February's Last Slow Sunday Stitching and Birds, Books and Crochet

 This month is nearly over and our weather here in north central Florida has changed from temps below freezing early in the month to high 80's this week, oh how I wish for a few weeks of 70 degrees before the heat of summer begins, here usually about late March.

The birds have been happily singing their early morning songs and visiting the feeders daily, I bought a new table set last month and this week I have taken my coffee outside to watch the birds and the occasional squirrel. Early this morning I brought my Slow Sunday Stitching and a cup of tea outside so I could watch the birds and crochet.

I bought the plastic table cloth to serve as a dust cover as you can see on the window sill dust settles in quickly. I snapped the photo before sweeping off the dust, usually I sweep it off once a week or so depending on the dust. 

The bird feeders are actually straight where I was standing I had to take the photo on an angle to get both in the shot.  I have 2 other feeders in the backyard since my next door neighbors cut down all the trees in their yard last month. There is also a blue shepherd hook in the foreground under the palm tree I have a woodpecker seed block hanging there.

I started crocheting a goddess doll from the Fiber Magick book I purchased a few months ago.  I'm using Skein Tones Lion Brand yarn in Cedarwood.  I am changing the arms for my goddess otherwise she would have been finished, I unraveled a few times and now I think I have it right.

The pattern is Goddess of Journeys on page 155, it worked up quite easily though I did notice the stuffing is showing through, I used the suggested hook size for the yarn so next time I will go down 2 hook sizes. I ordered some dark fiberfill for my next one. I'm linking my post to Kathy's Quilts here:

https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2022/02/slow-sunday-stitching_01156247302.html

The book Fiber Magick is by Opal Luna and has some cute Witchy patterns and you all know I just love anything witch related.  My friend sent me two new books with a cozy mystery magical witch as the main character.

Both are new to me authors which fits into my yearly goal of reading at least 5-10 new to me authors every year.  Yesterday I drove across town to run a few errands and made a stop Joann's I wanted to see what's new in the Spring decor items. I'm so happy I stopped, while browsing the magazines I came across an issue of Love Embroidery magazine.

I mentioned in a previous post a friend in the UK sent me several of her issues, I also found a US vendor to subscribe to the magazine I'm still waiting for the first issue which can take 8 to 10 weeks to start, this is issue #22  the January 2022 issue, recently on the Instagram page the newest issue #24 is out. Hopefully the subscription will start with #23 or #24 if not I'm sure in a few weeks Joann's will have issue 23 on the shelf.

I'll leave you with an image my sister sent me caution do not sip tea while reading it. I am a lifelong Peanuts fan.

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day

 

February Moves Along

 

The month of February moves along with a mixed bag of weather here in Florida. We have had days in the high 80’s and nights into the mid 20’s, a near week of rain, a day of sunshine and clouds and more rain. Today, the sun was out, the air was brisk and winter is trying hard to hold fast to her grasp as the days go by.

This image goes through my head after the warm sunny days turn to frost covered mornings.  Spring waits quietly knowing her time will come when she will once again emerge from the deep clutches of winter's icy grasp.

This evening I captured a bit of the sunset splashing across the sky in lovely shades of pale pink. 

While the moon hangs high above my house shining bright in the remaining hours of daylight.

Last week I had my check up with my cardiologist and he has suggested a treatment to help the minor blood vessel work a little harder to pump blood throughout my body since I have some many obstructed arteries.

I am only posting a photo of the machine not the video which squeezes the cuffs on my legs and jerks the bed to the beat of my heart.  I went for my first session on Monday, and my last session too.  I was fine while on the machine for the first 45 minutes, the last 15 minutes my left leg started to feel pain.  Once the session was done I walk out, drove home and was fine. An hour later I could barely walk and the next morning I hurt so bad I could barely move, I swear that treatment did some realignment to my spine my hips ached for 2 days.  So I decided these session were not for me.  For one reason I sure don't need any more knee pain or back problems. Second reason is the normal treatment is 35 1 hour  consecutive visits, my doctor scheduled me for 4 session and I would see him in June. What are 4 treatments out of 35 going to do.  I swear he just tossed this at me for something new to do.  I need to get a see another cardiologist, I don't feel he communicates well with me and seems to hold back information.  

I haven't done any stitching since I completed the Three Fates piece, I have 2 projects on fabric waiting I just haven't been in the mood to stitch.  I've been busy purging a few things I haven't used for a while and getting some reading in.  I am currently reading: 

The Fates are stitched on this last day of January

 Winter has arrived here in Florida, the last few days our evening temps have drop to 28 degrees with a hard frost beginning in the wee hours of the morning.  We had a few cold days last week and the week before, though always warming right before the rain comes.  If the cold were to linger with the rain we would have had snow.  It will begin to warm up as the days move into February and before we know it Spring will be here, I'm sure though another few days of frigid cold will visit us before the end of February.

I have finished the hand embroidery on the Moriae aka the 3 Fates piece.  The piece turned out quite nicely and I am happy I decided to use the 3 pink floss colors. 

I stitched the piece on 100% cotton with a subtle tone on tone paisley print, I have used the fabric on other pieces over the years and it will be the fabric I use for my next Greenman piece which I will begin this week. I don't know what it is exactly about this fabric I find so appealing but when I first saw it a few years ago in a quilt shop I just knew I wanted to do hand embroidery on it.  It's actually 108" wide, I believe made for backing a quilt.  I'm linking my post to Kathy's Quilts here is the link so you can see what other talented bloggers are stitching https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2022/01/slow-sunday-stitching_0130277298.html

Another Sunday of Slow Stitching

 Brrrr! The weather has turned cold here in north central Florida, we have had 2 consecutive nights of freeze warnings and another one tonight as temps drop to 29 degrees.  It's 45 outside right now and it feels like its freezing, a great day to be inside stitching.

I have the clothing on the 3rd figure done and just started on the body parts on the first figure. When I

moved my hoop I automatically went back to the first figure instead of beginning the body parts of the figure I just stitched. The third figure is stitched in DMC 601 which is the darkest of the 3 pink shades I'm using for this piece.  I'm using DMC 436 for the flesh pieces.

I have 2 other projects ready to begin once I pull out the fabric I want to use and a piece I've had in a Q-Snap frame I started last year I really need to get back to stitching. 

I am linking my post to Kathy's Quilts today, click the link to see what Kathy and other talented bloggers are stitching.

 https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2022/01/slow-sunday stitching_0558537504.html

Catching Up on Sunday and Some Slow Stitching and a Bit of Reading

The rain we have had most of the night has stopped for awhile though we are expected to get more rain throughout the day.  The wind has died down quite a bit so hopefully my trash cans will stay upright and in place, along with my potted plants which I just moved behind my patio wall.  We need the rain so I will just keep checking the trashcans and chair throughout the day.

This year I plan to make a few changes in my life, nothing major and mostly relating to my general well being.  After being sick from March 2020 and most of 2021 I know a few changes are necessary to keep going forward with my recovery which is slow but improving.  The heart and clogged arteries are my main focus and I want to improve my chances of avoiding any other heart surgeries, before the next problem arises.

I'm back on my daily walks, however, instead of logging the miles I am logging the time I spend walking.  Everything I have read and research over the last few months state an average of 20 minutes a day of exercise is recommended which honestly feels like nothing, when I was doing my 2 miles a day I was done in 20 minutes, often less. So this year my goal is walking 1 hour each day.  So far I am walking the 1 hour 3 to 4 days a week and shorter walks on the other days 20-30 minutes. By February I plan to be walking 1 hour daily.

Another thing I want to do this year is eat avocado it's one of the few fruits (yes, technically they're a fruit, not a veggie) that contain healthy unsaturated fats. These fats help lower undesirable LDL cholesterol when eaten in place of saturated fat. It provides nearly 20 different nutrients, many of which are considered heart-healthy, including unsaturated fat, fiber, vitamin K, vitamin E, and potassium.  

Potassium is one of those things I need to up my intake on because of the diuretics I take for my blood pressure, over the last few months I have been getting leg cramps in the thighs those dreaded charley horse muscle spasms most of us get in our calves have moved to my thigh muscles.

It may seem like a silly thing to want to do but I want to add new and different foods to my diet this year and avocado is one of  them, my daughter in law uses them in her smoothies etc. We were discussing healthy food options and different foods and I mentioned white grapefruit, which is nearly impossible to find here in Florida, the next day I stopped at Aldi for a few things; to my pleasant surprise I found white grapefruit. They are sold in bags of 2 so I bought 2 packs.  

When I lived back in NJ it was available in every supermarket and red and pink were a rare find.  Then I moved to Florida it was impossible to find, though every now and then the now closed Food Lion and  Albertson's would have it.  I once found it at a flea market fruit and veg stand.  And then nothing for years except ordering it mail order. I came across these articles in regard to white grapefruit:

https://citrusindustry.net/2019/11/06/reintroducing-white-grapefruit-u-s-market/

https://citrusindustry.net/2021/11/11/img-citrus-launches-yellos-grapefruit/

I am over the moon with my find, I will probably buy a few more packs later in the week so I can eat it daily for breakfast. It tasted just like I remembered. 

My hand embroidery piece is progressing, I am working on the second figure of the piece and using DMC 602 floss. It's a slightly darker shade of pink than the first figure, originally I had planned to use a blue on the 2nd figure and purple for the 3rd, but the more I looked at the colors together I liked the shades of pink rather than the multiple colors, the third figure will be stitched in DMC 601.

The piece is of  The Moriae, or the Greek Fates “spinners of fate” controlling the lives of humans in pieces of thread. Clotho spun the thread, Lachesis handled it, and Atropos cut the thread at the end of one's life.  I thought a fitting piece for this hand embroiderer.  I am linking my post to Kathy's Quilts here is the link https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2022/01/slow-sunday-stitching_01120247794.html

My friend sent me 10 more Love Embroidery magazines, this is the one I am reading through today.

This issue came with a felt swan kit, for subscribers in the UK each issue comes with a gift insert, for subscribers in the USA we only receive the magazine, which is fine with me there are some fun patterns in each issue.

Well let me post this and go pick up that chair outside that the wind blew over again. Then I think it's time for tea and a bit of reading before stitching.

Nine Days into the Month and I'm Stitching Slowly

 Nine days into January and here in Florida the weather has been quite nice so far, a few chilly temps in the evening in the mid forties and mostly sunny days after the dense morning fog passes.

I have been slowly stitching the piece I began on January 1st. I have a few other designs I need to transfer to fabric once I chose the fabric I want to use for each project.  Here is a look at my progress so far.

She is the first of three figures in this design, I am using an older 100% cotton fabric that I love it has a paisley design in the palest natural tone, if I am not mistaken it was 108" fabric sold as quilt backing. I've use the fabric for several pieces and just love the look of the design when stitched. So far I am using DMC floss 603.  I don't often use so much pink but for this it just felt right.

A friend of mine in the UK recently sent me a few issues of Love Embroidery magazine, oh my I was in thread heaven when I opened the package. So many patterns and only two hands to work with.

I was quite happy to find out I could subscribe to this magazine through a US vendor, the magazine includes patterns for projects in each issue and if you are lucky enough to be in the UK you will get the little extras included.  My friend sent me those along with the magazines.  Her eyesight isn't what it used to be so she isn't doing as much needlework, she still knits and crochets and I swear she can do that with her eyes closed and produce a perfect garment.

For today I am linking up with Kathy's Quilts here:https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2022/01/slow-sunday-stitching.html

Oh here is a photo of my 2021 orts, the ball next to the orts jar now empty and ready to fill in 2022, lots of lovely colors. The balls of orts under the jar are the orts from 2019 and 2020.

I am once again taking part in TUSAL the Totally Useless Stitch Along where stitcher's post photos of there orts on the New Moon of each month.  I'm in the Facebook Group again this year, I didn't keep up in 2020 or 2021 due to illness so it's good to start again this new year.  My little calendar page for the new moon dates.