Holy snot

I could have chosen another title. Something involving another sort of bodily fluid... hang on? Is that 'other sort of bodily fluid' actually a fluid? Well, let me tell you, in this case we're talking about fluids. But in order to keep things decent here, let me just say again, and in capital letters: HOLY SNOT.

We're home!!! But we're not better.

Turns out Pelle is suffering from more than 'just' an infection of his knee. His knee is nearly back to its elegant slimness, and it doesn't feel as hot anymore, but this afternoon, he became if not as ill as he was last week, then very nearly so. I called the hospital and they gave me some very interesting news. Apart from the tummy bug that has obviously been nagging him since last week, his blood tests show that he very likely suffers from Celiac Disease, which would explain all sorts of things about him, including the problems with his development. Please keep your fingers crossed for the poor little guy. If it turns out to be Celiac Disease all he has to do is follow a gluten-free diet for the rest of his life and he will probably feel a lot better soon! I'm not terribly well-informed on the subject, but I will keep you posted.

Now that I'm home I can show you some of the stitchy things I've been up to. First of all, Bea. Thank you all for telling me what you think about the colours. Now I know I will definitely use greens. Here's my progress so far (and the more perceptive among you will notice there's no green there yet):

Of course, me being me, I made a boo-boo in the left motif, but since I'd rather deep-fry my left pinky toe and eat it than frog anything, I found a way to keep it as it is without anyone ever noticing what I did and how I did it (and if you DO notice it: get a life!).

The next one I'm working on is Olde Shaker Tune by Homespun Elegance. I found this chart a couple of weeks ago at a REAL LIFE SHOP! Here! In The Netherlands! Amazing... Anyway, I found it and I had to start it, so I did:

The third project I started in the new year is something I'd been wanting to stitch since I first saw it stitched up by Su, years ago. Here's a pic:

Any idea what this is? Who the designer is and what the chart is called? If you do, leave a comment. The first one to guess correctly gets a hand-crafted giftie from moi. Harmien is excluded from this draw. She begged to know which project I had started, even at the risk of losing out on the stitched giftie. Now, she is either very interested in my stitchy endeavours, or she doesn't want any more of my stitching in her lovely house. Either way, Harmien, you're out!

I think I may go to bed now. I know, it's only seven in the evening, but since Pelle's been asleep since three this afternoon, I have a feeling I have a very interesting night ahead of me. Again, please send good thoughts for the little man. He really, really needs them! Thanks...

Bonny Swans

This morning, when I put my foot outside the door, I slipped and gave a rendition of Swan Lake that would have made Darcy Bushell weep with jealousy. After I had picked myself up (well, got to my hands and knees) I crawled back inside to see what caused the slippage and subsequent free ballet recital, and I noticed the world as far as I could see it was covered in a thick layer of ice. Clear, freezing cold, dangerously slippery ice. And so we had a day off. We baked some bread, we had a little snooze on the couch, and we had a nice long walk in the woods when the ice had disappeared. You may have noticed the significant lack of anything stitch-related in this summary of our day, and you're right. Having Pelle at home is a lot of fun, but he won't allow me a minute's respite from my motherly duties, so I'm waiting until this blog post has written itself, so I can do some stitching.

In the course of the last couple of weeks my mailman brought goodies to fondle and drool over, sent by some sweet, generous friends, old and new, to brighten my days. And oh boy, were they brightened.
Firstly, I am now the very lucky owner of one of Jennifer's very own, very beautiful, useful and gorgeous quilted project bags. Here it is in action:

Jennifer, thank you so much for your thoughtful gift. I know this has not been an easy year for you, and it makes the bag even more special. I haven't tried the gluten-free chocolate cookie mix yet, but I will!

Secondly, look at what new friend Valie sent me!

Valie is one of those immensely talented French blogging ladies who always make me green with envy because of their amazing stitching and finishing skills. One of her beautiful projects was stitched with Stef Francis threads, which I had never heard of before, and she kindly offered to send me 'some'. Well, the threads are every bit as gorgeous as the picture implies and I can't wait to work with them. Maybe use them for Beatrix Potter? And will you look at that beautiful pinkeep she made for me? The stitching and finishing are so neat! Thank you, Valie, and thank you for your friendship and your support.

Now, on the stitching front there's not much to report. I'm still working on Kathy's RR, which should be finished some time soon. Only a sail, some clouds, and a palm tree left to stitch, and then I'm done!

After that, I'm going to finish Michelle's NRR and send it to her. And no, Christmas was not some fairytale deadline I had in mind: I'm actually going to make it. One of the many advantages of the floor stand is that you don't have the urge to grab another project while you should be working on the one in the frame. Or maybe the urge is there, but the piece in the floor stand just sits there all day, staring at you expectantly. Silently reproaching you for not finishing it. Very effective. You should all try it.

Off to stitch, then off to my electric-blanketed bed and read my book. Hope you have a wonderful couple of days, until next time!

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Soapy Twist; Part 4: The Bluff

Amy's court date goes better than expected. As soon as the judge starts, it is very obvious that by the end of it all visitation is going to take place, no matter what. The judge is not interested in mud-slinging, lies, tears, tantrums or any other form of emotional outbreak, so in the little time Amy has, she tries to think of a way to make an arrangement that will be maximally comfortable for Petey and minimally comfortable for Jane (aka Linda the Loathsome Liar) whilst pleasing the judge and showing her that Amy is as reasonable a person as she herself. It is decided that Jane is to pick up Petey every Saturday at eleven and she is to bring him back at five, accompanied by her mother, Margo, who is also to stay with Jane and Petey during the entire visitation time. Amy wants this in writing, and that is agreed on. Now, the reason why Amy wants this sort of arrangement is as follows: she does not trust Jane alone with Petey, because the former is entirely incapable of thinking of anyone but herself (in other words, Linda the Loathsome Liar is not only a loathsome liar, she is also a raging narcissist with the gift of the gab, who can sell subscriptions to Dutch highbrow newspapers to people who don't even speak the language) and she has threatened to kill herself and Petey if Amy was to leave them alone together. Also, Amy doubts whether Jane and Margo can keep up with the obligation of picking up Petey every week and taking care of him. Taking care of Petey is not what you might call a walk in the woods if you don't know how to deal with him, and she is secretly hoping it will prove too much of a challenge.
So, Amy is hugely relieved that the ruling was given on Thursday and she doesn't have to wait another two weeks in nail biting suspense for the judge's decision. Consequently, she spent a very enjoyable Sinterklaas, and she is currently suffering from a severe case of happy bunny syndrome.

Meh

This is going to be just a very quick update of what I have been up to lately. But first, let me say thank you to all of you lovely ladies who have been taking the time to drop me a line, asking me if I'm okay. I feel a total oaf for not replying to you at the moment, but I'm being a bit of a cyber recluse. Those of you who have known me a bit longer will know that in times of emotional turmoil, or in times of Post-Translatic Stress Disorder (which occurs in the days following the completion of a translation) I tend to shy away from the computer and just sit and stitch in silence. And since this is a time of both emotional rumblings (so much so that I couldn't even see the humor in my own soap opera for a couple of weeks, which is not a good sign, and certainly not a good basis to go blogging), and of a serious case of Post-Translatic Stress Disorder, please pardon me for not writing to you right now, but know that I am comforted to know that so many of you are thinking of me (and Amy).

So... sitting and stitching quietly. And what, pray tell, have you been stitching? I hear you ask. Well. This:

This is Katrina's Neighbourhood RR, with my addition at the bottom on the left. This is a design by Primitive Traditions, and some of you may recognize it as one of the ten samplers that formed A Most Noble Pursuit. This lovely neighbourhood is now on its way to Kathy, and then it heads back home!

I've also been working on this:

This is Kathy's Neighbourhood, the last one (officially) for me. After this, I have to finish Michele's Halloween Neighbourhood, but at the rate Kathy's is going, I wouldn't be suprised if I could finish both of them before Christmas! Honestly, I've never been so inspired to work on a neighbourhood as Kathy's, which boggles the mind (or at least it does mine), because I don't particularly like working with pastels (don't mind them, but they're not my fave) AND out of all of the four seasons, summer is my least favourite, while Kathy's is definitely a pastelly, summery kind of neighbourhood. And I can't wait to get back to it! This wee house in the middle block was the work of two evenings, and now I've started on the right hand side in the middle for the second block (I'm stitching two blocks for Kathy). The house in the middle is by Brightneedle, and it's a fragment from Summer Cottage on Blueberry Lane. The other one I'm doing is also by Brightneedle, and it's a smidgen of the Key West Sampler. Love it, love it, love it. All of it.

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Soapy Twist; Part 3: The Bollocking

Amy is due in court next Thursday. An unfortunate date, since it is the day before Amy's most favourite holidays, Sinterklaas. She's extremely miffed at Jane for ruining Sinterklaas for her and Petey, even though she isn't even around. Amy realizes it is a tad unfair blaming Jane for something like this, but doesn't give a rat's behind anyway. And which judge invites parents round for a nice bicker about the kids the day before Sinterklaas, for God's sake? Well. With a bit of luck, the ruling will be made known a couple of days before Christmas. Fa-la-la-la-laaaa, la-la-la-bollocks.

Angelic Voodoo

Just when I was playing around with Vinnie the Voodoo Boy (you all remember Vinnie, don't you? My close companion in this last year, wrought by none other than Harmien when Mr. Murphy just wouldn't budge from my side last year?), my father came in carrying a big yellow envelope. This is what it contained

Sigh...
And this is what was revealed when I removed the tissue paper:

Double sigh...

Now, Barbara asked me to assist her with something a couple of nights ago, and it so happened that I got to see this sweet, sweet angel before the rest of the world did, with the possible exception of her nearest and dearest. I informed her forthwith that I would not be able to live without such an angel and that I would purchase the design from her fantastic Etsy Shop as soon as I found that old sock I hid somewhere, containing my savings (amounting to a grand total of €1,32, I have since discovered). Then Barbara told me the angel had been calling my name and that it would be on its way the day after.

Barbara, I am so touched that you would have me adopt your baby angel, and she is more beautiful than the pictures promised. If I wasn't afraid of her halo coming loose and poking my eye out whilst sleeping, I would hold her in my arms all night. Instead, I've put her in my (Heidi's) project basket so I can look at her all day long. With Vinnie and Grunge Angel to watch over me, surely nothing can go too horribly wrong?

And now that we're on the subject of things that cannot go wrong: following Barbara's clever instructions on how to assemble this sweetie. I must admit I'm a bit challenged in the sewing department, and so I never dared order any primitive doll pattern, although I have been more than sorely tempted in the past. Even online I have never been able to find a decent description of how to go about it, until I read Barbara's. So if you want to surprise yourself or your stitching friends for Christmas with something crafty but not stitchy, something dolly but not Tilda, this is a perfect alternative! Go and give it a try!
And now on to Soapy Twist. For those of you interested: it contains some talk of stitching :o)

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Soapy Twist; Part 2: The Dawning

Amy has a blog. In it, she wants to share her divorce story as it unfolds, but something mysterious - goodness knows what - has kept her from going all bitchy on the erstwhile love of her life so far. After learning that she will have to face Jane in court again, and after reading the copy of Jane's appeal to the court and shouting 'Liar, liar, pants on fire' (or words to that effect) at the top of her voice for a minute or twenty, after calling best friend Hermione and discussing this prob with her, Amy has decided that she will, in fact, defy this mysterious something and try to be the bitchiest bitch she possibly can, both IRL, in court, and in her blog. After all, for years Jane censured Amy's writing and stitching in the most disgusting way imaginable: checking her e-mails and blog to see if nothing unmentionable was mentioned (unmentionable things like Jane's trans-sexuality; or the fact that Petey has a biological father [shock! Horror!]; or the fact that Petey is not like other kids his age and needs special education; or the fact that Amy is actually a raging heterosexual) and of course correcting her in a rather verbally forceful way whenever she saw signs of weakness in that department. Jane did not take kindly to Amy stitching designs that featured men and women, or any samplers referring to marriage between a man and a woman. Even The Sampler Girl's 'Mr. Darcy' was frowned upon.
After this realization hits her, Amy decides she can bloody well write whatever she wants, wherever she wants, and whenever she wants and she can stitch as many men as she wants. In fact, shortly after making her decision, she goes in search of a freaking huge picture of Colin Firth and runs it through her PCStitch 7 program to turn the pic into a chart, underneath which she simply adds the word, in DMC 321 and bold italics, 'YUM'.

Of Soup, Soap and Stitching

For those of you who are sick of the un-stitchy nature of my posts, I will start by showing a finish. It's not a recent finish. In fact, it's an embarrassingly old finish, in the shape of a birthday gift for my good friend Maria - that I finished last year and only sent this year for her birthday. Ouch.

The little angel is a Casa Mia freebie. The wee sampler on the back is my design, if such humble work can be called a design.

I loved it so much I made one for me as well, in my favourite DMC 221.

You may remember I am a reluctant participant in one of the many neighbourhood RRs that do the rounds in stitchy world. Reluctant because I have no penchant for deadlines - otherwise I think the whole concept of a neighbourhood RR is completely charming. Anyway. This is what happened a couple of nights ago:

This is the lovely Katrina's lovely Neighbourhood. I'm stitching one of the samplers that make up A Most Noble Pursuit: the one by Primitive Traditions that I also stitched for my own neighbourhood (Katrina liked this design so much that she asked me to stitch it for her as well, and I'm very happy to oblige). I'm the first to admit that this is picture offers a rather alarming view. Not only am I tackling it sideways, the piece itself looks like a stitching experiment gone horribly wrong. The thing is: I'm a backward stitcher (which would explain the sideways approach), plus I'm trying to find ways of working in the ends without making an absolute mess of the back. When you stitch in hand, this is not a problem: you just turn your fabric around. Q-snap, hoop: ditto. Not so when you're using an otherwise perfectly serviceable floor stand. If you want to work the back of your stitching, you either need to get rid of the ends without turning the fabric to see what you're doing, or you have to unscrew screws and flip the frame every time you reach the end of your thread. I have discovered that neither of these options work for me. So what I do is, I bring the ends of my threads to the front and fasten off at the end of a stitching session. That's why it looks as if Katrina's neighbourhood has exploded, but it hasn't, really. Oh, and in case you were all wondering and worrying about the November 15 deadline? The house is nearly finished, and it will be ready for the mail on Monday. A round of applause please, for this arch-procrastinator...

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To my surprise, some of you have expressed an interest in the soap series that I have announced. I'm glad to hear that you're interested to read about my woes (also: a little concerned. What does that say about my friends? That they're gloaters?), but it took me a while to figure out a way to go about it. Let me start by saying that I will announce the commencement of my soapy updates with the term 'Soapy Twist'. As soon as you see this term, those of you only interested in my stitching know that they're free to move to another blog, because that's when the stitchy part of my post will be done.

Whence the term 'Soapy Twist'? Why, I stole it. Of course. Well, I stole a perfect idea and modified it. Let me explain. I'm sure by now, the entire world is familiar with a great British actor called Hugh Laurie, although I have to admit that he's famous in the US for all the wrong reasons, i.e. House. Every fibre of my body protests when I see him prancing about with a stick and an American accent, because that is not MY Hugh Laurie. THIS is my Hugh Laurie:

Soupy Twist. Soapy Twist. See what I did here?

So. Soapy Twist it is. Before you consult Soap Opera Digest to read about your favouritest soap, you need to know a bit about the characters, right? Well, a list of characters can be found in my sidebar, with a couple of facts about their lives and how they relate to each other. I've changed the names, but I think most of you will be able to figure out who is who :o) At present, there are only three characters, named Amy, Jane and Petey, but I'm sure there will be more as the story progresses.

This is not a work of fiction. Except for the names, characters, places and incidents are - alas - not the product of the author's imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales are entirely deliberate.

For now, I'm leaving you with this mother of a cliffhanger.

Amy has just heard from her lawyer that Jane wants to see her in court. Again.

A verrrrrrrry loooooooooong stitchy post

A few days later than I had hoped, but here I am with a photographic report of my sippy stitchy birthday celebrations.

A wise man recently told me that the way you celebrate your birthday is a foreshadowing of what the entire year is going to be like. Well, if he's right - and I have no reason to doubt him, because it proved true in the last couple of years - then this year is going to be one happy year for me, filled with love, good health, fun and stitching.

Even though I told my guests that their presence was present enough for me, they all came bearing the most astonishing, thoughtful gifts. And here they are, in alphabetical order of the givers.

You all remember I had high hopes of winning the soul of my oldest friend, Annique? Well, look at what she brought with her and judge for yourself if she doesn't already have excellent taste:

She gave me a beautiful chart by Iris van den Heiligenberg, a lady whose work I have admired for years. With it, Annique gave me the gorgeous Gloriana silks the design calls for, and a small wooden hoop. I like to use these as frames as well.
Yes, yes, I hear you think, but what about the stitching? Did you do it? Or, more importantly, did she do it??? This is me teaching her:

And this is the picture she sent me two days later.

Ladies and gentlemen, a big round of applause please. I think we have a winner! Annique admitted she was sort of twiddling her thumbs the next evening when Santa was finished and she just sat there... doing nothing. Needle and thread beckoned, but she's still fighting the urge. Ah, we've all been there, haven't we? Thinking 'Surely I can't be enjoying this old ladies' hobby?' Annique, sweetheart, give up the fight now, because you will lose anyway :o) And thank you for being there. It really means a lot to me, and I hope you know that.

Next up: Barbara.
As if I didn't have enough reason to nominate the lovely Barbara with the The Blogger Who Makes You Green With Envy Because They Can Stitch, Design, Work, Keep House And Raise A Family Without Seemingly Losing Any Of Their Amiable Qualities Award a while back, it now turns out that she can work magic with wool felt as well. Look at this amazing needlebook she crafted for me!

I love the colours of the felt and I adore the antique lace on the inside. And look at the scissors' fob, including a froglet to ward off the frogs! Thank you, Barbara. As always, I'm amazed at your creativity and thoughtfulness.

Harmien really went out of her way to spoil me on all fronts:

This is a quilted coffee cup she found at an Etsy store, designed (I think) to carry my mobile phone, but really, too pretty to use. I just have it lying on the table beside me so I can touch it every now and then :o)

She also gifted me with some fabulous patchwork fabrics, so many that if I could bring myself to use the sewing machine, I could make an entire quilt! Also, she gave me a skein of Belle Soie silk called Old Crow, which I didn't think was very nice of her, but there you go (Old crow indeed. The woman's freaking five and a half months older than I am.)

And last but certainly not least, she knitted this dishcloth, with cotton Staci sent her only days before. I have a picture of the dishcloth in action (you know, as part of the promote Staci's dishcloths campaign) but I'm not sure Blogger would accept another picture in this post. Maybe next time.
Anyway, Harmien, you really outdid yourself here. You gave me all of my favourite things, and more, because you were there and you are always there for me. Thank you for everything.

Heidi was there too! I had wanted to meet her for the longest time because she has two of the most inspiring blogs you can find in stitchy Blogland, and she always seemed like such a sweet, special person to me. Well, I can now officially teel you that she is all that, and more. It was great fun to meet her husband as well. Heidi brought the most amazing gift: a project basket she made herself, with Blackbird Designs fabric. Look at the picture and weep, for it is beautiful:

Heidi also gave me some threads by Carrie's Creations, which I've used in the past and LOVE. Thank you, Heidi, it was a great pleasure to meet you, and I hope you will join our Sip 'n' Stitches more often!

Mady (who doesn't have a blog but who does have a beautiful gallery over at Cyberstitchers) was not at my birthday party in person, but she was there in spirit. And on Monday, this gift from her arrived:

I have not been able to take them off since. I LOVE Mady's handknitted socks. They're beautifully made and they're warm and comfy, and Mady has great taste in colour. Thank you, Mady, for thinking of me, and for being such a dear friend.

Last, because her name is last alphabetically, is Margaret's gift, which is so beautiful I can't get enough of it. It's here beside me on the table (next to Harmien's coffee cup), and I have to look at it up close every so often, because it is so neat and petite and heart-warming:

Stitched over-one in my favourite colours. And, as you can see, an addition for my sampler wall which I will cherish forever. Thank you Margaret! I can't wait until December 13th, when we have our next Sip 'n' Stitch over at her house.

I realize this is a ridiculously long post, but I wanted to show the world how generous and sweet our stitching community is. Of course, we all know that, but it doesn't hurt to emphasize it every now and then :o)
You must have been wondering about the outcome of my court case, which was due yesterday. Well, I got it on Tuesday, but rather than going into it right here and now, I've decided to go about it in a different way. I'm going to write a soap opera. Now I'm sure if I offered my storyline to any existing soap opera, the soap opera bosses would all be like 'Aww, honey, no. Even soap opera watchers aren't willing to suspend their disbeliefs THIS far.' So I will be offering my soap opera to you, in very small portions, at the end of every post, starting next time. It's going to be a wild rollercoaster ride, so be prepared...

Made with love

On the eve of my 38th birthday, I've done three things I'm really proud of.

1. In the category 'culinary endeavours' (which don't feature often in this blog) (and for good reason) (I think cooking is best left to people who don't make a habit of burning their hair whilst dousing chicken with port wine) (which I have been known to do on occasion) (but since everyone's bound to be expecting pumpkin soup tomorrow and I couldn't find pumpkin soup in a tin I had to make my own): Pumpkin Soup a la Annemarie

With nothing but a little water, a whole lot of pumpkin, a bit of seasoning and some truffle oil. Hopefully none of this will prove fatal.

2. In the category 'selfish stitching is all good and well, but sometimes you have to make an exception': a gift for someone who's coming to my birthday/sip 'n' stitch party tomorrow. She's not a stitcher, but she's frightfully interested in every stitchy thing she's ever seen displayed in my house. My tactic will be to overwhelm her with stitching until she caves, just to get me to stop talking about stitching (which never works, but what does she know?). My success rate is quite high, and so are my hopes of succeeding this time. Anyway, if this gift doesn't do the trick, I don't know what will (she said humbly)


It's Winter Song by Blackbird Designs, taken from this year's JCS X-mas ornie issue. I used the fabric in the background for the backing.

3. In the category 'I don't know why the hay this took me a whole MONTH to finish, but finish it I did'

Fruitful Clusters by The Goode Huswife. Actually, I do know why it took me so long: I enjoyed it so much, I didn't want it to end!

Plans for November:
1. Finish Katrina's Neighbourhood RR
2. Finish Kathy's Neighbourhood RR
3. Work on my parents' 40th anniversary sampler

So you see, no selfish stitching for me for at least a month. Boo.

Hope you're enjoying a lovely, autumnal weekend!