Long Overdue Update -- Part 2

No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth. It seems like when I have computer time, I would rather spend my time on Facebook playing games, etc. Still need to figure out a 12-step program for those of us that have become addicted to Facebook. My last few experiences with Blogger have not been that great so it does not help me get back into blogging very fast. A couple of people that I have met through blogging have just given up doing it. At this point, I am not going to give it up, but I am going to be a very infrequent poster. When I started this over 3 years ago, I really had fun with it and now it has become work. Maybe with a semi-retired state, I can get my blogging mojo back. Bear with me during this time. I will keep you updated on happening, but some time the news may be old news. As is some of the information near the end of this post.

Beginning shortly after the 1st of the year, I started work on the 2010 Shop Hop Sampler. It was not something that I could show until after the Shop Hop was held. It was the 1st weekend of May. The Hop involves 5 LNS in the area, including The Sunflower Seed where I work. In this year's design, each of the other 4 shops did the individual motifs and Anita at The Sunflower Seed did the extensive border. We added several Just Another Button Company buttons to the sampler to liven it up.

30-ct R&R Cafe Kona

GAST thread

My youngest nephew graduated from high school in mid-May and I stitched this for him. He is a lot younger than my other nephew and niece and I was not sure that he really would want something that his aunt stitched for him. So I just asked him and he said "yes" like he thought I was stupid that I even had to ask. The colors used were his school colors of Red and Pewter Gray.

The Graduate

by The Sunflower Seed

DMC thread

I still am working on several BAPs and have finished two design model for The Sunflower Seed. Those photos will come later. Here is a progress picture of Quaker Gone Spooky. That tree is taking forever. Actually I have done quite a bit of work on this since the photo was taken. The fence on the bottom right is done. A couple of the off white Quaker motifs are done and just this morning I finished the tree. I almost feel like the project is done now that the tree is done.

Quaker Gone Spooky

by Michelle Ink Designs

30-ct R&R Lucky Penny

Thread Gather and

Belle Soie Silks

Have you seen the new design by ByGone Stitches "One Nation"? I am such a sucker for patriotic designs that when I saw it I fell in love with it. Here is a photo of the design (taken from Stitching Pretty web site). You can probably tell where I am headed with this. Yes, I have started it. Sometime before Memorial Day I started this and have gotten a small amount done.

I started looking through my stash for fabric and found some Picture This Plus Shale that I had ordered a yard of for another project. After cutting the piece for the other project, the remaining piece was just the right size for One Nation. Go figure. It was meant to be. The color shown in the picture is far from representative of the actual color. The color is a gray color. In the photo, it looks like a muddy color. I am using DMC threads because I knew it would be a long-term project and was not sure that I would buy enough of the overdyes in the same dye lot to finish it a couple of years down the road.

One Nation

by ByGone Stitches

28-ct Shale by PTP

In the last week, I have finished a Blackbird Designs little stocking that I started over a year ago. That photo will be in my next post. My Jenny Bean Halloween sampler is back from the framer also. It looks awesome. Photo to follow in the next post.

Along with all the stitching, I am still doing some crocheting. Am up to about 35 potholders crocheted and have not yet kept one for myself. Here is another pink baby afghan that I made for Anita's new granddaughter. Baby was born last Tuesday June 29th. Over the weekend I started another baby afghan for a baby due in September. Using a new pattern and had a few difficulties, but have it figured out now.

WARNING--Most of the rest of this stuff is old news.

In mid-March I attended the Heartland Stitch-In at Excelsior Springs, Missouri, north of Kansas City. This was the 17th year this camp has been put on by the Heartland Stitch Counters Society. I have only attended 4 times now. The stitch-in was held in a new place this year. Always before it had been held in Parkville, Missouri. I, for one, liked the old place better. One one good feature of this place was that you only had to go outside if you wanted to visit the mini-shop that was in another small building. When you see the next photo, you will understand why that was a good feature. Beginning before noon on Saturday and until Sunday morning it snowed. This was what it looked like Sunday morning. I think we ended up with 4-6 inches of snow on the 3rd weekend of March. During the weekend, I was able to meet 3 members of my Kansas Stitchers Yahoo group in person. It is so great to put faces with names you read online. Shown below are Laura Landis and Mary Lou Griswold. Mary Lou is the one on the right with her wrist in a cast. About 3 weeks before the stitch-in she broke her wrist in several places and has all kinds of metal in her wrist. She still came to camp and had a great time even if she could not stitch.

The designer for the stitch-in was Ellen Chester of With My Needle with her teaching design "Fruit of the Vine Sampler Huswif". Wonderful design. It is always hard for me to work on the piece during one of those classes. I am a very slow stitcher and I feel really rushed to keep up with everything, so I just did a sample of all of the special stitches on a doodle cloth. I think there are 28 specialty stitches on the design. Here is a photo of the project taken from the With My Needle website.
During the weekend of the Stitch-in the 1st and 2nd rounds of the NCAA Basketball tournament were being held. My school, Kansas State University was playing in Oklahoma City. I had my little Acer laptop and was keeping track online. (They had Wi-fi available. Cool). Before the game on Saturday night Morris called me to say that my basketball buddy had called wondering if I wanted to go to the Sweet 16 in Salt Lake City the next week if KSU won. That was a rather dumb question. Of course, I wanted to go. It had been 22 years since KSU had gotten that far and I was there that time when they did it. The rest of the story is that KSU won and we were headed to Salt Lake City. Fun trip. Meant picking my friend up at 3:00AM to make the 1 hour drive to Manhattan to the airport to meet the KSU Alumni Charter Flight.

On Thursday night KSU played a double overtime game against Xavier and won. See scoreboard photo.

On Saturday, they played Butler and we all know how that ended. Butler won and went on to the Final Four and made quite a run. We had a great time and are looking forward to another good year next year and maybe we can go that far or farther two years in a row.

Upon arriving home from Salt Lake City, I found several e-mails from some very close family friends that their mother was gravely ill. Before I had a chance to deal with that, I received a call from my brother-in-law that the family had called to say that Alyce had lost her battle and was gone to heaven to join her husband and my mom. I know it was a joyous reunion for them, but it was sure hard on those of us left here. I had known Alyce and her husband, Chuck all of my life. They were like a second set of parents. Growing up we did a lot of things together as families. After my mom's passing, Alyce always remembered us on birthdays and holidays, I know trying to fill the void left by the loss of my mom. Morris and I traveled to Beaver Lake, Arkansas, where they had retired to in 1980, for the services. Then on to Wichita for burial beside her beloved husband Chuck. Alyce we miss you.

Our little Monday night stitch group invaded the Sage Inn at Dover again the second weekend of April. A great time was had by all. Not sure how much stitching go done. Lots of laughing, eating and generally enjoying every one's company. Each time we get together, I keep a list of some of the more interesting quotes and include them here. This time it was so long ago, that I am having trouble making sense of them. However, one quote I will include is Jan--- "I am all out of adjustment" and the response -- Anita-"Everything Normal". Sorry Jan, I had to do it.

Below is a picture of everyone, including the Jack and Josie, the B&B dogs.

This is getting rather long, but I need to do an update on my rescue dog, Dottie. About a month ago, I took her in to be spayed. Nothing unusual about that, but when they got in there found that she had a uterine infection. It was a good thing that I took her in when I did. The vet tech told me that in another week or so, I would have had a very sick dog and might have lost her. She is doing good. We have slimmed her down a bit. Sure wish I could do that to myself. She is my shadow around the house and loves to go for rides in the car. She has a few bad habits that we need to work on, but that will come in time.

Thanks for bearing with me on this long post. This is what happens when I don't do this very often. I have had the pictures for this loaded over a week, but just did not get to doing the narrative. I worked 3 days last week while Anita was away with her new granddaughter. I guess I should not call it work, because I enjoy it, but it limits the time for stitching, etc. As I said at the beginning, don't expect a blog very often, but I will keep doing it ever so often. Thanks to all my reader and commenters, you make this worth doing. Until next time................Happy Stitching!!!!!!!!!