Annette's Acre

Joe: Hello Stitch fans!!  Welcome to this special edition of “All My Acres.”  Today, we’re reviewing the January Gooooooooooooo…

Fred: Hey, Joe?

J: …aaaaaallllllllllsss….  Yes, Fred?

F: I know you’re a frustrated soccer announcer and all, but let’s not overdo, ok?

J: ::sigh::  Someday, Fred.  Someday.

F: Let’s recap the Goals set way back on January 2:

• Finish page 3 of Summer Queen
• Finish MP bookmark
• Finish pink baby blanket for S
• Hit 50 days on the Xbox streak

Definitely do-able on all counts.  How did she do, Joe?

J: Not bad, considering one was impossible.  Let’s go thru them one by one:

• Finish page 3 of Summer Queen

Here’s the current progress pic:

Using the handy Photo-Strater, I’ve highlighted the area where she went above and beyond the goal:

F: Wow!  That’s a good amount of overage there.  Nicely done.

J: Yes.  I think we need to up the ante for February.  But we’ll save that for the end of the show.  Next we have:

• Finish MP bookmark

F:  I know that was done! We saw the picture on January 15th.

J:  And a fine finish it was.  Another Goal to mark “Complete!”

F:  Can we carry that on to the next one?  ”Finish pink baby blanket for S”

J:  I’m afraid that one is still in consideration.  I know the plan was to finish the blanket on a car trip scheduled for yesterday, but unfortunately that trip got cancelled.  I see the blanket sitting on the couch and less than a half skein of yarn to go, so we still have a chance to see a finish yet today.

F: Hmmm… it would be easier if we had some football or baseball on this afternoon.

J: I know.  We do have a How It’s Made marathon.  And there is always the DVD collection.  I think She can do it.

F: As long as She isn’t distracted by….

J: Shhhhh…. stay positive.

F: Got it.  What about the last goal?

J: Sadly, this one was never possible.  If She’d checked her streak numbers on the day She posted, She’d have seen that it was broken on January 1.  So the best we could have hoped for was hitting 30 days.

F:  Did we get that far?

J:  No.

F: Oh.

J: Yup.

F: Ah.

J: So that’s it for the January Goal Recap.  Did you have anything else to add?

F: Why, yes, Joe, I do!  We know She was out of town most of this past week, but there was stitching accomplished and coming home early allowed for another finish in January!  This is the Pagoda Pincushion from one of last year’s Gift of Stitching magazines:

J: Very nice!  Especially that it’s, you know, finished.  Care to share the floss and bead details with the fans?

F: I thought you’d never ask!

• Overdye:  Needle Necessities 1781 – Alpine Meadows
• Floss: DMC 3834
• Beads: Delica 432
• Fabric: 32-count antique white evenweave

J: That means we’ve got three finishes so far this year.  Great way to start.  Are we ready for the February Goals?

F: Absolutely!  I hope you took into account it’s a short month.

J: Why would I do that?

F: Because we don’t want to lose our jobs??!?!

J:  Hmmm… true.  Ok.  ::scribble::  Here we go…..

February Goals:

• Complete all stitching/beading “below the fold” on Summer Queen
• Complete LUV Letters by Primrose Needleworks
• Start/Finish next LHN Ornament:  He’s a Flake
• Start knit scarf for SL

F: I’m not familiar with that second item.  Did She sneak in a new start??

J: It’s the annual Valentine piece for Him [DH].  I guess the usual pillow approach didn’t appeal this year.  Here’s a pic:

F:  How romantic.

J: Pretty much.

That’s it for today’s Gooooooaaaaallllll Edition of All My Acres!  See you mid-month for the regular update!

F: ::sigh::

I’m leaving for the airport in less than two hours.

I haven’t finished packing.  Still have to add clothes.  I have all the important stuff: books (Sunshine and Throne of Jade are going), scarf to knit on at the airport and a few stitching projects (trip to the LNS on Saturday may have added two more to the bag…..)

Not sure if I’ll be posting here while gone.  Depends on a few things:

• If I have time between all the sessions and partying* that happens
• If I use my work laptop to post (ok, that’s not really an If…I know I will if I want to)
• If there’s anything of interest to post

My presentation is Tuesday afternoon at 2:30p PST (that’s 5:30p EST).  Any positive thoughts you can spare during that hour will be very appreciated

*Yes, there are nightly social events.  Music.  Liquor. Food. Lots of Tech people (aka “Nerd”, “Geek” etc).  If I’m there past 10pm it’s because I’m waiting for a ride back to the hotel.  My “party” days are loooong behind me.

Next week I’m off to Las Vegas for a business/pleasure trip.

I’m flying up Monday and will be there for a work conference until noonish on Thursday.  It’s an annual conference put on by one of the software vendors that I work with daily.  I’m giving a presentation on Tuesday on Ad-Hoc Reporting (exciting, let me tell you) but otherwise it will be sessions (both technical and not) and meals with friends and peers in my field.

DH is driving up on Thursday and we’re staying at the Monte Carlo.  We’ll be driving back to Phoenix on Saturday.  It’s about a six hour drive and I thank the heavens for satellite radio every time we make it LOL

As you might suspect, I’ve been giving some thoughts to packing.  I’ll be there six days and the conference is definitely business casual all the way…. it’s mostly tech people after all.

Took me all of about 10 minutes to decide on what to wear for my presentation (black pants, black shell and pink blazer) and what to bring for the rest of the week (a lot of jeans and nice tops).

I’ve spent several days thinking on what to take to stitch on and read   This was helped a little last night as I finished the latest Little House ornament, Pear Tree:

Here’s what I’ve decided (subject to change on a whim until I actually put them in a suitcase, of course):

On the left:  Jody Steward’s Pagoda Pincushion from one of last year’s Gift of Stitching magazines.

On the right: Little House Needleworks’ From Sea to Shining Sea.  Right now this is slated to be the next focus piece after I finish Summer Queen

I’ll also be taking along a crocheted baby blanket to (hopefully) finish on the drive home Saturday.  Also may throw in a simple knit scarf for airport time.

Now for reading… I need your help!  I’ve pulled five books from my bookshelves:

I will have my Kindle (of course), but I like to have a “real” book as well.  The Wynn has some gorgeous bathtubs   A nice long soak one evening is going to be heavenly, but I’m not going to risk the Kindle above a tub of water.

The books are:

• Sunshine by Robin McKinley
• Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
• Nightlife by Rob Thurman
• The Patriot Witch by CC Finlay
• Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

Which one should I take?

Lots of stitching time this week as Heroes, Leverage and Fringe were back in addition to some nail-biting football games.  We also watched Bones this week, a new show to our lineup.

This year I’ve joined the Totally Useless SAL!  That’s right, you will be treated to a lovely colorful picture each month!  I even bought a special glass jar for the monthly reveal.  Exciting, eh?

Here’s January:

Ooooo….  Aaaaahhhhh….. See those DMC bands peeking out?  There are a few in there…

I love how I can see exactly what I’ve been working on in the last 4ish weeks by the layers in the jar:

I suspect that later months this year won’t be as clear when I go back to my usual “Barely Managed Chaos” rotation approach.

I finished and *finish-finished* my Michael Powell bookmark last weekend:

One goal complete for January!  w00t!

Knit the next installment of the KrisKnits KAL:

And started the next Little House Needleworks ornament, Pear Tree:

I did put in a little time on Summer Queen, but as I’m thisclose to making the Goal on her for this month, I’m going to hold the picture until then.  I haven’t touched the crochet goal as I’m saving that for a six-hour car trip back from Vegas on Jan 30.  Plenty of time to finish it off

Hello, Stitch Fans!  Welcome to today’s edition of “All My Acres” where we bring you the latest, the greatest, the most interesting happenings here at Chez Acre!

Um, Joe?

Yeah, Fred?

Let’s not set the bar too high, ok?

You’ve got a point there.  How about this?

Hello, Stitch Fans!  Welcome to today’s edition of “All My Acres” where we try to at least show enough that you’ll hang around until the end of the show!

Much better, Joe.

Great.  Ok, I’m Joe Silky and this is my cohort Fred Linenstram.  What’ve we got today, Fred?

Thanks, Joe!  For our first stop, I smell olives!  Hey, that means we’re in Greece!  Look at this great progress on the Greek Village bookmark:

Look at those lines!  See that needle placement?  Like she just stepped away!  And if you squint a bit, you can see the majestic white tower and hear the sea…..

Fred?

Yes?

Remember the bar?

Oh.  Yeah.  Ok.  Let’s move on to the next stop on the tour.  Is it getting warm in here?

Why yes, Fred, I feel it too!  Could that mean a Summer Queen update?

It sure does!  A nice bit of progress up at the top…

Fred, I must say, the Goal for this month is looking to be in the bag!  Just need to square off the top of the section and fill in the triangle-y area in the middle and we can call it good!

Yes, it is Joe.  Yes, it is.  I think that’s all we’ve got for today.  I’m really proud of the focus and determination we’re seeing this month!  Really, it doesn’t take much to have some great progress and keep the fans happy.  Why, I remember…

Umm… Fred?

…not too long ago..  yes, Joe?

I’ve got a new start to show.

Oh.  I. See.

It’s not bad.  Just a dishcloth.  Really, Fred.  I don’t think it’ll derail the goals at all.  See?

I hope you’re right, Joe.

Me, too.  AcreFans, this is a new January Knit-Along (KAL) found on KrisKnits blog!  We’re a big fan of her dishcloths and the monthly KALs planned for this year will make for some great Monthly Goal fodder and quick finishes!

Let’s just hope it makes the Goal cut next month, Joe.   Providing this one gets done *this* month…..

Fred… come on.  Optimism.  It won’t kill you.

Ok, ok.  I’m supportive. Anything else to share with the AcreFans?

Well, I did find this picture in the camera tonight, Fred:

Wow.  Is that the new stove, Joe?  She’s a looker!  And that microwave!  So classy….  And is that…no way… a chicken nuggets button?!?  A pizza button?!?  Cool!!

Yup, Fred.  I agree!  I think we can count on some extra home-cooked grub in the next few months.

Well, AcreFans, that’s all for tonight!  Stay safe and keep the frogs in the pond!

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And just so ya know… the stove *does* have a chicken nugget and a pizza button!

[Let me start with... whew.  I did something stupid to the blog on Thursday that essentially made it disappear and finally figured it out today.  I hate when I do that..... ugh.  I is an IT pro-fessional.  I know better!!]

Here at The Acre we had an eventful New Year’s Eve.  Mom and Al came for dinner (chili and cauliflower soup) and we exchanged our Christmas gifts (new Vera bag! A favorite movie (Secret Life of Walter Mitty)! and more palm tree dishes).  They left just after 9 and we started our tradition of a DVD marathon.  This year’s selection: Psych.  We managed about two episodes before the clock struck 12 and that was it.

New Year’s Day was spent with more Psych, aforementioned Secret Life of Walter Mitty and some NCIS episodes.  Surprisingly, DH had no interest in most of the Bowl games (he did watch Tennessee’s spectacular loss), so no football.

I did stitch.  Here is my official 2010 New Year’s start:

This is Michael Powell’s Greek Village 1 bookmark.  That’s right, a bookmark.  I decided to forgo the big project start this year and stick with something that was a) from my stash; b) finishable in January and c) did not need framing.

This is not to say I don’t have a big project for 2010 already.  I put in a few hours on Mirabilia Summer Queen:

According to my “Not a WIP unless I’ve worked on it this year” rule – I have two so far

2010 Goals

Last year’s limited goals worked out pretty well, so I’m going to stick with that format.  I’m going to skip a work-related goal, though.  There’s change a-comin’ in that area (more reorgs) and any goal I’d set today may be moot in a month.

• Reading – 100 books for the year, including a re-read of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
• Music – Maintain my current music levels and continue to grow my iTunes library
• Gaming – Hit a 100-day streak on my Xbox360.
• Stitching – Finish Mirabilia Summer Queen and at least two other previously started projects (40+ hours).  Have less stash at the end of 2010 (thru use/sale/trade)
• General – Return to the practice of setting monthly goals to support the above

January Goals

• Finish page 3 of Summer Queen
• Finish MP bookmark
• Finish pink baby blanket for S
• Hit 50 days on the Xbox streak

Hey, let’s not overwhelm the first month!