Finish #3 for 2026 and other progress...

Finish #3 for 2026.  This is Bloomin' Hens by Teresa Kogut.  I used the suggested fancy flosses, on 28 count PTP Vellum, one over one.  I wrote before, that the finish is about the size of a recipe index card.  It has some bees on the pattern, but I was fine without the bees.  

This was what it looked like when I picked it back up again.  I like her designs, but even small designs just seem like there are a million stitches, and you are never gonna finish it.  I have another of her designs started, and it feels the same way.  I have no clue why they feel that way.  They ARE lovely - and actually, I know I have at least two more started.  But this is the first of her patterns that I remember finishing.

Long Dog Samplers - Life After Death.  I did get a bit more added, and a photo before it got tossed back.  

Harriett Salt 1866 - Hands Across the Sea Samplers.  I added just a bit more going up, but the spacing needed to change.  Sometimes I know immediately what to do, sometimes I take longer to commit to change.  There have been a couple of these lately, so I think this was one I changed, but I would not swear to it.  Then it got tossed back.

This is Lizzie Kate - the ABC's of Parenting.  I found another pattern to order, and this popped up on sale.  I have the others in the series, but I am not a parent - so I did not remember if I had finally gotten this or not.  So I added it.  I grabbed it, and started it when it arrived.  It is on 28 count Lambswool lugana, one over one, using suggested Classic Colorworks flosses, and dmc. Except, I felt like the Queen Bee was gonna be too light, so decided to try Ye Olde Gold instead.  It is used around the letters "Q" in Quit, and 'Y" in Enjoy on the right side bottom, and "U" in Unlock.  I'm happy with the result.  When I started stitching it - it felt familiar, so I looked it up on this blog - and I finished it the final day of the year in 1999. 

So here is the my photo of my finishing this way back in 1999.  This is the second time I have bought a pattern I already own this year.  But the fact I certainly had the choice to start the new pattern, or this pattern, and I started this one, one I didn't remember - from 6 year ago - mostly shows I still love the silly patterns in that series.  I did not immediately think - oh, I will toss it.  I felt - it's on different fabric, it will look different.  I added a photo of both versions of the suggested flosses on a post from back then.

I had to look at what I had used to stitch that version - here is a photo with both the Weeks suggested, and the Classic Colorworks suggested.  The Weeks version of the letters are a much more gray version, and the Classic Colorworks is a more midnight blue - and I did pick to use the Classic Colorworks floss both times.  The pattern doesn't show the Weeks version - for a while, there was just a slip of paper in the pattern.  And early on, the patterns came with the floss - so mine came with the alternate Weeks version.  At the time - I bought the original pattern flosses too - hence the photo.  But I think it is information worth showing, so I am including the photo.  I obviously like the pattern, I have stitched things twice - even a Long Dog.... on purpose.  Had I known I was stitching it again, I might have used the Weeks flossess - but I am happy with the version I am stitching now.  Again, my camera does not show colors accurately - but it gives you kind of an idea.  And it's not showing the 3 dmc flosses - red, green, and brown - like around the house.  Dyelots change - I have no clue what the flosses look like now.  Even mine - I try to pull from my stash.  I just bought a second pattern that was on sale, to travel with the first one.  I was honestly just too lazy to look - it was like $6.-$7.  I thought maybe I had it started, and not finished - so I was glad to learn I had finished it.  And this is also why I blog - to find it on my blog when I clearly am clueless.  I used to remember all this...  before cancer.  After cancer, and chemo, and all that for breast cancer.  I just don't remember certain things.  I don't know if it is because of the chemo - or if I decided it didn't really matter - and I was only gonna buy new things as they were released.  Or a bit of both.  

I have patterns kitted up - and I recently grabbed one of those - it had fabric cut to size, and floss - and a pattern on huge sheets of paper.  I had no clue what or where that came from.  I don't have a printer that could have printed that.  It ended up that it was missing the edge and two corners - so I HAD to figure out what it was - so I could try to find it, and order it.  But I had no clue.  It's clearly MY style - it would have been something I wanted to stitch.  But I have no clue where it came from.  I DID figure it out.  It is a Scarlet Letter pattern called Sarah Selfe 1784,  and it was a whole $8 plus $5 mailing it to me.  This is another one where I need to shift the rows slightly.  But I got it - and I can pick it back up again since I have it started.  Just no photos.  It's just a row of border with a few lines of text.  Not much to see.  But I really have no clue where it came from.  But I clearly measured the fabric - cause I double checked the math before adding the first stitch. 

Finish #2 for 2026

Finish #2 for 2026.  Swedish Horses from Modern Folk Embroidery.  Used 6 skeins of dmc 3799, one over one, on 28 count Colour and Cotton lugana in the color Haunted.  A start and a finish this year.  

Sampler Game Board was added to - from way back in 2018.  I had 2 houses finished before, and I finished 4 more houses this time, and 2 more are almost finished.  There are 32 houses total.  But just a couple days had me wanting to pull something else.

This is Alphabet Song from Courtney Collection.  I added just one word....   Why.... which does not show in this photo since this was a picking it back up photo, not an after photo.  It was last worked on in 2019.  I was actually looking for a different Courtney on this fabric, so after one word, it got tossed back.

Long Dog Samplers - Life After Death.  This was something that was also a random grab, and with another pattern in the same bag.  I started Death By CrossStitch - Long Dog Samplers - but I could not tell you if I ever finished it or not.  I knew I certainly would have bought Life after Death, and it was last worked on in Dec 22, 2022 according to random notes that could be wrong.  So I picked this back up, and I have worked on it for a day so far.  I'm enjoying adding to it.  Below shows my progress.

The last two photos certainly show how far off the colors are on my camera.  Neither is correct.  It's a bit more golden than the bottom photo.  But not as golden as the top photo.  I am using Anchor black. 

Finish #5 for 2024

 

Long Dog Samplers - Act of God.   Finish #5 for 2024.  Dmc floss 938 on PTP Vellum 28 count lugana, one over one.  Used 10 skeins of floss.  The finished size is approx 12 x 12 inches.  The photo is not an accurate color.  If you are looking for a masculine color combination, this works.  I enjoyed stitching this, but I enjoy stitching many of her designs.  

Scarlet Letter - Peacock, Unicorn, Badger.  Back to this one again.  Filling in the right hand side.  My plan is to fill in all the things, not sure about stitching in the background.  I have a while to go before I need to decide that. 

This is what it looked like when I picked it back up again.  I seem to have last worked on it in February of this year.

Just to update on medical stuff...  I went in for a scan to check me for cancer again.  When I was in the ER, and that scan, showed I might have something on my adrenal glands.  I could not have told you where my adrenal glands even are...   My friend seemed to know.  Something about on my kidneys... looked odd....  Hey, when basically being able to breath is the problem, them telling me about adrenal glands looking slightly odd maybe..., not a darn thing I can do about that from the bed in the ER at midnight.  But that got me passed back to the chemo doctor to get another scan about 10 days later.  That next scan was the one using the radiated sugar, which makes bad things glow.  I had to wait a few hours to get the result, and the doctor said, nothing glowed, no cancer.  But  she wanted me back on the same estrogen killer pills.  Said that the estrogen killer pill does NOT have blood clots as a possible side effect.  One of them might, but not the one I am on.  So go back to the estrogen killer pill again.  Continue the 3 months of blood thinners, and they will do the ER scan again, and see what that looks like.  But my lesson... when I picked of the meds to start the blood thinners, I said, not gonna need that estrogen killer pill anymore... to the pharmacy.  That was my mistake.  Cause 10 days later, doctor says go back on it to keep the cancer away....   But asking the pharmacy, did you cancel the script?  Oh yeah, they did.  So I would need to go to the doctor again, which would be no problem to explain.  I was really convinced the blood clots had to be a side effect.  At the moment, there is no explaination for why I had the blood clots.  But the test is a sugar fasting test, so they said I'm not diabetic. It was a test that I had gotten sometime during the breast cancer stuff.  That all becomes a blur of what test was when, and at this point, doesn't matter to me.  But I do know places I have been before. But to be told, nothing glowed, no cancer...  that is nice to hear. 

18 of 20 pages completed.

 

Act of God - Long Dog Samplers.  18 of 20 pages completed.  Have almost finished the 9th skein of dmc, so it is gonna take 10 skeins for sure.  Stitching one over one, on 28 count lugana.  There have been backstitches that I not stitched, it just becomes too messy and solid.  But on a different stitch count, I might stitch those same stitches.  It is a lovely pattern, but I enjoy stitching this designer, and have stitched many of her designs. 

Filling in... 14 of 20 pages completed.

..
 Long Dog Samplers - Act of God. I have 14 of 20 pages completed now.  I did a few puzzles to take a break from stitching, but I'm back to working on this again.  I am working on the horse with wings area now.  On July 4th, I ended up going to the ER, and they said I had blood clots in one of my lungs.  And possible pneumonia.  I had pain and in my chest at my sternum if I tried to lay down, and couldn't breathe.  If I just sat upright on the sofa, not a problem, no pain.  If I tried to lay down, couldn't breathe.  And it felt like somebody was squeezing my right lung intake.  I called a friend to say I wanted to go to the hospital, and I sounded like I was crying, because I couldn't breathe properly.  And since it was July 4th, at 8:30pm, and the city shoots off fireworks downtown.  Which happens to be between me and the hospital...  we had to loop around a bit to get there.  But I was fine as long as I was sitting up.  But that is the lesson, I tried to just go to bed, and oh, laying down in the bed meant not being able to breathe at all... game over, call the friend, go to the ER now.  They kept me that night, the following day, and released me on the third day.  They gave me antibiotics, and heparin.  And I get to take the pill version of heparin for 3 months.  Now the kicker...  My breast cancer, which I am now a year past the end of my treatment....  I take estrogen killer pills, because my type of cancer feed off the estrogen I produce.  I didn't get along with the first version.  At three months, I would wake up with crazy knee pain, and cry it hurt so bad.  Then be just fine during the day.  Nothing wrong with my knee.  But after several days of that, I felt I would rather die, or do that entire chemo year again, rather than continue that pill.  So I stopped taking it, and in about three days, I was fine.  I called the chemo doctor, and they saids, - let's try another version.  So I start it.  I am on it 3 months, and the heart guy says, your pressure is too high, side effect of that pill.  I am a fat chick, but I don't have high blood pressure.  But since I wasn't tracking it, it WAS possible, and I always read high anywhere near medical anything.  So I took the pressure pills, and started using my pressure cuff.  That put me at crazy low numbers, like 89/51.  And getting up to pee at 4am, I was light headed....  and scared of falling basically.  Screw that crap.  I stopped taking both pills in January.  I had a colon test at the end of March, and figured I didn't want to deal with something else screwing that up.  So the day after the colon test, I started taking estrogen pill #2 again.  Now I was at 3 months and 1 week after restarting that pill, and this happens.  So I start asking, is this a possible side effect of that stupid estrogen killer pill?  Well, it IS....   but it is very rare.   Hi, nice to meet you, I'm gonna bet I'm stupidly rare.  And see, they don't really know I took that three month break.  And they found something else for the chemo doctor to check....  So rather than seeing her in early August, I get to go back sooner.  So there is a third version of estrogen killer pills.  But so far, the pills to kill my estrogen appear to be trying to kill me.  And they just hit that 3 month mark, or slightly more, and I just have just dodge that bullet the first time with the heart guy.  But it got me the second time.  I did get a mammogram in June, things are okay for another year.  I looked at breast cancer shirts and things when I first got breast cancer, but I'm not the person to wear that shirt.  But I did find a coffee cup that said - 'Sorry your boobs tried to kill you'.  That felt like the closest version.  But now it's the preventative stuff that seems to keep trying to kill me.  I look at it that we learn from each other, and the more you know, the better off you are.  

And on July 3, I watched a lady drive off from a gas pump with the nozzle still in her car.  Yep, broke off at the nozzle, the hose was still pouring out gas like a large garden hose.  I know there are pump emergency shut offs, but I didn't know where they were at that gas station.  She tried holding up the hose, then dropped the hose, and went running towards the store with the nozzle in her hands.  She needed a better plan.  I needed a better plan.  So if this happens and you are pumping gas at the next pump over, what would YOUR plan be???   I was several cars away, parked, putting banking stuff away in my purse.  When I went to leave, she was leaving, so I was watching her leave first.... when I saw the nozzle still in her van.  And I could see her realize, and stop...  she tried, she just didn't have a plan.  We ALL need better plans.   

8 skeins of dmc used...

 Long Dog Samplers - Act of God.  This is 8 skeins of dmc used, but again, no more pages completed.  Still at just 10 of 20 pages done.  On the upside, the border met up properly.  I have all the pages started.  There will be some backstitching omitted.  Stitching one over one, on 28 count, some backstitching just becomes too much.  It's a crappy photo, but I do look at the photos when I feel like I am not making progress. 

Used 7 skeins of dmc so far...

 Long Dog Samplers - Act of God.  No more pages completed, so still 10 of 20 done, but this is the 7th skein of dmc added and completed.  The big deal was coming up on that right side, and having it actually meet above that hole in the middle.  

I did my mammogram this week, and things were fine.  The end of the month is my one year post treatment.  My hair is back, and now I can't seem to connect to the girl that used to cut my hair.  It's been two years.  She has family in other places, so she might be out of the country.  My hair started to grow back in June a year ago, so it is still less than 5 inches long.  I get to try to donate blood again once I am a year past the end of my treatment.  So I made that appointment to try.  I am O-, and they ALWAYS need O-.  Trying to get my act together.

10 of 20 pages completed

 

Long Dog Samplers - Act of God.  This is 10 of 20 pages completed.  It is also 6 skeins of dmc floss used.  My breaks from this have been to do a jigsaw puzzle, and I have done several at this point.  As I have said before, no other stitching has been calling me to pick something else up... but I just saw the photos of the Unicorn, Peacock, Badger.... and it said, hey, remember me???  Like some boy I liked and forgot about. 

8 pages of 20 completed...

Long Dog Samplers - Act of God.  Finished 8 of 20 pages at this point.  Finished the 5th skein of dmc.  The rows are five pages across, so I'm in the middle.  The top row shows the width of the middle page, so I have some done on several of the middle pages, where the last couple pages on each row have nothing done, except the bottom where I started at.  It certainly is a lovely design, and I am enjoying it.  I started with 12 skeins of dmc, same dyelot.  I wanna take a break from it, I never stitch something this large from start to finish.  But nothing has been calling my name. 

Six Pages of Twenty Completed.

Long Dog Samplers - Act of God.  This is 6 of 20 pages completed, and 4 skeins of dmc used.  Three corners completed.  I do like stitching on this.  It's not symmetrical, so it is something you have to watch carefully.  I had the corner of a motif that I was suddenly wrong on, so I took it out, and then restitched it exactly the same wrong way again... so it was 3 tries to get it correct.  I don't get very far before I realize I am off, but I would not want this to be the first pattern from this designer that I tried.  It is 12 inches square, stitched 1 over 1, on PTP 28 count lugana.  Actual measurements. So framing it might be easy, but I am a long way from completing it.  But I have not had the feeling that I want to stitch on something else.  But now that I have said that... all bets are off. 

Back to this one...

 

Long Dog Samplers - Act of God.  Went back to this one.  It is making progress, just slowly.  Still on the third skein of floss. 

Two pages completed...

 Long Dog Samplers - Act of God.  This is two skeins of dmc used.  Two pages of twenty completed.  There are five pages across the bottom, four rows.  I like stitching it, I just needed a break so I will continue to love it.  

Friends of the Hart - Heartstring Samplary.  A random grab while I was looking for something else.  But I spent a few days on it, and added more, but it is now getting tossed back for another grab.  Where it was when I picked it back up.  This is pretty color accurate. 

If I stay with it longer I will just slow down stitching on it.  But it had been so long since I picked it up, it needed something added.  I am pleased with the stitches added.

Across The Bottom row...

Long Dog Samplers - Act of God.  This is the first skein of dmc floss 938 on 28 count PTP Vellum lugana, one over one.  This is side to side completed.  And a long way to go...

Ready for a break from it...

Long Dog Samplers - Life After Death.  I have stayed with stitching this.  Not stitching everyday.  I have completed three skeins and might be halfway into the 4th skein? Three corners are completed.  I am ready for a break from it.  This photo is pretty color accurate, which is rare from my camera.

I have now finished my third chemo.  It's every two weeks, so it doesn't sound like much, but it has been two months actually.  My friend cut my hair down to just beard stubble level.  I ended up wearing a winter hat in the house just to deep my head warm.   I bought 26 more hats, spend $4 or $6 each, so over $100 in hats from a box store.  Then a hardware box store offered their $2 hats for a $1 each, and I got 11 more.  It sounds crazy, they can be washed, but you want the not washed softness.  Some of the hats were women's and some are men's.  The man's hats had a camo version.  It made me laugh to think a man would be sent to buy a chemo hat for a woman, and come home with a camo hat instead.  So I had to buy 4 camo chemo hats for myself.  I knew once it snowed, the hat supply would be gone.  So I stocked up.  It costs less than a burger to buy myself a new hat once a week, I just had to buy them all up front.  I have felt fine through this so far.  I tell the nurses I have nothing to whine about, so I'm not gonna whine.  I feel fine.  Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I am not trying to work a full time job and do chemo.  That would be stressful. 

New Start for the end of 2022

 New Start - Long Dog Samplers - Life After Death.  PTP Lugana 28 count Brash - one over one,  using Anchor black 403.  This is my chemo stitch.  So far I have only done my first of four sessions.  

This is across the bottom, and that rick rack area I am stitching is halfway up the side.  I don't think I can actually stitch this while getting chemo, it's just too fussy and a mis-count would be depressing.  They would let me, but messing it up even once would just make me wish that I hadn't.  So far I have used one skein.  I have 5 pages of 12 started. 

Two Finishes...

Variant of Interest - Long Dog Samplers.  A finish!  Finish #12 for 2022.  Anchor Black 403 floss, used 7 skeins, one over one, on 28 count Brash Lugana.  I LOVED this...  It is my breast cancer project.  And I know the designer had in mind the pandemic when she named the design, but for me, it also means breast cancer that doesn't appear as the lump we are all taught to feel and check for. 

Knightmare (mirrored) - Courtney Collection.  Finished tonight.  Finish #13 for 2022.  Done on 28 count Dove Gray jobelan using dmc 3799.  I was stitching this before I noticed I had a problem, and I got halfway done before starting the Variant of Interest project.  And I finished the other half after having the breast removed. 

They are still on the same piece of fabric, same floss.  

There are so many things I could say about having breast cancer.  My local breast cancer group did help pay for the biopsy and appointments to get me diagnosed.  I have always said I would be fine with a breast being removed, and when it happened, I was.  But it's not what you expect.  The breast removed was not a big deal, but whoever sewed this did a crappy job.  I refer to it as an 8 year old boy home school sewing project.... and he is not happy about the assignment, or clearly doesn't care about the results.  I have two cleavages, and a corner.  WTF???  I can't make this up.  The painful part is the lymph node arm stuff.  Wow.  Nobody is saying that at all. 

It took me days to finally pick up the needle again.  I wanted to, I just couldn't.  It took a bit longer than I expected.  But I'm back, and stitching.  Their next plan is to start chemo.  But basically, I had something that was stage 2/3, and I should survive this.  But they do a body scan in a couple days looking for anything else weird.  That's scary.  I'm not scared of the chemo, but that body scan,  that I am a bit worried about. 

Moving Up...

Variant Of Interest - Long Dog Samplers.  This is as of today.  Into the 5th skein of anchor black.  Four full pages yet to go, and two partial pages. 

This was the finish of the 4th skein of Anchor black.  Well into the 10th of 15 pages. 

8 Pages Completed...

Long Dog Samplers - Variant of Interest.  This is 8 of 15 pages completed.  Still doing the medical version of crazy.

5 Pages Completed

Long Dog Samplers - Variant of Interest.  This is 5 of 15 pages completed, and just over 2 skeins of Anchor black used.  The photo is not color accurate.  As for my medical saga, it's crazy as all medical crap is.  I have the scans, the scan doctor says probably cancer.  But it's early, I'd not need chemo or radiation.  All those breast places that say they help women with no insurance, they won't help me at all.  I'm not old enough to get medicare yet.  My next appointment is to talk to the surgeon, who will then send me to get a biopsy, which will be at least sent directly back to him, which then gets me surgery. 

Still Stitching...

Long Dog Samplers - Variant of Interest.  A new start, this is the first skein completed, using Anchor black 403, on PTP Brash 28 lugana, one over one.  It will easily fit on a fat quarter.  It's LOVELY.

Before I was working on Courtney Collection - Knightmare ( mirrored ).  I think I have half the pages completed, but the remaining pages are solid stitches compared to the completed ones.  I do have the original version completed on the same fabric.

Long ways to go when you can see the areas missing.  My stitching bug was very low.  Had been donating platelets again.  Then my body decided to come up with something weird, and trying to figure that out has been goofy.  I even paid to get a test, was taken back to the test area, then told because I HAVE a problem, they won't test me because I don't have a doctor.   They tried to get me a doctor by stopping and calling places for me, could not find me anybody willing to order me a test or take me as a referral knowing I was there to get a test and HAVE a problem... the testing place gave me back my money, and said - go away...  That's crazy.  Their website says specifially, you do NOT need a doctors order to get their services.  But when you get there, they do.  They said - go to the free clinic, here is the address.  I can't do that...  I have no insurance, but I can pay for tests, I can pay to go to a Urgent Care type doctor.  Which was $131 to get me in for them to say - yep, you need a test.  We will have the test schedule person call you... and now it's been 24 hours, I haven't heard from that person yet.  Really bad karma to take a spot that a sick and poor child needs if I can afford to go and pay somewhere else. But today is 3 weeks since I noticed the problem.  I always felt I was good enough that they would take triple bags of platelets and my whole blood...  and they have 60 times since I started giving this time... but if I needed anything, am sick, I'm gonna die before I can get them to help me.  And it's true.