Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Back to the Rotation

Things are starting to settle down here. In two and a half weeks we move into our apartment and the movers should bring our things by July 20. Until then, I'm working my rotation again with the three pieces I have: College, Middle Earf, and Medieval Shelf, with College getting the most attention. I've never worked it in 10 hour rotations before and I'm playing catch-up with my "deadline" schedule (as seen on my left sidebar) so I can finish by Christmas. I'm liking it so far.

Before:


After:



College of Magical Knowledge by James Christensen from Heaven and Earth Designs
Stitching on 25 count antique white evenweave
1 thread over 1 with DMC


I read Theresa's blog at OctoberLace's Stitching and Knitting Notes and discovered something I never knew existed: knit lace. It's beautiful and I want to be able to do it. So I bought some yarn, found some patterns online, and have started practicing. Right now I'm on simple patterns, and I think it's going well. Keep in mind that I'm learning everything from the very beginning. I've been bookmarking youtube videos and reading websites and trying to expand my very minuscule knowledge. Once I feel confident enough in what I'm producing, I'll show you guys but for now, I'm focusing on getting better, and stitching of course!

How nerdy is it that I'm totally excited to be able to stitch my own doilies?

On to Middle Earf!

EDIT: Handsome helpful Boyfriend. Crisis averted.

Friday, June 22, 2012

A Finish, TUSAL, and more!

I think it's only fitting that post 100 for me would be a finish. I didn't plan it, I actually just logged into blogger and noticed that I have 99 posts. So for my 100th, I have a finish.

Tiny Rose Garden Mandala Before:


Finished!





A Tiny Rose Garden Mandala by Chatelaine Designs (freebie)
Stitching on 32 count hardanger
2 threads over 2
DMC, Thread Gatherer Silk n' Colors, and Mill Hill Seed Beads


I have already mailed it off to California for my mom to use her magical sewing skills and turn it into a pillow since I've broken every sewing machine I've ever touched. Ever. I'll be sure to post pictures of that once it's finished, but my work here is done. It feels good to remove one of the projects off my sidebar!

Next up is the TUSAL. My TUSAL and threads stayed in California (the threads are getting shipped out with the movers but I'm going to have to get a new jar). So until then I have a temporary slot in my stitching box where I've been putting them and here it is:


Exclusively Rose Garden Mandala threads in there.

Next up, I bought my first pair of fancy sunglasses ever today! By fancy I mean actually good for your eyes. The Texas sun is a lot stronger than the California sun I'm used to and it hurts my eyes. So I've been doing a lot of squinting. Now, because I wear contacts (for severe astigmatism) the squinting causes my contacts to move, which causes me to not be able to see very well, which makes driving really difficult (and terrifying, did I mention terrifying?). I have some cheap sunglasses, but they weren't really solving the problem. So I dragged handsome helpful Boyfriend out today on a mission to buy good sunglasses. I ended up spending a bit more than I hoped (but way less than I expected) and got a pair of Ralph Lauren aviators. Now, honestly, I'm the kind of person who looks absolutely ridiculous in sunglasses, but I feel like a total badass in these. So here they are:


That's my best badass face. I need an FBI badge.

And last, but certainly not least, I have the creepiest Boyfriend in the existence of time. And to prove it, I have this photo:


I think that explains just about everything.

Happy stitching everyone!

Monday, June 18, 2012

June IHSW

It was handsome helpful Boyfriend's order that I hermit this weekend, so what's a girl to do? I dug out my stitching, cat-proofed it, and went to work!

Before:


After:

A Tiny Rose Garden Mandala by Chatelaine Designs (freebie)
Stitching on 32 count hardanger
2 threads over 2
DMC, Thread Gatherer Silk n' Colors, and Mill Hill Seed Beads


I'm thinking I'll most likely finish by the end of the week! Beads and all.

Texas so far has been not bad, apart from the whole sick cat fiasco. Boyfriend is at his first day of work right now and I'm at home, job hunting. Might have a potential lead, granted it's for an unpaid position but in this economy, experience is sometimes more valuable than an actual paycheck, so cross your fingers for me! In a little while I have to go to the store to get things for dinner and then I have to clean up a little bit.

This may sound kind of pathetic but I've forgotten what it's like to be on my own. For the past year I've lived at my parent's house and although it wasn't a free ride, so to speak, I didn't have nearly the responsibility I should have had. Living with Boyfriend is great, too, since he's actually super helpful around the house. He washes dishes, vacuums, and does basically anything I ask him to do if I'm feeling overwhelmed, which lately I've been feeling quite a bit. Understandable, I think. I've come to realize that Texas is kind of like another country where everyone speaks English, and I don't mean that in a bad way. It was like that when I went to Iceland, too. The land is completely different than in California. People drive differently, the cars are different, customs and culture, people, stores, everything. The common denominator is that everyone speaks English. It's an interesting experience, without a doubt, and not a bad one, just will take some time getting used to.

Until then I will stitch, clean, cook, and look for a job until I find one. I'm excited to go back to work, even if it would be in a volunteer or part-time position, especially considering I start school soon! Signed up for classes last week.

Hopefully I'll be back soon with a finish! Catching up on blogs, too, by the way - I haven't abandoned you all!

Thanks for stopping by and happy stitching!

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Texas! (picture heavy)

We made it, everyone! I know I've been absent a while but we set out on the trip last Friday and it took us three days to drive out. The first night we spent with a friend in Los Angeles. We got really lucky, actually. There were some major wildfires along I-5 which we could see as we drove by:





A few hours after we drove by they ended up shutting I-5 down and we wouldn't have been able to get through! First night in LA was fun, I'd never been. Unfortunately we didn't get to spend a lot of time there as our car was packed so solidly we couldn't check our blind spots (we had to check each other when we drove) so neither one of us wanted a car full of stuff parked on the street in LA.

The next day we left LA.


We drove for hours and hours and hours through the desert, all the way through California, into Arizona, through Phoenix, and stopped to stay with some of Boyfriend's family in Tucson. 


We ate some food, slept, and set out early the next morning for Texas. Made our way through El Paso with some difficulty and, after over 10 hours of driving on Sunday alone, we made it to Texas.



Right now we're staying in some temporary housing with two cats. One of the cats, Spike, is the sweetest thing in the world. He's kind of old and the second full day we were here he started to get sick. Really, really sick. He wouldn't stop throwing up, started drooling excessively, and did not look good overall. Of course there was a HUGE thunderstorm going on at the time but once it stopped, at around 11:30pm, we took him to the 24 hour clinic. They gave him some injections, did some blood work, and around 2am we went home. He got progressively better and after a vet visit Thursday, the problem lies with his bad teeth. So now we have to give him antibiotics and Monday morning Spike is getting his teeth cleaned, poor old guy. Other than that he is a complete sweetheart.

The other cat, Vincent, is a nightmare. I don't normally say this about animals or cats, but seriously, Vincent is crazy. He bites feet. Sometimes playfully, sometimes really hard. It's actually really difficult to describe why he's a demon because as I tried to type it out I realized that I'm just kind of describing normal cat behavior. But it's not. I used to have cats. He's still pretty young and kitten-y but it's taken to an extreme. A crazy extreme. We're having a hard time handling him. Also, when we arrived, he started leaving us presents in the form of tapeworms. He only just got rescued about 6 weeks ago off the street, though, so that has a lot to do with it but man, he is a handful. Last night he wouldn't let us sleep so Boyfriend had to lock him in the bathroom (before you get mad at me the bathroom has everything he needs - water, litter box, a floor mat for him to sleep on, and a window for him to sit in) just so we could get some sleep. It was awful.

So basically it has been just under a week since we got here and already we have had to take both cats to the vet. 

The place itself is nice, though. Small, but nice.


It's out in the country, kind of far away from everything, but it is a nice place and it's furnished, which is great. We're here until our apartment is ready July 14th and after that I'll just be stopping by twice a day to take care of the kitties until July 22. Our movers should get out things to us between July 14th and the 20th. And by the way, this is the complex we're moving into:


I'm really excited to have a place of my own with my own things and no crazy/sick cats.

Handsome Helpful Boyfriend starts work on Monday and we're both really excited. We're going today to meet the people and check the place out. Since he's going to be working in the oil fields and going down the oil roads, my Yaris, unfortunately, wouldn't cut it so after we got here he ended up buying himself a car (which I haggled for, actually. Completely out of character for me but I'm proud of myself!).


It has enough clearance for the oil roads along with 4WD and plenty of storage space if I decide we need some more furniture. Which I probably will. It's a 2004 Honda Pilot.

It has been an adventure trying to figure out the city of Midland. The roads are different here than in California. The people are different. The weather is different. And we don't know anyone here. But we're together, in our own place, making a life for ourselves. I miss seeing my parents everyday but I guess at least this means I get to stitch on College now without having to hide, right? 

Speaking of stitching, it's IHSW. I fully intend to participate with TRGM and hopefully finish it. Once I do I'll be working on College again. I tried packing Greek Mandala but it just wouldn't fit in the car so the only things I have to work on here, after TRGM, are College, Middle Earf, and Medieval Shelf. 

If you're still here, thanks for reading, and thanks for being patient! If you want to see my Texas albums either now or in the future feel free to friend me or follow these links:

Texas (an album I started at the beginning of the road trip and will continue as I take more pictures in Texas).

Mobile Uploads (an album off my phone that has Texas pictures in it along with a bunch of others, whenever I forget my camera or leave my memory card in my card reader).

Happy stitching, everyone!



Monday, June 4, 2012

WIPocalypse, the sixth coming

Not much stitching has been done, unfortunately, since I've been running around like crazy. Between packing up all my stuff, trucking Boyfriend's stuff here, and full on construction going on in the bathroom the house is a DISASTER and everything is covered in construction dust. Not only have I been doing moving errands but I'm also carting construction materials (today it was tile, the other day it was a bathroom vanity) back and forth because my car can basically fit anything in it. 

Anyway, we have an apartment, we have a temporary place to stay, everything is set up with the movers I just have to sign the contract, and the last thing to do is finish packing and get out there! Holy Crap!

That's not what you came here for, so here's the WIPocalypse stitching.

"College of Magical Knowledge" before WIPocalypse:


Last WIPocalypse:


Now:


College of Magical Knowledge by James Christensen from Heaven and Earth Designs
Stitching on 25 count antique white evenweave
1 thread over 1 with DMC

"Mario" before WIPocalypse:


Last WIPocalypse and Now:


Mario - darklilac.com self-made chart
Stitching on 22 count white Aida
2 threads over 1 with DMC

"Riding the Wave" before WIPocalypse:


Last WIPocalypse and Now:


"Tiny Rose Garden Mandala" before WIPocalypse:


Last WIPocalypse:


Now:


A Tiny Rose Garden Mandala by Chatelaine Designs (freebie)
Stitching on 32 count hardanger
2 threads over 2
DMC, Thread Gatherer Silk n' Colors, and Mill Hill Seed Beads

"Middle Earth" before WIPocalypse:


Last WIPocalypse and Now:


Middle Earth from Heaven and Earth Designs
Stitching on 25 count antique white evenweave
1 over 1 with DMC

"Greek Mandala" was not started before WIPocalypse.

Last WIPocalypse and Now:


Greek Mandala by Chatelaine Designs
Stitching on 32-count antique white Belfast
2 over 2 with DMC, various silks, petite treasure braid, delica beads, and Swarovski crystals

So that's it! I did start and finish Alessandra Adelaide's "Albero Innamorato" which wasn't on my WIPocalypse list but here it is anyway:


Most of my stitching is sadly packed up in boxes and I won't be able to get to it until between July 14 and 20. But I am taking some with me. The ones that have made it are College, Medieval Shelf, Middle Earth, and Greek Mandala. I'm taking Mario, too, but only just realized that I packed the threads for Mario in a box while packing the stitched fabric to take with me. Silly. I clearly marked every single box that contains anything stitchy-related so I can easily find it midst the chaos that will ensue. 

Ridiculously handsome helpful Boyfriend has been both ridiculously handsome and helpful, especially while I've been flipping out about everything that has been going on. He didn't even bat an eyelash when I texted him frantically asking if I should buy the light colored dresser or the dark colored dresser at Ikea and whether or not he wanted matching nightstands. Good Boyfriend. Very good. 

Well, everyone, that's it! We're leaving for Texas Friday. We're spending Friday night at a friend's in LA, the second night with Boyfriend's family in Tucson, and arriving in Texas Sunday evening. Keep your fingers crossed and I hope to update you all on the road trip either along the way or once we get there. Also will update if I manage to finish Tiny Rose Garden before I leave. Happy stitching, everyone!