Where is Summer?

Hullo hullo everyone! Hope everyone is well and keeping warm - even those of you in the southern hemisphere - I know not everyone else suffers from black hole syndrome like those of us in Dunedin, but it has not been summery here - its been rainy and grey and miserable . I realise that when compared to the storm hitting the US, my lack of sun is a small problem.... but it's supposed to be summer!

Plus it's ruining the berry and stone fruit growing 😢.

The rain has been prime stitching and reading weather though, so I suppose that is a silver lining.  I finished 2001 A Space Oddyssey  (Dave was the space baby? How on earth did I miss that obviousness in the movie?!), and moved on to the Heroes of Olympus series. It's the follow up series to the Percy Jackson books and I have to say, a book in and I'm enjoying it more.

I have to admit, during the week days, I have been reading far more and not stitching. I don't know what it is but between the gross weather and the post christmas lull, work is just draining me. People (ie customers) just seem to be so much more.... stupid, I guess, after the Christmas  holidays. Like thier brains have overloaded and shut down for a spell - the number of times I've had to say something along the lines of "no, we cannot make you a whole wheat gluten free loaf" has gone past being a joke now. And don't even get me started on the people doing the paleo diet as their new years resolutions...

Sigh.

After all that, my own brain just doesn't want to. I did try to do a little stitching - I started one of my Brookes Books patterns but I only got a couple of lengths of floss in before I lost the will to count and went back to the books.

Peg the Plum Pudding Angel

Weekends have been more productive, even with disruptions thankfully. I worked last weekend, and eldest kid sister was in town for swimming again this week. But the Man has been working Sundays so disruptions have been balanced with alone time which is nice.

I FINALLY picked up Once Upon a Time again. It seems like forever since I worked on it. I got a little done before remembering that despite appearances this is actually a brain intensive piece. 

It will be lovely when it's finally done though. Plus I had forgotten how much I like the tea dyed monaco that I'm using.

As a reward for surviving all the stupid that's out there (it would seem that it's all still hitting nerves, though that could also be the sister visit), I thought I would reward myself with a new start that I didn't have to think about as much as Once Upon a Time.

Sleepy Hollow by Glendon Place. Worked on 32 count charcoal even weave. It's been just what I needed today after being reminded yet again that I am the forgotten sibling. As well as swapping the fabric for something more neutral, I have also swapped out the Carondelet Waterlily for a glow in the dark treasure braid. And I hate to say this, given how highly people speak of them, but I'm not liking the petite treasure braid. I prefer kreinik. It just keeps knotting on me. I mean, I'll keep with it for the sake of the moon here, but in the future,  I don't think I'll be buying it again. 

I feel like I should duck and cover for saying that. 

But then the sarky, currently bad tempered part of me reminds me that it's my hobby and I can do what I like. I don't like being bad tempered as a general rule, I just happen to do it really well (I'm blunt and honest by nature, so often come off as being a bit of a witch if you know what I mean...especially when teamed with an angry resting face) and I don't mean to wish away time, but I can't wait for the end of February. This comming weekend I have to survive an overnight work trip. As much as I love all my work brothers and sisters - they can be a bit full on (think ADHD children), and the introvert in me  doesn't know how she'll react stuck with them in a van for 48 hours. Then we have the over seas family invasion. Again, that could go one of two ways. But the last week of February, I have solely to myself and off work, and I think it will be just what I need to get me out of this funk I'm in.

Between now and then, I would like to apologize sincerly and deeply for any and all rants that I am likely to have about various things (I will spare you the one I just had about the sugar documentary we just watched). Nothing I may or may not say will be intended in any way shape or form to be offensive. But I can feel the bad juju brewing inside, and like I said - I'm blunt.  

And hopefully stitching will take the edge off. It usually does.

I think I'll leave it there for to night. I've hit the point of rambling. So, until next time 💚

Caught up...

....and now just waiting for the next part to be released.

Pandora's Box - Liz Almond

It's not perfect in the slightest, but who has time for perfection when Bowie is dead?

New Things

Hullo hullo everyone, hope the week has gone well all around. After only four days back at work, it doesn't bode well that I'm all ready trying to work out when I can take more leave but such is the never ending battle for those of us yet to win the lotto.

Like I  briefly mentioned the other day, I started Liz Almond's latest offering, Pandora's Box.

I was hoping to get completely up to date this weekend, since it looks like it back to six day work weeks for a little while, but these itty-bitty squares are more involved than I thought.

Several lessons have been learnt in doing this though.

1. Buying hand dyed threads on line is hit and miss. This is another Carries Creation floss and I had thought it was going to be a lot more purple than it is shaping up to be.
2. I don't like black work. Save the Stitches, as beautiful as it is, will never be being stitched by me. Black work  (to me at least, I know that plenty of people love it) is stressful and tedious and I just don't like it. 
3. DMC  satin floss isn't as scary as I thought.
4. I really love the effect of pulled thread work.

Not bad for a weekend. My MiL was amazed when I told her I'd only been working on this since Friday afternoon. Guess we are always going to be our own harshest critics when it comes to our crafts.

The rest of the week was taken up by reading. I wanted to finish Jurassic Park and after being back to work, that's all I felt up to. I did finish it, and surprisingly I really enjoyed it. I say surprisingly because even though I love the movie, it's the first of Michael Crichtons books that I've made it past the 50 page mark. 

I couldn't get over how different from the movie it was - but different in a good way. And I found the idea of science as the enemy really quite intriguing,  especially since I live with a scientist. Over all it was a 4 out of 5 for me.

Keeping with the movie adaptation theme, last night I picked up Arthur C Clarke's 2001 a Space Oddyssey. I'm enjoying it so far, but I'll keep you posted. I'm really hoping that the book sheds some light in that scene in the movie. You know the one. The whole acid trip into a bedroom bit near the very end. It took so many viewing for me to get that bit.

I just wish that I could read as fast as I can stitch. Or maybe I could if I sacrificed movies and time with the man. And I don't want to do that. Then I'd miss both him and fantastic movies like Pixels. It's brilliant. If you like 80 s nostalgia then I strongly recommend it.

And now it's Sunday night and it's back to the real world again tomorrow. Maybe I can get some more book done tonight while the man watches his weird indy movie.

Till next time.

First Real Start

Hullo hullo how is everyone today - well I hope.

Decided yesterday that after days of not stitching, I would start something new. Liz Almond has a new part by part piece out - Pandora's Box. I never did Save the Stitches or Box of Delights - while both beautiful, I don't know about that much blackwork... this one appealed though.

Just working on the boarder before starting on the three blocks that have been released. Turns out I like pulled thread work.

And I mean REALLY like.

Go figure.

It's become an obsession, so until next time.

Twice in One Day

Hullo again all. Twice in one day - how crazy is that. It's entirely possible that I'm taking  advantage of he last day before heading back to work. Oh what joy that will be after ten days of stitchy peace.

I would first like to apologize to a couple of you. My tablet decided that I actually was meaning to click when I was swiping and deleted a few comments. I feel horrible for that mistake and would like to thank you all for taking the time to make a comment and I am so sorry that I am technologically incompetent.

Back to business. I finished another piece today. That's seven finishes in the 10 days I've been off work. That blows my mind. And not only was it a finish today, it was a finish of my oldest WIP.

Dragon ABC'S, on an off white 18 count aida, stitched with DMC. I have no idea where the pattern came from. The Internet somewhere I imagine. It was started way back in 2013 when I was trying to get my then flatmate interested in some form of hobby - any kind. She was always complaining that she was bored. If I remember rightly, she wasn't overly amused by my telling her that being bored showed lack of imagine. But even so any attempt she made a anything never lasted any more than a day before the complaints started up again. So I started burying myself in my own (then) forgotten craft.

I know that such a simple piece shouldn't have taken near on three years, but fractional stitches. I really hate fractional stitches. Especially on aida. And this has a whole bucket ton of fractional,  then since I didn't know any better, aida was what it was on.

Procrastination at its finest.

To be fair, I'm not sure how I got it finished today either. Not with the movies we watched. It's been grey and rainy and decidedly unsummer like the last couple of days, so a movie marathon was justified between the two of us. Some of them were bust, but if you like off beat, foreign/indy movies and think pieces then I really highly recommend the four we watched today.

The 100 Year Old Man Who Jumped Out the Window and Disappeared. A hysterically  charming Swedish Forest Gump like tale.

Into The White - a Norwiegen WW2 story about British and German solders helping each other survive after shooting each other out of the sky's

The Sunset Limited - another fantastic Cormac McCarthy adaptation with a cast of two 

And

The Road Within - a road trip movie with tourettes and OCD

Reading subtitles and cross stitching - that takes determination lol.

But it's back to the real world tomorrow and I honestly have no idea what that will bring. Hopefully nothing to stressful. But I guess we shall see. Probably not as many finishes if nothing else. Never mind. I was good while it lasted.

Till next time.

The First of (hopefully) Many

Morning everyone, just a quick moment to say..... SHE'S DONE!!

Joan Elliots The Reader,  on 32 count ivory even weave. Done and dusted. Hopefully she's the sign of how this year is going to pan out.

Till next time.

False Start

Happy 2016 everyone! Hope you all survived whatever festivities you partook in (if any). I'm not a big one for parties anymore. I used to be when I was a teenager and my first few years at uni. But people change. I saw in the new year reading my book, in bed (new start for the new year of course). Living the life, that's me. And I don't even care if that makes me sound old lol.

In the spirit of all good things, I did also attempt to make a new stitchy start when I finally ventured into the waking world. The call of reading Jurassic world in bed in the sun was too great, so it was a much later start than normal. And to be honest I have no idea what I was thinking with that attempt of a start. I as going to go with We Are Geeks from Paine Free Crafts - a chart that I have adored since I saw it on another blog. But for some strange reason I thought it would be a good idea to do it on 40 count linen.... one over one.

Clearly that was a case of temporary insanity.

I got a letter and a half in before throwing it across the room in frustration and going down to the public to have a beer with a good friend. That led to sunburn, but what ever. Side note, the beer that we were drinking was called Velvet Worm, it's a local craft brewery, and while beer is not usually my poison,  I'm very glad I got suckered I  by a silly name.

I tried it again this morning, this time on a 32 count lugana - I think the fabric is a keeper this time, but within half of the first letter the floss was a tangled mess, so I've taken it as a sign that this piece is not destined for right now.  So it got frogged and put back in the 'to start' pile and I went for a walk to the farmers market to calm down.

And farmers market in January - you know what that means? No?

These

Central Otago has got to be THE best place for cherries. Well, stone fruit in general, but it's only the first week for the rest so it's not at its best just yet. Give it time. Since Central Otago is right on my door step, and since I work a lot at the farmers market, I gorge myself on fruit at this time of year.

Bliss. Absolute bliss.

And with all that happy,  I felt up to putting The Reader back on the frames.

The border of doom is getting close to being done. I'm on my fifth spool of Krienik now, so I guess the floss usage guide was a little wrong. Here's hoping that I can get her finished before I go back to work.

Which is only a few days away. It's been very nice being lazy and on holiday. A girl could get used to it. But I'll worry about that on Tuesday. For now I think I will take advantage of night finally falling and the temperature finally dropping and go continue with the adventures of Alan Grant and friends. The man did warn me that it was very different to the movies but it's exciting and fascinating to discover just HOW much different it is.

Until next time.