Finished Bent Creek

Haven't been doing a heck of a lot while recuperating....sleep, eat, elevate, ice, exercise and do again.  I have done some stitching and finished the Bent Creek.  I think eventually, when I can, will finish as a door hanger.  A good stitch while taking pain medication.
Before the buttons.

 After the button embellishments.

 I don't know if this is where I was on the PS Tortoise and the Hare.  This is where I am now.  I'm going to attempt at going back to this.  I hope I won't get screwed up with the counting.  I may have enough of a start I will be able to manage it.  I think I should be good.

Hope everyone is having or had a great Memorial Day Weekend, remembered lost loved ones and our Servicemen/women.

Thanks for stopping.  Keep on stitching.

Meet My New Knee and Cross Stitch update

I was going to call it Meet My New Knee and Cross Stitch 101 but, thought that exactly didn't sound right.  Then again, it kind of does.  My new knee is one week old and twice the size of the original merchandise for now.  The pants look more psychadelic when your hands aren't too steady.  I took this laying flat on my back.  I think you can tell the left if definately larger than the right.  

  

You start moving right away with the surgery.  I had PT the day after the surgery to start with exercise, standing and walking to the commode. I did try doing a few quad sets and ankle pumps before I ever saw PT.   I can now walk all over the house and go up and down a few steps.  Absolutely no intention of going into the basement for anything. I'm using a walker but, will probably be ready for a cane the next time PT comes.  Then I will be going to outpatient PT June 4th.   

 Elevating the leg to get the swelling out.  The blue hose is for my ice machine that pumps chilled water to a pad that I put on the knee.  The swelling is the worst.  It makes it hurt more and harder to bend.  It is getting better.  I am 5# lighter than I was on Wednesday when the nurse came.

 Cross Stitch 101...or back to big, bigger and biggest....big count, bigger thread and the biggest dog gone needle.  It is like a darning needle.  I have been making some progress even when I can't see straight.  Thus, it is good the fabric is big count.

 This one actually turned out to be a good picture.  I did these sitting in my recliner with the piece on a pillow.  

I do have a way to go.  I get tired really fast.  Phone calls if they are longer than five minutes are annoying and I hate the compression hose.  The kids and the husband are great.

Thanks for stopping.  Keep on stitching.  I hope I made sense and I can't be held accountable for spelling or grammar.

New Knee and doing ginger peachy

Had my knee replacement...there was no cartilage left only fluid with debris in it. Probably why it would hurt so much when I would twist. I will be in the hospital another day or two for physical therapy. I walked 75 feet today, which is on target. I'll go home with home therapy then outpatient therapy. I did do a few stitches in my nice big project...it actually isn't a big piece, just large count, big needle and perle cotton. Thanks for stopping and keep on stitching.

Soon to be Bionic

Where do I start?  I think I will start first with the PS Tortoise and the Hare and then regale you with my tale.  I guess I'm starting at the finish line...the little Tortoise is victorious.  How cute is he?

 So here's the story.  I have been having problems with my left knee for 26-27? years.  It is an old roller skating injury...I joke that it ended my Roller Derby career with the San Francisco Bay Bombers.  It started giving out on me.  About 3 years ago, I had is scoped.  It has been bothering me now for a year.  I have had cortisone injections for tendinitis, Supartz to lubricate the knee and another intra-articular cortisone injection to get me to tomorrow.  I am having a total knee replacement.  I am glad to be getting this done and moving on.  It has been next to impossible to mega shop at the mall or get up the steps to the Stitching Bee to shop for stash.

Being the eternal optimist, I figure maybe Sunday night I might be looking for something to stitch.  I thought about a small Prairie Schooler along the lines of the hedge hog but, during the process of looking for a small zippered project bag to keep it in I found this Bent Creek Zippers called Seasonal Sampler.  I have gotten ready and a small start in the center.  It is a BIG needle (20-22) 18 count linen and perle cotton thread.  It is almost like doing a lacing card I did when I was four.

 Don't really know if I will really be able to do this while I am a guest in the hospital and gorked out on pain medication.  If I don't have something available I will want it and stress out about it.  It might be a good thing to work on the first week or too since it is larger.

I may not be able to blog much but, you never know.  By the way, I got a new laptop for mother's day.  I do all the family finances on it so I needed one before I had surgery so I could get everything in order.  Don't know how much things are in order and the DH is already getting crabby.  OI!  I also needed to be able to blog with a couple of pictures.  I thought of doing a before and after picture of my knee.  I have horrible looking legs, varicose veins, spider veins just like my dad's.

Thanks for stopping!  Keep on stitching.

I Walk on the Stitching Wild Side

So this weeks Blog Hop Topic


Do you use a stand when you stitch? If so, tell us about it and share pictures if you’ve got them. If not, would you like to try using a stand? Do you have any tips or tricks around using a stand versus not using a stand?


My answer:  Absolutely not and don't even care to use one.  Crikey, I don't even use a hoop.  Haven't used one in years.  That is why the name of my blog is "The Hoopless Stitcher"


I don't exactly know when I stopped using a hoop.  It has to be twelve years.  I have standard hand hoops, scrolls and a quilting stand (I don't use that either.  Really not interested in quilting.  Got it for a project in college 30+ years ago {YIKES})  I think I stopped using a hoop when it was a topic of a message board.  I thought I would try it.  How liberating was that!  No more rules!! Didn't have to take my project out at night to avoid having those pesky hoop creases, knowing which way to properly use it--which way you put your fabric it, distorting stitches or just moving it around. My fabric gets a little crinkled but, I'm cool with it.    I did however, just get a Lo-Ran stand to hold my pattern.


No stands, no hoops, no worries.  I'm totally portable.   I walk on the stitching wild side.  
http://www.stitchingthenightaway.com/2700/stitching-bloggers-blog-hop-2/#more-2700

Woe is Me....The Computer Crashed. :(

Oh boy, the computer crashed this morning...the main household pc....everything is gone, gone,gone. I'm not sure what can be salvage. I hope I can retrieve my pictures but, who knows. I have some left on my camera. Now, I am posting from my iPad. There may not be pictures until we get a new computer. It is too hard to do pics with the iPad. I think I would need a pc anyway to get pics to a service or something like photo bucket. The upside, the kids are home for the weekend. Katy will be home all summer. Ed goes back tomorrow after supper. It is good to have chicks back at the nest. Happy Mother's Day to all! Thanks for stopping. Keep on stitching!

The Tortoise and the Hare and Three's Company

Usually, I blog on Sunday.  Sunday always seems to be a good day to do that.  I have usually had a little time to stitch and have some progress to show.  This Sunday was different.  Ed came home Saturday after cleaning his dorm room and moving his stuff to the town house he will be sub-letting.  He needed to bring a bed back.  He had twin size bunk beds in his room.  We took one down a few years ago when we redecorated his room while he was at summer camp.  He had wanted more of a teenager/adult room. We spent much of Sunday transporting the bed, helping him put it together and taking him grocery shopping.  At first, he informed me he could do his own grocery shopping.  I told him, "Never pass up free food." 

Right now, it is an interesting living situation.  Normally three college girls live in this town house.  One is staying the summer, one will be here for a while and one is gone thus, Ed is subletting her room.  So it is sort of like the old sit com Three's Company except no Regal Beagle.  In June, another guy is moving in just for the summer.  He was worried when we saw the place and warned us "it's a dump."  Amazingly, it looks like the college apartments we or our friends stayed in 30 years ago.  Things really haven't changed that much.  

He will be home Thursday so Friday he can go and pick up his sister from college. 

I do have some progress on The Tortoise and the Hare.  As usual, my photographic skills are stunning...

It is turning out rather adorbs. 

It has been so much fun reading all the blogs and the Blog Hop from Stitching the Night Away  
http://www.stitchingthenightaway.com/
And thanks to all who have stopped and left wonderful comments!  Welcome to all who have joined my blog.  I hope to keep you entertained. 

Keep on Stitching!

Prairie Schooler Updates Since This Blog Keeps Me on My Toes

Since I started this blog, I find I "finish" projects faster, rather than leaving them on a pile on a table.  I finished the Prairie Schooler Hedgehog today.  I love the material I used for backing.  Have no idea where it came from other than my drawer of fabric.  I thought the color worked pretty well. 

 It was like they were almost made for one and other. 

 The back side of the little hanger on one of the doors of the china cabinet. 

 Ta Da....the finished product.  This blog really does push me to get it done. 

And it should fit in the small basket rather nicely when I am ready for something else in this place.

 

Last night, at stitching group I got more done on the Tortoise from PS Tortoise and the Hare.  I guess slow and steady will win the race. 

It was a busy day otherwise for a day off of work.  I saw my Orthopedic Surgeon for my pre-op physical.  I have my left total knee replacement in two weeks.  I think I have all the stitching supplies ready in my son Ed's closet.  I left the sewing machine set up on his desk.  He won't be home this summer.  He is staying at his University because he has a job.  He did find a sub-let for the summer.  Buster had his annual visit with the vet.  Everyone concured that he is a very good dog, even if he lifted his leg up agains the check-in desk.  The whole waiting area is "pee proof".  A tech was out likety split with a mop.  One other dog parent asked "Why do dogs do that?"  I and the receptionist responded, "To mark their territory."  When on a walk, I also figure it is so they can find their way home.  And finally, my mom had a 3:10 follow-up doctor's appointment for the weekend hospital stay but, we didn't get seen until 4.....ugh!  She is getting better every day.  I think she is ready to start doing more and getting out of the house. 

Dinner is done, the dishes are taken care of....now I can stitch.

Thanks for stopping and keep on stitching.

Stitching Enui

Have you ever had a case of the “stitching blahs” where you just didn’t want to stitch? Or maybe it was more like you didn’t get to stitch because you were busy and that created a chain reaction sense of the “blahs” and led to even less stitching…. sort of like a case of “the Mondays” that we are all familiar with. How do you handle your stitching blahs and get back into stitching mode?  From Stitching the Night Away Blog Hop

I think "Stitching Enui" sounds more exotic than "Stitching Blahs" and conjures the vision of a fainting couch.  Since, I am determined to complete projects, I find it difficult to work on more project often, although on occasion, I do.  I do this when I am working on a large project and begin to suffer from project fatigue.  I will do a small project to re-energize.

The times I truly suffer from Stitching Enui,  I will knit socks from a delicious sock yarn.  Recently, I discover Paca Ped sock yarn which has Alpaca yarn in it.  I have a yarn store nearby that also is an Alpaca ranch, and discovered the yarn there.  Knitting gives me the same rhythm as cross stitch and lovely fiber to boot. 

Then, if that doesn't work, which usually it does, I will buy new stash.  Actually, I don't ever need an excuse to buy stash...bad days, good days, rainy days, snowy days, any day in general. 

There you have it, my cure for the Stitching Enui.  Now, I'm off...its Stitching Night.


Visit all the blogs in this round of the <a href="http://www.stitchingthenightaway.com" target="_blank">Stitching the Night Away</a> Stitching Blogger Blog Hop: <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.simply-linked.com/listwidget.aspx?l=dba71b83-a34f-4614-95a2-bb888a73aa87" ></script><br />Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by <a href="http://www.stitchingthenightaway.com/2645/stitching-bloggers-blog-hop-1/" target="_blank">clicking here</a>.