Finally, some stitching related content

But no pictures!!

Actually, I've been absent from blogging as much because we were deep in the midst of a house hunt, which, fingers crossed, has been successful. We had our offer accepted on a house and are now working on removing our contingencies, namely acquiring a mortgage, getting a home inspection and a radon test. We're hoping they all go smoothly and we can be in our new house sometime in June. This is our new house:

It's 4 BR, 2.5 bathrooms with central air, a 2 car garage, and a basement. The yard is smaller than we originally wanted, and it's in a development, but I think it's going to be a great house. It's been on the market almost a year, and was priced well above other houses for sale. Finally, the owners relented and came down in price, something our real estate agent was really surprised about. But I really did my research - I was well versed in every house for sale in 2 counties and part of a third, and I knew the offer we made was low but fair. I'm just really glad they accepted it!

And now for the stitching related content...

I finished up most of the stitching on the small version of Acorns and Threads, and decided I didn't want to do the title or the alphabet in the top portion, so I'm currently working out what to change it to. I was thinking about making it a Welcome sign for the front hallway. I originally thought to put in Willkommen (my DH is German), but it doesn't quite fit in the font I'm using and I've already stitched in the border, so I'm not tearing all of that out. I might just look for a different font, or I could stitch the larger version and use the Willkommen for that instead. We'll see.

I've also started a new freebie by Pelin Tezer, called Moire. I'm doing mine in shades of teal green and will finish it as a biscornu. It's a very relaxing pattern to stitch and I think it will be beautiful when it's done.

So that's what I've been up to. I hope everyone is doing well, and now I am going to catch up a little more on my sadly neglected Google Reader!

So much to catch up on!

I've been slacking in the reading and blogging departments because of the househunting. I nearly have all the real estate listings in 2 Pennsylvania counties memories - our real estate agent is amazed that I know so much about the inventory! I think it comes from my job in pharmaceuticals, having to know where each piece (of hundreds!) of promotional material is in the system at all times. I have pretty good recall for things like that.

Anyway, to give myself a break from searching and stressing, I did a little stitching, and I FINISHED a Blue Crab! First up, though, is my progress on Carriage House Sampling's Acorns and Threads. I went from this:

To this:

This is the smaller of the 2 patterns included, and I'm stitching over 2 on 40 ct. fabric. I'm using GAST Dark Chocolate and Apple Cider for this one. I am loving how it's coming out, and it's a very relaxing pattern to stitch. Seeing the progress happen so quickly is gratifying, and it's especially nice the longer our house hunt drags on.

And now for Blue Crab, which I finished the other night:

Blue Crab by Judy Greer Carmean
Chart purchased at Sea Needles, Bethany Beach, DE
Stitched on 28 ct. Lamsbwool Jobelean with DMC Threads

This is what a real blue crab looks like:

I think mine turned out pretty good! I can't wait to get him framed and hung up.

In case you were wondering, I do in fact have a fondness for crabs, both eating them and the crab motif. Also, my husband and my best friend are astrological Cancers and are represented by the crab, so crabs remind me of them as well.

Look what I got!!!

My stitching buddy Kim sent this to me - it arrived yesterday:

Isn't it cool? It's a little hard to see (it's really very cloudy out and the light isn't good) but it's a LIGHTHOUSE!!! (Kim knows that I am lighthouse obsessed) It's absolutely adorable - I love it! She SAYS it's all my fault for leading her down the path of temptation by sending her this website: Knitting Patterns Central. Hee hee! I always tell her I am an enabler. She never listens. LOL

And speaking of my enabling, I also pointed her in the direction of a going out of business sale at Lena Rose, where many of you took advantage of a $22 grab bag and ended up with hundreds of dollars worth of stuff. One of the goodies Kim sent my way was a cute little Mill Hill stocking. I've never done a Mill Hill kit before, so it should be a LOT of fun. Thanks, Kim!!

I also made some progress on my Carriage House Sampling's "Acorns and Threads".

I was starting to feel a little all over the place working on a whole bunch of different ornaments, so I thought I'd shift focus onto one singular piece and work on that for a while. There are 2 designs included in the chart, so this is the smaller of the two. I'm stitching over 2 on 36 ct. Creme Brulee (I think) with GAST Dark Chocolate and either Chamomile or Apple Cider. So far, it's just the Dark Chocolate.

I like this pattern - I like the repetitive stitching. It's very soothing. I might be crying when I hit the back stitching part, but I do it a little at a time so it's not so overwhelming at the end.

In other news, one of my best friends, Julie, just found out that she got a great review in Publisher's Weekly of her first book, The Hard Way. I can't even tell you how EXCITED I am for her - she's worked for a long time on this, and I am so, so, so proud of her. And yes, you CAN pre-order it in advance of the May 27, 2008, publication date. In fact, if you do order it, let me know and I can hook you up with an autograph from the author herself. How cool is that?

And finally, I got an email yesterday from a my childhood friend, Becky. She and her husband are expecting their first child this September and I am so thrilled for them. Becky and I have been friends for a very long time - we grew up across the street from each other. She and her husband (and the rest of her family) are just over the moon excited about the new baby. And lucky girl that she is, she's been feeling pretty good for her first trimester, so fingers crossed for a healthy, problem free pregnancy and delivery!

Look what came back from the framers!

Rocky Point by Dimensions (kit)
This is one of the first pieces my DH stitched. I know! Quite ambitious!!! It took him over a year to stitch the piece, and it languished in a drawer for a few more until my MIL asked us what we wanted for Christmas. DH and I had been discussing getting some of our more complicated pieces professionally framed, but the expense was a little daunting. However, getting one or two pieces at a time done made it less daunting, so we asked MIL if she'd like to foot the bill to have this piece framed. She thought it was a wonderful idea, so I took it to my LNS to have it done and picked it up yesterday. It's absolutely gorgeous, and will have a place of honor in our new home.

A few other things also managed to follow me out of the store. I don't know how it happened. Really. I swear. LHN's Princess and the Pea followed me home. I was just going to stitch it in DMC floss, but then I thought well why not stitch it in the recommended fibers, so that necessitated an order from Stitcher's Closet when I got home. And then I saw on Kim's blog that she was working on the piece as well, so we'll be stitching them together as soon as my fibers arrive

Also following me home were threads I picked for Carriage House Sampling's Acorns and Threads. I went with GAST Dark Chocolate, Apple Cider and Chamomile instead of the recommended fibers. (A gorgeous dark blue/purple called Auntie Dee slipped in there as well, though I am not sure what I will use it for). And then there was the Crescent Colors Belle Soie in Creme de Menthe that will probably be used for some Christmas ornaments.

Finally, some fabrics. I've been deciding on a few ornaments to do from the JCS ornament issue and decided on Snow Bunnies and Winter Love for myself, and DH is going to do the woodpecker. Our house backs up to woods and we have a feeder on our deck, so we get lots of different birds for us (and our cat!) to enjoy looking at. My favorite is the red bellied woodpecker with the cool red head (like me!), but DH likes the downy and hairy woodpeckers - the black and white ones with the tiny little red stripe on the males. I've been looking for a woodpecker ornament for our tree for a while now, so this is perfect.

Last night, I made a little more progress on Nautical Dreams, but I didn't take any pictures. I need to hurry up and get it done because I can feel myself getting bored doing it and itching to work on new projects.