Thirty Pounds

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Annette

As of this morning, I’ve achieved a 30 pound loss since mid-January.

I did break down and buy some new clothes this past week as it was painfully obvious that my jeans were just too loose.  I bought not only one size down, but also two sizes down in anticipation of future needs.

Well, that smaller size is a lot closer to fitting than I thought when I bought them ;)

At the repeated request of my friends at work, I cleared a few items out of the closet this weekend that are just too big.  I’m not ready to completely rebuild the wardrobe – the cost alone prevents that and I’d have to do it again in a few months :D

These are lovely small victories that keep me motivated when the alarm goes off at 5:45am.  I am NOT a morning person, so getting up 30 minutes early to allow for at least a one mile walk before I get ready for work is a HUGE change!  DH gets up with me as the heat of summer is here and he needs to get his daily walk in as well.  He just keeps going for a bit after I head back home.

If you want more information on how I’m doing or on Weight Watchers or just need a poke to keep you on track, please drop me a line :) me@annettesacre.com

Posted in Weight Watchers | Tagged | 16 Comments

Theme-a-licious April Wrapup and May Plans

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Annette

I hate to admit this, but I failed miserably in Amazon April.

I managed to put about 4.5 hours in on Spring Queen, but Greek Mandala didn’t see the light of day.  No excuses other than my stitcher ADD rearing its head after being kept under control for three months.

May Memories

Remember when you took that class?  Or decided to commemorate that event?  And then abandoned your poor WIP? Take a stroll down memory lane by working on it again.

For May I’m going to take a slightly different take.  I’m going to stick with my 4-slot rotation but when the MH Haunted House is complete, I’ll replace that slot with some of the myriad of tiny kits that I’ve picked up over the years at various stitching shows, etc.  I have a slew of “Make It Take It” kits and freebies that will not only satisfy a bit of a startitis urge I feel building but also bring back some cherished memories from trips past :)

Posted in Theme-licious 2012 | Tagged | 4 Comments

WIPocalypse – May 2012

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Annette

Another month another progress post.  I’m really liking this whole WIPocalypse thing, I have to say.

Since we chatted last, I have finished three of the four pieces in my shorted rotation.  You’ve already seen Plum Pudding (admittedly, not on the original WIPocalypse list) so I’ll share the other two…. both *on* the WIPocalypse list :)

Little House Needleworks Sea to Shining Sea

Three houses done and two remaining.  Well on track for a finish this year!  Woot!

Mill Hill Bead & Button Kit – Haunted House

I finished all the stitching this round.  I predict a finish later this month as I don’t believe the beading is more than ten hours.

And lastly, my first WIPocalypse finish came home from the framer today…

:)

Posted in WIPocalypse 2012 | Tagged | 6 Comments

TUSAL – April 2012

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Annette

Posted in TUSAL | Tagged | 1 Comment

Rotation Revisit – First Plum Pudding pic!

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Annette

At the end of March, I finished the second round of my 8-piece rotation.  Due to some work travel and a certain bunny that hopped in, I did not jump in to a third round.  I knew I needed some tweaks… given it took sheer force of will to get thru all eight designs slotted in round two.

What to do to rejuvenate?  Well, a new start, of course.  I mean, really, is there no better way to find the stitching mojo again?

Saturday I kicked off Rotation Round Three with Glendon Place’s Plum Pudding.  After nine hours work… here’s where I am (click for a truly biggified version):

Dinky Dyes silks (yum!) and Vintage Stormy Clouds Belfast (yes, I got it wrong in the last post… the curse of age and memory).

This rotation round will look like this:

  1.  Plum Pudding (10-15 hours)
  2.  Spring Queen (10 hours)
  3.  From Sea to Shining Sea (10 hours)
  4.  Mill Hill Haunted House (10 hours)

That’s it.  Four pieces I want to make progress on over the next couple months.  Three are still on the WIPocalypse list, too!  Win!

Posted in Rotation, Stitching, WIPocalypse 2012 | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The (Fluffy) Tale of Two Bunnies

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Annette

It started with a kit….

The one on the bottom left there…

He stitched up quickly.

But he got me thinking…  I like to stitch larger Mill Hill designs on fabric.  What if I stitched this guy on some light green even weave?  I certainly had plenty of floss left and most of the bead colors (had to raid the stash for more white and something to replace the heart on his hind quarters).  I did have to adjust the flower on his rear as I was *not* going to try to finish off the tiny flower and attach to the bunny.  That works great for perforated paper… not so much on the fabric.

I think he came out pretty cute.  I finished him with a clear heart bead (the benefits of a copious stash) and a simple pillow finish.

But there was something else he was whispering…. he needed to travel to a new home.

Given I already had the address of his chosen destination… he’ll be off next week.  Watch this space for where he lands ;)

Posted in 2012 Finish | Tagged | 7 Comments

Birthday Stash

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Annette

A week ago, I celebrated a birthday.

The family showered me with love and attention, as always :)  A new Vera purse, my favorite See’s chocolates, and a trip to the Phoenix Art Museum with DH to see a Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit and lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.  All in all, a great day!

Now, it wouldn’t be a proper birthday without a bit of stash acquisition, of course.  A couple weeks ago I had a design *leap* out at me from one of the blogs I follow (can I remember?  Of course not…) and after a little searching, had it sent (and a couple other items to help justify the shipping…yikes).

The bunny on the lower left was the leaper ;)  He’s an older Mill Hill kit from 2003.

And then there’s always my birthday discount opportunity at Needlecraft Corner….can’t let that go to waste.

 That would be Mirabilia Tulip on the bottom, Glendon Place Plum Pudding on the left and The Stitching Parlor’s Persuasion on the top.  I have to admit, in the last few weeks I’m warming up to reproduction-style samplers.  Now, I won’t be restocking my stash with them, but I have certainly noticed a few more catching my eye of late.

I’m blessed to have Attic Needlework as my local shop.  As part of their “frequent shopper” program, a nice discount on a birthday shop is available.  I took advantage of that today…

 On the left, a fat quarter of Smokey White Belfast (for Plum Pudding), The Sampler Company’s Plymouth Sampler on the right and a new project envelope underneath.  I just can’t resist alphabets on fabric!  I also ordered Rebecca Gelwick by Historic Stitches and The Town House Sampler by Threads of Gold (though not sure if that’s the right designer… interesting results when I searched for a pic).

Lastly, my mom brought me one last thing today when she came by….

She knows me so well.

 

Posted in Stash | Tagged | 8 Comments

What the Yarn Wants

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Annette

While life and work have been extremely busy, I have been knitting along because sometimes that’s all my brain can handle in the evening.

It’s also what I do on the vanpool in the morning and afternoon.  And I’ve been known to sneak in a row or two while doing company-mandated training….

Over the last few months, I’ve bought a skein of yarn or two.  (ahem)  Sometimes, I see the colors and I just *know* what the yarn wants to be and in the last project, where its home is meant to be.  My last project was a simple One-Row scarf that is now happily residing a bit east of me.  I knew from the moment I clicked “BUY” exactly who that yarn was meant for.

Before heading out for my business trip last week, I needed a new knit project to take along.  I prefer to knit on planes and I was pretty sure I would have very limited time between meetings and dinner plans to do much more than a row or two at night.

I’ve had a couple of recent purchases hanging out in my nightstand (yes, my stash lives in various nooks and crannies in the house… whose doesn’t??) so I wound one up (Fiesta Boomerang in Surf.  One of my very favorite yarns in an awesome color) and found a promising pattern (Simple Textured Sock).  A bit of a swatch to find the right needle and I was off and running.

I made decent progress while on the trip…..(beware… really sucky cellphone pic)

But this week, I could tell there was just something not right.

Blackberry included for size comparison.  Evidently I’m knitting a sock for Bigfoot.

The yarn was not happy.  My gauge was very close (7.75 st/in rather than 8), so that was not the root cause.  The needles were appropriately tiny (US1).  The fabric was relatively firm and I was measuring out fine.  I realized that at the current rate, not only would I have to find someone with much larger feet than the average person to receive these, I may not have enough yarn to complete the pair.

It was painful, but unhappy yarn does not make for a smooth project.  I ripped them out completely and started something new tonight.  Larger needles….simpler pattern better suited to this springy yarn…

So far, the yarn seems much happier.  I’ll let you know when I’m a few more rows in.

Posted in Knitting | Tagged | 2 Comments

WIPocalypse – April

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Annette

Whew… it’s been quite busy since my last WIPocalypse post in March.

Our house improvement checklist is down to its last item (new loveseat and couch due the end of this month) and I love love love the changes we’ve made.

Our new bedroom furniture arrived yesterday:

Yes, the walls are pink.  And for Cheryl’s benefit… the piece on the right is my Mirabilia Round Robin – the pixie one.  On the left is DH’s UT clock ;)  The center piece is a stitched baseball-themed piece, but it will probably be moved…at least up a bit.

And the dresser….

We didn’t get the mirror (our closet doors are mirrors and that’s quite enough reflection, thankyouverymuch) so how to fill that wide open space is definitely something to think about.  Pictures?  A small quilt? So many possibilities….

Anyway, the subject of this is WIPocalypse….  since the last update, what stitching I have managed has been from my WIPocalypse list, with one more finish for the year (MH Toy Store Bead & Button kit).  I’m on the final piece of the third time thru my eight-slot rotation (L’Epoch Nouveau) and I’m thinking I’ll bring out Spring Queen to start round four.  She and Greek Mandala will be joining the fun as part of Amazon April.

Now that the house work has been completed and I’ve no business travel on the horizon, I’m looking forward to returning to my regular stitching routine and getting back to making significant progress on the remaining WIPocalypse pieces.

Posted in Miscellaneous, WIPocalypse 2012 | 3 Comments

Theme-a-licious: March Wrapup and April Plans

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Annette

Wow.. March just FLEW by! Of course, I had a TON of stuff going on during the month, so I’m sure that had a little to do with it as well.

Lovely new ceiling fans were installed…. (Hunter Fans – Stratford style)

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New tile floors and new baseboards along with freshly painted walls (the walls are a very pale mint green here… trust me)

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In all this madness (see? Theme reference!) I did find time to get a few hours in and even finished off the Mill Hill piece! Can you guess what WIP I took this crap-tastic photo of yesterday?  Tilt your head a bit to the left… it may help.  Or not.

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If you said Ink Circles’ Masquerade, you would be spot on! I’m sure Tracy is cringing at this truly horrid WIP shot. Please forgive me… glamour shots after the next rotation slot, I *swear*.

So what are the plans for Amazon April?  Now that I’ve finished off three WIPs from my WIPocalypse list, I’m left with a good bit of time between now and the next finish.  Hey, I got the low-hanging fruit done for the most part, what can I say?

I’ve got one slot left in the current rotation round (L’Epoch Nouveau, not a small piece itself) and then I’ll be adding Spring Queen and Greek Mandala (a true Amazon piece!) in for my third trip down the WIPocalypse List this year.

This week, though, I’m traveling for work and I’ll be taking knitting with me for what I expect will be very few needle opportunities.  Three days of all day meetings, three dinner meetings and two full days of traveling will make for a less-than-productive stitcher, I’m afraid.  At least I’ve got a good pair of socks on the needles to keep me company :)

Posted in Miscellaneous, Theme-licious 2012 | Tagged | 5 Comments