Back to School Time Again

Hullo Hullo  lovely people,  hope you are all well and good out there in your various parts of the world. We are here, despite the week or so delay in updating.  But life happens as we all are well aware.

Now let's start with the heading of this post - no, I'm not going back to school - I have neither the time nor inclination for such things at this point in my life. I do however live in the heart of "studentville" and they are all well and truly back for the year. Lectures start next Monday and O Week started today - neighbours on the right are listening to NZ pop and the ones on the left are listening to classic rock. Upside that both of them this year seem to have listenable taste in music, but the combo of the two clashing genres defiantly has me reaching for the headphones for the first time this year. The price I pay for city living.

Because of the arrival of the students, I have been all over the place - which is also the reason I've been a bit quiet. The bosses wanted the new cafe up and running - which we managed, just, opening last weekend. As a result the bakery has been left to look after itself, which in reality we should be able to do,  but if you've ever worked with people you'll know as well as I do that hearding cats would be an easier profession most of the time.  I was also foolish enough to volunteer for market shifts like some kind of crazy workaholic.

What this means is that lots of projects have been worked on, but not a huge amount of progress has been made of any of them. Hyperactivity is a symptom of stress I think.

I do however have a finish - most exciting. 

New Zealand Map, by Heritage. I very fittingly finished this on Waitangi day. The pattern had also charted the text ' New Zealand' in the bottom right and the coat of arms in the top left, but I left them both off (as you can probably see, despite the terrible photo). As unpatriotic as it sounds,  I don't particularly like our coat of arms, and I figured I could remember what country it's a map of.

Then this is where the ADHD kicked in.

I tried one of my HaEDs, but only lasted half a row.

So then I tried my kit from China, but again only lasted half a page.

Thought maybe I needed something smaller, so I  started a Mill Hill kit that I want to do for Mum, for Christmas.

It's going to be a penguin, not that you can tell yet. As you can tell, my attention didn't last long on that either.

So then I tried my Astrologer and was a little more successful with that.

It's still on he frame in the other room at least. 

I also dragged my Chatelaine out at one point, but I have decided to scrap that and restart it at some point on different fabric. While I can handle stitching on black fabric, I have come to the realisation that I do not like linen. It's not even and that drives me to distraction. Eventually I will get some evenweave for it. I do still really love the design, but it can go on the back burner until I get through some of these other big projects. I'm not planning to by stitch stuff until the end of the year anyway.

And while I have just said that I don't like linen, I did start another project on linen. Not just linen,  but 40 count. But it is only small and I don't want to waste the fabric I already have.

It is (will be?) The Bookshelf by Little House Needlework. 

Finally, on the stitching front anyways, I at least have been keeping up to date with my temperature book mark.

I did warn you I was all over the show this month.

Reading wise, I was a little more consistent, finishing four books. Kind of.

First was yet another book bub freebie - that this is dangerous I swear.

While I did enjoy this one, I think I did suffer from having too many points of view. Whether this is something that works itself out further into the series, I don't know, but while it was a decent enough premise, (zombie like plague forcing the human race back to the middle ages) it's not particularly high up the list of series' I need to finish.

Went back to my favourite authors with this one.

Dean Koontz is one of my favourite authors.  And I do particularly like his stories with religious overtones and the themes of good verse evil. This one defiantly fell into that category,  and while not quite as good as The Taking, still very good.

This one probably doesn't count as a full book, but whatever.

The Man brings then home when he finds them in the thrift store to try and finish off our collection. Both of us read them as kids - me loving them with every fiber. And they are still super fun to read.

And lastly I finished this one last night.

Again, this had a really good premise - what happens to the normal kids, when the heroes are out saving the town. I had, you doubts at first, but it really did come through.

I think that's about it for this time,  sorry it's a long one. I've got one evening shift this week, the touch wood, I should going back to normal. With any luck that means my ability to concentrate will return.  Hope every one else has very pleasant weeks, full of all you want them to be - I will do my best to be back next Monday to prevent another mammoth post like this one...

Till next time

One Week Down

Hullo Hullo all. Hope the first week of 2017 has seen you and yours well.

We seem to be (touch wood). The man had a cold for the actual big day of new years, but he's on the mend, and Mumbai is claiming to be feeling a little better so that's a plus. My only complaint is muscle pain, but that is self inflicted so I can't be too loud about that.

The bosses bought a new cafe just before Christmas,  so the last two afternoons after work, instead of coming home, I've been down there helping them paint. And don't while I am on my feet for nine hours a day with little consequence, painting walls is a whole different bunch of muscles - ones that are now making themselves VERY known.

I did make time for some all important stitching though - the long holiday weekend certainly helped with that. I decided against doing a new year, new start this year. I have far more WIPs than I am really comfortable with at the moment, but I did change out which one I was working on as a kind of homage to the idea.

So, I pulled this bad boy outta the storage box. I hadn't worked on it in a really really long time. Nearly a year I believe. I hated the fabric. It's one of those stupidly cheap kits from China stitched on a 11 count Aida.  The Aida is so stiff and so... the holes are far smaller than they probably should be for such a wide weave of fabric - if that makes any sense. It would pop out of any hoop I tried to use and I'm not big into sticking in had so the whole process became unbearable, leading to the projects banishment to the storage box.

But I bought myself a little birthday present. A quantum frame. And I am in love with it. It holds that tricky fabric nice and tight so this cute little bird heart project won't become a UFO after all!

Next up I did a little more on a HaED.

This now marks the half way point for this one. I am hoping to make more of an effort on my full coverage pieces this year. There's more I want to start, but I don't think it's a good idea for me, personally, to start another without making some forward process first. I completely admire all of you that have so many projects going at once. I can say I have tried, but it's starting to stress me out a little.

Finally I pulled another out this week that hasn't seen the light of day since last January.

I do still really like this piece, I had legitimately forgotten that I had started it. The only problem I have with it that can possibly explain my absence of mind with it is that, because I've in a fairly dark house with poor poor lighting, I can only work on it for so long before my eyes don't want to any more. I won't be forgetting about it again however. It is lovely, and does come together quite quick.

Reading wise, I have just started 'Salems Lot by Steven King. Not far through it yet, but I do love King. Goal wise I have stuck with 75 again, despite my whopping 101 for 2016. I think that was a fluke of circumstance and I really do hope do get more stitching done this year so 75 it shall stay.

No long weekend this week, in fact it's the opposite I have market shift, so I'll only get Sunday to really rest. So not as much will get done this week, but that's okay. There is plenty of year left.

Until next time

Over for Another Year

Hullo hullo, happy post-Christmas everyone. Hope the holiday saw you all well fed and we’ll looked after. We just got home this afternoon after a grueling drive. There truly are some crazy people on the roads at this time of year. Kind of always make me want to stop and start screaming “I’m sorry for driving according to the road laws”.

Anyways. I know I haven’t been the best at keep up with updates in the last few months and once again I am very sorry for that. As I’ve mentioned before, work has been brutal. But now that christmas is over I am sincerly that I can start reclaiming my life. I have this week off so that will be a good start.  

As a nice little start to the holidays, my long awaited Stitching Bits and Bob’s order finally arrived so with any luck, the now three projects that were waiting on it might just get finished before the end of 2015. The three being Eleni of Troy by Cross Stitch Art, Debi’s Roses by Chatelaine and Joan Elliots The Reader which despite my lack of blogging, I have been faithfully plodding away at.

I got as far as I could with her but I needed more of that gold (kreinik 028) so I had to put her in the waiting pile with the others.

I picked up Love Birds for a day or so. And then remembered why progress is so slow with this one. It’s one of those infamous Chinese kits that I got off Aliexpress.  And while I do still think that the pattern is cute as pie, it actually physically hurts me to stitch. The pain adds to the all round disappointment really. The threads are coarse and in a far more muted pallet than the picture would have had you believe and the aida is so stiff that it even though it’s 11 count, pulling the three strands of floss through the holes not only makes that horrible near ripping sound, it makes bruises on may finger tip from the force of the needle.

But I finished a page at least.

I will finish this one. I’m not relegating it to the UFO pile yet. But I think it will have to be a bit of a slow and steady type of thing.

To give my poor finger a break I thought I’d treat myself to something new. While I have been trying my best to avoid the dreaded fear of missing out plague, I have notice the Plum Street Sampler 12 Days of Christmas that so many are doing and decided I had to do it too.

The red is good old 115 and while I am stitching it all on one big piece of 28 count white lugana, I am planning to do them all as individual ornaments. One day. Don’t know when but that’s the plan.

Finally, since my parcel finally arrived, I had some smaller things to pop in my bag to take with me to mums to potter with over Christmas. I had ordered all three of Mill Hills Medieval Santa ornaments so I started with Canterbury Santa on Christmas day, since I was in Canterbury after all.

I was going with the theory that beading would be easier when there wasn’t a small fluff ball of a dog sitting on me so this week will end up being a bit of a bead-a-paloza I think.

Luckily I took all three of the kits with me so I moved on to Avignon Santa since he was similar colours to Canterbury.

And because boxing day is the best day for being lazy (not that I ever need an excuse), Saxony Santa.

It’s entirely possibly that I miss judged how many beads were on these things. I have a feeling it’s going to take a lot longer than the stitching. But that’s okay, I have very few plans for my week off.

On that note I might leave it there for today - I want to unpack and get the washing on while the man goes gets pizza for dinner - Harry Potter marathon tonight I think since I got the complete set for Christmas - and back to the Santa's. 

Hope every one enjoys the last days of holidays - till next time :)

The Best Laid Plans

I think I should start out by saying that I am not a planner. I like to pretend that I am. I will quite happily make my self lists and goals and the like, but when it comes down to the doing, it never works out. 

Maybe that makes me a bad do-er rather than a bad planner? I don't know.

So needless to say, my plans for my week off went much the same way as every other plan that I've ever made. Please don't get me wrong, I am not unhappy with how I spent the time, it's just not what was previously aimed for.

In my previous post, when I came back from Christchurch, I had said that I wanted to churn out some of my smaller WIPs, get a few finished behind me to bump up my moral as it were. A fine goal for a Wednesday morning. Until, that is, you discover that you are out of some of the threads for not only the first project that you pick up (miniature sampler) but also the second project that you pick up (dragon abc's). That kind of happenings tends to take the wind out of your sails a little bit.

Now I can hear you saying it "but Dana, you were on holiday, why didn't you just wander the 10 minute walk to the store to get more?"

Floods. That's why. We got three months worth of rain in one day. There was no way that I was going out in that if it wasn't completely essential. And thread, no matter how much I love my hobby, is not essential. It did facilitate a rather large 123 stitch order, but lets worry about that later.

But not to fear, as I have already said, the week wasn't a complete wash (bad flood pun, sorry).  In my cross stitching, I got two finishes.... or maybe three, depending on how exactly you count - do biscornue panels count as one or two?

white 14ct aida, DMC cotton is recommended colours

I finished Clouds Factory's "Nevermore". Then carried on with the Clouds Factory fun by starting and finishing the 10th Doctor and Rose Tyler.

white 14ct aida, DMC cotton is recommended colours

Yes, they are unwashed and unpressed - but floods. That's the excuse for everything this week. There's half a plan in my head (again with the plans) that I can mount a few or more of these cute little nerdy designs on foam core, get a little easel and swap them out when the mood strikes me. Two designs (this and Ghost busters) towards the goal is a good start me thinks.

Finally, on the cross stitch front, I started the kit I bought from China, which I have decided to call Love Birds.

Not much, to be sure, but, while I thought that 11 count aida would be fairly easy, it turns out that stitching with three strands is a little taxing on the finger tips. Can't fault the coverage though - 

And then I changed tacts. I know I said that my knitting was going to go on the back burner for a while but I couldn't resist.

So incredibly proud about this. For teaching myself a new skill at the side of the round, its turning out (at least I think) really really well. I guess I don't really know where pom pom hats sit in the scale of complexity, but I didn't really find it that difficult once I got started. Probably just as well since I bought two of the kits.

It started life as this cute little bundle - 

And know looks like this - 

All it needs now is to be sewn together and the pom pom attached. And just in time for the chilly chilly farmers market shift that is my reward for the time off taken.

Lastly, I gave the other kit that I purchased from China a try. It was called a Diamond Embroidery kit, though I have no idea where the embroidery aspect comes in. I don't have a picture of what it will look like when its done - I don't what to show the pattern, but this is what it looks like now.

Looking at it now, it doesn't actually look to bad. Up close, at a pixel to pixel level, I was starting to question what it was going to be like. From my cross stitching experience, I understand colour blending and placing colours next to one another to give various effects. But I was starting to question this one. Maybe not so much now. Despite my misgivings though, it is a strangely hypnotic process. Mosaic is probably the best way to describe it - all these little resin pebbles being stuck onto a pre-glued, pre-printed canvas.

Once again though, it is something that is going back into the pile for a little while. Yesterday was back to work day, and its going to be a six day week on that front. Add on my current enjoyment of my knitting, my blind determination to finish Garden Verses and my need to get a couple of assignments done, there's not going to be time for much else now I think. Such is the reality of being a grown up I suppose. There is the crafting retreat weekend at the end of the month to look forward to though. Start counting down the days.

I'll leave you on a completely random side note (thinking about the snacks I'll take away with me that weekend) I have a new favourite thing

my favourite drink and my favourite food all rolled into one thing - heaven