I'll Be Your Honey Bee

Well, the visitors come and go and I'm back in my nest.  I took a short break from Virtue last week to stitch this little piece for my husband for our 31st anniversary! Happy Annivesary!

 "June's Honeysuckle" by Cottage Garden Samplings

And now I'm back on Virtue.  For those of you waiting on the color conversion that I'm using, be glad I postponed giving it to you.  I've had to make a couple of adjustments for the symbols that were originally blended needles.  Since I'm working this on 36 count, I'm only using one strand of Splendor, so no blended needles for me!  But, never fear, I will post the list as soon as I'm sure about it.

I'm currently working on a big wholesale order of stitch markers for a knitting 'event' in Oregon.  Every single one has at least one purple bead included!

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Summer Stitching

Since the massive frogging incident, I've made good progress considering that I haven't had that much time to stitch.  When you live at the beach, summer visitors tend to mess with your stitching schedule.  Plus, I usually have to give up my 'nest' so that everyone has a place to sit. 

I just started the first flower in this huge band.  Thank goodness I get to add a color that I like!  All that green and yellow was getting on my nerves.  Hopefully, I'll get back in my normal stitch routine this week and have time to post more too.

It's also time to reorganize my yearly stitching list.  I've indulged myself for several months now working on Virtue Outshines the Stars, but it's time to get crackin' on those thirty Christmas ornaments, birthday presents and Christmas presents too!  Where does the time go? 

It's too hot to spend much time outside, so you'd think I would get a lot of stitching done during the day.  But most days, I'm busy making new scissor fobs and counting pins and promoting them online.  Thankfully, they seem to be more and more popular and the knitters and crocheters want their share of needlework bling too! 

And in case I haven't mentioned it lately, thanks for stopping by and commenting on my stitching life!  It's great to hear from all of you.

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It's Good to Be Home

Well, I'm back from my stitching vacation and I actually have something to show for it.  We had a great time and got lots done, especially since neither one of us likes to shop or sightsee much.  After visiting an EGA summer luncheon, we hit the local needlework shop where I picked up some lovely 36 and 40 count hand dyed fabric, as well as the last two colors of silk that I need for my next Scarlet Letter sampler, Jean Scrimgeowr.  Not surprising since I tend hoard linen like there's no tomorrow.

I've been home for five days and still haven't unpacked my bag!  Duffel bag, that is.  The stitching bag was unpacked and played with right away.  Well, I did put the dirty clothes in the hamper.  I hate unpacking almost as much as putting away clean laundry and emptying the dishwasher!  Why is that?  I've been pulling clothes to wear straight out of the bag since I got home.  I probably won't unpack until I have to do laundry.  Do you know how to tell if a woman has never had children?  If she tells you she only does laundry when she runs out of underwear.  I'm not even close to running out of underwear. 

I worked on a special project which I can't show you yet and this sweet little sampler for a friend.  I've really been digging in my stash lately and coming up with some goodies. This is "The Practical Sampler" by Eileen Bennett of The Sampler House.  It's full of all sorts of fun stitches, although after one row of the alphabet I switched the rest of the letters to something other than eyelets.  I figured that was enough punishment for whatever bad things I might have done over the last five years.

I'd love to show you some progress on Virtue, but a humongous frog landed in my lap on Monday night and I'm still recovering! 

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How many stitching projects do you take when you go on vacation?  Even when I'm only going for a long weekend at my Mom's, I usually pack three or four.  It seems silly since I generally only work on one piece until it's done.  But you never know when you might be stuck somewhere for weeks with massive amounts of free time.  It's never actually happened to me, but I want to be prepared, just in case.

I keep thinking I should interrupt Virtue Outshines the Stars and start on some Christmas ornies or a birthday gift, but I'm having such a good time that I just can't do it. Things have been really busy at TJBdesigns, so, despite my good intentions, I'm still not finding much time to stitch during the day.  Most of my stitching is done while watching TV in the evenings.

When I get tired of Queen stitches, I abandon the border for  a while and work on the 'innards'. 

Maybe I'll have something new to show soon, but don't count on it.  The big stuff on Virtue is coming up next.

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Where Does the Time Go?

I know, it's been a a while since I posted. I've been really busy, but I when I try to figure out why, the list isn't very long.  But I guess some of these tasks are time consuming.  I've had several large pieces of needlepoint to block and mount for the frame shop.  Fortunately, I received a wholesale order for stitch markers that took several days since my available inventory was pretty low.  And I had to take time out to go talk to the local postmaster because the employees don't seem to know how to handle my international packages.  And they talk to me like I'm an idiot.  If they only knew how much that does NOT help their case. Then, of course, there's the usual housekeeping, walking the dog, groceries, ...  Okay, not so much time spent on housework, but the rest is true.

Anyway, Virtue is a pleasure to work on.  I manage to put in at least a couple of hours almost every evening.  Every now and then a frog wanders through, but I find them only mildly annoying.  I'm pretty sure my brain hasn't completely turned to mush yet, so I must be mellowing in my old age.

The little birds can eat and fly now. They have beaks and wings and tail feathers.

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Chugging Away

Just because I haven't posted doesn't mean I haven't been stitching...except for the four days I spent with my mom.  I just can't get settled in the right spot with the right lighting at her house.  But I continue working on Virtue Outshines the Stars.  Just in case, you want to keep track, there are 45 queen stitches in each one of those flowers in the vine.  Good thing I love Queen stitches.

I seem to be breaking my normal pattern on this one.  I usually work with one color until I'm done, but I just can't do that here.  So I'm jumping around and surprisingly, it's not making my brain hurt.  Must be an aging thing...everything else is.

My little birds are beak-less just because I haven't gotten to that color.  But they are beginning to bother me.

 

 

This little piece of hardanger is going on a quilt that was made by the niece of my friend, Judy, who passes away recently.  I hope Judy's husband will be comforted by the knowledge that her friends remember her so dearly.

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Learning Patience

As I ponder the frogs around my stitching nest, I find myself wishing I'd taken up yoga.  Although my potty mouth has been moderated quite a bit given the lack of progress on Virtue Outshines the Stars.  So maybe I'm maturing. Not likely. Perhaps I'm just getting too old to waste the energy swearing involves.  Whatever, I stitch, I rip, I stitch again. 

 At least, I'm adding color and new motifs.  My normal modus operandi is to stitch everything of a single color before moving on. But, for some reason, I find myself stitching more by section on this piece.

The Qeeen Stitch fest continues, but Algerian Eyes have joined the party too.

I have a couple of small things I need to stitch in the next few weeks, so if the frogs reappear, I may take that as a sign to take a break. But for now, I'm merrily stitching away and working on that virtue called patience.

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