Why I Hate Home Depot

because going in that place raises my blood pressure every single time.

And it must be the most dangerous parking lot in my home town.

Went there yesterday with DS to pick out a peel n stick tile for kitchen floor. I am intent on covering up the abomination that is there. Most people look at and go that's not so bad. Well, 30 years of dirt and scratches make for a floor that is impossible to clean.

DS and I are in the tile aisle. Where at various times while we were there, there were up to four, count 'em, one, two, three, four employees present. Not a single one ever asked if they could help us. Now I admit that initially I didn't think we needed help. Until I started realize that they didn't have enough of any one tile that I liked to cover 150 square feet of floor. This meant there were nearly a dozen types with only 100 or less square feet. We walked up and down the types of tile. We had to keep moving our cart out of the way of said employees. Not that they asked us to. They just stood there staring at us. Maybe they weren't really employees. Maybe they were zombies wearing Home Depot name tags.

Sure enough. We left. Drove to Lowe's and spent our $$$ there.

This means. That we've moved the stuff out of the kitchen. Removed the old shoe molding. I've stained the new molding and will apply polyurethane this morning. Should be able to finish everything today.

Still Contemplating

I am still thinking about the length of my stash diet. A year seems so unreasonable. But in 6 months I might not make much of a dent in things. I guess it needs to be a year. That is a scary thing to contemplate. Though I know I hardly bought anything new the 3 years that I lived in NY (once a year shopping trips to the Yankee Cross Stitch in North Hampton, NH) kept me afloat along with my stash. I made an occasional trip other shops - maybe 3 or 4 in total. And internet shopped for a for a few fabrics and threads.

I will just have to be strong. And continue to think of that large collection of already kitted up items that needs reducing. And how large my finished items box may grow.

Still

Today Was our EGA Estate Sale

I wasn't participating in today's program so I wasn't as disappointed as some that the teacher was taken ill with her Lyme disease. I really didn't get much stitching accomplished. I guess that means I have slotted right into this group and enjoyed being sociable and talking to everyone.

Meanwhile on the estate sale side - which will be my last stash purchase for several months- here is what I scored: a hardcover book on Scandinavian embroidery, 3 issues of the Cross Stitch Sampler magazine that I missed, a needlepoint canvas of bees that is for a purse (canvas originally purchased in Carmel, Ca- Hey, I've been in that shop!), the directions of the EGA peyote stitch logo, a medieval sampler that's outstanding, and crewel kit for a jewelry case - all this for $8.00!!!!!

Which leads me to exam my timing. How long should a stash diet last? 6 months? 12 months? until I complete a certain number of projects? This most likely ends like a normal diet - with a wild splurge in which I spend way too much money making up for lost time.

Oh. And one more note. I did a job for my LNS. She owes me. So I do have some credit built up that won't count against me.

Stashy Diet

I actually made it in and out of the Scarlet Thread for morning stitch-in without purchasing a single thing. Yeah for me.

And yesterday my Daylight lamp showed up. Was simple to put together. Now I am just searching for the right configuration of furniture to best utilize this product. I'm thinking that I may need to swap my chair with DH's Lazy Boy. Still need to decide if it's more helpful to have lamp on my left or right. I'm not sure if they ever made an accessory tray for this lamp in black. I can't seem to find one on-line. I may just purchase the silver one. It's going to be covered with stuff anyway.

Camera battery is charging. Will post photos of latest finishes either today or tomorrow morning. Need to do a little bit of finishing work first.

DMC Linea

Apparently DMC has decided that this line is not working in the U.S.

Anyone have any idea where I can find this stuff still? before it all disappears.

Guess I'll go noodle around on ebay.

Militant Crazy Crochet Peoples...

Seen on SharonB's In a Minute Ago blog:



http://www.microfibermilitia.blogspot.com

This just tickles me.

Okay. Why am I so challenged? I tried inserting this as a link but it's not showing up! Copy and paste. Sorry.

Stitchy Stuff News

On Sunday while watching the Red Sox beat the White Sox, I finished the Knotted Tree's "Evergreen Topiary." And on Monday I handed it over to my colleague who will now finish it into a pillow for the shop. Very soothing work, this was. Fabric was??? Fog? by Picture this Plus? Will have to ask. The fiber was Silk n Colours Acorn Woods. Total pleasure to stitch. I was supposed to give it back to my partner, but as I knew she already had another shop model in the works, I just finished it.

This meant I was searching for what's next. I have a few crewel pieces lined up. But I couldn't find my crewel fabric for one of them and I didn't want to start my bigger crewel piece without first sharpening my skills on a smaller piece. So I looked at them. And then remembered that I have a class kit for a crewel initial ornament somewhere. I found that. And realized that her stitch and finishing instructions are great. But there was no advice on transfering the pattern to the fabric. Unfortunately I did a bad job of doing that and again found myself in need of my crewel fabric that I couldn't find.

In the process of finding that fabric I found my DMC Linea stash that I bought on clearance. So now I'm working up sunglass/cell phone holder on black with pearl cotton.

Putting on the Brakes

$400 for brake job on the car

The other car probably needs attention, too.

Ah. Well. Soon - in a matter of weeks - both of them will at least completely belong to us. Yeah.

So I'm buying one last stitching thing. Then going on a stitching stuff diet. No new charts. No new kits. No new accessories. Exceptions are for fibers and fabrics - but can only buy what is actually needed for a project. And I've got so many projects already kitted up this should not be an issue. And one last exception - for EGA's Saturday meeting with estate and book sales. But I'm not buying anything just because it's there. It will have to be real steal that I can't live without.

My last stitching purchase before embarking on this diet?
The Daylight lamp on sale at Nordic Needle. The floor lamp with magnifier and chart holder in black.

stitching bloggers' question

What do you love to do that many people hate? What do you hate to do, but do anyway?

I agree with the blondelibrarian on the first part. I love French knots. And when I realized how much other people hated them, I loved doing them even more. I perfected my technique 20+ years ago when candelwicking was all the rage. Of course I do remember having some very sore fingers...I've even done a few hundred French knots with wrapped once with a single strand of silk as a filling stitch. No problem.

There is not much that I hate that I do anyway. At least in connection to stitching. If I hate it, I find a way to avoid it. I no longer stitch things for others unless I am in love with what I'm stitching. That takes care of stitching things I dislike. I don't mind backstitching - it goes quickly and you get to see a project come alive under your needle. Queen stitch can sometimes frustrate me, but I love how it looks finished and I don't totally hate it. I think that's as close as I can get.

Okey Dokey

Quick recap of last week:

Spent two days doing a special project at my LNS for the store owner. We are still discussing payment options. She offered me the Daylight lamp with magnifier, but as I had been eyeing it in black and not silver, I declined. I'm thinking books now.

On Thursday at the morning stitch in, I started my EGA challenge project which needs to be finished for the meeting on July 28th. The challenge is - the view out my window.

Of course the view out my current window is just trees. Green leaves, gray-brown tree trunks, and sunshine. So I started thinking of views out of childhood windows. Which made me think of waking up at the lake in the summer. And suddenly I was contemplating a realistic views. But I wasn't thrilled with that idea. Then I started thinking abstractly - even going so far as to contemplate the window in my mind idea. Oh no. The time crunch made all that unfeasible.

Then I woke up one morning and said, voila! A band sampler - theme sunshine. Words taken from a "summer" song. I started reviewing summer songs. Finally settling on Donovan's line - "sunshine came softly through my window today." Perfect.

All this means that on Thursday morning I started stitching my half-assed ideas, some of which were graphed in pieces, on a scrap piece of linen that fits this narrow oak frame that I have. I did pick up some Crescent Colours for this project. And in an uncharacteristic move for me, I started stitching my band sampler from the bottom because I knew what the bottom was. I still don't know exactly what the top is. The doodle cloth accompanying this piece is getting quite a work out. LOL

AND on Friday I had even more fun. Met up with four stitching friends from RCTN in Baltimore. We took in the Maryland Schoolgirl Sampler show at the Maryland Historical Society. Then the Gee's Bend exhibit at the Walters. Then lunch at Getrude's at the Baltimore Museum of Art in the sculpture garden followed by a perusal of the NUNO Japanese textile exhibit. We managed to cover a lot of ground - from 1700's to 2007. Pretty impressive day.

The Japanese textiles were rather amazing. But I wasn't that impressed with the Gee's Bend quilts. A few of them, yes. The samplers though. Ah, the beauty. The amazing fact that any survive. The variety. More than 100 antique samplers all in one place. Made me happy.

Capped it all off by stopping at the Stitching Post on the way home. Found a Whimsical Elements flip flop design - "A Day at the Beach" - which I had been looking for for the past 2 years. The reason I hadn't just ordered it was that I knew that someday I would just find this one. I bought the Wildflowers that I needed for this and have put it away for the winter blues stitching period.

Also found Mirabilia's "Halloween Fairy." Now don't faint. But this is the first Mirabilia that I have ever bought. This is a limited edition kit and I was happy to find it. I think I passed this by once, but since then I have seen it partially stitched and loved it.

A very good day. Yes, indeedy.

I Miss Good Mexican Food

 

 

DS's dinner and DD's desert at the Cosmopolitan in Old Town San Diego. Hungry now?

Ummm.

So right off the bat I found a missing stitch on the Knotted Tree pattern. I went back and added it. And then realized I had added another stitch in a different place. Am going to have to consult with my partner about whether I need to remove this. Ah, karma's a bitch. That's what I get for feeling all superior at finding the mistake.

I have come up with an interesting idea for our EGA July challenge project. Now if I can actually find the time to stitch it, that would be great.

Hmmm. Very interesting. I can't seem to get to my title box. Huh.

Anyway.

Finished the second side of my Quaker ornie at 6:00 p.m. last night and had a mint julep to celebrate. Mint juleps = my new summer drink. Who knew mint and bourbon together could taste so good? And very refreshing.

I need to take a picture. Yes. I know. And then move on to the finishing. I picked up a piece that a friend and I working on together for our LNS. There was this piece of an overdyed fabric that was damaged and unsellable. But we can use enough of it for a small design rather than throwing it away.

So we're stitching The Knotted Tree's "Evergreen Topiary." On different fabric than called for and with a different fiber, too. File that one under we can't resist making changes.

Scored Two Books

Stopped by the Farmer's Market this morning and made the side trip to the used bookstore.

Where Iscored two books for the library - American Needlework 1776/1976. Needlepoint and Crewel Patterns Adapted from Historic American Images. by Leslie Tillett - Foreward by Rose Kennedy

and World Embroidery: 25 Original Projects from Traditional Designs by Carolyn Crabtee.

The second book will be the more useful one. The Americanan book is interesting, but too simple. Would like to see if it's possible to see the samplers at the Smithsonian that she used in the book. I'd like to see them in person and in color. Though there is a pattern I'm interested in - whales turned into a paisley pattern.

The World Embroidery book has info on a huge variety of things. Obviously from all over the world. I was looking at the shisha work from India and the directions seem quite good.

Quaker Style Ornie

 


I got a bit obsessed with this one. Just had to finish it. Now on to the other side and the actually finishing...
From Piecework 2006. This project is available on their website. It's called something like Quaker Style Heart.

Mermaid

 

My Monkey Works piece. Definitely looks like a mermaid. I'm working on the rock she's sitting on. The colors are kind of funky as the linen is blue, not gray.

Poseidon Framed

 

This is my Lynne Nicolleti piece framed and hanging. Unfortunately as it's in the shop I wasn't able to get a picture without a bit of glare. I did spring for conservation glass on this one.

First Time Since 1999

This is the first year we will be missing Sis's 4th of July blow-out at the lake in NH. Guess I'll have to settle for looking at pics of celebrations past. Missing family. Sigh.

But. In other news.

Last week's EGA meeting was a class for a little Quaker heart ornie that was in Piecework magazine last year. Supposed to be GAST Cherry Wine on a 32 ct cream linen. Well, I had a piece of Lakeside Linen's Bittersweet in 32ct that was large enough to use. And a floss toss of my overdyeds on this fabric made me reject the GAST in favor of a Needle Necessities in red (number unknown.) I've got other things I should be stitching on, but this is working up quickly and it looks so nice, that I can hardly help myself. Now I see what is drawing people to those Long Dog and other similiar samplers. And I'm totally digging on the Quaker style motifs. (Quaker samplers being a category I've until now successfully avoided - I see a problem emerging...)

Started In the Sea by Monkeyworks (http://home.att.net/~k.cadilek/)
I had a piece of antique blue linen and changed the threads. I've got 2 waterlilies that I'm using.

I obviously need to take some pictures and post them. I'm so bad at this.

And finally. I picked up my framed Poseidon and then dropped it off for the customer show at my LNS. The framing is gorgeous. This piece may be too pretty to put in the bathroom as per my original plan.

Query about DSLite

Not sure how much you know or don't know. It's a Nintendo DS Lite, a handheld console-type game playing machine. Price has held steady at $129 for the past seven months. I had originally told DH I'd like a Nintendo DS to play Brain Age (and maybe some other games...) But he surprised me with a DS Lite. We had so much fun we ran right out and bought him one also. We can play head to head wirelessly (not all games, just some.)

He plays Mario Kart on his and plays WiFi with people from all over. I like Texas Hold 'Em and Snood and the thinking games. I just bought the Internet Browser software yesterday. Within moments DH was reading his e-mail and looking at the online album of pix I had posted of our trip to San Diego. Within minutes of finally registering my DS online I was reading my own blog. It read down the posts first, then down the sidebar. You can click on links, etc. Was extremely easy to set-up with our wireless network.

The only drawback is the software does not support video or audio. No listening to Internet Radio. Bummer. But maybe they'll work on that.

Technology, Isn't It Wunnerful?

Bought the Nintendo DS Lite Internet Browser this morning. Now my DS is a browser. I read Jenn's blog on my game playing console that's slightly larger than a deck of cards. This is almost too much fun. Now to figure out the best WiFi free spots in town...

Yes. I know I could do this on my cell phone, but I had to faffing pay for that. This. Nada.