Parrot 24

I finished the entire top row of the flapping parrot!

Before:

After:

Super exciting! One of 6 rows done.

I'm going to be working on my legendary creatures alphabet now until it's done after which I'll be starting the secret stitch. H³ knows the secret stitch exists but he doesn't know what it is yet and he'll only see it develop page by page so I think it'll be fun to keep it that way here, too!

All in all the three day weekend proved fruitful for stitching and we bought a new couch, too, so that happened. That's about as exciting as my life gets! Been working a lot but need to cut back so working on that. And, of course, stitching!

Happy stitching, everyone!

Parrot 23

I still have a stitching bug but unfortunately one of my colleagues got a bad diagnosis and is on medical leave so I took over most of her biggest clients. The net effect is I've been working from 8am-10pm M-F plus weekends. This means that I'm usually just stitching one day a week (Sundays) so my 10 hours took a little longer to get to this time around. But I'm still going strong and I'm taking this weekend off plus an extra day Monday for three days of stitching, reading, writing, and I think we're going to go to the beach. I'm also looking forward to going on a long run after I write this post.

Before:

After:

Maybe a weekend finish depending on how ambitious I am this weekend? I'm already planning out how I'm going to budget out my stitching after this. I want to finish the Legendary Creatures alphabet and give it to my nephew before he graduates high school (for reference, he's not 1 yet) so I think I'll tackle that next. It's a fun project and gives me lots of little finishes.

Then, after that, I think I'm going to start my first SSMC. There's a chart I've been in love with forever that I keep envisioning in my home, if I ever buy one (for those of you familiar with the housing market in Silicon Valley then you know how potentially unattainable the dream of home ownership is out here). Either way, I feel the need to start it as it reminds me of everything I've ever wanted in my own home. And Lesli is amazing and bought me the whole kit as a gift so I have no excuse! I've found myself transitioning to a more focused stitching style lately. Although I can't do one at a time because I need breaks from a given project, I do find myself wanting to focus more on say, two projects at a time. That way I get the variety I crave while still seeing steady progress. I think that's what I'm going to do with the flapping parrot and the (as of yet secret because I'm trying to keep it a bit of a surprise for H³ and he reads this blog) SSMC project once I finish Legendary Creatures. Two pages of the flapping parrot followed by one page of my SSMC. When I finish one of these projects I'll just replace it with one of the ones I already have on the go.

This is the ideal situation, of course, the reality could end up being much different. Either way, however, this is my intention for now and we'll see how it actually pans out!

Now, however, I'm going to slap on some sunscreen, pull on my sneakers, and go for a run. Happy stitching, everyone!

Parrot 22

New stitching lamp is a huge success! H³ picked a really great lamp! I did have to drive to work at 5:30am on July 4th to grab it (it arrived after I got home on the 3rd and I was not going to drive back in rush hour traffic) just so I could stitch all day, and stitch I did! Lots of good progress in and I think I'll be finishing this row pretty soon!

Before:

After:

Still have a fair amount to go but I think I'm making good progress here and will (hopefully) have a finish soon.

This weekend not sure how Saturday will turn out in terms of stitching. I'm running a half marathon. It's a night run starting at 7:30pm in a town about 2 hours away so I won't get home until 1 or 2 in the morning (depending on if we get dinner after). But that means vegging out all of Sunday!

Looking forward to that and until then, Happy Stitching!

Parrot 21

Disaster!

My stitching lamp died a horrific death tonight. The bulb started to flicker a bit so I turned it in an attempt to tighten it. The bulb came away in my hand, connected to the lamp by a single wire while the threads remained in the lamp, rusted into place. So long, stitching lamp, you served me well for 20 years. I used a headlamp to finish off my night of stitching and H³ is actively looking for a replacement lamp that will meet my stitching and spatial needs. I need one with a clamp-on base due to my stitching setup. H³ should be ordering one tonight and I'll get it in a day or two. Until then, no stitching for me!

That being said, the death of Lamp happened right when I reached my 10 hours of stitching, so here goes!

Before:

After:

I'm really glad I tried ECC stitching on a smaller scale as I'm quickly learning that although I love the way it looks, it's really not for me. I'm not enjoying moving my hoop AT ALL. It actually infuriates me. So after I'm done with this top row I'm going back to page by page cross country. I enjoy it more and that's what it's all about, right?

Crossing fingers that I get a new stitching lamp soon and until then, happy stitching to everyone!

Flapping Parrot 20

I have to say that my Instagram has really motivated me to stitch as much as possible. That, combined with H³ being very helpful and cutting my thread lengths for me when I run out and I'm at maximum efficiency! With that, here's where I am:

Before:

After:

Slowly filling in the gaps and maybe, just MAYBE I can have a row finish soon! I'm enjoying the stitch and have to figure out what I'll rotate to once I'm done with the row.

Happy Stitching!

Still Life With Parrot 19

I figured out a solution to my lack of stitchy desire - Instagram! Don't get me wrong - I love my blog and I do intend to keep it going. But blogging takes a lot of effort: taking a photo, resizing it, setting up the post, updating all the files where I keep my stitchy photos, etc. Instagram is effortless and I just snap a photo at the end of each night's stitching and post. It takes me MAYBE 30 seconds. And then when I'm not feeling motivated or like I'm not making progress I just look through my old posts and I see the progress easily.

So, I've set up an Instagram page where I update my stitching progress at the end of each night's stitching. I don't stitch every night but I do make an effort and when I do stitch I try to stitch more than 100 stitches in one sitting. I'll still be updating me progress here for every 10 hours of stitching, but if you're on Instagram and interested, feel free to follow me here. The photos are a little more close up but I'll be posting a full photo at the end of every "color" (since I'm now stitching a modified ECC version by row).

That being said, here are the next 10 hours of stitching.

Before:

After:

My stitching mojo is now in overdrive (as you might see from the progress). I'm almost done with this color, will probably finish it tonight, and then H³ will have to pick the next color I stitch.

All I want to do is stitching all day, every day, which is a bit of a problem when I have a lot of work to do! But maybe this means I'll clear out some of my stitching backlog. Finish this year? Maybe! I'm hoping to finish H³'s Secret Stitching project by Christmas. I can't post photos since he reads this blog and follows the Instagram but once it's complete and in his hands I'll be sure to post a photo in all its glory.

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

Still Life with Parrot 18

Apparently I haven't posted since November of last year. I've lost my stitchy bug a bit and I've been knitting a lot more but crafting just hasn't really called to me lately. That being said, I did manage to stitch another 10 hours on Flapping Parrot.

Before:

After:

I'm really starting to gravitate to the one-at-a-time extreme-cross-country stitching method but I know I have a lot of WIPS on the go right now. I want to say that I'll finish them all up before I start something new but I won't because I don't want to out myself as a liar.

I definitely need to stitch more, though. My life has taken an extra stressful turn as of late and I need to find ways to keep myself relaxed and unwind. I tend to throw myself into work which is just too easy to do. There's always more work to do and I'm good at it so everyone takes opportunity to load as much on me as possible. I haven't been working any overtime lately, though, which has helped but life still has its way of stressing me out. So stitching needs to be a thing.

H³ and I go to visit my in-laws fairly often and they live up in beautiful Marin. I used to lug all my stitching stuff over there but then I'd forget things like the chart, a hoop, threads, etc. So now I have a dedicated "Marin" pattern I'm working on and no more carrying things back and forth and forgetting. I'm not posting progress photos of that project, though I will post a completed photo once I'm there.

Apologies for the big gaps in posting. C'est la vie.

Happy stitching!

Wizard's Implements - 002

I may not be blogging as much but I'm still stitching. I had a lot of obligation knitting and I still have some obligation stitching to do but the due date for the stitching is in March so I have a bit of time. Between that, work, and writing (I'm on fictionpress!) it's been extremely busy. Plus normal life stuff. I bought a new car. I have a new nephew. Work is insanely busy. Life goes on.

But I have 10 more hours stitched on the Wizard's Implements!

Before:

After:

The spiral stitching method H³ has devised has made stitching all black more interesting and it's a good travel piece, too, because I just have to pack black instead of all the colors. Makes it easy.

Once my obligation stitching and knitting is done I hope to have more stitching updates. November and December are our busiest seasons at work, though, so it's usually a madhouse (case in point, yesterday was the day after Thanksgiving and I received 200 e-mails).

Happy stitching, everyone. I hope whatever holidays you celebrate are safe and free from stress and strife.

Wizard's Implements - 001

10 hours of stitching on The Wizard's Implements is complete and I have some progress to share but it feels pitiful:

The whole chart has a total of 216,825 stitches. Of those, 105,413 are black. That's 48.61% of the chart. By the time I finish stitching the first color, I will be almost halfway done with the chart.

I'm going to be stitching black for quite a while. H³ has asked me to stitch in his "spiral" method, working inwards. So that's what you see above for page 1. Slow and steady progress!

Also, I didn't realize this since I got the kit as a gift, but this is 28-count fabric. It's an interesting switch from 25-count but it's definitely smaller. I think I prefer my 25-count but I'll stick with this until the end.

Since I'm very behind on my Legendary Creatures Alphabet SAL I'm going to do the next letter now for May.

On the iPad front I bought the iPad and I got the GoodReader app and I love it! It's working out very well for me and I'm quite satisfied with my purchase.

Happy Stitching!

Medieval Shelf #13

I'm not a very good blogger anymore. Work took over my life and I've been making baby blankets like a fiend and haven't had much time for stitching. Plus I think my stitching bug left me for a time. But I went to HAEDcon this past weekend and it reignited the stitchiness so I managed to finish page 1 of Medieval Shelf. I think I'm going to give this to my nephew when it's done. Should be done just in time for his 18th birthday.

Before:

After:

I definitely had a brief fear that my corners weren't going to match, but they did!

HAEDcon was great. I drove from the Bay Area all the way to Seaside, OR up 101, which took just about 15.5 hours. I was hoping for great ocean views and got nothing but fog all the way from Eureka north. Coming back I drove through Portland and took I-5 South so it was only 11 hours. If I can go again, I will fly.

Other than that I got to meet some really awesome artists. Randal Spangler, Jeff Haynie, Hannah Lynn, Aimee Stewart, and Rob Carlos. Michele and Bob Sayetta were also there, of course, which was a treat. I got to meet Lesli, who I've had a blog friendship with for over half a decade and only just met her last week. It was wonderful. Besides the stitching, the artists, and the people, I got to spend a week vegging on the beach, eating fish and chips on the sand, and drinking wonderful coffee. All in all it was great. I started David Hoffrichter's "The Wizard's Implements" per the direction of H³ and will show off a photo of that once I've made about 10 hours of progress. I'm stitching it using Extreme Cross Country (ECC) which I've wanted to do for a while so I'm excited for that prospect.

I'm also considering buying an iPad to aid in my stitching. I know it may sound crazy but I'm a bit old fashioned when it comes to stitching and all my charts are being printed on paper. This is starting to feel wasteful and inefficient and I think having an iPad, EZ PDF Reader, and a nice stand would aid in the situation. And maybe save my eyes the trouble of staring at a tiny chart. Net, I think it would be a good stitching investment.

Anyway, I hope to blog sooner than 3 months next time. Until then, everyone, happy stitching!

Medieval Shelf and Legendary Creatures April

So I realize that it has (once again) been a very long time since I last posted. Everything has changed since March 27th (date of last post).

March 28th I received a text message from H³ stating we need to move out. I don't know if you remember but we've been living at my parent's house since August 2014 - the entirety of our marriage. Things like that wear on you. He told me which apartment complex he was looking at, which told me he'd done his research. I checked it out. The complex was dog friendly, close to where we were now so we could continue with our commuting situations, near a lake, everything was basically perfect. So we made an appointment to tour it that Saturday, the 31st.

Saturday morning we went and looked at the place. We were looking to rent a one-bedroom and they had two apartments ready for immediate move-in. We looked at them both, picked out the one we liked better, and applied right then and there. I was a bit wary about the cost (Google "Bay Area Housing Market" and it will explain everything) but we were approved and signed the lease. Now to tell our parents.

That same day my sister and brother-in-law were coming over for Easter dinner. Perfect time to share the great news.

Except my sister announced she was pregnant with her first before I could say anything. So in one day we decided to move out and found out we were going to be an aunt and uncle. But we made our announcement anyway and that was that.

The following week was my review at work. This was the "make it or break it" review that would determine whether or not I would be looking for another job. Not because I thought I was going to get fired but because I really needed a raise and if I didn't feel like the raise they gave me was sufficient I would start looking. I had a minimum number in mind before going in.

Suffice it to say I will not be looking for another job. They not only gave me a raise, they blew any expectations I had out of the water. The raise was massive (over 30%) and I got a promotion and up in job title as well as a bonus. I still work a LOT but I'm somewhat less bitter about it because I'm getting compensated appropriately.

Then we went on vacation to NYC for a week and when we came back we moved into our new place.

Things have taken a few weeks to settle down. We're finally unpacked. Xena was a little depressed for the first few weeks but I still take her to visit my parents and zoom her around the backyard. There's a dog park in the complex and although she's very frightened of other dogs we're slowly socializing her and she's already made a doggie friend she absolutely loves. With time, I think, she'll adjust well. She also loves to take walks by the lake across the street and I take her there almost daily. I've started running again and the SF Half is at the end of July. I've got great trails here and don't ever have to even cross a street during the course of my training runs. H³ and I have our own space, albeit it's a small apartment but still, and we're getting along much better. Even my parents and I are getting along better.

All in all that's been my last month and a half in a nutshell. Amazing what a difference a few weeks can make.

I haven't had much time for anything, even stitching, but I'm slowly getting back into it. I recently finish April's SAL and I'm also going to post the Medieval Shelf from a few months ago I never got around to posting.

March:

April:

Designer: Cloudsfactory

Pattern: 2018 Legendary Creatures Alphabet SAL

Fabric: Picture This Plus "Nocturne" in 32 count Belfast

Stitched: 2 over 2

Floss: DMC and Weeks Dye Works

 

And for Medieval Shelf, before:

 

After:

Designer: Heaven and Earth Designs

Pattern: "Medieval Shelf" by Randal Spangler

Fabric: 25 count Evenweave

Stitched: 1 over 1

Floss: DMC

 

And, of course, how could I leave you without a photo of the new apartment:

And our doggo enjoying the lake:

Happy stitching, everyone!

Medieval Shelf and Legendary Creatures March

I should have two updates for you for Medieval Shelf but my camera batteries are dead and I haven't charged them or taken a more recent picture so that'll come in another post.

Before:

After:

Designer: Heaven and Earth Designs

Pattern: "Medieval Shelf" by Randal Spangler

Fabric: 25 count Evenweave

Stitched: 1 over 1

Floss: DMC

 

You can see that I've gridded Medieval Shelf mid-page. I'm trying out Sulky thread for gridding since I'm toying with the idea of extreme cross country and I needed a gridding thread that was more flexible. So far so good! Not sure what H³ will have me rotate to after this but I'll pull the row out all the way to the end and cross country it and see how it works.

I also finished another month of the Cloudsfactory Legendary Creatures SAL. It took me way longer because March has been absolutely insane at work but I just finished it tonight so hot off the hoop!

February:

March:

Designer: Cloudsfactory

Pattern: 2018 Legendary Creatures Alphabet SAL

Fabric: Picture This Plus "Nocturne" in 32 count Belfast

Stitched: 2 over 2

Floss: DMC and Weeks Dye Works

 

I absolutely love it so far and each letter is a really quick stitch which makes me feel accomplished.

I have two more bits of news. One is that I signed up for the San Francisco Half Marathon again this year. Watch for me on the news as they wheelbarrow me away from the finish line, if I make it that far.

The other is that I'll be going to HAEDcon this year! I'll try to blog from the con and am super excited about it. Maybe I'll even see some of you there!

So with that, I'm going to bed. For the first time in weeks I didn't work overtime today and it's not for lack of need, but due to super burnout. Vacation in two weeks! WOOT!

Happy stitching!

Legendary Creatures SAL - February

I finished the Cloudsfactory Legendary Creatures SAL for February!

Designer: Cloudsfactory

Pattern: 2018 Legendary Creatures Alphabet SAL

Fabric: Picture This Plus "Nocturne" in 32 count Belfast

Stitched: 2 over 2

Floss: DMC and Weeks Dye Works

I for Ifrit and N for Nessie - loved every stitch and can't WAIT for March! It's nice because it's a little finish with every letter and they're pretty quick stitches.

I don't have much to report right now but I WILL have an update on Medieval Shelf soon!

Legendary Creatures SAL - M & Medieval Shelf 10

Two milestones today! I finished January for the Legendary Creatures SAL - the letter "M" for Medusa:

Designer: Cloudsfactory

Pattern: 2018 Legendary Creatures Alphabet SAL

Fabric: Picture This Plus "Nocturne" in 32 count Belfast

Stitched: 2 over 2

Floss: DMC and Weeks Dye Works

 

Now I have to wait until February for the next part! I have no idea what the next letters are going to be or what they will stand for.

I was also home sick today, most of which I worked (of course) but I did manage to get a little bit of stitching time and finished up my ten hours on Medieval Shelf.

Before:

After:

Designer: Heaven and Earth Designs

Pattern: "Medieval Shelf" by Randal Spangler

Fabric: 25 count Evenweave

Stitched: 1 over 1

Floss: DMC

I'm going to keep going with this until a page finish and then rotate to... something else! Whatever H³ chooses!

Besides that just working away here per the usual. I'm feeling much better now than I was this morning so probably a good thing I stayed home. I always feel guilty because I think I'm not "sick enough" to stay home but ultimately it's probably a good idea and nobody really wants you to come in when you're sick and get everyone else sick.

Either way, I'll come back and post again in 10 hours' time. Until then, happy stitching, everyone!

Legendary Creatures SAL - L

So far in 2018 I'm keeping to my resolutions:
- I've lost 5 pounds so far (still going strong)
- I'm not working on the weekends (I keep myself very available Monday through Friday, often working until 9 or 10 every night)
- I'm relaxing more (took the day off Tuesday to take the dog to the vet and then I'm going to the spa)
- Stitch more (yes yes yes!)

There's a few more I haven't met yet, but it's only January 14th so I'm still hopeful.

Along the stitch more vein, the Cloudsfactory Legendary Creatures SAL has started with the first two letters (L and M since we're starting in the center of the fabric) having been released on the 10th. I finished L yesterday and today I'm starting M:

Designer: Cloudsfactory

Pattern: 2018 Legendary Creatures Alphabet SAL

Fabric: Picture this Plus "Nocturne" in 32 count Belfast

Stitched: 2 over 2

Floss: DMC and Weeks Dye Works

I'm also going to try to remember to do those little blurbs under my stitching photos this year. The next part of this SAL gets released February 1. I absolutely love it so far and am very, very happy I decided to sign up.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful 2018! Happy stitching!!!

Flapping Parrot - Page 7 finished!

So I guess yesterday's post isn't my last post of 2017, but this will be. I just finished the 7th page of the Flapping Parrot!

Before:

After:

I love it and I think it looks great so far (if I do say so myself)!

Time to put this one away. In the new year I will be knitting my friend's baby blanket and working on Medieval Shelf! H³ just made the selection and I'm excited to be stitching on that one - the colors are wonderful and who doesn't love two little dragons sword fighting with a medieval-themed bookshelf behind them?

Happy New Year and Happy Stitching, everyone!

Flapping Parrot 16

Christmas break provided me a lot of unprecedented stitching time! I turned my computer off Friday night and didn't turn it back on or check my work e-mail until Wednesday morning. Things had been pretty quiet - I only had 200 e-mails! The result is 10 more hours of stitching!

Before:

After:

These pages of the flapping parrot are pretty easy and go pretty quick - it's just background. But! There will be a page finish soon and then H³ will have to pick another pattern. However, my best friend (of over 20 years) just had her first baby so I have a baby blanket to finish. It's kind of mind blowing to me. I'm at that age where all my friends are making tiny humans of their own. Mind blowing.

Another thing I didn't mention (shame on me) is the lovely gift from The Craft Princess! Cliffhanger by Aimee Stewart found its way into my inbox:

This is the Supersize Master Color version. Can't wait! Thank you, Crafty Princess!

Well, that's it from me for 2017. I hope 2018 is a far better year for everyone, including myself. Stay safe this New Year's Eve, keep your pets safe especially if they're easily spooked, and enjoy yourselves responsibly. Wishing you all the best in the New Year, and, of course, plenty of stitching!

Flapping Parrot 15

Stitched my first 10 hours of page 7 of the Flapping Parrot!

Before:

After:

It feels good to stitch again, although I'm still working a lot. Christmas is the busiest time of year for us at work. Either way, I still try to get some stitching in on the weekends and I took the day after Christmas off so I have an extra day to be lazy.

I also signed up for the Cloudsfactory 2018 Legendary Creatures Alphabet SAL! It's a Christmas gift from my mom. First part is released January 10 and then the first of the month thereafter. Very excited! Hopefully I can keep up with the SAL. They had a sneak peek with Medusa and I love it so we'll see!

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas (for those who celebrate it) and a peaceful New Year - hoping it's better than 2017.

Happy Stitching!

Greek Mandala #18 (Parts 1-4 done)

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After:

I finished part 4 of the Greek Mandala! H³ has chosen the flapping parrot as the next stitch. Not sure if I mentioned this but together we have worked my WIP list down to 6 active stitches. Whenever I finish one, I'll rotate another one I've started, and so on. We'll see how this whole thing works out but probably better in terms of seeing measurable progress but on fewer projects. So stay tuned for the flapping parrot.

If you're wondering if I worked over the Thanksgiving holidays the answer is, of course, yes. I was told not to log on by the partners. Then we realized (at 9:30 on Wednesday night) that there was a filing that was due Wednesday that I didn't make on time (that's the official story, whatever). So I have to make it on Friday. I log on Friday and immediately get "I need this today!" e-mails (not filing related). I respond with "It's a holiday, I'll do it Monday." To which I get the classic, "okay, tell me who's working today and I'll ask them because I don't know how to _____." When I was done with all the things I passive aggressively shut down my computer before more e-mails could come in. I've been playing video games and stitching since. NO REGRETS. Until I come in on Monday.

Funny story, though, as I was taking the progress photos I had closed to door so the dog wouldn't come in and step on the stitching. She noses the door open anyway and waltzes in. I protected the stitching and made her sit/stay until I was done. This is the result:

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us over here, even our furry little monster (it's her favorite day of the year, after all), and happy stitching!

Greek Mandala #17

So, first of all, NOT DEAD! Still blogging! Things have just taken an unexpected turn. Work has been busy, as always, but I also "noped" out on vacation out of the country for 2.5 weeks. Since I have the kind of job that requires people to cover for me, I felt compelled to line things up as well as I could so I wouldn't be dumping on people, which meant long hours finishing things up. I went dark for the 2.5 weeks I was in Poland, vacationing and having a great time (check out my Instagram for photos), and when I came back it was to a total $h!7storm at work. I've been working every night and weekend since.

On top of that pretty much everyone I know is pregnant so I've been ass-deep in baby blanket knitting.

But, there will always be work, and I just can't look at another knit-stitch right now, and this weekend I'm TIRED. So I stitched. For the first time in a long time. And guess what! I finished the third corner of Greek Mandala.

Before:

After:

Slowly but surely the Mandala grows! One more corner and it will be time to rotate to the next stitching piece.

Life in general has been interesting. I turned 31 in August. I'm becoming a bit disenchanted with work. Not sure how to really handle that. H³ and I are starting to look into buying a house but the market in the Bay Area is insane, to say the least. Vacation was magnificent, but I'm all stressed out again.

I do have a new project going, which has taken up a lot of my time recently. I've been writing fiction since I was about 9 years old. I'm not good. I just enjoy it. Then I met some other people who enjoy it. Then we created a blog where we decided to serialize our writing and publish it. I write under a pen name, but you can find our work here. I hope you enjoy it. And if you don't then... I don't know. Don't keep reading, I guess.

With that, I'm going to go do some stuff. Stitching. Or knitting. Or writing. Definitely not working.

Happy stitching, everyone!