Revisiting the Past -- Cross Stitch

My husband has always been interested in woodworking.  He has built furniture and play equipment, toys and useful household items.  When we moved to this house and he finally had space for a very small shop, he decided that he would move away from large projects like furniture and concentrate on small projects like toy tops.

I feel the same way about my hobbies and activities.  I am no longer interested in making large quilts or trying to do anything large scale.  My house won't accommodate it and I find it a lot less enjoyable if I have to struggle with something. 

However, in my last post I mentioned being drawn to all things artistic and that includes needlework.  I have always loved handwork and I honestly think that my interest in quilting started waning when I started doing it on the machine and not by hand.  However, my hands are a tiny bit arthritic and so I don't enjoy quilting by hand anymore but cross stitch and embroidery is still do-able.

So, anyway, I decided that I needed to find a diversion from Facebook (amazing what a time sucker and negative influence that little space in the interwebs can be) so I have been upping my reading time and have now decided that I should spend some time revisiting needlework.

However, like my husband, I have decided to start small.  I have a lot of unfinished things so I went through them and picked out a couple of small things to get busy finishing.  I have a piece started that is a lovely bird but it is large and very involved so I am waiting until I whittle down my stack of unfinished starts. 

So, this is what I pulled out of the rather large milk-crate I have all this stored in. 

this kit was a gift from my daughter -- a souvenir of their vacation in Boston -- it is the Old North Church -- it was a quick finish and I really enjoyed doing it.

This is a card kit that I had finished about half way.  The count of the fabric is small so it is taking me a little more time but it is quite lovely.  I think cross stitching cards is really fun and a good use for the stitchery

This little kit was purchased for me from the Alamo gift shop on a trip there almost four years ago.  I started it but I was ill and just didn't have the energy.  However, I am well now and have the energy and will be finishing it quickly.  Framed and coupled with the Old North Church should be a couple little grouping someplace in the house.

So, anyway, that is what I am working on instead of scrolling through FB all day.  With the exception of connecting with family and good friends, it is a huge waste of time and is ridiculously addictive -- like sugar. 

I will be back soon with some finishes here -- can't wait to finish the little Alamo!

The Alamo Cat by Rita Kerr

I just finished my second book for the Young Readers Challenge. The book entitled "The Alamo Cat" was written by Rita Kerr, a San Antonio retired teacher who chose writing as a second career. The book is only about fifty pages and I would say that an eight year old could read it.

My initial impression of the book was that I wasn't going to like it. There was too much going on, too much history, too much description, just too much. Yet, there were some areas that I thought just screamed for more explanation. Being a native San Antonian myself, I knew the history and the references but I could see that a child could use more explanation in some areas. However, I think there were some areas that were too descriptive when it wasn't necessary.

With that said, as I read the book, I began to enjoy it. As the book progressed, the verbage seemed to calm down and flowed better. Of course, all of that seemed to fade into the background when you got to know "Ruby", the Alamo cat. For those of us who have cats, it is immediate recognition and connection. For those of us who call San Antonio our home there is definitely a bond. For those who would like a little glimpse into the workings of the Alamo, this gives a bit of information.

If you would like to obtain this book for your child, however, I will give you fair warning. It doesn't end happily. It is, though, a historical account and many of those don't end happily either but be aware, if you have sensitive children, you should read the book first.

Without doubt, Ruby was, indeed, a latter-day hero of the Alamo whose name should go down into history with Crockett, Bowie, and Travis. It was a very touching book.