This Will Thrill You!

Okay, I lied - nothing is going to thrill you on this post.  I've had a miserable cold the past couple weeks and am just now starting to feel a little bit better - at least right now.  Ask me again in an hour and I might be sleeping again!  I think that I'm right in there with about a million other people running around with something, but this cold/flu thing has really kicked my butt!

So stitching progress as been minimal and also haphazard.  There was a little bit of knitting thrown in and a little quilting, but mainly cutting out pieces with the quilting in my more lucid moments.   When I'd sit down to stitch or knit, I seemed to fall asleep at the drop of a hat.

Ann Rayner is coming along slowly:

This sampler is much more colorful than I thought it would be.  Happy colors and I do like that I used a lighter fabric for her.  I would have been much further along with her, but a rather large frog came to visit and I had to rip out about half of the first alphabet and the golden dividing border because - well, let's just say that I didn't pay attention to detail and dear Ann added an extra stitch between one of the flower buds going across the top.  But I wasn't going to tear out the bud border, so....and of course, no one will be wiser (except people who read my blog)......I'm just extending the top border over one stitch and problem solved. I posted the second picture because there wasn't a stitch marked right under the left corner, and the more I look at it, I'm put off by it, so I'm going to put in a stitch there when I pull the color again.  I must really have an anal side to me because I like everything to be even.

After realizing that I had to frog out so much on Miss Rayner, I put her down in disgust and picked up another Ann - Ann Hall, although I didn't get much done on her either:

I just managed to get some of the grass in, the star-like motifs next to Adam and Eve, the dogs (except the collars) and most of the deer.  For some reason I got bored with that, and picked up a new one - well not really new, I've had it in stash for a while, but it kind of broke my resolution of working on WIPs - Janet Gibson:

Thrilling, huh?  NOT!  The only reason I haven't gone further on this is that I can't decide whether I should use two strands (the block is in two strands) or one strand (the vine is in one strand).  I know that a lot of stitchers will cringe at the thought of using two strands on 35 count, but that is my standard operating procedure.  But I'm using NPIs on this one and even though you can't tell by the picture, the fabric is rather dark (Meadowrue) so I'd like the design to pop from the fabric.  So decisions, decisions.  One strand or two?

So there you have it - two weeks of work.  As I said, I've been spending a lot of time either sleeping or just lazing.  But hopefully things will improve from this point on.  The only other thing that's really happened is  that my poor tired eyes have finally reached the stage of needing enhancement for distance.  Yes, I need glasses!  I've worn them for stitching, but never for distance.  Me, being a brave sole, decided that I'm too vain to wear glasses and need contacts.

Now, promise you won't laugh.  I went through the exam with flying colors - only took me 5 minutes to figure out how to put the contacts in and take them out.  Went joyfully skipping out of the doctors office finding everything to be so sharp - I could see everything so well.  Wow, does that red sign really say STOP?  Okay, I wasn't that bad, but I could definitely see an improvement.

Fast forward 5 hours and it was time to take them out.  No problem!  Or so I think.  I couldn't get them out!!!  I'm panicking - am I going to have to make a trip to the emergency room (I should note here that my eye doctor is an hour away so I couldn't just jump in my car and go down the street)?  What the heck am I going to do?  Okay, I tell myself to calm down and walk away and come back.  You whipped those babies in and out at the Doctor's office, you can certainly do it now.  I sit down ready to do battle and I still can't get them out!  OY!  Now I should mention that this was the day that my cold was rearing it's ugly head - my eyes were tired, scratchy, watery and I - well, I was at a loss.

But the problem was solved in short order.  My daughter had a friend over who wore contacts.  She washed her hands and whipped them out of my eyes in a nano-second.  I was embarrassed, but she tried to reassure me that it happens to a lot of people (yeah right - I swear I heard her comment to my daughter that it never happened to her.  They probably both had a good laugh)!  Anyway, I haven't put them in since.  Yes, just call me chicken!!!  Maybe when the cold is completely gone........

And last but not least, I have a new member of the sewing machine family.  One day when I went out on a quick errand, I passed an estate sale.  Even though I wasn't feeling my best, I decided to just stop in - you just never know what you'll find.  Well, I guess the Gods were shining on me trying to make me feel better because I have another addition:

This little machine is a tiny one.  And sitting next to her was a small spinning wheel.  I couldn't resist either one, and the price was so reasonable for both of them, I just couldn't pass them up.  I need to spend a little time today cleaning them up.  These sewing machines and I are going to have to stop meeting like this because I'm running out of room!

Well, that's it for me!  I'm going to try to slowly catch up on blogs today - as long as my eyes stay open.  I think that I've missed a lot over the past couple week or so!!  Hope everyone has a stitchy week - and stays well!