November - Can you believe it?

November Stitching

I'm actually blogging about November on December 1st. Can you believe it?

This is the free peacock design I stitched in hospital and made into a thank you card for my aunt.

And this is one of the reasons I was thanking her. She sent over 2 containers of craft supplies as well as 2 birds she painted.

This fabulous chatelaine was a gift from my secret stitcher. I've used it almost every day since I got it. It's a brilliant idea.

This is Holly Jolly by Country Cottage Needleworks at the start of the Virtual Threads retreat in November.

And here it is finished and ready to send to the recipient. It's been mailed and that's all I'll say on the subject.

These are the floss and fabric for Brooke's Books Advent Animals series. I've just finished Katie Kittie's face so it's going along quite quickly. I'm hoping to get at least 2 done to send to my nephew to put on his tree this year and then I hope to have to rest done for him to use during advent in 2017.

This darling star was a free chart from The Stitchers Village to use in a contest. I didn't get it done in time for the contest. I had to pull out the green Kreinik because there wasn't enough and I've chosen a red jewel effects for the outline and the  DMC floss in a yellow/gold colour shown in the picture to fill in. I'll still get it done so I can put it on the tree this year.

I had a wonderful time at the Virtual Threads retreat as usual and got a lot stitched. That's about all my stitchy news this month.

There's nothing new with the pets this month. Everyone is well.

I had the vac dressing taken off my leg and I'm now just getting conventional bandages put on it. The IV was removed today so I'm finally free from all the tubing, machinery and power cords I've been getting tangled up in. I still have a lot of healing to do. I'll see the surgeon again on Tuesday and hopefully that goes well.

Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe: Be Ye Thankful Give-away! Enter Now!!!!!

Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe: Be Ye Thankful Give-away! Enter Now!!!!!

August, September and October

Wow, how did three months get away from me like that. I know where October went to, three weeks of that was spent in hospital but that's no excuse for August and September.

August

Lady Godiva by Golden Kite. This is the start of a large project that will take me a long time to do. It's been in my stash for ages and I found a Golden Kite SAL so I decided to finally start it. Then I had to put it away so that I could concentrate on my class work. I'm hoping it will come back out in 2017.

This is the Picture this Plus fabric from the sale. I love both of the fabrics. On the right is Sterling in 14 count Aida for Hedgehog House. The fabric on the left is Majestic in 28 count Cashel for Sockeye. I'm hoping to kit them up with the floss in 2017 and maybe have two more new starts.

This is Chocolate, Chocolate and more Chocolate from Heaven and Earth Designs (HAED). This was another new start for a HAED challenge. I didn't get the challenge finished because of ending up in hospital and being way behind on my class work. Hopefully this will get some love in 2017 as well.

These are my first purchased needleminders. I hope this isn't a new addiction but I loved the owls. They're from True North Needleminders. They have really strong magnets and I highly recommend them. They've all been put to use. They're very necessary on my canvaswork projects.

This is What a Nice Pear by Diane Scott. I'm almost finished the pear outlines. This is another project that's been put aside until my class is over. I was hoping to finish it so I could use the leftover threads for sample stitches but it didn't happen.

 I received some fantastic stash from my secret stitcher. My stepfather collects Hummel figurines so I'm going to make that pattern for him and my mom.

Collection of supplies mostly for my coursework.

The start of a peacock card for my aunt as a thank you for two of her bird paintings and a large supply of craft stash she was getting rid of.

A few of my sample stitches for my class.

October

More stash from my secret stitcher. I'm hoping I might get the angel started for Christmas.

I also received the Collective Stitch book and fabric that I won from The Stitchers Village and three patterns I bought with points I won at the bingo games.

I've joined the Stitch from Stash challenge for the first half of 2017. I've set a budget of $25 Canadian monthly for kitting up projects. Any money I don't spend in a month rolls over and I'll get credits for finishes. The challenge goes from January until June I believe but I may try going to the end of the year. There hasn't been much money for stash buying anyway and 2017 is shaping up to be a challenging year.

We're almost at Rememberance Day as I'm writing this. I've been home from the hospital for two weeks. I'm still receiving IV treatments at home daily for the antibiotics and there is a vac dressing on my ankle which means I'm attached to a second machine that I need to carry around. The IV is supposed to be done by the beginning of December and my leg is healing well so I'm hoping to be rid of that machine soon as well. 

I hope Rememberance Day is meaningful for you and I hope to post again before Christmas.

Summer stitching

Well, here we are with another two month blog post. I've been really feeling the fatigue this summer and all the appointments in the Complex Chronic Disease Program leave some weeks very busy and others with not much happening while I'm recovering.

June craft projects

Dragonfly Brooch by Alison Cole. I've got some of the padding pieces down for this stumpwork and goldwork piece. It's been put aside, out of the rotation so I could concentrate on getting projects off my stretcher bars to use in my Basic Canvaswork course.

Psalm 23 by My Big Toe. I've made some progress on this. It's my project for upstairs when my tablet isn't working. I can get quite a bit of stitching done in bed staying out of Bill's way while he's getting ready for work. In the summer, the light is good coming in the window and in good weather I put my camp cot out on the deck and work out there.

 Pacific Rim Sampler by Jeannette Douglas. I started the seagull row. This is another project that's been put away until my course is finished.

What a Nice Pear? by Diane Scott. This is one of the canvaswork projects I've been concentrating on so I can have the stretcher bars. It's far from finished, though.

Canadian Flag by me. I put this together with some 3 ply cardboard and felt for Canada Day. Usually, my neighbour goes all out for the holidays but she was away this year and the front deck was looking bare of decorations. I'll have to try to  straighten the sides up a little before next year but I liked it so much I left it up all month.

Birthday presents

This pattern and card came from my Birthday and Christmas secret stitcher. I've ordered some special fabric for the Hedgehog House. I'm looking forward to starting it. I'll still need to order the threads.

I also went shopping with some gift cards and got a couple magazines, Purdy's chocolate, Dairy Queen ice cream and I treated myself to bubble tea, sushi and a frappe while I was at the mall. It was tiring but a good day. I also met my friend there for a little visit just before the handy dart came to take me home.

This was another great present I received as a secret stitcher exchange. It has a Dimensions kit Beautiful Bird, a home made bag, card and pin. I had a great birthday and it lasted most of the month. With the present from my mom, I renewed my guild membership. I was so thankful to get that or I may not have been able to renew. I also got some other money in from surveys which wasn't for my birthday but arrived at a good time to purchase some stitching supplies.

On the same day I made the flag, I also put these cups together for the birds to play with. They're stuffed with shredded paper and treats that they like to eat and a few small foot toys.

July stitching

First snow by Carolyn Mitchell. The top right quadrant is finished. I started the snowflake but ran into some difficulties so I've put it aside for awhile.

I had a few moments of craziness this month. I had three new starts. This is Heaven and Earth Designs Randal Spangler's Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. It's the project I'm doing for the current HAED challenge.

New start #2 Golden Kite Lady Godiva. I worked on this in July for the GK weekend SAL and got a couple 10x10 squares done. I've put it away for now.

Start #3 Dimensions Kit Beautiful Bird (birthday present - see June above). It's a peacock, I just had to start it. It's also put away as it's a little big to work on without a hoop and I didn't have a spare one.

 This is a cute little hedgehog card by Margaret Sherry that a friend gave me for my birthday. It felt odd working on Aida again after so long on linen but my HAED piece is on Aida too so I'll get in practice again. This is the project I'm taking to Dr's appointments so it's taking longer than it would if I just sat down and worked on it.

Floral Tranquillity by Heartfelt Designs. Since I'm writing this in August, I can tell you I've actually finished the stitching on this. Yay, Happy Dancing! but I'll make you wait until the next blog post to see it. Maybe I'll have figured out the framing by then. 

I've also been doing the sample stitches for my Canvaswork course. They aren't very exciting but I'm getting ideas on how to use them for my projects.

I took part in a Christmas in July ornament exchange on The Stitcher's Village. This is the one I received from my friend, Val.

Thanks to the Inspiration pass that my husband borrowed from the library, we got to make a trip to the Vancouver Aquarium. The Handy dart got us there really early so we spent the time taking a few photos before we went in. Here's a picture he took of me in my lovely BC Parks bucket hat. It was a pretty hot day.

This post is getting long so I'll save the aquarium photos for the next one.

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Catching up April and May

April

Needlework

I received this in the Virtual Threads scissor case exchange from Lucy.

I finished the blanket for my niece's baby Eleanor who was born near the end of April. I'm still working on the one for my nephew and his wife.

I finished the second page of Psalm 23 by My Big Toe. It was a very happy dance. I've been working on it for a number of years now.

This is Little Hedgie by Just Nan. The finished picture is below under the May section.

Other hobbies

I had a great idea for making oatmeal bath bombs. I cut up some nylons and stuffed them with oatmeal. They've been working great but I keep running out of nylons. I just found a recipe for them using coffee filters instead so I'm going to try that next time.

 I had only one iris bloom again this year but here it is. I'm giving my mom some of the bulbs when she's done with her moves and settled. They need to be divided again this fall so there will be lots.

 May

Needlework

Here's the finished Little Hedgie by Just Nan. He's now safely in my china cabinet where Bob can't get at him.

I also took part in the Embroidery Association of Canada's scissor fob exchange. Here is the lovely one I received from Marie. Marie and Lucie were my roommates at Seminar 2015. It was pretty remarkable that they both ended up sending me things in the exchange.

I've gotten back to my WIP rotation toward the end of May. I chose 7 projects, some from this year and some older ones. They're each assigned a day and that's what I work on during my needlework time. Monday I'm working on Psalm 23 but I didn't take a progress picture.

Tuesday is one from this year, Pacific Rim Sampler by Jeannette Douglas. I was stalled on it for awhile as I was having trouble matching up band one with band two. I've finally gotten it where I want it and I've also stitched band three.

Wednesday is an older Virtual Threads class piece I fell behind on and then put aside. Floral Tranquillity by Heartfelt Designs. I finished the large leaf on the right this week and started the veins in the leaves.

Thursday is Lavender Sparkle Butterfly by Alison Cole. It's another VT class project I fell behind on. I'm really not comfortable with surface work but I'm slowly working at it. I started the long and short stitches on the left wing this week.

Friday, I'll be working on another VT class project from Alison Cole that took place recently - Dragonfly Brooch. It's more goldwork but it should be beautiful when it's done. Saturday, I'm working on my Stitcher's Village Christmas in July exchange piece and Sunday, I'll be knitting which for a few weeks means working on Beau's baby blanket.

I have a VT Executive meeting this weekend and I'll need to decide if I'll stand again for office. I'm thinking not until my health improves some more.

Hatch day Celebration

We celebrated the boys hatch days in May. We don't know when either of them actually are since they're adopted but we do know Mal is 18 since he came from his original family and they knew how old he was. 

Bobby got a bag of toys from the toy box in a new bag. He was very interested in it. 

After Bobby was safely locked up with a little extra birdseed, Mal got his turn. He's not interested in bags so he got a little extra birdseed and some popcorn. He wasn't too sure about the camera so I tried to hold a piece of popcorn for him. He wanted nothing to do with it either.

Later Bobby came back out for his popcorn and Mal's. Here he is showing Mal what you're supposed to do with it. I was hoping to get a picture of him holding it in his foot and eating but as soon as he saw the camera, he ran towards me saying "pretty bird". What a ham. I had to hide the camera until he went back to eating to get this picture.

Health

My leg is fully healed and I'm doing very small walks around the block. I'm finished seeing the community nurses now.  I had a couple weeks set back when I came down with the flu. I'm feeling better now but still getting meals on wheels for another week. Then I'm back on my own.

I have a few appointments with the Complex Chronic Disease Program nurse and social worker in June. I'm happy to be finally starting some progress with that. I'll be talking about sleep and rest with the nurse next week and then hopefully getting some help with my finances from the social worker towards the end of the month and then another follow up appointment with the nurse after that. I had my lab tests this month and my A1c is still good but it looks like I'm still going to need iron pills. I'll find out for sure when I can see a doctor.

My search continues for a family doctor but I have a few more promising leads to follow up with this week. Unfortunately, they're further away from home so I'll need the HandyDart to get there. In the meantime, I'll probably be going to a walk in doctor at the clinic for prescriptions in the next couple weeks and I may be able to go over the test results with that doctor.

That's it for this time. A longish post but it does cover two months.