It's April!

 

Gosh is it really April? This last week with the temps pushing the mid 90's it's felt like August, then the temps dropped yesterday when the rain started now it feels like Spring.

One of the first signs of Spring's arrival in my yard is the lovely Dandy Lion err dandelion which grows to beastly heights here in my Florida garden. 

Hand embroider was slow going through March I just had days when I didn't feel like picking up a needle, so I put the March goddess aside to get in a bit of crocheting and added a few rows to a project I began last March. 

The shell stitch afghan was put aside in the summer months in favor of other projects, this is being done in Lion Brand Wool Ease yarn  in Athena colorway.  I put it away after crocheting a few rows, I think I may be allergic to the yarn.  My eyes get quite itchy and watery when I am working with the yarn, it may just be coincidence and be seasonal allergies, except during the winter when I had another afghan I made with Wool ease tossed over me my eyes would get very irritated.  I've had reactions to angora wool before so I'm not sure, the wool content is only 20% in the yarn so I have my doubts. The next time I pick it up to crochet and my eyes get irritated I may have my answer. Though who knows maybe the acrylic content is irritating me. 

Progress on the March goddess, Hecate, is slow here is where I am as of today. I'm sure I'm dragging on because I don't particularly like the pattern, and the pattern I designed I liked even less so I bought the pattern you see here from Urban Threads.  I had planned to alter the pattern a little by elongating the goddess but I forgot all about it.  Since it's part of my Goddess a Month project I'll finish it and who knows once it's done I may like it. 

I'm still putting the finishing touches on the April goddess design and hope to have her started by the weekend.

I hope Spring is settling in where you are unless you are south of the equator then enjoy the cooling weathers of Autumn.

Goodness where did the time go?

 Goodness has it really been over a month since I last posted?  I think two post I typed up in February went the way of the interweb black hole.  

Anyway it's International Women's Day 

My son was married on February 27th, the ceremony was held at the Margaritaville Resort Hotel in Kissimmee Florida.  A lovely full moon hung above during the wedding reception , the weather perfect and clear the entire day.

I had the angiogram on February 11th, unfortunately one of the arteries in the abdomen was fully calcified and the other one was too narrow to put in a stent, the 3rd wasn't as clogged as it was first thought so that was left alone,  Next option is to treat with blood thinners to see if it helps, and it not possible bypass surgery.  First before any surgery I need to know if it's the cause of this illness that has had its grip on me since last March.  I am at the point where I don't even want to see another doctor because all I get is I have heathy organs which is great and no answer to what is causing the pain.

On the stitching front I finished the February Goddess for my personal goddess of the month embroidery project.

I chose to do The Cailleach, a fitting choice because she is as unpredictable as the winter weather, this is how she progressed through the month:

 I used DMC Etoile floss in C798, using the etoile floss to give the appearance of ice on her clothing, I added a quartz crystal to the staff and a twisted jump ring as a buckle on her belt.  She is stitched on 100% cotton with tone on tone  white spiral, The last photo is before the wrinkles were ironed out.

I haven't started the March goddess yet, not even sure which one I will do next, I am leaning toward Hecate, Airmid or Kali.  Linking here at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching check out what other talented bloggers are slow stitching https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2021/03/slow-sunday-stitching.html

I finished reading the latest Janet Evanovich book, as always lots of laughter throughout the pages, it 

will be entered as a book for  both the Crusin thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2021

and the TBR 21 in '21 challenge.

I just finished A Thousand Days in Tuscany for the European Reading Challenge 2021

I haven't chosen the next book for the European Reading  Challenge yet so I'm not sure where I will arm chair travel next, but I did enjoy A Thousand Days in Tuscany  it's non fiction and I felt I myself was in Italy enjoying the taste of foods and wine that filled almost every page.  She has written a few other books which I plan to read as well.

Happy New Year and Slow Sunday Stitching

 Happy New Year to Everyone!

Like most people I am not sorry to see 2020 behind me, I made enough gripes about the last year so moving on to bigger and better things for 2021.

Here is the progress on the hand embroidery for my Goddess a month personal challenge.  One of the photo is the backside to show the flow of the Coloris floss I think it changes about an inch into stitching though the way I cut the floss and how I thread the next piece makes for a break in the flow.

For the central spirals I am using a solid color floss DMC 3836 which goes well with the Coloris floss.

I have been stitching for a few days and have quite a lot of progress.  I will be linking my post today at Kathy's Quilts for the first Slow Sunday Stitching in 2021 here is the link have a look at what other bloggers are stitching  https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2021/01/slow-sunday-stitching.html

I was asked the other day what I have planned for all the goddesses when I am done at the end of the year and I have decided to sew them together into a quilt, not the one above that has been promised to someone so I will make another so I'll have 12 goddess blocks (or more).  So that's the plan in January who knows what will happen by December.

Last Post of 2020 and Looking Ahead

 It's December 31st, New Year's Eve 2020, the last day of the year and my last post for the year. It has been a rough 2020 for all of us, and for me personally one that presented health problems just when the world was closing down so to speak. I am no closer to answers than I was in March of 2020, but I can happily say I am having some better days, I will not be sorry to see 2020 go quietly into that good, good night.

Some of my plans for 2021 will be rather home oriented while I regain my health and strength, however, I would like to venture out and be a bit more social all the while remaining cautious with continued face mask wearing and social distancing.

 On the creative side of things for 2021 I plan to do a hand embroidery project where I will embroider a Goddess a month. I have the first goddess prepared she will be done on 100% cotton tone of tone fabric, using DMC Coloris floss 4509.

I will be making other projects throughout the year and also taking part in the 2021 Journal Threaders Facebook group, is anyone else taking part in the Journal Threaders 2021 project? If you are interested here is a link https://www.facebook.com/groups/journalthreaders/

Speaking of Goddesses, I bought this lovely drawstring goddess bag from Penny (@janeandlouise) it's perfect, I ordered the 8x10 size and left the color option to be surprised when I opened the package I was thrilled to see purple, my power color. https://www.instagram.com/janeandlouise/ 

Well that's all for now, I will leave you with an image from Inge Look one of my favorite illustrators.

Wishing You All a Safe and Happy New Year