Dalek plushies

Well, it's not hot today. It's been about 20*C, so quite nice. Mild enough inside to wear my purple dress, but I needed a jumper (sweater to you Americans) outside, when I dared to venture out - it's been stormy and raining.

I got my Sew&So order - ABOUT TIME! Some idiot must have put the clearly marked "air mail" package in the sea mail, that's the only explanation I can give. This is the fibres and buttons for Waxing Moon's Nuts About Autumn, to those who have forgotten/never heard in the first place. Beautiful, I haven't seen hand dyed cottons in real life before and these are lovely. And the buttons! Oh...to use a Bindi-ism, SQUEE. They are tiny little acorns and absolutely adorable. Expensive when you think about how much I paid for them vs how big they are but they are so cute that I think they were worth it. Now to rummage through my fabric stash to see if I have a piece of 28ct that suits it, or else I'll have to go to Spotlight (horrible fate) and pick some up. It's just plain fabric, and my LNS has a terrible range of fabric, so Spotlight it is.

Which reminds me, I've been meaning to get a piece of fabric for my Angel Virtues for a while. I should order it.

I need to contact Jean at Needle Little Love about the fabric for Peaceful Paradise too.

I am forbidden to start anything new. I am, I am. But Nuts About Autumn is screaming at me and it's little...*sigh*

I have finished knitting my dalek, too. Everything but the base, which will be knit when it's stuffed. The appendages are adorable - the plunger is the cutest. I need to dig up a needle big enough for the wool tomorrow, and then I'll sew them on and stuff him. I will have a very happy Bindi then! It shouldn't take me too long to knit the base.

For all my good intentions with my list, I found it too unwieldy. So I might go for daily goals instead.

Tomorrow I aim to:

• Fill in the gaps on Dance of the Graces with the thread I was missing up until today
• Reach the 1300 stitch mark on it too
• Sew together dalek
• Sort out Peaceful Paradise fabric
• Figure out how big my fabric for the Angels needs to be
• Not start anything new!!
• Spend at least half an hour on my room. It is really really scaring me
• Check that I don't have fabric for Nuts About Autumn in my stash
• Coerce parents into taking me fabric shopping
• Set up sewing machine and start Mali's dress
• Read and note at least a few pages of TOW
• Eat lunch - this is serious, I've been really bad on this one recently
• Find out total allowance from parents to spend on dolls (parents pay for sister's horse so they give me equal amount to spend on whatever, fair's fair - it usually goes on stitching or dolls)
• Decide on doll order
• Order dolls

Hmm...that should keep me busy!

Nudey fairy!

I'm almost finished 80 rows (8 rows by my usual count, I work in rows of blocks) of A Restful Night, and she's stunning. But she does look like shes posing for a nude photo, you can't tell that she's wearing any clothes. That will all get sorted out next row, but it's very amusing in the meantime! I have about 200 stitches left to go and I plan to have another stab at it before I go to bed but I doubt I'll get it finished tonight. In the morning.

I did stick to rotation - I worked on JOB all morning and I got the grass cross stitches done and a lot of the 'clouds' in the sky, and LOTS of the frame. Tedious, but progress. My problem is not with the design - it I love. I just hate the fabric, it doesn't want to fit in any of my frames. I tried a hoop before and it drove me nuts because of the rhodes stitches, but I've stopped adding them until I'm done and I've made significant progress since then, so maybe it's worth trying again. Or maybe I need to be more patient and get the fabric to sit right in the frame! It fits but I can never get the fabric 'straight' and it's so irritating...oh well. It's done for this week anyway unless I get the urge to work on it after half a day of my rotation piece, which is possible...not probably though. I can't wait for the next bits...on other pieces of fabric, better luck with them perhaps!

That's what I've decided, too. I'll work on my rotation piece for at least half a day, and then continue with it if I want to or switch to whatever's screaming, but I have to work on the rotation piece for at least that half day. That way I'll make progress but I won't be sitting fuming and not stitching because I want to stitch on whatever's screaming at me from the WIP basket.

I've somehow acquired lightning speed powers, too. I don't know how many stitches I've done today, but most of a page worth of this row! My goodness, I didn't realise just how slow I'd got while I was sick. I'm so enjoying my stitching again, and I've finished all of the fairy for this row too - and I'm not getting fed up with confetti stitched purple background this time...no, working on another fluro mushroom! This one looks slightly less glow in the dark. It's fun, and a nice change from all the blues, though I will be glad to be finished with the row. It's just so satisfying to finish a row, and it's been a while. If I keep this speed up and work on a row a week at least for the next while...I'll get her done soon. Only 14 rows to go, 3 and a half months if I only get one row a week done and I should get more than that. But we know how I am, very likely to get sidetracked.

I am very much enjoying her though.

Today has been very slow, very quiet. I got up late, and had an empty-ish house - my sister was home but holed up in her room and my parents were both out, and I just pottered around and stitched. I sorted my spare DMC and I now know which I have multiple spares of, and they're lying on the floor over near the tv. Our cats pretty much ignore thread and it's not in anyone's way so it should be there in the morning, and I'll put each of the colours I have multiples of in a baggie and then the others in baggies grouped by whatever 100 they're in. Sounds like a plan, and its better than them all shoved in a Michael's bag like they were! We watched Aus Idol tonight and they STILL haven't got rid of Carl which annoys me intensely though we did get to hear Jacob (who left) sing Let it Be again. Dad and I both like that song, which I find amusing given his comments about Mary worship and the Theotokos lately (long, frustrating story) so it was good to hear it again. He did it well, I think. And then we watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding which was also on TV and my sister gave me heaps about how I'm going to have one. Oh no I'm not. Greek Orthodox yes. BFGW - no. It will be interesting, actually - usually they have weddings between Greeks or one Greek one something else. Not two something elses! We'll probably compromise somewhere along there. And we'll get Father to say the Liturgy in english if at all possible. He'd like the chance to do that, I think.

Oh I almost forgot. I also got a package from Needle Little Love - yay STASH! I got a beautiful chart, Peaceful Paradise by Midsummer Night Designs (which I love to bits) and the JCS Ornie issue (yay) and some needles. I like stash packages.

Unfortunately *dramatic sigh* I need to do another order now...she's got a special on fabric and it's the only way I'll be able to afford the Lakeside Linen to do Peaceful Paradise on!

...I could always order the floss I need too...

...uhoh...

someone hide my credit card? :)

Look at this!

I have a lovely pile of floss...


and here's a side view:


that's everything I need for Sara Butcher's Truth, Temptation and Autumn. And now my fingers are itching to start them, but I'm going to have to be good - at least I don't have fabric, or I might have!

EDIT: silly me, I forgot to say - that's thanks to the lovely Nicole, who picked it all up for me :) Floss fairies are wonderful. Thankyou Nicole!

In other fun news, Tash and I are starting a Japanese Octagon Box SAL on Mondays as soon as I get my kit. Can't wait - more silks! Mmmmmm....

Uh...oh...

I was bad. I was very bad. But I did have Troy's consent, so that's okay - right? *looks around worriedly*

I just bought a chatelaine. Actually, two.
...and the kits.

Japanese Octagon Box has been screaming at me for months seeing other's WIPs and so finally I caved. Paypal is being retarded, so I'll pay properly tomorrow for it all, but it's as good as done.

I've also always loved Convents Herbal Garden, so I got it as well. Neither of these are going into my rotation anytime soon, much as I'd love to, unless...anyway I'll get to that later. I just want to stash them, they're so beautiful.

I'm getting the cream fabric for the box, and thinking maybe antique white for the garden. Not completely sold on that one yet. I'm stashing lots, and I think maybe it's partly a stress thing and partly a wanting to buy things now so I have pretties to work on when we can't afford them later - stitch from my stash. Especially the silk-involving things. DMC I could probably justify and afford - not silks. So, yeah.

I am going to seriously need to organise my room so I can find a place for all of this now....

Stash and stitchers and squee!

I caught up with Rachel and Anna today - hello!

That was fun. Much talking and stitching and fabric, thankyou so much again for catching up with me.

I may just have been converted to 32 count jobelan...Anna's giving me a piece to try 1x1 on and if I am then I'll do my From the Ashes on it, her stitching is so tiny and neat! Very inspiring. And yes, Anna, your stitching IS neat.

And I got a present for my engagement/christmas - STASH! Which came just at the right time, given I've now been forcibly put on The Wagon by Troy. All these beautiful counts of fabric to play with...yum... see below for picture. And a pair of scissors that look like an oil slick. And lots of needles. And some needlethreaders. And YAY! Thankyou again gals.


Was so nice to catch up with likeminded people and actually see someone that isn't me with an HAED chart in their hand...and q-snaps that weren't mine...and other people who are crazy enough to stitch over one!

*big satisfied smile*

oh and Anna - my sister's camera (that I take most of my photos with) is an olympus. I haven't even seen it and I know it is, I just had a mental blank before.

More stash & small world

HAED has had a sale on the last week or so, and I finally got around to ordering a few. Troy said I could have five full size charts, but with a wishlist like mine it took me forever to choose! Here's what I got:

Sara Butcher:
Autumn
Truth
Temptation

Meredith Dillman:
Fallfire

Teri Rosario:
From The Ashes

I'd like to stitch Truth and Temptation next to one another, or framed individually but hung together. And From the Ashes is so perfect for me that I couldn't help but get it.

My next HAED BAP will still be Flight of Fish Fancy but From the Ashes is calling my name. Oh well, I'll love it and tuck it away. One of these days I'm going to have to add another slot to my rotation aren't I...hmm. Not for the next six months anyway. I can't afford to kit anything, we're saving our pennies now. I'll have a chatelaine to keep me happy, and I can work away at my other WIPs.

I've been working on Hope the last few days in between squee-ing and being too tired to do much - the excitement's making it hard to get to sleep, and I didn't sleep well most of last week. Early night tonight - I'm already dressed for bed and I'm just lying on the couch typing this before I head to bed. The confetti in her hair is driving me batty, and I'm getting irritated at the threads splitting and it's hard to count at the moment as well. The same thing happened the last few times I've had to work on her hair too...sigh. I think it's all the similar colours being confetti - looks wonderful but is horrific to stitch! I'm going to settle down and attack it again tomorrow, and hopefully I'll get it out of the way soon so I can get back into stitching the wings - they may be confetti but at least they're straightforward!

We have an engagement party tentatively planned for February, and Carole is doing us a cake and matching it to my dress - go me, who else has a $3000-a-cake wedding cake designer do their engagement cake? Should be great to see.

And I ran into Anna, an HAED BBer (nutsedge) - in my bank! She's one of the tellers there and recognised my email address when I changed my account around a bit (and got higher interest) which was really quite odd but very cool nonetheless. We chatted and giggled a bit which I think weirded out some of the people standing in line, but oh well it was great fun!

Anyway I found Periwinkle, so she'll hop back on the q-snaps when I make my goal on Hope so I can finish this page, before I get back to the frogs again. I really need to go up to cherubs and get the fabric for my dragon, but otherwise everything's organised for stitching - just waiting on the Chatelaine kit. I want it already - want to feel the silks and drool over colours and wonder at what the garden will look like.

It's 13 days until Christmas, 15 until our 3.5 year anniversary (which seems a little unimportant but oh well) and 19 until the new year. Wonder what 2007 will bring?

I got into all my courses for Year 12, which I'm pleased about. Now I just need to sort out pre-reading, stationary and a uniform and I'll be set. My subjects are Modern History, Maths Studies, English Studies and Craft Practical (YEAH! - they thought they might not have the numbers for a class) which should be good. I'd like to do a big sampler-picture for one of my major pracs, tempted to make it a wedding sampler - we'll see. But that will be good.

Bad Kyrie (or, Kyrie bought a Chatelaine)

I finally caved, and last night I paid for the chart of Mystery X. Which I won't even get to see the first part of for another month and a half, but that might be half the fun of it I think.

It was the description that got me - I love the idea of a Victorian design, especially a garden-y one. So I'll be working on something beautiful and sparkly all of next year. Wonder if I can count it as backup for my Craft (school subject) work? Probably. I'll be learning specialty stitches and new techniques and all sorts of other good things won't I?

I'm thinking I'll do this one at least in the silks. I know I could do a DMC conversion version but the purist in me is willing to fork out the ridiculous amount for all the silks, and fork out for them I will. I am not going to be buying anything else with the money I get for Christmas this year am I? Nope didn't think so.

Will probably mean re-jigging my rotation, but I'm going to have to do that when I go back to school anyway so I don't think that will be too much of a hardship. Will be nice to have a project all 'time managed' for me anyway - a part a month, so if I get the chatelaine done before I work on anything else then I'll be making a serious goal each month, and that will make me feel good.

Anyway...it will be beautiful...so who cares!

My current stash list

This doesn't include random kits that people gave me when I was a lot younger and I never finished. It does include everything else. It's not too big yet, hopefully will stay that way.

Slot 1 (Medium pieces)
HAED Angel Virtues. There are 8. At the moment I'm only aiming to do the first three. The others might come later

• Faith
• Hope (WIP - 1 page done)
• Love
• Joy
• Peace
• Wisdom
• Courage
• Grace (Belinda - sister wants me to stitch this for her one day)

Slot 2: (Large non-HAED pieces)
This is currently for the Days of Dragons, which I haven't bought yet. I'm being good.

• Noon Basking (WIP - 3/4 done I think?)

Slot 3: (Small pieces with more than one page)
This is basically for HAED QS projects at the moment. If I get more similar charts, they'll come here too.

• Periwinkle Fae (WIP)
• Buttercup Kitty Fae
• Kimono Fae
• Red Witch

Slot 4: (BAPs)
At this point in time they're all HAEDs.

• Froggy Frog World (WIP)
• Flights of Fish Fancy
• The Storykeeper
  

Miscellaneous small pieces:
These are just small things that I work on for other reasons - gifts etc

• Caitlin's Dear God things (WIP - 1 done, 1 to finish)
• Santa Paws (Margaret Sherry)
  

And more stash...

I was naughty and bought another chart, this time from Dragonfly Dreams. A very sweet Christmas chart from Margaret Sherry called Santa Paws, who I'd like to get done in time for Christmas - okay, I can dream...
And I also got this beautiful lady witch who I won as a random prize from the new start SAL on the HAED board:


I'm thinking I'll get through a bit more on my rotation, then maybe start her for the QS Wednesday SAL. Maybe.