Projects:
This month I've worked on several projects. Now that Christmas is over, I've got things back in a regular rotation again to work on them and with fewer demands on my attention I'm actually making some progress.
Central Park Hoodie is coming along and it's been nice to work on a sweater that's for me this time. It has some very simple cabling and has been very quick to knit. Other than having to rip out 1/2 a pattern repeat because I'd crossed my cables the wrong way, I haven't had any problems with this pattern. I started last July while I was on vacation and haven't worked on it until now. I'm almost to the armhole shaping on the back.
I did some more work on Victoria Sampler's Spring Box early in the month. I've 3/4 of the way through cutting the threads in the hearts for the top. I haven't taken any pictures of this project yet but I'll be working on it again this week so I'll remember to take some pictures when I'm done. It helped being on vacation for the first two weeks of January. I liked it, next year I'll be taking a couple weeks in January again to go on a cruise to the Western Caribbean.
Here's a progress picture of Lavendar & Lace's Celtic Summer. I've almost finished her face. I've been beading as I go on this one which I like a lot better than putting the beads in after all the stitching is done. I'm quite happy with the progress I've made.
I also started a new project that is a gift for my mom. It's Psalm 23 by My Big Toe. It's actually a pattern I've had in my stash for awhile and it was one of the projects I kitted up this summer. I substituted two DMC floss colours for the specialty ones they had in the pattern and I really like the colours. I started this one on the top left since it has a border around the words and I've got the corner of the border done and I'm starting on the lettering in the middle. It's still at the office where I've been working on it so I'll get pictures when I bring it home on Monday.
Stash Enhancement:
I received my Just Cross Stitch Magazine and the Piecework Knitting Issue as well as the EAC newsletter this month. I've been getting JCS from my online stitching store but I realized how much I've been paying for it so I'm going to get my own subscription to it. More money I can spend on stash :). I also got the first part of Loose Feathers new seasons pattern (this one was Summer) and the fabric for all three parts. The second part should be in soon and she's sending the floss with it. I also got some new cards from Cranky Crows studios. It's not really stitching related but it was a fundraiser for Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary and I'm going to use them for the birthday floss exchange I'm in for one of my online groups. They're really nice cards, I'm sorry to be giving them away. The rest of the stash was the flosses for the floss exchange, I think they're very interesting variegated threads, newer DMC colours.
Books:
I've gotten quite a bit of reading done. It's so good not to have school books to read. I read two books on Conures and a book about Quakers. I started By Slanderous Tongues (Mercedes Lackey) but realised it was the third book of a series so I took it back and got the first book. That's what I get for actually browsing the library shelves. I have several books out of the library and in various stages of progress, that's why I've decided this week is going to be reading week. I need to get some of them finished. First up, is Byzantium by Judith Herrin. It's an older non-fiction book that we were doing as a group read on Goodreads. I've fallen behind as usual but it's a good book so I'm going to keep reading. It has to go back to the library this week so I don't know if I'll get it finished. I may have to put it on hold again. I'm almost finished Dreaming Anastasia and Fauna. Both of them are from my bookshelves and they've been on the go for awhile.
Bird News and the Latest Addition:
Mal seems to be gradually getting over his obsession with the mirror. He's more willing to leave it for awhile and go back to his explorations. Hawk is being his usual self but he often sits next to me on his "porch" now while Mal is out on his explorations. I made a batch of Chop for them a few weeks ago with carrots, celery, cabbage and kale. I've frozen it in weekly portion sizes and I've been giving them some every morning. Hawk is actually eating it. Mal does occasionally but still prefers his whole leaves.
And ... Bobby has arrived. He's a four year old quaker from Greyhaven, formally called Bubba. He's a bit of a handful right now. I've had a few bites already but we had a good training session of step ups yesterday and he's been better behaved today. He loves my husband to pieces and will do pretty much anything for him but needs to work on his manners a little with me. Yesterday morning I was wondering if we'd picked the right bird but after our training session, I think there's hope for him.
