Recent Acquisitions and Some Projects

Yesterday I ventured out to do some Stash Acquisition.  The day was so lovely, in the mid-seventies and sunny, the sky was such a beautiful blue with some fluffy clouds that looked like they had been painted there by Bob whatever his name was on Public Television.

First I stopped by the quilt shop to drop off some Christmas samples I had finished, and catch up with Cat and Julia.  Then after a run through the drive thru at McD's to pick up a diet Coke I headed out to our local Ben Franklin.  Sadly BF is closing in October due to downturn in business over all this Covid madness.  Being a locally owned franchise cannot be easy in this market.  They don't do internet sales although I think they WERE doing curbside pickup.

For me, the joy of Ben's was the browsing.  They have nearly every craft you can imagine.  Markers, crayons, beads, yarn, embroidery floss, framing for your projects, fabric and fabric and fabric... and of course all of those cute kitchy things that have sassy sayings and need dusting but don't really serve any purpose!  And costume jewelry, if you needed a holiday pin for your sweater or coat this was the place.

Things are now at 30% off, so I thought I'd wander up there to see what they have in DMC Floss.  Turns out that the floss is in very low supply, but I did pick up about 40 skeins that I didn't have, so I'm filling out my chart.  I got most of the very low numbers (1-35) that came out within the last couple of years, plus some of the 3000s, of which I previously had none.  This price was 55 cents times .7 which makes them a bargain at like 38 cents each!  

Last night after DH went to bed I started working on a new pattern I picked up, a verse from Psalm 118.  This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.  Our pastor opens every service with that verse.  He says the first half and the congregation responds with the last part.

There's a big border so I spent about an hour plotting out the edges and putting in some basting every 10 thread groups in some 14 count linen.  Then I started on the border... and got into such a Zen mode that I stitched until 11:30 p.m.  Not my usual.  But I found full episodes of Midsomer Murders on YouTube and they run for an hour and a half with no interruptions so I just put my feet up and viola!

While I was in Oconomowoc I stopped at my son's house.  It was kind of an emergency... I had decided I didn't need to use the rest room at Ben's, but once in the car, it became more urgent.  He lives literally five minutes up the road, so I figured if he was home I'd have a visit and use the facilities in one stop.  And if he had not been home I would have gone to McD's, and probably purchased another diet Coke!  That would be over my one a week limit, but oh well...

So I texted, and sure enough he was home.  One of the grands needed him to be chauffer that day so he was working from his kitchen.  So we had a nice chat, I got a hug and had a nice little break from all my heavy shopping!

😁

On the way up there, I had encountered the dreaded summer plague of the midwest, road improvements.  I realize we have a short summer, but sometimes - and I used to work for traffic engineers so I totally get it that the road have to be maintained and all that.  But do they have to jazz up so many of my normal routes?

Mike P would say yes, you travel the most popular roads and they get more wear and tear and need improvements more frequently.  And you know EVERYONE hates potholes!!

SO I was in the tiny town of Genesee, most famous for being the home of Ten Chimneys, the home of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontaine, and on a two lane highway I got stopped in a line of northbound traffic for about five to seven minutes. 

   

    

Once we got started again I could see that the southbound lane was about 3 inches lower, so it must be a complete overhaul.  About halfway through, I got stopped again by another flagman so a small road grader could cross the road.  Altogether the delay was about 15 minutes, or about 1/3 of my normal trip.

And that is the big story of a summer Tuesday in Wisconsin.  The late Walter Cronkite might say "and that's the way it is, August 18, 2020."

Keep calm and sew on...

Thursdays

Thursdays are such fun days.  On a scale of 1 to 7, I think Thursday is a total 10!

 

Why, you ask?

• There are very few meetings in my life that happen on Thursdays.
• Thanksgiving...   

• Tomorrow is Friday!!
• DH goes out to run errands and visit on Thursday so I have several hours of silence.
• Laundry and cleaning happen on other days.

There's just so little pressure to DO on Thursdays.  It's a day to relax and plan and figure out what's happening the rest of the week.  And these days when my brain is so fuzzy most of the time, that is such a blessing.  A day to plan to do nothing!  Wow!

  

Within the next two weeks we have a major family event or two, so today is kind of the respite before the big storm.

Miss E leaves for college shortly.  Dang!  The whole summer went by without me even thinking about this, and now it's upon us.  I am praying that things go smoothly and she settles in and loves it.  She's always been kind of an anxious little person, carrying the worries of the world in her backpack.  I will send minute by minute instructions to the angels to walk with her.  Only one person is allowed to go with her (what with Covid and all) so the rest of us will do our worrying at home.  😧

Also next week is DH's birthday.  My daughter and granddaughters consider this a National Holiday, well maybe just a family holiday.  Considering how little DH enjoys fuss made over him, I think he would think something's missing if we didn't.  There is likely to be cake enjoyed, in any case.

Hopefully chocolate.

Progress continues on the Harry Styles sweater.  I swear the panels are getting more boring over time.  Probably because I do not know anything about Harry, nor do I care... too old I guess!

Yesterday I pulled DMC Floss for the cross stitch kits I recently received in the mail.  I have a whole collection of floss wound on cards in plastic boxes.  This was a gift from my daughter, who got them from a lady at work whose mother maybe??  decided to get rid of them or passed away and she had to got rid of them.  They turned out to be almost all of the colors from number 150 to number 930.  

The charts I have included many numbers that were higher than that because there are now numbers that are 4 digits, beginning with 3s.  For some reason DMC skipped the 1 and 2 thousands.  Anyway, I pulled a color chart with chips of color to see if I could find substitutes for the ones I don't have.

Turns out it's easier just to order new skeins.

I found a site, Lovecraft dot com, that has them for 60 cents right now.  Even with $5 shipping, that to me is more comfortable than running out to JoAnns.  Although when I think about it, I should have gone up to Ben Franklin, which is closing in October, and shopped there.  Oh well, next time.

Funny, I've been watching a LOT of YouTube, mostly because it's summer and there is so litte on TV that is new/good/worth the time.  

I sometimes watch stuff that is in my list of SUGGESTED videos, and I ran across Brenda and the Serial Starter (or Serial Stitcher on some of their stuff).  I blame them for the resurgence in interest I have in cross stitching.  

They do very nice presentations, they're knowledgeable and friendly and just humorous enough to be entertaining without being silly and boring.  I'm thoroughly enjoying their whole series.   They are both prodigious stitchers, as you can probably guess from seeing the wall behind them.

Anyway, time to get up and walk around... all this sitting at the computer means I should probably NOT eat the cake!

Stitch on...

Let the Wild Rumpus Begin!

That's a quote from a children's book, one that my kids loved to have read to them, called Where The Wild Things Are.  It's so much fun to read aloud to kids, everyone should have a copy!

So what's the rumpus these days?  Not a lot of rumpusing going on in my world right now.  We stay close to home and church, although we have taken a few side trips.  We have some friends, former neighbors, with whom we sometimes go out to breakfast.

It's funny, when I worked I used to think to myself 'well, at least I'm not one of those old fogies, going out to breakfast at 9 o'clock in the morning'!!  

Ha!  I am that now...  <sigh>  

This week and last our big adventure has been a trip to the lawyer's office to finalize a will and set up a trust.  We now have a granddaughter who's over 18, and that changed the dynamic a bit.  NOT that we have a bunch of money or lots of property, but if you want to avoid probate in Wisconsin, there are some easy ways to do it.  I'm watching a friend take her mom's estate through the process and it take for-ev-er!

We have two kids and four grands.  We wanted to just leave everything each to our spouse, but after we're both gone then divided equally between the two kids/families.  But only one can be the executor so we arm wrestled, each on behalf of one kid.  I won.  ha ha!  I'm afraid the other might not be amused but oh well.

Now the fun part starts... we have to rename all of our assets so that they reflect the fact that they're owned by our trust.  There are just a few things that deserve the name of 'asset'... but that means some paperwork, which DH has determined is my job.  Well, I guess most of the assets ARE mine, he's been retired so long there is no more IRA in his name.  😝

What else?  I've gotten back into counted cross stitch for some reason.  It's feeling kind of zen to do that.  And since it's not printed, if someone's not looking at the pattern, if I change something, well who knows but me?  My daughter did a cross stitch of a tea cup years ago as a gift to me, and it's hanging on my kitchen wall.  I love it and want to do a couple of complimentary small items to hang in the same area, so I'm working on Little House Needleworks patterns.  

These are the ones I got recenty in an acquisition frenzy:

They're very small, but then of course the size depends on the size of fabric on which you stitch.  It goes anywhere from 10 to up to 40 stitches per inch, so if you choose a smaller number, say 18 count, it's smaller than a 40 count.  I don't do much on 40 count, my eyes are not that great without strong reading glasses.  I like more like 24 to 28 count.  The pattern for the Post Office says to use 30 count linen which finishes approximately 5x3.5 inches.  

Yea, small.  But by the time it's framed it could be a nice wall decoration.

So the oldest grand, Miss E, is going off to college in a few weeks.  I remember when she was born, and it doesn't seem that long ago.  She of course is champing to leave.  I have to get knitting... I'm making the Harry Styles patchwork sweater per her request.  We thought it was crochet until we pulled down the free pattern.  It's knit, in chunky yarn in bright colors.

All I can say is:  Thank goodness she didn't ask for this one!!  But I think that is a commercially knit sweater, so maybe you can just buy it??

That is all the rumpus for this week.  Have a good one, stay safe, wear a mask!

Stitch on...

What Did I Miss?

Last week I guess I missed a hot controversy on one of the social media sites.  At least I think it was out there, and I think I missed it.

I love watching YouTube videos these days, since there's nothing worth watching on TV and I absolutely cannot stand watching commercials for adult diapers and political propaganda.

After DH goes to bed I turn on TY and watch my favorites, and then sometimes I open a new-to-me cast and watch until I decide if I like the presentation or not.  Sometimes I fall asleep on the couch to one and wake up to something completely different!!

So anyway I came across a girl who was  explaining how she felt about a whole social interchange about something I think she was calling yarn shaming??? 

Really?  

People evidently thought or think that knitwear designers are total yarn snobs because when they come out with patterns, they TELL YOU WHAT YARN TO BUY.  And sometimes it's EXPENSIVE YARN!

Oh. My. Gosh.

And in doing so, they make people who can't afford to buy EXPENSIVE YARN feel bad because they are not rich enough.

Huh.

Is there not enough hurt in the world that someone would start a hate-fest against knitting???

The young lady in the video made some very good points.  Knitwear designers don't do this on purpose.  Sometimes they're given a yarn by a yarn company and asked to design for that yarn.  Obviously the yarn company wants to sell that yarn.  Lots of it!  

But what is just as obvious (to me anyway) is that the YARN POLICE are NOT coming to my house to find out whether I'm actually using that specific yarn to knit that pattern!!

So anyway, to those folks who get upset because they can't afford a $33 skein of yarn or $150 for a sweater quantity, chill!  When I started knitting I got yarn from the local chain store and used whatever was cheapest.  I figured out what gauge it was and used a free pattern from the label, or from a magazine or something.  Gradually as I got more disposable income, I got into better yarns, and as I learned about them I changed what I used.  I grew as a knitter.

But guess what?  I STILL USE CHAIN STORE YARN sometimes!!  Even often!  If I'm knitting a winter hat that my husband is going to sweat up and toss in the wash, I use washable yarn!

$33 a skein is expensive if you're taking cash out of your grocery money to buy it.  $5 a skein is expensive if you're doing that!  Buy the best you can afford, enjoy the process, do it with love.  The rest doesn't matter.  

Some people see a sweater and they want EXACTLY THAT SWEATER.  Well, honey, maybe if you feel that way, you are a retail shopper not a maker.  Because I can tell you I have trouble even making two socks come out exactly the same when they're supposed to be a pair!

Embrace variety!  ...be unique!!  Don't aspire to be exactly the same as anyone else - be you!!

So all I can say is, I totally do not understand why there is even a question about what kind of yarn each individual knitter uses.  I'm glad I didn't see that whole chain, because I might have said something that would have offended someone.

People are so easily offended.

I guess I'm glad I'm doing Safer at Home these days.  Keeps me out of trouble...

Knit on...

Sewing Machines Then and Now

I was recently preparing an inventory for my sewing room, and making a list of things that should go to various family members when I go to the Church Triumphant.  It was a very interesting exercise!!

Through several moves over the past 20 years I've done what we call tossing the stash, but I've never really bothered to do a full inventory of my craft stash.  Everyone should do this for purposes of insurance coverage - believe me when I tell you that no insurance company is going to reimburse you for the loss of all your stuff without an inventory, because no average or even extra-smart insurance adjuster is going to believe the amount of stuff you have without proof, or  acknowledge its considerable worth!!

Interestingly I am the owner of not one but two Singer treadle machines from the first decade of the 20th century, which qualifies them both as antiques.  One has a serial number that indicates it was made in 1910 and the other in 1911.  They look very similar, although there are some subtle differences.

The decals are slightly different, and one machine shows more wear than the other.  They supposedly both belonged to my husband's grandmother on his mother's side, but there is no paperwork and why would a woman have purchased two so similar machines back in the day, when the family was not wealthy enough to justify that...

This is Miss 1910.

 

The cabinets are nearly identical, including the broken spot on the center drawer.  The drawer itself is rather flimsy and probably any amount of pulling would have caused the back to come loose.  I'd consider that a design flaw so it probably happened to lots of cabinets.

The one thing that stood out as different was the design on the access cover.  The machines all have an access hole on the back to allow for maintenance, and one of mine has a gear and wreath kind of design.  It has the same type of stylized flower motif on the decal.  The decal on the base of the machine is not as worn as the other one.  It has been rubbed off but is still visible.

1910   1911

The other machine has a fancier decal on the head, but the one on the base of the machine is nearly worn off.  You can see where the edges were, but the middle is gone.  This machine was well used.

Which is a litte weird considering that I didn't realize that anyone in his family sewed.  I suppose they  must have, but it wasn't anyone in my husband's generation.

This is Miss 1911.

The drawers of the cabinet look the same, although the one from 1911 is cleaner.  This is the one I've had the longest, so i know how often it's been cleaned and dusted.  The other one didn't arrive here until 2019.  

Last year I bought a Singer Featherweight that was made in 1952.  That qualifies it to be vintage but not antique.  It's a beauty, and so light (as the name implies) that it can be carried anywhere and makes a great machine to take to classes and retreats.  Not that we're doing that any time soon!  But it's been a lifelong wish of mine to own one, and when the opportunity arose I grabbed it up.

She's so cute, and so quiet.  I don't have very many accessories for any of these machines.  I had to order some additional bobbins for the treadles because there is only one in each machine, and if the zombie apocalypse comes and electricity goes out I'll need more!  There is a rolled hem foot and a ruffler foot for the Featherweight.

My new machines (purchased this century) are mostly Baby Locks (two sewing machines, one serger) and I also have a Brother embroidery machine, which doesn't get used enough.

Back to inventory... it took me an hour to count spools of thread, needles and cutting instruments.  Good thing I have no pressing engagements!  LOL!

Sew on...

Changes!

What happens when you don't blog for a while is BOOM!  Changes!!  There's a new blogspot interface, and while it looks OK, I'm still getting used to it.  So pardon my temporary backslide please.

Another change I'm trying to handle is being effectively a one-vehicle couple.  DH has a car that is so old it's a member of AARP.  He can't exceed 55 mph or it shakes.  He's been resistant to getting a used vehicle, even a newer one than he has, and I'm not signing up to lease something when buying is more cost effective, so we're doing nothing at present.

Which means when he has to go somewhere that involves transporting grandkids, driving on the freeway, or going any great distance, he uses my car.  NOT that I need to go anywhere, but it was kid of irritating in the beginning.  Now I'm just kid of used to it, although it is a good alternative to a car payment.

I also have been trying to exercise a bit.  Walking is good for you, right?  Then why is just walking around the block so, so, I don't know, maybe purposeless is too strong a word.  I mean, if the purpose is to lose a few pounds, that's good, right?  Yeah, not so inspiring.  Besides it's so hot even in the morning, I guess I could find a million excuses not to do it.  I don't have nor do I want a dog, and the cat votes for staying in.

Rework is change too.  I made a quilt recently from blocks I made in a Quilt-Along I did a few years ago.  I decided to make it bigger, so I had the bright idea to use up all of the 2 inch blocks I had left over and make a checkerboard border.  It took hours.  

I got it all attached, hung it on the design wall and it looked great!  Of course it had to be folded to hang on the wall, so I didn't see both sides at once.

The blocks on one side don't line up right.  The corner looks messy and out of kilter.  You either have to have it ALL lined up or ALL askew.  Anything else looks like the error that it is.  You cannot even try to call this one asymmetrical.  <sigh>  I have already started removing the offending borders.

Changes.

We'll get there, I hope.  

BTW please register to vote.  Some changes are completely necessary.

Sew on...

Blocked or Blogged? The Jury is Still Out!

First, a few gratuitous photos of my oldest granddaughter, Miss E, who just graduated from high school...  it seems amazing to me that last week she was starting 4K and now she's 18 and on her way to college.  We hope she actually gets to GO up to Green Bay and that dorm room gets to hold al her dreams and aspirations.  She's studying Human Medicine with a goal of being either a coroner or a medical examiner.  Beauty AND brains, I tell you, we could not be more proud of her!

As with many this year, the actual graduation was somewhat virtual.  Each student had an appointed time to go to school, pick up the diploma and have pictures taken.  Only two people were allowed in as audience, so I didn't get to go.  My heart cracked a litte but I'll live I guess.  they filmed everything and we watched it on YouTube.  Nearly 400 grads, and we were waiting for the Ws...  😍

Since I haven't blogged in a while, I thought I'd try to write something brilliant and exciting for my seven devoted followers today.  However, I find myself digging hard for topics.  Remember the days when people actually wrote letters to each other?  I was a very prolific correspondent, and it seemed like the more often I wrote someone, the easier it was to find a topic.  If I went too long between letters, I couldn't remember how far back to start with stories, or whether anyone would be interested in something from last month.

I sent my brother whose birthday is in May an actual card with a note inside.  He used to give the world all kinds of crap about having to be reminded by Facebook that it was someone's birthday.  I think that's the only way some of us remember anymore!

Anyway, he thought it was a quaint practice and commented about it.  On -- guess what?  Facebook!

I've been doing Safer at Home in a major way.  The shop was closed for a while and we were only filling on-line orders.  They're back open now but I decided to sit it out for now.  The work isn't hard-hard, but there is a lot of physical activity involved, and my shoulders and back ache enough without doing all that lifting and bending.  I've been to the grocery store a few times but mostly DH does the shopping and I just write lists.

I think I did a drive-through for a Diet Coke about two weeks ago.

You'd think I'd get some projects finished during all the at-home time!  However, I seem to start more than I complete.  Then I think, well I'll just go to the sewing room after breakfast and get some stuff done!  Oh, well, maybe I'll read the rest of this chapter -- or the whole book.  Because as Scarlett O'Hara said, there's always tomorrow.

I actually did complete two quilt tops.  One of these days I'll remember to take a picture of them.  More stuff to go on the 'to be quilted' pile.

<Sigh>

July 4 has come and gone.  Where did all the time go!!  It's hot here in Wisconsin, and I'm happy that my condo has central air.  I am no longer a big fan of summer.  Except for iced tea and watermelon, you could just go from spring to fall for me.

Except that after fall is winter.  Ugh.

Time to organize the yarn stash.  Day before yesterday a small package or three appeared on my porch.  The yarn fairies have been busy, so I guess I should get busy too.

Sew on...

Sorry, or Not Sorry

Oh boy.  When the world shut down due to Covid-19, I took myself down to my sewing room and said "self, this is your perfect opportunity to get some sewing done.  Finish up those projects that you've started over the years.  Sew your brains out, what else were you going to do with your time?"

Ha. Ha. Ha.

Every day for the last two month, I've gotten up with blazing compunction.  Today is the day I'm going to - insert action here.

But you know, first I'll make myself a cup of tea and read some of that book I started last night.  Oh and the news is on, so I'll just watch a little of that.  Oh, yeah, a notification of a new YouTube video that posted today!  Maybe I will just knit a couple of rows.  Yeah, I'll do those dishes...

Squirrel!!

The problem is there's always tomorrow.  I'm Scarlette O'Hara, I won't think about that now, I'll think about it tomorrow.

Shiny stuff!!

Make or receieve a phone call.  OOOOPS!!  It's lunchtime.  Where's my book?  Ding dong!  UPS left me a package or three.  New books from Thriftbooks . com!!  And then OOOO - yarn!!

Then it's time for dinner, and a movie, and bedtime, and, well, squirrel! 

Facebook, Instagram, email (two addresses), what was I doing?  Oh well, I can finish tomorrow.

So what have I finished?

Very little.

I did actually complete these boot strap socks, and even though the picture shows needles in the toe, I did Kitchener stitch the right sock and blocked them.

I finished the baby sweater for my friend Pam's granddaughter.  Of course by the time I get it to her, she may be in first grade...sorry!

 After watching 27 YouTube videos by Arne and Carlos, I completed two of the two dozen or more colorwork patches they were designing.  Seven more and I can make a pillow!

Thanks to my DH and his magic staple gun, I actually recovered the four old chairs that were in the sewing room.  I got rid of the table with the broken base in favor of a six foot folding table I had stashed away.  They're nice and cheery, don't you think?

 This is the before photo of the worst of the chairs.  This wasn't the first covering, but the fabric must have been ordinary cotton, because it didn't hold up very well.  The new stuff is more upholstery grade.

 Then I used the rest of the fabric to cover my big board.  It was stained from some iron leakage/water spillage, and some mild scorching.  Now it matches the chairs.

Totally unfinished and destined to stay that way is this 1,000 piece puzzle.  I actually had the left side almost done, and a big section of a purple tree in the center on the right.  The rest was green, and it was getting SOOOO annoying that nothing was fitting together.  Hubby and I made an executive decision and just PUT IT BACK IN THE BOX!  Not sorry, either!!

After all, we're supposed to be kind to one another.

The good news is, my resource center is full, and it doesn't look like I'll run out of new projects to start any time soon.

There's always tomorrow.

Sew on...