Almost Ready to Satin Stitch ... Not!

I have been working steadily on the cross stitching involved in this band.  It is very deceptive.  When you look at the model photo, what catches the eye is all the satin stitching.  But there is an enormous amount of cross stitching that needs to be done first to frame the satin stitched areas.  This phase of the band is both enjoyable and interminable.  An odd combination.  I usually have severe episodes of stitcher's Attention Deficit Disorder whenever any aspect of a project drags on for more than a week.  I started Band 6 on January 1st and here I am still cross stitching the outlines two weeks later.  And I am pleased with it. I know I am still at the stage where I am using only three colors and some of my readers may not find the progress all that exciting or worthy of another photo.    I promise I'll be adding more color soon, just have a little patience.  As I said in a previous post, I believe this band will be even more stunning than Band 5.  The whole band reminds me of a rich Persian carpet.

Band 6 Continues

When last seen,  Band 6 was still a bit sketchy.  Half of the leaves and branches needed stitching in DMC 3011

Currently the broad outline is complete, but the interior spaces need to be filled in.  I am currently working on the dark coral flower outlines.  There is still quite a bit of cross-stitching left to do in the main colors of 3011, 311 and 349.

Have I mentioned that this is a very densely stitched band?  When complete, I think this band will be even more stunning than Band 5.  Of course, the meticulous counting that keeps this band symmetrical can be a wee bit fussy.  I have had to frog out two mistakes in the lower left where the branch and leaves were slightly off kilter and another little area by the top right navy blue block where one cross stitch over three threads messed things up a bit.  Usually frogging irks me terribly but it doesn't seem to bother me with this project.  I guess I am just taking such pleasure in seeing the patterns grow beneath my fingertips that it overrides the irritation of taking three steps forward and one step back every so often.

Band 6: Outlining the motifs

I have been working on the cross stitch outlining of the spaces to be filled with satin stitches and other specialty stitches and have made fairly decent progress.  The outlining is limited to DMC 3011 [olive green], 311 [navy], and 350 [dark coral] but once I do the satin stitching and the Algerian eye stitches, there will be a lot more color.  This is proving to be a very interesting band.  It is my hope to complete this band and and Band 7 this month.  I am not sure how rational an expectation that might be.  But with just one third of the month gone, I am hopeful.  It would be very nice to end January with a finish.

I was slowed down a bit by the necessary frogging I mentioned in my last post.  Such a stupid mistake in the placement of two of the navy blue blocks, throwing off the spacing for the surrounding Algerian eye stitches!  I am looking forward to seeing this tapestry like band grow and evolve.  In some ways it reminds me of a Persian rug.

And, shifting gears a bit, I thought I'd show you a photo of my Anniversary/Valentine's Day Tree.  I put thess heart ornaments up as soon as I take down my Christmas ornaments.  Bill and I are celebrating our  forty-third anniversary today.  I leave the ornaments up till February 14th.  Clearly, I need a few more heart ornaments.  The tree is looking rather bare especially when compared to the Christmas display.  I have some Spring ornaments that I put up after that but one of these days I am going to stitch a whole series of Celtic ornaments to put up for St. Patrick's Day.  I also want to stitch a bunch of Easter Egg ornaments as well.  Ultimately, the goal is to keep the tree up year round with a constantly changing display of seasonal ornaments.

Christmas Recess Is Over

And the forces of inertia are in full play: a body at rest tends to remain at rest, etc.  I really didn't want to return to work on Monday after a two week hiatus.  At 63, I am close enough to retirement to feel the strong pull toward laying down my burden and resting.  I haven't quite reached the burn-out point but I am less patient.  I have never been one to suffer fools lightly but I have always been able to internalize my reaction and conceal it quite nicely, thank you!  But not so much anymore.  It takes a little more effort to put on my happy face and behave in a politic manner.  If only I were able to afford to pay for health insurance for the full year before I qualify for Medicare in September 2015, I'd probably seriously consider retiring at the end of this school year.  But I guess I will just wait until June 2016 when full SS benefits kick in as well.

The upside of this is that, according to the laws of inertia, a body in motion tends to remain in motion.  So once I am back into my routines, I will recover the enthusiasm I have for my work.  There are many challenges and satisfactions ahead of me once I shake off the sloth that is making these first few days back feel like slogging through three foot snow drifts without the benefit of snow shoes.

But on to something a little more cheerful: here's a photo of my progress on The English Band Sampler.  I have managed to do a bit more of the cross stitch outlines.  I want to finish all the cross stitches before starting on any of the satin stitches.  There was a time when I didn't enjoy satin stitching, but I find it very relaxing nowadays.  I am looking forward to seeing this band come together.  Unfortunately, there is some frogging in my future: two of the dark blue block motifs will have to be frogged and moved to the right by two linen threads and a bit of the dark olive green cross stitch will have to be frogged back to a knot on the back.  Imagine me gnashing teeth and muttering imprecations.  Since there is still snow and ice in the backyard, the above photo is an indoor photo and the best I can manage using my stitching lamp.

Reaching out for Riddles

I have a seven year old grandson who, like many boys his age, loves jokes; particularly those that depend on word play or puns.  I have begun supplying him with fresh material for his stand-up routine as an act of mercy to my daughter-in-law and son [and anyone else who has to listen to gs1's jokes over and over and over and over again].  My daughter-in-law has pointed out that it is difficult to find jokes that are age appropriate and that, being innocent, don't rely on references that only someone alive in 1950 would understand.  The whole concept of clean jokes that rely on wordplay  that a 7 year old can comprehend is clearly not a modern trend in humor.  I am going to have to check out the local library and see if they have back copies of Boy's Life on file.  I seem to remember that there was a joke column in that magazine.

I have sent him the following:

Why does Santa have a garden in his backyard?  Because he likes to HO, HO, HO.

What two keys do not unlock doors?  A donKEY and a monKEY.

What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire?  Frostbite.

I am looking for similar riddles and jokes.  Anyone able to help?  Just leave your riddle or joke in the comments.

2014's First Start: Band 6

Technically, this is not really a new start since it is the second to last band in an existing sampler WIP.  But each band in this sampler feels so different from the one before that starting a new band tracks as a new start.

Jan. 4:  I had to shift my focus a bit on Band 6, from the dark olive green broad outline stitching to the lesser outline stitching in a variety of colors.  I ran out of DMC 3011 and will have to wait until I can run out and buy another skein.  But with the mercury hovering between 1 and 2 degrees Fahrenheit, I am not up to braving the great outdoors.  Meanwhile,. there is just one more stash hidey hole to check: the box where I keep the floss for the rest of the Cluny tapestry charts.

Jan. 5:  I had no luck finding DMC 3011 in existing stash, so I continued working on some of what I am calling the smaller interior cross stitch outlines.  On Monday, my husband has an errand to run at the other end of the county which will place him roughly at the mid-point between Michael's and A.C. Moore.  He's offered to pick up the floss if I give him a list of any numbers I need.  Dear man, he really hates shopping for floss. He claims that no matter what colors I need, they are always on the bottom shelf, just an inch above floor level.  Given his rheumatism and consequent flexibility issues, an offer to go floss shopping is proof of extraordinary devotion.

The photo at the head of this post shows my progress.

And Still More Sampling

I finished Band 5 on December 31.  Moving on, I started the cross-stitched outline of the pattern in the next band in DMC 3011, dark olive green. Band 6 is a very deep and densely stitched band featuring a cross-stitched outline filled in with satin stitches and specialty stitches.  I find this so much more relaxing than the fussy Band 5 with all its quarter and three quarter stitches and intricate back stitching.  I am going to make the most of this band while it lasts because the next one is very similar to Band 5: two side by side panels of the same motifs flipped upside down in a sort of reverse mirror image.

Anywat, I need to do a bit more stitching on Band 6 in order to produce an interesting photo.  Maybe in a day or two, I'll have something worth showing.

Assessing December Goals, Setting January Goals

DECEMBER GOALS: This past month, in a final push to get a few more finishes done in the calendar year 2013, I worked on pieces that are close to completion.

BAPs: Piper's Stocking.  Although this is nowhere close to completion, having only been started in the last few days, I do want to work on it steadily.  It is my hope to have this stocking done in time for Christmas 2014 and to be well on my way to completing Rocco's stocking as well.  Wouldn't it be grand to have Rocco's stocking done by Christmas 2014, too!  Well, due to issues with my sewing machine and a consequent inability to zig-zag the edges of the fabric, I didn't start this piece yet.

Class Project: The Mystic Stitching Accessories.  The goal is to have all these projects not only stitched but sewn and assembled this month.   Not a bit of progress, sad to say.

Town Square SAL: Stitch Milady's Tea Shoppe.  Well, due to issues with my sewing machine and a consequent inability to zig-zag the edges of the fabric, I didn't start this piece yet.

WIP's: Continue work on The English Band Sampler.  This was my serious and exclusive focus during the month.  I finished Band 5 and started Band 6.  There is still Band 7 to consider.

JANUARY GOALS: This month, indeed, this whole year, I intend to carry on much as I did in 2013: catching up on old class projects and on WIPs with brief excursions into smalls and ornaments when I need the gratification of an actual finish.  If I manage to meet all the goals below, I'll try to meet one of my annual goals as well and stitch a few more heart ornaments for my Anniversary and Valentine's Day tree.

BAPs:  Start on Piper's Stocking.

Class Project: Finally finish up the Mystic Smalls.

Town Square SAL: Stitch Milady's Tea Shoppe.

WIP's: Finish The English Band Sampler.  Next one up will be Zucca, which was the only project left from the 2012 Crazy Challenge.  It was started and then abandoned because I had made a positively dreadful choice with the linen.  Everything looked okay at the floss toss stage but once the stitching started the lovely over dyed green linen morphed into an ugly jungle camouflage cloth.  Something in the orange floss brought out the worst in the fabric.  I believe this design will look much better on an ivory or a raw linen and I will be starting it over on just such a fabric.  The fabric I had originally chosen was a 40 ct linen and my stash of neutral colored linens come in 28 ct, 32 ct and 36 ct.  Consequently, the finished piece will be somewhat larger than I had planned.  But better a somewhat larger finish than desired than a hideous juxtaposition of floss and fabric.

2014 Goals

The goals for 2014:

• 01. My Own Crazy Challenge: work on unfinished class pieces from 2005-date.
• 02. Complete two BAPs:  Finish The Woodland Maiden Stocking for Piper and start on a similar stocking for Rocco.
• 03. Continue to work on paring down the list of UFO/WIPs going into 2014.  
• 04. Stitch a few more Heart ornaments for the Anniversary-Valentine's Day tree.  This has been on the goals list for three years already.  Maybe this will be the year I actually manage it.
• 05. Stitch one ornament a month from the 2006 Indy Town Square SAL.
• 06. Limit stash purchases to fabric, fiber and tools needed to complete charts on hand.
• 07. Continue to blog regularly, aiming for every other day.
• 08. Make an effort to catch up on sewing and framing finishes.  Have two or three pieces professionally framed.
• 09. Inventory and declutter existing stash.
• 10. Change EGA membership to cyber-stitcher.

       The goals have remained pretty much the same for the last several years.  I have slowly been whittling   away at my stash but still have more than I am likely to stitch in my lifetime.   I do want to complete a few special projects this year: the remaining stockings for my grandchildren and the Town Square SAL ornaments.    And then, maybe in 2015, I can stitch all my remaining dragon charts for my own Year of the Dragon.  Or I could gather up all my Quaker animals and stitch all the squares for the planned quilt.  So many charts were bought with such grandiose plans for their use ... and age is creeping up on me.  I do hate waste and I would love to be down to just a few charts when my eyes and hands finally fail me!

2013 Finishes

I seem to be slowing down dramatically.  Back in my 30s, 40s and even into my 50s, I used to complete 60 or more projects a year.  Granted, many of them were ornaments or small to moderate sized pieces but, still, I did enjoy racking up the numbers.  

Of course, back then I was younger and more energetic.  From my 30s into my early 40s, I was a stay at home Mom; after that I worked part time as a substitute teacher and a specials teacher [art and library skills], usually only 2-3 days a week.  There was more leisure time.  Now in my 60s, I work full-time and housekeeping seems to take longer and longer.  There is less energy for the things that need to be done and, consequently, less leisure time.

Another change is that I have been working on finishing up old WIPs and class projects, most of which are time-consuming BAPs.  So it should come as no surprise that my completed projects tally for 2013 is a paltry 14.  Here's the breakdown: 

BAPs:

1.   T. Wentzler's Woodland Angel Christmas Stocking.  I picked this up in July with just 7 or 8 square inches of the final 90  square inches completed.  It took till November to complete, most of that time  was spent stitching on the stocking exclusively.

Moderate Sized Projects:

1.  Cedar Hills' The Berry Patch Rabbit.  This was one of those "had to stitch it" pieces.  Though this is only my second Cedar Hills piece, I must say I like this designer's style.

Smalls:

1.   Primitive Needle's By the Light of the Moon.

2.   Band Sampler Bookmark, of my own design.

Ornaments:

1.  Town Square SAL The Honey Shop.

2.  Town Square SAL The Frame Shop.

3.  Not Forgotten Farms' Rotted But Not Forgotted

4.  Peggy Bowe's Columbus Day Ornament

5.  Plum Street Samplers' Happy Halloween

6.  Town Square SAL The Fiber Shop

7.  Monsterbubbles Day of the Dead Halloween ornament

8.  Prairie Schooler Boo! Halloween ornament

9.  Halloween Sampler, adapted from Plum St. Sampler freebie.

10. Town Square SAL The Cross Stitch Shop.

ALMOST only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades ... but not in stitching.
The English Band Sampler.  I started this in Spring 2012 after receiving the first part of the chart in the Spring issue of SANQ and finished the first four bands in 2012.  Then I let it lay fallow till late November of 2013.  I ended up finishing Band 5 and starting on Band 6 during the Christmas recess.  This will be my first finish of 2014.  At the rate I am going, it will be in late January or early February.

I am hoping that 2014 will be a bit more productive but since I still have fairly extensive lists of WIPs  and UFOs  [8] and Class Projects [also 8], I suspect the numbers of 2014 finishes will remain in the mid-teens.