It’s back…

What’s back, you may ask.  Well, thank you for asking.  ‘Color Cubes’ by Laura Perin as interpreted by me is now framed.  I LOVE how it turned out. So with many thanks to Ms. Perin and my framer, Ms. Cindy, may I present  Color Cubes (most appropriately named, don’t you think?):

Color Cubes detail

Color Cubes-detail

Laura Perin Color Cubes flat photo

Laura Perin Color Cubes

The colors are, as always, a bit washed out in the photos, but the piece was stitched in rich combination of navy, burgundy and dark green with a bit of gold and gold metallic thrown in for good measure. (I changed the overdye to one that was just a bit darker with burgundy in it rather than pinkish tones).  There are also beads, which create sparkle and textural interest.  I choose to double mat it with a light gold metallic inner mat and a navy suede outer mat. The mat cut was a challenge (or at least that’s what Cindy tells me , but it came out just the way I’d envisioned it. The frame is a simple silvery gold with small swirls for texture. What can I say?  I really, really love the combination.

This was a fun stitch and I would HIGHLY recommend any of Laura’s creations. They instructions are superb and her color sense is wonderful.

I am stitching a bit amidst a busy schedule and I will update you sometime soon on progress made on my current WIP’s. Right now, my mom is here for a month and we are catching up and having a wonderful visit. I just wish I could get her to pick up a needle. (Hi mom!)

Hope everyone out there is having a wonderful, stitchy weekend.

Blessings,

Julie

Just a quick…

…post, as I’m flying out the door to work.  I have begun the revisions on my Needlework Library page. I’m changing the format a bit to make it easier to read…but right now those changes are only about half done. As always, the new acquisitions are in italics.

Have a wonderful day,

Blessings,

Julie

Well, it’s been a long time…

…and yes, another post is starting that way, woe is I.  However, all of us have lived through times when life throws a few curves into our path so ‘nuf said.  Anyway, to sorta quote a scary movie from long ago…I’m back.

It is spring here in Minnesota and, while the last few days have been beastly hot, mostly it’s just glorious.  The kind of glorious when I can’t wait to be outside…

The most amazing thing about spring to me is all the different colors of green.  Everything from chartreuse to deep olive and even teal.  The fragrance of cherry and apple blossoms wafting on a breeze only adds to the magic.  It is this time of year that makes winter only a distant memory.

Have I been stitching whilst negotiating curves?  Well, in finest Midwest parlance…YOU BETCHA!  In fact, I have a finish to share today.  This is kind of a special finish in that up until I put that last stitch into canvas, it was my oldest living needlepoint work in progress.  It is a JINICE kimono and was my first attempt at charted needlepoint (with a drawn outline) and I started it in the early 1990’s.  I know, I know…some of you were BORN in the early 1990’s .  What can I say except I have the attention span of a chipmunk some days.  But eventually I get there and today I have this to show:

Jinice Kimono

I also took some close up shots:

Jinice Kimono-Upper left

Jinice Kimono-Upper Right

Jinice Kimono-Lower Left

Jinice Kimono-Lower Right

The border is six strands of floss plied, re-assembled, then laid. It was a time intensive project, but I love the way it looks.  The metallic around the outside of the kimono itself  is a heavy braid that is no longer made and was DIFFICULT to work in that it almost refused to lie flat as I was couching it down.  The background is not what was charted.  The stitch guide calls for a diamond shaped running stitch in a metallic decorated with beads.  For me that was too busy, given my desire to have the kimono be the focal point.  So I put in a very simple tone-on-tone (actually cream wool on tan ground) repeating (diaper?) pattern that suggests a bit of motion. The color choices are also my own. The compensation of the aqua wool in the upper part of the pattern was a…er…a challenge. I think the most interesting part of finishing the piece was to see the progression in my skills over the last 20 years.  I did leave the parts originally stitched intact…because I value knowing and seeing that my stitching has improved.

I also just finished another session of Japanese embroidery class with Kay Stanis (fabulous teacher-teaches silk and metal work at many venues…TAKE A CLASS from her if you have the opportunity!). I am still working on Phase I, but it went so much better this time, simply because I had time to spend on specific motifs rather than getting so much information all at once.  I felt much less overwhelmed and bamboo leaves and I are even starting to be friends. I hope to finish this phase in the next three months and start Phase II in August.  I really love the challenge of this discipline.  And I love the results. But after a 9-4:30 class four days in a row, I was exhausted.

Class was also a special treat this time because one of the sisters who was fighting cancer last fall, is well on her road to recovery and was able to start Phase One.  She is a joy to be around…and I had the added advantage of being able to listen to all the instructions all over again. My notes are much improved.

I don’t have photos yet, but will share them when I finish my bamboo leaves!

Just as an FYI, I am taking down my stash for sale page for a few weeks.  My stash room badly needs organizing and I haven’t gotten through it yet.  I will put a revised page back up as soon as I figure out what I have to sell/trade.  Thank you for your patience with me. I will also be adding a number of new volumes to my library over the coming weeks.  I am in a constant state of collecting and right now my interest seems to be in historical costume, couture embroidery and tambour work. So if any of that interests you, stay tuned.

I have to head for work shortly so I will draw this post to a close.  I hope all of you have a wonderful day filled with stitches and very few frogs!

Blessings,

Julie

The Greatest…

…miracle of all.

He Has Risen

The angel said to the women,
“Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus,
who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.
Come and see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell
His disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead.’ “
Matthew 28:5-7a NIV

“Then came the morning, night turned into day.
The stone was rolled away. Hope rose with the dawn!
Then came the morning, shadows vanished before the sun (Son).
Death had lost and life had won.
For morning had come.”
(Words & Music by Gloria and William Gaither and Chris Christian)

Happy Easter to those who share a belief in the miracle of Resurrection Sunday. May all who stop here have a joyful and blessed day together with those they love.

Julie

A quick…

…update. Vacation was wonderful. Pictures are forthcoming. My birthday…well, was my birthday. I was still doing laundry from aforementioned vacation. But then the dratted chest pain started up again in earnest. (Poor Earnest…why do we pick on him?)

So…the long and short of it is…I had another visit to the North Memorial Cardiac spa. So to those of you who have asked me about stash for sale…please be patient with me for another week or so and I promise I will have emails out. To those of you who are wondering if I still stitch…well, I plan to, how’s that? This weekend.
So…see you all next week when I shall endeavor to make up for lost time.

Blessings,
Julie

I am feeling guilty…

…not because I’ve neglected to post in a couple weeks…although that would certainly be valid, given my goals.  No, I’m feeling guilty because I’m having a…well, an adulterous relationship.

Okay, you can all start breathing again…especially you, Mom.   No messy  confessions about my personal life are about to be revealed. This is, after all, a stitching  blog…a G-rated stitching blog.  So, suffice it to say, stitching forms the crux of my confession tonight.  To whit… my relationship with my needlework has changed.  How? Well, for many years, I have been faithful to my world of linen, canvas, silk and floss… monogamous as it were.  I did anything and everything that could be done with a blunt-tipped tapestry needle:  needlepoint, Hardanger and counted thread.  Happily unaware of other temptations, I plied my art (pun intended).

Then, along came the world-wide web and with it a world of gifted artists who shared their work freely. I started finding websites on quilting, crazy quilting, freestyle embroidery and knitting. Suddenly my familiar…and dare I say it…mundane tapestry needle and linen didn’t seem to be enough. I wanted excitement, I wanted new colors, new textures, new….new…va-voom!

So I caved.  I tried a new technique here, bought a little crazy quilting kit there. But up until now I’ve just dabbled.  In the last year, things have gotten a bit worse.  A bit more quilting here, a jot of knitting there, a class in Japanese embroidery (sharp! needle) and even one ill-advised (for me anyway) foray into the art of tatting. Still, I figured it was no big deal.  I could walk away any time if anyone began to get suspicious.

But now I’m afraid I am too badly smitten to continue to live a lie.  I’m in love…with knitting!  I love that I can see it when I’m tired. I love that I finish things the same year I start them.  I love that I can augment my wardrobe and the wardrobes of others (without muttering invectives at my sewing machine).  I love that it’s a texture and color fest every time I walk into my local knit shop. And, come to think of it, I love my local knit shop.

Could this be infatuation? Maybe but since I am still in love with a lace scarf that in the last 72 hours I have ripped out at least  7 times….it’s unlikely. I think I am well and truly besotted.

Anyone of certain age may remember a top 40 song from the late seventies; ‘Torn Between Two Lovers‘.  Yep, that’s me right now. I haven’t picked up my tapestry needle in almost a month.  At retreat last weekend, I did nothing but knit.  So…my stitching stash is calling to me…and I feel guilty because I am listening only to my cables and yarn-overs…and the sweet nothings they are whispering in my ear.

So, tonight what I have to share with you are photos of my new love. My beloved knitting…

My first finish for 2009:  A baby blanket for a very special young man named Colton:

This was my first attempt at knitting with two strands of yarn held together.  I really enjoyed it and I feel pretty pleased with myself, as I’m very much a beginner.

Second, I am working on a sweater that involves cabling. I LOVE CABLES. I feel totally rocked when I look at this project and realize I did it.  Okay, so I wasn’t as rocked when I had to pull out several rows to correct a mistake and, yes, I did need help.  But ripping out in knitting, as in counted thread, seems to be part of the process.  The only problem is, I am much better at finding and correcting my mistakes in counted thread projects. Now, with mistakes corrected, I want to share my cable vest back. Notice the lovely color…my favorite color…never mind that I will probably look like a giant walking lime. The shade on the first photo is much more true.

I am almost finished with the back panel and plan to take this project on vacation with me.

And finally…just because I wanted a project on the other end of the yarn and needle size spectrum that would teach me more new knitting techniques, I started an ‘easy’ lace shawl by Sunflower Designs.  I’ve been working on it for 3 days and I’m now on the 14th row or so, but I’ve done those 14 rows oh, about seven times. (See above).  Still, I love the pattern, I love the yarn and I WILL GET IT!

Sunflower designs

By the way, if you want to try lace knitting or even just look at some gorgeous examples, go to Susan’s website.  She sells her patterns, her service is fabulous and her creativity is…well, incredible.  Treat yourself to this blog…it is a beautiful, calming experience. (Not to be confused with aforementioned experience had whilst ripping above pattern out for the seventh time! )

Deep breath…my dirty little secret is now out in the open. I am…yes, I AM a knitter!  I freely admit I have played the field and enjoyed it. But the truth remains,  I am also a stitcher and I will continue to be a stitcher. How could I give up my love of so many years? I can’t, therefore  I have to learn to multitask.

So please don’t give up hope…there will be more photos of stitching to come. And in fact, I have an idea of something that might help speed up the process:  Are there any patrons out there that would like to support me as I learn how to maintain relationships with multiple significant others?  (DH, if you’re reading, this is a metaphor…so don’t fret…you are still number one in my life! )

Sigh…I didn’t think so. So it’s off to work in the morning and both knitting and stitching will languish…left alone and unloved…as I satisfy the tyranny of the urgent (aka: the house payment, groceries and yes, even stash money.) But even as I grumble a little, I consider myself so blessed to have a job and to be well enough to work.  Nuf said…

Whew! I am so glad to have this confession off my chest. Now it’s back to my size 4 lace needles.  I hope this finds each of you well, happy and in stitches…knitting or otherwise.

Blessings,

Julie

The sisterhood gathers…

…and portentous signs, wonders and deeds are in the offing. Or something like that. No, we’re not the Continental Congress or even the 21 century version of that esteemed body, but when we gather things get done. (I do wish we had their budget! ) So let the Earth tremble as the High Test Estrogen Fest begins!

This coming weekend at approximately 10 p.m. on Thursday night the festivities will commence with the arrival of dear friend Janet on my doorstep.  She is  coming almost 300 miles just to be with us. I imagine it will be a late night as we catch up. It has been wayyyy too long since we had a chance to put our feet under the same table and have a good visit whilst knitting and sipping tea.

Friday will involve a trip to Amazing Threads, one of the finest purveyors of yarn and all manner of knitting esoterica in the country.  Because we are taking a cabled vest class on Sunday, we need to invest in yarn, needles, cable needles, pattern and all manner of fun stuff.   After shopping, I will keep my appointment with the king’s torturers (aka: trainers and cardiac rehab folks).  I gotta do it, because Ms. Janet has promised to bring her specialty…Red Velvet cake. Do you really think I’m going to say ‘no thanks’?  No, I’ll just do 25 extra minutes on something.

Friday evening the entire sisterhood, save D’Arcy (not making the trip from the east coast, but still with us in heart) will be gathering at Old Chicago restaurant in Minnetonka for a bit of dinner. In addition, to having a nicely varied menu, Old Chicago has one other great advantage as a meeting place. It is a block down from the largest needlework store in Minneapolis Can you say…CCCHHHHAAARRRRGGGGEEEE!!!  We hope a lot of the new Nashville pieces will be out and we plan to fall off the wagon together…probably with a resounding thud!

Saturday is reserved for stitching, talking and probably a bit of eating here at the house, with dinner out following. I will be making some soup and chili, cracking a bottle of good red wine and relaxing with some of the best women in the universe! We will also be divvying up the pot for the 2008 Sisterhood Challenge. I will NOT be a winner, but it was still really good for me!

Sunday is knitting class for Janet and I and Monday…well, that’s for recovery.

I am…excited, blessed and will share some photos of the event next week.

May your weekend hold both stitches and times with loved ones.

Blessings,

Julie

I am soooooo…

…ready for spring! We had a gorgeous weekend here but the last two days the temps have fallen back below zero. I guess I’m getting old. I love winter, but weeks of weather this cold is a pain.

Well, enough whining. It is time for me to respond to the comments left here yesterday. First of all…at the beginning of the year I ALWAYS think my goals are doable. I am the incurable optimist!  I have to be the incurable optimist…because as those of you who have seen my stash know…I have a lot to accomplish in this life.  So…onwards and upwards.

Second, hi mom!!! Thanks for stopping by. As I recall we are going to be doing a lot of lunching in the warm, soft breezes of the Caribbean in just a couple weeks. But be prepared, I am bringing stitching! After all, I’ve got goals. Maybe you’ll even catch the bug. Maybe?

So, yesterday. What did I do? I worked a bit on getting the studio/sewing room habitable and I knitted about 4 inches on the baby afghan I hope to finish by the end of the month. Good progress.  I don’t have a photo because DH has the camera, but I love the way this little blanket is coming out. It is double knit (holding 2 colors of yarn together) in a beautiful soft white and soft blue.  I’m a little afraid because it’s time for me to change skeins and the last one (white) proved a nightmare of epic proportions, involving two people and about 3 hours untangling it to a point of usability. (Thank you Paula and Ray!) I hope this one goes better.

In addition to my needlework I exercised for 45 minutes and saw my doctor. Things are looking pretty good, given the way I started my year. In January I only missed three days of exercise, after I got permission to start (about the 7th), I lost 11 pounds and halved my insulin usage. I feel much better.

One exciting non-needlework goal is to ride the Minnesota Ironman Bike Tour (30, 62, 100 miles on a bike). This is an annual ride at the end of April and I, of course, will be riding the 30 mile loop…this year anyway.  I need to get my nether regions prepared for the the ride as well as making sure I have the lung capacity to suck in that much air. But it’s a good way to get started on conditioning. DH and I used to enjoy long trail rides together and I am looking forward to getting back to those this summer.

Since my bike is over ten years old and has seen better days, I bought a new Trek cross bike last weekend. It will be coming home at the end of March and I am really looking forward to riding it. It has both front and post suspension, so I’m hoping those nether regions will be standing in line to thank me. Or is that sitting in line?  Whatever.  It is also my very first step-through bike since I was very young. I like that feature, especially as I seem to be getting older.  It’s…are you ready?  It’s purple.  All I need is a red helmet (I have a gray one right now) and I’m ready to go!

And right now I need to get ready to go in a different way. It’s off to work, then to work out and then…ah, then…I get to settle in with my stitching.  What a great incentive to keep moving through my day.

Here’s hoping you all have a productive, wonderful and stitchy day!

Blessings,

Julie

It is the third of February…

…and I am just beginning to look at goals for my needlework year. How sad is that??? But, I do have a good um…excuse.   I lost the month of January to a New Year’s day heart attack and the subsequent lifestyle alterations I am making to ensure that I will have the 300 years here on this earth necessary to stitch my stash.   So now, not only will I be a stitcher…I will be an athelete too. Scary, huh? I hope to discover there IS such a thing as aerobic needlework.

So, 2008. How did I do? Well, I didn’t achieve any one of my Sisterhood Goals. I fell off the wagon three times. But that is opposed to way more times than that in previous years. I didn’t finish my Emie Bishop hardarger piece, but I did get all of the Kloster work and a lot of the cross stitch done. I didn’t finish the Kingsland Sampler. This is my biggest disappointment and  is going to get more attention this year. It’s for two special people and I would like to have it done before they head overseas late this summer. More on this in 2009 goals. I didn’t finish 25 projects. But I did make progress and I renewed my knitting skills.  I began Japanese embroidery classes and started work on Phase I.  In addition I finished two lovely counted needlepoint pieces and three smaller counted pieces. All in all, I completed ten projects, including some gifts. I also finished and passed the first level submission in the ANG Master Needle Artist program.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad year for me.

As always, I have big dreams for this year. Okay, I have really big dreams for this year…never mind that one month is already gone with nothing but a bit of knitting done. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Here are my 15 goals for 2009.

1. Update this blog at LEAST twice a week. I love ‘My Needle in Hand’ because it keeps me focused and on track with my needlework.

2. Finish and submit the next level projects for my ANG Master Craftsman.

3. Finish my Japanese embroidery Phase I project and begin Phase II.

4. Finish the Kingsland Ancestral Sampler no later than July 15, so I can have framed and given by the beginning of August.

5. (Start and) Finish four charted needlepoint pieces. (These can be WIPS or new ones out of stash)

6. (Start and) Finish 2 painted canvas needlepoint projects. (These can be WIPS or new ones out of stash)

7. Finish the Kingsland Ancestral Sampler

8. Finish the Emie Bishop Hardanger piece

9. Finish the Colinette Meadow afghan (nope, still not done )

10. Finish knitted baby blanket by the end of February.

11.  Start and finish a knitted sweater or vest.

12. Develop at least one teaching piece and hold class.

13. Cull stash, sell it here, on EBay or at Guild sale. (Watch for future postings)

14.  Start one small piece each in crewel, beading and blackwork

15. Start and finish quilted Christmas tree skirt kit.

‘There’…she says, dusting her hands off on her sweats…’that ought to keep me busy’.

My biggest challenge is simply to remain focused when I have the time to give to my needlework.  I want to improve my skills, make a dent in my stash and enjoy the company of my stitching sisters.  One thing I don’t want is for my stitching to become a chore or a stressor. Life is too short and too precious. Amen? So, yes these are my goals, I’m going to do my best and call it good.

In other news…I have finally transferred my bookmarks to the new computer, so I will be catching up on my blog reading as I have time over this month. Yippee! I’ve missed you all!

Here’s hoping each one of you has had a happy and ’stitchy’ start to your new year.

Blessings,

Julie

Happy New Year…

…about 14 days late. But the sentiment is heartfelt. To each one of you who takes the time to stop by to read my ramblings, may this year hold blessings unimagined for you and those you love.

This is a difficult post to write, not because I have any portentious news or because I am out of words (those that know me well will tell you that seldom happens) but because I am at a crossroads in my life with needlework.  It’s funny how much I’ve been thinking about stitching, since it’s been close to a month since I picked up a needle of any kind. What a sad state of affairs. Sigh… The need to create flows deep in me and I get CRANKY when I can’t stich!

But this post isn’t about being cranky. That will pass when I pick up my needles. It is more of a philosophical wandering. As I look back on a half century and look forward to whatever years God chooses to give me, I think about what I’ve learned and what path I want to follow for the decade ahead. I want my fifties to mean something. Like most everyone, I would like to leave a positive mark behind me as I pass through life.

So many choices (a blessing) and so many options to choose from…all with their own positives and negatives.  As I look at needlework, this beautiful, glorious hobby of mine, I know I have to decide once and for all if my needlework is to be a vocation or if it should remain a cherished avocation.

Do I want to open and run a store? Not really. I have spent enough years in retail to know how the business has changed. Besides that’s not really where my heart is…not anymore. Where is my heart? I think my heart lies in teaching others what I know before this beautiful artform (counted thread, needlepoint, knitting, free embroidery…take your pick) goes the way of the trolley and the pony express. And sadly, there are fewer and fewer young people who grace the doors of the local LNS and the guilds I frequent. When I ask why someone is not interested, all too often the answer I get is ‘I’m too busy’.

Although it’s a bunny trail…I think I need to respond to that sentiment.  We all make time for what is truly important to us. I know very few people busier than my sister-in-law, Paula.  She is single mom, holding down a full time professional position. She and her daughter are active in church and in the community. And guess what? She stitches! She makes time for those few moments of beauty and peace in her life at least weekly, sometimes daily. She’s teaching her daughter to stitch. She gives the gift of herself in her time and in her beautiful art. I also know there are hundreds of others here that do the same…day in and day out.  This to me is proof positive it is possible to make time for stitching, even in the midst of busy lives.

Now that I’ve written that paragraph I have to look at my lack of production in the needlework department over the last month and re-evaluate my excuses Between the holidays and another sojourn at North Memorial, I have chosen to focus elsewhere…how’s that? And I need to get back to the soft, sweet rhythms of silk and linen posthaste!

Anyhooooo. back to my topic. How do we assure that handwork sees another dawn?  I may not have all the answers, but I know where we start. We teach. We encourage others to teach. We become the evangelists of the threaded needle. We support the  DMC mentor program and all of the fine EGA, ANG and local guild classes that welcome both novice and expert alike and reach out to the community. And we take the time to share what we know…whenever and however the opportunity presents itself.

So where am I in all this rambling? Well, the answer of vocation or avocation is going to take some further thought and some research. But as I look forward to 2009 as it pertains to needlework…I am looking forward to a year focused on two things. Finishing projects and teaching whatever I know about various forms of needlework to whomever will listen. (Mom—I am NOT giving up! ) I want one of my legacies to be sharing the pleasure, peace and friendships needlework can bring to a life.

I”m probably not alone in having stitching-related resolutions and I am looking forward to getting back to reading and finding out what 2009 resolutions this on-line community has put forth.

My wish for each of you this New Year? May the threaded needle (or yarn and needles or yarn and a hook…whatever:-)) bring  you many hours of joy.

Blessings,

Julie