yarn fetish

It may be a good thing I haven't jumped onto the knitting bandwagon.
My 20 lb (mostly white, some black) cat has a thing for yarn.
We know he's got a special relationship with an afghan I crocheted a few years ago - he can ignore it for days at a time, then suddenly needs to be underneath it.

Yesterday he jumped on me while I was working on a lap robe. That pretty much puts an end to my working.

As you can see, Elvis pretty much takes up a whole chair by himself...

Sunday Fun

Yesterday was an interesting mix of things. We went into D.C. to go to the National Museum of the American Indian. This museum just opened last year on the Mall just a little ways from the Capitol. And what a beautiful building it is. Info here - National Museum of the American Indian

It's definitely not a traditional museum. I'd say it's more of an experience. Lots of beautiful beading for me to admire, too. Had lunch in the Mitsitim Cafe a must do activity. The cuisine is not your typical cafeteria food, as it is based on native foods of different areas. Plus the cafe space itself is tremendously interesting with beautiful views of the water outside.

We left there and went next door to the Botanical Gardens to see the Mall exhibit. In the Garden Court there is an exhibit of model trains that travels around model buildings of D.C. landmarks made from organic materials. Sounds boring, but was beautiful. The United States Botanic Garden We gave our new camera a workout. Saw the titam arum (the big stinky plant) a week after its blooming. I think too many people go to D.C. and never enter this building, which is a shame.

We capped off the day by going to the National Cathedral to listen to an organ recital. As we sat in the Great Choir vibrating, I was wishing for earplugs. LOL

Rejoining the Stitching Blogger's Questions

Do you always sign your projects? If not, why? If so, do you use your first name, initials or what?

I do unless they are very small - an ornament or pin, etc. or unless the information is already stitched into the design.
I use my initials and the year.
I also include information of the back (sometimes behind the back covering of framed pieces). This would be more detailed info. Design name, designer name, my full name, date finished, sometimes fabric if that detail is important.

Fine Lines Question

Does anyone know if the magazine is ever going to publish again?

Saturday Fun

I picked up "Remember the Ladies" yesterday to stitch on while watching my alma mater, U of New Hampshire, pulverize Colgate is Division 1-AA football. I seem to have made a choice not to follow the instructions. But looking at it now, I'm not appreciative of that decision and will do some frogging. Ah, backwards progress.

Earlier in the day I had found a lasagna recipe on line to try. DS wanted to make homemade pasta. So we did the long-simmer bolognese sauce. And used the Kitchenaid for mixing the spinach pasta. Dough was very sticky. In retrospect, I wasn't paying attention and used 4 extra large eggs instead of 4 large eggs and I think this was the cause of the problem. While I struggled with lasagna noodles that wanted to stick to even to parchment paper, DS was busy struggling with a bechamel sauce that didn't want to thicken. I think this particular recipe is suspect. Not enough flour for that much milk. We eventually muddled through and ended up with a product that while not beautiful, was certainly tasty.

Capped off the night by drinking champagne while eating the last of the cream puffs and watching "The Chorus." Not a bad way to spend a day.

Just Nan Finish

Time to start posting photos.
Here is Just Nan's "The Promise" that I did for my sister's 50th birthday. I did change the wording as she is not a stitcher.

quiet weekend

We had a company holiday party to attend on Friday night. Great band, people willing to dance. Decent food, too, for an event that size. And I don't mind dressing up either. Especially now that I've found a pair of comfortable dressy shoes.

But had to get up early on Saturday to take DS to school to take a practice SAT test. I think we're going to find that because of moving around and differing curriculms, he has some defiencies in math. Which really isn't fair as he is good at math. But at least we'll have these results to decice how much prep work he'll need in the coming months.

Did not do much the remainder of the day except finish my sister's birthday present.
Yesterday we found an interesting breakfast place. It's a big recreated diner - built in 1997. I think we need to go back and see it at night all lit up in neon. And the fact that there is a fondue restaurant literally within walking distance of my house somehow had eluded me. Melting Pot, here we come.

Went to Michael's and bought what a I needed to frame my sis's present. I want to know why precut mats and frames that say the opening is 5 x 7 are really 4 1/2 x 6 1/2. That extra half an inch would make it look so much better. Sigh.

Off to wrap for mailing.
And then on to decding what to stitch next.

why

I've got so much that needs doing - painting, hanging pics, moving furniture - but I pulled a muscle in my back on Tuesday and though it feels better today, I will not being doing any of the aforementioned work. Sigh.

But I do have a copy of Ruth Reichl's latest book - Garlic and Sapphires - about her years as the restaurant critic for the NY Times. I do love her writing. It makes me want to go into the kitchen and cook.

Scroogette City

This is an open letter to all retail establishments.

I resent your relentless flogging of the Christmas holiday and especially this early in the fall. I can understand being able to buy Christmas crafts in September/October because of the time involved in accomplishing projects. But I do not need to buy Christmas lights in September. Nor do I need to hear Christmas songs in October. I don't need to see Christmas decorations up and lit before Veteran's Day. I've had enough and it's only November 15th!

I hearby pledge to not purchase a single holiday item before Thanksgiving. No cards. No wrapping paper. No decorations. No gifts. Maybe I won't buy anything in a store or online at all this year. No egg nog, no fruitcake, no special candles with holiday scents. No new holiday CDs. Who needs Christmas china? Santa toilet paper? Not me.

You are totally ruining the Christmas spirit for me. Imagine how hard it is for parents of young children who see Santa at the mall and think Christmas must be soon. How can it be special when it's shoved into our faces for months?

I guess I'll be residing in Scroogette City for now. Where the fire burns warm and the hot chocolate has marshmallows melting on top. And the pressure to buy, buy, buy is gone.

Oh Joy Oh Happiness

Oh the wonder that is the Bobs.
Finally got to see them in concert on Thursday evening.

For those who are uniniatated - the Bobs are an acapella group. You can find their history, etc. here - The Bobs

Imagine the Doors song "Light my Fire" performed as a madrigal. They did a killer version of White Room. But they don't just do older songs. They do original songs. They laugh and play and do amazing things with just their voices.

Our only disappointment was no songs from the Too Many Santas CD. I guess it's still too early in the season...

Happy Dance for New Camera

Yeah! Finally got a new digital camera. Nikon's Coolpix8400.
We tried for 3 months to purchase an Olympus 7070, but apparently they have stopped making them less than a year after starting. Which is a shame as this camera has great reviews. I just don't get this digital world sometimes. Le sigh.

The learning curve doesn't look too steep on this one. Just need to figure out my macro settings and I will be posting decent pics of finished projects and works in progress.

New Keyboard

So pardon any mistakes. Much different feel from previous keyboard, but I think I like it better.

Went into the National Cathedral yesterday for a stained glass tour. Was good, but we agreed that the volunteer tour guide could have a bit more understanding about her subject. She apparently only bothers to learn about the things that interest her. Yes. I understand the meaning of volunteer, but hey, when you pay for the tour...

But the clouds stayed away and the light was gorgeous. And for an added bonus, a chorus of Marines showed up to rehearse for a service. Always a pleasure to hear music in that grand space.

I did a tiny bit of Christmas shopping. And wished fervently that their needlepoint canvases were not so expensive. Then I could have treated myself. Oh. Well.

Color

As I sit here typing, the color outside the window continues to gain in intensity. The majority of the leaves have turned yellow and the sunlight is filtering through them to the forest floor in a beautfiful golden haze. I guess I should go take a walk!