May 17/09 Part II

Mom lent me her camera so here is a piccie of the finished stocking!

May 17/09

The lens on my camera is causing me trouble so unfortunately I have no pictures of the stocking I have been stitching for my mother. What a moment that was to put in the last stitch and to be able to think about the next stocking!

I have been doing some reading in the past week or so about the Middle East and Haiti. Jared Cohen has written a compelling book about the youth of the Middle East in a book called "Children of Jihad". Once again, I was struck by how the people he met were "just folks". They want the same things that we do here in Canada and the US: good living conditions, friends, to enjoy life, education and employment and to live life without repression and fear. He looks below the hysteria of media reports and takes the time to really understand the people. "On That Day Everybody Ate" by Margaret Trost follows the journey she made after the death of her husband to find herself and how she founded an organization called What if?. It is haunting to me how children are starving to death on our literal doorstep. Haiti is not that far away from the US and yet unfortunate historical events like the US-led embargo of Haiti after the successful slave revolution have led Haiti to the disaster that is happening there now. The US was still engaged in slavery at the time and did not want Haiti to succeed post revolution because it might have inspired the American slaves.
I just took a look at my Kiva account and I see that I am inching closer towards my goal of having enough loans repaid each month that I can start a new loan. I currently have ten loans on the go and about $15 was repaid this month from five of them so I am $10 shy of starting another loan. My only criticism of Kiva is that I have not been able to find any loans for women who are single parents. Having watched my mom raise a family of four kids with no help of any kind from my dad has given me an inside look at how hard it can be even here in Canada.
So, hopefully my camera will sort itself out or I will remember to borrow my mom's camera to take photos of the completed stocking. I hope that my Canadian readers are enjoying their Victoria Day long weekend!

Feb 23/09

The back stitching has begun! Back stitching is my favourite part of projects because the piece just seems to come alive under my needle. I have been stitching at night when I need to clear my brain of the research I have been doing on microfinance. My current focus for the research is poverty and the theories surrounding it. The interesting part for me beyond learning all kinds of new information is that I find my self being challenged on all fronts on what I thought poverty and its solutions might be. Well, speaking of research, my boss just called to tell me that the drugstore will open later today because of the 30+ cm of snow that fell overnight so I should take advantage of the time to do some more reading. My driveway is already shoveled (I was out doing that when he called) so now all I have to do is wait for a snow plough to clear the roadway!

Feb 15/09

Happy belated Valentine's Day. My day was so romantic as it started with cleaning up kitty barf and the afternoon was spent at a local cafe drinking coffee and using their free Wi-Fi to do some reading for my university course. Mind you, a friend came to take a break from his studies and he gave me a big hug as he was leaving so it was not a complete romantic dud! Then I ran into my brother and his girlfriend while I was running errands so we chowed down together at Dairy Queen for supper. It was not the Valentine's Day I had thought I would be having this year, but it was the one I had.

I have been putting a few stitches recently into my stocking project instead of running on the treadmill. If I could only find enough time in the day to do everything I love to alongside everything else that has to get done........Magic wand anyone??? Speaking of getting things done, I must get back to my reading on microcredit/microfinance for my research paper. The books are due back at the library tomorrow and I still need to scribble out my research notes from the pages marked with little scraps of paper.

Jan 11/09

I realized the other day that it has been a while since I updated the pictures of the stocking I am stitching for my mother. The Christmas break afforded me alot of stitching time, but classes start tomorrow for me so it is pack away the cross stitch and crack open the books for me!

Nov. 1/08

Ah! My favourite beer! I have had a hard time convincing my local liquor store to stock it, but they are carrying it specifically for me after harassing them so many times! I was drinking this last night while trying to stitch. Um, well, yeah. Gave up when the pattern started to waver around.....


The stocking is slowly coming together, a few stitches every day!

Oct 22/08

A little update on the stocking. I stithced a fair bit over the weekend, but have not done much during the week because my evenings have been sucked up with school work. I am working on a presentation about human rights and HIV/AIDS in the Canadian Aboriginal population and a paper on international aid and development and gender.


One of my friends that I met on my Habitat trip to El Salvador in November 2006 came into the Port City on one of the cruise ships last week. Suzy and her mom were here to see the fall colours of the East Coast. We had a wonderful afternoon driving around the countryside and taking in the beautiful colours with a wee stop at one of the local covered bridges. Apparently, it had been a long held dream of Suzy's mom to see the East Coast fall colours so it was a great pleasure for me to show the two of them the beauty of this region.

While I was searching through my research on the paper about development, I was reminded of kiva, an organization that I had heard about last year in my Global Issues class. There are some very interesting projects listed and I decided to spend $25 on 4 different projects to see how it all goes. Heck! I easily spend $100 on a pair of shoes without blinking so I figure that the money could be better put to use to help out 4 small entrepreneurs make their lives a little better.

Oct 11/08

My mom's stocking is coming along nicely. The chart is challenging by times to read because it is hand drawn and in black and white, but the design is worth the trouble! Plus, I keep reminding myself that I am making a huge dent in my thread stash with this project! A few years ago (six or seven), I bought out the overstock that we had at our drugstore from when my boss had dabbled in craft supplies and there were hundreds of skeins that came with the plastic display shelving!I was thinking the other day that I can finally get rid of one of the shelves because there are so few threads left in it, but I am still left with 17 more!


When I was getting out the stocking piece to photograph it, I came across this little scene in my living room. Not sure why she had to clear off the ottoman when there was a perfectly good and empty couch to sleep on right behind the ottoman. The joys of cats!

ETA: I bought the JCS 2008 ornament edition the other day. I have not had the time to read through it in depth, but there were several on the cover that caught my eye. So many beautiful projects to stitch and just not enough time in this lifetime!

Oct 5/08

There has been some progress made on the current stocking project. The camel heads are becoming more defined. Sorry for the fuzzy photo! I did not see the poor quality until after I had uploaded the photo onto my computer. This stocking is for my mother who as I write this should have arrived in Japan for a 3 week trip with her sister. I am SO excited for her because she is finally getting to visit the homeland of her mother. Now, I am sure that the Japan of today in no way resembles the Japan of the 1930s that my grandmother left behind to come to Canada, but there is something magical and profound about getting in touch with one's roots.


My neighbour did a wonderful job of fixing up these two pieces so that I can finally display them. The piece of embroidery on the left is a Fernando Llort inspired piece that I bought on my Habitat build in El Salvador in 2006 and the painting on the left was purchased in the Dominican Republic this year. Aren't they stunning? I just love the colours and I was absolutely amazed at the beauty of the embroidery. The back of the piece is almost as nice as the front!

Sept 28/08

Last night instead of studying, I stitched. Aren't you all glad to see that my priorities are in proper order?! LOL! I just could not concentrate on international affairs because my brain was still virus-addled. Actually, it is kind of funny to say that because on the one hand, I could not concentrate on a topic that I know fairly well and am just reviewing, but I could concentrate on an intricate pattern. Go figure.

So, now I am pondering a team name for my Mongolia trip. I am thinking that "Ensemble" may be a good word because it means together in both English and French and this team will be made up of Americans and Canadians. Now to see what the American co-leader thinks.....

Sept 21/08

While I was trying to decide which big project to tackle next, I dug into my stash of Christmas cards that I bought on sale at Lewiscraft a few years ago. Doing smalls makes me feel like I have accomplished alot, but I do need to get going on some of the larger projects that I have lined up for myself.


After finishing the card, I decided to tackle the next installment of my Christmas stocking project for my family. This one is "We Three Kings" from Cross My Heart. The design struck me as perfect for my mother who is a devout Anglican.


And this is just for fun. This is truly a face that only a cat crazy Mommy could love!

April 2/08

This little beauty is the Victorian Lace Snowflake by Karen Kluba. The design is in the JCS 2007 Christmas Ornaments issue. I played around with the materials as usual, using up mystery cloth, using the Mill Hill beads I had on hand (03003)and variegated metallic DMC floss instead of the materials called for in the pattern.

Working on the ornaments is a nice little break from the two mega projects that I am working away at. I am making Christmas stockings for my immediate family and 2 baby quilts for some recent additions to the extended family. Those items take a big chunk of time so it is fun to complete a quick and easy project in between.

July 30/07

May I introduce the first of the stockings that I am cross stitching for my family? My intention had been to do my mom's first, but there was a huge delay in getting the fabric because the order was lost in the mail from the supplier, but my LNS has yet to call me 4 months later to let me know if it has come in so I ordered it from eBay. The result is that my stocking is now stitched instead.

EDITED TO ADD: The stocking is a Dimensions kit called "Holiday Harmony".

May 26/07

Not much to report on the stitching front except to say that I am busy doing the back stitching on my stocking and filling in those little pesky cross stitches that I missed the first time around. This weekend is Christmas ornament SAL so I will do that on Sunday since today is busy with running 6km, dyeing my hair, a fundraiser concert for the Sussex women's shelter and a birthday party for a friend. I need to weed a flower bed and wash both the car and my Adirondack chairs at some point this weekend.

I think that I have figured out how to do an indoor vermiculture compost bin with minimal fuss and muss. Ever since my little rat invasion 2 years ago, I have stopped putting any food into my home compost bins out behind the shed and send all the food bits off to the landfill composting facility. Rats horrify me! I have been trying to figure out how to do the vermiculture thing because it seems counter-productive to the whole environment thing to ship the compostable materials away by gas-driven truck to save space in the landfill. I have the bin and the compostable material, so now all I need to do is collect some wrigglers after the next big rainfall. My brother referred to me as the "Recycling Nazi" when he lived with me a few years ago so maybe I will not mention this little venture to him any time soon! Heck after 30+ years, he should be used to my kookiness by now!

My decluttering efforts are teetering along. One brother got rid of 4 boxes of junk at a fleamarket at the curling club and made enough money to take his girlfriend and Mom out to lunch at Holly's that day. The other brother took a garbage bag full of household items and 6 sets of blinds to use in his new place at CFB Gagetown. Then, on the other hand, I have bought several new items of clothing as I update my summer wardrobe, but I am enforcing the "1 item in, 1 item out" rule as I keep adding to the donation pile.

Well, I should get to my other environmental cause of running! My thought is that by losing weight (or 60 lbs or so!), then I decrease the gas consumption of my car and wear smaller clothes, using up less resources! Plus, it makes me a healthy being because my stress levels drop as I clear my mind and my body gets stronger.

May 18/07

Not much stitching to report as I was in Toronto last weekend and then been working in between sleeping since I have come home. I had planned to stitch alot today, but my allergies played havoc with that. The sinuses on the right side of my face were so full that I was dizzy and nauseated when I woke up this morning so I spent a good part of the day asleep since even reading in bed was a challenge. So much for tackling all of the stuff I had planned today like paperwork and errands. Oh well, it is a cold and overcast day so at least I do not feel like I lost a nice day to boot. I hope to get the last of the cross-stitching done on my stocking so that I can switch to the back and half stitching soon.

The Habitat for Humanity seminar was really interesting. The people and the topics were very interesting. I did learn something about myself-----I am terrible at navigating despite maps and explicit directions! Oh well, if we had not missed a turn or two, Jay and I would not have ended up having supper at a great pub in Bolton ON before heading back to where we were supposed to be! In my defence though, I did manage to find my way downtown with minimal "being lost time" after discovering that the 401 off-ramp I needed was closed for construction for this past weekend only.

April 28/07

No ornament to show so I thought that I should post a WIP on my first of the family heirloom stockings!

April 5/07

Here is a stitching update to take a break from saving the world's problems! LOL!

The fabric order is still AWOL at my LNS so I can not get started on my mom's Christmas stocking although I did kit up the threads so that I can start it as soon as the fabric order arrives. Here is the progress on my stocking:


For the Christmas ornie SAL, here are my March efforts. They still need the french knots, backstitching and the cutting out from the plastic canvas.....


Some things I have been up to:
1. I was shaking my head at the news the other night that the government is dragging its feet on apologizing to people who were forced into the aboriginal residential schools so I wrote an e-mail to Prime Minister Harper to tell him that I find that appalling. Mom has her certificate of apology for the internment of Japanese-Canadians from the federal government hanging in her living room so I am well aware of the power of an apology.

2. Checked out Amnesty International Canada and the Greenpeace websites just to see what campaigns and issues they are all about. I joined the Amnesty 10 000 Voices campaign against the violence against women.

What I should be doing at the moment: hurrying my butt out the door to get to work on my Rotary club's fundraiser tonight.

Mar 10/07

So, here I sit waiting for a snowstorm or whatever is supposed to heading our way. A fitting way to end a week that found me speaking at a Rotary club about my El Salvador trip, getting a ticket because my car inspection sticker expired in MAY 2006, my curling teams won on Thursday and Friday night (if you have ever seen me curl, you would understand why that is noteworthy) and my brother is coming home for a break during his course at CFB Kingston. There is a special talent to living my life and by golly, I would love to master it!

The Christmas stocking project is slowly making progress. The needle that came with this kit wore 2 holes in the end of my middle finger on my right hand so I had to switch to the larger needle that I usually use to cross stitch because using a thimble was slowing me down too much. Here is an update:

March 1/07

Ok. So it has been a while since I have posted some new pics. The digital camera was at my Mom's house so I could not post anything that I have been working on. These towels were completed about 3 weeks ago. The pattern comes from a Leisure Arts leaflet called "More Christmas Fingertips" and they are stitched on towels from a shop in Norway called Christiana GlasMagasinet. The towels are regular kitchen towels, but there is a bit that is a lovely evenweave of something like 32 count. I bought a bagful of them because they were only 24.50KR (about $4-5 Canadian).

Once the towels were completed, I moved onto this pattern that I found on the Christmas ornie SAL. I decided to play around with different whites and sparkly threads to see what effects I could come up with. They are stitched on light blue 14 ct. Fiddlers Cloth. This first one photographs the best. I stitched it with DMC white:

The second one was stitched with one thread each of B5200 and E5200. The contrast between the fabric and the threads is not all that great so it it difficult to see in the photo:

The third one is done with one thread each of DMC white and a DMC silver metallic that was flaoting around in my thread box. Unfortunately, I ran out of the silver and had to finish with a DMC antique silver. The results are probably not so visible in this photo, but I am not excited about how this one finished up.

Here is my WIP of the moment. I have started a very ambitious project of cross stitching a Christmas stocking for every member of my immediate family (6 people!). It has been fun hunting down patterns and kits that suit each person, but now the real work begins.....for the next few years!

<

Projects 33-37.