Love and Luck to All!

That was my thought when I was stitching this new biscornu designed by Olga Maxden. The whole process took me roughly six days, from stitching out the hearts to attaching the beads to putting it all together. And I loved every minute of it.

In addition to that, when I am not thinking of love, luck and stitching biscornus, I crochet. Right now I am working on a humongous soft blanket. Every Saturday  - well, almost every Saturday - I go to the crochet group at our local Beverly's store and enjoy the company of many ladies with the same interest as mine.... as well as birthdays, baby showers, life stories, and everything that comes with sitting in a large group of women for three hours straight. Surprisingly for myself, I do not mind.

One Saturday, though, I had to miss this "gathering of minds" for one simple and sad reason: I lost my crochet hook. Now when I say "I lost" I really want to say "It was stolen", but I don't have any real proof of that, except for conviction in my head. Who were the culprits? I will tell you, if you promise not to laugh. They were Nargles!

Nargles, according to the Online Urban Dictionary,  are creatures that "are known to live in mistletoe, and they are quite the little thieves." I did not believe in them at first, but the recent disappearances and subsequent "returns" of my favorite items made me change my mind.

Let's see... About a year ago, I purchased a Celtic Autumn chart in Solvang, brought it home, and put it in my drawer to be started at a later time. When that "later time" came, I opened the drawer and could not find it there... I searched my entire office, questioned my children and my husband, but, alas, the chart was nowhere to be found.

Disappointed and sad, I gave up on finding it. Then, about a month ago, something told me to look in that same drawer again, and there it was, my chart, neatly folded and with conversion printouts, just as I left it, in the exactly same place. I was overjoyed.

The next two thing to disappear was my embroidery scissors. Taught by the chart experience, I did not immediately rush to the store for the new pair, but decided instead to wait. It took those scissors a week to reappear... right next to my armchair. Finally, my crochet hook disappeared under unknown circumstances, and reappeared today in my office, right in the middle of the carpet floor. How else can all this be explained? Nargles, of course!

I am sure that, after reading this post, you will immediately start believing in nargles too. But even if you are not totally convinced, or if, even worse, while reading these words you shake your head and mumble to yourself something about a "looney, batty cat lady" who lost her mind or memory... well, that is, of course, your choice. May I just leave you with one thought: there are lots of creatures in this world, some visible, some not, some believed to be purely imaginary. But just because you have never seen something, does not mean it does not exist. And if something exists in my head, does not mean it is not real.

 With that, I wish Love and Luck to All! 

(Note: to qualify for a wish, belief in nargles is not required).

Back to school

My kids are going back to school tomorrow, and so am I. I have signed up for a couple of classes at our college. I like going there, college has a special atmosphere that makes one think he can survive solely on coffee and inspiration. All financial problems, all family troubles or job search concerns fall away before the aspiration of fulfilling one's dream (or, in this case, an education plan). Even if it is short-term, this boost of energy is needed. Without it, accomplishing goals would be impossible.
This time, I am going for an Accounting degree. First time around, I went for an Associate's in Child Development and graduated - almost five years ago. After that I worked for Head Start, until two years ago, when I was attacked. Since then, dealing with noise and uncontrolled environment (those who teach know that's what preschool is) has been difficult for me. So, I am going for the second goal I have. Hopefully, I will be able to make this work field mine... eventually.


Wish me luck!

New Year starts with...

My new year has started with a hope for a job, followed by a sudden drop of disappointment. At the last moment, the client cancelled the assignment. And I was all ready to go!
I suppose that is the down side of working temporary assignments: anything can change at any moment. So, I am back to my life: stitching, crochet and housework. I will just have to remember that... anything can change at any moment!
As for the stitching, at the end of December I finished a small Thanksgiving ornament, but never had a chance to take a picture. Here it is.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 The cross stitch design is by Joann Elliott, stitched on 14-ct Fiddler's Cloth. Originally, it was meant to be a card, but the ornament seemed more interesting. I am thinking of making the whole series - Independence Day, Halloween, Christmas, and Easter.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all, even though it is a week late! This year Christmas and New Year simply snuck up on me; I barely had time to turn around and - flop! - I was caught unawares in the midst of all the holiday bustle. Presents, shopping, cooking, cleaning, -  holiday preparation tasks give me a headache. So much attention has been paid over the years to what to get my loved ones for the holidays, what to do and how to make the season more special, that, by the time it's all done, I have always been too tired to enjoy it. This year I wanted to do something different by not doing too much. I wanted this holiday season to be quiet, with only closest friends and family around. And - I succeeded. That is, this was the least exhausting and by far the most fun holiday season for me yet.
As for the End of the Year results - I have an End of the Year finish to share. My Celestial Lady cross stitch is finally finished and framed.

Celestial Lady

 She is sitting on the cloud between the Sun and the Moon,  with the Zodiac circle whirling around her...

It took me five years - on and off - to get her completed. Now she has taken a place on the wall above my chair to serve as inspiration for new projects. So far she's been doing wonders.
In the New Year I wish all of you health, love, happiness and  - inspiration...