A knotty situation, part II

And here is a completed knot:

I will tell you a little secret--I use a sharp needle when I do satin stitch on samplers and pierce the ground fabric if I need to to get a smooth look.  I've had teachers tell me that I shouldn't do that for conservation purposes since it could weaken the fabric.

To them I say, "Nay, nay."

I do not believe that 17th century embroiderers thought about conservation and long-term survival. I think they thought about how the finished embroidery would look. I think they put the stitches where they looked best.  And if it takes a sharp needle to do that, I will use a sharp needle.

Notice I did not say that this was a safe pursuit. I have left my DNA in a number of projects in which the sharp needle pierced not only the thread but my tender and delicate personage as well. However, I do like the way my satin stitches look.

And on a totally different topic, today is my Little Sister's birthday.  Granted, she's been much taller than I for years, but she will always be my Little Sister. And I love her. So, Happy Birthday to you!

A knotty situation

And tonight I'm creating knots:

This is one of those fiddly parts. It takes about as much time to start and end the threads as it does to stitch the bits.  The insides will be satin stitched, which is the next step. I've decided to work from the top down instead of completing all of one type of motif before going on to the next. I think it will be a wee bit more interesting that way.

(Please note that I have managed to avoid referring to Chris' comment on gaseous clouds. Until now.)

Birds of a feather

There are now two birds perching on Martha Edlin's sampler:

Both of them flew exactly where they should . . . this time.

And, as promised, pictures from the week-end.

Three generations investigating the box.

And two of the four cats also assisting.

I did not get a picture of the completed structure because I was too interested in the way it worked.  The reason people have children, I have decided, is so you can play with their toys without being considered strange. Or stranger than usual.

Evil Grandparents

The Flash turned four a couple of weeks ago and we felt that we should celebrate HIS birthday even if Dearly Beloved wanted to ignore his.

So we went out and bought a gigundus Thomas the Tank Engine set of tracks and tunnels and collapsing bridges and all kinds of things.

Which required the Big Kid to spend about an hour or more assembling with the assistance of the worst set of directions ever seen and the supervision of Dearly Beloved.  The Flash, of course, wanted to start playing before all the assemblage was constructed. Then the battery had to be inserted inside the Thomas that accompanies this set (we thought it was going to take a trained neurosurgeon to accomplish this) before The Flash could actually play with it.

And once it was functioning, The Flash was mesmerized.  I do not believe I have ever seen this child as transfixed by anything.  He was most distressed that we could not take the whole thing (including 4 feet of tracks) out to dinner. Bwa-ha-ha-ha--the evil grandparents have struck!

(We explained to the Big Kid that at some point, it would be his turn to do things like this to his progeny, as it was done to us.)

There will be pictures. I remembered the camera and forgot the camera cord.

And our programming will return to stitching once we are home again.

Shhhh, don't tell anyone . . .

(It's Dearly Beloved's birthday.)

He does not like birthday celebrations. At all. Period.  He is the Grinch of birthdays.

A couple of years ago, I told the kids to not even call him on his birthday. So they called the day after.  I thought it was hysterical. He was not amused.

The man has issues.

Obviously this is a case of opposites attracting. I love having birthdays. I want people to let me know how glad they are that I've tottered and trudged through another year. I want flowers and balloons and devil's food cake with vanilla icing and sprinkles.  Oh, and presents. Lots of presents.

And if this is the only thing that we don't agree on, we're doing well.

Too Much and Not Enough

Lately there has been too much going on--too much work at work, too much stuff to go through at home, and not nearly enough needlework to compensate.

There has been a little:

And there was a little more accomplished this past week-end when I ran away from home and spent the week-end with Baby Girl. I threw a bunch of little projects in my tote bag and took off. It was lovely. Those projects, however, are in the finishing basket and Not Ready for Prime Time.

We hope to run away again this week-end. It will be our last visit to The Flash and his parents until after the spring thaw next year. Assuming, of course, that we can get there. We have to traverse the mountains of West Virginia, and they have been slammed by blizzard conditions. Weather.com says that tomorrow afternoon will be much better, the highway patrol says the interstates are clear, and we are stubborn and want to go.

It's important even more so now, as we look at the devastation Sandy brought, to be sure to make contact with our loved ones. And to remember that material things can be replaced, that memories are what's important, and that everything can change in minutes.

So I've stopped complaining about work or going through 20 years of accumulation at home or the lack of time to stitch. I'm thinking about all the people who wish they had that normalcy. And remembering to send a check to the Red Cross.

Stupid Bird

Do you see the bird next to this knot-thing on Martha Edlin?

No, of course you don't.

Mainly because he is no longer there.

First he perched a thread too far to the left.  So, out he came.

Next he lit a thread too high.  He was picked out again.

Third time may be the charm but at that point I didn't want to try again.  So I started a new/old project.

This is the first basket band for Barbara Jackson's Tea Time Basket.  I was a ghost for the class awhile ago, then had a chance to audit it through Shining Needle Society.

I am thoroughly enjoying this project. I love the color palette (and color is the thing that always pulls me to or forces me away from a project), it has a nice variety of stitches, and it's nice to have a project in which you can actually see some progress after an hour or so of stitching.  I think it may get more than one three-day cycle in my stitching plan, just because it's so stinkin' cute! I mean, just look as this happy couple:

So on this beautiful fall day, I'm going to do as little housekeeping as I can get away with, take a walk, and settle down to stitching.  I do love Saturdays!