TUSAL, IHSW and 11 More Things!

First things first - TUSAL:

This month my TUSAL jar is posing with the Queen and the usual calendar.  The goodies surrounding the magazine are a prize from Jenny of One Stitch Closer to Nirvana's 100 Followers' Giveaway.  Look at the sweet rabbit thread-holder and the daisy scissors!  The little bag contains "Made with Love" hearts to attach to my projects.  There are two charts - the April Word Play plus M Designs I and J which are a little extra because I sent Jenny a bird chart as a RAK a while back and she's been wanting to repay it!

For IHSW I worked on Papillon's Around the World in 80 Stitches, Part 2.  Which is good, because Part 3 is now out!!  I'm doing the Speciality Stitch version sans cutwork!

I'm stitching on 28count white evenweave with my choice of pinks, purples and one yellow DMC.  I've changed some of the stitches.  I couldn't get on with the lazy daisies in the Hearts, I tried one strand, I tried two, they just looked untidy so I weeded them out and did a circular ray stitch.  In the Tulip I've stitched them as a four sided parallogram.  I also passed on the Mordvinian Stitch because I did one and it looked lumpy, so I stitched some more Kloster Blocks instead.  I finally chose my metallic - DMC light effects 155 and I'm filling in the left hand heart now.

I need to decide on beads, I want two from pink, purple and silver.  The question is - which two?

1. pink and purple

2. pink and silver

3. purple and silver.

I also got tagged again for the 11 Things Thing (as Julie cleverly called it!).  This time Chiara Grey Tail tagged me.  I won't do 11 more things or tag anyone else but I will answer her 11 questions because they are good ones!

1. how long is it since you’ve last played, sat on the floor, with a kid?

About 30 seconds at any given time.  Also the same answer for "how long since a kid attached itself to your head while you try to read a blog/type an email etc".

2. your favourite school trip?

Not the one where I had an asthma attack in the middle of the night and ending up sleeping in the teacher's room so she could make sure I didn't die and freak the other kids out.  I can still "see" her multi-coloured hand knitted cardigan now!

3. when you go to sleep, do you wake up in the same position, or do you find blankets and pillows all over the place?

I find a small boy all over the place LOL.  But only when it's my turn to co-sleep with him.  The rest of the time I wake up curled in a ball regardless of how I went to sleep.

4. shades, hat or both?

Summer - Shades, with prescription lenses.  Great for "no-make-up mornings" even when it's not that sunny.

Winter - Hat, for "hair is a mess" days.

5. was there a time you thought “I wish I was born there!”, if so when/where was it?

I do love staying with friends who live in cities but it doesn't bother me that I wasn't born there as I could always move there if I really wanted.  Time-wise this is the best era for women so far (which isn't saying much!) so if I was going to be born in an earlier century I'd choose to be a wealthy man!

6. do you know how to make candy corn? could you tell me? I’ve never tried it!  (if candy corn is not traditional in your country, could you tell me how to make something you’re thinking is way better than candy corn  )

Cowpat cake - melt some cooking chocolate, take the tiny bits of cornflakes that settle in the bottom of the box and stir them in, pour into a pie dish, pop in fridge.  It looks like a cowpat but tastes better (I guess as I've never tried cowpat LOL).

7. how many years have you been stitching? did you learn by yourself or did someone help you along the way to the stitching madness it’s nowadays?

Since 1993 so nearly 20 years.  It's a special anniversary year next year!  I taught myself but did have a couple of work friends who were also keen. 

8. the perfect sandwich: what is in it?

For a hangover nothing beats a bacon butty!  I do like shop-bought sarnies best, Boots do a Chinese Duck Wrap which is lovely.  When we came back from France the CdG airport food was hideous, expensive and primarily cheese-based which I can't eat.  The wrap I bought as soon as we landed on UK soil was heaven on earth! 

9. honestly, do you think ironing our clothes is really necessary? how do you deal with the dullest house work ever?

Ironing is the only chore I actually like!  You can listen to music and it's strangely therapeutic making a nice neat pile of folded clothes.  My favourite thing to iron is the Small Boy's body vests (the ones that popper under his nappy).  

10. you reckon there’re even duller things than ironing? what is it?! ;D

Vacuum cleaning, dusting, scrubbing baths, toilets etc.

11. is there a TV commercial you like? (makes you laugh, takes you back to old times, reminds you of someone you know, ..)

I'm not a fan of commercial TV, the boys mainly watch the BBC for that reason (see I'm really Middle-Class LOL).  But we do like anything with a cat in it - Krusha milk shake mix and the Cravendale cats with opposable thumbs spring to mind.

Finally, don't forget my Summer Postcard Blog Hop!