Monogamy Not

 I've been trying to be a fairly monogamous stitcher so I can catch up with two of my online classes.

I decided that monogamy is not for me. 

Again.

Anyway, I finished the motif I was working on yesterday when I hit the wall.

This leaves one class motif and three homework assignments. I only have to have one of the homework assignments done before next Tuesday, so I am giving myself permission to take a couple of days off from this project.

I do need to watch the tape of last Saturday's Hardanger class and do the filling stitches on those samples. I'm going to do that tomorrow morning so I'll be ready for this coming Saturday.

Meanwhile, I'm going to rummage around in the basket by my chair and see what I have that isn't silk or metal.

Or involve white threads.

Snow Blindness

I hit a wall today. Too much white. SOOOOOO much white I was beginning to feel like I was suffering from snow blindness.

Since I live somewhere that hasn't seen an appreciable amount of snow in years and years, I have no idea what snow blindness would look or feel like, but, anyway, I had to stop tonight before I finished yesterday's last motif. I did get the other three done, and I did stitch one of the motifs from a class several weeks ago, so I suppose I have made progress.

 This is called beading, and it involves making more holes in perfectly good linen. Actually, it looks like a weird caterpillar to me.

And this is where I stopped for today. Actually, I kinda like doing this type of drawn thread, and there's a lot of it on Love That Red, the sampler from Jackie du Plessis I was doing before my wrist misbehaved. And, yes, it's in the pile of things that I want to get back to as soon as I catch up with this class.

If that day ever comes.

Hardanger Homework

 I have stitched the homework for the class I missed last Saturday, and for the class coming up this Saturday.

I need to watch the tape of last week's class to do the insides for the top three. Hopefully, I can get the bottom three finished in class this week.

Meanwhile, in my online whitework class, I now have to finish today's lesson, work the two motifs from previous classes, and do three homework assignments.

There's going to be a lot of white fabric with white threads in the next few weeks. I have a feeling that once I get caught up, it's going to be technicolor all the way.

Catching Up

I decided I had better spend my stitching time catching up on the online whitework class I've been taking. Today I finished the homework I needed to have done before tomorrow's class.

 I still have two motifs to stitch from previous classes, and I have two more homework assignments for future ones.

And I need to work on last week's Hardanger class samples and get the homework done before this Saturday.

I thought I had left deadlines and homework assignments far, far behind me. Maybe this is what's meant by second childhood?

Just a little early?

 I'm supposed to rest my wrist until tomorrow, but BDE and I went to our local EGA chapter's stitch-in this afternoon, and, well, I cheated a little.

I stitched.

It felt wonderful, even though I couldn't count to either four or five or apparently read a chart.

I persevered and have this to show for about 90 minutes of sloooooooooowly stitching.

This is the beginning of the first motif in the online class I'm taking in Hardanger filling stitches.

And I'm not going to do any more. I am going back to resting until tomorrow. Maybe.

Oh, it feels so good to stitch again!

Progress Report

 I finally got to see the hand specialist, who discovered that I may have had a hairline fracture that was about a millimeter long in my wrist--it had healed but may have precipitated or aggravated the tendonitis--and he then stuck a needle in my wrist.

That may not have been the most painful experience of my life, but it was right up there.

Now, in my ignorance, I thought I would get the shot and come home and stitch. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I am now in Brace #3, for those keeping track of my brace wardrobe, which I am to wear 24/7 until Monday. I really can't stitch with this one. On Monday, I can stitch for short periods interspersed with longer periods of rest when the brace goes back on, and I have to sleep with it. This will last for 2-3 weeks.

So basically, I will lose half a year of stitching time.  Blankety-blank-blank-blank!!!

And, of course, today I have two online classes. Yes, scheduled at the same time.

On the left are the supplies for a class that EGA's Cyberstitchers chapter is offering on Hardanger filling stitches. Jane-Ellen Balzuweit, who is one of my favorite teachers, is offering it over a six week period. It is being taped, so I can watch the tapes later.

On the right is the design for Tanya Bentham's underside couching class, one-day only and that day is today. I've done some underside couching in goldwork, and found it takes both hands sometimes to pull the couching thread through, so I don't even dare to cheat and do that. But since it's only today, I plan to watch the presentation and hope I remember how to do it.

And, of course, next week I have my online whitework class. I was planning to be all caught up before class on Tuesday.

As usual, I should never make stitching plans.

Making Holes

 I am continuing to deliberately make holes in perfectly good linen, otherwise known as eyelets.

Although I am still wearing the brace, awaiting a call from the specialist's office, I have found I can stitch with cotton threads without shredding them--so I'm trying to catch up with my online whitework class.

My tension is all over the place. I can't figure out if it's the lack of stitching for a couple of weeks, or if the brace is interfering, or if it's a combination of both of them.  I keep telling myself this is practice and a learning experience and at least I know what I'm supposed to do.

Whether I can actually do it or not is the question. Practice, practice, practice!