Author: Anne S

Crikey, the last couple of days I’ve been stitching up a storm – I’ve been exceptionally lazy today, as I had the day off work … I’ve just been sat in my recliner, watching old DVD’s (or rather, listening to old DVD’s), while stitching my heart out on Vicki & John’s dolphins XS. Made a pretty hefty dent in it, but ready for a break now. I thought I’d keep stitching right up to the time I go to bed tonight, then would have a break and work on something new tomorrow – but I ran out of DMC 318, which is the next colour I wanted to stitch with … I figure that was a sign to call it a day. Here’s a piccie of progress to date:
So, now the decision is on for what to start next – my Mirabilia SAL starts next week, so I should probably wait before starting that one … I can either start something new that will be quick and easy to finish, or try and complete one of my nearly-finished old UFO’s, or complete the finishing of one of my pincushions that just has to have the cording added … ooh, decisions, decisions haha. I know I ‘should’ be doing one of the latter, but my greed and selfishness in starting something quick might just win out haha. Anyway, tomorrow is a new day, and I’ll see what direction it takes me when I get out of bed …

Today was an uneventful day at work – the phones were flat out, which made the day go a lot faster, and a good group of people at work today. Last night we had a dreadful thunder and lightning storm, which kept a few of us awake during the night – not helpful when you’re starting work at 5 or 6am!! It was quite spectacular driving to work at 5.30am today, though – the lightning was still lighting up the sky in the distance, and was interesting to watch. It’s now almost 4pm, and back at home again just in time before a torrential downpour is about to hit … the thunder and lightning has commenced again, and the last two claps of thunder feel as though they’re right over the top of my building!

Two days ago, I received an envelope from Strand NZ with some more wool, so I finally managed to put the remaining few stitches in my canvaswork piece today while I was on hold at work. On a 6am start, sometimes the first hour or so is quieter than later in the day, so I packed a couple of small items of stitching ‘just in case’ – I’m glad I did, although very little stitching time was to be had. Anyway, here is the finished product – it just needs to be stretched, which I haven’t tried before.

Spring is truly arrived in Melbourne – our temperatures have been very moderate, and in fact quite warm at times, causing a couple of sleepless nights in the heat. My flat is two stories up, on the top floor of the building, and my front window looks out into the street. What I see, though, instead of street frontage because I’m raised up, is the branches and foliage of the large trees that line both sides of my street. It’s been fascinating to watch closely the transformation of those branches as the days have gone by – in just a few days there have been blossoms forming and new leaves have sprouted from what seems like nowhere! I can’t wait until autumn, when I get to watch the large leaves turn their golden colours before they fall – it’s one of my favourite times of year, and something I didn’t usually get to enjoy in my old hometown of Auckland, as autumn/fall colours weren’t common.

Today, however, nature is venting its fury at something, and it’s a nice excuse to curl up with my embroidery and do a few stitches before I turn in for an early night, and my final 6am shift for the week.

I’ve decided it’s time for me to start a rotation, so I can spend some decent time stitching on some larger projects. Hopefully this will help stop boredom setting in for those I don’t enjoy stitching, and any boredom that does still creep in will be balanced by those projects that I get great joy from. I’m going to try stitching each project for one week at at time – depending what shifts I’m on at work, this might mean one project gets more stitching time than others, but it will no doubt all balance out in the end.

I started thinking of doing a rotation after agreeing to participate in a Mirabilia SAL, which is taking place the 3rd week of every month – I figured why not dedicate the same period of time to other projects too, hence my current rotation idea. My rotation pieces are planned to be as follows:

• Days 1-7 – Dolphins XS
• Days 8-14 – Chatelaine’s Egyptian Garden
• Days 15-21 – Mirabilia’s Winter Queen
• Days 22-29 – TW’s Noah’s Ark

Tuesday night is my UFO night, where I have to choose one of my other UFO projects and put a few stitches into it, regardless of how much time I have to spend stitching … I figure even 1/2 dozen stitches is a bit closer to finishing than it was previously, and eventually those 1/2 dozen stitches add up! I’m also thinking that I may allow one of my days off each week to be ‘free day’, where I can stitch anything I feel like – the same goes with the last day or two of the month, eg day 30/31, these will be free days too.

Hopefully this will be a good way to focus on some of my bigger projects – and also a way to get some projects finished over the next 12 months or so. I guess only time will tell … !!

The last two days I’ve dragged out an old UFO from the box, and managed to put a few stitches into it. Now I remember why this particular project became a UFO (UnFinished Object) in the first place!! It is the most dreadfully boring piece to stitch – mainly greys and drab blues, it really doesn’t inspire me to pick up the needle. But pick up the needle, I must …

I am giving this piece to my lifelong best friend Vicki, and her husband John, as their wedding present. I originally joked for them not to expect it until their 10th wedding anniversary … I didn’t think it would be a serious statement at the time, but as time is marching merrily along, it’s getting closer and closer every year. Well, I decided it was high time that I put some serious effort into this piece. I’m sure the finished project will be nice to see, but boy oh boy it’s hard going to find the enthusiasm I need to stitch this!

I’m about to start a Mirabilia SAL (stitch-along), which takes place the 3rd week of every month, so that should give me enough of a break from this project. Not sure if I’ll keep going until it’s actually finished, but every stitch put into it is a stitch closer to the final product, and I’ll keep going until I’m ready to slit my wrists from boredom ;-P

… I’m having a real spate of bad luck stitching-wise this week.  I moved house about 4 weeks ago, and just getting things in order in the new place … my real joy was finally getting my stitching station together, and curling up with some quick stitching projects that could be started and finished quickly to give me a sense of achievement after moving.
 
Well, that was the plan – and it was going pretty smoothly … I almost finished a Strand NZ little canvaswork kit, Bone Carving on Woven Flax (it always reminds me of home) – when I say “almost” finished, the only thing that stopped me is that I ran out of the background thread, hmmm.  Anyway, a quick email to Strand NZ and apparently a strand of wool is being sent over … oh well, I’ll just have to start something else quick, me thinks …
 
So the last couple of nights I’ve been stitching a Mill Hill chart called “Beading in Needlework – Basics and Beyond” – basically a stitching and beading sampler.  I was going great guns, before realising my 40123 beads didn’t feel like showing their face in the new flat, and have gone into hiding.  Seeing I’ve had the day off work today (due to shift work roster), I drove 1/2 hour out to the local Spotlight and picked up a packet … came home and yet again have got within a hair’s breadth of finishing … only problem is that I’m just short of 8 whole petite beads to finish it!!  Aaaarghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I don’t usually need any help from outside influences to keep a huge pile of UFO’s sitting there, but conspiracy theory is starting to spring to my mind … mutter mutter mutter.  Oh well, back to Spotlight in a few days, I guess, so I can finish it finally … I suppose in the meantime I’ll just have to start something else LOLOL.

Well, it seems I finally can go no further until I buy some more Mill Hill beads, then I can get my bead sampler finished. Hopefully I will see the finishing point by the end of today – if not, I’m sure tomorrow night will see the final stitches being put into place.

It’s a pleasant day in Melbourne today – very overcast, but not cold … all-in-all a perfect day for stitching. I was hoping to get the final stitches put into my sampler before heading off to the bay for a walk, but those darned beads have foiled my plans! I’ve hunted high and low for my own stash of 40123, but they’re alluding me hmmm. The joys of moving house, I guess …

I managed to get a small amount of stitching completed tonight, much to my surprise. I started the Mill Hill chart “Beading for Needlework – Basics and Beyond” 3 nights ago, on 1 September. So far I’m going pretty well, although I’ve misplaced my MH 40123 beads for the short term – no doubt they’ll turn up when I least expect them, but in the interim I may just have to fork out for 1 more packet to enable some more stitching to take place (and obviously I can’t finish the sampler until I get those dratted beads!). Anyway, here’s a photo of my progress thus far.