Another needlework topic: What are you stitching TODAY?

I'm going to be putting the finishing touches on a baby sweater that my friend made. She hasn't knitted anything for years and did a really great job on an intermediate pattern from an old McCall's book with only a very few questions on how to interpret the instructions. Then when it came to putting it together, she chickened out and asked me to do it, which I will do happily.

I'm so proud of her I could just sing!!!

Lucille

Today has been my day off, and it has turned into a charity day. The store is having a bake sale tomorrow to benefit an elementary school's library (the school is in a less affluent neighbourhood, and is the main access many of the students have to books), and I will be assembling packages of spiced hot cocoa mix, and maybe if I have time oatmeal cookie mix to sell at the sale. I had to make a grocery store run to be sure I had enough of everything, and then ended up forgetting to see if I have cloves, so it may be off to the store again. I have already done a few runs over to the church I used to attend, where the ladies' auxiliary are having a garage sale. Great opportunity to thin out a few bookshelves. Then I saw they needed boxes, so went to the store and raided the receiving dock. So no stitching so far. But there is a football double header on television tonight, Hamilton and Toronto playing now, but later I will want to be cheering Edmonton on to beat Calgary (this is a case of which team we Green and White fans loathe less), and hope I will not be too tired to finally get down to "Follow Your Truth", the Monsterbubbles pattern that Traditional Stitches kitted up for me, while I watch.

Dawne

Hey, that counts.

Good for you. Hmmmm, well yesterday I worked on the Drawn Thread Spot Sampler- which Sue I bought when we met at the Stitching Post, IIRC 4 years ago! Or maybe only 3. On this gorgeous piece of hand-dyed purple cashel, which all these people keep asking me about - and now I have to see if I can find a note somewhere that says what it is. I still have some other fabric that I bought from their little packages - and am hoping maybe I put this package with those. Just kind of funny. But, I took it to "stitch in public night" with the EGA chapter (along with Donna and others) as something I'm not paranoid about doing while in a Panera. Changed the thread on the house. The danger of putting a project away, then picking it up not months, but much longer later - your ideas change or become more critical. And of course I decided to frog the white (window outlines) 'cause now I don't like the coverage and will add an extra ply of thread.

But, I did get to stitch, and catch up with some stitching friends on Wed night, and then stitched a bit yesterday.

Sadly - no stitching today, hopefully tomorrow. After stitching group on Thursday (had to leave a bit early) I went to the doctors. Which impacted stitching 'cause I've had some ucky thing growing on my middle RH finger, up at the first joint, which turns out is a growth leaking synovial fluid and building up and it has to be removed, restructured by a hand surgeon. However, the doctor I was seeing took pity and opened it to drain some of the fluid (which was of great interest to the nurses as it's like slightly thin jelly). The lidocaine shot was really painful - stupid thing. I was fine until that wore off and realized, darn it, my whole finger now hurts like the dickens. The doc cauterized down into the joint hoping that may stop the leaking, but maybe not. So, stitching on hold as I feel awkward this way.

So, everyone else - have fun stitching. I'm going to finish writing some stitching essays and work on some charting.

Ellice

I ste=ill recovering for the flu. but I've been working on a Kimono sweater for baby Rikuto, He also has the flu and seem to be recoveringg nicely, but took a turn for the worse today. DH, Dson Chris and DDil are at urgent care and I'm waiting for their return.

Bobbie V

Yesterday was a day off from stitching. Hopefully today I'll get the last stitches in the 3 Xmas ornaments I started in August and took on vacation. Instead yesterday was spent taking DB to the ENT dr. That pesky mono sore throat continues. Oh, and of course I watched hockey last night. If I had known the first period and a half were going to be so boring I might have done some stitching.

Once the last of those 3 ornaments are done I expect to start another for one of DM's friends....I do the stitching, she does the gifting. I might also start on that Celtic bookmark that Cheryl found once I decide on colors.

Nancy

I have a lovely piece of blue cashel hand-dyed with purple overtones that I'm going to start in 2-3 weeks. (When these are done. And I have a trip planned, and that'll make a good travel project.) I bought some lovely purple threads (waterlilies? and gloriana silk? I think that's what they were) to do some of the ornaments from this year's JCS issue. The Celtic knot and the tree shape made up of sewing motifs (thread spools, scissor, etc.)

((Ellice)) Sorry to hear about your hand problems.

Glad you have the stitching-related writing to do, so you can still be immersed in something you love while not actually *doing* it. (And maybe the time off from stitching is a blessing in disguise, because if you're like me, I procrastinate on the non-stitching stuff - I'd always rather stitch!)

Sue

Sounds lovely. I actually have kitted away with a Just Nan sampler from some years ago a stash of Gloriana in flower purples, blues, greens. I'm thinking of liberating it from the kit and using it.

Thanks. It'll get better. But, I think I'm going to have to give in sooner (before end of year) rather than later to have the surgery thing done. In the meantime it's just uncomfy and bruised - though getting better. I expect I could likely stitch soon.

All very true. But, then for me I get in the mood to paint and it's awkward holding a brush right not. Wah, wah - so my little whine. However, Donna & I had a mini-class with Pamela Darney for a Quaker Diamond Sampler thru one of the EGA chapters. It's a challenge - to be completed for January - and I have a bunch of motifs with which to play "paper dolls" and lay out my piece. We have to use the motifs she gave us, though we can break them apart, and have to use one of the alphabets she gave, include some particular phrase indicating when/where this challenge was. I think there'll be interesting variation with what people do. I'm doing mine on "woodland" from Picture this Plus.

me an excuse to add to my Gloriana stash. So, maybe I'll do a littleplanning. I really do want to get started on this. But, OTOH, I'm doingsome of my essay writing and a little stitchy research. I do tend toprocrastinate on this stuff, so..... Ellice

.Still working on that Santa Cat and Dog for my sister. Now mostly doing the background - a few details left and the border. Took me a long time to decide what to do the background/sky in - finally decided on a verison of Byzantine in an overdye blue perle from DMC. So far, I like it.

linda

I'm thinking of heading into the garden for a bit and then maybe DS's game this afternoon.

I got some lovely yarn in a swap, I'm thinking about working it into a skinny scarf.

And I saw the loveliest piece of Dichroic glass that is sitting my bead stash - don't know why I haven't done something with it, but it's on my list for this week.

And I'm going to work on organizing the music CD's and my stash this week. In between the other "stuff"

Cheryl

Since this is the year or "Finish the old WIPS" - I have the following in rotation: current: A Series of Saints by Susan Porta Rex by Dimple Designs

farther back: a couple of class pieces a Japanese Embroidery piece that will have to wait until after the fall garden cleanup season (flat silks and rough hands do *not* mix)

I hope everything is OK. It's when there is a relapse in the flu that you have to be very very careful, especially with small children.

The flu is rampant here, to the point the company issued directives saying "Stay Home" if you have it. I just finished a bout of it mysenf - caught at the office, of course. It seems that are always a few who think they *have* to work no matter how sick they are, then they infect everyone else around them. Grrrrrr.

I finished knitting myself a stocking hat with a cable pattern in a really soft, fuzzy yarn to go with a new jacket I got. Then I started on a matching scarf, just a plain, knit 1, purl 1 pattern which will go pretty fast.

Joan