Saturday, March 1, 2014

Stitching Limericks Redux

Back in March 2011 and 2012, I sponsored a stitching limerick contest.  I had intended to make it an annual event but somehow dropped the ball in 2013.  But it is time to resurrect the idea.    For educators, March is the longest month of the year, no holidays or long weekend breaks, the kids are bored to tears with school and longing for the summer, discipline problems arise, exams loom ... well, you get the idea.  So, in March, I tend to find or make up reasons to play.  So, let's all have a some fun and exercise our little grey cells as Hercule Poirot would say.  Writing a proper limerick is a disciplined exercise so to make it worthy of your effort, I am offering a $20 gift certificate to 123stitch as the prize for the winning entry.

Remember, limericks are defined by Google as a humorous verse form of 5 anapestic lines with a rhyme scheme aabba i.e., they have a definite pattern:
10 syllables/beats to the first line,
7 syllables/beats to the second line,
6 syllables/beats to third and fourth lines,
9 syllables/beats to the fifth line.
The rhyme pattern: lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme; lines 3 and 4 rhyme.

Here's my 2011 limerick:
There once was a stitcher named Riona,
Who used up all of her toner,
Printing freebies galore
Till she had so much more
Than anyone ought to be owner!

And here's my 2012 version:
There once was a stitcher named Riona,
Who, when you tried to phone her,
All your calls she'd ignore
As she stitched more and more.
Her friends thought this flaw a real groaner!

And my 2014 version:
There once was a English Band Sampler,
Stretched on a stand with a clamper.
The stitcher who owned it
Had diligently sewn it
Till she was one happy camper.


As you can see, I decided not to try and find more rhymes for Riona.   It seemed more sensible to look for another hook from which to hang my rhyme scheme.

Leave your limerick in the comments ... any entry not fitting the above definition will be disqualified ... it must be a true limerick! At the end of the month, I'll have my husband pick a winner from the comments and award that stitcher/limmericist a $20 GC to 123stitch [an online shop]. Thanks to all who participate.  I look forward to seeing all the creative entries.  Also, if clicking on your name won't lead me to a profile with your contact info, please leave an e-mail address in the comments.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

At midnight a cross stitcher said,
I guess I should go up to bed,
But her husband was snoring,
Which she found quite boring,
So she carried on stitching instead !!

Jacqui UK jaxgarnett@blueyonder.co.uk

Melanie said...

Very fun contest! Here is my attempt:

There once was a stitcher named Melanie,
Whose fingers flew rapidly,
She stitched all night and day,
Often was heard to say,
I'm stitching so please don't bother me!

rrowe @ new.rr.com (remove spaces)

Anonymous said...

She went out the door with a hop,
Going to the cross stitch shop.
She bought fabric and floss,
Charts, needles and geegaws.
WOW! Her bank account saw a BIG drop!
Caroline xstnrn@ hotmail.com

Sweet Sue said...

There once was a stitcher named Sue, about linen she hadn't a clue,
'til one day she met Jan,
with linen in hand,
who taught Sue to stitch over two.

Rita E in AZ said...

She's a stitcher with a room full of charts.
The happiest girl in these parts.
She's the fondler of stash.
She's the spender of cash.
Why can't she finish all of her starts?

I can't come up with any more rhymes for Rita.
Thank you for a fun contest, Riona
requilt (at) yahoo (dot) come

Maggee said...

What fun! Have to think about this... I will return...

Stitchinowl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

There once was a lady who stitched
To relieve her fingers that itched
When her friends asked her why
She said I might die
If I don't stop the itch with a stitch

Misty M berglinda52 at gmail.com

Anonymous said...

A stitcher who lived in Vancouver
Sat on her couch and took over
Between fabric and floss
She was clearly the boss
And everyone had to move over


Misty M berglinda52 at gmail.com

Julie said...

Do you stitch in the day or at night?
Will you use a magnifier or light?
It doesn't really matter
As long as your stitches sit flatter
and the frog doesn't come into sight.

Stitchinowl said...

Hi Riona,
I just realized one of the lines in my limerick wasn't a "exact" rhyme. I deleted my post and will repost.
Happy Stitching,
Carolyn

Anonymous said...

There once was a cross stitching lady
Who considered her stash and thought maybe
She should downsize her stash
Sell it all for quick cash
Then decided that option was crazy

Misty M berglinda52 at gmail.com

Anonymous said...

A sampler of flowers I tried to stitch,
Fabric too short, what a bitch,
I ordered more on line,
Fast shipping is so fine,
Now I stitch flowers without a hitch.

Donna Y., Ohio
djyoung6@juno.com

Anonymous said...

My days are spent stitching
When night falls, my hands are twitching
For me to relax
I need to be lax and therefore, bewitching.

Catherine
august1375.c@aol.com

Anonymous said...

No housework for me
Only stitching I see
If I were to clean
It would be obscene
So back to my stitching and leave me be.

Catherine
august1375.c@aol.com

Anonymous said...

I stitch when my time is free,
I like to stitch when I'm alone, just me...
When asked where's my money,
I say sorry honey,
I had to send it to 1-2-3!

JackieD Momdoom@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

JackieD

Email should be momdom@yahoo.com

Stitchinowl said...

Fun contest! Here are my entries:

There once was a Florida cross stitcher,
Who had the frog visit her.
He climbed up on her WIP,
The threads she had to rip,
So she flung him into the river.

There once was a lady with too much stash,
Whose wallet reduced in cash.
So she dug through her pile,
And stitched WIP's for a while,
Until she caught a Stitch from Stash rash.

There once was a woman who had SABLE,
Loved to stitch at the table,
'Til the roof sprung a leak,
Stash soaked through for a week,
So she gave up stitching for cable.

Carolyn

Anonymous said...

My needle I cannot find,
I looked til I lost my mind...
When hubby did sit,
He had such a fit...
My needle stuck
In his behind!

JackieD. momdom@yahoo.com

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

These are fantastic! I don't think I can compete with some of these.

I just love Misty M's itch to stitch!

Anonymous said...

There once was a cute needle threader
That thought no way was better
To thread a needle quicker
There was no need to bicker
With a pig-headed stubborn cross stitcher

Misty M berglinda52 at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

To a needle craft shop one day
Went a 123 Get together to play
The fondled the stash
And parted with cash
And they all had a wonderful day

Misty M berglinda52 at gmail dot com

Amy Davenport said...

I am a cross stitcher named Ames
I’ve met with some wonderful dames
New York was the place
Where we met face to face
And stitched with those wonderful dames.

Ames@Execulink.com

Anonymous said...

Fun contest! Thanks for the chance! Xstich1@aol.com

"You spend too much money" said my hubby,

"Stitch stuff in every cubby?",

"Why do you not buy food?"

(Here is where I got rude),

I told him "You are much too chubby!"

Anonymous said...

So sorry if I posted twice. Didn't mean to.
Xstich1@aol.com

Amy Davenport said...

There once was a frog named Jerome
That visited Kate in McComb
He stayed for an hour
Til she had the power
To send him right back to his home.

Anonymous said...

-Writing a limerick of stitching was fun,
But I couldn’t limit myself to just one,
Below are three more,
Which I just couldn’t ignore,
So enjoy the entries I’ve done.

There once was a small cross stitch shop,
Where a stitcher named flossey would stop,
To buy cross stitch stash,
And spend all her cash,
Then home like a bunny she’d hop.

There once was a cross stitch designer,
Who’s charts just couldn’t be finer,
The colors she chose,
To stitch a red rose,
Looked like one from South Carolina.

There once was a chart out of print,
Its condition appeared to be mint,
It sold on eBay,
The amount I won’t say,
I won’t even give you a hint.

Dorothy (in real life)
flossey (on 123MB)
stitchme@juno.com

Rita E in AZ said...

My sister was a stitcher named Cheryl
Who hid stash in a barrel.
When I found her treasure
I borrowed with pleasure
But my life may now be in peril.