Progress has been made...

...and it's actually progress I was supposed to be making, i.e. I worked on my CHS stocking. It's true. I have photographic proof:
Before:

After:
It's not that much, but I'm happy with it. I finished the beard and started Noah's coat (changed the colour to DMC 831 because I thought the contrast between the beard and DMC 832 was not clear enough). The peacock now has a neck. I need to finish the upper part of the stocking before providing the beast and its companion with a body, because I need to scroll down the frame for that. Hopefully by next week ... although I'm not making any promises. Last week was bad, this week was pretty awful and the mere thought of next week gives me spasms. Without wanting to be a terrible bore, here's a short re-cap of what's going on (feel free to skip to the next stitchy pic if you feel so inclined):

Pelle finished his time at the special medical daycare centre he was attending. The end of his period there came with a report that, quite frankly, took my breath away. Of course I knew that he had problems and that things aren't looking that well for him, but this was a very bitter pill to swallow. What it boils down to is that, at nearly five years old, he has the developmental age of a one-year old. I knew this was the verdict, but to see it in writing and illustrated with numerous examples is another matter. I know all you mothers out there will understand that this doesn't have any effect on my love for Pelle. In fact if anything, it has deepened my love and admiration and belief in him, to see how bravely he has fought against everything he has had to deal with, which was more, much more than any child ('normal' or otherwise) should have to go through. He's the sweetest, loveliest boy any parent could ever wish for and (allow me to wax sentimental for a moment here) sometimes his smile and the way he looks at me can actually reduce me to tears from sheer ... well... joy and love. Is there a word to express this? Motherly love, I guess. Anyway, Pelle is now attending a new medical daycare centre, and he's doing remarkably well. He will make it. I know he will.

Also, next week will see the start of the end of divorce proceedings. I have a couple of court dates to look forward to (or should I say dread? Yep, I think that would be more accurate). In the meantime, I'm trying very hard not to lose faith in myself and in everything that I'm doing. I should really be stitching Be True by Little House Needleworks.
Instead, I chose to start another project (yes, another one). But really. Who could resist the new BBD Loose Feathers? I couldn't:

Isn't it perfect and gorgeous and yummy, and so stitchable and small-ish and quick? I bet all of the people who decided not to join the Loose Feathers Club this year are really kicking themselves.

That's it from me. Sorry for the very personal post, but I really needed to share this. Also, I needed to explain why I have been so quiet around Blogland. I'm sure I will catch up with all of your blogs as soon as my life loses its soapy twist. A bit.

Yours distractedly,
Annemarie.

At least it's by CHS

It's April 24th. Not an easy day for too many reasons. In fact, the entire week sucked buckets, with one exception: on Tuesday, I spent the entire day with my behind parked on Harmien's couch, and we did nothing but chat, stitch, relax and have enormous fun. Around dinner time we went into the kitchen, where Harmien initiated me into the art of sushi-making. I'm afraid I'm quite talentless in that area (I managed to make a sushi role out of a teflon sheet. No, really.), but thankfully, Harmien knew what she was doing, so we had a deeeeelicious meal at the end of a perfect day.

Several years ago - has it really been years? Yes, I think it has - Harmien, Vonna and I picked up the insane idea of doing a Village of Hawk Run Hollow SAL. I never progressed beyond blocks 5 and 6 (no surprise there). Vonna gave up quite soon after that (but picked it up again a while back. You go girl!). Harmien, with her usual self control and perseverance, managed to stitch a whole lot more. This is how our Villages looked before we started on Tuesday:

And this is what they looked like before we put them away:

Four and a half, if not five hours worth of stitching went into this. The more perceptive of you may notice that Harmien nearly got an entire block done and that I managed some letters and some hay. I know there is an unofficial contest going on between stitchers about who is the slowest stitcher EVER, but, come on. Girls. Give over. I'm the winner, surely you can see that now.

I don't mind being a slow stitcher, but if a stranger to stitching would see Harmien and I on the couch together, they would surely be under the impression we were doing two entirely different things altogether. You see, watching Harmien stitch is like watching a Grand Slam tennis tournament (in the days that Monica Seles was still a player): wild gestures, grunts and the occasional moan, backhands, forehands, services and PACE. I tell you, I found myself ducking every once in a while to avoid being hit in the head.

Mind you, I'm not laughing at you, Harmien. When I smile when I sit next to you, I'm just enjoying philosophising about the different ways each stitcher has to tackle their work. Some stitchers build up a nice, steady pace and get lost in the repetitive, hypnotising rythm; others measure the width, breath, height and untwistedness of every stitch like a thing obsessed and take pleasure in that while also enjoying the sound of thread being pulled through fabric very slowly (that would be me). I'm sure there are more ways to enjoy your stitching. I must pay attention when we meet at Heidi's on May 2nd.

Anyway, progress on Noah's Stocking? Again, zilch. Good thing it's a guilt-free, stress-free SAL, or I'd be in serious trouble. Hey, at least I made progress on something by CHS!

Yours guilt freely,
Annemarie.

Short update

- Snail mail on its way to
Sandy (BBD Savoir Faire freebie)
Sue (BBD Rites of Spring chart)
My Lovelorn Sister Heidi (Nobody Loves Me chart)

- Will visit Harmien tomorrow.
Will have fun
Will taste her delicious food despite not having tasted anything (not even coffee) since roughly 8.17 am last Wednesday
Will stitch

- Stitching progress ZERO. Barring this:

BBD contest freebie. I caved. Bollocks.

Yours infectionately (again) (or still),
Annemarie.

Some progress

Could you do me a favour and repeat the title of this post in a voice dripping with sarcasm? Thanks. Now you know my state of mind as regards my stitching. 'Nuff said.

Today is the first day of 'our' CHS Stocking SAL. Some of you (Linen's rather panicky comment to my last post leaps to mind) have been wondering if we were supposed to post an update pic today. My dears, you're not supposed to do anything. This is just for fun and for inspiring each other. I'm posting an update pic (and I use the word 'update' in the most circumspect manner possible) because I had started my stocking already and I made some progress since my last picture appeared on this here blog. If you're interested in following the progress in this SAL, I put a list of participants in my sidebar, so you can go and visit everybody. If you're participating and your name's not on the list, please leave a comment so I can put it right. Or if you're on the list and you have no business there, you can let me know as well :o)
Okay. Time for some progress:



As you can see, I added a butterfly and a tuft on a bird's head. Pretty impressive, huh?
Lack of progress is due to lack of health. My stitching gland (obviously situated north of my midriff because everything there is inflamed, swollen, filled with mucus, snot and other excretions) is malfunctioning. BUT, that doesn't mean I don't have other things to show you, because I've been to the framer's and picked up the things I had framed two weeks ago. YAY!

Here's my Button Tree

Give Thanks; from the April 2007 issue of Cross Country Stitching Magazine. I used the recommended DMC threads, but I changed the words.

And Rites of Spring

Rites of Spring by Blackbird Designs; stitched on 30 ct Irish Creme by R&R Reproductions with recommended GA and WDW threads

And Baby Bug Ball

Baby Bug Ball by Shepherd's Bush; stitched on 32 ct Light Sand Belfast linen with the recommended Thread Gatherer, Gloriana and Au Ver A Soie threads

I had Rites of Spring framed immediately because... well, it's Spring. And it looks soooo good (she said humbly).
Baby Bug Ball is a piece I finished in 2004. It was supposed to be Pelle's birth sampler. At the time he was born though, the colours of his room were red, yellow and blue, and BBB looked woefully out of place. Now that his walls are a neutral white I thought I'd have it framed. It was such an immense joy to stitch this sampler, with the luscious silks and the delicate stitches. Makes me wonder why I never stitch Shepherd Bush designs anymore... Uh-oh.
The Button Tree and Rites of Spring were to go on my sampler wall, but when I held them up to find the right spot I noticed there wasn't one. Although I think the blue frame is good for RoS, it looks rather light and insignificant when surrounded by samplers in dark frames. Now when I took it into my bedroom, it just came alive. The curtains are blue and the rest is white and it looked just perfect there. The Button tree is on my folksy wall. I'll show you a picture some time soon.

A note to my Lovelorn Sisters: I'm still one address short, but I've decided not to wait any longer. Nobody Loves Me will be on its way to Heidi on Saturday.

Now I'm off to rest my weary bones. Oh, thanks so much for your thoughts on the literary Friendship Sampler. When I read your suggestions of stitching the names of my heroines over one, all I could think was 'DUH!' Why, oh why didn't I think of that myself? Duh. Duh. DUH.

Yours duhly,
Annemarie.

Scroll-o-rama

After a rather awful week and an exceptionally awful Easter weekend, this morning I finally found a bit of energy to take some pictures of various works in progress. Awfulness always leads to stitchiness in this household, so some serious progress has been made on all fronts (some progress should not have been made at all because it came in the form of NEW STARTS). First though, a group portrait of my extended family of scroll frames:

Since taking the above, work has been done on

This lovely lady has me worried. I enjoy her too much. Before I was given the kit as a present by my parents I had been drooling over the picture for about eight years and now I'm afraid that, if I ever get to finish her (and I honestly think I will some day, Harmien) I'm afraid that that will be the end of my stitching days. If the Blue Lady, the Pistols, Mrs. Slocombe ever gets to grace the spot on the bedroom wall that I have especially reserved for her, I think I will have achieved what I wanted out of stitching, and I will be happy to just stare at her loveliness forever, with my hands resting in my lap.

Moving on, I started not one, but two new projects. First (and I bet you saw that one coming) is Wife, Into Thy Garden by The Goode Huswife. Seriously? I think it's the name of the piece that does it for me, although the stitching is a joy too, despite the fact that it entails stitching on 36 count fabric (normally a no-no), stitching OVER ONE on 36 count fabric (that would be a no-no-no-no-no) and stitching with a palette of drab browns. Neh, would be my normal reaction to that. And still I love it :o) Note the tree in the picture. That is my current favourite prop.

Second new start is the Friendship Sampler by Carriage House Samplings. I know this one is usually done as a Round Robin piece, in which every Round Robiner stitches a heart and her own name, but I have a very Mark Darcy-esque approach to this Bridget Jones of a sampler: I like it just the way it is. I briefly played with the idea of changing the names to my favourite literary heroines, but it was then that I noticed that literary heroines have looooong names, and Kathy Barrick-Dieter's friends (or whoever the ladies are whose names are on this sampler) have conveniently short and snappy names. There is not enough room for Catherine Earnshaw. Elizabeth Bennet. Sue Bridehead. Tess Durbeyfield. Roxanna Slade. And what to think of the ladies who don't even have a first name and who would definitely need a place on this sampler? Mrs. Ramsay, for instance (from Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse). It would be an eclectic bunch too, because someone like Idgie Threadgoode (from Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe) would have to be mentioned as well. But wouldn't she look odd next to, say, Adela Quested (from A Passage to India)?

I really like the idea of the literary Friendship Sampler, but I'm not sure if I would ever complete or survive such an undertaking. Although you may have noticed that I haven't started any names yet...

Of course, I also made a bit of progress on Noah's Stocking, but I will save that picture for Thursday, the first official CHS Stocking SAL Update Day. More about that, and about our group, on Thursday.

As for the Lovelorn Sisters: I'm still waiting for one address. Natasha, if you read this, could you please e-mail me your snail mail address so we can get started?

Before I go, here's what happened less than one week after planting the pumpkin seeds:

If they keep growing like this, I'm going to have to build them their own shed. It's too cold at night to put them in the garden. Help!!!

Yours busily,
Annemarie.

Spring, into my garden

Callin' out around the world
Are you ready for a brand new beat?
Spring is here and the time is rite
For dancing a happy dance in the street

Excuse the weird picture, but this one was the best of the lot. I took it when I caught the sampler lazying about, dangling from a plum tree.

Yay me and whoopee, I finished Rites of Spring!!! I had no intention of finishing it, but it sort of happened. Good thing too, because I don't think I could have lasted another week, and if it hadn't been for my wonderfully inspiring co-SAL-ers Cristina, Giovanna and Karen, I would have given up on this sampler weeks ago. Don't get me wrong, I think it looks gorgeous (the design, that is. Not necessarily the stitching itself), but stitching it was erm... how do I say this politely... hellish. You have to change colours every four stitches (except for the tree), then there are wee diamond shaped thingies consisting of four stitches all over the place. I wasn't too thrilled about the colours (the Avocado and the Baby Spinach are too much of a contrast IMHO) and I ran out of Baby Spinach before I could finish the second circle, so I used Avocado for the rest. Still. Lovely samper. Thankfully, I hadn't been to the framer's yet, so I can add this one to the pile:o))) Noah's Stocking will be taking the place of RoS on the scroll frame tonight. Remember the new SAL, honeybuns! You can still join if you want to stitch a CHS stocking. We start on April 16th!

Sue, the RoS chart will be on its way to you soon. As soon as I can drag my lazy bones to the Post Office which, for some reason, is always an enormous effort.

Perhaps one of the reasons for my steaming ahead with Rites was the arrival of some seriously springy weather in our part of the world. And with spring comes...

Yep, you've guessed it! Planting pumpkin seeds. Pelle was very happy with the proceedings. He's looking forward to some late nights in the garden :o)

Now, what to stitch next? I have The Goode Huswife's Wife, Into Thy Garden on top of my Desperately need to stitch now-pile, but I seem to have mislaid my 36 count hand-dyed Zweigart muffin fabric, which the design calls for. I'm joking, you understand. I don't have this sort of fancy fabric in the house and the fancy fabric I do have doesn't match the colours the design calls for. What on earth kind of colour is Zweigart hand-dyed Muffin? Can anyone help? The picture of WITG looks so good, and I want the same sort of look. I'd be very grateful for any advice you could give me. Perhaps I could just stitch it on white linen and then when it's finished have some fun with my collection of exotic teas and coffees?

Well dears, Noah beckons and somewhere in the distance I can hear my bed calling my name too. I will be dreaming of Spring and stockings and pumpkins!

Yours delightedly,
Annemarie.