January 08, 2012

New Start 2 and Longfellow

Hi, everyone! I've been working feverishly on a new start. Actually, I posted a peek back before Christmas but didn't start seriously working on it until yesterday. It's a mother's sampler, which speaks to me, especially as I'm helping clean out closets and dispose of some of my mom's stuff. Mom left a large stash of yarn, but I'm packing up most of it for her sister, as I have enough projects going; I'm an okay knitter who really prefers to stitch even though I like to work on a sweater or scarf from time to time; and because my mother's choice of colors ran to reds and oranges and browns, while I prefer pink, yellow and blue. No doubt you can tell that from my choice of samplers. Here's some pink and blue now: Lois Minshall by Threads of Gold, which I'm stitching on 40 count Lakeside Linen in Maritime White, using AVAS.



Thanks for your good thoughts on the dog search. The shelters in the DC metro area are spilling over with the unwanted, so it has been a shock to me that there are so few dogs here. I have a bad feeling that there was a massive clearance at one point--yikes. Budget constraints since dogs take up more room and cost more to feed? Sadly, there are plenty of cats and a ton of bunnies in the Cape's shelters. I have chosen to call ahead rather than go into a place with a bunch of little bunnies in cages for obvious reasons.

Meet Longfellow! Longfellow is looking a little tired because he's spent the last 30 years in a closet, but he can be the stand-in pet for a while. Why on earth my mother kept him is beyond me; my great aunt passed it down to her. I'm not sure what you call these things--scarves? Collars? There's a clip on his lower jaw. Poor Longfellow is rather ratty looking.


Here he is, standing in for the bunnies on the sendoff. His wacky eyes crack me up. Maybe I'll wear him on my next job interview; that will guarantee another six months of stitching at home, I'm sure.

Longfellow: "Helter Skelter.."


See you tomorrow with some progress. On something.

28 comments:

Unknown said...

I actually gasped when I saw the sampler that you have starte - wow is that going to be an amazing piece or what?? Then I went HUH? when I saw Longfellow - I do remember, though that both my DH's mom and mine had something similar. As a matter of fact, DH's mom's might still be around here somewhere......

Catherine said...

Such pretty things you are always working on!
Longfellow's eyes are definitely wonky! I think my grandmother had something similar - not sure where it ended up...

Linda said...

Great start on the sampler. I love your bunnies - if I didn't have so many cats I would get a bunny.

Linda

Robin said...

What a beautiful beginning! It's going to be another stunner!

Laurie in Iowa said...

Lois M. is a beautiful sampler and I'm going to enjoy following your progress on her. Longfellow does have a set of wonky eyes! My grandmother had her own Longfellow. It was worn over the shoulders to 'doll up' a plain winter coal... 'doll up' was one of my grandmother's favorite phrases... sort of like today's 'bling'.

MarchAnn said...

That rose looks so good I must mean the rest of the sampler is going to be wonderful.
I say Ebay Longfellow, someone with no fur feeling will pay good money for him.

blue star stitcher said...

Longfellow is a little scary. My grandmother had one too, I think she called it a stole.

Margaret said...

Lois Minshall is a great mother's sampler. I stitched it for my mom and put her info in instead of Lois'. I still love it. As for Longfellow -- he's a bit creepy for my tastes. Helter Skelter indeed! lol!

Siobhán said...

God bless us and save us! That Longfellow would make me run--and that's not something I do on a monthly basis. My friend's grandmother had one and she used to chase me around the house with it. LOL

Love the sampler!

Cari said...

You're killin' me Glenna. Longfellow is quite a fellow for sure !!! Too FUNNY !!! Love the sampler!

Chris said...

Beautiful new start. Longfellow has crazy eyes :)

Sylvia said...

Love the sampler you started.. and Longfellow - he made me bust out laughing. NOT a good substitute form those sweet bunnies.

Jules said...

Pretty start!

And here I thought you were reading Longfellow! Never could I have imagined you were going to show a fox, LOL!

Jan said...

The new sampler looks great. Longfellow not so much. Those eyes are funky!

Valerie said...

I love Longfellow! He is quite a darling boy!

What a perfect sampler to remember your mother by. I have always loved this sampler.

Minnie said...

Your start on the sampler is just beautiful. At first I couldn't figure out what Longfellow was and then I remembered my mother had one from my grandmother. His eyes would give me nightmares.

samplerlover said...

Oh Lois Minshall is a lovely sampler isn't it. I have mine hanging in my bedroom. I changed Lois's details though to my Mum's. I look at it everyday lying in bed and when I do I think of her.

Oh my Great Grandmother had one of those lol. I used to love wearing it when I was a little girl. I wonder what happened to it.

Karen said...

Oh, Glenna, Glenna, what an enabler you are! Lois is gorgeous! I'm afraid she may have to come live with me and be added to the pile of samplers that I don't have time to stitch.

I hope you're able to find a little dog for your dad. Would one of the shelters in the DC area allow you to adopt a dog to give as a gift for your dad? I guess I can understand their reasoning in not wanting to adopt out of that area, but I would think they would rather see the animal go to a loving home, even if it is in another part of the country.

Longfellow looks a little bewildered, doesn't he? I can't imagine wearing such a thing. Yikes!

barbara said...

Oh, Glenna! I'm still chuckling as I write this. Just what was Longfellow locked in that closet with? Some serious cough syrup? Or something even stronger? Helter skelter, indeed! But the thought of you wearing him in to a job interview nearly undoes me. OMG, I would love a video of it. It would go viral on youtube, I'm sure!

RG said...

Well I thought Longfellow was the new dog at first.

Catch any fish yet?

Giovanna said...

Love the new start - that rose is so pretty!

Michelle said...

Longfellow is hilarious. He makes a good stand in, doesn't he? Love love love your progress on Lois - she's gorgeous!!

Katrina said...

Love Lois, she's in my stash too. Don't you get tired of hearing me say that, LOL.

Longfellow is quite interesting ;-). Not sure I'd want to wear him around my neck????

The Inspired Stitcher said...

I have Lois on my "to stitch" list. I'll look forward to watching her progress.

I see Longfellow's relatives in the antique stores sometimes and wonder what the ladies looked like that wore them. They always crack me up.

Mindi said...

Love the new start, but I think Longfellow might be the winner of this post. How can anyone resist those wonky eyes?

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Longfellow is looking a little tired because he's spent the last 30 years in a closet.