One Stitch at a Time

You may not have noticed, but there are progress bars for my WIPs in the sidebar on the left. At one time, the list included Drawn Thread's Sampler Gameboard, but I removed it since I hadn't been working on it much. The usual story: other projects took my attention.

Every now and then, I'd stitch on gameboard. But I didn't have any momentum. I was getting frustrated because I didn't have all the colors I needed. Either I had run out of or misplaced them or I used them for other projects. During the summer, I realized I should put this design back in the rotation because I had already stitched a siginificant amount, as you can see in this photo.

So, I finally replaced those colors a couple of weeks ago and have been working on it again. I also reinstated the progress bars. I'm hopeful that Sampler Gameboard will become a finished object soon. I can't wait. This one is frame-worthy.

Another UFO that's been put back in the mix is Tuscany from John Clayton International. That's halfway done. Although not a UFO, I'm also making progress on Village of Hawk Run Hollow. I've completed two blocks and am working on a third.



Have you seen the latest: Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow. Who knows when I'll finish the village, but I had to own this chart. I'd love to start it but I'm controlling the urge -- for now.

Brooklyn Welcomes NYC Marathoners

I live in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, which is about 4 miles in from the start of the NYC Marathon. I never went to watch the runners before but decided to take a walk over to see them today.

It's quite an amazing site to see thousands of people running along the street. There's a very festive feel in the air with people cheering and even a band playing for the crowd.

























I was surprised to see some runners dressed in elaborate costumes, like the Eiffel Tower! Now, I love the Eiffel Tower, but I wouldn't run a mile, let alone 26 miles, in a costume of it. Another guy had on a contraption that looked like a swam. The neck and head extended out in front of him, and it looked like he was holding reins conected to the neck . Unfortunately, I was too slow and didn't get a picture of that.

There were also two men dressed as nuns, another guy as Uncle Sam, some bees and various other costumes. Other unusual sites -- a group of ladies from England running in their bras with their shirts off. I understand they do that every year. And the Barefoot Runner. Yes, he was running barefoot on the streets of NY and carrying a large flag advertising the fact.

In the video, you'll hear one spectator in particulrar cheering everyone on (especially those who looked like they were flagging) and welcoming them all to Brooklyn.

Something Old, Something New

Now that autumn has arrived, I've been inspired to stitch something for Halloween. I found a small Bent Creek kit that I'd forgotten I'd had -- Hello, My Name is Boo. I stitched it in about a day and even did the little bit of finishing needed. The kit included the pre-made pillow, buttons and tag. So it was just a matter of sewing it up, and I was done.

Because Boo was such a small piece, it didn't completely satisfy my Halloween urge. So I pulled out a long-abandoned UFO -- Just Nan's Girls' Night Out. There was very little I had left to do: one over-one face, a little backstitching, the witches' hair, and the broom bristles.

As I was working on this, I was wondering why I had put it aside. Probably something else caught my attention. But I was really enjoying it, and feel a sense of accomplishment that I turned a UFO into a finished piece. Well, finished in terms of the stitching. I don't know if I'll do anything with it. Right now it is part of my Halloween display of cross-stitch that I hang on my shelves.