Uninspired

Mid-afternoon and I haven't done any sewing related to my pj pants. I haven't really done very much sewing in the last two weeks. I don't feel like it. I'm feeling uninspired with it all.

This morning, I decided that I wouldn't push myself to get the pants done today. If I don't get them done, I don't get them done. I don't want to get all stressed out over something that's supposed to be fun. I'm not getting a grade in my class. It's not even pass/fail so why give myself heartburn. It's really supposed to be about my enjoyment, not what the other students or the instructor thinks. It'll all get done...at my own pace.

Now to figure out my pace. I think I really need to dedicate an hour a day to sewing in order for me to get my projects done. This waiting to do everything at the last minute just isn't working for me. It's hard for me to stick to a schedule since I can be very all or nothing. It's why juggling a ton of projects just doesn't work for me. Once I find something I like, I want to work on it all the time. I used to be a one project girl for the longest time...now I can juggle two or three but not really more than that.

I decided that today, I'd enjoy the day. Enjoy the peace and quiet. Knit a little while catching up on all my Tivo'd shows. If I get to Tracing my pattern...great! If I get to cut my fabric...even better. But assembly probably won't happen. Truth be told, I hate tracing and cutting. It's my least favorite part. I think once I get that done...the inspiration will return.

Here's a photo of the fabric! I think it's fun! Skulls and guitars...
Ok..off to knit and watch more tv...may as well enjoy the weekend how I want before the workweek begins!

Until next time...

Stash!!

So...remember way back when, when I said that I got birthday money from my parents and *the boy's* mom and I was wondering what to do with it?

Well, *the boy* bought me a lovely red leather purse for my birthday and I wanted to get a matching wallet. But all the wallets were garmongous and I only wanted a french wallet. You know, one of those that are maybe 2/3 the size of a checkbook wallet? Well, no such luck for me.

And I needed some new work flats since my comfie ones are worn down and eaten through the leather. Seriously...they are ghetto flats now but so comfy! But I have gone to every shoe store imaginable and still can't find a pair that is both cute, stylish AND comfy.

So I bought a ton of stash! I do have to say that I was holding out for a while knowing that I would have my birthday discount at Needlecraft Corner. This is my favorite online needlework shop. They are brick and morter but umm...Maryland is pretty far for me to travel to shop in the store!
Plum Street Samplers Paradise Lost and Christmas Tea with recommended Belle Soie. I couldn't resist Paradise Lost with it's 60's style Eve and funky trees and let's not even get started with the animals! I'll get to it someday. Christmas Tea will be my December start this year. There's something about it. And after stumbling upon many times in the last year, I finally decided to just get it already! I am hoping to get to NiaH next weekend to buy some fabric so that I can maybe put some stitches into it Thanksgiving weekend.
I also bought LHN's Love One Another, assorted Cresecent Colors for my LHN Traveling Stitcher and Pumpkins for Sale which will be started sometime soon in my head but probably much later in reality, as well as a ton of AVAS for my American Sampler. So...now you know why I was waiting for birthday discount. I think American Sampler requires 37 different colors and I really wanted to do it in silk if I was going to attempt it. I also purchased 3 French charts from another online needlework store called The Threadbasket. The owner has the same name I do! Except with the french accent and all. I thought that was funny.

I also bought stash for gifts and my exchange so I pulled that stuff from the photos. Someone needs to take my stash buying priviledges away! Ummm...but that's not it.

I saw on Danielle's blog that she had ordered some scroll covers off of etsy. Now that I am about to start Mary Wigham and she will be strictly an at home project sitting on scroll rods, I decided that I needed nice protective covers too! So I bought a cover for my 16" rods and 20" rods...which are the only ones I have! LOL Ann was a pleasure to work with! The scroll covers are a custom item so you have to email her directly to request them. Be sure to give her the correct scroll measurements as I discovered my scroll rod measurements were different than Danielle's. I love the prints I chose plus she quilted them. I think I'll be getting a lot of use out of them!
Speaking of Mary Wigham, Lisa and I are going to SAL together and start on Thanksgiving weekend! Ok, I've put it out there for all of blogland to see so I am committed and definitely starting! I am so looking forward to turkey weekend. I have lots of stitching time planned and 2 starts to attempt.

*sigh* I am very behind! I didn't knit Thursday and I haven't even started on my sewing. Looks like tomorrow will be an all-day sewing fest attempting to finish making (umm...haven't even started!) my pants.

*The boy* leaves tonight...back to RI. Looks like I'm solo through the holidays. Again with the mixed feelings. But I'll go back to all out craft mode and hopefully, get into some sort of fitness routine. You know you've gotten out of shape when you get winded climbing up your own damn stairs!!

OK...sewing pics tomorrow! :)

Until next time...

Weak

Well, all day I debated what to write about today. No progress to show. Nothing eventful has happened. Things are definitely boring in my little world.

When I got home, *the boy* said he took a funny picture. Awesome, I thought...perfect blog fodder. I tell him to download it to my computer. He gets busy with dinner fixings, we sit to watch Young Frankenstein and as soon as he started snoring, I skedaddled to the bedroom. But...the supposed funny photo is still on his camera. Eff!!

Does it take repeated requests for your guy to get things you asked done? It's one of my biggest pet peeves...first is not listening, second is not doing what you say you are going to do. Boys drive me nuts!

So since I have nothing really interesting to say, I will comment that I saw an advertisement in the local paper that a new needlepoint shop opened in the city I work in. Earlier this year, a teeny needlepoint shop opened in another part of the city I work in. The city I work in is pretty small and now there are two needlepoint stores within the city limits with another needlepoint/cross stitch shop in the next town over. The needlepoint/cross stitch shop is sometimes helpful to me in the form of running into it to see if they have the floss that I just ran out of but otherwise, it's a tad dismal. It's a cute little shop but it has very little fabric, very few charts limited to one cabinet and then lots of needlepoint canvases. I just wish there was a cross stitch store nearby...and if I ever win lotto...that would be my project. The more and more work drives me crazy, the more I dream about stitching and creating during every minute of every waking hour. In the meantime, I will continue to make the 60 mile round trip drive to visit NiaH.

So this is a weak post but I still posted and complied with NaBloPoMo!! Hopefully tomorrow, I'll have some good stuff to show you! And if it comes down to it...I'll show you my recent stash! It's been like Christmas here! lol Damn internet makes it too easy to stock up on more stuff you don't have the time to stitch!

Until next time...

A Day in San Francisco

Yesterday, *the boy* and I took a drive around the city. I had an appointment in the Financial District which was super quick and since *the boy* is walking but not a lot, I was saving his walking power for a little jaunt in the Mission.

I have been craving Peruvian like you wouldn't believe and so I already had it planned that we would grab lunch at Limon Rotisserie. I told *the boy* before he even came back into town and I've been looking forward to it for weeks! We had some yummy Ceviche Mixto, empanadas, lomo saltado with rice and sangria. I was a happy girl!

Afterwards, we drove over to another area of the Mission to grab ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery. I picked Brown Sugar with Ginger Caramel Swirl. This ice cream shop has "different" flavors so I try to pick something other than the standard Cookies and Cream or Vanilla. The Brown Sugar ice cream was good...but I got bored about half way through. I really wanted the Almond Joy which was the coconut ice cream with fudge, toasted coconut flakes and almonds. Good thing it's a pain to park there or I'd ditch work and go get it now. Doesn't that sound sinful?! But then, I'm one of those that actually likes Almond Joys. Yummmm!

Me holding my cup of ice cream:

After that we walked 2 square blocks. *The boy* moves slow and there are times when I pull on his arm and go "omg, hurry up! We're in a hurry!". But yesterday, I wasn't in any real hurry and I was enjoying the warm afternoon. So here are a series of pictures I took during our 2 block walk. Are you ready?!

You know you're in California when there is sunshine and palm trees...in November.

And the sun is shining into your camera lens when you are trying to take a picture,
And you are definitely in San Francisco, when you find interesting and cute sidewalk graffiti and stenciling. "Sanctuary City for the Rich; Try French Kiss". I have no idea what the heck that means but for street graffiti, it's pretty cool looking.
Does anyone speak German? I think that's the language in the sign. I think it says beware of cat? But look...there's the cat! He's a cute cat though...I can't imagine him being an attack cat!
And..ummm...apparently someone has a fascination for owls?! You can click on any of the pictures to make them bigger.

So I saw a lot of pretty stuff and a lot of interesting stuff in two square blocks! After out little walk, we went for a visit to my parents. I don't know if this happens to anyone else but I called my parents the night before and said that I was going to come over for a visit on Wednesday. When I get there, neither of them are there! But I found a note from my dad saying, "Valerie, I went for a walk, I will be back in 20 minutes". It wasn't timestamped in any way but I sat and waited. My dad came about 15 minutes later and when I ask where Mom is, he says that she has her Wednesday routine and went to Kohls. WTF? I said I was coming over! They do this *all* the time. And they dare to say I don't visit! But I do...they just aren't there when I do! So we chatted with the Dad for an hour or so and made our way back home so I could stitch and stuff.

Thanks for the nice comments about my tassels. I wish I could show you what I made! I'm very proud of myself. LOL I don't even think my partner reads my blog but just in case, I will hold off to maintain the surprise. And the true achievement is that I finished my exchange over one week early!OMG, that never happens! I'll mail it off on Wednesday and should be plenty of time for my partner to receive it!

I hoped you enjoyed seeing my photos!

Until next time...

Peace and Quiet

The evening so far has been very peaceful and quiet. I think since *the boy* and I spent the whole day together, he's quiet and much less chirpy this evening. *The boy* likes to talk and usually, at night, I like to sit quietly making my x's while the tv tells me stories in the background. I've been plugging along on finishing my exchange. I am 75% done. Woot! I feel as slow as molasses when it comes to actual finishing and I am trying my hand at a new finish type for part of this particular exchange.

I am dying to stitch! Backstitching and finishing and such is not my idea of stitching. I am going through major withdrawals but stitching has to wait a little while longer. I have this exchange to finish, a gift to finish and pajama pants to sew. I already know that when Thanksgiving weekend comes around, I will have a serious "stitch-ass" weekend. OMG, I can't wait!

I'm not in a talkative or blogging mood since I'm on a roll with my exchange. I don't think I will finish it tonight but I'll get pretty close. Not to mention the yawning is starting already.

This was the extent of my stitching last night...well this and some knitting that I can't show.
This was my first attempt at tassels. I need these for my exchange and of the five I made only one is a little jacked. I'm pretty happy with them!

Tomorrow, I'll share the details of today. It was a nice day...drive in the city, peruvian lunch, ice cream, walk around and visit with my dad. Amazing how the daylight hours passed so fast. Back to work tomorrow...boo!

Until next time...

ETA: 11pm...completely done with my exchange Woot! I love it so much...I want to keep it!! My exchange partner is lucky I stitched her initials on it. This will definitely be a stitch-over so I can make one for myself. Next...knitting tomorrow. Sewing on pajama pants Friday through the weekend until I get them completed.

Today's Post is Brought to You...

...by the letter M.

...for migraine! Ugh!

It's not so bad now as it was earlier at work.

I was wondering why Google has been sponsoring Sesame Street characters on their home page since the weekend and then I realized it's the 40th anniversary of it's creation. I *loved* Sesame Street! I wonder if watching it so much as a kid made me grouchy! I liked Oscar...

Now I have no reason to watch Sesame Street now but I've heard all the changes that have been made to make things more politically and socially correct...and that kind of makes me sad! It's no longer the Sesame Street it was when I was a kid. But what can you do.

*The boy* and I have been having a lot of emotional relationship talks which have been very draining on me. Which means I haven't been crafting as much and I haven't the energy to come up with anything fantastically witty.

Maybe tomorrow...we're doing a city outing...I only hope the rain holds off.

Until next time...

De Basura a Tresoro #2

It's time for De Basura a Tresoro...from junk to treasure...adopt my stuff...save it from Goodwill drawing. If you remember, last week I posted the butterfly key ring holder and I had 4 comments requesting adoption. I had *the boy* pick a name from ones I threw in a bowl and he picked Sharon/Daffycat!

Congratulations! I hope that you enjoy this treasure from Nicaragua! Please send me an email with your snail mail addy and I'll get it to you as soon as *the boy* can hobble to the post office.

The next treasure is umm...a little weird I think. It's a wooden chicken. Yep, that's right a chicken. It's not a bad looking chicken or anything. I just think it's weird that this is what my mom stuffed into a suitcase to bring to me as a souvenir. Really? Mom? A wooden chicken? She says she bought it for my kitchen and I can see this in a country style house/kitchen. But I live in an Spanish style apartment building and my kitchen is seriously, like 3' x 6'. It's a tiny kitchen...def. no room for Mr. BokBok. But maybe someone out there can find a use for Mr. Bokbok or finds him endearing.

Front View...
Side View...

If you'd like to adopt Mr. BokBok, please leave a message on this post only and I will do the drawing next Monday, 11/16 at 10pm PST.

Mondays...yuk! My saving grace is that this is a holiday week. Thank you Veteran's! Hope everyone had a good Monday!

Until next time...

Sundays

Ugh...I have a case of the Sundays!

On Fridays, I am very TGIF! Party, party...martini guzzling.

On Sundays, I am very "Noooooo, tomorrow can't be Monday. Stop the clock...I don't want to go back to work" and kind of get into a funk.

I hate Mondays...mainly because work has been incredibly tedious this year.

Sooo...today wasn't very productive. Slept in, went to farmer's market, had breakfast out, ran a couple of errands and then tried not to fall asleep on the couch. I was barely successful. Stitched a bit, sewed a bit but seriously not enough to show. So this is the most boring post ever.

*The boy* is asking to watch a movie so I'm off to see what On Demand holds for us. Best to make the most of the week. He's off to RI again at the end of the week.

Until next time...

Birthday Scarf

After martinis last night, I felt really tired and I knit but not as much as I wanted to because I soon went into a vodka-induced haze.

*The boy's* mom's birthday is Monday. To be honest...I thought it was Tuesday this whole time and I already knew I was running behind. I didn't know I was running *that* behind!! I woke up early and knit, knit, knit until the scarf was done.

A couple of weeks ago, I realized the mom's birthday was coming up and suggested to *the boy* that I make her an Isis scarf. It's cold back east and I love scarves and I made myself an Isis scarf about 4 years ago and it's my favorite. So *the boy* picked out the colorway and I bought the yarn and cast on. Here is my Isis scarf on the left and the mom's Isis Scarf on the right. As you can see, the mom's scarf is healthier than mine. It's wider and just as long. This is because I cast on too many stitches and used needles one size too big...all by mistake...because I couldn't remember. Dammit! When I said I would rip it, *the boy* said no because his mom would want a wider scarf to begin with so he bought more yarn. Normally, this scarf should knit up with just one skein. I hope that the next Isis scarf I make goes more smoothly!
Here is a closeup of the colorway. It's a colorful combination of oranges, rusts, pinks and golds.
I hope *the boy's* mom likes her birthday present!

Note to self: buy one of those stitchy journals so I can look at important cast on/needle size details instead of relying on my deteriorating memory!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Saturday. After the trip to the post office to get the scarf out and a yummy Indian lunch, we paid a visit to see Claire and Baby Andre and run a couple of errands. I, of course, forgot my camera. Read: deteriorating memory. Oh well... Tomorrow is a mish mash of craftiness and other stuff.

Have a great Sunday!

Until next time...

TGIF!!!

Hi folks! TGIF!! Ugh, you have no idea. So happy! After *the boy* remembered to pick me up (he says car trouble) and we ran a couple of errands, I came back home to this!
Yum! *slurp, slurp, slurp*

Short post today...almost ready for second martini and I must finish scarf for boy's mom tonight! OMG...the pressure. At least I remember to cast off now...thanks to the internets.

Have a wonderful Saturday!!

288 Days

After 288 days, Dr. House finally said *the boy* can walk unassisted! To say he was ecstatic and I am relieved is an understatement. This has felt like a lost year and he's ready to basically start over for reals this time. Get a job, get a place, have fun and give me back a little space. Me? I'm looking forward to some space and a "normal" dating relationship. I hope it all happens fast! So tired of being patient and playing the "wait and see" card!

Just so happy he can walk normally. 288 days!!! That's a long time! Thanks to everyone who extended good thoughts and healing mojo and put up with my crankiness and whining throughout. Seriously...so appreciated!

To celebrate, we went to San Mateo Prime for a wonderful steak dinner. I am stuffed!! This little restaurant serves out food that is on the same level as House of Prime Rib in the city...without the panache. Salad...yum! Steak...yum! Sides...Yum! Desserts...those can use some work but you're there for steak anyways. The best part is I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I *love* leftovers!

Sushi crawl yesterday got cancelled at the last minute. One of my co-workers forgot he had a meeting after work. So bummed! We were both looking forward to it. Instead we just grabbed a quick meal, suffered from food coma and I stitched half-heartedly on my exchange. Finally done with the stitching and will put it aside for a week before doing the assembly. I always dread the finishing part!

Short post today. The extra yarn for *the boy's* mom's scarf arrived so I better get working on that. Off to knit!

Until next time...

Sushi Crawl?

Apparently the masses voted in our favor last night! Yay! Still don't know to what extent the budget cuts will be though since tax revenue will not be seen until April so there's still a little ways to go. It's good that our measures only needed majority...only 9% of the city's population went out to vote! That's kind of sad.

I'll be out of the house all day so no fun crafty pictures. Still working on gifts and I am getting antsy for some selfish stitching. But I will hold strong. I don't have much more to do. I've realized it's hard to juggle three craft forms...stitching, knitting and sewing. With stitching...I'm dying to start a project just for me! With knitting...I sometimes struggle with cast on amount and having enough yarn and did I mention I can't even remember to cast off?! Yea...go me! lol And for sewing...well, it's lots of fun but whereas I was ahead of the game two weeks ago, now I'm behind! Looks like I'll be working on pj pants more often than not for the rest of the week. Wait til you see my fabric! I love it!
Tonight is sushi crawl. A couple of co-workers invited me and *the boy* out for a night of sushi. *The boy* is craving it and I can always use healthy protein. The point of sushi crawl is that you go to three or four places and pick their specialty. One japanese restaurant might be known for their noodles, the other for sashimi and the next for rolls. And we can't forget the japanese dessert place...there are two nearby. One is strictly japanese donuts and the other is full of crepes and japanese centric desserts. I'm looking forward to it! Especially the dessert part! So I'm getting this post in now since I might be in food coma later!!

Tomorrow is *the boy's* follow up with the doctor. We are hoping this is the final doctor's appointment and that Dr. House (as we fondly call him) says *the boy* can walk unassisted because his leg is finally fully healed. He is currently using a cane. You guys have the best healing mojo and kind thoughts so please think good thoughts for him.

For those who sent good thoughts for my sister's surgery, thank you so much! Her surgery was successful! They did the lumpectomy and tested her nearby glands and they came back clear. Thank goodness. She does have to do a round of radiation...something like 25 straight days for 15 minutes a day that doesn't sound pleasant but it sounds like she will be ok. We are very thankful for that.

Go out and enjoy the day!

Until next time...

So Many Topics

So today is supposed to be Tuesday Stitchy Night but I will forgo that tonight because even though I'm getting some stitching done, it's minimal and for an exchange which means no pictures.

With NaBloPoMo, I feel pulled in a lot of directions...topics to talk about and I don't want to tell you everything all at once because, you know, I need to be sure to have enough to talk about to fill 30 posts. Not to mention *the boy* likes the idea of being a guest on the blog and rattled off a short list of topics at me at 7am...when I was still trying to wake up. Be thankful I saved you from his quarter idea. He's all upset that he got stuck with a Canadian quarter and how back East, folks would accept the Canadian Quarter without question as payment but how here, in California, vendors all look at him crazy and think that he's trying to rip them off...of 25 cents. Apparently East Coasters are cool in this scenario and us West Coasters suck. Whatever...move on...get over it.

But I do have to say that sometimes...*the boy* is a big dork. On Sunday, he went to Walgreens to look for something and came back acting all suspicious and secretive. When I asked him what was up, he said he had a surprise and showed me this. This!
I can't believe he brought this home but apparently he thought that since it was 80% off, it was just such a deal. Now, I love Snoopy...but a Snoopy Pumpkin?! What is the world coming too?!

The next day, *the boy* went back to Walgreens to return the things he had bought the day before. I was hoping he'd return the Snoopy Pumpkin but something about at 80% off, it was a final sale. Again, he came with another surprise for me. I was scared!! What if he brought back a Woodstock Squash? I mean, what am I supposed to do with that? But fear not, it was not a Woodstock Squash...it was a nice trio of lined baskets. I was surprised! I liked them and they go with my living room decor.
Yes, *the boy* did good. But then it became clear. He thinks my coffee table/futon area aka stitchy corner is a little out of hand. See for yourself! This doesn't include the area to the side of the futon where I pile my wips.
So I'm to reorganize using the baskets for my stitchy stuff so that the coffee table doesn't look like a tornado hit it. It's a good idea. Maybe, it might make things easier to find since they'll be in "Valerie" baskets he wont touch. Now, he piles all his crap on top of my stuff and I'm always "where is....?"

So apparently, some scary stuff and some cool stuff can be found at Walgreens. I just go there for toiletries and stuff.

It's getting late here and I am anxiously awaiting what the election outcome will be. I hope that everyone went out to vote even if there wasn't any huge stuff on the ballot. For the city I work for, there were hotel and sales tax increases on the ballot. Approving the increases would mean that city services would be safe. Not approving would mean reduced services, brown outs of fire engines, less police officers, furloughs and possibly layoffs. I wonder what the voters decided and what this means for my future job stability. One can only hope that things turn out ok.

I hope you all have a great night...time for me to put some more stitches into my exchange.

Until next time...

De Basura a Tresoro

A while ago, I had mentioned getting some items as gifts from relatives in Nicaragua that I wasn't really into. In August, I did my butterfly adoption and the idea seemed popular so I'm moving forward with this and calling it De Basura a Tresoro which is Spanish for "From Junk to Treasure". Or it can also be "Save My Stuff from the Goodwill!". You can call it whatever, the end result is the same. I think I will try to put one thing up each Monday in November and the winner will be announced the following Monday. That gives the item one week to hopefully find a new owner that will treasure the item. All items are new. All items are from Nicaragua. You wouldn't find any of these things in the US unless someone from Nicaragua shipped it here for their own relatives or to sell in a bodega.

The first item is a wooden key ring holder with an aluminum plate with a butterfly and flower on it. The main colors are shades of orange, green, yellow and silver. It's meant to be hung on a wall and has two little key hooks on the bottom. The size is 4" x 8" so it's not that big. I think this is cute. I don't have any use for a hanging key holder especially since I live in a 1930's building with original plaster walls. My lease says no holes in the plaster so I hang all my art with heavy duty fishing line and moulding hooks. Sounds weird, huh? It's actually kind of cool but requires a certain amount of effort that I won't exert for this little key holder.
Excuse the plastic...pillow is not included! Item will be shipped the cheapest way possible and may take me a couple of days to ship depending on schedule and on-hand shipping supplies.

If you're interested, please post a comment being really specific that you want to be entered for the adoption/giveaway. I'm pretty dense otherwise and apt to get all confused! If there is more than one person, I will pick at random or have *the boy* do it if he's around and announce the winner next Monday, November 9th at 11pm PST.

Until next time...

NaBloPoMo Begins!

Well, I decided to bite the bullet and sign up for NaBloPoMo for November. If you're interested, there's still time to sign up and post. Just click the button on my sidebar!

I wonder how well I will do with blogging everyday but I wanted to try and having my IRL buddy, AM as motivational support will really help too.

I'm a pretty shy and quiet person...which people don't generally think from my writing style. Behind the computer...I can be a super chatty girl but in person, I'm pretty shy especially around big groups. It's amazing I was such a crazy serial dater! This blog isn't so much about dating and crazy Match.com encounters now as it was when it was first launched. Now, it's more about making connections with like-minded people and seeking advice and opinions on things and methods I am passionate about...mainly stitching nowadays. So when I asked for some input and advice about floor stands a little while ago, never did I think I had a floor stand fairy out in blogland...but I did. I was pleasantly surprised by an offer of a no longer used original Gazelle. I gratefully accepted and look what landed on my doorstep this week!! Even more shocking is that my floor stand fairy, waved her wand and got it out to me while she was hosting her huge and amazing Halloween giveaway. God knows she was busy juggling that!
There was some serious happy dancing and huge smiles when I got this sucker assembled...which was easy once my apartment manager came by with the right size allen wrench! This is perfect! I can't wait to mount a BAP on it. I would love to do it now but am buried under gift crafting at the moment. Thank you so much to my wonderful floor stand fairy!

I hope that everyone had a happy and safe Halloween. *The boy* landed back into SFO and we headed into the city to watch Nosferatu at Davies. Davies is the local symphony hall so a horror movie in the realm of a world-renowned classical music venue is odd to begin with but since the movie is a silent film, the orchestra will play the accompaniment. With this movie, the main instrument was the Ruffatti organ with some cool percussion sound effects. It was an interesting movie..I had never watched it before but it's one of those one time is enough type of movies for me. I love the organ though. It was funny to see people dressed up in costume at the Symphony Hall!

Today was a breakfast at home type of day with some fresh coffee and homemade blueberry muffins. Yum! I had decided to be a nice girlfriend and bake *the boy's* favorite pastry yesterday for his arrival.
The rest of the day was farmer's market (forgot my blasted camera!) and the supermarket.

In between, I've been crafting. I'm making a birthday scarf for *the boy's* mom. I think I got the pattern wrong...at least the cast on amount wrong. I've remembered why I don't knit as much anymore...it can be frustrating! As I kept knitting, I noticed the yarn dwindling but the length not growing enough to become scarf worthy. I think I cast on 4 stitches too many! But *the boy* likes the width of the scarf so I've ordered more yarn so I can finish up the scarf. I hope it arrives quickly as the birthday is next Monday and needs to be shipped. I also have the problem of not remembering how in the world to cast off. Looks like I'll be pulling my Knitting for Dummies book off the shelf or checking YouTube! lol

And besides the scarf, I've been stitching away on my exchange. So no crafty snaps yet.

Happy November everyone...can you believe it?! This year is flying!

Until next time...erm...tomorrow!

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Nights

Ack...I've spent the entire evening tidying up before the housecleaner arrives for my bi-weekly appointment to find out she's been told to take it easy due to her pregnancy. I'm happy for her but I could have been stitching for the last couple of hours. So time to sit back and relax and try to catch up on gift and exchange deadlines.

I don't have much to report. Yesterday was my long day because of sewing class and I came home and prepped some yarn to start a birthday present. Today was my yearly physical where I got a bill of good health with some borderline high blood pressure which will resolve itself with less stress, more yoga and walking and taking some time to relax and take some nice, big breaths. Seems manageable. Since the doctor's office is across the street from a Joann's I haven't been to yet, I went in and found some fun skulls and guitars flannel for pj pants. Trust me...much cuter and funky than it sounds. It wasn't what I was originally was looking for but each time I looked at the print, I smiled and knew I had to take it home with me...plus they had 3 yards available for sale. Woo!

And as promised, here's my 11 inches of boy scarf. I think I'll have to block this at the end since it's not as straight as I'd like. I also messed up the pattern in 2 spots already but thankfully, this pattern is really forgiving and you can only tell if you look really closely. We'll see if my OCD kicks in and I frog it to start over. Yes, I might because I am a crazy perfectionist that doesn't let yarn get the better of me. Damn yarn!! But for now, I don't have the time to deal with it. I've got exchanges and gifts to work on!

I noticed that NaBloPoMo is next month. A part of me really wants to see if I can do it. Will I stress myself out? Will I come up for yawner things to talk about to make the goal? Will I bore you all to tears and you run away screaming and never come back? Do I really even have that much to talk about? *The boy* might have to give me fodder...cuz God knows he talks enough for like 10 people...at least. Most of it's boring political and financial stuff though. Ugh! Never mind...won't use *the boy* for fodder. Maybe I'll make him play photographer? Are any of you playing along with NaBloPoMo too. Well, if I play along, I hope I don't bore you guys to tears!

Happy Tuesday folks...I'm off to make a cup of tea and work on my exchange.

Until next time...

Not as Stitch-Ass as I Had Hoped

I think it's hysterical that some of you wished that I got a good case of stitch-ass from my "all crafting" weekend via the comments.

I didn't have as stitchy a weekend as I had hoped. I've got about 11 inches of boy scarf done...and I managed to start the piece for my upcoming exchange. I went to the LNS and found the things I needed and the FYS to check out yarn and write down some scarf patters. And I even made it to Joann's where I found a fun fabric to make pj pants but you know what...it's throws a wrench into things when you find a print you really like and you need 3 yards and there is only 2.25 yds left on the bolt. They told me that the Colma Joann's (about 15 minutes away) had 4 yards so I race there. It is amazing how crazy the Colma store is compared to my Joann's. What the heck!! But what they didn't tell me at the other store was that the Colma store had 4 yards but combined on 2 different bolts. By that time, I just wanted to lay down. Because despite being semi-productive...I wasn't as productive as I wanted to be and I attribute it to one thing.

Last month, I decided to stop taking my birth control pill for a lot of reasons (not because I want a kid!) but mainly because it was making me super hormonal and not in a good way. So after a year of being on this specific pill, I had my first womanly time of the month or whatever you want to call it and I was dizzy and flat out lethargic. Whoa...kind of forgot what a normal period was like too...cramping and all that other stuff. The pill took care of that not to mention knowing the precise moment it was coming. Looks like my body has to readjust. Why it had to happen on crafty weekend, I have no idea!?

Tomorrow, I'll show you my 11 inches of scarf. I haven't touched Newton and the exchange has to remain a secret...for now.

Hope you all had a great weekend with your own version of stitch-ass.

Until next time...

Courtesy of *the Boy*

Happy Friday everyone! Oh my, am I looking forward to the moment 5pm rolls around. For some reason the song "School's Out For Summer" just popped into my head. Yea, I guess I feel like that except it's more like "Work's Out For Weekend"! Woo!

I'm stuck at work and I don't have my camera to share anything fun with you all but *the boy* sent me some photos so this post is courtesy of *the boy*. Remember, he's back in Rhode Island at the moment and everywhere else but here, there's Autumn where the leaves turn beautiful colors. I'm amazed by the bright orange, red and yellow leaves. It's stunning what nature can provide. Just wish we would see a little but of this here in SF. Hope you enjoy...


I have an all craft weekend planned. Stitching, knitting and sewing. I am planning on making a pitstop at my LNS, NiaH and my FYS (favorite yarn shop), Imagiknit. I think because Newton is just plain annoying me, I've decided to tackle a little knitting...not to mention I drool over everything I see Staci knit and thus have become a little inspired. I cast on to knit *the boy* a scarf I was supposed to make him last year. Nothing too hard...just a nice texture-y basketweave type pattern. Once patterns have psso and yo and mk in the pattern and require a counter...I get a little frazzled. This will be perfect. I found a pattern online for another texture-y scarf I might make for myself. Just want to scope out yarn at Imagiknit and see what my options might be. But right now, I am really enjoying the knitting!

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend filled with something that makes you happy!

Until next time...

Gigi Est Fini

Well, after posting last night, I found the perfect position on the futon in order for me to bead and see the invisible thread. Yep, I'm stubborn and kept using the stuff...mainly because the beads are scattered about in empty space. So I got a decent amount done last night and then knew I could finish today. Gigi is finished and I am *so* happy!! Here she is! The photo is a little dull since it's taken under artificial light. (photo is clickable)

Letter G (Gwendolyn renamed "Gigi") by Nora Corbett
32 count Ray of Light Belfast
Recommended Crescent Colors and Embellishments

I am super happy to be finished with Gigi. I even figured out how to stitch on the Mill Hill Treasure. Thank goodness for the Mirabilia Yuku board...they are full of great ideas and tips! Now I wonder what Nora's Letter V will look like when released...what's taking so long! It's supposed to be the next letter!

Also, I received my SBBC birthday exchange from Judith in the Netherlands today. She stitched me a Spring design and made it into a quilted project pocket. It's very cute!! She also sent a couple of healthy cuts of linen which will definitely come in handy. Thanks Judith!

Now that Gigi is done, Newton will become the primary focus. I also have to get started on an exchange and start knitting a scarf. At least that's the plan. Things change, I get sidetracked...you know how that is! I'm hoping Newton will get interesting soon...still just a big white blob on light yellow fabric. You can understand why I'm still not sharing photos on him!!

Well, better get cracking! These gifts aren't going to make themselves. Have a great rest of the week!

Until next time...

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Night

Well, this will be a rather boring post. I don't have anything too exciting to say or show. I'm frustrated with my projects because one is taking me forever to bead and the other is pretty boring and really not all that interesting to look at in it's present state. Not to mention, I kind of have those "stomp all over it and throw it out of the window" feelings about it. *sigh*

I do have to report on my TUSAL jar though. Not the best picture but it's getting full! Letter G has really helped fill up the jar a little. Before he left, *the boy* bought me these little pumpkins and gourds and so here they sit helping to decorate the jar on my little bookshelf!
I wanted to say thanks to everyone who gave me their floor stand opinions and info. It is ever helpful. And to those who are keeping my sister in their thoughts and prayers, it's so appreciated. More than you know. I had forgotten to say that her MRI results came back and it basically showed that the cancer was contained and there was no spread. Relatively good news, I think. Her surgery for her lumpectomy is next Monday. Please keep those good thoughts coming!! :)

And seriously, if you haven't visited Missy Ann for her 13 Days of Halloween yet, go now!! She's got lots of spooky fun up her sleeve!

Ok, I'm off to bead or stitch or maybe even stomp on Newton. We'll see what the outcome is.

Have a great week!

Until next time...