Chatelaine, life and other randomosities

I realised that I havent blogged in a few days. I'm not exactly sure why, it just didn't strike me as a time for it.

I havent worked on ARN since I got back, would you believe? A week without stitching her, yikes. I have been working on MX again though, mostly cross stitching on the houses - I continued a little on the one I'd started (south) but then thought, well, I haven't finished the gates yet, and turned the piece the other way up so I could reach the gates and I've been alternating lengths of thread between the gates (which just need backstitching and beading) and the house, which is looking thoroughly incredible. It's going to be a stunning piece when it's done. I especially love the pale, pale purple flowers and leaves trailing down from the windows. I'll take a photo tomorrow, and you can see!

My stitching goals for the month have been somewhat forgotten, mostly because it's been such a weird month. Here they are again:

• participate in the challenge SAL with my restarted From The Ashes
• reach the 60 row mark on A Restful Night
• finish the top row of pages on tranquility, and at least one page of the second row
• enjoy my stitching
• participate in two QS SALs
• participate in Tash'n'my JOB SAL!

comment on them:

• I participated, but scrapped it after realising I hated the chart. So, achieved i suppose!
• this one might be achievable still, I'm not sure. It means an awful lot of stitching in the next nine days, but I could do it if I put my mind to it I think. 3000 stitches in nine days - 334 a day.
  
• I achieved this one! I'm very proud of it.
• yup, been enjoying it
• yes again
• not yet...but tomorrow I'm going to try.

On that note, I'm trying really hard to work on JOB but struggling because it doesnt seem to want to fit on my q-snaps and I can't stitch it in hand.. I'm going to try tomorrow though - SAL day, to see if I can create a Q-snap frame that I can use for it, and get as much done on it as I can tomorrow as well as attempting 300 stitches...lol. I'm planning to get up quite early though, as Dad has a new Greek textbook that I am going to crack and he's going to oversee my learning, and we're starting at 10:30am. This is early for me! So I should have a bit more time than usual. I love JOB, I really want to get it done. I'm going to aim to do what Tash has done, and get all the frames done, though I might get the first frame filled in first then do the rest, so that it looks 'finished'. I hate half-done things left on my work. If I get 300 stitches done tomorrow, I will put ARN down for the rest of the day, and if I haven't started JOB by 3pm (unless i'm close/on track for 300 stitches) I'll start it then.

A Restful Night has jumped back onto my stand, and I've got about 20 stitches in on it tonight so far - I've been mostly stitching on MX. But I'm going to try for at least 100 stitches of this row done before I go to bed tonight, and see how that goes. It shouldn't be hard, mostly just the blue background. I might even get more than that done - wing, too! I stitch her forehead and the smallest teaser of an eyebrow this row, which is frustrating because I want to see her face already, but its very little in the way of confetti stitching so I should be grateful. Hopefully it will go quick!

Anyway, in life trivia:

St Elias' Day was friday, and he is the Patron Saint of the church where I have been attending Liturgy so we had the Liturgy that night, and then a feast in the true middle eastern form - much loud, lebanese music, food, dancing and laughter. It was so alive and wonderful, I really enjoyed it.

Otherwise I've mostly just been hanging around. Life happens as it happens.

update: I have my 100 stitches done. So 2900 to get done in nine days instead - 323 a day instead.