Giveaway Winner

Is Jo Who Can't Think of a Clever Name.  I'll send her an e-mail today and let her know to expect the charts as soon as the somewhat erratic cross-Atlantic mail can manage it.

What did it for me was her comment that she liked my sense of humor and found it a bit British. I majored in English literature while at college.   I imagine immersion in all those British authors has had an effect on my wit [though my siblings claim I lack any humor, at all - but, then, they don't get me]. 

To this day, I still re-read the collected works of Jane Austen annually and enjoy reading a  bit of Shakespeare or D. H. Lawrence every so often ... not to mention lighter reading like Tolkien, Lewis, Frye, Wodehouse and Ellis.  Even my DVD shelf is crowded with British titles: Jeeves and Wooster, Fawlty Towers, Rumpole, Mulberry. Cadfael, Poirot, Miss Marple, To The Manor Born and The Irish RM.

So,yes, I guess my sense of humor is a bit British.

Annual Goals Revaluated

As part of my blogaversary month activities, I am taking stock of my stitching progress so far this year.

These were my goals as of January 2017. 

• 01. My Own Crazy Challenge: work on unfinished class pieces from 2005-date. Made some minimal efforts on Making Waves and The Martha Washington Sampler, both Stitcher's Hideaway class pieces.
• 02. Complete two BAPs: Stitch stockings for Piper and Rocco.  Not a stitch.
• 03. Stitch a half dozen St. Patrick's Day and half a dozen Easter ornaments.  The Irish ornaments are not only stitched but are assembled and finished ready to be hung next March.  The Easter ornaments are stitched and in the finishing pile mountain.
• 04. Continue to work on UFOs and WIPs list going into 2016.  I have been working fairly steadily on The Jacobean Elegance Afghan and have finished three more flower blocks.
• 05. Limit stash purchases to fabric, fiber and tools needed to complete charts on hand.  So far this year, I have made no purchases at all, stitching entirely from a conveniently large stash.
• 06. Continue to blog regularly, aiming for every other day..  And then life happened in the form of a major illness.  Blogging from hospital and nursing home wasn't possible.  Even when finally back home, the energy and inclination were nowhere to be found.  So, this goal is a wash.
• 07. Make an effort to catch up on sewing finishes and frame 2 or 3 pieces professionally.  The energy and inclination elude me.
• 08. Renew my lapsed EGA membership, changing my status to cyber-stitcher.  With the demise of Sampler and Antique Needlework, I no longer have an active subscription to an informative and educational stitching magazine.  Renewed membership in the EGA comes with a subscription to the EGA quarterly.  So, I'll take care of this goal as soon as I am finished with this post.  It'll be nice to get some reading material about textile arts again 

Looking forward
* I'll continue to work on goals 1, 3 and 4
* I'll continue to stitch from stash as per goal 5
* I'll make an effort to meet goals 2 and 7.
* I'll simply accept that goal 6 is a total loss.

Ninth Blogaversary

The start date was 8/26/08.    To celebrate, I'll be giving away a grab bag of 21 charts that reflect my rather eclectic tastes, including charts from Bent Creek, Calico Crossroads, Homespun Elegance, Mill Hill, Prairie Schooler. Primitive Needle, Rosewood Manor, Victoria Sampler, Whispered by the Wind, and Workbasket.  To be included in the drawing, just answer the quiz below in the comments section and include an e-mail address at which I can reach you.  The drawing will take place on the actual anniversary.

I have been blogging for 9 years now and thoroughly enjoy the process of writing what is essentially a stitching journal, with the rare side trip into real life.  Writing about stitching is very nearly as relaxing as stitching itself.

I have the mind of a statistician and it seems very natural to take stock of what's been happening on this blog.

So, I find it interesting that during the past 9 years:
* I have written 1367 posts.  
* Blogger has recorded 371,267 Pageviews.
* Readers have left 4,920 Comments.
* I have 224 followers.


What I'd like to do this year is ask nine questions about blogging, one for each year I have been writing.

1. Do you prefer a blog that is
      a] 90% stitching and 10% personal, roughly what my blog is .
      b] 100% stitching and no personal stuff at all
      c] 50% stitching and 50% personal chat

2.  Whatever the preference selected above, what are your reasons for the preference?

3.  When reading blogs, be honest, do you just look at the photos and skip the prose?

4.  When reading a particular blog, do you enjoy tracking the progress of a specific project?

5.  How many blogs do you read on a regular basis? [Regular basis being defined as once weekly]
     a] 1-25
     b] 26-50
     c] 51-100
     d] over 100

6.  What sort of things do you expect to find on a blog, things that will keep you coming back to read?

7.  What do you like about my blog?  

8. What don't you like about my blog?

9. Do you blog?  If yes, provide a link to your blog.

Another Flower Block

Working on the Jacobean Elegance Afghan is very easy on the eyes ... and it has the added advantage of keeping my legs warm when my husband cranks up the air conditioner to full blast.  So far, I have stitched 8 flower blocks and 2 bud blocks.  And, after this block is complete, there'll be just one more flower block left.  And, of course. 8 bud blocks.  I wonder how far along I will get before boredom sets in and I need to return to something more challenging.

UFO/WIPs Progress Report

It's been a while since my  last progress report. These past several month, I worked on #'s 11, 12, 14 and 22  [as marked in blue] from the list.

1. Lori Birmingham's Pansy Garden Nantucket Style Basket (2005 CATS project)
2. Catherine Jordan's Pretty Picot Edges (2006 CATS project)
3.  Karen Bovard's Filet Lace (2006 CATS project)
4. Peyote stitch bracelet (Willow Tree, Boothbay Harbor , Maine)
5. 2007 Stitcher's Hideaway at Mystic Victoria Sampler projects: a stitcher's pocket, biscornu, needle book and fob
6. 2009 Stitcher's Hideaway at Mystic Brightneedle's Ghoulies and Ghosts Etui and accessories.
7. 2010 Stitcher's Hideaway at Sturbridge.  Victoria Sampler's Sturbridge Box and accessories.
8. 2012 Stitcher's Hideaway Lady Washington Sampler.  Started working on this 9-28.  I am up to Band 9.
9. 2013 Stitcher's Hideaway Victoria Sampler's Christmas Sampler
10.  2014 Stitcher's Hideaway Brightneedle Kindred Spirits Sewing Journal.
11. The Jacobean Elegance afghan - with 10 more squares to be stitched.  Since this was last seen, I have completed three more of the flower blocks.
12.   2015 Stitcher's Hideaway.  Making Waves needlepoint project -  made some progress on the bargello rows.
13. My own design, Fertile Circles needle book, the back panel needs finishing.
14. My own design, Beach Find Pansies, to be completed and incorporated into an embellished crazy quilt square.  
15. Another needlepoint project, Rice Pudding, using many variations of the rice stitch.
16. Yet another needlepoint project, an Owl, again a project using lots of specialty stitches.
17. Piper's Christmas stocking  adapted from a Dimensions kit.
18. Alessandre Adelaide's Zucca.
19. Encrusted Crazy Quilt Square & Strap
20. HAED's Tangle Fairy
21. Owl Sampler, needlepoint
22. Victoria Sampler Tea Cozy  Very nearly done with just the bullion stitch sunflower and the last little bit of vine to go.
23. T. Wentzler's Logo Dragon

New Starts: On Goal:
Four Easter Egg ornaments, variations of charts found in BHG 2001 Cross Stitch Designs

Off Goal Stitching:V & A Museum Art Nouveau Napkin and Napkin Ring.  Bent Creek's The Branch.

Number of Sewing Finishes:  0