"R" is for ...

Reunion:

Like our 25th year class reunion (Realschulabschluß - it's a secondary school system in Germany. At the end of it you leave school after 10 years and normally start with an apprenticeship)

We had a good turnout I think: 24 out of 34. Our beloved old class teacher also showed up. I was happy to hear that he's still doing well and still working at the same school we went to.


Riddle me this:

What pattern am I work on here?


This is worked in DMC 310 on a 40ct linen (which I bought two weeks ago in Michelstadt)
Pretty hard to see what it's going to be *grin*


Really can't think on how to start this with 'R'

A happy dance:

'Alphabet in Samt und Seide' (alphabet in velvet and silk ... which is bit of a misnomer as there's no velvet, but I guess 'alphabet in cotten and silk' wouldn't have such a nice ring) ;)
It's from Sticken & Staunen done in petit point. Of course, they also have the other letters in the alphabet

"P" is for ...

... Power Plant:



The local power plant (Staudinger) had a open door day today, so I went in the hope to get some photo op. Wasn't that great really, the weather didn't help (it was nice and sunny - though cold - yesterday, but today it just was cold and wet), but I really like that one bit where the fire department showed why you shouldn't throw empty spay cans into the fire.


The can(s) were in that cage in the middle and when they got too hot, they really exploded. Cooooool

... Pattern:

I started with one of the pattern / kits I've bought last weekend at the fair in Michelstadt.


It's using waterlilie silk for the smaller letters and some sort of cotten thread (Dänisches Baumwollgarn) for the large letter. It's stitch in petit point which works surprisingly well (I have only one previous experince with PP and I didn't like it back then). BTW, the fabric is white and the colors are far more intense (and the letter 'P' is in a dark blue)

...Preparations:

It's more than two months until x-mas, but I've already started making x-mas cards. Again a pattern / kit I've got last weekend also using waterlilie silk. It's a quick stitch (it has to be, else I couldn't handle making about a dozen for my mom as well), but I can't show it here - hey, it's a long time until x-mas, so be patient.


... Perfect:
Stargate Atlantis has started again and the last episode (Doppelgänger) was just perfect. So I decided to go back to my Atlantis quote of the week thing. Don't worry, it will always be at the end of my post, so if you see the quote, you know you don't have to go through it in case there might be something else.

Sheppard: Looks like one of those toys you play with when you're a kid.
McKay: Commodore 64?
Ronon: Triple barrel shotgun?
Sheppard: A kaleidoscope

Being Creative

*Sigh* the week vacation I had is over - nothing good ever lasts ...

But at least I did more things than just play with my Wii *grin*

I finished a few things I've started a looooong time ago.
Like this table cloth


A cheap kit I got sometimes begining of the year. I actually bought two, just for the material - after some trial and error, I actually got the print out, so I'll going to use it for another table cloth I've got a pattern for.

I also tired some new things:

A bead bracelet, I was just playing with the million or so beads I've got over the years. Only thing I haven't quiet figured out is how to close it.



This is a bead neckless I've got as a kit in France some time ago. Fairly simple to make and I don't even know if I ever will wear it, but it's pretty.


Last, but certainly not least, is a set of stitch markers I've made. The whole construction is fairly simple. The tricky part was finding the right wire. I'm still not completely happy with the solution I've found - I think the next time I use something a little bit more flexible.
There is more than one of course:

I've made eight (and no idea where number eight is)

Today was a needlecraft trade show in Michaelstadt, so I got more patterns and material for some time to come *grin*
Next project will be some x-mas cards (I don't want to end up like last year, when I was way too late and had to put something together at the last minute)

... and the bee(s)

Well, finally I broke down and got myself a Nintendo Wii. And when you get a Wii, you also can create a Mii (to represent you in games and such). Given my current obsession with Transformers (and one Transformer in particular) I give you my Mii 'Bee' *grin*


Bee's already gone playing Tennis, Baseball, Bowling and Boxing (yepp, got the sports bundle) and he's doing good (my right arm on the other hand, is not used to all that swinging around and I got some muscle soreness in the upper arm and the shoulder)

I also managed to finish Michael Powell's Mini Village IV last week.

(obviously not ironed so far ...)
As always, the backstitch really does it.


For now I haven't decided on a new stitching project. Instead I'm going to concentrate on finishing some of the stuff I've started a long time ago, but never got around to finish. At the moment, the table cloth that I started back in July (here) and also Henry (as mentioned last week)

The birds and the ...

... well, actually, mostly the birds.

Warning: picture heavy, out of normal schedule blog.

Wednesday was a holiday here in Germany, so I went and visited the zoo in Dresden with my camera and the new zoom lens. What can I say, I'm in love ;)
With the zoom lens, you can get soooooo close to the animals, it's really amazing.
Some examples:


Isn't that snow owl the perfect Hedwig?


I love everything about his picture. The pose, the background, the colors

I do love penguins, and this one is my favorite
Flamingos: they were a pretty loud bunch - but also pretty pretty ;)



Some non-birds as well:

He (or she, not sure, and I never checked) looks so sad :(


And another of my favorites, though only a butt shot :)