new projects

Well I decided to leave the Horsefeathers quote without the yellow filling in the center of the flowers. It just ended up looking odd. So that project is all done and I'll be moving on to something new.

My next big thing is a large cross-stitch project around a quote from the TV show Black Books (one of my favorites ever). The quote being "Don't make me get sick into my own scorn," which I've framed with a nice vintage border. I had to alter things a bit to make them symmetrical, but I that's par for the course.

The border and font are both from vintage patterns found on this website, which is about the best resource ever! The layout is a bit confusing because that square chart with the numbered links always stays at the top of the page, but you just have to scroll down to see the patterns. It's fun to explore even if you're not interested in stitching such things. So that's what I love this Thursday!

I also love Miyazaki movies and I'm trying to make a set of cross-stitch patterns around some of his characters and themes. Should be a challenge!

Wide eyes and bright colors

Yesterday was a bit odd. I had my eye exam appointment at 9:00 am, which was okay, though I didn't like the office. The exam was way shorter and less extensive than any other I've had. Enough to show that my prescription hadn't changed drastically but not enough to show small changes.

I had numbing drops in my eyes for the first time, which was so weird, then had my eyes dilated, which I both love and hate. I hate not being able to see or focus on anything up close but I like the look of dilated eyes (I associate it with doe-eyed sweetness having never really been around hardcore druggies). When I got home at 10:30 I fell asleep almost immediately and slept off and on (mostly on) until 7 pm! I hate days like that, as I'm not a person who enjoys sleeping, and I hate the feeling of literally not being able to stay awake.

So the good news is that I'm not going blind, the bad news is that I'll have to see my GP so they can check to see if I have a sinus infection. It seems likely, as the symptoms fit. I hate doctors, but maybe they'll give me amoxicillan and I can request to have the liquid which tastes so good - or it did when I was a kid anyway.

The new blackwork piece is almost done. I'm just putting the yellow in the center of the flowers, which I would have done yesterday if I hadn't had that sleep marathon. My brain stayed fuzzy the whole time so I didn't attempt to work on it. Instead I watched Rescue Rangers and decided that the next time I'm getting a cat it will be a big lazy male cat, preferably a ginger, who I'll name Mepps after a cat in Rescue Ranger. Or possibly I'll be a bit dada and name it Mole. You never know.

Do you like fantasy books but find them to be basically repetitive and tedious? Well I know a fantasy author who's much more fun than the rest. Juliet Marillier is the lady and I love her books. She has two trilogies and one book duo already out, plus two young adult books, one stand alone, and she's two books into a new trilogy. The first set, The Sevenwaters Trilogy, are some of my favorite books ever, and her duo which are about vikings is super crazy awesome. The first book of the Bridei trilogy was so amazing but the second two were a bit disappointing by comparison, though still good. Her books always involve a bit of magic and folklore but it's not over the top. It's basically the past as we know it with most of the attached folklore being true but no pet dragons or magical teleportation or anything.

Silly excitement

separate cases for warm and cool colors, of course.

I have an ophthalmologist appointment tomorrow, which I'm super psyched for. Generally I despite eye doctors. They treat me as though I'm twelve years old and tell the worst jokes imaginable. I've never been to an ophthalmologist, never having had serious eye disease or anything, but they are the only ones certified to accept Medicare so I have to see them for my eye exams.

The reason I'm excited for it is because I really want to know if my prescription has changed (I believe it has), if it's just eye strain or if I'm managing to go blind, and to ask if they think contacts would be easier on my eyes in terms of needlework. I don't want to wear contacts, I love my glasses, I've had them since I was seven years old, but if contacts will make my eyes ache less then I would use them for needlework.

What I'm finishing up now is the quote from the movie Horsefeathers (hard to say who actually wrote the line). I've completed the green on both sides now and I'm doing a bit more detailing in green above and below the purple flowers. I'll also be filling the middle of the flowers with a goldenrod yellow thread. These are colors I bought all at once, just randomly picked up the green, orange, and fuchsia and noticed in the car how pretty they looked together. I've never done a project using just those colors before but I'm happy to now. It's bright but it works. Gotta show the sexy side of blackwork, after all!