Monday morning - I learned that I cannot stitch on 32ct opalescent linen on the train - its just too hard on the eyes.
Monday afternoon - I discovered that Monday mornings are a unique occurrence during the week and are not indicative of what can be done at any other time
Tuesday morning - I discovered that Monday mornings are not unique, and they are in fact indicative of mornings in general ...
Wednesday morning I discovered that if you lose your second-last needle on a crowded train there is no way you can move to search for it. Putting your hand down between your legs and under your bottom to see if it is still on the seat garners strange looks from those around you and leers from unsavoury looking men!
Wednesday afternoon I discovered that I can frog stitches on 32ct opalescent linen. I discovered I can do it without losing my last needle. I discovered I can frog most of the stitches I put in this week without crying on the train.
Thursday morning I discovered that if you party too hard on Wednesday night for your birthday then you wont feel like going in to work. No train today!
Friday morning I discovered that if you lose your last needle within a few minutes of getting on the train, its empty enough that you can get down on your hands and knees and search the seat and floor of the carriage for your needle. I discovered you *never* want to look that closely at the floor and down the side of a train seat. {shudder} Never doing that again! Discovered that I really need something more tangible than a mental note to remind me to pack extra needles. Discovered I really liked closing my eyes and listening to my talking book for the rest of that train ride. They were my last John James size 26 needles too!
Friday morning bus addendum. After I arrive at Central Station in the middle of Sydney, I then catch a bus out to my workplace. Other people from my work catch the same bus every morning. When you sit down on the bus and then jump back up again as if stung by a bee, fish around in the seat of your pants and jacket and discover the needle you lost on the train was lodged first in your jacket and then in your posterior, your workmates find this hilarious. So hilarious that by the time 9:30am rolls around everybody on your floor at work is looking at you and grinning. Not many in sympathy either!
Friday afternoon I discovered that sitting back, leaving the needle and stitching project in its bag and closing my eyes while listening to my talking book, is the best way to finish off a week!
Grumpy Addendum - Feel free to skip over and not read this bit:
Saturday morning at home I tried again and still got absolutely nowhere. One of the most frustrating parts about this whole week is that I was using one of the new DMC Variations threads and every time I frogged a stitch the threads broke. If I used threads that were my usual long length they broke before I got to the end of the thread. Between the frogs and the threads just breaking on me, I've used up an entire skein with about 50 stitches to show for it. Now as these DMC variations are three times as expensive as normal DMC I am one very unhappy camper !!!! This project has gone into abeyance and I'll try it again later with a different brand of thread and when I'm home - maybe as a weekend project until I get through the first quarter hassles ..... but I'm not touching for months until I've forgotten how frustrating this week was and I'm tossing away my DMC variations threads! I refuse to use such shoddy materials !!!!!
I did no other stitching this week - so no update pics! I did however receive lots and lots of goodies for birthday which you can see here.
Blog pic today is Paul and Trubby showing that they really *can* get along !!!!!!
22 comments:
Ouch - but yay! to finding the needle - um a bit behind on your UFO Gothy, sorry :-(
That's OK Hilary - I haven't even started your MS Cats RR :(
Um - about your fantasy ............ well part way through that! as well as your RR and .... aaaargh! want to move so I can get back on track! (oh cute pic of Trub and Paul BTW!)
Thank you for a much needed laugh this morning. Your stories are bringing back so many memories of commuting.
Sorry the Variations are such crap! I have not used them yet either. I wonder if there is a good silk that we can use to sub for it.....there has to be one out there!
Your stories are a fun read. Sorry to hear about the DMC variations, I have just started buying the whole lot of them, and have not worked with them yet! yikes
I am so sorry your week of stitching was so horrible. But from the reading end of your description, it was hilarious! I sure hope you just have a bad batch of the DMC variations since I think I have the whole set of them downstairs waiting to be labeled and bagged up in my floss filing cabinet! Yikes.
Loved the new presents you got and it is nice to see a picture of Paul too.
Chele
I have *thoroughly* enjoyed the Tales thus far. I drive myself to work but if I ever have to commute by bus or train... well, I will keep your hard earned knowledge in mind :) I adore your progess pics and I'm finding that Party Cat is really calling to me despite the large number of my favorite fantasy projects thumping about in my stitching cupboard.
Kimberly
Thanks all - I was really really disappointed with the Variations threads - but as long as you use really short lengths and never make a mistake they can be used - I guess I just have to treat them like metallics and consider them "special needs" threads!
Frankly there are so many wonderful other threads out there that, well, why bother with these! Silks like Vicki Claytons are actually cheaper than the DMC Variations for me!
Glad you all are enjoying the Tales - I have tried to make light of my plights and see the funny side wherever possible - and yeah well its fun and different :) :)
When I stop laughing I'll reply to this but am off to bed for the moment.
What an interesting week. Hope you will get to stitch again soon.
I love the pic of Paul and Trubby. When Vick and I first started dating, I had a gray striped male tabby who was intensely jealous. Vick was in school when we met, so didn't have much money and dates usually ended up being fast food and movies at the apartment Mom and I shared. Pepsi would wedge himself in between us and shove on Vick as hard as he could to make space for himself. Back then, when he was younger and not yet afflicted by RA, Vick would sit on the floor in front of me. Peps would do his best to get his fat body (think Buzz for size) between us so that I wasn't touching Vick in any way. You can imagine how entertaining it got once we moved in together!
I found a needle in my carpet the other day; it was bent and wedged into the weave reallllllyyyy good, pointy end up, of course. But it was just under the edge of the couch; no idea where it was missing from - obviously something where I was using multiple needles... And I have sat on them, though never in public, and good thing never in front of co-workers - I keep them pretty entertained without sticking myself in the butt with a needle, I think :)
Wow, sorry the Variations are giving you fits! I haven't had any trouble with them, except one color seemed to twist more than the others, part of which I attributed to the fact that I was jamming to get the project done by Christmas, so was already aggravated. If I had any problems frogging and it breaking, I guess I never noticed, because I've used it primarily on over-1 (your "M", for instance), which is a bitch to frog regardless of what thread you are using. Oh, well - at least you've got lots and lots of others to choose from!
Enjoying your tales immensely. You need one of those telescoping wands with a magnet on it to pick up dropped needles. Do you sometimes wish you could choose which train passenger would find your needle with their backside? Hee hee.
Sorry to hear about the Variations.. I just went and splurged on the whole set for myself, so I'll keep your experience in mind!
Heh - just had an evil vision of the knitting lady from the Third tale finding one of Mel's needles with her backside :)~
And last but not least, I agree - great pic! When my sister first began dating my BIL, his dog would do a Pepsi and wedge himself in between the two of them whenever they sat on the sofa. PIcture a 40 lb dog who has been quite aptly described as looking like "a barrel on sticks!" :)
Thanks everyone and Tracy what an evil mind you have - I'll envision that needle whenever I have annoying people sitting next to me {LOL}
And that is actually the worst picture Paul ever makes - that was taken within minutes of his getting out of bed ..... I'll find a better one to post next time I have no stitching update - hmmm perhaps this weekend if yesterday was any indication - Paul really is a cutie.
Interesting week Mel LOL!!
They really brighten a dreary day.
Paul and Trubs make a cute pair....have to say the cat is cuter than the bloke though [grinz].
Sorry about the breaking flosses....yuck! That would drive me insane.
Buzz does that every damn night..he squeezes and squidges and pushes until he's right there in the middle and then turns around, makes a nest and who cares if the rest of us have our bums hanging off the edge of the bed....grrr...cats....love 'em.
Love the pic at the top. Pauls expression makes me wonder where Trubs claws actually are??? Sorry about the needles, wouldn't like to recount the times I've sat down and then jumped up again cause I've found the one I lost 2 weeks ago.
I used Variations on that blackwork piece of Sallys. Its not as robust at the ordinary DMC but I cant say I had any particular problems with it. If you find it frays then use smaller pieces.
Keep up the monologues. They really perk up dreary days and now that our winter is looming (well in a couple of months) we UK girls are going to need a bit of cheering up.
Actually he's being a pain :) he was really grumpy and I wanted him to smile so he put on one of those fake too-bright smiles ......
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