Saucer outline

At least, I think it’s a saucer.

My hands have been needing some limbering up for a while, so I started back into my tea set. I also started watching Bones, so I can have something to keep me company while I work. I like it. No idea why I have never really seen it before, but I’m sure it’s my fault, haha.

 

Thanks to ups and downs, I managed to get the saucer outlined completely in dark blue over the course of… well, what amounts to two afternoons. There’s also some light grey in there, which you can barely see right now. It’ll show up better later, when I get more colours in there.

Looking forward to this weekend, but also kind of nervous. I got a miracle rheumatologist appointment for tomorrow, and I still haven’t filled out all of the forms and things. And I’m borrowing my mum’s Handicapped Parking pass until I can get mine. No idea how long it’ll take me to get used to looking for and actually using those spaces. My cousin is also graduating and having a related open house the following day, which we have also planned for our fabled hot springs trip.

For some reason, I just don’t feel talkative or wordy right now. Maybe I’m in too introspective a mode. Or not enough of one.

Latepress is Late

I could explain that I’m doing a cute little dolphin cross-stitch for my friend Amy. That I started it today and although I made up my own crappy and impatient version of the back stitch, I finished the major outline.

I could. But I’m going to sleep instead.

Finished!

At last, I finished the griffin and I can start wondering what to do next.

I do have my teapots, but that won’t be quick.

Then again, there is some writing that I have to do. It’s the reason that I didn’t post on the weekend. 2500 words on Saturday and then a measly 1000 on Sunday. It’s a long chapter, so it’s not done yet. I’d like to finish it today, but that isn’t likely.

Still, I feel accomplished right now.

I have nothing interesting to say!

I just have the single stitches to go over and then I am done. Unless I can bring myself to get a white or grey and do more. But I like this two-toned guy. It’s been fun and hopefully I will have this done by Sunday.

Finally some progress

I’m just making a quick picture post to show that I’ve between able to get a little bit done today. I finished the gold front of the griffin, and started on the blue half. Right now it looks like blue jeans, which bugs me, but at the same time it’s kind of hilarious.

My brother and his girlfriend came by, and we all played Arkham Horror. I sewed while we played, and funnily enough, we had a rare win.

I’m going to have to get some very light grey or white and some lighter red so that I don’t have those blank areas anymore. I think it’ll look nicer if everything is even. But then, I have OCD, so I could just be ridiculous.

Sigh. It’s been a great day, but the people in the flat upstairs are being obnoxious. It’s after midnight and they’re taking so loudly that I feel like an eavesdropper. Management just circulated a newsletter informing tenants that our community has quiet hours that begin at 22:00 and end at 10:00. I guess the people upstairs think that weekends are exempt.

Not the best way to end a post, but they are really incredibly loud and Swype is dropping my intended words in favour of total gibberish.

Over Two Days

This was a busy week. The last two days were where I really felt it, and it won’t be over until the end of this upcoming week.

It’s funny. I only finished single stitches for the front half, but it’s taken quite a while. I think I get lost in the simplicity of filling it in and think I’m taking too long.

I am in need of a nap. Probably not going to get one. This may not be the best time to watch weird, think-y movies.

Griffin Day Four

I have never really had a concrete way of delineating these posts, so I figure, why bother now.

Today didn’t offer a lot of free time, but I got all of the fiddly bits done. Luckily, just when I was getting irritated with the talons, I was about done with them.

Now that I have the colours to do, I wonder if I should do each half in a different colour. Blue for the bird and gold for the lion-y bit.

Gotta run now. Hopefully more later.

Hopefully Impressive Third Day

Today probably should not be repeated. I woke up early and installed myself in front of the telly with my griffin. I got up to make meals and the like, but I ended up spending pretty much the entire day stitching. I also finished another book. But considering that my right index finger and thumb have been visibly (and rather painfully) swelling for a while now, I’m likely going to lighten up a little bit.

The problem is two-fold: I have problem hands, pain-wise, and I tend to hyperfocus. The latter is especially bad when it’s something that I’m enjoying with very little difficulty. If I could just bottle it or control it somehow, I’d be golden. Also riddled with pain more often. I can’t open a water bottle on my own anymore. Eheh. It’s a trade-off, right?

Bragging doesn’t come easily to me–not consciously, anyway–and I’m also a total newbie, but I think this is probably pretty good for three days, especially since my efforts in everything else has been so disappointing.

I’ve been taking all of these pictures with my phone, and this is quite possibly the clearest picture I’ve taken with it.

So now all I have left are the griffin’s talons, tongue, tail, and then I have the outline done and I can start on the colour. I’d like to try to incorporate shading, but I haven’t planned for that, and I think it’s best to keep it simple. I can try complicated another day. Someday, I could try my own designs. It’d be weird to see my square-headed tiny people on fabric.

Hmm…

End of Day Two

Got back  from the meeting a little bit ago. It was nice, mostly chatting, but I actually got something done. That makes it different from NaNoWriMo write-ins. All I ever did at those was talk. And meet my future husband.

We picked better colours, so when I finish the outline, the insides are gonna look ace. Also gave in to temptation and got some patterns that I’ll have to modify colour-wise if I want a chance at ever trying them.

So that’s where I am at the end of my second day. There are a couple of mistakes, but as far as I’ve tracked down, they are not noticeable unless one is in possession of the pattern. Lucky!

It’s so nice to have something I can look at. I’m kind of gooning at it I’m so happy and tired.

Got an unexpected break, so tomorrow might be another good day for getting stuff done. But I still have 99 themes and a writing itch.

Keeping up with it all

Exactly what I’m not doing! :3

But it’s for a good reason. A few of them. Mostly. The weekend had a lot of family visiting going on, both to see us and us to them, so that was not only time well spent, but time not around a computer really. When I was around one, I was playing The Sims 2. And it was not my computer. So I plead guilty to all charges.

I would say that it’s not been all that interesting the past missed posting days, but that would be untrue. I have come up with an irritatingly large stable of ideas that is getting to egg me on, which can be good and bad. I also found out that I lost an entire paragraph of chapter 10, which pisses me off, especially since it’s been as hard to write as every other put together.

But it’s better to focus on the things that I can see go better faster. I’m really hoping to contribute largesse to the needleworkers’ guild, but it’ll take time to complete.I’ve been working on the outline–my slice of even weave linen is too small for the design I’m making, but I managed to tweak some stuff around the edge when I realised it. It’s a griffin, so I shrunk its earhorns and I’ll probably shrink its talons a little bit. Maybe its tail. I’m glad I picked this design. It’s a better size for the end project, and it’s easy to tweak. Still, cross-stitching takes time.

Haha, I’m actually appreciating an element of the novel now. Natalie having to do all of the costume embroidery by hand. I mean, I’ve never used an embroidery machine, but still. I have used a sewing machine, and I’ve done the same stuff by hand. I know the time and effort difference, and can apply it otherwise.

On a completely unrelated note, Dragon Hunters is a bizarre watching experience. I honestly cannot say if it’s good or bad. I think it’s because my audio was freakishly out of sync with the video. I went back and fixed it, and now I think I like it while not lauding it as genius.

I feel oddly productive. Maybe because of all that sewing. I have most of the griffin’s back, the outline of its head, and most of its beard done. I have also used up half of the black floss I cut. However, I still don’t think I got much done. No writing either. Still pissed about losing that paragraph.