May WIPocolypse Report & A Happy Dance

Another month has sped by and it's time for my May WIPocolypse update! We saw the beginnings of my VoHRH Block 4 last month, and this month we get to see if finished!

I'm going to have to restitch the goat-dog-animal on the right because he blends in with the fence too much. I'm using the Vikki Clayton HDF conversion and sometimes the colors need a little tweaking.

Here is a shot of the whole sha-bang so far. I'm 1/3 of the way done now!

Back in March, Phil treated me to a trip to House of Stitches in LaPorte, IN. I'd bought the Winter, Autumn, and Summer charts from Blackbird Designs and wanted to find just the right linen to stitch them on. I chose a lovely piece of 36-count linen in Lentil from Lakeside Linens, and we also picked out the fibers for all three patterns. Phil got to learn about dye lots and why, if I thought I needed more than one skein of a certain color, I should buy them all at the same time. The shop ladies had a lot of fun with him being there, that's for sure!

I got started on stitching Winter right away, but being a 36-count linen I had my usual dilemma of whether to use two ply of thread or one. I did some sample stitching in both and everyone I showed it to said to go with two ply. I wasn't convinced that was what I wanted to do, thinking the stitches would look a too crowded and that maybe I should go with one ply for a more delicate look. A month later I still hadn't made up my mind! This was a project I'd been foaming at the mouth to stitch, and it had become a cat mat! (Doesn't matter where you hide it, they'll find it!)

When May rolled around I knew I needed to shake the cat hair off the linen and make a decision once and for all, otherwise all those carefully selected fibers were in danger of finding their way into other project bags. I'm stitching with two ply since that is what everyone agreed looked best. I worked on it for a bit last night and so far I'm loving it. Here's my progress so far (you can see the letter P still stitched with one ply.)

That's all the stitching I have to share this month. We've been super busy with last minute details on Phil's house. He'll be closing this month so we're plenty excited!

I'm looking forward to checking out everyone's progress for May! I hope I wasn't the only bad girl who started a new project!

Spring Has Come!

I can officially say that now! Woohoo!

I participated in the International Hermit & Stitch Weekend, working on Block 4 of my Village of Hawk Run Hollow. I finished the tree branches and leaves on Friday, and started the roof last night. (I need an extra day for my stitching weekends!) (I highly recommend it!)

Progress continues on the house. We spent most of Saturday choosing light fixtures to be installed this week. They've also started laying the hardwood floors and installing cabinets. Tomorrow I go to look at more granite, and Thursday I'm picking out hardware for the cabinets. Busy busy busy! But I think we're finally getting close to being done with everything.

We took a little time out on Sunday to enjoy the beautiful weather we've been having. Phil's row boat survived the fire so he took me out on a short excursion, paddling around the lake. It was very quiet and peaceful since the summer folk have yet to arrive. Don't I look happy, even if a bit squinty-eyed?

I really can't wait for the house to be finished so we can spend more time there. It's getting harder and harder to be patient as the days get warmer and warmer. I know we are incredibly blessed to be building this house, but is it too much to ask that they HURRY IT UP!?

I hope everyone's week is off to a good start and you're finding time to enjoy some wonderful Spring days! Thanks for stopping by!

Block One: Done!

Village of Hawk Run Hollow - Block One
stitched on 40-ct. Pearled Barley linen
with Vikki Clayton hand-dyed fibers
At long last! It's done! Well... with the exception of one fish eye but for now I'm pretending he blinked when I snapped the picture.

Here's the whole she-bang so far:
Three down, nine to go! I've actually convinced myself I can have all twelve blocks completed by the end of the year. You'd think I'm positively delusional since it's taken me three years to finish these three, but, my dearest bloggy buddies, the model was stitched in 49 days! Crazy but true! 49 days! The least I can hope for is to finish it in 49 months, right?

Next in the Q-snaps is The Riddle by The Drawn Thread. I've been skipping all the specialty stitches because I'm a total wimp, I can't do french knots, and my queen's stitches looked like merde. This is most likely a huge mistake because all that will be left when I'm done with the Xs is the "hard stuff" and I won't want to finish it.

The weekend is upon us which means Phil and I will be off on yet another excursion to make selections for the house. Last weekend was countertops for the kitchens (yes, plural) and bathrooms which found us standing in a freezing cold workshop for over an hour, staring at slabs of granite and saying, "Eh... I don't know... what do you think?" about a thousand times. This weekend takes us back to the fireplace shop to choose mantles and hearth stones. More head shaking and nose wrinkling but at least it'll be warmer!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a fabulous weekend!

Two Wrongs

I thought I was on track to finish Block 1 of my Village last night but somewhere in middle of the river I made a mistake. After much futzing and fudging, I decided I'd just frog the mess and do it right. In the process of correcting Mistake One, I discovered Mistake Two. More futzing. More fudging. And then I realized it probably would have been faster if I'd just frogged everything and restitched it instead of spending two frustrating hours trying to work around the mistakes. Doh!! So I am pulling up my big girl panties, frogging the remaining mess, and I am determined to finish this tonight! Even if I have to stay up past my bedtime!

A Quickie Post

I'm still plugging away on Block 1, still trying to get over that river and to the village. I better get some water in that river, pronto! My poor little fish can't swim! (Not to mention he's missing his eye, but when have I ever stitched a critter and remembered to leave a space for the eye?)

WIProgress Report

Welcome to the January Edition of the Paisley Stitching WIPocolypse Progress Report!

A mere four days into the year I was able to scratch Lizzie Kate's Christmas Is Forever off my WIP list! (Check out my last post for a photo of the finished piece!) Since then I've been trying to put some Xs into a couple of bigger projects that have been haunting my WIP basket for a few years.

First up was Peppermint Twist from Blue Ribbon Designs. This one needed some serious de-cat-hairing because my furry friends think a basket full of linen is the most comfortable place to sleep in the house. (Apparently the only thing better is a basket full of clean laundry. Dirty laundry? Not so much.)
My goal is to get all the Garnet stitching finished on this one page. The 40-ct. linen I'm working on makes me cross-eyed so I'll probably take a break from it once I get this part finished.

Last night I parked my butt in my stitching chair while I watched Downton Abbey on Masterpiece Classic (Come back, Mr. Bates!). My Village of Hawk Run Hollow has been so neglected! I decided I just can't ignore it any longer!
I finished stitching some more of the letters on Block 1, and started filling in the big O. It was this first block that made me want to stitch this BAP to begin with. I love the river with its little fishies! I'm planning to stick with this one a while longer. Maybe even finish the block? We'll see!

That's about it for now! I'd mention the gorgeous weather we've been having over the last several days but I don't want to jinx it! Somewhere out there is a couple of feet of snow with my name on it, I just know it!

Tree Frog

Block 2 of my Village is now complete! As the title of this post suggests, I did end up frogging the willow trees. (See the little pile of gold fuzz?) It wasn't because of a stitching mistake but because I still haven't learned to read and follow directions. I was perfectly happy to leave the trees 'as stitched' and carry on with the remainder of the backstitching. So I'm reading, "Backstitch the tree branches in 315/830." Check! Then I read, "Backstitch the tree leaves in 156/500." Tree leaves? What tree leaves?? I'd just backstitched every tree part in 315! I didn't realize those little diagonal stitches were actually supposed to be leaves and should be stitched in a different color! Oh, the words that flew out of my mouth! They too were of a different color!

Anyhoosie, the story ends well because I do like the trees sooo much better with green leaves and not the monotone gold they were. I also stitched the forgotten 'a' in Isaiah. St. Peter's Church is complete and I can't wait to get started on the next block!

We are going to be heading up to Portage today to run some errands and, as luck would have it, today is also National Pancake Day so we'll be stopping in at IHOP for their annual Children's Miracle Network fundraiser. Short stacks for everyone!

The Village

Thought I should share a picture of my VoHRH since I mentioned yesterday that I'd be working on it while I oh so patiently (not!) await the thread and fabric for my next project. It's not much of a village yet with only a church (missing it's windows!) and a city hall, but I have plans for a blacksmith's shop and a gristmill, and I hope to start on a boarding house soon.

We have beef and barley soup simmering in the crock pot (I finally found it!) and Chex Mix toasting in the oven so it's smelling very fall-y here in our little home. Nice to have such a cozy feeling on an overcast day. We've been working on our menu and grocery list for Thanksgiving, and I can't wait for the turkey and stuffing!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday as much as I am! Thanks for stopping by!

Rainy Weekend

It did nothing but rain all day Saturday and Sunday. Perfect weather for staying inside and stitching, right? Per my rotation schedule, I should have been working on Their Song and Peppermint Twist but I wasn't happy with the amount of progress I had made on my Village so opted to stick with it over the weekend.


Some more grass has grown, and the church now has a roof, door, and window frames. Just no walls. I forgot to put the doorknobs on the door so it's probably a good thing the walls are still missing. We wouldn't want folks getting trapped inside!

The rainy weather was also perfect for some baking. Here's a loaf of bread we made, ready to be popped in the oven.

And the results:
A little brown on top, but delicious none the less. We also made bagels but they weren't as photogenic as the bread. Ugly but edible, haha!

I got the last load of laundry in the washer so I think it might be time for a little stitching break. Wait a minute!! What's this??

You're in my spot!!
(This is Egg, by the way. She's Spitz's mother, and very spoiled.)

Now Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Program

At last, I've returned to the rotation I started at the beginning of the year. I wanted to get Peppermint Twist back on track before I worked on anything else. I had a feeling if I took it off the frame still in need of fixin', I'd never put it back on again.


I did decide to leave the blocks on the right the way they are for now. I can always rip them out later if they're bugging me, right? There's one little noticible boo boo I still need to fix, but I'm waiting until the next time I have that color of thread in my needle. I've told myself I'm being efficient but really it's just that I'm tired of ripping things out!

After working on PT, I started Block 2 of VoHRH Tuesday afternoon.


I filled in some of the grass at the bottom before finishing the border all the way around so I know it has to be right! I'll work on it some more today, and then tomorrow I switch to Their Song. Hooray for rotations! It really helps to keep it fresh for me!

I hope everyone is having a marvelous week and hopefully not too cold! Are we seeing any signs of spring yet?

Block 3: Finished!

Thank you all for your encouraging comments! Hip Hip Hooray! Block 3 is done! Village of Hawk Run Hollow
Block 3
Alas, I didn't get it finished over the weekend like I had hoped. Too much of the Other Stuff demanding my attention. Then yesterday was spent studying Physics with my son. (Let me tell you, nothing has ever made less sense to me! I may have done more harm than good, haha!) Late last night I finally picked up my needle and got back to work. TCM was showing Marty so I tuned in for the last hour of it. I kept on stitching through the interview with Ernest Borgnine, and then into The Last Command. The final backstitch went in about the same time Jim Bowie was negotiating William Travis' release from jail.

I missed my Peppermint Twist Monday SAL so I'll probably play a little catch up on that today. And Cathey came to my rescue and sent me a skein of WDW Sweet Potato to try on my October Monthly Mania. It's a pretty close match so looks like I'll be able to put that puppy to bed soon! That will probably be it for my January finishes. This month has flown by!

That's about it for now! Hope everyone's week is off to a great start, and you're finding some time to stitch!

So Close!

It's not coming off the frame until it's FINISHED! (Which better be today!)

WIP It Good!

In case I haven't already mentioned it, I'm TOTALLY LOVING my new floor stand!!

Here are a couple of pictures of my latest and greatest WIPs:
Check out my progress on VoHRH! I had to run a victory lap around the house when I finished the border! Well, more like a victory trudge since there's a good foot of snow on the ground. I may have to head over to the store and pick up a bottle of Asti Spumanti for when I finally finish the square. And if I ever finish the whole thing? I'm goin' to Disney World!!

This is my start on Peppermint Twist. I was only planning to work on it on Mondays but I think I might add Sunday too. That'll leave Friday and Saturday for Their Song, and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday for VoHRH.

It sounds like something is trying to chew its way into the house so, alas, I better go investigate. I don't need people to help with my taxes, I need people for this sort of thing!

Let's Stitch!

Sweet Becky has started a blog called Let's Stitch for those of us who are looking for some extra support and encouragement in our stitching endeavors. Right away, I knew I had to join! It's not often that I get in a stitching slump but I have been ignoring certain WIPs and UFOs. You know, the ones we call BAPs? (Heck, these days anything bigger than 3"x3" is a BAP for me!!)

So, tomorrow a group of us Let's Stitchers are having a Stitch-A-Thon. I will be working on my VoHRH, which I haven't touched since our move. Isn't that sad? Here is my "before" picture:

By tomorrow night I'm hoping to have made some noticible progress! Be sure to check out the Let's Stitch blog! If you're interested in joining us, there's still room for more!

Progress Pictures

Some proof that I am still finding time to stitch despite the packing!

Thursday was the Happy Home Sampler SAL. I finished the top row of flowers and got started on the alphabet. It's a little tedious with the three different blues but the result is quite pretty.

Block 3 of VoHRH is coming along slow but steady. This is the City Hall. The windows are all but finished and there's steps leading up to the door now. I can't decide whether to start laying bricks next or work on getting the sign hung.

I started my LK Double Flip for the month. I'll have it finished soon if I can sit still long enough. I seem to have a lot of nervous energy these days!

Thank you for the comments on my Fiestaware collection! I had quite an obsession with it (and Bauer, too!) several years ago! I wish I had taken a picture of the whole cabinet before I started packing. I'll never remember where I had everything!