whacked

I've been wanting and wanting to stitch and show some solid progress on my Whimsey and Wit Advent Alphabet work (sorry friends it's supposed to be a scroll, not an afghan, though with the grids on the fabric it could look like one), but all I can show is Kris Kringle's hand and the staff done.

I wish I could do an afghan, but I'm not that ambitious yet..  :)

This is what the entire scroll would look like:

(Picture to come -- it's coming out horizontal!)


Christmas ornaments are a bit better, the Christmas tree's all done (somehow I thought the pattern said gold filament thread but it didn't, after all -- and I was so excited to use it!).  The trains are a bit funny, I finished the outline stitches on the wheels.. but only finished one wheel on each!

The pattern book below (again picture to come, it's horizontal AGAIN), I highly recommend it for beginning stitchers like me.  You feel a glow of accomplishment much faster! Sorry, I'll have to fix that sometime.. too tired right now.

Oh, and just yesterday finished this (as a break from doing Christmas-y things).  I started Sunday afternoon and stitched intermittently, thinking of all sister stitchers diligently sewing away on a Hermit and Stitch Day (or was it a just sit and stitch day?)  The pattern is from the Cross Stitch and Needlework magazine and the design by Cherrywood Designs.  Isn't it cute?

I used DMC instead of the WDW, Gentle Art Samplers and Crescent Colors recommended, and tried out variegated floss on the yellow flower.  I followed some advice I read somewhere to finish the x's individually so the color variations would show.  I think it came out nice.  Don't look too closely 'cause I missed some stitching on one of the flowers!

Before all this we had a typhoon (see the wind blowing at those coconut trees and how overcast it is.. we lost electricity practically the whole day):

and work was not spared, the disaster we were preparing for and privately half expected would happen, happened, and on the same day.  We've been in damage control since then, because as someone once said "the best laid plans of mice and men .. often go awry".  Odd working hours - 1am to 1130am, 4am to 1pm, 11am to 8pm, I've done them all...

Dear God, please throw a bit of luck our way.  Thank you.

And speaking of thanks and birthdays this week, it's my youngest brother's birthday, so Happy Birthday bun, we love you!
And my dad's birthday, we miss you very much and love you.
And the ex's (exe's?).

God bless us all this week... thank you for reading, hope you drop a line!