Sew Dance

Another blanket

2022-01-28T00:49:00.004-05:00

I started this a while ago. The Marcelle afghan. But I was running out of yarn on the final round. Put it away for a while. Then forgot where I put my pattern. Found it again. Frogged everything and redid it with a smaller hook. Also messed up on round 71 four times and didn't realize it until round 73... There were only 74 rounds. 2nd pic is it on my queen bed.

Now to pick a new project...

Some blankets

2022-01-13T14:02:00.000-05:00

As it's been cold out, I've been crocheting.

This is my first attempt at mosaic crochet. Pattern it's Hobbii's Peacock Delight. I used a cake of twister and two twister solids. Pretty easy once I understood what was being asked.

Also took the leftover anniversary cakes from two blankets and made these giant granny squares.

Here's my last order of yarn for the foreseeable future. Ordered in December so it's not going against my New Years resolution.

And Clyde, in his treetop.

2021 Year in Review

2021-12-31T12:00:00.002-05:00

2021 sucked just as bad if not more so than 2020.😅

Last year's goals:

Other than a New Year start, work on cross-stitch WIPs.
Finish at least 2 crochet/knit kits in my craft closet (of doom).
Officially pair hand-dyed fabrics with no background cross stitch patterns.
Edit my 2020 NaNo novel and try and get an agent/manager for publishing. I realize I could self-publish, but I will probably also need representation as a screenwriter.
Finish/polish my Leverage spec script I wrote this summer. Preferably so it is in the Leverage 2 universe. Of course that needs to be released, but I guess I can work out some plot kinks in the meantime.
Something I can't fully control, write a script that will place in a contest.

Did I complete them?

I started an ornament. I completed it so it at least didn't add to my WIP count.
Yes. I just happened to have thrown more stuff in that closet.
Mostly?
Started over in November and need to finish it.
I started Version 2 for the reboot. Changed some things, need to finish it and work on character interactions.
The Christmas Bet made 2nd round at Austin Film Festival. I'll take it as a win.

I managed to finish 11 crochet projects and 3 cross stitch projects

Dare I set goals?

Stitch from Stash.

I will not buy anymore cross stitch patterns. (limited edition HAEDs are an exception)
I will only buy specialty fibers/beads to finish my No BG pieces IF I get to the point where I need them. (probably not)
I will only buy crochet/knitting patterns if they use up a yarn already in my stash.

Enter Dragon Creme Brulee in contests.
Query The Christmas Bet
Finish draft of Finding Exile, find Beta readers.
Get a job!

Bit of a catchall

2021-12-02T22:10:00.000-05:00

Clearly I haven't been posting too much. Lots of other things I'm doing and not as much crafting.

As it's colder and I won't overheat from crocheting. I put Royal Games II away. I'm about halfway done with the stitching.

Made these three Halloween shelf sitters.

Using the anniversary cakes, made this blanket. I'm currently working on another one in brown and red.

And this is the Western Skies afghan that's been in my stash since before I moved.

And Clyde:

A finish

2021-08-06T18:09:00.001-04:00

Apparently parking my butt on my couch for the Olympics resulted in Royal Games I being completed.

The beading alone took me almost three days.

Onto Royals Games II.

A month of stitching updates.

2021-07-05T21:37:00.001-04:00

I haven't updated in a while. Oops. Started with Cirque des Circles.

Switched over to Once Upon a Fairytale for a while. I was stitching along and got to an 09 in the blue which looked odd. So I ripped out most of the 09 I had already done and restitched. By that point I wasn't into the pattern anymore.

Started a new one Lord Melton the Stitching Dragon. I didn't get very far because of all the quarter stitches plus being somewhat braindead that week didn't mix.

So onto RTO's Tango. Worked on this for about two weeks while trying to finish the latest draft of a script.

Finished the draft and now want to work on something else. So I picked up Royal Games I just now.

Also got a dragon on a spellbook. Rather large at 18x18.

Fabric pairings

2021-06-09T16:09:00.000-04:00

I've spent several days sorting, photographing, and trying to pair my hand dyed fabrics with my no background patterns. Pairings subject to change, but this is what I got for most of the physical patterns.

I'm undecided on these:

Also decided on the fabrics for my planet dragons (plus sun & moon)

I'll make another post (or several) for the other ones I'm still deciding on. In the meantime, I'm going to clean up my floor...

Bluebeard has a Princess

2021-05-30T21:40:00.002-04:00

Bluebeard's Princess is complete and ready to swim through the oceans. The fabric is more dark blue than gray.

And the camera doesn't like picking up shiny. A close up of the metallics and beads on her tail.

And my roses are back. A little earlier than usual.

Onto the specialty fibers

2021-05-25T18:34:00.000-04:00

I'm finished with the DMC on my mermaid. I have four caron waterlilies and four Kreinik #4 braids to add before backstitching and then beads! Lots and lots of beads.

Half a mermaid

2021-05-17T19:55:00.000-04:00

Her top half is done, minus specialty threads and beads.

Also was asked to make two baby blankets, so I did those this week.

Back to writing. I'm a little stuck on one piece, but started another. Hopefully something will jog loose for my other projects.

Changing projects

2021-04-26T23:19:00.003-04:00

Had to change projects a few times this week. Started with Dragon Carousel which I had been working on for a while. I got bored and tired of dealing with blending filaments.

Picked up Fox for a day. But the thread is a wool/acrylic blend and I felt a little itchy.

So far Bluebeard's Princess is keeping my attention.

And here's Clyde.

Hello chicky!

2021-04-05T20:31:00.001-04:00

Finished the Easter ornament.

Also visited with Clyde this weekend. I got the 2nd shot and stayed with my parents for the night in case of symptoms that would knock me on my butt. They did not appear. However, I did get Clyde staying with me. He ignored me the following day.

It's getting warm, so big crochet projects will not be selected. So time to roll the dice for my next cross stitch WIP.

Something is finished

2021-03-29T20:24:00.004-04:00

I'm still here. Sort of. A little more crafting recently. Finished this afghan. It took five hours just to weave in the ends (as seen by the pile on the bottom left).

Currently working on an Easter ornament. Will be done with that shortly.

Haven't done much

2021-02-15T19:16:00.000-05:00

So, clearly I haven't been keeping this blog up on a weekly basis lately. I've been writing and doing other things at my computer rather than watching TV and crafting. I did however just about finish the first page on Dragon Writer.

And I cut out the fabric for the dress. Most of it's sewn but currently in a bit of a ball. I'll get around to finishing it eventually. But this is how I laid out my pattern using my figurines as weights.

Snowlady and a book

2021-01-18T19:20:00.002-05:00

Someone wanted a snowlady like the one my mom had on her desk, so I made one. Nose came out cuter than the original.

And here's the current progress on Dragon Writer. You can see one of the books on the shelves.

Dragons. Lots of dragons.

2021-01-04T14:25:00.002-05:00

Trying to get back in the habit of stitching. I chose Dragon Writer from Charting Creations as my New Year's start. I've decided I'm not going to start a new cross-stitch until I have 2 done. I only have one more brown folder to store a new start in.

Also, this was my final finish of 2020. A dragon shawl to chase the year away.

And Clyde. He was very entertaining New Year's Eve. Even let me grab his head for scritches. The first photo is him after I finally stopped.

I've also been a bit remiss about the patterns and fabric I've added to my stash. I really should make a decision on pairing them together. I'll make that a project one weekend or something.

2020 year in review

2020-12-31T16:00:00.000-05:00

Yeah, so this year sucked. 😂 Plans were definitely derailed.

The goals I set were as follows:

Stitch from stash using my dice method of picking projects
Complete a cross stitch that's not an ornament
Get in better shape
Find a job
Edit my 2019 Nano novel and attempt to publish it.

I did #1 and #2, almost had #4 (but Covid derailed the first one and they chose someone else for the 2nd), and I attempted #5. I at least started to edit, but as part of my novel was supposed to take place in the present I didn't really want to work on it.

I rolled my dice to select projects 60 times. 47 were new starts, 30 in May. Finished 5 cross stitch, scarves, and 4 other crochet items. Second half of the year was not very crafty.

So goals for 2021:

Other than a New Year start, work on cross-stitch WIPs.
Finish at least 2 crochet/knit kits in my craft closet (of doom).
Officially pair hand-dyed fabrics with no background cross stitch patterns.
Edit my 2020 NaNo novel and try and get an agent/manager for publishing. I realize I could self-publish, but I will probably also need representation as a screenwriter.
Finish/polish my Leverage spec script I wrote this summer. Preferably so it is in the Leverage 2 universe. Of course that needs to be released, but I guess I can work out some plot kinks in the meantime.
Something I can't fully control, write a script that will place in a contest.

I've done things...

2020-12-28T22:24:00.000-05:00

I've mostly been writing, not a lot of crafting, but I made my parents matching hats for Christmas and the ball for Clyde.

Also made one ornament for the tree. Had to have a new one.

And I started on a dragon shawl. Lots and lots of crocodile stitches...

Lots of photos of Clyde in the past month.

Silly kitty.

Poking my head out of the sand.

2020-11-22T22:10:00.000-05:00

So, I have been working on something. Just a bit. Page 3 of Dragon Dancer.

I'm rather entrenched in NaNoWriMo this year. With nothing else to do and an expansion of my 2017 novel, I'm just under 78,000 words at the moment. That is the most I've ever written on one story. And it's not done. Even if I finish the first draft by the end of the month, I'm not entirely certain this won't be split into two books as I add scenes and descriptions I've skipped during this draft.

I know I'm not reaching one of my beginning of the year goals of publishing. The story I thought I could do that with became a bit difficult with Covid and the fact that the beginning period was supposed to be taking place this year. I'll hold off on it. Maybe another time. Or turn it into a screenplay. It might work better if I don't have to fill in every detail of the late 1950s. I can let set design and costuming take care of that.

I finished something

2020-10-27T21:51:00.003-04:00

Clearly, I haven't posted in a while. Mainly because I haven't really been crafting. Writing and video editing caught me and refused to let go. Also it was too hot to work on an afghan.

The Crochet Crowd's Better Together afghan is complete. Now to cross stitch for a bit before NaNoWriMo takes over my life.

DWTS Season 29: Week 5

2020-10-12T22:04:00.004-04:00

Justina. It was fun. But I felt like she was holding back with the lines. Bit high.

Jesse. That was not good. He was leaning forward in hold. Also not the right song for a tango. Too high.

Chrishell. Barely any cha cha. Pigeon toed. Knees were bent. Not good. Too high.

Jeannie. Cute. The transitions into and out of the lifts at the end were a little rough. I'll give her the scores, but high.

Monica. Her frame wasn't good and Val pulled her through the dance. She felt too loose for a tango. Way too high.

AJ. Wasn't very smooth. Appropriate for a prom dance. If they were teenagers. Bit high.

Skai. It was fun. She's easy to lift. I'll give her the scores.

Vernon. Best part was Peta's outfit. He was heavy on his feet, his butt was sticking out. Not good. Too high.

Kaitlyn. Took a while to get into the tango part. Best tango of the night but kind of one note. I'll give her the scores. But too high.

Nelly. Samba is rarely danced well on this show, especially by the men. This one was no exception. I'm not sure what the judges were watching. Too high.

Johnny. Everything worked for that dance. I agree with the scores.

Nev. Not bad. Frame was a bit wonky. I'll give him the scores.

Bottom 2 are Vernon and Jesse.

Going home is Jesse

DWTS Season 29: Week 4

2020-10-05T22:05:00.001-04:00

The opening was stupid. And Tyra's dress is not flattering.

Nelly. I didn't realize you could bounce through the paso doble. No shape, flat footed, posture was so wrong. Too high.

Chrishell. That song is not a foxtrot. Hustle or slow cha cha. She really didn't do much. Too high.

Monica. No bounce. No hips. Way too high.

Anne. She was unsteady on her feet at the beginning. Not sure if the outfit restricted some of her movements. Too high.

Nev. Points for doing a basic rumba and attempting the hips. But his knees were bent the entire time. I'll give him the scores.

Justina. She was working the fringe. Footwork was a bit messy. I'll give her the scores.

Oh that dress is worse than the first one.

Kaitlyn. Pretty. Needed to be closer in hold. I'll give her the scores.

Johnny. Fun, but a bit wild and messy. Little high.

Jeannie. They actually had contact at the hips. Sharp-ish, but messy at the end. Frame was a little wonky at times. I'll give her the scores.

Vernon. He forgot his hips in anything but the cucarachas. Knees were bent and his feet weren't placed properly. Little high.

Jesse. No hips, messy footwork. Too high.

Skai. Pretty, but I didn't get foxtrot from that song. Not worth a 10.

AJ. Cha cha wasn't the greatest. Too high.

Bottom two are Anne and Monica. 29 seasons and the first mix up in announcing the couples.

Going home is Anne.

DWTS Season 29: Week 3

2020-09-28T22:08:00.002-04:00

Disney night. they borrowed one of the snails from the electric light parade. It was better dressed than Tyra.

Skai. Didn't connect with it. Didn't bring her knees up a lot and the footwork wasn't great. Bit high.

Monica. Pretty, but too upright in hold. A little hiccupy in the rise and fall. I'll give her the scores.

Justina. Cute. Fun. Little low energetic for a Charleston. I'll give her the scores.

AJ. He looked a little forward in hold. And a lot of hopping in that routine. I'll give him the scores.

Anne. Meh. Less hoppy than AJ's. She lost the choreography. Too high.

Jeannie. Simple elegant, cute playing on the old characters. Her best dance so far. I'll give her the scores.

Nelly. Not much foxtrot. Bit slow. A little off in matching Daniella with rise and fall. Bit high, but i'll give him the scores.

Carole. Poor Pasha. I agree with the scores.

Kaitlyn. Not a lot of hips. Nice lines, but Artem pulled her through some parts. Little high.

Vernon. Cute. Footwork was messy. Little high.

Nev. Decent. He partnered her well though the tricks. I agree with the scores.

Johnny. Needed more hips. I'll give him the scores.

Jesse. Kicks and flicks weren't very sharp. Felt heavy. Little high. Anyone else getting a Carson Daly vibe?

Chrishell. Pretty. I'll give her the scores. Maybe not the 8.

Bottom 2 are Anne and Carole.

Going home is Carole.

DWTS Season 29: Week 2

2020-09-22T22:04:00.005-04:00

Nev. Not as awkward as it could have been. Still needs to work on his feet, straightening his legs and using his hips. I'll give him the scores, but maybe a bit high.

Skai. Ignoring the flub on the trick, it wasn't that good. Samba by numbers and hoppy. I agree with the scores.

Johnny. That was all over the place. Posture wasn't good and they got out of time with each other. Bit high.

Justina. Frame needs fixing felt a little start and stop rather than flowing. I'll give her the scores.

Monica. Uh, where was the jive? Too high.

AJ. The costumes were distracting. A bit staccato for a foxtrot. I'll give him the scores.

Anne. Seemed slow for the music. She was too upright in hold. I'll give her the scores.

Nelly. Um, can he move his hips at all? He was stompy. Too high.

Chrishell. She didn't do anything. What were the judges looking at? Too high.

Charles. Uh. Not good. Too high.

Jesse. Not too bad, butt was sticking out. I agree with the scores.

Jeannie. Where was the cha cha? The braid was distracting. And she was all over the place. Too high.

Carole. What did I just watch? Too high.

Vernon. Up top wasn't so bad. Down on the floor things looked really wrong. Song went a good choice either. I'll give him the scores.

Kaitlyn. Pretty. Too upright in hold. I agree with the scores.

Bottom 2 are Charles and Carole.

Going home is Charles.

Tom always ended on time. No 2 minute padding needed.

DWTS Season 29: Week 1

2020-09-14T22:12:00.001-04:00

Wasn't sure I was going to watch. This season is going to be odd between Covid, the new host, and Bruno's silver hair...

AJ McLean & Cheryl. I'm a BSB girl. He lost his balance on the landing. Not bad otherwise but he needed to point his toes more during the kicks and flicks. Kind of safe. I'll give him the scores.

Chrishell Stause & Gleb. I don't know who she is. Very careful, very on her toes, no bent knees. Just bad. I don't think I saw a heel lead. I agree with the 4s.

Vernon Davis & Peta. Bad song. He's bending forward in hold and there was no hip connection. Not sure what the judges saw. Too high.

Anne Heche & Keo. She tried, but very careful. Not a lot of hips. I'll give her the scores.

Jeannie Mai & Brandon. Bad song. Where were her hips? She was all over the place. Too high.

Jesse Metcalfe & Sharna. It was ok. Not great. Maybe a bit high with the scores.

Skai Jackson & Alan. Never saw her in anything. Really staccato and smiley, but that might have been the bad song choice. No bent knees. I'll give her the scores.

Kaitlyn Bristowe & Artem. Careful, new Yorkers weren't terrible. Hips were missing. Little high.

Nev Schulman & Jenna. Potential. Knees were bent a little too much. I'll give him the scores. Latin may be an issue for him.

(Len! Even if it's a pre-recorded message. )

Johnny Weir & Britt. Knees were way too bent on the lock steps. Knees were too bent in general. I'll give him the scores.

Justina Machado & Sasha. No clue who she is. It was fun to watch. Feet were a bit messy. I'll give her the scores.

Charles Oakley & Emma. He didn't really move. Not very good. Ballroom is going to be a major issue for them. I'll give him the scores, but high.

Monica Aldama & Val. No clue who she is. Not the best song for a foxtrot. Not horrible. Maybe potential, but she may have issues with Latin.

Nelly & Daniella. He was moving his hips, but not correctly. Not that good. Too high.

(Who wrote the last two teases for Tyra? They were horrible.)

Carol Baskin & Pasha. Ugh. Too high.

Skai is so far the only one that may be worth watching, but I'm overall not impressed.