Plumeria

We have a humongous plumeria in our back garden.  Here are some pictures of it from last week.  It's been constantly blooming for the past two months and looks to go on throughout the summer.  Mattie sometimes gets the flowers in her tail.

Secret Santa Thanks!

I got this lovely bit of stash from the Secret Santa exchange on Friendly Stitchers.  Robin sent me all these threads and the lovely fabric.  I can always use more evenweave, and the Madeira is something I don't have much of in my stash, if any.  Thank you Robin!

Surprise, Another Temari

This one is the first I've tried interlocking four spindles.  I think it came out very pretty; the Passion Watercolors on the black just pops.

Not Quite

I thought I'd be done by the next picture, but I didn't quite make it.  I'm almost done, though!

2010 Stitching Goals

After reviewing how I did last year, I'm ready to share my goals for this year.

1.  Get through part 9 of Medieval Town Mandala.  I've only been working steadily on this for four years.  What's one more?

2.   Complete part 5 of Tuscany Town Mandala.

3. Keep up with the Ornament a Month Stitchalong on the Friendly Stitchers group.

4.  Manage my Marquoir group stitchalongs better, in that I don't fall as far behind as I am currently.

5.  Finish Lady of the Flag.

6.  Finish Church Street.

7.  Do the finishing on at least five completed pieces - this would be items destined to be ornaments and soft furnishings.

8.  Stitch a stocking for TImothy.

9.  Continue working UFO's into my rotation, alternating with new starts.

10.  Make myself a purse.

11.  Start and finish the correspondence courses City Walk (ANG) and Plum Blossoms (EGA) on time.

I'm sure I'll have some shift in priorities during the year.  I always do.

2009 Goal Review

These were my goals for 2009.  I'm reporting my progress on them before committing to anything for 2010.

1. Finish Medieval Town Mandala. Doable, probably.

Well, I got two more parts done.  I'm now starting part seven, so progress, but no where near done.2. Make significant progress on my other Chatelaines, including finishing Workshop 1.
I did finish Workshop 1 - and Workshop 2, also.  I also completed the Baroque Midi Mystery.  Tuscany Town Mandala is still only on Part 4, but does have a lot more stitching done on it.

3. Complete Diamond Iris, an ANG Chapter Project Book project - this MUST be done by July 1, as I'm teaching it for CyberPointers.
This one wasn't even started.  CyberPointers and I parted on - not the best of terms.

4. Complete Midnight Garden by Orna Willis - the stitchalong I'm leading for CyberPointers. It starts Saturday.
I did complete this, and Timothy framed it for me!

5. Finish Bibendum.
It's done and in the process of being framed.

6. Make 20 ornaments. These will probably be mostly temari.
I don't think I quite made it to twenty, but the majority were mostly temari and mostly in December.

7. Complete Cobblefield Road - this should be quick, as I'm about nine tenths of the way there.
Finished and framed.
 8. Make a stocking for my husband.
This one wasn't started due to the Chatelaines taking so long.  Timothy will get his stocking, and I will start it this year.

9. Work The Traveler by Teresa Wentzler and the house by Barbara and Cheryl into my rotation.
I managed to work the Barbara and Cheryl house (Church Street) into my rotation.  Still haven't been able to fit in The Traveler.  It's waiting there, though.

10. Complete Lady of the Flag.
Not complete, but about 80 to 90% done.  Getting there.
 11. Do one crewel piece and one goldwork piece.
Didn't manage to add either one of  these to my rotation.

12. Make myself a purse.
Not even started.
 13. Keep my rotation to ten pieces, no more.
This one I accomplished, kind of.  There are ten slots in the rotation - it's just that all the stitchalongs from the Marquoir group take up one of the slots and rotate within it.

14. Finish at least two UFO's and old WIP's.
Did this.

15. Reduce my stash significantly.
I did reduce the size by quite a bit.
Overall, I did all right.  Not brilliantly, and definitely not as much as I wanted to.  But better than in some years.

Gray and Blue Temari

This is yet another of the gift temari.  I used a Watercolors thread on it, along with some regular perle.  I think it came out fairly well.  It's just an interlocking diamonds design.