dianec42

Mr Diane and I are going ahead with the basement renovation. It will be done in 2 phases because we have far too much crap. I'm pretty excited.

I FOUND THE MISSING PATTERN INSTRUCTIONS. The instructions, and indeed the envelope and (wildly misfolded) original tissue pattern, were somehow UNDER a loose Ikea shelf that I've been using for swap space in the craft room. Jeeeeeeeze Past Diane. Thanks a lot.

I am SO looking forward to getting enough random shit out of that room that I can organize my own stuff on the shelves. (Hey, a girl can dream...)

edit: Now if I could just find my f'ing meter stick...

I call this piece "I Scream":

We saw Devo at Foxwoods on Saturday. Holy cow! If you get the chance to see them, GO. They have absolutely still got it.

It was a little over 3 hours' drive. In a stinky loaner car because the ICCU on Alanis(*) went pop(**).

I think this is the first time I've ever been TO Connecticut instead of just driving through it. Heck, I didn't even know until I bought the tickets that Foxwoods is in Connecticut and not Massachusetts.

Then we decided we wanted to go to the beach. For background, we drove across the country 3 years ago - twice! - but stopped in Vermont and still have not made it all the way to the Atlantic. Using the logic of, "It's RIGHT THERE!" we decided to correct this shortcoming.

Unfortunately, one does not simply "go to the beach" in Rhode Island on a nice Sunday in June. Not unless one wants to pay $20-30 for parking, which we did not. (Having recently returned from Hawaii where the beach is just freakin' FREE, this left us rather annoyed.) I guess we'll go back to plan A and sneak into New Hampshire on a Tuesday in the middle of winter or something.

We consoled ourselves with Dunkies and a visit to Bay State Perennial Farm where we filled up the back of the stinky loaner with native(ish) plants. Because we can never have too many plants.

Putting gas in the loaner car was weird. I'm happy to be out of practice.


(*) "Isn't it Ioniq"

(**) Unfortunately a common issue. Good news, Hyundai have admitted it's a problem, and by the time I got around to posting this, the car is fixed and home again.

I did a (very) little bit of color on Art Nouveau Autumn:



I made good progress on Upon A Star. I'm on the home stretch!

Mr Diane & I just flew back from a week & a half in Hawaii.

While we were away, spring has f'ing SPRUNG. The trees are in leaf, the forget-me-nots have taken over the meadow, and the rhubarb is bigger than I am.

I'll write more when I'm less jet-lagged and more caught up.

I finished all the outlines on Art Nouveau Autumn! I then tried to start the colours and promptly did a section with the wrong shade & had to undo.



I finished the moon on Upon A Star, and started some trees on the left side. There are still 2 stars to do, once I have enough trees done to have easy reference points.

As in, I got the sewing machine out and test-stitched some fabric for a test project. Yes, I'm feeling testy.

Some wag once made a pie chart of how one spends time when sewing, with actual "making stitches with the machine" being maybe 5%, the rest being things like pressing, cutting out, pinning, and swearing.

I would add to those: searching the house for things you know you own; rearranging the clutter to actually reach those things; changing the needle and presser foot; winding bobbins; finding a spare spool of thread when you run out winding the first bobbin; swearing at the sewing machine instructions because you can't remember how to actually do any of these things; and most of all KEEPING THE CATS FROM GETTING INVOLVED.

Might need a more detailed breakdown of the swearing wedge of the pie chart...

The first crocuses and snowdrops are blooming! I couldn't get a good snapshot of the snowdrops. Here, have some croci:


The shaded bits of the yard are doing their best to pretend it's not 70 degrees out:


It's going to be cold and wet again in a few days so I'm enjoying this while I can.

I had stalled out on this one due to poor light and hating confetti stitches. Yesterday I cranked through all but 2 of the stars and much of the shading on the moon.

Pattern is Upon A Star from the book Cross Stitch In The Forest.

Yesterday I texted with Mr Diane a bunch and did a workout.

Forgot to call my mom this week.

Today so far I tried to sleep in. The cats let me get an extra half hour in, although that did include dresser gymnastics and a certain amount of duvet acupuncture.

I've awakened to surprise snow. Must... get... into... town... If nothing else I still owe Claudio's kid a postcard.

Edit: Cleared driveway and my car. Made it to open knit at the yarn shop and showed off the Wizard of Oz/Wicked crochet book I got. Bought, wrote, and sent the postcard. Holy kamoly it's too cold to be doing any of this.

Edit edit: Called Mom.