My own personal stitch-in

Our sampler guild had a stitch-in scheduled for yesterday. We're working on the prework for the Betsy Morgan casket etui class planned for April.

However, Mother Nature scheduled the dread "wintry mix" for Friday. We had sleet and freezing rain off and on all day Friday, which then froze into a thin but deadly layer overnight. Based on the weather forecasts, it was decided to hold the stitch-in anyway, with each person determining when it would be safe for her to travel.

I had packed my stitching bag with my completed pieces for Betsy's class in case anyone wanted to look at the changes I had made. I had also thrown some small projects in that I could work on while talking, since I have learned (finally and after many years of experience) that I can't talk and count at the same time. I can't listen and count at the same time either. In other words, I am counting- challenged.

However, when going out to get the morning newspaper, I skated across my small front porch, no mean feat when wearing slippers instead of skates. We get early morning sun on the cul-de-sac where I live--doesn't do a whole lot to melt anything when the temps are in the 20's. A couple of hours later, I watched as one of my neighbors did a 360 in the middle of the street. My car was parked where I could see it, and I decided I would wait to leave until the icicles hanging below the front bumper melted.

That finally happened about 1 in the afternoon. The official temperature may have been higher, but once the early morning sun passes, we have a lot of shade that keeps the area a little cooler. It's great in the summer to have this much shade but not so great in the winter.

Meanwhile, I had pulled out Martha Edlin and was making good progress on the last floral band. And Dearly Beloved asked if I really wanted to drive for about an hour to reach the stitch-in location, stitch for a couple of hours, then drive for an hour back. (Actually, I think he was enjoying a quiet afternoon at home and wanted company with whom to enjoy it. I had announced I was planning to act as if I were at the stitch-in, which meant that the chores could just wait, and he was taking advantage and avoiding his "Honey-Do" list as well.)

So I stitched on into the evening and got quite a bit accomplished--all the vines and leaves and one-and-a-half flowers. It was a lovely and quiet day, although I would have preferred the beauty of snow over the treachery of ice.

And I missed hanging out with the guild.