Perspective

Yesterday I had some terrible news. I was waiting for news on Ken Cauthen's condition. Some of you may remember that my dear friend Marsha Cauthen, the owner of the on-line needlework store Criss Cross Row, had suffered a terrible shock when her husband Ken had a brain aneurysm in January 2007. Marsha had helped Ken throughout his ordeal and although he never regained his short term memory he was able to function reasonably well with Marsha's help. On his last hospital visit they were told that the aneurysm needed to be re-coiled as there was a space which, for safety's sake, needed to be filled. The operation was to take place on 22nd February and should only have taken 1 1/2 hours.
Yesterday I heard from Marsha that things had gone terribly wrong and that to enable the surgical team to get to a blood clot part of Ken's skull had to be removed. As I type he is in a drug induced coma and on life support. Many of you will know or have heard of Marsha. Please include them in your prayers today. They both need all the love and prayers that we can give.

Today, to try and keep myself busy, I completed my 'Love in Williamsburg' by Giulia Punti Antichi. I decided to leave of the lettering and finished it as a cube stand up. I am very pleased with the result which you can see below.

My Latest Stitching Project

I always love it when I get a package in the post and this was no different. My order from Lois at Elegant Stitch has arrived. I have joined the Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers club and this was my first chart. The chart is entitled 'Where My Heart Blooms'. I have joined the club with the pattern,fabric and threads option. Not, of course, that I need any more threads but I love the idea of the complete kit. I know - I'm lazy but there we are.



The charts will come every 2 months and at the end there will be a mystery sampler made up of elements from all 6 previous charts.

I have also completed yet another Victorian Shoulderette. This time I have made a matching hat to complement it. Needless to say the hat is not for me but for my son's wonderful partner who, I think, deserves much more. Now that I shall be finishing work I am hoping that I shall be able to help with the children so that she can have a little time to herself.

I am in countdown mode now for finishing work. Two weeks and two days to go. Now it cannot come fast enough.

I'm off now to put the first stitches in my 'Where My Heart Blooms'

At Last......

Yes I know I've been winging on and on about handing in my notice and I know it must have bored the pants off of you but I finally did it last Monday and I'm FREE. My last day will be on 11th March just in time to fly to Delaware for Criss Cross Row's Acadamy classes. I'm taking Wendy White and Catherine Theron's classes. It will be a fun filled few days.Once I return I can stitch, quilt and knit at my leisure. I suppose somewhere amongst that lot I should really mention cleaning but somehow it doesn't seem very important.
Jim's operation went very well. He was in the Clementine Churchill for one night only and then home. He's healing very well, with a great range of movement in his arm.
Last Saturday I had a Sampler Guild gathering at my house. We really are so lucky in that we have found such a wonderful group of women with whom to share our love of stitching. We really care about each other and share our ups and downs. Meeting up as we do has become a very important part of my life and I am very thankful for it.
It speaks volumes about me that I agreed to have my two beautiful grandsons to stay overnight on the same day as the Guild gathering.There was 20 minutes space between the ladies leaving and Dylan and Luke arriving. On Sunday morning I looked like my worst nightmare. But stitching is a healer and by Sunday evening I was back to what passes (for me) as normal. Now I'm off to daydream about freedom...................

Weekend Talk

I felt a great feeling of relief this Friday. At last I told work that I would definitely be leaving, if not in December, then sooner if my pension will allow. Now I'm of the opinion that I cannot wait until December. There is so much that I could be doing and I resent time spent working where appreciation is never shown. Lip service is easy and doesn't cost anything but rewarding senior staff could be a saving grace. They havn't learnt this lesson in the 11 years that I have been working for them and for that reason discontent is rife. I made a decision in the last week spent at home that I really didn't want to carry on working in an atmosphere that has changed from enjoyment in hard work to malcontent at little recompense. Immediately the words wereout of my mouth so I felt that a great weight had been lifted. I'm now in charge of my own life.

Jim goes into hospital tomorrow to have a shoulder arthroscopy and depbridement. He will be in overnight provoding they find nothing else wrong. Then he will be forced to take 2 weeks off and rest the right shoulder/arm. Many years ago I worked at this particular private hospital and I know he will be well looked after in almost (for a hospital) luxurious surroundings.

This weekend's finish is shown below. This is another chart by the French designer Atalie entitled Avril 2007. Perhaps now my biscornu phase in completed. I had fun stitching this one but enough is enough and I shall cast on this evening for another Victorian Shoulderette. I plan on beading the lace edging on this one.

On the Upside

This week didn't start well. I caught some sort of bug and I've been at home struggling to get rid of it. I actually don't know what was worse - the anitibotics or the bug. However today I feel a bit more normal. Yes I can hear you all asking 'What is normal for her?' Normal is feeling able to stitch and complete a project that I started the weekend before last. This is a bicornu designed by Le Fil Atalie. You can view her designs at This biscornu is the design for October. The chart is in colour although the instructions are in French. However, you don't need the instructions to stitch this. So thst is the upside to being off sick,



The back of the biscornu is a very quick stitch. I didn't have the Atalie floss with which the design should be stitched but I chose colours from The Thread Gatherer which I had in my stash




I also have the chart for The April Biscornu and I think I shall stitch this next.
On another front I have sorted out my stash and put some things on Ebay. I was very firm with myself. Anything that I knew I wouldn't stitch this year went. The problem is that I don't seem to have created any space at all. The drawers to the filing cabinet are still stuffed. Maybe I need to even more strict.

Finshed Items at Last

As I promised I managed to upload some finishes to show you. This is the finished Victorian Shoulderette. I am so pleased with the way this has turned out and I really love the Dream in Color Smoochey yarn that I used. It knits so beautifully. I intend starting another but this time in Posh Yarn 'Lucia'. I also thought that I might try adding beads to the bottom of the next shoulderette



The next finish is 'Ghosties and Ghoulies' by Brightneedle. This was a class that I took in 2006. That shows how slowly I finished that one. Actually I had completed the stitching but put it aside to finish. This piece is just so sweet.





And then finally...... my Merry Cox piece from Williamsburg 2006. I held of this conmpleteing this because whilst taking the class my Son and Daughter-in-Law told us they were expecting another birthday. I waited until Luke was born and then added his initials.



I'm now well on the way to completing Merry Cox's piece which I took at Williamsburg last Christmas. Merry isn't teaching Christmas 2008 and I'm not going either. I didn't think that I could manage Williamsburg and Ackworth again in one year as I did in 2006.