Technology Failed Me Once Again

  I have been trying to write this post all afternoon.  I started a Windows update this morning that took all afternoon to download.  Apparently, it was stuck in a loop or something and wasn't doing what it was supposed to be doing and I didn't know enough about it to recognize it at the time.  The story of my life!!  LOL!!   So now I am trying to make this post and I'm kind of cranky about it so I apologize in advance for any snarkiness!
   I have been stitching although it seems like even though I have avoided my "group obligations" I still don't have enough time to stitch. (I think I might need a maid!)  I am making progress on a few things and since it is WIP Wednesday I guess I will show you ALL the things I have been working on.
   First up is Serenity Harbor.  I enjoy working on this so much!!! But it is solid stitching now, which does not go very quickly, and I am still WAY behind on it no matter how much time I spend on it. It is my baseball piece so I work on it nearly every night but that still isn't enough to get it caught up!  Oh well, it is for me so I guess it doesn't really have to finish on time.  But I was hoping to at least stay close!!  (The color on this is a little off.  Took the pic on the kitchen island and I'm not sure what happened, those lights are usually so good.)

Part 6  ends at the bottom of the tree trunk
 

Then, comes the Little House Summer SAL piece.  I have this one almost finished and since we are having a double IH&SWeekend this month, I hope to be able to wrap this one up over the weekend.
This is where it is now...

This part is what I have added since my last post.  I just love this one and I think I will have to keep it for myself!

I have been trying to work on something else during my weekly stitch group meetings, just to keep things interesting.  Also, I am kind of a messy stitcher and trying to transport one of the above projects to someone else's house can sometimes be tricky!!  Threads get lost, etc.   So last week, the Rosewood Manor piece got a little work done on it.  Not a lot got accomplished but it is group stitching and you know how that can be!!

This weeks group stitch project was the long suffering Dorothy Walpole.  She is so neglected and I do have her on the list to finish this year.  Once again, didn't get a lot done and I really need to make some progress if she is to make her completion date!!

  Well, that's about all for now.  I need to get back to it if I am ever going to finish another piece.  Seems like the finishes have been few and far between this year and that is really starting to bug me!!  The list continues to grow though,  I have just signed up for another Facebook SAL for the Fall.  Maybe that explains it!

Take care and enjoy your stitching,  Laura

IH&SW Report and Other Stuff

   I wanted  to get an update posted but when I tried to take the pictures, the camera said the battery needed to be charged.  So, in the interest of expediency, and since I had planned to be in my stitching chair by 4 pm and it is now after 4 pm, I thought I would go ahead and write the post while the battery charged.  Not so dumb after all!!  I'm hoping it doesn't take too long to get up to speed!
   Things have been pretty busy since my last post and although I have stitched as much as possible it doesn't seem like I've gotten much accomplished.  I finished the 2 stripes I was trying to get done on One Nation which now leaves me with the last 2 and it will be finished. I am going to try to get this one wrapped up this week.   I haven't worked on Summer at Hollyberry Farm at all.  I added a couple of rows to the Randje per Week piece but not enough to show.
    I heard Dorothy calling to me from deep in the stitching bag so I go her out and did a little work on her.  This is what she looked like last time she saw the light of day.  I can't believe I haven't work on this since April!!

And this is the small amount I have added this past week.

I want to keep her in the rotation and she will get more time once One Nation is finished.
   I have to admit that I have been feeling the need for a finish. I have been working on mostly large projects all year and it seems like it's been a really long time since I've done a little happy dance so I decided I would stitch a few patriotic smalls in honor of the last gasp of summer.  I kitted a couple of small Blackbird designs and this little cutie by Heartstring Samplery.  It took me all weekend to get it finished, small though it is, but I think it is just the cutest thing!! It will go in the 'finished' box now but will soon be winging its way to the Finishing Fairie to be made into a cute little pillow.

I admit to changing some of the colors, the red is GA Ruby Slippers and the white I changed to GA Oatmeal to make it show up better on my linen (Lakeside Pecan Butter).
  So, for my Hermit report, I stitched the yellow flower on Dorothy Walpole and the small piece by Heartstring.  I must confess that some of my stitching time this past IH&S weekend was taken up with the frequent need to monitor what was being released at the St. Charles market.  I saw a ton of new stuff that I liked, some that I just HAD to have and some that I had to have right now!!  I can't wait to get it in my hot little hands!!  A report will be in order as soon as it comes in!

Thanks for stopping by and hope you're enjoying your stitching as much as I am,  Laura

The End of the Bargello

   It's been nearly 2 weeks since my last post.  I didn't mean for it to be so long but I was trying to finish the bargello band on Dorothy before I posted.  Every day I would think, 'Surely I will finish today and be able to make that post.' but each day I still wasn't finished.  This afternoon I finally got that section finished and I am now ready for the big reveal.

If you remember from my last post, I still had most of the over one verse to finish as well.  I've done quite a bit of bargello before and I don't remember it taking as long as this did!  Given all the stitches in this band though, I guess it wasn't that bad!  I am very pleased with how it came out and so happy that Dorothy is officially at the half way point!! 

     Up next in the rotation is the piece I am stitching for my future DIL for her birthday.  I have been carrying this to stitch group and have made pretty good progress but if I am to have it stitched and framed by the middle of May, it needs to see some serious  stitching time!!  It is pretty far along though so it shouldn't take too long to finish. I think this is adorable!!

Lizzie Kate
Cat Lessons for People
40 ct. Lakeside Linen w/ threads listed

   Next up is the Needleworker's Sampler newly framed.  I apologize for the angle but my framer put glass on it by mistake and I was having a hard time getting a picture without glare.  I put one of my favorite moldings on it since it seemed to cry out for it.  This one is currently residing at my LNS.

    Last but not least, I present photographic evidence that spring has arrived here in the burg.  This is the entrance to my neighborhood and how it looked a few days ago.  Magical!!

   We are now having those much lauded April Showers so I hope the promise of May flowers is just around the corner!!

IH&SW Report for March

  I didn't get to spend as much time stitching this past weekend as I would have liked.  It was my turn to host our weekly stitch group on Monday so I really had to do some prep for that.  Cleaning was right at the top of the list as well as baking so Sunday was pretty much a wash.  So to make up for that, I included Monday's stitching progress in my report  too.  Don't know if that is legit or not but I wouldn't have had much to show otherwise!!
  All of my hermitting  time was spent with Dorothy.  The big plans I had to finish the current sections and move on to another project never materialized.  I did however, manage to finish up the candle flame band I was working in Rice Stitch.  Yeah me!!

I did change to color of the deepest gold in this band.  It was supposed to be the same color as the dividing band directly below and I just found it to be too dark for the colors around it.  Lightened it one shade and I like it much better!!  Now do I change the dividing band to the new color as well or do I leave it alone??

  So that 's where I am now.  I think I am going to continue with this, getting in the over one verse (Lord help me!) and the bargello band that comes next before I put this one away.  Hopefully, I can get that much done by the end of the week because Ann Bowers is starting to jump up and down for attention and I would like to see her finished soon!!  Ambitious I know but having goals is a good thing!!

SAL Crazy!

    I joined Facebook in the fall and have been overwhelmed with the number of needlework groups and SALs available there.  I never thought of myself as a joiner,  preferring instead to do my own thing with my stitching and working on pieces that caught my eye at the time.  I don't know if this is a change in me or if I just didn't know myself as well as I thought I did  but I have now joined 5 SALs hosted by various groups on Facebook!!
   I have started some new pieces within those groups so I guess there is some enabling going on  but  I'm hoping to finish some of my UFOs in  a couple of them too.  Several of these started the beginning of the year.  Within the confines of Sampler World I'm working on the Snooty Parrots Sal and have completed the assignment for January.  It is stitched on 40 ct. Lakeside Vintage Exemplar with GAST.

Then, I am also working on the Quaker Medallion SAL and have now completed the January assignment for this piece as well.  It is stitched on 40 ct. Lakeside Meadow Rue with my conversion from DMC to GAST.

The third SAL is Dorothy Walpole.  Since I was ahead of the schedule on that one, from the Scarlet Letter SAL, (yes, I guess you could call it Double Dipping!!) I haven't worked on her yet but here is a pic of where I left off the last time she saw the light of day.

Wow, I didn't realize how long it had been since I worked on her!!  I makes me glad to have her back in a rotation again. I would really like to get this one finished this year.
  The other 2 SALs I've joined haven't started yet.  One begins on February 1st and the other doesn't start until March so I will post about those when the time is closer.  I my defense, I would like to add that I only joined these last 2 because I have projects already started for each of them and I'm hoping the SAL will motivate me to get them finished!!
    So that brings us to AW 1662.  I was reading the Scarlet Letter Year blog the other day and I saw a post by someone who is working on this one too.  She had just finished my favorite band and it really got me motivated to get back to work on mine.  This is a pic of where I left off:

And this is where it is now:

I am currently working on the top edge of the checkerboard band (my favorite) and I hope to be able to make some real progress on it this weekend.  It is the January weekend for IHSW and I would love to just sit and stitch for the long weekend but my son will be here and I don't know how much time I will be able to spend on needlework.  You want to spend time with the family when you can!!
   Well, that's about all for now.  Hope you all have a good long weekend of stitching!!