Coming Along Nicely

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My new lamp is working fantastically and I have been able to get in some stitching here and there, even if only for a few minutes at a time. I believe I have completed all the cross stitching for this mermaid, and I have tried to do the backstitching as I go. That means I am down to the backstitching that uses Kreinik #4 braid for the tail and some embellishments, and then at last it will be time for the beads! I have taken photos here and there, but have not felt up to making blog posts each time. So I will stick a bunch of photos onto this post and you can see my progress for the past 6 weeks.

XXX
Carrie


The Mermaid’s Tail

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I have been working on the mermaid off and on for the last couple of months but didn’t realize I hadn’t posted any photos of the tail. It is coming along slowly but surely. The backstitch has been pretty tedious. I am not really looking forward to the backstitching with kreinik braid all through the tail, in a sort of checkerboard pattern. But I’m sure the end result will be worth it. The tail will also be full of beads (you can see the blank spots sort of like polka dots!)

Hopefully this project will get me through the long winter ahead, although I do want to get back to work on the gingerbread houses since it is getting to be that time of year again. But I don’t see how I will be able to finish them for this Christmas. I would rather get the mermaid finished.

XXX
Carrie


So Little Time…

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Wow, so much has been going on lately, I feel like a chicken running around with its head cut off! My two favorite men (my hubby and father) have been replacing the roof on my store. On Tuesday they worked from 7:45 a.m. until 9:45 p.m. Hubby came home for a can of ravioli for lunch and then skipped dinner. Wednesday and Thursday they quit at dinner time, I think from sheer exhaustion. This roof was probably close to 100 years old, and had layer upon layer that had to be ripped off. I am hoping they get done today because tomorrow is probably going to be the last day without rain. Actually, while they were working it started to snow. Yes, I said SNOW.

I have been going to the orthodontist since November to try to address my major TMJ issues. In January I got a bite splint which makes me look really weird, and for the first few weeks I couldn’t talk very well. But I was amazed at the results. My headaches disappeared, as did my sinus pain. My earaches went away and I actually got the hearing back in my left hear. I could walk up and down the stairs or around the grocery store without my knees killing me. I could sleep at night. And I was finally able to eat again. I had lost about 9 pounds, which is not a good thing on an already skinny person. Now that I have had the device in 24/7 for 4 months, we decided to continue with braces. I go next Wednesday to get them on my lower teeth only, so that I can still wear the bite splint on my top teeth. So running to the orthodontist for bite splint adjustments, x rays, impressions, and consultations has really eaten up a lot of my time.

It’s just about the end of the school year, which brings about lots of excitement and stress at the same time. The kids are excited that they only have 10 full days and 2 half days left, but I am stressing about their fighting which will start up about 5 minutes after they are forced to be together on the first day of vacation. I am not sure how I will handle that all summer long. Next year they will be in separate schools, which will probably make our routine even harder than it is this year.

We have also been making plans for the summer, which include going to DISNEY WORLD! This will be my son’s 5th trip and my daughter’s 4th. It will also be our longest trip by far. Normally we do 3 or 4 days, and the last time we went we did 5 days because Disney gave us the 5th day for free when booking a 4 day trip. This time around we will be in the park for 7 days! My daughter’s birthday is the middle of August and our trip will be right after that, and we will get home just a few days before school starts up again.

I have been stitching a little bit each night, but not taking progress photos. My current project is one I kitted up last summer, so it is technically from my stash.It is worked entirely in silk, which I had not used before. But I am finding that the Kreinik Silk Mori is a dream to work with. It doesn’t knot as bad as DMC, and it glides through the fabric (I am stitching on linen). The pattern is from an old issue of Just Cross Stitch, which I found at a thrift store. After deciding to stitch it, I found that issue on my Just Cross Stitch DVD which has 10 years of issues (see my previous blog post). I was able to print the pattern out so that I could cross off my stitches as I go and not ruin my physical copy of the magazine. I LOVE these DVDs!

house1Here is my slow progress from the past couple of weeks. Maybe since it is a holiday weekend (and my birthday!) I will get some well deserved stitching time in the next few days.

house2

XXX
Carrie


New from Kreinik

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newkreinik

Kreinik has announced six new metallic thread colors. From left to right: 9132 Lemon Grass, 9732 Blue Grass, 5805 Golden Pimento, 5815 Golden Chardonnay, 5835 Golden Olive, 5845 Golden Cabernet. These are available in Very Fine #4, Fine #8 and Tapestry #12 Braids, and I believe two of the colors are also available as blending filament. We will be getting these into the shop soon.

XXX
Carrie