I hope that everyone had a wonderful Spring holiday! It is so nice to see the sunshine again. I started weeding beds in my front yard a couple days after work this week. It was nice to smell the dirt again. It was beautiful earlier in the week, warm and sunny. Monterey Peninsula weather is ever changing though, and by yesterday evening, it was freezing and gray. I will have to wait a little longer to plant.
Last year, a number of cross stitch designers were incredibly generous and offered some lovely free designs as pandemic projects. I am sure everyone must have seen the Long Dog Pandemic sampler. It was over the top as one would expect. Another was a blackwork sampler by Peppermint Purple on Facebook. Here is my version of the 52 week 2020 sampler:
Sorry about the lack of ironing...I stitched it on mystery 28 ct evenweave (Monaco?) that was in my stash. I used about two and a half spools of Sulky 12 weight. I still have to pick a border. I have it narrowed down to two, I think. This was super fun to stitch. Peppermint Purple has beautiful patterns that seem to be a combination of new and old stitches. You do have to be a member of the group to access the patterns for stitch-a-
longs like this one.
So, what is as much fun as stitching? Accumulating stash, of course! A few weeks ago, I was on Facebook, looking at pictures of stitching. I love seeing everyone else's work! Someone started posting photos of their stitching designed by Veronique Enginger. OMG! So beautiful. From what I have read, she is one of the most popular designers in France. Her designs are very retro, and she uses beautiful colors. The books are a bit expensive on Etsy, Ebay and even Amazon. I wanted one so badly, but they seemed to be more than I wanted to spend at the time. In frustration, I just Googled her name and these two books came up. Guess what! You can get them online from Target! They are so, so pretty!
I took four years of French in high school and I am impressed with myself that I can still remember how to read some of the French! Of course, the pictures help to offer a sense of context.
During the pandemic I decided to watch way less news and more things that make me happy. The news was making me really anxious, so I took a long fast from it. I quickly scan online news for anything critically important, and have the local news on an app on my phone that texts me any important news that is happening. I have really been enjoying Floss Tube, although it is painful for my wallet. Of course, I love to watch Priscilla and Chelsea because they make me laugh. I have also found Lori Holt's channel, Cross Hatch Quilts and Attic Needlework Shop. It was on Attic Needlework shop that I found out that people stitch on 56 count. I have been stitching forever, and I had no idea that stitch counts went that high! Wow!
I find that Floss Tube tends to be a peaceful and happy place. I like that there are a couple that I like that have patterns that are a little off the beaten path, and do not get as much visibility. Watching stitchy videos are a nice way to spend my Saturday morning, in my pajamas, and with a cup of tea.
