Pumpkins, Blackwork, Digging, Chat and Another SAL

It's well past time I put in an appearance on this poor blog... it does seem to get put to the back of the queue on the list of things to do these days and I have no idea why. So, what have I been up to this time? Well, believe it or not, a second Happy Dance has followed hot on the heels of the Tiger - I guess that goes to prove that the sttichy mojo is definitely back from it's holidays and here to stay. Yay! It did help that the piece I picked out was an absolute joy to stitch..... and here it is, in all it's unpressed glory:

Design: A Spot of Halloween

Designer: Midnight Stitching

Fabric: Sparklies 28ct evenweave, Pumpkin Patch

Threads: DMC B5200 & 310

Apologies for the slightly blurry pic - the weather here has been dull and dismal much of the time and the digicam isn't that good.... and neither are my photography skills, to be honest. LOL This one was the best of the lot I took. It didn't get finished for Samhain (Halloween) this year...... but I am well organised for the next one..... providing I can decide how to finish this up before then. I'd like to finish it as a wall hanging but my sewing skills aren't up for it - the darned sewing machine will insist on galloping off and doing it's own thing, no matter what I do. I shall get to the other side of Yule (Christmas) and into January and go find out what sewing courses, if any, are available via the Adult Education classes or the local Colleges - it's way past time I tamed that darned machine and cured my terror of it, once and for all. School sewing classes have got an awful lot to answer for!

As soon as I got Spot of finished I picked a new WIP progress out of the To Stitch pile.... sorry Julie and Mr Stick, those UFO's are just not grabbing me at the moment and not even Wanda brandishing her broom at me has worked - though I have got rather good at ducking and diving! LOL I bet you're all wondering what the new WIP is, aren't you? I did wonder about leaving that until the next post - then remembered that poor Tina (no blog) has been itching to see what it is and I've been tormenting her for long enough now. So here's the first update pic:

Design: Blackwork Mystery SAL

Designer: Seba Designs

Fabric: 28ct evenweave, Vintage Blue

Threads: Thai Variegated Silk (so far)

It's another really naff pic too, due to the same reasons as above. :0( The fabric is actually a lovely pale blue, in a Vintage style, and the silk thread is graded from a lovely deep blue to a pale blue. Strictly speaking, the Mystery and SAL are no longer relevant, as the SAL finished long since and it's no longer a Mystery as I have all the parts... but I won't go splitting hairs. ;0) It has grown a bit more since this and would have grown even more if that darned frog hadn't come a visiting. What was so annoying about it was that I was just half a stitch too low. Yes - not even a whole one, just half a bloomin' stitch! So it got frogged, then restitched in the right place, with the satisfaction of adding a couple of extra stitches, just so it seemed like some progress had been made overall. Sheesh.... when I think that without that mistake I could have had two squares stitched, not just one, I could spit like a camel. Well, I did have the hump big time afterwards.... does that count?

Now let me cast my mind back and see if I can remember what else has been happening since my last post. Eeerrrrmmmm..... well, I've had a few sleeps since then, so it's a bit of a struggle. The poor wee brain cell is on overdrive, trying to keep up with the regular stuff, and this might be a step too far. LOL

DH and I attended the Mind, Body and Spirit event at the Lincolnshire Showground on Sunday 7th and had a great day. I attended three of the workshop/talks: Past Lives; Meditation with Instruments and Healing with Crystals - DH came to the second and third ones with me. They were all very interesting. We also had a little retail therapy, though not as much as previous times, and I also underwent a Crystal Healing session, from one of the stalls..... now that was a great experience and further proved (not that any was needed) that I have an affinity with crystals and need to develop this further. It also helped me to go straight to a crystal stall and pick out a new Pendulum, for use in Dowsing specifically for health related matters. This event was the last one in this area for this year.

Oh, I know what else: the chaps decided that, with the help of one of DS's mates, they would lay the new waterpipe. You know how these things go with the male of the species..... they get a professional in to give them a price; they then see a large amount of £££'s on a quote and go: "You what? How much? I can get it done cheaper than that"; then they start the job, all enthusiastic..... and very soon realise that, actually, it's a hell of a lot more work than they'd realised and it's going to take them longer than they thought and, then they go: aaahh crap - wish we'd paid somebody to come and do this.

Seem familiar? Yup, that's about what happened here.

Getting the slabs up was relatively easy.... it was the bloody horrible clay stuff they had to dig out that was the problem, especially as it all had to be done by hand because we weren't 100% sure where or how deep the existing water and gas pipes were. Here's the front all dug up (one days work) with the sand layer in and the new pipe loosely laid (the second day):

This and other pics had to be taken for the benefit of the Water Board, to prove that we'd done it correctly - as we need the drive for parking our cars on, it all had to be backfilled and the slabs put back down afterwards, all before they could come out to inspect it and connect it up. Waiting for them to do that can take around six weeks (or more) and we weren't prepared to leave the trench open that long.... someone was bound to "accidentally" fall in it and try for a nice bit of compensation just before Christmas, weren't they? (Yes, I am a tad cynical. LOL). Our neighbours, the Pete's, got their trenchwork and piping done on the Saturday - lucky so and so's had proper soil to dig through and a couple more helping hands than we did - but they very kindly came round and helped us finish up the front on the Sunday.

Now the side of the house, behind the wooden gates, is a whole different story. That had to be left in this state:

That bit is from the side gates and almost to the back door and the next pic is from the back door to the back end of the house (the wooden board is so I can come out to put stuff in the recycling boxes without falling into the hole):

Since then DS and another mate have dug it all down even further (has to be a certain depth, by law) , so the clay heaps are even higher. DS then went out and backfilled the stretch from the back of the side gates to just short of the first carport upright post:

Saturday (20th) I thought I'd show willing and I shovelled and ferried two half barrows of sand round from next door (can't lift a full barrow of wet sand) and then shovelled a layer into the bottom of the trench, from just after the carport upright up to the back door and tamped it all down - it's now ready for the chaps to lay the pipe, stick a sand layer on top and backfill, whenever the mood takes them. After that I was mildly cream crackered. ;0)

DH spent much of the first weekend taking apart a kitchen cupboard, to access the outside wall, and drilling through, for the new pipe to come in.

That bit I don't mind..... it means the kitchen refurb has just been bumped higher up the Must Do list. Yay! LOL I spent most of that weekend making cuppas and a combination of bacon/egg/sausage butties - the fuel that keeps the British Workman going. The only bit about that was that I couldn't eat any of it, due to the food intolerances/special diet - bum!

This weekend, as if there hadn't already been enough destruction, DH had to dismantle some of the downstairs toilet and uncover the wall, so he could drill through for the new pipe to come in there too (it has a separate pipe system to the rest of the house, as it's in an extension). This is what it looks like at the moment:

Yup, it's definitely out of commision for the foreseeable future - we're all getting a little extra exercise going up and down the stairs, to use the updstairs loo. LOL The little white "lump" in the right hand corner of the pic is a piece of kitchen roll blocking the hole to the outside. The outside bit now looks like this:

Thankfully we have a pile of bricks at the bottom of the garden, some of which can be used to repair the bashed out area there, plus the matching bashed in bit to the kitchen. We have no idea what that random bit of brickwork is to the right of the trench: the proper manhole and sewerage pipe is further over, running straight between the houses and out to the main sewer under the road - that bit is totally out of alignment with our house and the neighbours house. All we can think of is that the builders got that bit wrong and decided it was too much hassle to rave it all out again, so just left it in situ. You find some weird bits and pieces when you start dismantling or digging bits up in and around this house. LOL Fingers crossed (and everything else!) that this job gets finished before Christmas because the level of muddy footprints that are getting traipsed through my house is now starting to give me a decided twitch.

Development Circle is going OK, though there wasn't a session last week as Aureen was undergoing some hospital tests for a couple of ongoing health isues she has. Lots of healing vibes have been going her way. My acupuncturist is currently on holiday, so I booked myself in for a couple of Reflexology sessions - those have been very interesting, not just for the healing but also for the chat with the practitioner, B. She is undergoing training in Hypnotherapy... so I've requested that she lets me know when her training is complete, as I would like her help with a couple of things: to get me back on track with my diet, as that's gone to pieces since my op; help with learning some self-treating techniques, to help me tackle the last couple of post-agoraphobia/panic attack things that still give me a little anxiety and to aid meditation; wanting to remember a couple of childhood incidents that could have a bearing on issues I have now and, the main thing, to undergo a Past Life Regression. B should receive her certificates in January and will be able to give Hypnotherapy treatments from then, so 2011 looks set to be an even more interesting year than this one. :0)

Oooo, I nearly forgot: the lovely Tina (no blog) will be running a Shores of Hawk Run Hollow SAL over at the Stitch & Stash Forum but it's not just for stitching Shores - folks can join in with any Carriage House Samplings piece. So I went rummaging in my stash and found three CHS charts lurking in there and this one shouted the loudest:

Enchanted... and, as you can see, I've already got the fabric chosen and done a floss toss. I've been extra good, as everything is from stash. I think the SAL starts in January 2011 (best check, hadn't I? LOL), so it'll be a nice way to start off the New Year and, hopefully, I'll manage to keep up this time... unlike with the Just Nan SAL (sssshhh, don't let Mr Stick know! LOL).

Oh, and before I forget again: someone asked about the new header pic. It's a view of the Langdale Pikes, as taken from the path between Skelwith Bridge and Elterwater, in the Lake District. It's one of the pics I took when DH and I did the walk on our summer holiday this year. :0)

Thank you for taking the time to visit... and especially for the lovely comments you leave. Welcome to newbies to my blog too.. please say Hi. Have a good week folks. :0)

Two Updates

I started on the next part of the Memories SAL last night but as it is just two rows of long and short satin stitch I won't post an update on that yet - I'll leave it until I've completed the whole section and then share.

Thought I'd post a pic of where I'm up to on the For Amanda SAL piece instead:
Am stalled on this until the Perle thread arrives from Thread Bear. Yes, I went shopping today and no, I didn't buy just the thread: their stock is just as bouncy as Jayne's and all kinds of wonderful things kept jumping into my basket and I just didn't have the heart to turf them out. LMAO ;0) Have had to ask that they send the package Recorded Delivery because the last few packages I've had (sent from elsewhere) have turned up with the packaging damaged (one looked like they'd been surfing up and down the depot on it). I'm hoping that sending by RD means that Royal Mail will handle it a little more gently. Yes, I can hear disbelieving snorts from all over the place - I doubt it'll work either but you have to live in hope!

The second update is of Night Watchman. After several occasional stitching sessions it seems to have grown a reasonable amount:

I'm concentrating on the background whenever I stitch on this because I know if I do the most interesting bit (the owl) first I shan't have much of an incentive to carry on with it. There's an awful lot of that background and it can be quite "bitty" - although it does look effective. That's what I like about Heritage Stitchcraft designs: they stay as true to the original piece of artwork as possible. Plus I also like the fact that the threads in their kits are pre-organised so all I've got to do is mark the centre of the fabric, put it on a frame and start stitching - great for when I'm feeling lazy and want a quick new start. :0)

DS seems to have settled into the new job OK. He doesn't enjoy having to drive along one of the main routes in/out of town at peak times but the quieter alternative route adds extra mileage/time to the run, so he's reluctant to use it - the price petrol (gas) costs now it would make a heck of a difference to the running costs. He's a bit grumpy at the minute because the insurance is due and, like me, he'd rather that money went on good stuff - in his case, PC/X Box games, DVD's, CD's and nights out. Don't think you need three guesses to work out what I'd rather spend it on. ;0) LOL

My back isn't twinging so much now, so I've had the Dyson out and given the bedrooms a birthday today....... and promptly had a piece drop off it and a spring go ping. Another job for DH - as if he hadn't got enough on his list already! Karen: he's pretty good at basic plumbing, as he and a friend put our heating system in and replaced all the old lead piping when we first moved in. He's also a proper electrical engineer, so he can do all those jobs too. The only problem is actually getting him motivated into shifting his butt to do the jobs............. anyone got any spare dynamite laying around? ;0) LMAO

Well, there's not much else to share for now as things have been fairly quiet since our rather hectic weekend - thankfully! Tonight I plan on doing a little blog reading and then will carry on stitching Memories.

Thanks for stopping by - hope all is well in your parts of the world. :0)

An Update - Stitching and General

Bit of a busy few days, so I'm glad to be able to take a breath and start a catch up in Blogland again.

Saturday we had a long afternoon out: dinner out at Brigg Garden Centre, where DH and I had a nice meal, two drinks and a long chat then went shopping. Bought some gorgeous lemon coloured pansies (six plugs for a pound!) which will look stunning in my Arthur and Guinevere terracotta pots and against the red brick of the house wall and a pot of narcissi (also a pound), then found a great book on handmade cards that will be a useful ideas book and also some wording peel-offs and a bride and groom brass stencil for dry embossing. DH treated himself to a book on the London Blitz (WWII) and a diabetic quick cook book which has some Italian style food recipes in it - the food was one of the things he enjoyed over there....... the other being the local Grappa! LOL We then picked up a part for DS's Mini from a fellow Freecycler in one of the villages and followed it up with a bit of a drive round some of the other villages, ending up at the turf maze at Alkborough. We didn't hang around: the wind was blowing straight off the rivers, up at us and it was flipping freezing. Home for a take-out curry and I finally made a start on Part 3 of For Amanda.

Sunday we went to my DSis's for the day. I took the Alphabet Tree Challenge piece to show my DSis and she loved it, so it is now in her china display cabinet in front of a lovely photo of our Mum and Dad. :0) I also took some surplus 8x8 and 12x12 scrapbooking papers for her to add to her collection, ready for when she starts her new hobby. DH did a couple of small DIY jobs for her and (hopefully) sorted out the burglar alarm problem. As it began to snow on and off in the afternoon we didn't go out, so I did a little stitching on Night Watchman - again there's not really enough progress made to make an update pic worthwhile. By the time we were travelling back much of the snow had disappeared - until we came to the Thorne turn-off, where there was quite a good layer on the verges and in the fields. When we got home it was pretty obvious there'd been more snow there than over at DSis's. Glad to say it's now long gone but it's still bitterly cold out and the rain has taken over where it left off. Yuk!

Monday I got on with my usual jobs and fully intended finding the time to update my Blog and visit everyone else's but my DBro popped in for a surprise visit then, just as he was preparing to leave, Alex arrived for her visit - when she left it was time for DH to come home so I never really got the chance to. It was a good afternoon though: I don't get to see my DBro as often as I see my DSis, so it's good to have a catch-up and then Alex had brought some of her stitching to show me. Wow! She is very much in to freestyle embroidery and has made up about sixteen small "patches" of roughly the same size but of differing shapes: each of these has a base fabric to which she attaches various oddments of material (silks, sari fragments, kimono scraps, whatever) with stitching (feather stitch, I think) then proceeds to decorate each scrap however she fancies. Each patch is different, although they often incorporate the same stitches: some have beads added; others have a roll of fancy yarn that has been attached with metallic thread; one has a sisha mirror attached under embroidery; some she's added tiny flower embellishments to; others the flowers were on the fabric and she's developed them as a theme; gardens of lazy daisy daisies etc etc etc. Each piece is a little work of art with memories stitched into them (she could tell me exactly where and when each piece was stitched) and she intends to make up a quilted wall hanging with them all, using black dupion silk bands to join the patches. It is going to be stunning when completed and I am so looking forward to seeing it - am hoping she will let me take some pics to post and share on here. :0)

After tea last night I carried on with For Amanda and here's a pic of progress so far:


I love the script on this, as it just flows so beautifully. It's UFO Night tonight, so ET will be getting my attention, but I shall be back to this as soon as I can.

Will I finish ET and get a HD tonight? Well, that all depends on how much of a pain the metallic thread decides to be and how long my patience holds out with it! There's a Most Haunted (new series) on later tonight, so that will keep me sat in front of the TV while it's on. Watch this space......... LOL

Christine: don't worry and no rush, I was only joking - I still need to do a floss toss for Papillon. I'd also like to put at least one project "to bed" before making a start on a new one - I need to free up a scroll frame! :0)

Many thanks for visiting - hope you've had a good weekend and are all coping OK with the rather iffy weather. :0)

For Amanda and More Cards

The Ostara (Easter) weekend was very productive as I also managed to finish Part 2 of Carol Tinson's For Amanda SAL, which was another lovely section to stitch. Here's a pic of what would fit on the scanner: I love it when everything goes to plan and another stitchy goal is put to bed, don't you? It's also nice to know that I am up to date with almost all my pieces now - will post a pic of Memories next time. :0)


Thought I'd share pics of the rest of the cards I made during my mammoth session last week. Here's another male card which will come in useful for one of DS's friends:

I thought of my MIL when making this, as she's a keen gardener:
This girly fairy card is for my niece Erin:
I have another set of these embellishments so will probably use them to make a similar card for my neighbours little girl. Lastly here's a wombled card I made a while ago: the main piece on the front was taken from a card my DS was sent, as a thank you note from the chap he bought his masked ball outfit from:
I wasn't about to throw away anything so pretty and useful! LOL No wording on the front of this one, as I'll add that when I want to use it, whether it be as a Thank You, Get Well, Thinking of You or a Birthday card. Hopefully I'll get round to making a few more of these open cards, as they're useful to have around. :0)

Tonight's plan is to dig out ET and tackle the backstitching. YooooHoooo Julie and Mr Stick: yes, you read that right, I will be stitching on ET tonight. LOL

DS went in to his new place of work for an hour this morning, before going onto his current job, and will be going in again tomorrow morning for a bit more training with the chap who is leaving. While he was there a ship came in to the wharf, so he got to see some of the operation first hand. He's really looking forward to it and reckons that, although it's different to what he's currently doing, he should be able to pick it all up fairly quickly. It's good to see him all enthusiastic again. I've passed on the well wishes and he's asked me to thank you all on his behalf - and a big thank you from me too. :0)

This week can only get better because.......... guess what? There's a five night stint of Most Haunted Live, based in Turin, on Living TV which starts on Wednesday night. Yay!!!!!! Looks like I'll be getting a bit more stitching done 'cos I ain't going anywhere until it's all over. When I told DH and DS you could see the look of joy in their eyes......... not. As DS is out most nights at rehearsals or at Alex's and has his own TV and DVD player in his bedroom I can't see why he should be complaining. As for DH: well I did ask if it would mean some of the outstanding (quieter) DIY jobs would get done, as he wouldn't be watching it. You could hear a pin drop after that remark, so guess that's a NO then. EhEhEh! ;0) Oh, and the new series is currently running and that's on tonight - SIX nights of Most Haunted then. Double Yay!!!

Well now I've stated in writing for all to see that ET is getting some attention tonight I'd best go get on with it.

Many thanks to all for visiting - hope you're having a good week so far. :0)

Amanda and a New Start

Back after the weekend and now trying to catch my breath.
Friday and Saturday I managed to concentrate on my stitching for a few extended periods and the Amanda SAL has seen the benefit of that. Here's where I got up to by Saturday evening: It's a little bit fiddlier than I expected, so it seems to be taking a bit longer to grow than I'd hoped. Got to get it done though, as Part 2 of Memories is already waiting and Part 2 of the Ozark SAL is due out any time soon.

DH didn't mind me stitching on Saturday as we decided to stay in so he could get on with fitting an exterior expansion tank for the central heating boiler. Not sure quite how this works but it goes up in the loft, plumbed in next to the other water tanks, and replaces the internal expansion bag that isn't working. Currently if the boiler pressure drops below a certain amount it cuts out and we freeze our butts off until someone tweaks a small tap next to the boiler to increase the pressure again. Fixing it this way was the cheaper option - those internal expansion bags for condensing boilers cost an arm and a leg and don't seem to last long at all. DH seemed to spend an awful lot of time searching for bits he needed for fitting it and not much time actually working - don't think he fancied being up in the rather cold loft, as we've had so many hard frosts lately it makes you glad you're not a brass monkey! Wish I knew a plumber - I'd have him in while DH is at work, get it all sorted in an hour or two and save a lot of hassle from yet another long drawn out DIY job!

I also had a new start over the weekend. Well, I had to test out the No-Sew Clip frame, didn't I? Can you guess what it is? No, I guess not - even I can't from that little bit LOL.
It's Night Watchman, the beautiful owl kit from Heritage Stitchcraft that I got in a sale earlier this year - it's been calling loudly to me ever since I got it and I couldn't ignore it any more. I swapped the Aida in the kit for some 28ct cream Brittany I had in my stash - those weird fractionals Heritage love are definitely best done on evenweave.

Sunday we went to my DSis's for the day, as she needed help moving a huge wardrobe so she could continue painting the box room. I did a little stitching on NW whilst there but had to drop it when we had an unexpected trip to casualty. DSis had a fight with a corned beef tin, lost and got a nasty deep gash across her right thumb pad - haven't seen that much blood in a long time! Several pieces of kitchen roll and lots of compression later and the bleeding had slowed down a little but would start again as soon as she moved it. Off to DRI to be told there was a three to four hour wait (too many people using it as a Doctor's surgery and not as an A&E, methinks!). Luckily the nice woman we spoke to told us there was a Small Injuries Unit at a small hospital in Mexborough, so a 25-30 minutes journey later we were there and DSis was seen and treated in under 35 minutes. She had it butterfly stripped and bandaged and had an anti-tetanus shot. Back at hers and I told her we were lucky: she hadn't bled on the corned beef, so we could still have it for tea. LOL Her reply is unrepeatable in polite company but at least it brought back some colour to her cheeks and got her laughing again. When she realised it would get her out of doing pot washing and cashing up at work she was definitely in a happier frame of mind. LOL

It's half term here, so Alex hasn't been for her usual Monday natter, but I did my regular jobs anyway and a few extras. I'm now feeling quite the virtuous housewife (doesn't happen often) and shall reward myself with a quiet evening of stitching in front of the TV. ;0) It looks like DH will have to work late, so I'll get to watch whatever I want as well - and there's a Most Haunted on. WhoooHoo! :0)

Hope you've all had a good weekend and that the week has got off to a good start for you. :0)

Happy Valentine's Day

Mine got off to a good start with a lovely card from DH that looked like a handmade one - very pretty it is too. We're not doing choccies or flowers but have decided we're going to splash out between us on a flat-screen monitor for the PC. Practical, yes - with the added bonuses that it'll last waaay longer than flowers and doesn't do any damage to my hips like choccies would ('cos DH is diabetic - I'd have to eat them all). LOL

Next was a pink parcel from Jayne with the COM Monthly fabric Violets which is a sweet blush of subtle colour - I love it and already know what I shall be using it for: My Big Toe Designs Angels Watching. That was also in the packet, along with the other MBTD charts I'd pre-ordered last month: Cheaper Than Therapy; Friends and Anniversary - Eat The Chocolate is to follow. There was also the cutest little mermaid fob ever which is now attached to my DD Ann scissors:

What a great way to start the day and, despite having a lousy sore throat (now I know why I've been feeling so tired this week!) am in a happy mood. DH is glad that I no longer feel like planting him under the patio. ;0) ROFL

No, that place is reserved for the Gas Man who didn't show up yesterday to change the meter. I rang up to complain at 10 to 8pm last night, to a bored and couldn't-care-less female who said he went to a house with a white door and blue garage but no one was in. I don't have a garage, let alone one with a blue door, as I pointed out. Oh, he must have gone to the wrong house, was the reply. It sounds like he went next door but what kind of muppets do they employ that can't tell the difference between number 29 and 31? Both houses have a number plaque on the wall and mine also has brass numbers on the door. Duuurrrr! Methinks it was more that the fella wanted a flyer, so he could get home quick! They can make me another appointment, narrowing it down to a two hour slot, but not on the days I want. Fine: send me a letter with a date he can come round and I'll ring and cancel if it isn't convenient. It seems so few Companies actually want to give a decent Customer Care Service these days, or their employees to do a decent job! OK, rant over. ;0)

Despite that minor annoyance last night wasn't so bad. DH went to have another go at DS's computer to see if he can get it to work properly and get all the updates/downloads to make sure it stays working. I found a Most Haunted repeat and continued with the Amanda SAL and here's where I got to: It's nice to bring that bit more colour into it and it looks lovely on the Georgian fabric. Well pleased with how this is turning out. :0) Got to extract my digit though, as Part 2 of Memories is printed out and ready to go....... and Part 2 of the Ozark SAL is due out any day now too and there's still the finishing to do on the Monthly Challenge piece. Best get off here and go do some stitching then, hadn't I?

Hope you're all having a Happy Valentine's Day - thanks for stopping by. :0)

Love is in the Air

First it was the Love Is You SAL piece I was working on earlier in the week and now today I've had a Valentine's card making session, ready for the day tomorrow. There must be something in the air this week, other than the usual household cleaning fluid and cooking smells that is.
Here's my card for DH: It didn't quite start out like that in my head but am reasonably happy with it and think DH will like it.

Now how many of you are looking forward to Valentine's Day tomorrow and are in the mood for luuurve? And how many of you are more in the mood for planting their OH under the patio? ROFL. ;0) I'll leave you guessing as to which way I'm leaning at the moment. LOL

The clip-on magnifier was well and truly christened last night when I used it whilst stitching on the Amanda SAL piece and what a difference it makes! Yes, I know - it was Tuesday UFO Night and I should have actually been stitching on ET, doing the dreaded metallic backstitch, but really couldn't face it. Plus there was a Most Haunted Almost Live on that I hadn't seen - not good for concentration levels and I didn't want to risk making a mistake..... or go missing a good bit of MH. Plus I am getting behind on the Amanda piece, which will hold up all my SAL pieces and the Monthly Challenge if I'm not careful, and this section is so straightforward, now it's started, it was ideal to do while watching TV.
There Julie........ is that enough excuses for Mr Stick? ;0) I promise to make up for it pretty soon.
Here's the latest Amanda pic:

Not as much as I'd hoped to do because, although I can now see much more clearly with the magnifier, it seems to have slowed my stitching speed a bit - it definitely slows things up when it's time to fasten off or start another thread length but I guess things will pick back up once I've got used to it and learnt the knack of handling the frame with the cumbersome bit attached to it. It's certainly made me realise I should have got one of these much sooner!

Today I am waiting for the Gas Man to turn up. We got a letter last week to tell us that they want to come and change the meter - something about "accuracy", "safety" and such like. Fine, I don't mind, but I do think that saying the chap will be here "some time between 8am and 8pm" is taking a bit of a liberty. I've been up since the crack of dawn, in case he came early - he didn't. Been scooting round getting a load of jobs done, as well as making DH's card, and am now shattered and need matchsticks for my eyes....... and he still ain't here. Bet he turns up when I'm trying to cook tea. >rolleyes<

Lynn: sorry, but I don't think the Love Is piece is on Carol's site. It's a Ltd Ed design and was only available to forum members just before Valentine's in 2006 (I think).

Thanks to every one for stopping by and for leaving comments. Hope you're having a good day. :0)

A Finish, A Start and A Late Comer

Last night's finish was the Monthly Challenge........ well, the stitching bit of the front anyway. Well pleased with how that has turned out, despite having "fun" with the new thread (although I was warned that it could be awkward to use, so was prepared for this), and am now trying to decide if I'm up to the finishing technique. I'm waiting for a couple of bits I bought from that well known auction site to turn up before making final decisions, as I may well change my mind again - nothing new there, then. LOL


The new start, also last night, is the For Amanda SAL piece designed by Carol Tinson. It won't all fit on the scanner, so here's a pic of what will:

The fabric isn't the recommended one: it's Pol's Georgian Linen, as suggested by Jayne. These are the two outer borders, stitched in Dinky Dyes silk Eungella, and I've completed the top and half of both sides so far and will carry on with this tonight. Am enjoying this piece and loving the effect of the silk/colours on the fabric - they are all a joy to use.


The late comer is the last of the charts outstanding from my Thread Bear order which came this morning, along with the no-sew roller bars. It's a Milady's Needle chart by Gloria Moore: It's such a sweet design, how could I not get it? LOL Whilst Yule celebrations are more my thing we still keep a traditional Christmas for my DH so it'll be a nice piece to make and display for him.


I had a nosey round at various craft sites yesterday and finished up ordering one of those clip-on magnifiers to try out. It's No 7 on this page if you want to have a look-see. Thought it was a good way of keeping me going with the fine work, as what I would eventually like is one of those big, floor-standing adjustable ones that has the lens in the middle and a light round the outside. I definitely would prefer having a try-before-you-buy session before paying out that amount of money though. Still haven't found out where the place in Grimsby is so I guess I shall have to get to a stitching show this year, in the hopes that someone there is selling them.


Well today hasn't gone quite as planned. Last night DH went out to a Retirement Do for one of the higher-ups at work, a meal out and drink - only a group of them went on into town to a late opening pub afterwards as well, with my party animal DH among them. Guess who didn't get back in until gone 2am? Guess who'd had a few more jars than he's used to? Guess who's been feeling as rough as a badger's bum today and spent most of it in bed, feeling sorry for himself? And guess who wasn't too happy about it?
OK, if he was feeling poorly, sick and dying from a bug I would have the compassion and kindness of the sainted Mother Teresa herself and do all the looking after required. It's not though, it's self-inflicted - be prepared to feel the awesome wrath of Sekh'met the avenger!!! Guess who won't be doing that again in a hurry? ROFLMAO
Actually, he's been looking and feeling so rough I didn't have the heart to present him with a greasy fry-up or bend his ear about having more sense at his age - I know he won't be in a rush to feel that bad again any time soon. ;0)

Meantime I've kept myself busy and spent some time in the back garden, filling the brown recycling bin with yet more conifer clippings (they will keep growing! LOL). It was a pleasure to listen to Poppa blackbird singing his heart out at dusk, almost as if he were serenading the new moon. It lifts my heart so to hear him. Hopefully the weather will stay dry so I can spend some time pottering around out there tomorrow as well.

I hope you're all having a good weekend, whatever you are doing, and thanks for stopping by. :0)