Needles Afire

My needle has been in overdrive this past week. School's out until the 8th of September, and I intend to use every unencumbered moment of time until then stitching (when I'm not actually at work). I am headed to Cape Cod next weekend and I'm making a short list of projects to bring (carry-on only--imagine the heartbreak of putting your needlework in checked luggage and having the bag never turn up). I'm still debating whether to head up to the Brimfield Antique Show and catch the Antique Textile Show next Sunday. On the one hand, I'm sure it will be amazing and fun, but I don't really need the temptation to buy--I've just spent $475 for books for next semester, and I really need to buy a couple of tires for my car. It's also a couple hours out of my way, total, and I could spend the time enjoying the Cape instead of drooling over old embroidery and mangle cloths and samplers and turn-of-the-century dresses... Hmmmm--guess I'll decide once the plane lands in Providence.

I'm looking forward to the trip. The slow pace of life at my parents' house sometimes makes me itchy, but I should have plenty of chance to stitch, and I'm taking a couple of books along: appropriately, "That Old Cape Magic" by Richard Russo, and an interesting book I got at the used book store: "The Republic of Suffering--Death and the American Civil War" which deals with the logistics and sheer difficulty of burying the Civil War dead. The First and Second battles of Bull Run were both fought in the summer (just down the road from here) a year apart, and since the bodies couldn't be put in the ground during battle, they lay in the heat for days until they could be buried. Even after everyone was buried, the stench stuck around for months. I'm looking forward to time for reading--I hardly ever read anything longer than a magazine or newspaper article during the semester.

Progress on Alphabetissimo. Really coming down the home stretch on this one. This fabric from Picture This Plus is my favorite fabric ever, both in color and in perfect texture. Yesterday I visited the LNS and bought new fabric (34 ct Legacy Linen in Devonshire Cream) to restart Sarah McPhail.

And I started this! It is "Frances Eden" by Handwork (I love Handwork samplers). Note that although there is a verse, there are no alphabets! I have done quite enough alphabets lately.

I'm doing it on a white Lakeside 32 count instead of a cream colored fabric. And I've substituted AVAS from my stash for the called-for DMC fibers. I got lucky and had all the suitable colors. This is my progress as of Friday night.

And as of this morning.

Cocktail of the week: gin and tonic with lime. Mmmmm. Perfect when it's hot.

Off I go to the grocery store to get something for dinner. Maybe something to go with a dinner salad! Here are a couple of buns enjoying their own salad from the farmer's market. Pink isn't in the picture because oddly, he's not a huge fan of salad.
Peaches: "I'm watching my waistline." By the way, G-Bun is on runningbun.com enjoying a carrot. She looks ever so much better.

Happy week!