Cross Training?

 First, not a chair of bowlies, but a chair filled with unsorted floss.

 This is not all the floss I own; it's just the floss that needs to be sorted and organized.  I suspect there is more lurking in my home somewhere!

It's been years since I've cross-stitched.  All of these were purchased because I love them, and all have been languishing for years.

 I love Marjolein Bastin and started this years and years ago--so long ago that the charts are worn along the edges.  The code for the colors has been lost.  I tried to get new charts, but the American distributor refused to provide them because they are copyrighted and offered to sell me a new kit, which they don't even have.  Not happy with them since Lanarte Europe says support is available through local vendors.  Fortunately, a friend who knows I love Marjolein Bastin gifted me the Leisure Arts booklet years ago, and I kept it, so I'm able to do a sort of work around. However, between the chart, the books, and the deteriorating edges of the chart, it's slow going, and I can't work on it exclusively because it can get exhausting.

To provide some simpler productivity, I also pulled out these other three projects, also begun over ten years ago.  I still love them, so I know I chose well.

 Bee Thankful is a janlynn project.

I have no idea why I never got beyond the "Spring." I also have charts for the other three seasons, but clearly Spring was more inspiring.

I also love this Winter-Early Spring.  The booklet and the project got separated, and I was delighted to be able to reunite them this week.

I do have countless more cross stitch projects, both started and still in their packages.  I may thin out a few.

Then there was the thimble conundrum.  My antique sterling silver thimble won't stay on my finger--which means my fingers used to be a lot fatter. Of course, all my non-silver thimbles are also too big.

In fact, during the years when I was hand quilting, I used a size 8 or 10 of the metal model in front of the photo. Today I purchased the leather thimble, which will work for cross stitch.  I don't see much hand-piecing or hand quilting in my future.  I purchased the blue one too, but it doesn't fit that well over my fingernail, even if they are shorter today due to my fresh manicure.

All the above are just part of the counted cross stitch revival, a benefit accompanying my recent official retirement.  I'm still knitting, quilting, tatting, et cetera.  I'm thinking about creating a needlework schedule because it's so easy to focus on one thing and exclude others.

The birds below are being stalked by one of the stray cats my 85 year old neighbor insists on feeding.  They are doing a great job of avoiding him/her, even when he perches atop the wall and pretends to be a statue.  I had a hard time getting a photo of them.  Their coloring is beautiful, but I have no idea what kind they are.

Today was a special, lovely day.  Gray, cloudy, rainy, snowy, and a bit of sun too.

My hair is coming out by the handfuls; I may be bald by Sunday! I'm hoping some of my friends will bless me by going along to try on wigs and hats this weekend!
Happy stitches,