Powerball and Penguins

I guess I should have been a little more specific when I added "winning Powerball ticket" to my Shopping List. We had a winning ticket on Wednesday. $35, which is nothing to sneeze at, but also certainly not quite what I had in mind.

Also, I've gotten the Penguin pillow pattern ready for upload, I just have to actually upload it.

However, since I'm either getting what Lyam has or the flu that's going around at work, I'm exhausted and feel awful, so I'm going to bed. I'll upload the penguin stuff later.

Woo! New Links at Age's Crochet Pages

Hey all! I got a couple of emails over the last month or so about the crochet site, and two of them were questions about reciprocal links. Check them out.

Lime and Violet - crochet related blog and podcasts

Heirloom Crochet - various crochet designs and patterns of various ages

Both of them look to be pretty good websites.

Wizards, transfers and other stuff

So I finished the last wizard! Yay! Carl's excited.



This is how they're going to be laid out in the frame, although you have to use your imagination a little bit because they're not mounted or anything yet. They're going to be individually mounted and then floated behind a raised multi opening mat.

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In other news, I'm going to be transferred to another store, starting next week. I'm actually working there on Friday, but I still have another shift where I'm at before the transfer is actually official. It's a lateral move - more of a step to the left than anything - same job, different building, basically. Smaller volume frameshop, bigger sales department.

Also, I'll be closer to home at the new location, so I'll have a much shorter drive, and once the weather is nice, I'll probably even start walking to work, so I can get in shape for the hike we want to take in May.

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In still other news, I've been getting some emails about my website again lately, which I still haven't had the time to really do anything with (Sorry!), and I should be able to get to all of that tomorrow. ***edit*** I haven't been feeling well and haven't gotten much of anything done the last couple of days. I'm hoping to catch up a little in the next few days ***2/23/08***

Once I'm settled at the new job, I plan on getting my studio put together and then putting some serious time into the Crochet Pages site and getting the missing pictures taken care of, and getting some new patterns up. I may also put a little store page up for print and/or .PDF versions of some of the longer, more printer intensive patterns.

While on one hand, I really like the idea of providing all my patterns for free, there is the part of me that says "making a couple extra bucks toward art supplies wouldn't be a bad thing." What this will mean for you, well nothing's definite yet, but I'm thinking that it would mean that I'll be able to share the more difficult doll patterns without feeling like I'm short-changing myself.

The additional time investment combined with my new digital camera would mean more photos sooner! I am also considering starting the mystery stitch along back up and possibly trying to get an exchange up and running.

Two more Wizards are done.

Fire, with a soot smudge on his forehead and sparks in the air.



Earth, with a carved pinecone on his staff and a leaf caught in his beard.

Water is in progress, the thread I picked up turned out to be way too green, and I need to get something else.

Another Tiny Cross Stitch

A coworker of mine lost her cat last weekend. Sophie's diabetes got to be too much and the poor thing had a couple of really bad seizures and passed away. Kathy was heartsick, because she was really attached to that cat. They rescued her from a couple who bought her because she matched their sofa and then decided she was too much trouble. (Which is a sad story in itself.)

Anyway, a couple of us decided to make some little things to let Kathy know we were thinking of her. This is mine, still needing to be framed and finished.

More Wizards

Carl really liked the little blue Air wizard, so now I'm on to the other three elements. Fire, Earth, and Water. Dave thought thought that they're turning out pretty cool, although he didn't hesitate to tell me that I'm not really using the colors that are normally associated with those elements.

Eh, don't care. They'll be good anyway.

Little Wizard

A little tiny (2"x3") wizard cross stitch for hubby for Valentine's Day.

Little Houses - Photo and pattern

The stitching is finished here, although the piece isn't mounted or anything yet.

Font is not my design and I will post where it came from as soon as I find it.

The hanger for the heart on the center house is as lazy daisy stitch and as well as the flower petals and leaves. Flowers stems are back stitched with on strand.

Grass is back stitched with 2 strands.

Outlines are backstitched with 1 strand.

The nail the heart hangs on is a French knot.



Sketch of entire piece. The flowers were added free hand at the end. Below are the individual birdhouses.

And on to the next thing

So, for now, at least, all my cross-stitches are done. I will probably post the pattern and finished photo of the little houses piece, just in case anyone wants it.

I think I'm going to finish up Nibbler next, as he is already a collection of limbs and a partial body. While I'm working on Futurama characters, I will probably do Frye next. Since that's for Dan, that would be one less gift/favor hanging over my head. That way I can get back to my stuff.

Lyam's hat is probably done, I just have to make sure it fits before I sew it back up.

I don't know if I'm even gonna bother with Doreen's wrap at this point. She doesn't call me unless she wants something anyway, and really she doesn't even call. She shows up where I work.

Most of the list of characters on the ToDo list are just things that I think would be fun to make, so there's no hurry or any real priority order there, other than Hello Chthulu.

Somewhere along the way I need to do some stuff around the house too, like the caulk in the bathroom and patching the 3rd floor ceiling. *sigh*