X marks the spot

X is now complete and has to be placed into the box lid, packaged carefully and sent to Xanthe.  That may take another week!!  This is only 7cm by 6cm so it was hard to get a variety of flowers and still ensure a good colour balance.   But it is what it is...I was restricted by the aperture on the box lid.  I'm pleased with the lavender and the Solomon's Seal on the top left swirl.

The DBEM tells me she has some knitting jobs for me so there will be a hiatus until I can start stitching again.   But I cannot say no to this request as she has been knitting up scraps of wool into covers for some new coathangers for me and turning the long narrow rectangles of knitting into a padded curve on a hanger will require my eyesight.   After that is done I will go back to Arabian Nights and make a concerted effort to do another section.  Then psst.... I have a hardanger project already prepared:-)

On the work front I have been successful in obtaining a transfer to the same type of job at an office only 17 minutes walk from home.   Once the two managers(current and new) have negotiated a release date I will start at the new office.   Yeah!  No more hour and a half commutes home. No more 5am starts and whats more no more 9pm lights out.   I will get some evening back.

It's two months now since I started my evening walks and I have clocked up 200km.   Some time soon I will have to map out a new route as I'm tiring of the current one.   However the increasing fitness and the decreasing number on the scales makes me happy.

Bottoms - of shoes and bags

Today has been pouring with rain and I got a thorough soaking when out doing the grocery shopping.
After drying off I realised that I needed to go out again to pick up a prescription from the pharmacy.  By this stage it was a fine drizzle, enough to frizz the hair but not drench the clothes and I decided to walk down the road.
Off I went.   Something seemed to be sticking on the bottom of my shoe.  Oh no, chewing gum I thought and scraped my sole along the path.   A few more steps and I felt a wet squelching.   Looking down I found, to my horror that my shoes were disintegrating.   These shoes were not cheap; they are a reputable brand; they should not fall apart!!   And then I remembered they are around 20 years old and nothing lasts for ever.   So the bottoms fell off and they are no more.

However on a positive note I am well on the way to completing the Hardanger Bag.   Indeed I have only the bottom to do. 

Hopefully tomorrow afternoon will give this bag a bottom (stitched), a draw cord and toggle beads and a good press.
Then I can move on to Xanthe's X for the top of her box.   I am successfully finding many other "want-to-do" projects which will delay the return to Arabian Nights. 
Tonight the weatherman forecasts 21 degrees celsius and 96% humidity for us so it could be a restless night.

Now for the construction

I have all the ingredients ready and am about to start construction of the Hardanger Bag.   Well, I will start it on Tuesday which is a public holiday here so I'll have plenty of time.

Over the weekend I made the decision to face the lacework with some extremely fine Dirty Linen which I had in stash.   It is too fine for me to ever stitch on so can be sacrificed to the bag without any pain on my part.   This afternoon I went looking for lining and found this floral design on the right which is exactly the right colours and has a hint of my favourite blue in the teeny tiny dark flowers  The cord and beads came from Geoff's Emporium down the road.   Stash provided some iron-on Giggle Cloth for the stiffening.

So with all my ingredients ready I will start construction.

I have begun the arduous task of cutting the edge of the Hardanger Christmas Angel but at one-thread-at-a-time it is a slow process.   I don't want to slip and cut the stitching so only do a little at a time.   Meanwhile I continue the search for a suitable "body".   With some months left until next Christmas there is no hurry.

As I am not anxious to return to Arabian Nights too quickly I have traced the X onto fabric to begin a box top for Great-Niece number four.   Her older sister got a box for her first birthday.  X will be two this year so I am already running late :-)