Ack!

I've been so busy recently I haven't really had time to post anything.  I also hit a bit of a crafting slump and didn't have much to show, and most people probably don't want to hear about the minutia of my daily life.

In short, work is work, life is really busy, and I'm slowly getting back to working on crafty things.

Here's where I left off Fire Opal.  I've got a bit under 1/4 of this page left to do before I can move on.  I was getting tired of working on her so she went away for a little while.  Hopefully I'll be able to start back up sometime soon.

I've gotten back to knitting a little bit.

This is the very beginning of the Carousel Socks from the new Knitty.

And here's a picture of my cat Tika with some yarn, because why not?

Under A Rock

I haven't fallen victim to the zombie plague.  I am, in fact, quite alive.

The past couple of weeks have been a hell-storm of everything possible going wrong and then getting worse.  This didn't really leave me with much energy or desire to post anything, but I did get a lot of tv watching and ice cream eating done.  So there's that.

There was a two week long issue when it came to financing our new car.  First we were approved, then we weren't, then we were again, then we weren't because bad credit showed up on Manthing's credit report from a time when he didn't qualify for credit or live in that city.  So then I had to go back and co-sign the loan with someone else, which on the upside got me a significantly lower rate, and then the papers were printed wonky so I had to go back in and sign them a third time!  Lucky for me this was all being handled by my oldest brother, who's coincidentally the GM of the dealership I was getting my car from, so he's been dealing with more of this than I have and making it easier for me than I'm making it sound.

In other more crafty news, Fire Opal is slowly chugging along.  Since I only work on her (yes, I've decided it's a she) during slow times at work, she's been taking a lot longer than I anticipated.

I've gotten more done since this picture.  The right side has been filled out and I've started working on the upper neck and head portion.  This is just the lower neck and chest.  She also has a pretty extensive mane I'll need to work on, too.  And this is only page 1 of 4 for this design.  Good thing I'm really enjoying working on this.

Manthing and I are going to take a trip to one of our favorite beading stores this weekend.  Shipwreck Beads is about a 2 hour drive, give or take a bit depending on traffic, from our place.  We usually buy the bulk of our beading supplies from them since they have pretty good prices on larger quantity items than my local bead store.  Hopefully this means I'll have pictures of some of the jewelry we make in the not too distant future.

We're also gathering the supplies so we can start mold-making and resin casting again.  It's been several years since we seriously made anything.  I've also got some costume and prop making projects in the works.  Needless to say, we're trying to keep ourselves busy.

Head First

First off, I have to rave about the awesome turn around time for orders from 1-2-3 Stitch!  I made an order late Monday night and it got here today.  All the beads and Kreinik thread I need to finish my Sun Symbols and the Scarab that goes along with it, along with the elusive DMC 906.

And this.

Opal by Fire Wing Designs 

I love dragons.  And seeing as it's the Year of the Dragon, I figured that was a good enough excuse as any to pick up this design.  I'll be making the yellow one on the right, but will probably come back and make the blue one at some point.

This will also be the first time I'll be using a non-Aida fabric.  The design calls for 28 count Cashel, but I couldn't find a color I liked, so I grabbed some 28 count "Rainforest" Lugana  from Crossed Wing Collection.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they had already sewn along the edges to keep them from fraying.  Very handy.

I've never done 2 over 2, so this will be a learning experience for me.  Luckily the design is primarily full crosses, with a good smattering of quarter stitches, and of course, backstitching.  Hopefully it won't be too difficult.

Wish me luck!

Straw, Meet Camel Back

It has been a difficult week to say the very least.  I took a bit of a hiatus from...well...everything!  But, I'm back now and things are tentatively looking up.

I had a jar all ready for the January TUSAL post, but my roommate was being "helpful" and threw it and everything in it out.  Needless to sat I was far from pleased with this.

In slightly better news, my insurance company paid me way more than I was expecting for my car.  Both of my brothers have been in the car business for as long as I can remember, and my oldest brother tracked down a car that fits my specifications and my incredibly tight budget.  We'll be able to pick it up Monday or Tuesday.  Yay!

In stitching news, I decided to put my current projects on hold.  The Imagine kit's floss is way too thin, so I'll be using the DMC colors listed in the book and cannibalizing the beads from the kit for a "from scratch" project.  I'm still missing a color for another project, so that one's floating.  I'm procrastinating on my Three Frogs because I despise backstitching.

I have been working on something though.

This is the very beginning of the Sun Symbols Bookmark from Bewitching Cross Stitch.  This is also my first time using something other than 100% cotton Aida.  It's an 80/20 "Sand" colored Cotton/Linen, and I have to say it's a lot nicer to work with.  I'll probably be making this into an ornament instead of a bookmark.  The design requires some beads and shiny thread that I still need to order.

I want to do something on a larger scale for my next project.  I just have no idea what that project is going to be.

Also, hello new followers!

Snow Day

We rarely have snow days in my area, so it was nice to get a text from my boss this morning telling me the store was closed and I had the day off.  My paycheck is going to take a hit, but we should be alright.

This is the view out my bedroom window with bonus shot of my asshole neighbor's truck.  

In car news, my beloved Yellow Beetle was declared totaled this morning.  I knew it most likely was, but I'm still pretty damn sad about the whole thing.  Now begins the painful process of getting my insurance company to give me the check so I can put down for a loan on a new car.

I'll also be canceling my policy, once everything is cleared up that is, with my current insurance carrier and switching over to Manthing's.  Mostly for ease, and for a myriad of other reasons that includes my current carrier willfully ignoring Washington state law concerning insurance.  It's a long, long story on the whole thing that I'll avoid boring ya'll with.

In crafty news, here's what I'm working on:

I've actually had some more progress on my Imagine kit but the lighting is so bad in my apartment that I can't get a picture that doesn't look like mud.  So far I'm really happy that I subbed in blue Aida.  The colors just look so much better on it.

I've also been working on a simple top down baby cardigan for my cousins who are expecting another baby girl in March.

Off The Mountain

While I was up in the woods this weekend with 60+ of my geeky friends, we got hit with some moderately substantial snow for the area.  Come Sunday morning when it was time to pack up and leave we ended up waiting for a plow to come clear the road and had a small crowd of people helping others clear off, de-ice, and dig out their cars.  Having never driven in the ice and snow in my rental car before, I was understandably pretty nervous about the drive home.  Luckily it went better than expected and I got home safe.  Late, but safe.  As did everyone else from what I hear.

In crafty news, I picked up the supplies for two new projects.  Well, almost all of the supplies.  I guess DMC 906  is a popular color.  The three stores I visited were all out of stock, including backstock.  I'm making an order from 1-2-3 Stitch later this week, so I guess I'll have to add that in to it.

Anyways, I picked up one of the Joan Elliot kits by Design Works.

Unlike the version in Bewitching Cross Stitch, the kit is done on white Aida instead of hand-dyed blue Jobelan from Polstitches.  I had also picked up some light blue Aida for another project (which is also a unicorn coincidentally) so I substituted that in.  The pattern uses pale colors and beads that would have disappeared  on the white, in my opinion.  This will also be my first beaded project, so hopefully I don't screw it up too much.

As for my other project, I figured I needed something bright and on the easier side so I could work on it during down times at work.  I decided that the unicorn from Robot Unicorn Attack was perfect for this.  You can find the PDF pattern a few posts down on the Sprite Stitch boards here.  I'll also be making this on light blue Aida so the bright colors pop.  I might even get fancy and work out some stars or lettering.  

WIP Wednesday 1-11-12

We're still waiting to hear if my car is repairable or if I'm going to have to replace it.  So I've got absolutely no news on that front.  At this point all I can do is cross my fingers and hope for the best.

In other news, I have WIPs to show ya'll.

I'm still working on my Tree Frog Trio.  All I have left to do is the back-stitching and then finding a frame or something else for it.  I'll get to that sometime next week since I have more important projects to finish first.

Like this hat, which I cast on this morning during work and will hopefully have done in time for the event I'm attending this weekend.  It's a simple K2P2 ribbed hat knit in the round with black Patons Classic Wool.  Not terribly exciting, but effective.

I'll also be making an order sometime this week or early next week to pick up the missing thread and beads for a project I'm going to start soon.  I'll wait until I have everything together for that before posting a picture, though.  I'm weird like that.  

(Belated) WIP Wednesday

I promised I would post at least one picture of my current projects, and I will.

Design: Tree Frog Trio Kit from Dimensions Crafts

Size: 7 inches x 5 inches (18 x 13 cm)

Fabric: 14 count white cotton Aida

I've been working on this off and on during down times at work for a few weeks now.  I had a false start with the frog on the far left and needed to remind myself that the foot bone is not connected to the knee bone.  The single yellow stitch on the purple frog's chest was my center stitch marker, so that'll get picked out soon.

I had originally been working on this in an embroidery hoop.  It kept loosening and making my day difficult.  Then I discovered Q-Snaps.  I've been using the smallest size, which is 6" x 6", which is great for these smaller kits.  You can see a bit of it in the picture above.

I also received my copy of Joan Elliot's Bewitching Cross Stitch in the mail on Friday.  I picked up a majority of the supplies I needed at my local big box craft store this afternoon after I got off of work.  I'll need to order the Kreinik thread and beads online, but that's ok.  It prevents me from diving headlong into that project and forgetting about the ones I need to finish first.

Besides cross-stitch I also knit.  I've been knitting off and on since I was 11, so that'll be...12 or so years now.  Only within the past three years have I actually gotten serious about it.  Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the two projects I'm working on right now, and to be honest they're pretty boring WIP subjects.  Hopefully I'll have them finished up and ready for pictures come Friday.

Good Intentions

Well, I had meant to begin my actual blogging earlier this week, but life decided that would be a bad idea.

Manthing (this is the pet name for my significant other) and I were in a car accident just outside of our home. No one was injured, which is good. However, we're currently unsure if my car will be in anything resembling a working condition, or if it's completely trashed.

Needless to say this has been exceptionally stressful on the both of us.

Hopefully we'll get some good news soon. Our combined insurance is pretty damn good so we should be covered on all accounts.

I will be incredibly sad if my car is trashed. My grandpa bought it for my 17th birthday, which was about 6 months before he passed away and I'm pretty attached to it.

If things go well I'll actually have happier things to post in the near future. If not, well, it might take me a little longer to get back to blogging.

Also...hi followers! Nice to see you.

Obligatory Cat Post

Instead of just leaving my blog empty until Wednesday, I figured I'd toss up some seemingly obligatory pictures of my cats.

This is Tika. She's 8-ish years old, give or take a week or so, and kind of a chubby little bitch. As you can see from this picture she's also not entirely amused when I try to take her picture of bother her when she's sleeping. But I'm bigger than she is, so she has to deal with it.

She's a rescue cat and spent a few months of her early life as a feral kitten, so she has some habits that have carried over from that. Even after all these years she still hasn't quite figured out that when I feed her that she's going to be fed again in the future. So, we have some food issues and that's probably why she's pretty overweight. We're working on that.