A Fall Finish!

STITCHING

I was so excited on Friday evening just after 10:00 p.m. to put in the last stitch to Harvest Time by Prairie Schooler.  It seemed like I was never going to get to that last stitch so I was thrilled.

It went off to Stitch n Frame for framing on Saturday morning.  I had four really good options for frames to choose from but this one did stand out above the rest.  It is a frame I have used before for other Fall finishes.  This picture is a better representation of the fabric and thread colors than the first one.  It is all in the lighting to get true colors in a photo.  I will have it back by October 8 so still some time to enjoy it before the winter things come out!

Speaking of winter here is a snippet of a new pattern I bought to complete for Christmas.  It is stitched on a overdyed fabric called Twililight Mist Jobelan.  I did not get this fabric but one very similar.  Mine is a cross between Twililight Mist and Stormy Grey.  For the record I do believe the pattern has misspelled the fabric used and it is actually Twilight Mist.  I can't wait to get started on it.

I did, however, get started on Prairie Schooler's July over the weekend.  I am making great strides in my stitching goals this year by starting my second Prairie Schooler from my stash.  As mentioned before, I'm stitching it using Hand Dyed Fibers Premium Silk Floss.  It is my first time stitching with Premium and I am loving being able to use 1 strand over 2 on 32 count and getting the same coverage of 2 strands of regular floss.  The fabric is 32 count Lambswool.   I will list my conversion from DMC to HDF colors.

DMC                                                                      HDF

White                                                                     White

312                                                                         Mermaid Blue 2323

422                                                                         Haywains 4127

437                                                                         Kodiak Bear 5127

843                                                                         Jackalope 5263

844                                                                         Nightshade 5311

898                                                                         Kodiak Bear 5139

927                                                                         Steelies 2449

3022                                                                       Zinc 5235

3052                                                                       Marsh Green 3349

3362                                                                       Alluvium 3405

3777                                                                       Perfect Red 6217

3828                                                                       Haywains 4129

3830                                                                       Perfect Red 6213

3863                                                                       Quern Stones 5165

I will say that I should have picked a darker Kodiak Bear for my 898 conversion so if you are considering my conversion you might think about changing that one.  You might also consider the blue in the flag if you don't like the one I'm using (Mermaid Blue 2323).  It is pretty true to the color charted but I could see using a navy blue for this color as well.

FAMILY TIME

There have been 3 more car shows since last posting.  Keith and I stopped by a couple of them for awhile.  I don't like spending my entire day there but don't mind stopping by for a couple of hours to spend time with hubby.  Thanks to Brian for another family photo for our album.

Keith managed to con Bill and I out of a new Iowa Hawkeye blanket at one of the car shows with vendors at it.  It is a nice big (twin size) blanket so will keep him nice and warm in the coming winter months.

I'm pleased to report that Bill brought home another Best of Show for his category to add to our growing collection.

AN OUTING WITH A FRIEND

I also went to Pella with my friend, Launa to watch her daughter run in a track meet.  I will say the girls had quite a challenging run but am not sure it was any more challenging than the walk Launa and I had back and forth to the car to see the event.    This is the start of the race and about 1/3 of the runners.  

By the time they got to our location at the top of the hill on the return trip headed for the finish line they had definitely spread out quite a bit.  

Launa and I made a few stops on the town square.  A must was the Jaarsma Bakery, Butcher Shop, Quilt Shop and a lovely little boutique.  We really had a fun few hours together.

CHANGE OF SEASONS

The weather is turning off cooler here but mowing must still be done in between rain showers.  You see why I don't mow - Bill likes perfectly straight lines which he can do in his sleep.  I, however, could not mow that straight even if my life depended on it.  

I have started doing a bit of Fall decorating on the outside.  This is my favorite spot to sit and read while waiting for Keith to come home.  The blooms on this mum will soon be beautiful bright yellow.  I've also put a few more mums in pots where I've taken out summer flowers that have seen better days to be sure.

READING

I did finish reading (and re-reading) the trilogy of books by Deborah Harkness.  I needed to read Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night to bring the storyline back to mind before starting Book of Life.  I was glad I did go back and read again as I picked up on things I somehow missed on the first reading.  I did enjoy this trilogy and look forward to seeing what her next offering will be.

Now I am back to reading Hitlers Furies by Wendy Lower.  It tells the story of how the German women were involved in Hitler's campaign for a pure race.   I tell you I am getting a lot of use out of my Kindle App on my phone while walking on the treadmill of a morning.  I just put my treadmill on incline 4 and ramp up the speed to 3.6 mph and my time just flies by while reading.  I've come close to being late for my weight class a couple of times I get so involved in the story.

Well, time to go.  I'm often struck how odd it seems when I end a post to just stop and no really closing.  Until next time.....