Some Cross Stitch And A Birdie Update

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for your heartfelt comments you left me this weekend.  They were very much appreciated and I was touched so many read my story and left comments.  It did help to write about it, more so than talking has.

Gabrielle Giffords is holding her own today, thankfully.  She is the only victime left in critical condition.  As serious as her wound is, I imagine it will be a couple weeks.  I really do hope she pulls through.

I had planned to start a Stitching Saturday posting this past weekend.  In my previous life, with work and children, on those rare Saturday's off, I would get up, do the weekly shopping, then come home and spend the afternoon with my cross stitch, while the kids played their video games or whatever.   Cleaning was left for my weekday off, so the monsters wouldn't mess everything up as fast as I cleaned.

As promised some cross stitch.  I pulled these two projects out of the infinity project bin.  The first is an ornament that I fell in love with straight away and ordered all the supplies that year.  Which is pretty fast for me.  However, it took three years to actually start it.  This from Stoney Creek Magazine February 2008.

From Knitting Kitties

I'm using 28 count opalescent white evenweave.  Instead of the Crescent Colors silk the pattern calls for, I'm using Vicki Clayton hand-dyed silk floss in Blue Sky.

From Knitting Kitties

My eyesight is really getting bad in the past few years.  I about went cross eyed trying to thread the needle with the one strand floss and two strands Glisson Gloss.  This is pretty hard for young eyes as it is.  So, I pulled out my bi-focals that I got before I left Rochester.  However, the dr. (who could hardly speak English) I think gave me the wrong prescription, which is why I hardly wear them.  I looked through the bi-focal part and saw double.  Somehow, I successfully threaded the needle.

Opalescent fabric is hard to stitch on at night with all those sparkle threads glaring back at me.  Then I sought out and and found my $1.00 pink magnify glasses, which work far better than those expensive bi-focals.  The glitter was getting to be just too much so I pulled out a project I worked on during a  few winters except for 2009  and 10.

From Knitting Kitties

This is from Stoney Creek magazine, again, February 2006.  I had a subscription from them for several years, as I want to stitch a couple of their afghan series.  However, I'm missing quite a few issues.  They were either stolen or tossed in the garbage.   The old apartment had a breezeway between the outside door and the security door.  In between was our small locked mailboxes.  They had a plastic bin on the floor which the mailman would toss magazines and junk mail flyers.  Sadly, when housekeeping came around, they just dumped the contents into the trash without looking at it.  It could have been just delivered mail, too bad, gone.

From Knitting Kitties

I'll have to search on ebay and post to the 123 Stitch Message board at some point in search of the missing issues. Anyway, this is stitched 28 count Monaco evenweave that, yes, I hand-dyed it myself.  Maybe, this will be the year I finally finish it.  Don't hold out much hope, though.  I'm easily distracted, you know.  This was supposed to be for my mom, but as snow is so rare here, I might just have to keep this one.  Don't worry, I have ten other pieces that I started for her.

Mommy and Daddy bird are upset with me right now.  I cleaned their cage, then, we put newspaper over the wire bottom, under the nesting box.  That was the upsetting bit for them.  They were acting scared of the bottom until the babies started yelling, then they overcame their fears pretty quick. *whew*  Herbie looks to be about ready to come out, and I read somewhere to put newspaper over the wire bars when the babies are to come out.

From Knitting Kitties

Look at how big they are getting.  Herbie is looking an awful a lot like Dammit bunny with that spot around his eye.  Hmmm.  I'm thinking he's getting big enough to come out of the box, but D says no.  Herbie is being a good older sibling and keeping the younger ones warm so Ladybird can have longer time out of the nest.  One of my readers sent me an e-mail this weekend and she has experience with parakeet breeding.  I'll contact her later to see what she thinks as to when we should take him out.  D seems to think Herbie will pop out on his own when he's ready.

Well, I'm off to the store for supplies.  Yesterday, D and I made bean and ham soup together for dinner. Inspired,  he pulled out from the freezer the bones from our New Years Eve roast and is making French Onion soup. With the left over broth from that will be beef vegetable barley soup.  I think a nice salad, a French baguette and melty cheese will be in order.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little corner of the world.