Busy Couple of Weeks!

As you guys can imagine, my brain has been in overtime Disney mode. I've been planning, finishing the picture edits from the last six years of photos (and I managed to do it before the free trial of Lightroom wore out, so yea me), watching DisneyTube, and walking every afternoon to build up my strength. By the time I eat dinner and settle, it's either too late or I'm too tired to stitch. In two weeks time, I managed one single day of stitching, last Sunday (and even then I was having issues with ADHD). I decided to go back to Snow White, she's the one I'm the closest to finishing (even though I'm still pretty far off) and I think it would probably be wiser to make her my finish for this year instead of Alice and the B's.

I left her off here last time:

As far as giving you stats, I kind of dropped the ball on that. One thing I've discovered from Markup-RXP is that it doesn't automatically save your results. I really should have been hitting the save button every time I finish. It does automatically save at intervals, but more than once on these projects, I mark off all stitching at the end and then close the app before it has a chance to save. Hence Snow's errors. There was a whole section I had finished last time, but it didn't save it, so I had to redo it, knocking my totals ascue. I'm just going to give you overall totals so there is no confusion. I'm at 44,154/69,374 stitches, she's at 63.65%, and I've got 229.88 hrs involved so far:

A bit hard to see the work because it's all mirror and super light colors, but I'm still pleased.

I've been trying hard to not spend money, but I've kind of been failing on that front as well. I had an MRI this week (and thankfully, the knots in my arms aren't tumors, but now they don't know what they are and I'm going to have to have an ultrasound, but that's another story for another day). Since the MRI was at 7:30 p.m., I needed to kill time because I didn't want to go home and stir up the pups (plus, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get out again), so I ended up at Barnes and Noble. Not the best place for me. All things considered, I did well, only bought 6 books and I spend less than $100. Once I got home though, my mind was dwelling on the books I was looking for that wasn't in the store, so I ended up spending another $140 online. Dumb move and I'll regret it in Disney World, but I'm not regretting it now.

Remember my year of 55's? I'm on book 15 now, but, rather than reading the same books from the Passionflix movies over and over again (like I have been doing), I've moved in a Disney direction. I've read the first book in the Fairytales reimagined books (I've had them forever and never touched a one). And now I'm restarting the Kingdom Keeper series because I don't think I've read past book 2. But I'm keeping up with all that over on Instagram (as well as daily stitch progress...when I stitch).

But, of course, because I'm in a Disney mood, I haven't been the best about staying away from either trip merch or just Disney stuff in general. And here is where another rabbit hole begins. I have been spending time on Etsy (which I swore I wouldn't do), because I STILL haven't gotten the new stuff to adapt my stand for the SS/MC HAED's. It's been over two months and when I keep asking, I keep getting excuse after excuse. They were supposed to ship three weeks ago, and this week I nudged again and they said they shipped it. I asked for a tracking number, but even today, it still shows only a label has been printed and has not arrived at the shipping facility. Since it wasn't a direct Etsy purchase, I can't file a claim there, but it's why I chose to pay with Paypal, because their claim process is even more effective. I would just rather get the stuff and not go through a claim process. I promised you guys a review and, even though I can't review the stuff (yet, my hopes are still high), I can at least say they are a horrible company to deal with if you need the stuff in a timely manner (or maybe even at all).

The stand debacle story is why I was wondering round Etsy looking at Disney stuff, which always leads me down the cross stitch pattern route. I ended up buying several patterns, only one of which I'm not going to start now. I made a promise to myself I would only use stash fabric and thread, but I've already broken that as well. One pattern in particular doesn't fit well with any of my stash fabric, so I ordered some options in order one. And then, once I gathered the thread, I didn't have enough, so I ordered the missing ones in a second order. But the second order is where I screwed up, because, as I have mentioned before, Vivsters Scottish flag has been nagging at me forever, but I didn't want to buy the $150 worth of silk floss (although you can do it in DMC, that's not the direction I want to go in). I ended up compromising by just buying a third of what was needed and I can continue to buy the floss when I run out (and I bought opalescent 28ct fabric to go with it). In case you don't remember, here is the Vivsters:

And now the new ones I will be starting - Girl in a Read Dress by the Castle by Magical Moonlit Stitches. It's only 225x300, so it "shouldn't" take much time to finish (and it's NOT dithered!)

Mini Haunted Mansion Stretching Portraits (I decided to do these in plastic canvas and all in a row with a brown frame around each instead of four separate pics because they are literally 20x53 a piece (again, "should" be another quick finish):

And, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Witchy Stitcher. I've seen a lot of people on FlossTube doing this and it seems pretty easy. This is the one I've had issues with fabric for, but I'm working on it. I also debated doing this with silk thread, but I just don't want to waste anymore money (probably too late). Again, this one is super little, 100x135, and, even though I initially wanted it on 28ct 2x2, I've never been good at 2x2, or 1x2, so I decided to get an 18ct for this.

I did get one other pattern, but I won't be starting it now. It's Tudor Rose by Michaela Learner:

As an aside, I probably won't be sharing trip pics other than the occasional overview. I realized, as I was editing them, I don't remember much about those trips other than the highlights. I just waited too long to edit the pics I guess!

For now, that's the update...sorry so late!

Stitching ups and downs

I've had my good days and bad days stitching since my last post. I was moving along on Alice and the B's, but I have since switched four times (but more on that in a bit). I left off last post here:

And, after another 2876 stitches and 12.75 hours, I stopped Sat the 15th. I'm at 186,830 stitches out of 329,175 total, which is 56.76% complete. The lack of dithering makes stitching this one a breeze, I'm just in a weird area of the picture and don't care for it (which is odd because faces are kind of my thing, it has to be the colors). I left off here last post:

I know I had planned to finish the row, but I was getting so bored with it and I decided if I didn't switch, I would quit stitching again.

So about mid-day on the 22nd, I switched to The Bride Dollmaker by Medusa Dollmaker (a GeckoRouge kit). It was one I started in Jul of 2017, before my stay at the "Hotel California", so she's had ups and downs of her own. I left off on her back in Nov of 2023 here:

As a side note, the level of dirt that accumulates on these things is just horrible, so please ignore. It will get stitched over eventually.

After a sparce week of stitching, days on and days off, I got 2563 stitches done in 16.17 hours, which is a total of 46,024 stitches out of 107,269 and 42.91%. I stopped last Friday here:

I wasn't feeling the dithering on this one (you guys know how I feel about dithering and the fit I threw when HAED switched to that method of charting, but that's an old fight best given up now because it can't be changed). I love the picture, I just don't care for the charting method. It will be great once it's finished.

I decided to switch again to Snow White (a non-dithered HAED retired pattern) by Jessica Clark when I got up last Saturday (I didn't even get up until 3, so weird weekend all around). It was one of my 2016 New Year's starts, so it's been hanging around for a while. I also left off on her in Nov of 2023 at the second row finish here:

And very quickly remembered why I don't like this one...crappy fabric. By Sunday the 23rd (the next day), I was just done. I did a measly 10.23 hrs and finished 1318 stitches (which is shameful). That leaves me at 42,769 stitches total out of 69,374 and 61.65%. I could probably finish this one easily by the end of the year if I could stand the fabric, but I just can't take it for long periods of time. I still don't know why I didn't restart it from the get-go. Maybe I didn't have spare fabric? Oh well, again, a dead fight. I did manage to cover a chili stain from like 5 years ago, so not all bad. I am more worried about the dirt on this one since there is so much blank area that's part of the picture, but anyhoo, another dead subject. I left off here (which looks like more than it is):

By this point, I was struggling and debating quitting again. I think my mind was just in a weird place last week.

I took Sunday night off and started again yesterday with Harry Potter US Bookcovers by Fox and Teacup Designs. This one was one of my Leap Year starts in Feb 2024 and I stopped here that same month:

Since I decided to switch later last night (I wasn't going to stitch at all), I only got 5.1 hrs in and 1508 stitches. It was slow at first, but I picked up once I had literally done almost 2/3 of a page! That's not as great as it sounds because they are weirdly formatted pages and probably only equal about 1/3 of a large-charted HAED. So, even though it was just one night, that makes a total of 8231 stitches out of 121,975, or 6.75%. I'd like to finish the row this week (which is another 2 1/3 pages), but I'm taking it one day at a time. This isn't dithered and the fabric is the pre-gridded 28ct evenweave, so I can't use those excuses on this one. It will probably just be boredom that stops me. Last night, I stopped here:

I'm not sure where the rest of the week is going to take me, but I guess time will tell. My "change every Sunday" policy is obviously going out the window (for now), but whatever I have to do to keep interested, that's what I'll do. I have also decided to change my 55's on my stitching from 55 total stitches on every project to 5500. I think that's an easily obtainable goal at this pace, at least on most projects, probably not the UFO's though. I said I would pull UFO's back out too, but those may stay at 55 stitches total. They are, afterall, UFO'ed for a reason. For right now, one day at a stitchy time for me!

Stitching progress, but everything is against me!

I've made quite a bit of stitching progress since my last post (well, considering I've been on hiatus for years), but practically everything is going wrong! My ADHD is still fighting me. How did I ever have so much focus before? I did manage two row finishes though, despite fate's attempts at thwart-tation (I just made up a new word). I left off on Snow White last time here:

And I finished row three, so I'm now at 215.4 hours and I also have some new data because I started using Markup R-XP, I'm at 59.8% with 41,451 stitches done, and 27,918 stitches to go. I'd like to say I'm using Markup to stitch with, but I still prefer marking on paper...old habits die hard and, as someone who works with technology for a living, honestly, I just don't trust it. And I'm not about to buy a different tablet just for Pattern Keeper or a tablet stand or other stuff just to make already printed paper obsolete, at least not now. But anyway, here she is in her row finish and all rows together:

You can also see how dirty she is...who knew projects sitting around for years untouched would get dirty? The next row is the biggest, so at least the dirt will be covered, but the final two are a lot smaller. She's going to be hard to frame if I don't go rectangle (I'd like to go oval). That dark swatch of color on her left cheek is bothering me though and my eye is constantly drawn back to it. It's not dirt, it's the called-for colors, but I don't like it. I may frog it and just restitch with the surrounding lighter color. I just think the color is overall a bit off in her skintone to be honest...she should be way paler (and is on the original artwork), she is Snow White after all. This girl has been spending too much time in Florida! But anyhoo, I decided instead of moving down to the next row, it was time to move on to another project.

I switched out to Night Wish by Annie Rodrigue (another HAED), which I apparently haven't touched since 2020. But this time, the ADHD wasn't the biggest hurtle, it was my stand! It's a lap stand and it obviously wasn't really made for general scroll rods (not many are, or maybe aren't meant to be used for 20+ years), but I just couldn't keep it clamped shut down on this project. It's also why I moved on from the Bride Dollmaker to Snow, trying to find a project that would clamp down better. It has scroll rod end clamps made for it that have a dowel rod that fits into the stand (but they don't fit all scroll dowels), but I only have one set of these, and those are locked on Alice and the B's. I'm not ready to go back to a project that big yet. The clamps that came with it, on the other hand, have a kind of curved groove that look like they were made more for Q-snaps (which I don't like) and, despite changing out the nuts and bolts (a couple of times), the wood is just worn out and won't clamp down good anymore. They used to hold scroll rods of all kinds just perfectly. But I have noticed the decline in the past few years. If I could do woodworking, I would make a new set of clamps and I have ideas how to improve it, but I can't and I don't know anyone who can, so I have to retire it. I bought that stand off of eBay many moons ago before Etsy and that seller is long gone (he was gone not long after I bought it, if I remember right, I think he passed away).

Needless to say, despite my lack of funds thanks to my lovely HVAC purchase, I had to break down and buy a new stand. I refused during Bride Dollmaker last month due to finances, but I really can't put it off anymore, it has become a necessary expense if I'm going to continue stitching. After a rather exhaustive search for a new lap stand, I gave that up and I ordered a new floor stand from K's Creations (which came in over the holiday, but it was delivered to work, so I haven't gotten it home yet). I have never cared for floor stands personally, but we'll see if I can adapt. I figured that, once I start on a super-sized HAED, I would need one anyway, so might as well start getting used to it now. Supposedly, it will work with all scroll rods, but I have the feeling I'll need some sort of adapter or something like a Lowery stand has that I'm unaware of (despite reading every comment and looking at every picture, but not seeing an issue...I even looked through the other listings for an adapter, but I didn't see one, at least not at the time of my purchase). I went with this stand versus a Lowery because, after I modified the Lowery for my surroundings or added the appropriate accoutrements, it was going to be well over $350 and that is just too much for me. And I'm not worthy (or wealthy) enough for a Millennium stand. I went with the cheaper of the three, so let's hope it doesn't bite me in the behind, because it still wasn't cheap and I can't turn around and buy a Lowery stand now. But I'm getting off track here...Night Wish. Like I said, not much progress. Here she was back in February of 2020:

And this is my little bit of progress in one day, she is now at 91.07 hrs, 22.2% done with 44,778 stitches completed and a whopping 160,222 to go, and this is only row 2 after all. She just would NOT stay in the stand without coming loose every five minutes and it was wearing me out! I'm not built for one-handed stitching, so I had to move on to something I could work with.

I decided to go back to Maleficent which is actually on scroll rods for another lap stand I have, an American Dream (although I still put it in my main lap stand). Whereas my other lap stand is just worn out, that American Dream one just sucks and I HATE using it! Time sometimes clouds the bad memories though, and I thought I was overreacting and I could handle it for a few days at least. I did, but ugh, what a pain (and no, I was NOT overreacting)! As expensive as that thing was back in the day, you can tell a non-stitcher designed that thing. At least it held the frame, but that's about all I can say for it. It's too short and very heavy for what it is. I also have to position it at weird angles propped up on top of one knee with the other knee holding it up and my arms reach at very unnatural angles. I actually think it's designed for someone to sit at a kitchen table with the stand on the table and stitch. Does anyone actually still do that? Maybe in the olden days when you had nowhere else to sit, but not in the last 100 years or so, right? How uncomfortable would THAT be? Although, I can remember sitting at the dining room table trying to embroidery with my mother back in the day, but we are talking mid to late 70's, so again, olden days! Needless to say, I was able to make enough progress to get some work done, especially with a heating pad on my back the entire time. Maleficent by Annya Kai...left off on her in 2022 (she's always the one I go back to when I start stitching because she is so close to done):

And despite the physical restrictions, I managed to finish the row:

That's just lighting at the top and not dirt, although we'll get to her other issues in a mo-mo. I did get a bit further into the last row for a total of 771.37 hrs, 88.3%, I only have 24,844 stitches to go and I've gotten 188,356 completed:

This bottom row is also not a full page row (almost, but not quite), so I've decided (at least for now), that I'm going to focus on her until she's finished. She also has an additional complication...the glue from the velcro that I use to attach the fabric to the scroll rods has melted to the good part of fabric at the bottom three to five rows (I guess having your air conditioner go out 10+ times while a project sits for years tends to do that). It's annoying stitching through thick melted glue, but I don't know how to get it off, so stitch through I must. If anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears. I didn't want to use something like alcohol because of the color-fastness of the thread and I didn't want to use Goo-Gone because that stuff is like lighter fluid. It's all black down there anyway, so it shouldn't affect the thread. I guess that's what I get for having a 2 inch border. Normally, I'd have a much longer border, especially top and bottom, and cut the velcro layer off when I'm finished, so I wouldn't care about the glue layer. But I've also never had it melt before. And, in all fairness, I never expected to still be stitching on the same project almost 9 years later (I started her in 2015). It's been a rough decade. Frankly, I use this stuff on all my projects, which, ironically is an American Dreams product as well (should have guessed, right), so I am a bit worried about what the others look like. Maybe I should go back to using tape like the old days? I sure as heck ain't goin bind stitching to the scroll rods thing...UGH! But I'm not thinking about that now. Lesson learned, 4 inch borders from now on (at least top to bottom, 3 is fine for the sides).

Speaking of new borders, I'm also still on my self-imposed new-start restriction until I finish at least one WIP, so hence the focus on Maleficent since she is the closest to finished. If I get her done soon, I can start something new and maybe that will help invigorate me a bit. I did purchase a couple of Harry Potter patterns over the weekend, but it was the only shopping I did anywhere (and I'm quite proud of myself for that, although today is not overwith yet, it being CyberMonday and all). They were all on drastic sale, so I even saved a pretty penny, but this post is long enough without more pics, right? Maybe in another one.

Oh, and just because I didn't have enough struggles to deal with, I also moved back to my recliner to stitch instead of the couch, which made it a bit easier on my back and rear (especially with the booser cushion I bought, and before the American Dream stand fiasco, but should be better for the floor stand hopefully, the left and right placement will be switched and I'm left-handed, so it works out). It was kind of an ordeal moving everything back over to the chair, with the lights and all...I took out my side table to the chair and replaced it with a bookshelf for my Harry Potter stuff a few months ago, so I don't have a place for storage anymore and the outlet is hard to get to now. Plus, now that I'm reaclimating to the chair, I have to remember to move back to the couch before I fall asleep (they say it's REALLY bad for you to sleep in a recliner, especially if you have circulation issues, so I'm trying to avoid that). Sometimes I make it, sometimes I don't. The joys of medication. One thing is for sure, neither pup cares for me sitting in the chair now. They want me back on the couch!

And that's about it! I'll have the new stand at home tonight, and I'm pretty excited! Hopefully, it will be a game-changer because that was a lot of money wasted if it isn't. Be my luck, I'll have to buy specialty scroll rods for it too and that will be more expense! Ugh! Even if I do though, it won't help me now, so I'll have to look for another stand again. But I'll make sure to give you an update, either way and a review. And I know I haven't explained my stand very well, so I'll post some pictures of that too if you want, might help.

More Stitching...well, I'm trying anyway

I've been trying very hard to not spend any extraneous money. It hasn't been easy, but I've been focusing all my energy on paying off my vacation so I can then focus all my money on this stupid hvac. My water heater is now making strange noises, but I'm trying my hardest to ignore that.

I think my stitchy bug has come back though, finally! I've been watching a LOT of FlossTube and I've got some more stitching done, although I am having some serious issues with my ADHD. All I think about all day at work is stitch, stitch, stitch and, as long as that's the first thing I sit down and do when I walk in the door, I'm good for a while. But the first time I get up to do something else, or if I get distracted for a few minutes and set it down then BAM! I can't make myself pick it back up again. Sometimes that means I've stitched for 10 minutes, sometimes an hour, but usually no more than. Or, even worse, I spend all day daydreaming about stitching, only to get distracted right when I get home long enough that I end up just vegging on the couch and not stitching at all! It's kind of ridiculous sometimes, especially when a lot of the time I'm actually watching FlossTube for the motivation, but I can't bring myself to pick up my stitching! I'm trying hard to get my ADHD under control right now, but it's just been allowed to run wild for so long, it's like trying to tame an unruly teenager.

Needless to say, I did work more on The Bride Dollmaking, although I didn't get much done. If the amount of time I spend thinking about her translated to stitching time, I would have gotten the row done. But for now, I left off here:

And I got just a bit further here:

I was enjoying the project, but by Friday night after skipping another night of stitching (after an entire day of stitchy daydreams, and a lengthy conversation with a new coworker about my "love" of stitching and showing off my WIPs...I mean seriously, how is that NOT motivation?), I decided maybe I needed to switch it up and try another one, so Saturday morning I whipped out Snow White by Jessica Clark (back to a HAED, more comfortable territory for me) and had much better luck. I apparently havent't stitched on her since Jan 2021, and left off here:

And I faired far better this weekend, I averaged about five hours a day on Sat and Sun, so she ended up here by Sun night:

Snow White was always a pattern that I loved, but it was the fabric that sucked on this one, so it's been horrible to stitch since day 1. The co-worker I mentioned earlier was really excited about this one, which in turn got me excited about it, which is why I chose to go back to it. I was expecting problems but, to be honest, other than being able to tell the fabric was different than Bride's, it seemed OK his time around. Either it's because I'm not used to stitching and I just can't tell the fabric is a pain, or I've softened in my old age. But as of now, as long as I'm stitching, I don't care!

I don't have a non-Apple tablet, so I can't use Pattern Keeper, and frankly, I'm not going to buy a non-Apple tablet just for an app. I did try the free version of Markup R-XP on The Bride and spent a bit too much time at work getting caught up to where I was up to now. And yes, while it was nice to see all the percentages of where I was, what I done, and what I had left, the extra work just wasn't worth it in the end. When I do typically use apps, I use HoursTracker to keep up with my time and EZPDF reader to find hidden stitches (on the HAEDs at least), but I'm still very much a paper chart girl. I print them off on a lighter cardstock that is sturdy enough for everyday use for a couple of years, but not too heavy and thick to take up a lot of space. I use color pencils to mark my progress and that works for me. As someone who works in I.T., I know that you can't trust I.T. exclusively. I can just picture marking dozens of pages and then the app crashed or the pad does and whoosh! All gone! My system works for me and I just don't see the need to throw out percentages and stitch counts, while cool, in the end it doesn't really matter unless you have a FlossTube channel I guess.

And, of course, despite the spending moratorium, there were a couple of things that slipped under that radar. First and foremost, my stitch lap stand that I love so much is on its last legs and now that I live on the couch instead of my recliner, it's all just very awkward anyway position-wise. I broke down and ordered a K's Creation floor stand. I hate I had to spend that much money, but I'm wasting a LOT of time trying to keep my frame in the stand (it keeps falling out), adjusting myself because the whole setup is just weird, etc. I may have to go back to the chair anyway, but at least the new stand (whenever it comes in), will hold my project secure no matter where I'm at. I debated a Lowery or something else, but by the time I added all the extra things I would need for it to work on the couch, the K's ended up cheaper (although not by much) and it's coming from the States, so I don't have to worry about waiting months for something that is going to inevitibly get stuck in customs (story of my life).

I also took advantage of the HAED 50% off sale, but I only had one item in my wishlist (well, the same item twice in two different versions), so that wasn't a big deal. There are technically two versions of this pattern, one without the quotes from famous writers and one without and, initially, I had both in my wishlist, but in the end, I decided the one with quotes is more "me", so that's the one I went with and deleted the other one. It's Bountiful Bookshelf by Aimee Stewart. I have quite a few of those bookshelves, and I always get the supersized, max color versions, so I'll probably NEVER stitch them (because there isn't enough lifetime for one, let alone all the ones I own), but here we are...

I also purchases about four patterns from Vivsters (a seller on Etsy that I found through a FlossTuber). I initially just looked at some patterns and wishlisted them, but they almost immediately sent me a coupon, so I thought, "why not?". The all look fairly easy and my mind immediately went to some nice hand-dyed fabric and silk thread (I'm already thinking big again). This one is Quaker Tiles-Gemstone Forest

Quaker Tiles-Black on White (and just now I realized it's the same exact pattern as Gemstone, but I'm so horrible at color conversion, I don't even mind because I would screw it up if I tried to change this out to just black by myself...and yes, even I could screw that up!

Moroccan Lanterns, because I just LOVE Moroccan lanterns...I have dozens of them all over the house. I actually like a lot of Moroccan decor, but another story for another day.

And last, a really quick and small stitch, All Hallows Eve-Pumpkins

As I was sorting these new stash photos, I realized that there were also four other new projects that I bought quite some time ago that I apparently never mentioned! So let me show you those as well since I'm on a roll. I have no clue when I bought these, but it had to be some time in 2022, because I'm fairly sure I haven't bought anything since then. There are only four, and three are Aimee Stewarts (shock...I seem to really only buy Jasmine Becket-Griffith and Aimee Stewart), but there was one by Joanne Rowland called Toffee. Part of me really hates the thought of stitching all that brown (reminds me the giant Jesus head), but I just LOVE the thought of a Highland Coo above my couch!

There was one Max Color Super-Size bookshelf from Aimee, The Grand Library

And the other two where the Life Is An Open Book series, one for London and one for Paris (both are both MC/SS, of course, because I'm a glutton for punishment):

And that's it for now! We'll see how I get along stitching on Snow. I'm not ready to enter any stitch-alongs or anything yet, but I'm working on it. I need to see if I can keep up the momentum first.

And I'm down again...

Last week sucked. This week ain't much better so far. This country is in turmoil and I am EXTREMELY disgusted. So, when it comes to stitching, it just wasn't in my heart to do it. I stitched one day (Sunday) and only for about three hours. It was more fill-in work in areas that aren't really noticeable. Here is where I left off last time:

And here is the pitiful show:

I wish I could say I will do better the rest of this week (or even this weekend), but considering the threats made against, not only our national seat, but our state governments as well, I will probably be more glued to my screen than anything else (with chairs against my doors). Supposedly it is going to start again on the 17th through the Inaguration on the 20th. I'm terrified of the behavior of my fellow countrymen last week, it was domestic terrorism, pure and simple, so I am truely fearful of what will happen next week. I don't often go much into politics, but I am really scared for our future.

There are rumors that there are two teachers from my own town who were on the Capitol steps. Neither of which have been repremanded, they are teaching kids right now. Several of my co-workers are talking about going to either Little Rock (our state capitol) or even Washington next week (or have family members who are). So, even now, I have to be careful what I say, even to the people I work with, because I am putting my life in danger by just saying anything against these terrorists publicly. Good thing this is my only social media outlet (and no one I know around here care about cross stitching)! Right now, I speak to NO ONE at work, other than my intern. I wish I could say I'm just being paranoid and I've joked on this blog about the "rednecks" for years, but I literally am surrounded by the EXACT kind of people who were all over the Capitol Building. It's not any easier when I go home to the trailer park. I REALLY have to work harder to get out of there!

And yes, there is a LOT of talk about another civil war around here. When that topic first came up, I laughed out loud. Now, I don't. I don't own a gun, don't believe in guns, and have no survival skills whatsoever, so any civil war is the end for me. Honestly, I don't think they can pull it off and I think if the idiot, who just got impeached (again), would be honest with people and admit he's been lying since day one, 95% of them would back off and crawl back in their holes. The 5% of the militia-type groups who have always been around (the white suppremacists-types) will probably never go away. That's a matter for future governments to take them down. Yes, I knew I was surrounded by rascists and homophobics, but they were always quiet about it. Now, with the current climate, they feel like it's OK to be vocal about it. Their behavior has NEVER been OK, but I'd rather them be quiet than screaming from the mountaintops!

Oh well, there is also nothing I can do about any of this, other than try my best to protect me and my own and hope, to all that is holy, that next week goes off without a hitch and is quiet. In the long run, let's just all hope that the 45th get's the absolute WORST punishment anyone can get (as well as his family, his lawyers, and all his lackies that helped him) and doesn't get to live out a happy life paid for by the taxpayers. What we need to be focusing on, is the pandemic that is killing more and more people every single day, not some crazy, orange-faced baffoon and now his gang of terrorists that are growing by the second. Soapbox dismount.

Stitching Progress (yep, you read that right!)

Yep, I stitched this weekend! Not a lot, maybe a total of nine or ten hours over the three-day holiday, but it's more than I've stitched in forever, and certainly for days in a row! I left off on Snow on December 30th here:

And, slowly but surely, she's moving along bit by bit:

Other than that, nothing new to report! Therapy last week was kind of useless and a waste of time (I'm not sure why we got off on the tangent we did, but oh well, at least I didn't leave it upset, just worn out as per usual), so again, nothing new to report. Maybe this will be 2021, nice and quiet (and yes, I'm aware I just jinxed it!).

I'm tryin...but don't get me to lyin...

Yes, I actually stitched yesterday! And not just for two hours either, almost ALL day! Granted, it was very slow going, but at least it was something. Now, my "brain" says that I'm going to go home early every day this week and continue on, but I know my "body" probably will leave late and sit on the couch and do nothing. I will fight that urge though and see how far she goes before the end of the year.

I did switch out Alice and the B's, because I definitely wasn't feeling them, so I picked up Snow White, my least favorite fabric'ed project in my entire collection, but one of my favorite (and oldest) patterns in rotation. I left off on her here last January (damn!):

And, on Sunday, like I said, didn't get very far, but at least this far with some more hair and outside work:

If I can continue on, the goal is to get more into her face before the end of the year. I need to do a final tally at my paultry work for the year, and then put on a positive attitude for next year and hope for a much better outcome! I'm still sticking to my "no new pieces until at least ONE is finished", but I'm getting antsy.

I'd forgotten how headaches affect stitching!

They had put me on this miracle once-a-month shot that had all but stopped my headaches and, the best part was, it was free with this cute little card it came with! But, by the end of last year, the card went away and I have to get prior approval every month, which screws up the schedule, and therefore, the shot isn't as effective, so I'm back to random bouts with migraines that last days on end. Thus was my week last week. It started on a Tuesday and didn't let up until Saturday (and I'm still feeling twinges), so my stitching was minimal at best, and I probably only got as much stitching done as I did because I ended up working less hours at work thanks to my head.

I left off on Snow here last week:

And stopped her Saturday nite here, stopping at 151.8 hours total:

Just basically a lot of mirror fill in and the Petite Treasure Braid that you can't even see unless you are close up (I'm not even sure why it's there).

Not only because of my head, but I also had a hard time focusing on her Saturday, so I figured it was "time to switch" again. A new person at work was showing interest in my stitching (something NO ONE ever does), and I was showing her my WIPs, when I ran across Everest and I realized that I kitted that project up in 2018, but never started it for some reason. I had every intention of working on Alice and the B's next, but I kept thinking about Everest and, when I went to reach for Alice on Sunday morning, that blank canvas was staring at me, so I reached for it instead! Just a reminder, it's by Addict to Cross Stitch on Etsy:

And I think it will be about 14 x 11 on 28ct when finished (and, I'm not sure since it's been a while, but I'll bet it's Monaco, although it's tan-colored, not my usual Monaco purchase color, so probably something I bought at Hobby Lobby or something). I worked on it about 10.58 hours Sunday, so I made it through about half of the first page:

Like the others, I'l keep working on it until I get "bored", which seems to be until about Saturday. The pages have big blocks, so a half a page finish isn't that great an accomplishment, especially with 10 hours of work (although, I am still trying to build up my speed and my head was still hurting a bit).

Speaking of Monaco, is it just me, or are they not making it anymore or something? I'm having a heck of a time finding it, other than very small sizes of that really crappy Charles Craft stuff. 123 Stitch used to have an excellent Monaco, but even they only have the Charles Craft stuff now, on the rare occasion they have it at all! I'm NOT a fan of Lugana, it's too soft and the holes aren't "right" for me. I've never tried Jazlyn or Jobelyn, can anyone compare them to Monaco vs Lugana? Which one are they closer to? I HATE the thought of loosing Monaco! I have a bit of a stash, but not nearly enough for future projects (although I still have enough WIPS to last a few years). I did buy a really cheap evenweave fabric the other day at Hobby Lobby, and I SWEAR it felt just like a really good Monaco, although I'm not sure how it will stretch out and stitch up. I guess only time will tell.

On the Flickr front, it seems the CEO has backtracked a little on his whole "doom and gloom" statement (it might have been a whole ploy to get new members). I have been looking at other services, especially Google photos, because I do like Google for most everything else, but I'm NOT a fan of their privacy agreement on the photos...it's a bit on the scary side and, since I just re-upped my Flickr account and I would have to buy more space for Google, I'd be doubling my expenditure there as well. So, until I see that Flickr is diving down further than it is, I'll hang on just a bit longer, at least for now. But thanks for everyone's input, it does seem like, if I can get over Google's scary privacy statement (although, for the record, most privacy statements are scary if you actually read them), then that's the way to go next.

Oh well, here's to another good week of stitching!