Happy Boxing Day! And a New Start or Perhaps an Old Finish — I Am So Confused!

 Happy Boxing Day!  When I was growing up Christmas Day marked the end of the Season.  I realize that a lot of people follow the liturgical calendar and it is actually the beginning of the Christmas Season.  Regardless of wherever you sit on that particular fence, I hope it is good for you!

For me, I am still enjoying our Christmas Village that we put up every year.  I didn’t put up a Christmas tree this year because, I was tired.  My mojo was AWOL.  I just couldn’t do it.  Did I miss it?  Not in the beginning but yesterday I was really wishing I had put it up and I almost did but thought better of it.  

I am happy to report that I feel my energy returning after cessation of the meds I have been taking. I am seeing that my interest in things is returning and mentally I seem to be more clear — I can actually string words together in a sentence that makes sense rather than stumbling over my words and forgetting what I am saying mid-sentence.

So I am looking forward to the new year and a new me — I really do feel like a new me — and I am looking forward to getting back to some of my previous interests.  I feel like I have lost so much time being in a medicated fog for so long.  But, not to dwell on that, I am better now and moving on to the New Year with great anticipation.

One of the things I am looking forward to is getting back to my cross stitching.  Embroidery has been a part of my life since I was a child and cross stitch since I was a young adult.  It is one thing that I can do to relax because I have no expectations — I collect all the “stuff”  and the patterns with no idea if I will ever do it all but it is small and doesn’t take up much room.  I can put it down and pick it up and it is relaxing — no, I don’t stitch on linen — that is not relaxing to me.  14 or 18 ct. Aida is my fabric of choice.  To me it is my “art” right up there with card making which is another post.  

So, anyway, I have been away from cross stitch for quite awhile.  I was working on a piece when I broke my arm last year — or was it year before last — I forget.  Clearly I couldn’t hold a hoop or q-snap so into the drawer it went.   I now want to finish the piece and do a few others that I have been having in my queue for a long time.  So, I asked for some new supplies for Christmas.

I lose scissors at an alarming frequency so I bought some more.  A spare is never a bad thing.

Needles.  Lots of needles.  I was trying to get all my stuff ready to work on the current piece and I couldn’t find a needle to save my life so I ordered a years supply.

I have never had a needle minder before so I bought one.  A fox motif, of course, to honor Finnegan and Fiona.

And this thing — it is actually a tablet holder but it has a neat pocket that my Lo-Ran metal magnet board will slip right into. It also has little pocket to hold the scissors and a package of needles.

I am currently using a knitting thing to hold all my cross stitch stuff but it is large and awkward so I am trying to condense so I ordered some project bags.  I really only wanted one but they came in sets of five so here we are.  I am hoping they help me control my messiness

And, as a surprise my husband ordered me this little needle threader from Lee Valley tools.  I love Lee Valley tools.  I have lots of gadgets and stuff from there that are actually useful and affordable.

So, here is the current project.  It is actually almost done and I am going to spend some time today seeing how far I can get with it.  I haven’t held a hoop or a q-snap (my favorite) in a long time and my left wrist is weak and painful at times so it might take me longer but I am determined to not have to give up this hobby.

I am now going to have to rearrange my threads because it seems that some little Porky Yorkie with an attitude got into my threads and chewed up several bobbins, including the thread numbers, so I might have to make a trip to Michaels as DMC #452 is missing or I don’t recognize it because it is one of the half eaten bobbins.  I will work it out.

Hopefully the next post will show some progress.  We will see.