I'm trying to be productive today, I really am. It's a Saturday morning and what am I doing? Going to have some bloodwork done that I was supposed to do before my physical in March. I've been either sick, busy, or forgotten until now, since I have to fast the night before and I tend to be a night owl. Just routine checkup stuff, like cholesterol. Then it's off to COmcast to return the cable box and modem. I switched to RCN two weeks ago and I've gotten 3 prerecorded phone messages about returning my box. Sheeh! I'm going already!

On the craft front, I've now cast on three times for the Lace Ribbon Scarf, and I thnk I've got it. The first time was when I was still working on the baby gifts, and I wanted to have a new project to carry around. Part of the cast on got stretched out, and it still bothered me 4 rows in so I ripped it out last night. Cast on again, went along merrily, and realized that my cast on was waaay too tight. RIP. Now I have 8 rows, can see the pattern emerging, and the yarn is even getting soft. Amazing! I'm using Plymouth Yarn's Sockotta, which I bought a year ago for socks, I think. Now that I've started this scarf I have found a sock pattern I want to try this year, but it needs a self-patterning yarn that makes a clearer stripe pattern so the stitches will show up better. Broadripple by Rob Matyska

I thought that I would spend this entire week cross stitching, since I felt I needed a break from knitting after cranking out baby gifts one after the other. Don't get me wrong; I enjoyed making them. I would think about the parent(s) and baby to be and try put my love into the piece. It all turned out beautifully and is posted on my Ravelry, and I've put the finished pictues below. I did end up working on a hibernating cross stich, the 18th Century Band Sampler (or Long Dog Mystery Sampler). I really like the colors in this piece, and someday I'll get this one finished and framed. I'll post a picture this weekend.

I love packages!

And there's one waiting for me at home right now!!! I put a UPS alert on an cross stitch order I placed, and I just got an email that it's there! UPS does not always leave packages. Last time they delivered to me they actually never delivered my package. A neighbor tried to sign for it, then changed his mind, and UPS told me they could not do any more attempts. I had to find out where the commercial warehouse was and walk 1.5 miles to get there (it was that or take three buses that would take over an hour).

This time when I placed my order I forgot to change my shipping information to my work address, but it's HERE!

I'm In Love With A Beautiful Cowl

Thank you Ravelry! Once again you've come to my rescue, providing me with the perfect object to dream about curling up with, stroking, wearing all around the house and work until someone finally asks me if I have hickies all over my neck. That's right, it's a cowl. Not just any cowl, but a noble cowl with lovely lacy stitches but in a thick enough yarn that I can attempt this and expect to finish this project before winter ends. If I start right now. And keep working on it. And don't get distracted.

I think I will take the designer's advice and cast on 105 stitches for a snugger fit. I want this thing to keep me warm.

I'm posting a picture of someone else's finished project until I get my own underway. Yay! Check out Toonces project on Ravelry to see more cool images of it. I'll be using much darker yarn than most that made this pattern, but I'm trying to use what I have and not march out and buy yarn for this. I have some great Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran in eggplant and cashmerino dk in deep turquoise. The eggplant was purchased to make the Irish Hiking Scarf but now I'm casting on for this cowl instead.

Okay - back now after blogger difficulties and I'm on the 3rd row of the cowl. Hooray! Cast on 105 instead of 120, but I'm using size 10 needles to make up for my tight stitching, so we'll see what size this turns out. Oh, and I've managed to watch the entire first season of Coupling while doing it. Gotta love those brits.

Checking in

Health/Fitnes Goals -
1. Bring lunch and snacks all this week and next.
Reward - buy Soul of the Rose cross stitch kit
2. Cook dinner and right away put away portions in fridge for lunches/dinners.
3. Work out for 30 minutes each week of January.
Reward - buy mini-trampoline to further my workout progress goals.

Mini-trampoline? Yes. I'm a bit obsessed with them right now really. I've been researching 'rebounding' online and the health benefits. I have been trying to think of fun ways to exercise and I think this will be something I can do at home for short bursts along with weight training moves, yoga, and my bicycle pedaler.

I've also been reading up on Curves and their whole program design. I don't know that I want to join Curves. I've not had great luck with gym memberships, mainly because I hate working out around other people. There's a whole list of reasons that go along with that, but I won't bore you any more today with that!

Craft-wise
1. Working on Babette Blanket - consists of afghan squares in 17 different colors. Some color combinations look nautrual and other make your eyes bleed. The finished result should be a delightful mess that brightens up a room.

2. HAED Frog Prince QS3 - This is the crazy over one stitching on 25 count evenweave. So far I haven't moved out of the maroon tapestry background. I love working on this piece, but after 3 bleary eyed nights of stitching, I see progress but it's very hard to measure. I read in the newest issue of The Cross Stitcher that their formula for figuring out stitching time is this - a 1 inch by 1 inch square on 14 count Aida cloth, fully stitched, takes 1 hour. I can't fathom how many stitching hours this pattern will take - it is fully stitched, no open spaces, over one, and I think the size is 6x9, I'll have to check. Eek!

3. Floral Potpourri(hate the name - I call it Peony cross stitch) -


Started this up again Wednesday night. This is the first cross stitch project I started when I renewed my interest. I must have started it in 2001 or 2002. Not even halfway, is it? I do like the pattern, and now I am working on this alternately with Frog Prince. I see now that my stitching has improved a lot since I started this piece. I've learned a lot of stitching techniques from The Cross Stitcher, like using one long thread and doubling it for less ends on the back of the piece. Works like a charm.

Stitching plans

A lot of my friends are making gifts this year both as Christmas presents and for selling at craft fairs and a sci-fi convention that's happening in January. They flurry of actvity is high - with yarn, beads, thread, origami paper, and more being turned into beautiful wearable art. I myself have been stitching teeny tiny stitches on cross stitch ornaments. One was for an exchange I took part in (see earlier post). I have stitched one more and am trying to wrap up the tiny lettering on a third. Can't post pictures just yet as there is the chance that the recipients might see them here.

Oh, and I've just decided to add a knitting project into the mix as a Christmas present too. What am I thinking??? I don't even have the yarn yet. Tonight after work I am dashing to Windsor Button to get the yarn and needles, and meeting my friend Cassandra so she can show me the pattern. Nevermind that before I went away for Thanksgiving she wrote the pattern down for me and demonstrated the difficult bits on one she was making. Nevermind that I already made a gauge swatch, I have no memory of the pattern!

Last week at the library I found a copy of Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee on the new reads shelf and snapped it up. Yesterday I started reading the stories about knitting, stashing yarn around the house, and working on old unfinished projects. I know I've talked about UFOs before, but the story about Stephanie's pile of works in progress that threatened to take over her bedrooom when assembled caused me to wonder - how many porojects do I have in my apartment?

Two apartments ago I invited my sister Gretchen for a visit and we launched an attack on stuff. One of the things she had a hard time with was my amount of art/crafting/hobby stuff. Gretchen does not really have hobbies that accumulate stuff, as expecially craft activities require. I can imagine what she would say if she saw the sheer volume I now have in my space, just from adding knitting to my list of likes.

At least with my knitting/crochet projects, Ravelry allows me to keep the 'in progress' stuff in check. All the project shown in the top row are unfinished. I can enter all the stats of a project - needle size, yarn, progress, problems, and pics.



I wish I had a similar system for tracking my cross stitch projects, as though take much longer to complete. I try and post about them here on the blog, but as you can see I've had a hard time posting frequently.


In the past week I've been working on:
Love My Cat by Lizzie Kate (cross stitch)
Historic Countries Mystery Sampler in The Gift of Stitching Magazine (cross stitch)
Babette Blanket from Interweave Knits Magazine (crochet)
Basketweave Scarf from Lion Brand website (knitting)