Happy Easter

Lookin' for a reader....

So I am catching on that Google Reader will be kaput on July 1st of this year. Heavens to mercatroid! As techno-challenged as I am I have impressed myself with the things I've done to build this blog and really settled into it's look after a few tries in templates and backgrounds. I have seen the beginnings of the end with several bloggers bouncing over to bloglovin...but I have to be honest I am not digging the starkness of the pages. I like the cozy personalities we have all invested into the way our blogs look, very inviting and friendly. I have started researching the various other readers out there and I am still clueless. I am hoping that we can all make the easy transition and keep on blogging without getting lost in TRON-land. Hahaha. I Chiuahua! I can't be in denial and want to be prepared for the inevitable. Please share your thoughts, recommendations and if you have any plans in place to make the move. Keep on keepin' P.J.

Snowman and count down

I was thrilled to finish the Snowman's body this weekend and started on the background.

I have read through the magazines and books Kathleen had borrowed to me. So I am going to try a couple of techniques and see what I like. Still getting a feel for the different styles.

Sky and Ground

Under 50 days before my second Blogoversary!! I had better get to gettin' on my give-away. I have several ideas; two I am very excited about.

Just a peek at something in the works.

 I have been gathering littles over the months so it should be a fun care package when it is all said and done. I am going to keep this limited to my followers as I have really enjoyed getting to know quite a few of you through our comments and emails back and forth. I also appreciate the encouragement and tips shared by you as well. Besides a blogoversay is really about thanking you, my followers, RIGHT?

Stay tuned.

Keep on stitching and hooking.

P.J.

More Hookers

Yesterday I spent the day with more hookers. Kathleen had invited me to sit with the hooking group that meets once a month in Winterport. What a delightful group of ladies! They were so welcoming and encouraging. This being only my second piece I was excited to see what the others were working on and get some good tips. There is sooooo much talent in this group.

Two of the ladies were working on beading. The intricate work they had completed on the necklaces they brought was amazing. A few of the ladies I remember talking to at the Hook-In. One of them was adding the finish binding to her gorgeous autumn colored rug. I was goo-goo over it at the Hook-In and I was just as enamored by it seeing it yesterday. The colors were so rich. I saw some background techniques that I liked and was impressed by how NEAT everyone's hooking was. I need to work on that. Another lady's hooking was so neat and tight that the bird house, done with a plaid wool, looked like an appliqué of plaid. You could see the plaid pattern across the surface. Very cool!

I did not take any pictures as this was my first visit and wanted to get to know the ladies and vice versa; I was a guest.

There was one other new lady there who sat across from me. She recently moved from Pennsylvania to Maine. She is having to down size her wool collection and brought some pieces to buy and some giveaways. I picked up a couple of each.

 

Browns and oranges for the BIG MOOSE project...still putting colors together. I would like to get a few odd colors too; not sure I want to go all life like, need some funky in there. We will see.

It looks like Kathleen has taken me under her wing... She gave me a little starter package with cording, a binding needle and red dot paper with a sharpie pen to help get me started with the supplies to finish and design, So thoughtful.

 

 

She also bought several magazines and books for me to read. I am thrilled with the bounty of information to browse through.

 

Here is my progress on my snowman. I was hoping to have his body done yesterday, but it won't take me long now. I am looking forwad to working the ground with a hit or miss look.

Enjoy your Sunday...Keep on stitching and hooking. P.J.

Erin Go Bragh! **edit**

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Working with green today. :)

And Navy Girl running in green!

She ran in the Yuengling Shamrock - Anthem Half Marathon today in VA Beach

2:06:05

Woo Hoo

She finished 153rd of 419 Females in her age group and 3,191st of 8,424 overall.

We are so proud.

Making new friends...

I enjoyed a most pleasant visit with a new friend today, Kathleen from Castine. I met her at the Hook-In back in February. I have been excited about getting together with her. Karri and I were going to meet up with Kathleen at the Winterport Rug Hookers monthly gathering, but that was rescheduled for next weekend. So planned to meet at my place and I would serve lunch. It ended up being just me and Kathleen as Karri had a work commitment today, so she had to cancel.

Kathleen is a spunky, witty lady. It was so nice to learn more about her and get some hooking tips and inspiration from her. She was so sweet in bringing me a little gift bag that had the most luscious fuchsia colored wool; definitely cheery enough to chase off the winter blues. It was a bit of a downer when I woke up to an inch of snow on the ground this morning....who said anything about snow I shouted this morning. Hahaha. There was also a cute note pad and emery board set. Can't have any snags working on cross stitch. I can already imagine a design with Japanese Cherry Blossoms.

It is getting close to that time of year when our Nation's capitol is laced with the beautiful pink blossoms. I am still taken by these gorgeous trees and gift of PEACE. We have a weeping blooming cherry tree in our front yard in honor of those in D.C. and of the giant weeping cherry tree found at Gunston Hall. My little colonial/national monument in our yard.

Kathleen had been telling me about the hooked rug museum in Nova Scotia at the hook-in; she brought the March 2013 edition of Rug Hooking magazine with a feature article about the museum. She was generous in letting me read through it this week. I will see her again on Saturday at the Winterport Rug Hookers get together. I can't wait to dive into the pages for more inspiration and knowledge.

We both worked on our hooking projects before lunch.

 

Kathleen's Hens

My snowman is starting to get some meat on his bones.

I served spinach quiche with a cranberry, walnut, mandarin orange salad with raspberry vinergarette and sweet honey cornbread. I told Kathleen I was really pushing for spring with such a "springy" lunch; I am over winter. Hahaha. After lunch we chatted about cross stitch as she browsed through my pattern files. I picked up on my C@HRH for a few stitches and she worked more on her rug. She did bring her current stitch project to show me; Fresh Eggs by Cedar Hill.

I look forward to meeting the ladies next Saturday; if they are anything like Kathleen it should be great fun. Thank you Kathleen for making your way in from the coast to spend the day with me. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Keep on stitching and hooking.

P.J.

Bits and "Peace"es

Been away for a bit as we were preparing for a mini getaway; just the two of us. I needed a serious break from work and we wanted to go somewhere warm. So we headed west to the desert. Yes, we went to Las Vegas! I will spare you the barrage of cheesy Vegas photos ; but here are a few of Grand Canyon (South Rim) and Hoover Dam.

We did not see the fountain at The Belagio until our last day before we headed to the airport and it could not have been a more perfect way to end our trip. The music was Frank Sinatra singing Lady Luck!!

Tres Bien!!

 

We stayed at New York, New York.

 

Unfortunatleuy we were not big winners like the Greenbacks at Harrahs.

 

 

During our travels I worked on Pray for Peace.

Not much to post about otherwise... Was bummed to return to snow covered ground with more snow in the forecast. But we've been fortunate that the snow did not make it to our place this week; southern Maine got the brunt of the storm.

Next weekend I am hosting a little stitching/hooking gathering at A Stone's Throw. I am looking forward to it. My girlfriend is planning on coming and one of the ladies we met at the Hook-in. This should be a fun get together. I will try to remember to take a few pictures of what the others are working on.

Hope every one has a some good stitching time and bunches of sunshine. We've still got many weeks before spring is in the air up this way. Have a splendid weekend, look forward to hearing from you and catching up on your posts.

Keep on stitching! P.J.