A Work in Progress

Books, etc: Catching Up

This was meant to be a Tuesday or Wednesday sort of post, not a nearly the end of the week Thursday post!  I am sorry I seem so absent here these days.  Time just gets away from me.  I'm not quite sure what is keeping me so busy, but I spend less time on the computer than in the past (which is not an entirely bad thing, but I do miss all the bookish chatting).  

Anyway, over the weekend I went to my public library's monthly (every first Saturday) book sale.  It had been years since I regularly went, but I stopped in last month and they had such a great spread of books I couldn't resist going again this month to see what I could find.  And as you can see, I found quite a lot!  I have been find more of the Kinsey Millhone mysteries and as you can see they are in almost new condition.  How can you beat a 50 cent paperback you know you will be reading sooner than later.  (And the money goes to the Friends of the Library, so a win-win situation).

Years and years ago I belonged to the Book of the Month Club.  I thought, to be honest, they were defunct, but I came across them on Instagram and my curiosity was sparked.  It is set up now like an Audible subscription.  You 'buy' a credit and then you can choose a book to apply it to that month or the next.  So I bought a credit and as a new subscriber also got a free credit.  I have one in reserve and used my other one for Kate Morton's new book.  I couldn't wait to start it, and it is so good so far!  I tend to be hit or miss with her books, but I love this one.  It is one of those dual storylines, one set in contemporary times and the other in the Victorian era.  There are artists and a bookish young woman.  Maybe a ghost . . . so far so good!  Is anyone else reading this right now?

Ooh, and last but not least.  I have once again pulled out my sampler.  I had run out of the main floss color, London Fog, and dug around in my stash over the weekend and found a spare skein, so I am back to work.  Honestly I wouldn't mind starting something new, but I will persevere with this as I am getting close to finishing.  The wording is from a Christmas Carol so it seems a good sampler to work on now.  I desperately need to go through my stash and do some serious weeding.  What to do with all the old charts and kits that I don't think I will ever work on?  I have more than I could complete in several lifetimes, I think.  Do I give it to the Goodwill?  Any stitchers out there have ideas of what to do with unneeded stitching supplies?  I would definitely prefer to let people who like needlework to have the designs I am no longer interested in.  I will still keep my favorites, kits that are ready to go with really nice supplies (silks, etc) and my floss and linen collection.  But I think it would not be a bad thing to thin the collection down a bit.

What is everyone else up to?  Having a good Fall (it is colder than normal and really wet and rainy here).  Reading lots of good books?  Doing any crafting?  Traveling?  Planning for the holidays.  Yikes, holidays?  I am feeling out of touch, but as always I do hope to still regularly post (what to do about those books I have read and not written about?).  Until next time!  Happy reading!

Weekend Stitching and Reading Notes

I've been waiting for the weekend since about Tuesday!  So I am happy it is almost here.  It's been nearly a month since I shared my Lo, a Rose sampler, and as I have made some progress (albeit slow) I thought I would share it here.  It is coming along!  Much like my reading I am trying hard to focus on one task at a time, so as much as I would love to pull out some other project (some other in progress or even a new one!) I am going to try and concentrate on this one until I finish it.  Can you tell I am trying to turn over a new leaf?  Less of the haphazard and frantic and more on slow and steady.  

I did decide on a prompt book, and I ended up choosing a book I overlooked on my first perusal of my shelves.  Not long ago I bought Eve Chase's The Wildling Sisters and when I spotted it in my bedside pile it caught my eye.  It is described as being in the tradition of Daphne du Maurier, so I could not resist.  

"When fifteen-year-old Margot Wilde and her three sisters arrive at Applecote Manor in June 1959, they expect a quiet English country summer. Instead, they find their aunt and uncle still reeling from the disappearance of their daughter, Audrey, five years before. As the arrival of two handsome neighbors divides the sisters' loyalties, Margot is drawn into the life Audrey left behind and the mystery of her vanishing. Fifty years later, Jessie is desperate to move her family out of their London home, and gorgeous Applecote Manor seems like the perfect solution. But once there, Jessie finds herself increasingly isolated, at odds with her fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, and haunted by the strange rumors that surround the manor."

The story is set in a country manor house so it fits nicely with my prompt and I will still keep my other choices close by.  Maybe I can manage two prompt books for the long month of August?  I am especially keen to try Rachel Cusk, too.  

My weekend plans include a movie or two and hopefully a visit to the bookstore, but otherwise I want to try and get in some good reading time and hopefully I can finish one of my books on my nicely pared down night stand book pile!  Have a great weekend everyone--summer has returned here so I plan on staying inside!

Lo, How a Rose Starting to Bloom

Can you see the progress?  I am enjoying working on this again even if it is only twenty minutes or so a day.  As it is a sampler with part of a Christmas Carol, I might actually finish it by the end of the year.  I have noticed an error or two, a motif a few threads off here and there, but who can tell.  It is a good distraction and now I have downloaded the audio book of E.M. Forster's Howards End to listen to on my iPod (read by Emma Thompson no less), so I am all set!

Lo, A Rose Needlework Redux

I really miss my former creative endeavors.  Life has been sort of stressful and while reading is always a welcome escape, sometimes it can be hard to concentrate on a story, so my needlework is a natural next choice.  It is something to concentrate on while still being able to relax and be distracted.  I hate to admit how long ago I started my Lo, a Rose Sampler, but it was the handiest (and easiest) project close by.  The colors are nicely muted and subtle and the stitching is easy, so out it came and I have been spending a bit of time each day this week on it.  Maybe I can actually get back into the habit of stitching again.  I do miss the feel of a needle and thread in hand.  I hope I'll be sharing more of this (and maybe some other works, too).

Progress on the "Great" Pumpkin

While I didn't get as far as I had hoped, I did manage to spend a little time each day stitching this weekend.  (I have this bad habit of being disappointed by what I didn't manage to accomplish rather than what I did, which I am trying to not do so much).  So, can you tell that my pumpkin is growing, or, emerging from the linen?  I didn't realize that Halloween was so quickly approaching (just a week away), so I might not finish the pair of these designs before, but you never know.  Neither is very big and even a few minutes each day adds up.

I made reading progress, too, which I am very happy about.  Picked up five library books at the library and bought two (yes, only two) new books at the bookstore.  But more about all that in the coming few days.  The leaves have been falling, the mornings have been fairy brisk and today is a bit gloomy and rainy.  Fall finally seems to have properly arrived.

And Now for a Little Stitching?

Hello stitching.  Where have you been all year?  There is something really comforting about pulling out a needle and thread and working on some small needlework project.  I especially like Prairie Schooler samplers.  You can keep your hands occupied and at least part of your brain depending on how complicated the design is.  Prairie Schooler is in the easier not too taxing range, which is pretty much what I can handle at the moment.

I'm sorry I have been largely absent from this space and online in general for the last several weeks.  I had a death in my family, which was preceded by illness and it took up most of my time and nearly all my attention.  The illness had been going on since mid-summer, so I have been having quite a hard time concentrating.  Now I want more than anything to get back into a routine or normalcy.  On any good day my reading can be pretty wonky but lately it has been almost non-existent.  I was thinking over the weekend I just need a nice fresh start with things even as the year is winding down.

So most of the books that had been on my night table have been cleared away save for a few that had lots of time and energy invested in them, but it has been nice thinking of new stories I want to get involved in, but more about those in a day or so.  Many thanks for all the comments and reading suggestions that you have offered.  I have caught up on reading them and will reply as soon as I can.

But stitching is cheery and colorful so I thought I would share some photos of what I was considering working on this weekend.  I had to dig around in my stash to find a partially stitched project.  I was working from the two charts above finishing a design per month to have a stitched year.  I will share the months I have already stitched and finished.  I had started October's witch some years (has it really been years now?) ago, but I also like the pumpkin you can see in the top photo on the chart on the right.  So I started stitching it last night. Then I'll decide where to go from there.  I have lots of months still to choose and these are small and easy designs.  Quick finishes I hope.

And isn't this Blackbird House cute?  Another festive fall design and on loose linen that is easy to see and work with.  I can see it as a nice little cushion perhaps.

And maybe I can work up to a slightly larger design.  Do you remember the seasons I had been stitching?  I actually had been working on them as I sat in the hospital--good, mindless work where you can still focus on other things, too.  But I am a little tired of those designs at the moment and love bee/honeycomb motifs, so I would like to stitch the H is for Honey.  Wouldn't it complement this one nicely?  Digging around in my needlework stash was a huge reminder that all those charts and partially finished projects are in serious need of weeding.  As with my book collection, I have far more to choose from then time in which to stitch them, and I should really get it into a more manageable size.  What to do with all those charts?  Many are even kitted up.  That is definitely a project for several long afternoons, but for now, I just like the idea of getting back into the stitching habit.  I think cool weather makes sitting inside with a needle and thread in hand very attractive, right.

Back to bookishness in a day or two.

Needlework Progress: Now Something New

Finally a finished project!  I must apologize as these photos are all going to be very poor--this is what happens when you take photos of needlework at night in bad artificial light, but you will get the idea.  I finished my Valentine's Day cushion late last night but only the stitching. 

It was easy, relaxing stitching and will make a very nice pin cushion.  I am sure I have some red (or maybe green) cotton fabric I can use for the backing.  It is a matter of pulling out my fabric stash bin, which is best reserved for the weekend.  I have several finished projects now--or almost finished--that just need to be turned into something (pin cushions or little pillows perhaps).  This will also need the date/year and my initials in some unobtrusive corner.  I didn't quite finish it for the holiday, but close enough.

I thought I might continue on with some more hearts or Valentine's Day-related design, but now I think I am ready for something a little different.   I am leaning towards a nice sampler of some sort.

What do you think about this one?  I have long wanted to stitch it.  It is called "My Betrothed Sampler" and the designer is the (now defunct) Birds of a Feather.  It will be stitched on hand dyed linen in a color called 'Nightingale' which is a pale grey color that verges almost on lavender. 

I have always been a little hesitant about stitching this one, as I am no longer married and am unlikely ever to be so again, but then why should that matter?  The wording reads as follows:

"To my betrothed who will one day see, this little piece that has been worked by me.  For you I give my best endeavor, I'll strive to serve and be obedient ever."

So, this is meant to be a reproduction sampler in the style a girl or young woman would have stitched in the early 1800s.  The 'obedient' reference is the other little catch.  Maybe I could change it some way to read something a little more subversive?  Or is that too naughty?  Maybe I should just stitch it as is to stay in the spirit of the period.

Or, there is this design called "Farm House" by Blackbird Designs.  It is sort of a companion piece to this sampler that I stitched years ago (and sits waiting to be framed and hung on my wall).  You can see the linen peeking out just to the right of the chart.  I actually started this one (also a long time ago), so it would be easy to pick up again. 

This chart (and the other I linked to above) is one of a series called "Anniversaries of the Heart" which was meant to be stitched in a larger sampler.  You can see some other stitcher's finished project here.  Isn't that an amazing piece?  I only own these two houses from the set, so mine will just hang next to each other.

It's a bit of a toss up in terms of which new project to choose.  One has lots of small motifs that would be fun to work on (the Betrothed design), rather than that house right in the middle of the design which can be a little tedious to work on initially (small motifs make you feel like you are making real progress), but then the house design is smaller and I have those first stitches already in and just waiting to be added to.

Much like my daily book choice (which will go into my bookbag for the day) I will likely see what appeals to me most in the morning.  The choice just needs to really appeal and feel a little inspired to make me want to keep returning to it!

All Things February: Books & Needles

This is such a fun display idea, I had to share it!  You can have a blind date with a book this week at my library. 

This is how it works--and it seems to be quite popular.  I am not sure if our patrons are reading the books?  Perhaps, if they find a good match.  But they seem to be intrigued by the idea and the mystery books are in demand judging by the empty little display stands.

I gave a few suggestions, but I can't tell if they have been 'selected' or the poor books are the 'wallflowers' of the table.  Best not investigate too closely.  It seems to be a theme in my life sometimes.

I'm making good progress on my Valentine's Day stitching project.  I don't think I will have a finished piece by next week, but I think I might at least be finished with the stitching this weekend.  Wallflower or not, I will at least not have a Charlie Brown February 14th since I have made my own Valentine!  Sometimes you just have to take the initiative, right?  Maybe I will even treat myself to a book . . .

I can count this as a bookish Valentine since my February NYRB has arrived just in time.  This month's selection is a new translation of Guy de Maupassant's Like Death.  Not the most romantic of titles perhaps?  Here's what it's about:

"Olivier Bertin is at the height of his career as a painter. After making his name with his Cleopatra, he went on to establish himself as 'the chosen painter of the Parisiennes, the most adroit and ingenious artist to reveal their grace, their figures, and their souls.' And though his hair may be white, he remains a handsome, vigorous, and engaging bachelor, a prized guest at every table and salon."

"Anne, the comtesse de Guilleroy, is a youthful forty, the wife of a busy politician. The painter and the comtesse have been lovers for many years. Anne’s daughter, Annette—the spitting image of her mother in her lovely youth—has finished her schooling and is returning to Paris. Her parents are putting together an excellent match. Everything is as it should be—until the painter and comtesse are each seized by an agonizing suspicion, like death..."

Maybe it is just the thing for Valentine's Day reading as it is a "finely shaded portrait of desire, will, and the complex entanglements of love, set against cutting social commentary from a realist master" (Kirkus gave it a starred review).  So, are you reading or crafting (or blind dating!) anything special for this Valentine's Day?

Back to Stitching: February Hearts

It's been a while, hasn't it?  I've not been stitching (or weaving) much since before the holidays, but I am trying to get back to both hobbies.  For my stitching I definitely need a little kick start.  As much as I love the seasonal samplers I had been working on (finished winter, worked on spring, skipped summer and then stalled on Fall), the saminess of them was making me a little bored.  And while I am not much into Valentine's Day, I do like February/heart themed stitching--probably because it is my birth month, and there are just so many fun designs to stitch.

So I have pulled out something small and easy to stitch and hopefully steady work will mean I get a quick finish.  This is "Endless Hearts" by Threadwork Primitives.  I am stitching it on 30 count hand dyed linen by R&R Reproductions called dark cappuccino (it even sounds yummy).

And it is indeed working up fast.  Actually a couple of dedicated afternoons would likely see the project finished.  I think I will turn it into a cushion just as it is shown in the photograph on the chart.  And I am sure I have some suitable fabric I can use for the backing. 

If I can finish my cushion (the stitching at least) by the end of this month I have picked out a couple of other potential designs, which are also very small and perfect for February stitching.  I'll have to dig around in my stash for some linen and the floss.  Stitching is one of those things I love doing when I am doing it, but like everything else, it is carving out time to work on it.  I have been trying to spend at least fifteen minutes before work adding a few more hearts every day and it is amazing how much you can accomplish in a week!

And looking forward, (because just as with my reading) I am already contemplating what I might work on after.  There is always another design just around the corner.  I wouldn't mind another proper sampler or maybe a design using a house motif. 

It's a pity that I don't have a local stitching support group, you know--just like a book club.  I wonder if something could be created online, something where work could be done and shared and some sort of measurable progress achieved.  Or maybe I just need to get back into my habit of posting here more frequently.  So, give me a week or so and I'll show you where my work has taken me!

Projects with Thread: Slow & Steady

I've not shared any weaving photos in a while, but I am slowly working on my most recent project.  As I only go weave on Saturday mornings now, my weaving time is pretty limited.  I've now woven approximately halfway through my warp.

This is a traditional Karen shirt that one of the ladies at the Refugee Center (where I go and work on my weaving) made.  Although you can't tell from what I have woven so far, this is what I will ultimately be making, though obviously a much simpler design.  Whoever made this shirt is a very skilled weaver.   

I'm not sure what this threadwork is called, but it is a design that creates a nice lacey pattern which I am learning.  To create it every three or four threads are separated by three or four opposing threads.  Remember the loom shifts every other thread up and down and then a thread (the weft, or horizontal thread) is woven over and under those vertical threads.   

It's a little easier to see in the above two photos.  I used different colors in order to be able to see how those threads shift during the weaving process.  My weaving was really meant to be all worked using purple and burgundy threads, but I ran out when I was making my warp, hence the yellows (and they are both yellow threads--just slightly different shades).

In order to make the shirt there are (or will be) four lacey sections on the top and bottom of each woven section.  There will be two woven sections (so four sets of those lacey rows) that eventually will be cut from the warp you see in the top photo.  They will then be laid side by side and sewed together.  The idea is the two sections and the four lacey sections will match up.  They will be 'folded' in half, so that top crease sits on the shoulders.  The open bottom part will have a fringe.  In a way, it will be sort of like an open poncho.

I'm afraid my shirt is likely going to be a bit of a mess as I didn't do a very good job of counting threads and measuring carefully that everything will be spaced accurately, but this is all just a learning experience.  Of course, in my defense, I have to say that sometimes learning is a challenge since communication is often very limited.  Most of the ladies only speak Karen, so it is a matter of watching, mimicking their weaving movements and not worrying too much about making mistakes.   The ladies at the refugee center are very generous with their time and knowledge, it has been a great experience to work with them!

I'll share photos of the shirt making process when I get to it.  Until then, I have to say I think weaving is such an interesting process and seeing the actual weaving up close always amazes me a little bit.  This section of my weaving looks pretty uniform and the edge even looks like the tension is fairly spot on.  Not to get ahead of myself, but I am already thinking about  my next project--I would like to learn some simple design/pattern with various colors on a uniform background.  As you see in the Karen shirt, there are a lot of potential designs.  Most are probably to complicated for a beginner, but I would love to try my hand at something new.

I have not shared my latest seasonal sampler.  I have finally started the Fall Sampler--just in time for the official start of it.  Do you like the scarecrow?  He looks pretty chipper, don't you think?  There will be lots of birds and pumpkins and falling leaves.  I finished the Winter Sampler, still am working on Spring and have yet to start Summer (why do things in order, eh?).  It seemed like a good idea to just jump into Fall.

And with the holidays just around the corner, I thought maybe something festive might be in order.  I started these little designs ages ago but then set them aside when I didn't finish them for a previous holiday.  It has been so very mild weather-wise, that it is really hard to even begin thinking of winter and the coming holidays.  Maybe finishing these will put me in the mood?  The idea is to turn them into a little scissor fob or pin cushion.  They are the same side so they will be sewn together--front and back wintry scenes.

And I have finished the stitching on my revamped Quaker heart.  It is time to start backstitching so I can sew them together.  I will be making a mattress cushion (most likely).  It will not have beads, but there will be an edge attaching front and back and on that edge I will have words, as yet undecided, however.  Backstitching is pretty tedious, which is why I keep putting it off.  My updated version looks a little different.  Six years later and my initials have changed.  I do like the nice warm colors.  It has been very relaxing working on this!  I may have to pull out another Quaker design for the coming new year!