Return of the Muse

Today, just some rambling, no pics ...

Over the years I've written quite a bit of fanfiction. Certainly never as much as Mac (but then, who does?), but I've did my fair share. I've written for Stargate SG-1, Quantum Leap, Forever Knight, Thunderbirds and an assortment more (individually, and as crossovers, alone and with others).
My writting spouts are usually pretty sporatic - I write some and then, for a long time, I don't write anything, at least not on paper (or computer as it is nowadays)
My last big writting phase with any considerable output to my name was when 2004 the new Thunderbirds movie came out. The movie might not be what the fans had expected and it definitly focused too much on Alan (my least favorite TB character), but at least it rekindled my interest in the old Thunderbirds show and I got some writting done.
Then I went on vacation, and somehow misplaced my muse.
Well, she found her way back...
Since last week I've been back to writting Thunderbirds (very much to the dissapointment of my friend who rather would have me writting Stargate Atlantis) and I'm having a blast. I know I had some certain path in mind when I started writting the story, but funnily enough my characters seem to have other ideas. Well, I'll see where they lead me.

On the craft front I've started a new cross stitch project, an autumn alphabeth with Needle Necessities threads - not that I haven't got four other projects in the works ;)
Speaking on older project, I've finished the cross stithing on the big secret project and am pretty much on my way to there on the Sailing Ship I'm stitching.

Last week I've read two books I really loved:
- Notes from a Big Country by Bill Bryson
- The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey

Both are favorite authors of mine and I even though there have some hit and misses in the past for both of them, I really enjoyed them both.
Right now I'm reading The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud. Started very good, but now in the last part it lost some of its drive and I have some difficulties ...

I've also got the DVD box set of another old favorite of mine The Champions, a British TV show from the 70s. Wonderfully dated and having the old actors do an audio commentary 40 years after the fact is also something worth listening too. I never realized that there was also a TV movie which was a compilation of some of the episodes about 15 years later after the show was cancelled (side note here, the show was actually cancelled before one minute of it was ever aired - and that after 30 episodes were made)
I definitely have a blast watching the show

WiP

yeah, I've got my stitching mojo back - though there are still a few knitting projects on the go, I've picked up one of my older wips and already did some head way on it.
As it's a present for somebody, I can't really show it, but at least I can give a peek ;)

Here's the pattern I stitch from:

With this pattern I've gone and started to mark every stitch twice - once with yellow, so I know where I have to go next and once with orange when I'm done with the color. This really helpes to cut down on the searching time and to reduce the missed stitches (I'm not saying I've got none ...)

and here what I've stitched in that little corner of the pic:



I've got about 10 ~ 15% of the whole picture still to do, but that shouldn't be too tough.

more socks

I found I did have a picture of the Scottish Snicket Socks after all. Though not of the full sock, but some detail shot of the heel

I'm pretty proud as how the pattern moves very subtle from the leg to the heel :)

Also here's a peek on my next sock project - one down, one more to go.



Cuff, heel and toes are larna laces rainbow - and I love it.
Pattern is another knitty: Cut your teeth socks

I also did a little bit of hardanger, finishing a placemat that will go to my parents at one point - though I guess the pic has to wait for another time, as the upload is taking forever. Sorry.

Lots to do

I'm on vacation still, so naturally, I've got no time :)

I'm trying to catch up on my tv watching. So far the new season hasn't really impressed me much. Returns are Supernatural, Numb3rs and Criminal Minds and of course the various CSIs.
Of the new stuff, I've checked out Heroes (saw only the pilot, but sort of like it), Kidnapped (didn't grab my attention really), Standoff (same as Kidnapped) and Vanished (which I like so far)

Working on my office at home - got a new desk. The old one was way too small (it was still from the old appartment and the only thing that had fit in there). Now I've got something custom made - a friend helped me to cut a new desk top fitted to the space I've got and then I finished it (or however it is called when you try to make the surface of wood smoother) and varnished it here at home. Yesterday a friend came and we mounted it to the wall. Perfect fit :)

And while I'm got the tools, I've also finished and painted the small shelved I've over my radiators - after the move I saw there were a lot of water spots so I got rid of them now and they look nice and pretty and almost new.

Then I've got various dentist appointments. The day after we came back from Scotland I've had a 3 1/2 hours session to prepare four teeth for crowns and inlays. Got them fitted yesterday. Nice and pretty now and they also feel pretty good. Slightly different than before but I think I can get used to it.

Got two new lamps, one for the hallway and the other for the guest bathroom (I'm still not over the fact that I have a guest bathroom now with the new appartment ;))
Still got to hang them up though - somethign for today afternoon.

Did some shopping.
Need to do more shopping. I need new shoes and there's also some other little things I need.
Need to see the hair dresser today.

Did some knitting - and forgot to take a picture of the finished Scottish Scnicket Socks before they got sent out to Canada for a friend.
Started on some hardanger for my parents.

And post some more pics of Scottland here:

Scone Palace (with the indoor curling ring)



Street signs:



and view over Loch Ness



My friend is writting a more detailed log of the trip in here life journal - mostly in German so, but there is some English there as well and the load of pics (most of which I took -- well, I had the camera and I was not afraid to use it ;))

Steffi's Life Journal

Stitching Sudoku

I love stitching
I love Soduko
So, that said, I decided to try and combine these two and came up with the Stitching Sudoku:



Rules are the same as for a normal Sudoku, except that there are colors instead of numbers; you can not use the same color in a row, column and 3 by 3 block. And of course, you need to stitch your solution instead of simply writing it down with pen and paper.
These few blocks above is all the information you need to finish the pattern.
Really.


If you have the preparation finished, one can go and make a little kit with the threads used in the puzzle and give it to a friend to finish it. And, voily, you (or she) get a cool little something that can be finished into an ornament.
Here are the colors, but of course, you can choose any color you like - I just was in the mood for a rainbow.


Speaking of rainbows. We had a cool rainbow while we've been in Scottland, looking over the water from the Isle of Skye to the next island across the bay.

There and back again ... well almost

I've been away for a while, but now I'm back (and excuse me for borrowing the line from LotR)

Me and a friend of mine have gone to Scotland for nine days. Proof is here:


It has been fun, even though it has been tough to be away from the computer for so long (well, I missed my e-mail at least)

The next coupe of days, I plan on writing some more about the trip and a few more pics. I took about 500 pictures, but really, I'm only willing to impress about 10% of those to the puplic (and here, I will probably show less than 10 pictures ....)

Knitting wise I've got a almost finished pair of socks out of it. I've used Regia Africa color and this Snicket pattern - fiddly but fun. Here's what it looked like after the flight from Frankfurt to Edinburgh (I was pretty glad they allowed for the wooden needles on the plane - airport security went really crazy in London)


Seeya later ...