Wondrous Beauty

I liked this quote so much I stitched it twice (and I hate stitching the same thing twice). It's from a Moomins book by Tove Jansson (check then out if you haven't yet, I've read one and really liked it). 

The pattern is up in my shop now. Up to now I've been very hesitant to use any non-DMC thread in my patterns. A lot of people seem to have trouble choosing colors themselves and I felt like everything I used should be easily available. I've threw that to the wind with this project. Kreinik metallics plus "wondrous beauty" on both pieces is done with over dyed stranded silk from another Etsy sellers. I have pretty threads and I want to use them! I will probably try to stick to commercially available products though, since you never know when an Etsy user will close shop or get rid of an item.

Trying to capture the gorgeous gleam of the metallic border was frustrating and impossible. Then trying to have the colors be accurate on the black aida was as terrible as I remember. I love black aida, and I hate it. Everything looks so awesome on black though. Wish everyone could see these pieces in person.

I just finished an excellent book for book-lovers, When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning. It's about the drive to get books to servicemen (they didn't bother supplying service women, annoyingly) during WWII, and the creation of the Armed Services Edition paperback, specially designed to be light and portable and readable in any situation. Books soon became the most important 'luxury' for the troops, and many wrote letters to the authors and publishers. This program is basically what led to The Great Gatsby becoming an American classic (mixed feelings for me, I found that book so boring).

The program created a generation of readers who knew the incredible psychological value of reading, and won over many who hadn't previously been readers. It's a wonderful, feel good story. Interestingly, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was one of the most popular, despite being narrated by a young girl. Author Betty Smith received an average of four letters per day from servicemen and responded to all of them.

I want to eat chocolates... Finished

Well it seems to be Monday again. I face the dilemma of expecting a package but needing to go out. It's being delivered by FedEx and they tend to have difficulties in making it up here (my building has a locked main door that can be buzzed open), which UPS never seems to have an issue with.

Happily though, I finished I Want to Eat Chocolates... and it's now for sale in my Etsy shop. Again, the quote is from Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett.

There's also the horrible issue of not being able to buy beer until I get my Christmas shopping done. I tend to have everything done before Thanksgiving always, but the finances are even tighter this year and I just don't want to keep worrying about it. 

I've been working on the pattern for another blackwork quilt square, but I think my next piece with be something in cross-stitch but without text (gasp!).

Also, out of 666 books (ha! though technically I own about 686, but the last twenty I may not keep, so they haven't been catalogued), only two of them are by authors with last names' beginning with I. Doesn't that seem odd?

And yes, I am the type of person who has catalogued all their books.

Books are Humanity in Print

So I've been gone for a while!

I went out of town twice in September and just got back from a trip to DC. We went to the Taste of DC, which was great, and I regret not making a bigger pig of myself (if only to soak up all the alcohol!).

All the traveling has a detrimental effect on my stitching, of course, but I'm almost done with a new pattern.

The quote is by Barbara Tuchman, who is easily my favorite non-fiction writer. I'm especially partial to her book The Guns of August, which is about the first month of World War I. If you want to really understand WWI, you need to read that book. 

Anyway, I like the way my books turned out and the dark gold text makes for a nice contrast.

Time Spent Dismounted...

Remember this guy? 

The quote is by A.D. Wintle, famous London eccentric. I'm sure I'm taking the quote out of context, but that's life.I also redesigned the traditional Blackwork man to be a bit more suggestive.

So the point of all that is that the pattern is now for sale in my Etsy shop. Yay me!

I could be done with The Cheat by now, but ended up sleeping for twelve hours straight (it's been a really exhausting week), thus not waking up until 11:45! Sigh. Oh well. Technically I could have gotten more done last night, but I wanted to be sure the color was going to work out so I only stitched a few rows in the last color as it was dark.

Women are not... Finished!

Well I finished the Women are not.. piece and the pattern is now for sale in my Etsy shop. If I were stitching it again I would do the colors a bit differently, but oh well.

Stitching on The Cheat has been a bit stalled, since I'm just been so tired lately. I know I keep saying it, but after that I really must get to the chintz napkin. The last bit won't take that long and I know I'll be overjoyed when it's finished.