February Smalls: The Birds and the... Cats?

Allo, world~ Already the end of February, egad.  It's time for another installment of the Smalls SAL and I'm actually timely with both finish and post.

click for info!

The little bird I had started for GG has been completed~  There was a day when I felt quite bleh so I just took a mental health day and finished stitching it up.  The actual finishing was completed another day, or rather over a series of days to allow the fabric glue to fully dry.

before

after

I did make a few changes.  Some of the gingham didn't match up for my liking so I adjusted some squares.  The original pattern is actually for a Christmas heart but I felt I have a decent start on Christmas decorations and hardly any for Valentine's Day.  So I adjusted the green and red heart to be pinks and reds.

stitch by stitch

I haven't put up one of these little "Stitch Movies" in a while and seem to have forgotten my settings for making them!  Sorry it's a bit wobbly with terrible colors hah.  I used ezgif this time around; it'll do the borders and add any text you may want.

Finished-Finished

Since all the floss, fabric, needle, and finishing bits were provided with the magazine, it was quite easy to know what to do with it after stitching, hooray!  I added the heart buttons though, instead of the round ones provided.  Yay, I have a new Valentine's Day decoration to put out next year!

Technical Details

• "Gingham Bird", pattern found in Enjoy Cross Stitch, Christmas 2012.
• Designer: Maria Diaz.
• 2-over-1 on white 14-count Aida.
• Finished size: approximately 4" x 4" (~10cm x 10cm).
• Started: February 13, finished February 20, ~6 hours.  

⊱ ────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ────── ⊰
I'm not sure if knitting is allowed for Smalls (it's stitching, right? with two [in this case, four] needles, riiight?). But I had to put this little guy in and he is certainly small!

Tiny Cat

Do not be deceived by his close up; Tiny Cat is a whopping 2" tall, if that. Such a fun, if fiddly, knit! I have never made an amigurumi anything before so this was a great learning experience. Especially picking up stitches. On wooden DPNs. When you're a tight knitter. I really shouldn't use wooden needles. I didn't break any but they certainly bent.  I'm not sure I knit the top of his head correctly either but it worked out in the end.

Tiny Cat watches you sleep

I am pleased to say my husband was Greatly Amused at Tiny Cat and took it to work with him to live on his desk.  This one was roughly modeled after Klondike so I suppose I should make Oreo and Peanut at some point.  Then he can have a little (literally!) herd of cats on his desk.

Technical Details

• "Tiny Parlor Cat" by Sarah Kellner, freebie pattern found here (ravelry).
• Yarn Used: random scrap leftovers.
• Needles: Size 4 (3.5mm) DPNs.
• Started January 28(?), finished February 6, ~3-4 hours.

That's all, folks!  See you next time!  I hope it will involve an awful lot of exclamation marks. :D

February GG ~ No Shoehorns Necessary

Hello again; I hope you all haven't Valentine'd yourselves into a chocolate coma. Or maybe you have and that's a good thing.

click for more info

It's (already) time for the next Gifted Gorgeousness!  I promise to behave myself this round and not shoehorn everything in ahaha (though the birdhouse totally fit).

First up, I received a wonderful package in the mailbox from Crafty Rahenna.  I've always wanted some DMC floss cards for when I make my own patterns.  I had just talked to my husband about them, wondering if it would be possible to make some of my own with bits of floss.

YAY!

I've already used them as I charted up the next side for the Monster Hunter cube (a GG regular) and they make things so much easier than digging through the floss boxes!  I especially love the one with the actual bits of floss.  Thank you so much, Rahenna~ \:D/

Since I finished the little bird house at the end of January I needed to hunt up something else to work on as the cube side has yet to be printed.  To the craft hoard storage!

brown squares

You can totally tell what this is, right?  What if I told you it was another bird (why is this turning into a birding year?) because it totally looks like a bird.  This little one is from a giveaway I won waaaaay back at the end of 2012 from Mii Stitch (where did her blog go?!).  I loved this pattern the moment I received it though it has certainly taken me a while to get around to it, especially since I totally fell off the map in 2013.

I am going to change it a little bit, maybe.  I'm using the supplied floss which has remarkable coverage capabilities but is darn near impossible to railroad.  I do wish American crafty magazines would supply such fun bonuses though!  The fabric is plain white Aida but the setting sun decided to "dye" it for the picture.

Next, I worked on a few more centers for the long-neglected Speaker Cozies.

spokes

It's been a while since they were last worked on (September of 2016, ergh).  They are a good choice for craft meetups so I think I'll keep bringing them, at least until I have another full doily (or two) complete.

Lastly, this is not for GG but I wanted to stick it somewhere as I don't do many posts a month.  Here is a little more progress on the Flower of the Month's September Aster.  I think I spent just as much time unstitching the lightest purple as I did stitching it.  I am a Distractable Do-er.

before

after

At least the glaring orange is pretending to moderate with the other purples coming in, thank goodness.  I'm still not 100% convinced it's the right color but I'm still giving it the benefit of doubt!

Okay, I think I've babbled all I can (not really but I'll stop).  My Ravellenics is Really Slow this year.  I've been having some weird days for the past couple of weeks.  I think my flu shot is protecting me... mostly.  Let's all hope it continues to do so!

A Surprisingly Not-So-Small(?) January Small

click for info!

Well isn't this embarrassing! I am apparently too used to posting at the end of the month that I completely forgot the first check-in for the Smalls SAL is NOT actually at the end of the month, oops!  I suppose it worked out in the end as I didn't finish stitching until yesterday. :)

before

after - much better light!

I guess it might be obvious it's not a cupcake now.  This was a very happy little stitch, and one of those that magically come to life when the miles of backstitching go on.  I did make a few changes: I did not add the second chimney, nor the majority of the French knots.  Nothing against French knots, but they just looked odd on this piece.  I also left off the "Thinking of You" sentiment and all the random blue dots which I think are supposed to be raindrops.  I didn't want raindrops, thank you very much.

Technical Details

• Cross Stitch Greetings #911 "Birdhouse", a kit by Design Works Crafts
• Designer: Joan Elliot
• 2-over-1 on white 18-count Aida.
• Finished size: approximately 3.5" x 5.5" (~9cm x 14cm).
• Started: January 8, finished January 30, 16 hours.  

The floss supplied was not so great. It tangled very easily and when trying to untangle, it would break! This was incredibly frustrating.  It also is a bit larger than I expected!  I think for the next Smalls, I should go Smaller.

scissors for weight

Here is what it will look like in the card. I was puzzled as to what the recipient could do with the stitching afterwards. What could be done with it and still be sent as a card?  Solution(?): I have a very thin magnet (think of those that come stuck on things as advertising) that should work to attach to the back.  It won't be able to hold much but would look nice on their fridge or filing cabinet... maybe?  I might be the only goofball who loves magnets all over everything.  Any other ideas out there?  It has to be very, very flat.

Okay, that's all I have this time~  I shall endeavor to remember the SAL date is not the end of the month next time haha~

January GG ~ Please Present Your Shoehorns

Hello, world! 

First of all, blogger is up to some shenanigans again.  Comments are acting up on blogs with embedded comment forms (such as mine).  They take a long time to publish (sometimes requiring more than one click) and it doesn't matter if comments are moderated or not.  Keep this in mind when leaving comments!  Some people may close the window or tab before the comment actually posts.  Add this to the no-reply/Yahoo nonsense going on!

One fix is to switch to the pop-up version of comment forms.  I don't particularly like the pop-up version for my own blog because I cannot leave replies directly on comments.  If that doesn't bother you, the option is in your dashboard under Settings --> Posts, comments and sharing.

Now enough about Google being silly, it's time for some Gifted Gorgeousness!  I already had to dig out the shoehorns for this one... sort of.  

click for more info

First we have a new start (gasp) for 2018.  I wanted to dive into my pile of thrifted and gifted kits this year and make a dent in that collection but discovered 95% of them are Christmas!  How did this even happen?!  I don't think I could stitch on Christmas all year so I chose one of the 5%, a nice spring-ish pattern that can be finished into a card.  I picked it up in a thrift store back in 2015.  It isn't a very large piece (could count for the Smalls SAL oooo) so it's working up rather quickly and the colors are so bright and cheery, perfect for this string of gloomy days we've been having.

not a cupcake

I'm not entirely sure who will get it when it's finished but it isn't for us or our house so it totally counts as a gift!  I've been toying with the idea of making a "Gift Drawer" full of small items such as this that can easily be drawn from in a pinch, stuff like pretty stitched cards or bookmarks or little ornaments.  Do any of y'all have anything like that?  Or is that the Box of Shame haha.

Next is Actual, Factual progress on FFIII.  This is turning into a gift for me because I want it DONE so I will use Shoehorn Power to make it fit in.  :b  Plus, it's stitched on a "gifted" stand (someone provided it to a church rummage sale), on "gifted" fabric (someone donated it to a thrift store), the pattern was made on "gifted" software (freebie pattern maker), and the needle sits on a gift (from Justine)!

before

after

I did the backstitching on another couple of letters as well as filling in more of the missing leg of stitches in his cape.  And a few backstitching details in his cape and hair.

Lastly is my New-To-Me craft storage, that was in fact gifted, and I did do some work on it.  I've been using an plastic storage caddy from my mom's classroom to store all my stitchy fabric and kits.  That little caddy has seen better days so I was on the lookout for something a bit more elegant.

store everything

This was my great-great grandmother's chest of drawers.  My mother had it for a long time but gave it to me a couple of months ago.  It was not kept in a climate controlled location so it had a few issues with mildew.  I scrubbed it down with vinegar, and then again with Murphy's Oil Soap.  It is as smooth as silk now!  It has been refinished at some point, probably by my grandmother.  Mom said she didn't do this one but it does have a coat of polyurethane on it so it had to have happened at some point.  I'm not sure if the handles are original; I know the top two aren't as they were missing from the piece when my grandma gave it to my mom.  The round dovetails (pin and cove) date the piece to the late 1800s and the mirror is still the original (though it has a lot of discoloration).  The doily/scarf was crocheted by my great-aunt.  My husband jokes that this is now the nicest piece of furniture we own (and it is haha).

Okay, that's all from me~  I don't even have any crochet or knitting to share as nothing is going on there.  My hands have entered the dry, cracked stage of winter so apart from being a bit tender, I keep snagging on floss, fabric, and yarn.  If it gets any worse, I shall have to get out the old remedy of socks and Vaseline to wear on my hands overnight!

2017 Recap: Books

Hi!  It feels weird to be posting so many times but I wanted to squeeze in a timely recap of books for the year.  I won't give you any book reports, though.

image via Google image search

Italicized is a book I have never read before.   
Italicized and bolded is never read and a new-to-me author.

1. Little House in the Big Woods (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
2. Little House on the Prairie (Wilder)
3. Farmer Boy (Wilder)
4. On the Banks of Plum Creek (Wilder)
5. On the Shores of Silver Lake (Wilder)
6. The Long Winter (Wilder)
7. Little Town on the Prairie (Wilder)
8. These Happy Golden Years (Wilder)
9. The First Four Years (Wilder) 
10. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (J. K. Rowling)
11. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
12. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
13. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
14. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
15. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Rowling)
16. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Rowling)
17. The Color of Magic (Terry Pratchett)
18. The Light Fantastic (Pratchett)
19. Equal Rights (Pratchett)
20. Mort (Pratchett)
21. Sourcery (Pratchett)
22. Wyrd Sisters (Pratchett)
23. Pyramids (Pratchett)
24. Guards! Guards! (Pratchett)
25. Faust Eric (Pratchett)
26. Moving Pictures (Pratchett)
27. Reaper Man (Pratchett)
28. Witches Abroad (Pratchett)
29. Small Gods (Pratchett)
30. Lords and Ladies (Pratchett)
31. Men at Arms (Pratchett) 
32. Soul Music (Pratchett) 
33. Interesting Times (Pratchett)
34. Maskerade (Pratchett)
35. Feet of Clay (Pratchett)
36. Hogfather (Pratchett)

After unpacking our books post-move, I felt the need for familiar, easy books that I love and that would serve as a pick-me-up.  The Wilder books were given to little-me as a boxset from one of my father's college professors.  My copies are very well read at this point.  I've always particularly loved The Long Winter.

It was past time to do the almost sort of annual reread of Harry Potter.  At least these are hardcover and can stand the abuse!  No Cursed Child, never again, boooo hisssss.

And then, after joining the new local yarn group, they roped me into a summer reading challenge, which I'm pleased to say I not only completed, but also won the drawing for a gift certificate to a local restaurant!  The Discworld series fit in nicely with some of the options, and after a spectacular enabling essay from Jo, I dove in!  I decided to stick with publication order as it was easiest for me to keep track of where I was.  All of our local libraries function as one and we also have the option to request books from any library in the state.  Because I often had to wait for the next one(s) to come in, progress slowed as the year aged.  I didn't quite make it halfway through though I started reading the series in June. So far, I've greatly enjoyed Equal Rights, Small Gods, and all the Witches and Rincewind books.  (Rincewind may or may not make me an oddity in the Discworld fandom but I just loved his personality and timing haha.)  There were a few I didn't really love, at least not as much as the others (such as Moving Pictures and most of the Watchmen series).  And it was a bit fitting to be reading Hogfather at Christmastime!  I promise that wasn't planned.  It took this book for me to fall head-over-heels for Death.  :)

I did not include any manga.  After thinking about that, I might try a separate list for them in 2018, at least for completed series.  I'm sure this year I was well over 200 for this genre alone!  I read a lot of manga, though many are one-shots (basically one chapter) and almost all of them are online.  I do  have a nice collection of my own on my "geeky" bookshelf.  I will keep track of them by completed series, not a separate line for each individual book (volume).  I'm not sure how to go about including ongoing series.  Perhaps I should just omit them or I'd really wind up with a plate of Spaghetti-Os.

You know, I guess I did pretty well on books this year. :)  No new-to-me authors but that's okay.  Sometimes familiar favorites make things better.

And that's it for this year's posts!  I'll see you all on the other side. :D

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* HAPPY NEW YEAR! *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧