I have had an insane week due to a headcold, an unrelated doctor’s appointment, and errands…. and it hasn’t ended yet, so this will be a relatively quick post…

I forgot to do an ISHW post on Monday (whoops).  I was off from work for a doctor’s appointment and just completely blanked on updating my stitching.  I still don’t have photos to to share, but it was a good weekend.  I was productive and got most of what I’d hoped to accomplish done.  I’ll upload photos of my progress on Sunday – because by then I’ll have both pieces done and will be happy to share.

I spent most of Saturday working on Melinda’s Mirabilia RR piece.  If you’ve been tracking the pieces in this robin, hers has the unique star outlines for each “square.”  It’s very unique and looks very, very cool.  I decided to do Lilly for my contribution (since I have tons in my yard, it seemed a bit more personal).  After Saturday, I’m now nearly done.  I have some outlining to do and beads to add.  I’ll finish that up on Sunday so I can mail it on to Rachel Monday morning (on time… woo!)

The other piece I’m working on – in a bit of a frenzy – is an autumn themed ornament for Stitcher’s Hideaway that starts on Friday.  The ornament exchange is on Saturday night, so I think I’ll be good to complete it in time.  I’m doing the Brittercup “Witchy Kitty” design from this year’s Just Cross Stitch Halloween ornie issue.  It’s a fast stitch.  I’m about half done with the cross stitches now.  I’m hoping I can wrap up the crosses by the end of tonight, and then get it put together tomorrow night.  We’ll see.  I’m going to cut it close.

On Sunday morning I met up with a few of my local stitchers for a stitch ‘n bitch at Christine’s house in Westerly.  Her place is gorgeous!  I’d never been to Westerly before – the downtown area is very cute and typical New England-ey.  The five of us chatted away as we worked.  My cold meds from the night before were playing games with my head and I forgot how to start off my ornament outlines (I was working full crosses instead of just doing a running backstitch outline… whoops!).  By the time I got home, I decided that I wasn’t happy with how the size was turning out.  On 30 count, the ornament was HUGE – about 4.5 inches across!  I started over on 36 count fabric I had lying around the house, and I’m very, very glad I did.

So now I’m heading toward Friday – which means Stitcher’s Hideaway!  Jeannette Douglas will be our teacher for a very cute piece called “Four Seasons of Mystic” (appropriate, as the retreat is in Mystic, CT).  Lots of new fibers and specialty stitches for me to become familiar with in this piece, so I’m looking forward to it!

Unlike my last two retreats in Mystic, I’ll be commuting this time.  Lisa and her mom graciously invited me to take her sister’s spot due to scheduling conflicts, but I don’t have the cash to drop on a hotel room and I’m such a horrid sleeper that I really can’t share a room when I’m out of my normal routine. It works out well anyway, since I’m still on the backside of this head cold.  Having my own bed to sleep in this weekend will definitely be a good thing.  Plus… the commute to Mystic for the retreat is honestly much shorter than my normal commute from Providence to Boston every day.  Door to door, I should get to the hotel in Mystic in just about an hour (vs. the two hours each way Erich and I do).  Lisa and her Mom said they’re getting me a key to the room so I have a place to drop my stuff, relax during class breaks, use a more private bathroom, etc, which is very kind of them!

So hopefully I’ll have an ornament completed for the exchange this weekend.  It’s an optional thing, so if I don’t, not a big deal.  I’ll just swoon over everyone else’s picks.  It should be  a great weekend.  Sue’s a lovely hostess and the retreat is just a blast.  I’ll recap on Sunday when I’m home and “recovering.”  Despite being nearly broke, I’m sure to come home with a bunch of lovely new stash because Sue is insane with goody bags and door prizes.  I’ll share them on Sunday!

One more quick thing – upon advice and chatting with some stitchers, I’ve decided to do a message board on Yuku for the hangout spot for the Wipocalypse.  If you’d like to chat with your fellow SAL stitchers just pop over to http://wipocalypse.yuku.com and join in!

See you on Sunday with a boatload of pictures!