Weekly WIP Status Report

It's been two weels since I got the list down to 10.  But then, as you might expect, startitis kicked in.  I really wanted to start CEC's Sleepy Hollow but I didn't have a suitable linen and have to order the suggested linen as well as some of the suggested WDW floss.  But Something Wicked This Way Comes caught my eye and that became the 11th item.  I also started  the last of the Praurue Schooler Year Rounds, the December Santa, to bring the list up to an even dozen.

La-D-Da Something Wicked

PS December Year Round

The Goblin Markert

• The Jacobean Elegance afghan - with 15 more squares to be stitched.
• Making Waves needlepoint project - with more than 3/4s of the bargello rows and more than 2/3s of the eyelet area to be stitched.
• My own design, Fertile Circles needle book, the back panel needs finishing.
• My own design, Beach Find Pansies, to be completed and incorporated into an embellished crazy quilt square

• The Victoria Sampler Mystic Smalls class project - I need to stitch the needle book and the biscornu
• Another needlepoint project, Rice Pudding, using many variations of the rice stitch.
• Yet another needlepoint project, an Owl, again a project using lots of specialty stitches.
• Piper's Christmas stocking  adapted from a Dimensions kit.
• HAED's The Tangle Fairy, barely started
• The Goblin Market: About two thirds done by 10-31.  I finished the columns and the canopy pf the booth and the vulture and started work on the roof.

• La-D-Da's Something Wicked This Way Comes.  Stitched on 28 ct Silkweaver Autumn Sunrise linen using Belle Soie Old Black Crow and Perfect Palette Cauldron, Dry Martini and Envy silks instead of the revommended NPI silks.  DONE

• Prairie Schooler's December Year Round. Stitched on 36 ct raw linen using Belle Soie Cinnamon Srick, Collard Greens, Oatmeal Scone, Old Black Crow and Sister Scarlet instead of the charted DMC.  DONE.

So, now the list is back down to 10 projects again.

Back in the Kitchen

One of the nicer things about being retired is having the time and the energy to enjoy baking and cooking again.  In the past two months, I have baked more than I have in the previous two years.  I have made two plum cakes, two banana walnut cakes, a pear crisp, an apple crisp and a loaf of whole wheat bread.   Though, perhaps, the less said about the bread, the better.  It wasn't exactly a rousing success.  But I think I figured out where I went wrong and will attempt the recipe again.  I have plans to make some genuine New England style gingerbread, a black walnut teacake and a fresh apple cake in the near future.

Yesterday, I candied the peel from our morning grapefruit and will make citrus peel nut bread today to have for tea.  It's oddly satisfying to cook and bake from scratch again after the last few years of cutting corners and relying on take out and partially prepped foods from the grocery store.  Even a simple thing like candied peel is so much better when prepared at home.  The trick is to remove all the bitter white layer, leaving only the flavorful peel.  My husband questioned why I'd take the trouble and the time to do such a thing.  I explained that using all the usable bits of our food purchases is just plain good sense.  [Anything left foes in the compostor].    It's also a rather calming activity much like whittling which the act of paring away the white layer very much resembles.

I have also done a lot more cooking  and have espoused the whole foods movement, serving as much of our intake in its least processed form: whole grain cereals and breads, lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, cage free chicken eggs, fresh herbs, antibiotic free chicken and beef.  I use more agave nectar, honey and molasses than refined or brown sugar though I am not completely weaned from the last two. My menus this month have included eggplant Parmesan, chicken Parmesan, chicken cacciatore. chicken cutlets in a shallot and white wine reduction, quiche, Western omelets, pasta bolognese, mac and cheese and homemade chicken soup.  The occasional pizza and burger from The Filling Station have slipped into the mix bur not anywhere near as frequently as in the bad old days of irregular  late night schedules.  

Weekly WIP Status Report

I am slowly whittling down the active WIP list.  Last week, there were 13 projects on the list.  Now there are 10.

Plum Street Sampler Be True

Workbasket Quaker Squirrel

• The Jacobean Elegance afghan - with 15 more squares to be stitched.
• Making Waves needlepoint project - with more than 3/4s of the bargello rows and more than 2/3s of the eyelet area to be stitched.
• Workbasket's Quaker Squirrel - about half way done  DONE
• My own design, Fertile Circles needle book, the back panel needs finishing.
• My own design, Beach Find Pansies, to be completed and incorporated into an embellished crazy quilt square
• To Thine Own Self Be True freebie - need to frog an error in the border and restitch it.  Rice stitches may make lovely borders but they are a serious pain to frog,  However, the frogging and restitching are complete.  DONE.

• The Victoria Sampler Mystic Smalls class project - I need to stitch the needle book and the biscornu
• Another needlepoint project, Rice Pudding, using many variations of the rice stitch.
• Yet another needlepoint project, an Owl, again a project using lots of specialty stitches.
• Piper's Christmas stocking  adapted from a Dimensions kit.
• HAED's The Tangle Fairy, barely started
• The Goblin Market: About two thirds done by 10-31.

• Mill Hill Daffodil Easter Egg  I had to frog a row but then things moved along nicely to a finish, so ... DONE.

Mill Hill Daffodil Easter Egg

I realized that my month long blogging hiatus meant that I never chose a winner for the October giveaway.  I hope the old adage better late than never holds true here.  The winner is Julie.

Then and Now: Workbasket's Quaker Squirrel

I am still concentrating on the WIP list that I compiled in October.  Once I have pared the number down below 10, I'll add a few more UFOs and perhaps one new start to keep things interesting.  I may as well take advantage of the momentum I am gaining now that the weather has turned cooler and I am spending more time indoors,.

I hope to be able to cross the Quaker Squirrel off the list by the weekend but for now I'll just show a when last seen photo and a current progress photo.

Since I consider this project one of my active WIPs, I was stunned to realize when I checked the blog archive that I haven't worked on it since July.  This is what it looks like after a day's stitching.

I have been mulling over what will be my next new start" either Workbasket's Quaker Bear or Sleepy Hollow.  The former would work up rather quickly but I am itching to stitch the later ever since I saw rspory's finish on her blog.  Enablers lurk everywhere on the internet.  The matter will be decided by what fabrics and floss I have in stash that might work for either project.

UFO > WIP > Finish in 48 Hours

I haven't touched this piece since August 2013.  It was started as a challenge piece earlier in the summer.  I made a miscounting error [one lousy thread]  that I didn't discover till I finished stitching the border ,,, which obviously didn't line up by said one lousy thread.,  Since I would have had to frog 1/3 of the border, I set it aside in disgust. I do have the occasional stitching tantrum.  I am not proud of the fact but the truth is inescapable.

I pulled the piece from the WIP basket Sunday night  and began the tedious task of frogging rice stitches.  It took several hours and once the frogging was done, I realized I had another problem.  In one of my re-organizing frenzies, I had inadvertently un-kitted the project.  Hence, my search through the archives of this blog to find the entry that listed the fibers used:  Belle Soie Apricot, Beanstalk and Terra Potta.  Then it was simply a matter of retrieving the proper floss and getting back to stitching.  The ease and speed of the whole process makes my tantrum seem such a tempest in a teapot!

Weekly WIP Status Report

A month or so ago, I listed the current WIPs in my overflowing basket.  It is way too long and in need of serious whittling down.  Since I still have a serious case of startitis, I thought that one way to keep the WIPs on my radar was to start a weekly status report.  Last time around, the list had fifteen entries.  I've completed a few projects since then [see photos below].  Since then, I have added one new piece to the list and finished up three small pieces on the list. Now there are 13  See photos below for the three projects I have completed this week.

CEC Sqimming Instructor

PS Year Round October

M Designs Name Tree: Sean

• M Designs Sean Name tree - with the As and Ns still to be stitched and beads to be attached.  DONE.
• CECs The Swimming Instructor - with the face still to be stitched and the beaded necklace still to be attached.  DONE
• The Jacobean Elegance afghan - with 15 more squares to be stitched.
• Making Waves needlepoint project - with more than 3/4s of the bargello rows and more than 2/3s of the eyelet area to be stitched.
• Workbasket's Quaker Squirrel - about half way done
• My own design, Fertile Circles needle book, the back panel needs finishing.
• My own design, Beach Find Pansies, to be completed and incorporated into an embellished crazy quilt square
• To Thine Own Self Be True freebie - need to frog an error in the border and restitch it.
• The Victoria Sampler Mystic Smalls class project - I need to stitch the needle book and the biscornu.
• The Prairie Schooler Year Round - need to stitch the October entry  DONE
• Another needlepoint project, Rice Pudding, using many variations of the rice stitch.
• Yet another needlepoint project, an Owl, again a project using lots of specialty stitches.
• Piper's Christmas stocking  adapted from a Dimensions kit.
• HAED's The Tangle Fairy, barely started
• The Goblin Market: I started this piece 9-25-15..

• Mill Hill Daffodil Easter Egg  Some progress made.

• 
  

Transitioning: Halloween > Thanksgiving

I've changed out the ornaments on the entry hall tree and moved a few smalls around but the generic Fall stuff remains in place for now.  The next change will come when the Christmas stuff goes up in December.

Still Catching Up: Some Finds

I've visited two antique and collectible malls recently, one in Coxsackie, NY and one in Nyack, NY.   I'll be keeping some of my finds and using others as gifts.

First, the gifts.

These two ruffled edge ruby glass plates will go to my sister-in-law who collects ruby glass.  You have got to love collectors; they are so easy to buy gifts for.

Now, for the keepers.

Months ago, I saw a photo on a stitching blog of a grouping of seasonal smalls displayed in a long, narrow wooden bread tray.  At the time, I thought, 'How clever!"  Well, I found one of my own and will be borrowing the idea.

I enjoy cooking and baking.  So it is not surprising that I have a small collection of vintage kitchen utensils.   I found this pretty little pastry cutter in one of the stalls at the Coxsackie mall.

Whenever I go browsing for collectibles I search for antique needlework tools and for interesting teaware.  Sometimes. I am lucky, sometimes not.  I haven't spotted anything recently in either category and that's seriously disappointing.

Catching Up

It's been a month since my last post and I really can't imagine how the time managed to slip by so quickly.  It was a busy month.  There was a family wedding: my niece/goddaughter married a very noce young man.  My husband and I took my mother on a four day Fall foliage vacation.  I finally got my glasses and all vision problems have been corrected.  And the usual routines seemed to speed up.  Halloween came and went.  I'll take things in chronological order.

First:  My niece made a beautiful bride and the whole family is delighted to welcome Steve into the fold.  The wedding ceremony itself was beautiful in the fine old church of St. Ann ... a Romanesque building with lots of gorgeous stained glass windows.  The weather was perfect, sunny but not too hot.  A beautiful Indian Summer day!    It was a truly joyous occasion.

The reception was a different story.   At the beginning of the month, my ever so slowly healing eyes did not do well with the dj's strobe lights and the photographer's and videographer's hot white lights [on poles, yet, the better to blind everyone across the room].  My husband and I ended up leaving the reception early because the pressure in my eyes was becoming intolerable.  I am getting to be quite a crank about wedding receptions. One would think it  a great time to reconnect with scattered family and friends but the incessant loud music makes it impossible to have a conversation without shouting at even your nearest seat mate.  And while it is fun to watch the energetic young dance to hip hop and rap music, that pales after a while, especially since I don't really care for that sort of music.  Since none of my remaining single nieces and nephews [5 are married, leaving 14 possible brides/grooms] are likely to plan a sedate reception featuring an elegant meal with a string quartet playing chamber music in the background, I expect I'll just have to endure.  I do have a year's reprieve before the next one in October of 2016.  I'll be popping Ocuvite daily in preparation. 

The next weekend we took my Mom to our favorite spot in the Catskills, the Bavarian Manor Inn, to enjoy the fall foliage and some peace and quiet.  We did a lot of driving through beautiful country with spectacular views overlooking valleys and rising hillsides and Hudson River vistas.  Unfortunately, I was so busy enjoying the sights, I never once pulled out my camera.  I did remember to take a few shots at the inn, though.  The first is a shot of the porch, all dressed for Fall.  We spent a lot of time on the  porch, sitting, reading and talking.

I took another shot of the lawn but that's about it for the Fall color photography.  A pity since the color on our mountain drives was so much more dramatic.  We took Mom to a few antique and collectible malls.  And we ate like lords at the Inn's wonderful German restaurant.  As usual, the schnitzels and wursts were fabulous but the potato pancakes outshine every other item on the menu and are a small taste of heaven on earth.

And, of course, I have been stitching.

I finished the small PS promo design, started a week ago on Sunday and finished on Monday.  This was stitched on 30ct WDW Periwinkle linen using two strands Belle Soie Poison Apple, Oatmeal Scone, Ocean Tide, Espresso and DMC 783.  I'll finish it as an ornament.

Then I went on to do a lot more work on The Goblin Market.  When last seen, it looked like this.

But several hours of stitching daily have yielded this progress.  I am more than halfway through the piece.  The last project that I stitched to have such an extensive color palette was The English Band Sampler.  I must say I am really enjoying all the color in this piece.  To describe a goblin-themed chart as bright and cheerful must seem odd but that's the way this design strikes me.  Please excuse the poor indoor photograph.  I'll do better with the next one.

Then, I took a break with this one day wonder from Prairie Schooler, a 2013 complimentary chart of a Queen Bee. It was meant to be stitched on 18 ct black Aida and I did start it on some 36 ct black linen.  It was slow going till I decided to spare my eyes and switched to a 32 ct raw linen.  Then my needle flew.  I substituted Belle Soie silks for the recommended DMC cotton, using Buttercup, Creme de Menthe, Ocean Tide, Old Crow and Vanilla Pudding.

And, while not quite another one day wonder, the PS Year round for October is stitching up relatively quickly.  I am using a 36ct natural linen and Belle Soie silks: Carrot Cake, Collard Greens, Old Crow and Wheargrass.  I have only the leaf and stem to stitch, making this year round entry a two day project.

And finally, here's a photo of my last harvest: enough spearmint to make a large pitcher of iced tea, enough basil for a quick pesto sauce, some eggplant and some tomatoes in various stages of ripeness.  There was  enough eggplant for a small tray of eggplant parmigiana.  The green tomatoes ripened on the kitchen windowsill, keeping me supplied for two weeks.  The days are still relatively warm but the nights are getting colde.  I was afraid to leave anything on the vines much longer.