On Beads and Needles

….but I was busy FINISHING Medieval Town Mandala!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I took a few shots, trying to get the bead relief – not the best, but it is a hard thing to get a picture of. Start here and use your imagination 🙂

This really is my favoritest project E-V-E-R! So far 🙂 And I am getting a Jill Rensel frame on it as a gift from my mom 🙂 Started on January 1st, 2009, and worked in rotation since, finished today, February 7th, 2011, at 7:10 p.m.

In slightly less impressive, but no less important, news, I worked on Tanglweood last week for, oh, about 30 minutes 🙂 Granted, a done MTM is kind of a hard act to follow, but someday, hopefully before too long, Tanglewood will get a fanfare of its own…

As for what’s next, well, I am starting a new project – for Anne 🙂 She sent Thea Gouveneur’s Amsterdam kit, and I’m going to get her going on that, which I know will only further increase my NEED for this kit, and the London one 🙂 Which I can get cheaper from the UK than I can here, pound rate notwithstanding. Still wish they were available just as charts…

Tonight, since I have spent the last 3 days beading my fingers to the bone, I think I’ll take my book and go to bed early. I can’t believe I’m saying that 🙂 Thanks go to my boss, who let me leave at 12:30 today, so I could home and get cracking – he’s a stained glass guy, he understands 🙂 Now, the trick will be to get another project or two done before Tuscany Town or Secret Victorian Garden force their way out of the drawer…. Happy Stitching this week to everyone!

We had a taste of spring this weekend; it was 67 on Saturday, blue skies and not a cloud, and was 70, at least, yesterday! I cleaned a few windows yesterday 🙂 Snowmageddon a few weeks ago, and now a weekend like this – you just don’t know until you walk outside 🙂 But we’re back to winter this week, a normal GA winter; it’s raining today, and the high temp was 51 this morning, and 40s for the rest of the week. HS soccer starts next week, best get prepared…

On to the stitching bits…

I went to the Tuesday night stitch in at the Stitch Store, and between there & lunches during the week, I got a bit of progress in on Tanglewood. Still working on this large section that has 4 branches (3 actually, though the one stops & starts at the trunk, like 4) – would like to get the last part outlined this week, at least.

I don’t know if I’ll go to the stitch in this week or not – depends how tired I am by the time work is over tomorrow.

Also, of course, continuing on MTM. I got past the frog attack, thank goodness, and got the 2nd corner done Saturday – I only had a few Algerians left to do Friday night, but I had to go to bed – and then stayed up until 3 a.m. reading… But as soon as I got some chores done Saturday, I sat down and finished up those and colored that corner done (except beads – to come later):

Then I started the next one. I have found that Seether has a great rhythm for stitching – plug in the old iPod, get it at just the right volume, and have at it. Of course, I was listening to Karma & Effect, so… But anyway, I got all of the turquoise in on Saturday, before I again had to go to bed – and again stayed up late reading and writing. I got the 2nd gold in and started on the green bush thing yesterday afternoon, should have this done soon.

If I can get the 4th one in the right spot, who knows how soon I’ll have this thing ready to bead? Anyway, I’ve got the band warming up, so when the Big Finish happens, just listen for the trumpets 🙂

So that’s the plan for this week – keep on keeping on on MTM and Tanglewood, while everything else gets neglected 🙂 Happy stitching this week to everyone!

Yes, I’ve been plagued – not quite in biblical proportions, but you know, even one is too much….

I worked on Tanglewood last week – it’s my current lunch & travel piece. I am currently on the BIG branch, that has four (I think) separate pieces interwoven into it. Well, doing the first outline, I was clicking right long, and when I got the end, I realized I had crossed one of the gaps – and picked up the wrong side. So I had to undo all of that and put it back correctly. It only took 2 more tries 🙂 BUT I did get past it, and then took it to my monthly PINS (Purple Iris Needlework Society) get together on Saturday, and got that pesky branch filled in, and a good start on the next section of it.

At home, I concentrated on MTM. I got the top left corner done on Thursday night (pic taken with my iPhone):

And started the top right corner. Which I then discovered, yesterday, as I had it 2/3 done, that, despite my many checks as I began it, I was in the WRONG PLACE 🙁 I was using the wrong spire from North Town as my placement. And, since I am working in a small QSnap, I can’t actually see the other side at all, or I would have picked up on it a LOT sooner. SO… I had to rip out the entire gold & turquoise section – my trash looks really pretty 🙁 But I got the gold border started again before I had to go to bed last night – I am POSITIVE I am in the right spot NOW.

Glad I have plenty of extra fibers, to cover my colossal blunder. And that frog (or frogs) had better be gone. I tell ya, these guard dogs I have are fired – they are completely useless….

So, this week, I will keep on with both of these. I hope to have the energy to go to the Stitch In at the Stitch Store tomorrow night, now that Donna is hosting them – was too tired last week and the first week, and then of course, we had Snowmageddon the week in between. So maybe I can manage tomorrow 🙂 We’ll see.

Not a lot else going on at the moment – soccer tryouts for high school are this week – the Big Kid doesn’t have to try out (ya think?), but will be running drills with the Freshman/JV instead. Little Kid has no idea when middle school is. I am trying to get BK to get some college apps filled out, too, so we can start getting those in. He re-took his SAT this weekend, thinks he did a LOT better, though he already met the requirements of LaGrange College where he want to see the soccer program last weekend. He has an open tryout at Southern Poly coming up, too, though not sure they have anything he needs – but he needs the exposure, so he’s going anyway 🙂 This college crap is a PITA; a stop into the AF or Navy recruiter’s office would be a lot easier. That worked for me, with only one real regret; I’d do it over again, just go into it with a little more knowledge, a little less I-gotta-get-out-of-here 🙂

On that note – Happy Stitching this week to everyone!