Whiskers On Kittens

I know I haven't posted a lot lately, but when your latest crafty creation is a secret, writing about it is out of the question.  Yes, my latest sewing project is gifty in nature so has to be kept a secret until next week.  Then I'll post a picture.  Even though this project has kept me busy, I managed a big finish:  the Kitty Kalendar is done!

When I finished stitching the December cat, I realized that what I had left to do wouldn't take very long, so on went the whiskers and buttons.  This is a big finish for me as I've been working on this one (on and off) since last year.  All those little cat faces -- so cute!  Who can resist?!

So now I can return to my Folk Eggs and Holiest of Nights.  And enthusiastically begin a new one - Red White and Bloom by Country Cottage Needleworks.  I've had this one kitted up for a while, ready to go. 

This weekend is Saturday Stitch Day at The Stitch Store, when I get to spend time with my stitching buddies.  As an extra bonus, my friend Maggie will be in town to join us!  And I get an extra stitch day out of it because we'll be stitching together on Friday also.  So looking forward to it!

Some good news this week for you Cosmo fans.  As you'll recall, back in February we found out that Cosmo has diabetes .  We started him on insulin shots and a special diet.  That worked so well -- too well -- that the vet took him off of the insulin.  Cosmo went back for a fructosamine test yesterday and his sugar level is now in the mid-normal range!  We're managing his diabetes with diet alone and it's working well!  The other two cats are on this diet too, so I'm hoping that it benefits them too.  Great news!

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A Stitching Challenge?

My progress on Folk Eggs

As I continue to work on Folk Eggs, I've heard some comments about my stitching it on black fabric.  Mostly surprise and amazement that I would stitch anything on black!  The common belief is that it is difficult, but I'm not finding that to be the case.  Honestly, I find it more of a challenge to stitch on anything smaller than 32 count!  Any color!  This is my third project on a very dark color and I'm enjoying it very much.  Maybe all eyes are different.  While I find stitching on 40 count nearly impossible, someone else might shy away from my 28 count black lugana.  To each his own.  But if the idea of stitching on black fabric is something you'd like to try, go ahead!  Do a small project and see what you think.

Prairie Schooler sure knows how to choose colors to make them "pop" on black!  "Color pop" is such an over-used phrase, I know, but so true in this case.  I already finished one egg - seven to go!

I hope everyone had a happy Valentine's Day.  Mark surprised me with carryout from our favorite Mexican restaurant, which was nice since we both got home from work at the same time.  And he also surprised me with a tulip terrarium.  This was a new one on me!  When I first got it, you couldn't see the flowers, but they're really blooming now! 

Last Saturday was our Stitch Day at The Stitch Store.  As always, it was a fun day that sped by too fast!  I'd  like to chronicle what goes on at our stitch days, and I just might do that next month.  Maybe get some photos of our stitchers and the beautiful work they do.  It would also be fun to include our crazy gift exchange!  I'll thank Sheila for that idea!

Peggy's Tea Cozy

One of our fellow stitchers is also a talented seamstress and she came up with a cute idea for tea cozies.  I just had to get one of these for when life demands a whole pot of hot tea!

I found a wonderful new blog this week:  Learn To Finish With The Twisted Stitcher.  Vonna (aka The Twisted Stitcher), is generously sharing her finishing techniques with anyone who would like them.  What a great resource!  I've often looked at her blog and wondered, "Now how did she do that finishing?".  Now I can find out!  Take a look for some great ideas, and please give Vonna credit where credit is due!

And now for a Cosmo update.  We kept him (and his fellow cats) on the low carb diet and got accustomed to giving the insulin shots to Cosmo.  Then on Monday it was back to the vet for a glucose test.  The vet called me in the afternoon and was a little concerned because his sugar level was too low throughout the day!  It seems that the insulin was doing too good a job.  So now he is off the insulin and we're trying to maintain a good sugar level through diet alone.  The vet says that it is possible to do this and she's seen it before.  He goes back in two weeks for another test to see if this new method is working.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

How do you like my blog's new look?  Keep the comments coming and share my blog with others.  More followers are always good!

Projects Of Three

Most stitchers love starting new projects and I can completely understand this phenomena.  It's a joy to gather all of your materials and eventually put in that first stitch.  In keeping with my new plan to always have three stitching projects going, I started a new one this week.  It's Prairie Schooler's "Folk Eggs".  I've also been thinking a lot about spring lately, so this fits right in.  I don't know why I'm thinking about spring when this winter has been so mild.  Anyway, it's being stitched on 28 count black Lugana over 2 threads all on one piece of fabric. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a wall hanging, but I could still change my mind and frame it. And don't wrinkle up your nose at stitching on black -- it's really not difficult and the result is very pretty, especially with the thread colors used in this project.

Sheila and I went to the Intergalactic Bead Show last weekend.  I hadn't been to one of these in a long time, so it was nice to see what was new.  Judging from the attendance, I could see that beading is still a very popular hobby.  I bought a kit to make a woven bead and pearl necklace, and some centerpiece pendants.  It was interesting talking to the vendors and even other jewelry makers, and I even learned a few new things.  This visit might just spark a new interest in jewelry making for me!

Here is another one of Mark's lathework creations.  I came home one day to find it on the table and it took me a while to realize what it was because my first thought was, "Now where did Mark get that?".  It's very well done, don't you think?  I think he's found his woodworking niche.   

All this fuss makes Cosmo plum tuckered out.

This past week has been pretty busy and a little stressful because we just learned that our oldest cat, Cosmo, has diabetes.  A simple change in his diet and two insulin injections a day should regulate this well, but it's still a little weird.  And it means a whole new routine for us because the shots have to be 12 hours apart.  After a few days of this, the shots have been getting a little easier and don't appear to hurt him at all.  Oh, he would let us know if it did!  And I only poked myself in the finger once!  Yay for me!  Cosmo goes in for a some kind of testing on Monday, so we'll know a little more about how well all of this is working.  Wish us luck. 

I'm looking forward to Saturday Stitch Day at The Stitch Store this week!  It's always fun to get together with these ladies and see what we're all stitching.  Amazing how quickly that day passes!  I plan to work on "Folk Eggs" and will post my progress!