Queen Stitch

Tulips. I'm still enjoying this, so I've been stitching along as if my hair is on fire. As Quiltcat pointed out, though, it may be a case of procrastination. Quiltcat, you are so right! I really don't feel like doing my schoolwork at this point. I've taken tomorrow off to whip my final papers into shape. It's hard to concentrate with the weather so nice (it hit 90 degrees yesterday and will again today) and the tasks so dreary. One project for tax class involves, as a part of the assignment, writing a letter to a theoretical client detailing the effect on his taxes if he makes $500,000 and gives his college-age son a bond portfolio with a $20,000 income stream. Perhaps I should tack on my personal opinion about parents who overindulge their children and suggest his theoretical son get a theoretical summer job? No, that's not part of the assignment. I'm also writing a paper for my finance course in which I research a company of my choice and determine whether the stock is worth buying. I'm writing about Sotheby's. Their ticker symbol is "BID." I think people should buy their stock for that alone. In my opinion, it's a strong buy. They made some miscalculations going into the recession, but they've cleaned up their act. And in fact, in the 2 months that I've considered them, their stock has gone from $6 and some change to nearly $10.

Normally I don't enjoy queen stitch (the short row directly beneath the tulips), but in my current procrastination mode, it's almost fun. Scarlet Letter calls it rococo stitch, but that actually has six vertical tacked strands, not four. I borrowed this illustration from a a website called Arts and Designs.

I'm going to need the Arts and Designs site a lot with this sampler. It's called "Among the Cornflowers Sampler," and it's by Norma Flake, Keepsake Stitches. I have seen it on various of your sites for a few years, and I finally bought it. Now that I have received it, I understand why I have only seen the picture of the design and not the results of anyone stitching it. It contains 32 specialty stitches, including queen stitch, which I'll be pretty good at by then, and something called "elongated horizontal cashmere." Among others! It's well in the rear of the sampler line-up, so I'll have plenty of time to contemplate my options. I do love the colors of it though, the house, the rabbits and the sheep.

Satin stitches. I got these embroidered shoes for work, since my soft, flat work shoes that go with black pants are pretty much falling apart. Samplers for the feet.

My peeps say hello and happy spring Sunday! They had some nice greens from the farmers' market yesterday, since it was the market's first day of the season. I bought some plants, since the garden tilling guy is coming Tuesday to dig around in my yard. Then we'll have our own veggies.