Almost but not quite...

A wet weekend and diligent stitching has meant that The Mermaid's Chest is almost but not quite completed.   The lid and the base are done but not yet joined....but hopefully by the end of this week.
I am really pleased with this project but as I don't intend to actually use it I am not paying for the mother of pearl ruler, floss winders etc to put inside it.   Fortunately there is still sufficient space in my cabinet for this to find a home.
Here are some photos

I still need to make the cables that tie the lid on but here it is pinned temporarily in position

And a quick glimpse of the inside.

The hooks and eyes at each corner undo to make a flat "object" and needlework items can go in the pockets.   I added only too small silver fish to hang at each end and am on the look out for tiny tiny silver scissors to substitute for these gold ones.

There are still several items on the To Do List but currently I am writing a new list.  At the end of this month I finish up in my current job and am giving myself the gift of one month's 'holiday'  before I start looking for something else.   As I want to make good use of my time off I am writing two lists - one of all the sewing items I want to do in order to empty the fabric box.   Two pairs of trousers, a skirt, two dresses, summer pajamas and a jacket.   Also I have a Spring cleaning list.   Given that I have been working 42.5 hours per week at my current job I should be able to get everything on my list done when I am "working for myself".   Once my 'holiday' is over I am going to look for work with less hours and hopefully more congenial colleagues and surroundings so that stress will be less.   Does that sound like one dream too many??

Finally, Pamela nominated me for a One Lovely Blog Award
There are conditions attached to this - you must

* Thank the person who nominated you and link back to them in your post.

Thank you Pamela.   I get so much inspiration from your amazing blog and have you to thank for the patchwork hexagons to which I am now officially addicted 

* Share 7 things about yourself.

As a child I had a whole year when I was ill and confined to bed.  Old fashioned remedies were tried, the most memorable of which was burning a Cresolene Lamp in my bedroom at night.   I have worn spectacles since I was five years old and my older brother once trod on a newly purchased pair so my father bought me metal frames thinking they would be unbreakable.  My maternal grandmother had bad arthritis and as a teenager I spent school holidays at her house doing spring cleaning.   She taught me to tat, crochet and to embroider.   My mother taught me to sew.   I still sew and do embroidery but rarely crochet or tat.   Unless it is a legal requirement I never use my middle name as I don't like it.    I do not like citrus fruit as I hate the smell left on my hands after peeling the skin.

* Nominate bloggers you admire.

I nominate two bloggers for this award

Jo at Serendipitous Stitching - she is always such a positive inspiration

Danielle at The Peacock's Feather -  it was Danielle's blog which first drew me into the blogging world both books and stitching.

* Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know.

And that is all from me today.

Have a good week.

Knitting needles and sewing needles

Last week I made a determined effort to finish my knitted socks.   Having now dug a deep hole in my left forefinger, I can confirm that these fair hands have completed a pair of identical socks.   There was some worry at the commencement of sock two as to whether these would be identical or fraternal twins - but all is well.

And the turned heels are not bad for a first effort either.

So I cross another item off the list, put the double pointed knitting needles away safely and proceed with..... Sewing hexagons.   Now I am digging a hole in my right hand middle finger!

I completed the machine sewing on the Fabric Bomb bag and have only the pesky hand sewing to do.
While my sewing machine was out I did a couple of mending jobs and exerted considerable self restraint in not starting one of my planned  dressmaking projects.   There are still several weeks to summer so dressmaking is not high on the list of priorities.

Over the weekend I purchased the hardware for The Mermaids Chest and also a couple of small silver fish to hang inside it.   But I have promised myself a holiday from The Chest for a week and so found some fine linen in my stash to make another Christmas ornament.   If my mathematics is correct this one will fit inside a Tim Holtz pocket watch and find a place on my own tree.   Fingers crossed that calculations are correct.
I think this linen is fine enough to try out a biscornu from Yvette Stanton's Sardinian Knotted Embroidery book.
These plans should see this week filled and then it will be back to building chests for mermaids.  With all the materials to hand there is no real excuse for not completing this by the end of the month.  Watch this space.

Flat Pack Mermaid's Chest

We have the beginnings of a Happy Dance.   Stitching on The Mermaid's Chest is now complete and it is now in the "flat pack" stage.  

Next, I need to read the instructions very carefully, visit my LNS to purchase the necessary hardware and then construction can begin.   Meanwhile all pieces are folded carefully in a box and I am continuing on with another WIP.   I did change the verse spacing and I changed the U to look more rounded than pointed - although the floss is called Stormy Skies it certainly looks like the deep blue of the sea. Fiona found the source of the quotation for me
The quote is taken from a letter written by Elizabethan explorer James Lancaster to The East India Company...Right Worshipful, what hath passed in this voyage, and what trades I have settled for this company, and what other events have befallen us, you shall understand by the bearers hereof, to whom (as occasion hath fallen) I must refer you. I will strive with all diligence to save my ship, and her goods, as you may perceive, by the course I take in venturing my own life, and those that are with me. I cannot tell where you should look for me, if you send any pinnace to seek me, because I live at the devotion of the wind and the seas. And thus fare you well, desiring God to send us a merry meeting in this world, if it be his good will and pleasure.
Thanks Fiona.   I am thinking of printing off the explanation on a small card and tucking it into one of the pockets in the hope that when I am gone or gaga, my relations will not think I had a less than adequate grasp of poetry!

Now, I am back with the hexagons and making flowers.  Nothing too exciting here but the precise geometry gladdens my heart.

Tonight I plan on starting Sock Number 2.   Our winter is almost over but I need this project out of the way so onward and upward...  There will always be another winter and global warming will never have sufficient impact in my lifetime for me to say goodbye to woolly socks.
And all the while I dream of what I will do next -  Christmas Ornaments ???   Whitework Biscornu ???  or Something Else From Stash ???  
Enjoy your evening as I will mine

Baby blue and girly pink...

I have returned to The Mermaid's Chest now and am working on the stitched lining.   The linen is as close as I can get to that specified and the floss is exactly as the designer ordered.   Strange colours for a mermaid don't you think?

I have both ends done and the respective pockets.   Next the sides and their pockets while I think about what I will do for the base.
Here is what the instructions say ( a photo of a photocopy) - I don't like the way the letters are spaced unnaturally so that they peek out between the ropes.   Either ropes or lettering, but not both I think.  Any suggestions?   Can you even read the verse?   I feel like offering a prize to any who can as I think it is such an unintelligible puzzle.

Our rain had gone and we had three days of near freezing temperatures and clear skies and just as we enter the weekend we get....rain again.   I am baking a batch of Cranberry, Chocolate and Pumpkin Seed Cookies tonight -  the oven will keep the room warm and I can get a head start on my weekend chores.   Little Sister is coming to visit tomorrow and the HD3QBEM likes to have home cooking to eat with "crystal tea".   Strangely enough the females in our family only drink hot water (although I am known to have decaffeinated coffee when out) and as requests for this are always greeted with strange looks I coined the phrase Crystal Tea.   Even though an explanation is still required, people seem to accept it better than"just Hot Water please" ;-)
Tomorrow is Embroiderers' Guild and I am looking forward to that.

Everybody likes English Meadow!

Yesterday I took myself off to the LNS with my little list.   Did they have Silk N Colors English Meadow?   No.  What?   It is only four weeks since I bought a skein of that exact floss.   And now they have none?   Does everybody else like English Meadow?   Obviously.   I have emailed off to Sherelyn at Heirlooms to see if she can help before I attempt to extract one skein of floss from any on line overseas retailer.   My plans weren't totally thwarted but they sure were diverted.   I settled for a star frame instead of the circular one that was on my little list.   In fact the only item crossed off the list was DMC 535 -  so all in all a rather unsuccessful visit.
I did however complete this Christmas Ornament.   Originally stitched to go inside a Tim Holtz pocket fob, this was far too small and I have been searching for a small circular frame since.   Far from circular, this frame is perfectly satisfactory and another completed ornament for this year.

During the week I completed the base stitching on the lid of The Mermaid's Sea Chest.   I love this project but the over one stitching is hard on the eyes so I will mothball the piece and have a break for a month.
The "wood" looking panels have a pearl seed bead monogram in the centre panel and each side will be a bead anchor.

In April I didn't get to Embroiderers' Guild meeting so the Guild Project didn't get any further.  Last night I picked it up and completed the corner and all of page three.

Now I am working on the corner for page one and then will be one quarter of the way through.  

One third of the year gone and only one quarter of the project done?   I need to up my speed I think.
The HD3QBEM is not at all well this weekend so we are having a quiet time at home.   She is knitting what I call a bumble bee sweater (three guesses as to what colours the stripes are!) but her lack of energy means the knitting lies on her lap a lot.   Talking Books provide Sherlock Homes as background entertainment.   Our quiet times at home are quite fun!

Three bags full...

Over one stitching doesn't grow very fast does it?   I love the colours of this Vintage Brown silk floss but feel as if I need a break before attempting the remaining two panels.   A small anchor, in pearl beads, will go over this completed panel.  Thanks to those who made suggestions for sourcing a simple anchor chart.   Currently I am working on the staves.

Somebody asked me who was the designer of The Mermaid's Sea Chest.   This was a teaching piece by Lauren Sauer and she kindly sent me the chart some years ago in response to my begging email request.   It has taken me some time to source a suitable substitute linen as I couldn't buy what she recommended but I am thoroughly enjoying this project.   However I admit to being a little wary of what looks to be complicated construction.

On Saturday the HD3QBEM and I have a long list of errands, at the top of which is the delivery to the Hospice Shop of her knitting for the past twelve months.   Three bags full!   Despite her valiant efforts, too many dropped stitches and sewing in of ends on coloured stripes used up time which would otherwise have allowed for the completion of the 40th garment.   I'm still awarding her an A triple plus though as even with her failing eyesight and ill health she managed to knit more than last year's total.

She wants a new pair of shoes for the winter so we shall visit her favourite shoe store also and then possibly indulge in a sushi lunch.   After that it is my turn for shoes,  and a new pair of jeans.   I'm wondering whether in all this there will be time for cooking, washing, grocery shopping, a hair cut and all the other weekend chores.   I'm planning to cut out fabric for a new winter dress and a pair of trousers too -  hopefully the hours will be elastic enough to allow for all of this :-)

A short stroll? I don't think so!

Our Auckland Super City Council try their best to show that they are truly interested in the community.   I love them for their libraries (super service) and the Art gallery (super building) and then last week I saw advertised a 'guided walk' around a newly developed coastal pathway scheduled for Saturday 5 April.   Sounded good to me (weather permitting) so I registered, bought suitable snacks, charged my camera batteries, checked my sunhat and walking shoes and felt my anticipation grow daily.   Then, wouldn't you know it?   After no rain for two months it poured down on Thursday drenching both my garden and my hopes :-(   However Saturday dawned bright and clear and at 9am off I went-  bright eyed and bushy tailed.

 Described as an Epic Coastal walk  it truly lived up to its name.  

Up the hill, down the hill, round the cove quickly to beat the tide, up the hill again and down the hill again, then 285 steps in one zigzag stretch!   On and on it went until hot, tired, sweaty and with very aching leg muscles, at 5pm I was no longer so bright eyed nor bushy tailed!

On the stitching front  I am back on The Mermaid's Sea Chest.   Dark grey studs are all complete and now I am on to the over one cross stitches.   Tired eyes and late nights make progress slow but I a determined to persevere with this one.   Perhaps there will be scheduled breaks for smaller quicker projects but by years end there will be a completed Sea Chest.

My April small finish is to be comprised of these ingredients.  I won't be getting to this tonight but there is little left to be done so I am confident of a month end finish.

So it's sayonara from a tired Margaret!

Well where did that weekend go?

I was so looking forward to my weekend and had ever so many items on the To Do List.   Where did the time go?   Very little got crossed off the list....oh dear.
Saturday,  I slept in to be woken gently by the HD3QBEM at 8am.   No time for baking this morning it was a rush to be ready on time.  
I caught the bus and went into the University to attend a couple of lectures arranged by the Centre For Brain Research/Neurological Foundation for Brain Day.   This year the theme was Our Sense-ational Brain and lectures were on the various senses.   First up was an interesting lecture on Amblyopia or Lazy Eye.   Having suffered the indignities of eye patches as a child and as an adult in vain attempts to correct my wayward eye and now having a thick prism in one lens, I was interested to hear that it is possible to achieve correction as an adult.   Despite the prevalent thinking that the adult brain has insufficient plasticity to be retrained, the Centre for Brain Research is having success with treatment using an adapted version of the Tetris Video game.   Too late for me I am afraid.   Neither do I have time to be a guinea pig in their clinical trials but I was super interested in this lecture.   The fact that the Professor was tall, slim, dark and decidedly good looking helped too :-)
In the afternoon I was in shopping mood so wandered down town -  to buy tickets for two sessions of the Auckland Readers and Writers Festival.   This is not until May but I didn't want to miss out on a seat to hear Alexander McCall Smith and Camilla Lackberg.   While waiting in the queue I browsed a pamphlet about the Auckland Easter Egg Hunt.   100 giant sized eggs are 'hidden' at locations around three of New Zealand's main cities and enthusiastic hunters can txt in codes to hopefully win a 340g 18 carat gold ingot.   I found four eggs -  two so uninspiring I didn't even take photos and one inside the Louis Vuitton store where I was too afraid to take a photo.   This one outside the library intrigued me but I also like the infinity pool in which it is sitting. Win-win!   The water pouring over the edges makes lovely reflections too.

Still in a shopping mood I wandered further down town, didn't find what I wanted, swallowed the story from the sales lady at the last store who told me the store way up the hill stocked what I wanted.   Back up the hill I trudged.  They didn't :-(   Back down the hill.  Shopping mood now totally vanished so I caught the bus home.   Whereupon I lay on my bed in the cool and read my book.   Donna Tartt's, The Goldfinch is a lot of reading and although it was an interesting story, for some reason the library supplied me with a large print version which is huge and ever so heavy to hold.      I am almost through this so it should be back to the library before due date - I don't need any more fines.

I worked some more on Ring O Roses.   This is supposed to be a Guild Project and by definition worked on only once a month.   I am now officially addicted to this and it was hard to put down.   Looks good n'est-ce pas?

Sunday I made a start on the lid for The Mermaid's Sea Chest and am liking this one too.   None so fickle as I?   On Saturday I am in love with Ring O Roses and on Sunday, The Mermaid's Chest.   But I stitch better when I love the project.  I don't want to do my initials in the seed pearl panels -  maybe an anchor at each end a solitary M in the middle?   But I don't know where I could find a simple anchor chart.   Any suggestions?

This week our cleaner is sick and can't come so rather than have the HD3QBEM attempt the cleaning (she is prone to be helpful!) I will be wielding duster, vacuum cleaner, scrubbing brush and bucket tonight.   Then there is the ironing to do as well.   How come I am crossing items off a list that I didn't even write??
Good night all.

Cyclone Lusi

All week the weather man has been issuing dire predictions of Cyclone Lusi - huge rains, high gale winds, sea swells etc.  We were all told to have our disaster kits at the ready and not to venture outdoors on Saturday or Sunday.   In a state of semi disbelief but of major preparedness, I went to bed last night and tossed and turned, listening for gale force rain.   What?  I woke this morning to a lovely light rain, perfect for my garden and not a breath of wind.   My preparation of buckets of water, fill the thermos, fill the water jugs, check the torch batteries, unearth the disaster kit were all rather Over The Top.  
Thinking I wouldn't be able to get out doors and go to Embroiderer's Guild I had stocked up on library books

Look at that top one - this promised storm could go on for days and I wouldn't run out of book :-)

I sorted out stash for a new start (check this out on Pamela's blog )   On my list for 2014 is "one small item per month" so this bookmark will fulfill that for March.   Thanks Pamela.
Now in my head I can hear the gasps of disbelief - a new start?   Well I have run out of Maple Syrup floss for The Mermaid's Chest and wasn't brave enough to go to the embroidery store this morning so have reached a stop sign on that project.
But I do have a ship, a light house and the outer base of the chest stitched.

This is fun.   I need more of the Maple Syrup so I can complete the lid of the chest.   The inner lining is stitched on a pale Mermaid Pink and is full of little pockets and slots for embroidery tools.

The rain and wind did come - just a little later than the weather man promised.   After getting drenched this morning when I went out to get a newspaper, I had given up on Guild, but this afternoon the rain cleared and I'm not worried about wind, so off I went.   We had a really interesting speaker who told us all about Malaysian Tekat.   This traditional gold embroidery is used for decorative items in the palaces of the Sultans of Malaysia and although generally done by hand, there are machines which now mass produce for the consumer market.  I listened carefully as I could see myself with a pair of royal blue velvet slippers decorated in lavish gold - sadly I know this fantasy will never come to reality!

Tonight we have the promised gale force winds but it is 19 degrees celsius which is probably not surprising since Cyclone Lusi has come to visit us from Vanuatu and Fiji.   So I am off to another restless hot night!

A break for Life Administration

Occasionally I need a  break for what my niece describes as Life Administration.   You know: the chores like cooking, cleaning, washing, gardening, shopping, bill paying etc.  Usually the HD3QBEM does some of these but she hasn't been well at all and so to the above list I should add nursing.   Thankfully life has settled back to a regular rhythm and I have picked up my needle and silk floss to add many stitches to The Mermaid's Chest.
This chart is not the easiest to read and the instructions are somewhat sparse but on the whole I am pleased with this and think I can see how it will look when completed.   I am on the look out for dull grey or black D rings to sew on the sides and I am running out of one thread so that sounds like a good excuse for a trip to The Ribbon Rose.  (excuse the bad photo)

Although the "start a new piece" itchy feeling has returned I am determined to stick to my resolutions written down in the infamous To Do List.   Next weekend is Embroiderers Guild and I will pull out Ring O Roses and stitch on that for the week.   Rhythmic crosses and Quaker medallions may be just what I need and hopefully this piece of The Mermaid's Chest will be close to finished by then.

Interruptions to stitching rhythms, in the form of Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes on the BBC series, occur only on Saturday night TV at my house.  He is rapidly becoming my new favourite :-)   Sherlock may be a geek, incapable of expressing his feelings in any articulate manner and be a right know-it-all but is he really keen on Molly?   I hate it when my favourite programs come to the end of the series and there is nothing but a great blank and at present I am left with only Benedict and The Biggest Loser!!

Last week my regular life and eating rhythm was interrupted with a wonderful care package from my Japanese friend Sonoko.   These chocolates have cheered the HD3QBEM and tempted me.

Yesterday I met up with Kathy for bagels and coffee.  Kathy had heard that Unity Books were having their annual sale so off we went, Kathy armed with a list and me armed with great resolve.   Both of us exited two hours later - Kathy with only some of the books on her list and me with broken resolve and an enthralling John Boyne (Next of Kin) which kept me up until close on midnight last night.   Oh dear.

Tonight I am off to bed to sleep, perhaps to read a little but hopefully it will be lights out before midnight.

This week's round up....

I have had such a busy week that by Friday I was over tired and it sure was a struggle to get out of bed this morning.   Saturday I always have a list of chores and currently we are having temperatures of 28 degrees Celsius and around 90% humidity so getting the baking done early in the day is essential!

Today would have been the  HD3QBEM's 62nd wedding anniversary so a day out was in order.   We went for a road trip today to Ngatea -  around 90 kilometres south east of the city.   We packed a picnic lunch and a good supply of cold drinks and off we went.   Why?   Well Ngatea has a cute little shop which stocks jigsaw puzzles and second hand books (satisfies me) and wool (satisfies the HD3QBEM).  Strange mixture I know, but just right for us.   We called at the supermarket and did the weekly shop, picked up sushi for dinner and came home to a very hot house.   Tonight the temperature will drop to 20 degrees which is not good for elderly persons who live at this address!   I keep iced water in the refrigerator for mid night snacks for both of us ;-)

On the sewing front I have completed my Hardanger Sewing Pod and am rather pleased with this.  

Considering that I first saw the chart in a magazine in 1987, this pod has been a long time in the making.  

I lined it with red matte satin, quilted with small red beads and am pleased with the rich effect.

I also made a start on the Mermaid's Sewing Chest.   When ordering the threads from ABC Stitch I was sure I double checked the list but obviously not and Bijoux Smoky Topaz is not available at my LNS.  Oh dear what to do? Given that it took two months for the order to come to me air mail post I am reluctant to order on line again so decided to go with a smoky grey DMC for the 'studs' and am more than happy with the result.

But tonight it is just too hot to comtemplate mermaids or their chests and so I have made a start on a small Christmas scene.

Marty kindly sent me a couple of the watch fobs I had been fruitlessly seeking and I am attempting to recreate the snowstorm effect of Vonna's ornament.  A house, some trees, some snow and then some beads floating ... well we shall see.   Hopefully I can get this finished tomorrow and as the weather man says the humidity levels will be less tomorrow we may be back to mermaids and their chests.

Frugal??

This week I have been patiently working on my piece of cream linen.   Initially I tacked this out for the Hardanger Sewing Pod and followed the instructions to the letter.   Well!   There were huge areas of unused linen and at such a high price per metre I was not happy, so decided to make small  items to fill in the gaps.
Inspired by the fob watch ornaments that Vonna made I went to my local Spotlight store (thinking it was similar to Joanns and Michaels) and they looked at me as if I were off another planet.   Three attempts and no luck so I searched out an old hardanger book and found the charts for little book mark tags.   These will go in to the sale of work at our Guild later in the year.   I've also managed to fit in one hardanger tassel -  I think this is the 25th one I have made of this pattern.

The threads I ordered in October have finally arrived so I made a start on the Mermaids Chest -  the back stitch outline.  

I will need to keep my wits about me with this one as the instructions are not all that comprehensive and the chart is hand drawn which always makes me feel it is more prone to error.
But the threads look lovely and some of these are new to me so I am looking forward this project.

Yesterday the HD3QBEM and I went for a road trip to Hamilton (about a one hour drive south) to visit Dave's Emporium (cheap buttons) and Browsers Bookshop (cheap secondhand books) and Spotlight (for fob watches - no luck!).   A great day out on a warm day.