffered option). Luckily the one I made went to a fellow Tarheel who appreciated it very much. So long story short (too late!) I did not want to put to much of my heart into this years, but it looks like i did.

Tonight I plan on starting Elizabeth's Designs' CHristmas Chorus from JCS 2006...Its all kitted and ready to go...........

Needling along

I picked up a needle for the first time in over 2 weeks yesterday. I have not felt like stitching in awhile. I am in a slump that I guess ensues after any big project is finished, I hope it goes away soon. Spookline will not be finished by Halloween obviously, but I plan to get a few projects together for the retreat in 2 weeks, and hopefully kick back into gear.

In other news the leaves are depressing me and I hate that. I love the fall, but Ian and I bought this house with out realizing how much work this giant yard with its dozen ancient oaks would be. Last year this time I was out raking and working every weekend. this year I have taken to hiding and hoping it will go away without my interference. Of course it will not and I am dreading the inevitable. And of course this looks like a banner year for acorns. sigh.

I know some of you have been having problems viewing beta Blogger, I hope they get it figured out soon. For those of you contemplating the switch, I would wait till they force you into it. I have had too many hassles and there aren't any positive changes that I can specifically point at. If I could go back I would.

Small fortune..but worth it

Santa of the Forest Framed and Hung
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Ok, I switched over to Beta Blogger and It took me a bit to figure out how to post this guy, I have lost 4 posts in the process, so just enjoy the pic for now.

No picture yet

Well I am waiting on pins and needles to for the Santa to return from the framers. She said it would be done today or tomorrow, maybe friday at the latest. I have no further stitching to show you. Things have sort of halted for a bit. My In-laws are visiting, and I tend not to stitch when I have visitors. I guess I feel like I don't want anyone to think I am ignoring them. Currently I have Spookline, and Fancywork's When Heaven and Nature Sing ornament from JCS 2005 in the works.

Oh I may not have mentioned this, but Ian and I booked a 10 day trip to WDW in December, our big christmas gift to one another. I have been 3 times in the past 1990- 1992- and 1998 (I think, maybe it was 1997). Anyway Ian has never been to the tourist heaven of Florida, and we been talking of going for 6 years, so it is about darn time. Which reminds me I have to go pay the full balance by monday. I love having a real job!

daDA

daDA
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

YES Ladies and Gents Santa of the Forest by Lavender and Lace.....IS DONE.

I finished him shortly after midnight last evening, ironed and dropped him off at the framers today. This is going to cost me abundle.. but my husband says it is worth it.

I also took a pic of the back (see below), I am kinda proud of the neatness of it

THe Back
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Halloween......

Best Witches
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

......Is right around the corner, have you decorated yet?
I LOVE Halloween, probably a combination of liking candy and the fall season being my absolute favorite (and I am bit Pagan too). I just love the concept of a holiday that was originally meant as a time when we are closer to our ancestors ( and they are closer to us WOOOOOoooooo). I dislike what the modern churches and evangelists are doing to Halloween, critiquing it as "satan worship". They are just upset that they couldn't fit their own holiday in its place like they did to the Winter solstice (Christmas) and the Spring Equinox (Easter). So they hold "Fall Festivals" in the basement of churches...but they still let the kids dressup (originally meant to ward of evil spirits) and gorge themselves on candy. Some day when I have a kid, I am totally turning my front yard into a cemetary and let the kid wander the street in unsafe costumes knocking on strangers doors and running the risk of death from a razorblade in an apple. The worst thing I ever got from trick or treating was a bible. (I swear!)

Wow, that soapbox was high, I better get down before I hurt myself.

I am off to pick up Seaology from the framers to see how it came out, I ended up not doing a mat for it, but if I like their work then Santa will be heading that way soon. Since it is a NEW month here are some new goals:

1. FINISH and FRAME Santa of the Forest

2. Work on and finish Spookline (I have 2.5 of the 5 goasts done, but since it is just white blobs I haven't revealed a photo.)

3. Pick 5 ornaments for this season, one will be for an ornament exchange at the Pidgeon Forge Retreat in Nov. and get to work.

Thats it, I am sure I will start something else, and I am knitting away a couple of rows at a time on my sweater...so some real progress may be made soon.

Santa update

Santa update
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Well as promised (a day late, sorry) The Wolf....is done! Just the cape to finish off. Now to save the $$ to get this guy framed right. I think I can have him done in the month, if not within the next 2 weeks. Next week is Fall Break and I only have to teach 1 class thursday morning, the rest have the week off. I plan on getting alot done during that time. Both in the stitching, the yard and in the house. (that may also be listed in priority lol).

Come on wolfie.....

Come on wolfie
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

....You're almost there. I have a Tarheel get together tomorrow, and I am hoping to make some serious progress on this guy during the 5-6 hour stitchathon.
tune in mon to see the results

Meanwhile, I have the urge to start a Halloween stitch for the month of Oct. (and as a reward for doing a whole month of just Santa). So yesterday I pulled and kitted Spookline by Sam sarah. I don't have the purple fabric, so I am trying on more of a raw grey/brown fabric. I am antsy to start it, maybe as soon as sunday.

oh and as for this weeks SBQ suggested by Sharon:

When you find yourself making a lot of mistakes in various stitching projects do you find it better to muddle your way through or do you take a brief break from stitching? If you do take a break, how long do you take?

Small mistakes I just fix and continue on, but when there is a big mistake, wrongcolor, a large section done wrong, I get frustrated and end up putting down, sometimes for a very long time...months or years in the rare case. I usually remember that I made a major mistake, and it just takes me a minute to find it pull it with new found patience and start again. Right now I have one WIP in that catagory. from last year, It is sitting in a drawer right now waiting for me to rip out EVERYTHING i had stitch so far cause it isn't centered right.

Does this look like a sweater to you?

Does this look like a sweater to you?
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

So I kinda struggled getting the ribbing done for the back of the sweater, but now that I am on the body it is going much faster, which is good cause I have to do 27 inches or so. One inch done.....
I know it is tough to see but it is a knit 10 purl 2 pattern, which is all you are going to see, No fancy cabling or anything, so I won' t bore you with too many intermediate pictures.

Boring eh?

Santa as of 9/21/06
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Well tough, I have honestly worked only on this Santa the past week.
I am knitting for my class, but since I actually started the sweater I am attempting to make ...my teachers idea not mine, i wanted to do a nice scarf.......I can only do about 300 stitches (2 rows) before I am tired of concentrating so hard. Right know I am ribbing (knit 2 purl 2) the bottom of the back of the sweater. I have an inch done with another to go.

the moral is when I am done with the knitting I move on to santa., I finished the shadow of his cloak (the checkerboard) and found a nice single row of 814 to divide the wolf from the cloak. So I will be working on the wolf till he is done (maybe by Oct 4/5). There are about 6 shades of white to grey to work with, and a bit of confetti action going on here, but it was the same with all the other animals and he is the LAST one. Mom mentioned the other day that she remembers when I bought this pattern, and thinks it was either during college or right after, so that definately dates this WIP a bit further back than I had thought, into the 11 year range, sigh IT WILL NOT BE 12 years!

Santa update

Santa as of 9/13/06
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

So Since I am not working on any other cross stitch you would think I would of made it a bit further on this guy, but I don't want to bore you with daily photos, where you can't see much change. I had to be a bit slow working out from the bear to the robe, because some where along the line the outer robe became off by 1 stitch to the left and an extra row down. so I made the bottom row from the bear correct with the pattern and filled in the rest above that so I the mistakes would blend in naturally.
So far I am cruising along nicely and am not bored by him yet. I think that the color changes (which are pretty often) helps and also the fact I can see the finish line from here.

So work is going very well, I love my job, it is just like teaching in grad school but without the ongoing thesis work. I get to teach all the time.

In addition I promised myself that I would learn to knit after I graduated, so I signed up for a class on mon nights that started this week. So far it is not as relaxing as others make it look, I am constantly having to think about whether I am kniting or purling and which direction the needle should go,yada yada, but here is a picture of my first attempt.

I am learning to knit
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

After -Santa of the Forest

Santa as of 5/5/06
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

September is Heather will finish Santa of the Forest month

Here he is almost exactly 4 months after the photo below....of course, most of the bear was done in the past 3 days. Good use of a Labor day doncha think? I Finished Seaology, and got a good start on Santa. I vow to have him done by christmas. I will not start anything new for at least this month.

Before

Santa as of 3/3/06
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Here he is last we saw in March

All signs of the Seasons

All signs of the Seasons
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Oh my, I FINALLY found my camera last night (It had fallen in the cushions of my couch) and took pictures of everything I hve done stitching wise since I finished SIgns of summer. Well here it is I finished Signs of Winter and Signs of Spring (see closeups in the below posts).
Two weekends ago I stripped the frames i wanted to use of dark green paint, unfortunately I could not get all the paint off of the wood (I am sure it wasn't sealed or primed), and their were too many details in the frames to sand it all off. I had wanted to use colored stains but with all the green left I had to go back to the old standby, acrylic paint. The colors are actually a bit more muted than the photo shows, and I hit the frames with a bit of steel wool to weather them a bit. I think Fall and Winter are my favorites. now I just have to find a spot to hang them.

Progress on Seaology - trilogy
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

In addition I have been trying to finish up Seaology By Trilogy, I had trouble with the light house when I was away from my Ott-lite in alaska because the 612 matched the fabric so closely.

I am very excited about this one, I think I am willing to spare the cash (now that I am gainfully employed with no car payment!) and have it professionally framed, It is such a wierd size that I know it would take me forever to do it myself. the trick is to find a good framer and so far the ones in this town, have used masking tape (ok I am sure it was "framers" tape but still I have an aversion to it) or have been astronomically priced, even after I stretched it myself. I haven't tried the bigger box craft stores, due to the horror stories. But I have one more framer in mind that I am going to try.

Signs of Spring-- Bent creek

Signs of Spring-- Bent creek
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Signs of Winter --Bent Creek

Signs of Winter --Bent Creek
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.