February finish - yay!

I was having a silent stitch-a-long with Rene with this one:

Home of a Needleworker Too!

Little House Needleworks

over one, 22ct hardanger, Crescent Colours as listed.

I've been watching Rene's progress and I think her Crescent colours show better than mine.  Guess that what happens with hand-dyed threads (and maybe the bigger count fabric too).

It was a fun stitch, and now off to the framers it will go.  Tossing up whether to keep it, or give it to my lovely M-i-L who does fabulous dressmaking and alterations (and who admired it today as I was getting it ready for scanning).

Think I'll decide after it's framed.

I think ...

... I can finally deal with this post.

Nearly three years ago, my cat Titchy came to the end of her time with us at the reasonably old age of 13.

She'd gotten skinny and fragile plus wasn't keeping food down, and then didn't come home the day we were going to take her to the vet.

So that Christmas we got a kitten, Boodle, to join the 3 remaining cats.

Boodle was the most smoochy cat I've ever known.  She would snuggle around my neck, sleep on my head at night, and give me big raspy licky kisses. It was like having Titch back, only waaay smoochier. She was always in the garage waiting for us when we got home and never missed a meal - unlike the other 3, who would regularly be late or miss a meal entirely.

Sadly, last November (Guy Fawkes weekend) she failed to show up for breakfast, and then didn't show when we got home that afternoon.  We haven't seen her since.

So when I finished work for the Christmas break, we went to the SPCA and came home with Tui, a scruffy black kitten.  She would lose traction on our wooden floor due to fluffy feet.

To our extreme distress, she too failed to appear when we got home last Monday. 

She was 4 months old.

Tui was still being fed inside, and had never ventured beyond our section and was even more reliable than Boodle at turning up.  So we knew that same day that we'd lost her, too.

We think to a dog.  Our neighbours lost their guinea pig between our two cats' disappearances, and Steve saw a strange dog in the vicinity of our house this weekend.  We haven't had stray/ wandering dogs for quite some time. Plus Burma, one of our other three cats was injured about 10 days ago, we thought in a fight.  Now that she's letting us look at it, we wonder again about a dog being involved.

So now we worry when any of the other 3 don't turn up when expected.

First 2010 finish!

by My Big Toe Designs

one over one on 25ct pale green evenweave

Weeks Dye Works "blue spruce" and "royal purple"

Leotards - yet again

I had these two leos cut out and partially started back in late August, hoping to have them done so the girls could wear them at the last comp for the '09 season (Jess for rope, Tamsin for hoop) - but going to Oxford got in the way.
Anyhoo, I got them out again yesterday and got going.  Here they are, done but for the bling:

I have the fabric and some thoughts lined up for the 2010 comp season leos. 

Tamsin needs one to match her ball (an awesome pink), one for her new, larger, hoop (a Tinkerbell style green with lots of  periodot swarovski crystals) and the one above can be her freehand once I've blinged it.
Jess needs one for her ribbon (red with gold bling), one for her hoop (purple with silver bling) and the one above for free hand once I've blinged it somehow.  The white fabric is a teensy bit see through so the bling will provide some coverup.  I want to experiment with glitter/ pearl fabric paint.  In fact, the blue on the sleeves of Jess' is actually fabric paint.

I spent the afternoon a couple of days ago taping their new, larger, hoops: 3 layers for each - duct tape, then colours, then clear protective.  The last layer is the hardest cos you can't really tell where you've been, LOL.

The things us Evil Gym Moms do ... nuts, especially as I have a cross stitch close to finishing, and two lovely designs just started - all being neglected.

Oh well, lycra is such fun to stitch on (really forgiving) and who can resist bling???

2010 - playing with the Christmas presents

For Christmas my dear friend Sarah and her DH, Bill, gave my DH, Steve:

and today was the perfect day to fly it - windy.
Why not any earlier since Christmas was over a week ago? Cos Steve and the girls have been at Big Bay with Steve's brother's family, fishing.
And on the day after New Year (Saturday) they finally managed to catch some keepers - yay! To cap it all off it was a competition, so Jess came home with a rod and tackle kit of her own that she won, woohoo!
Meanwhile , since I'm not into going fishing, I got to have a lovely day (Friday) with my parents doing Wasjigs; then two days (Sat/Sun) with Sarah stitching and shopping. Bill stayed home flying - although in his case it's remote controlled aircraft.

Fabulous, just fabulous.
Gotta love NZ summer holidays!

Yay me - another finish!

Hang Your Heart from Dimensions (1998)

Wacky colours, but a fun stitch from the depths of my stash.

December finish and other updates

Season's Greetings, and here's a seasonal finish:

2009 Tree from M Designs

And just cos I feel like it, here's a photo from the 2009 comp season - courtesy of rsgphotog.blogspot, taken by the lovely Jessica who has since gone to Canada to further her art studies.

Tamsin, at her first comp at Counties Manukau.

Today has been a very quiet, peaceful Sunday - deliberately so.

Why? Because it was the day after two days of this:

Tamsin (as a raindrop)

Raindrops en masse

Victoria and Jess - seagulls

2009 SABA Recital "The Pearl"

Four shows of 2 hours duration, 5 mins each on stage per show over two days.
Net result? Lots, and I mean hours, of hanging about in dressingrooms waiting. And it was noisy. And reeked of hairspray.

The girls loved it.

Which is what it is all about.