Last post

No need to run to your box of Kleenex or secret supply of chocolate (or sherry), because this isn't really my last post. But unless something earth shattering happens (like an unforeseen finish within the next 48 hours), this will be my last post for at least two weeks, because I'm going away on vacation next Monday. My parents rented a cottage in the north of the country, and Pelle, Pantoef and I will head that way as soon as Pelle returns from his stay with the ex (on Pelle's birthday. Picture me sobbing). We will celebrate Pelle's birthday on Monday, along with my parents and my brother, my SIL and my (very probably) niece-to-be. During my vacation I'm also hoping to pay Annemiek's Handwerk Boetiek a visit, because I discovered it's virtually around the corner from where I will be staying. Hooray!

It cost me five years of my life, but I managed to unpack all the boxes between Sunday evening and Tuesday morning, just before my stitchy company arrived in the form of Harmien, Heidi and Margaret.

(Part of) the living room:

The hallway (which will host my tombstone/Halloween/Angel wall once I finish something along that vein)

Unfortunately, Barbara couldn't make it because she was so busy packing for her family's long awaited trip to Maine. We had a lot of fun, though. All the ladies had plenty of time to admire Pantoef in all his glory, which he underwent gladly, before he settled on Harmien's lap for the remainder of the day (defector that he is).

All the ladies came bearing gifts of the most fabulous kinds, for all of us. Feast your eyes on this:

The Halloween pillow came from the nimble hands of Margaret; the pin cushion was - of course - crafted by Heidi; and Harmien managed to remember that this lovely design by Primrose Needleworks was on my wish list. Thank you all so very much, girls, for your gifts and for your company. I can't wait for our next get-together.

While we were busy showing each other the things we had been/are working on, and chatting about stitching, Margaret and Heidi commented that Harmien and I have a tendency to start an awful lot of new things. They looked on in amazement as I emptied my, admittedly rather large, WIP drawers, and they decided they needed to change their own ways (which involve sticking to one or two, maybe three WIPs at most) (very sensible, I should think). They now want to have regular 'HarmAn' days, which means they will start a new project every first day and every fifteenth day of the month. Now it is true that Harmien and I suffer from indecent and incurable (and I fear inoperable) forms of startitis, with the exception that Harmien actually finishes the projects she starts and I... don't. So I thought, if Heidi and Margaret can have HarmAn days, couldn't I have HeiMar days? You know. Picking up a WIP and actually sticking with it until it's finished? There's a thought, I thought. And here's the result of my thinking:

I don't know if this super lovely design by Sampler Girl Tanya ever made an appearance on this new blog, but believe me when I say that I've been working on this one since it came out in 2006. The great stumbling block for me (and please don't ask me why because it is a mystery to me as well), was the wee house. HarHeiMar urged me to finish this house while they cheered me on and once I did, I just couldn't stop! Hooray again! Tomorrow (it being the first day of the month) I will pick up another WIP/UFO and try to do a decent amount of work on it. Now if only I can keep myself from having a HarmAn day as well as an HeiMar day, because that would undo the effect of the former, wouldn't it?

Should you wonder what happened to Noah, have no fear, the first half of his coat is now completely finished. It wouldn't make a very exciting picture, though, because it was only ten more rows of the same dreary brown. Yaaaawn.

As of last Tuesday I'm really enjoying my vacation, which involves a lot of sleeping and reading and not so much stitching, but an awful lot of relaxing. Very nice. I hope you are all enjoying your socks off, too. See you in two weeks!

Yours relaxedly,
Annemarie.