Livin' La Needle Loca

...and there's verhy little blooming in the yard. We have a few Gazanias: some cape mallow: and the nasturtiums are still going strong. 

 ...and working on my crafts to ease my mind. So much going on in the US...it's unbelievable and heart-breaking. As a Mexican-American woman, I am worried about !CE and all of the horrible things happening associated with them. I have a lot of family in LA and I'm particularly worried about them. All of our remaining family is US-born, but as we've seen, that doesn't matter. I've started carrying my birth certificate again and my passport card. The last time I felt that I had to carry my birth certificate was in the late 60s. 😶  I'm donating to a few Minnesota-centered groups who are helping with immigration issues. I've downloaded and started the Melt The ICE hat [ Ravelry ][ website ]. I knitted Pussy Hats in 2017, so there was no question that I'd knit these hats this year.  I'm alternating between knitting and cross-stitching the latest mermaid while watching TV that doesn't elevate my BP or anxiety. Currently, I'm binging Bake-Off: The ...

...and I'm trying hard to fill them with family and crafts rather than doom-scrolling. Yesterday, The Husband and I celebrated our 40/45th anniversary. 45 years ago we had our pivotal 3rd date. I couldn't get a sitter, so we took my daughter along. He planned an entire day that included an almost-three-year-old child, doing things that she might enjoy. We all had a great time! Five years later, we married on the anniversary of that 3rd date. 45 years later, we are still together and he still makes my heart sing. We've raised a wonderful daughter, endured the loss of our parents and other family members, celebrated weddings and birthdays, and learned to just be with each other. We celebrated our love and life with a dinner at a favorite restaurant. With the world spinning out of control, we know we have each other.

...I'm on so much of a roll that I forgot that yesterday was Wednesday. 🙄 I finished Bring Us Good Cheer yesterday: Specs: Started 1/16/2026 Finished 1/21/2026 Chart from Shepherd’s Bush I'm calling it DONE even though I don't have the buttons that the design specifies. I ordered them, but I'm not sure whether I'll add them. There is a snowflake that goes in the empty area under the Santa hat, between the reindeer and a tree. That one I'll probably add. The star button goes up in the right-hand corner, which already has enough in it. We'll see once I receive the buttons.  WIPs Roll Call Worked On: Morgana (cross stitch) Started 1/21/2026; printing the charts and getting the fibers and fabric ready. I had this queued once, but then let it sit for a year. No Work This Week: California Red Poppy Handspun (spinning) [ Ravelry ]  Gladiolus Handspun (spinning) [ Ravelry ] My Recipes (cook...

...I finished it a few days ago. It just needed photos. This is Gladiolus Handspun [ Ravelry ]: and the close-up Specs: Started 1/7/2026 Finished 1/16/2026 Merino-bamboo-silk (4 oz.) from Greenwood Fiberworks 200.5 yds. chain-ply, 13 WPI   I probably won't start any more spinning projects until the Winter Ravellenic Games start. I plan on spinning for the entire time.

 ...I love Just Nan minis because they stitch up so quickly. This is Cherub Garden: Specs: Started 1/13/2026 Finished 1/15/2026 Chart and frame from Just Nan  Modifications: There were a lot of beads provided in the chart pack, so I added more flowers in the center motif. The disadvantage of completing a project so quickly is that I have to find another project to stitch. While I contemplated my choices, I plied the Gladiolus Handspun that I started A week or so ago. No photos yet.  My needlework choices were a bunch of Halloween cross stitch projects, a couple of Mirabilia Mermaids, some Susan Portra counted needlepoint projects, and a needlepoint mini that I have been avoiding for quite a long time. There are also a handful of knitting projects, but I'm not in the mood for that right now. I picked another Shepherd's Bush Christmas ornament because it's small and I had all of the fibers for it. I'm a little bored with Christmas project...

 ...and I started another mini project. Because I couldn't decide whether to start another mermaid and I want to save my spinning fiber for the Ravellenic Games in February, I started yet another Just Nan mini. This is Cherub Garden as of this morning: It's not the greatest photo as I still haven't been able to find a good place to take photos in the house. Sigh, my studio can't be done soon enough. WIPs Roll Call Worked On: Primrose Path (cross stitch) Started 1/13/2026 No Work This Week: California Red Poppy Handspun (spinning) [ Ravelry ]  Gladiolus Handspun (spinning) [ Ravelry ] My Recipes (cooking)  Website (other)  Queued for Starting Moon Lets Sun Shine (or Luna y Sol) quilt (quilting) Ready for Finishing: Finishing work for some old crewel pictures (sewing) August 1997 Hat-of-the-Month (cross stitch) CATrina (cross stitch)  Ewe Can Build a Snowman pincushion (cross stitch)...

...started it in November and put it off until I finished the Christmas project. This is Primrose Path: Specs: Started 11/7/2025 Finished 1/12/2026 Chart and charm from Just Nan I need to pick the next cross stitch project. It could be another Just Nan or another Christmas project from Shepherd's Bush. I like both designers. Or I could pick something else out of the stash. Decisions, decisions.

...in which I finalized the majority of my mother’s estate and we started a studio remodel. Finished: Baking, etc. Almond Fruitcake for my brothe Biscotti for my brother and for us A little sourdough, lots of scones Knitting 02/15 Balaclava Hood 05/12 Teal No-Noro Hat 11/16 Highland Cow toy 11/18 Wuzzie Highland Cow Toy 12/18 Highland Cow 3 12/19 Corgi 2 Needlework, All Cross Stitch 02/15 Sea Dandelion 05/22 The Sea Merchant's Wife 06/23 Happy Bluebird mini 07/01 August 1997 Hat-of-the-Month 08/24 Seaology 09/01 Horrified mini 09/08 Dashing Through The Snow ornament 11/3 CATrina 11/30 Making Spirits Bright Pin Cushion 12/21 Star 12/23 Ewe Can Build a Snowman pincushion Quilting 03/29 Herding Cats quilt top  05/13 La-Catrina Quilt top  06/11 Road to Chaos quilt top Reading Read 175 books; see Reading List below Sewing, Finishing 02/...

 ...some finishes, some reading. Finished: 12/18 Highland Cow 3 (knitting) [ Ravelry ] 12/19 Corgi 2 [ Ravelry ]  12/21 Star (cross stitch)  12/23 Ewe Can Build a Snowman pincushion (cross stitch)  Books: Liza’s Secrets, Iris Glazner Leigh Wynn Harbor Inn: Wynns of Change, Hope Callaghan Captiva Holiday, Annie Cabot The Seaside Sisters, Pamela M Kelley Cheaper by the Dozen, Frank B Gilbreth Jr. Bookshop by the Bay, Pamela M Kelley Her Beautiful Life, Brianna Labuskes Wynn Harbor Inn: Winter Wonderland, Hope Callaghan Christmas at Cranberry Cove, Katie Winters Best in Show: Knit Your Own Farm, Sally Muir Sleigh Bells and Snowstorms, Claire Kingsley License to Curse, Kim Richardson Mendocino Island Promise, Nellie Brooks The Goblin in the Sink Drain, Hailey Edwards Started: 12/2 Star (cross stitch) 12/7 Corgi 2 [ Ravelry ] 12/12 Highland Cow 3 (knitting) [ Ravelry ] 12/21 Ewe Can Build a Snowman pincushion (cross s...

 ...first one of the year. Sorry, no photos this time. I'm not far enough into the latest cross stitch project to take a photo yet.  I like this project but I find that I get bored of stitching after a couple of hours. It might be because it seems to be the only craft I can easily move from one room to another while construction is happening. Today, I decided to spin something just for the variety. Spinning has a calming effect. Calm is needed right about now!  WIPs Roll Call Worked On: Gladiolus Handspun (spinning) [ Ravelry ] Started 1/7; spinning the singles Primrose Path (cross stitch) Working on the flowers. I had a small issue because the design requires a Kreinik metallic braid. I know that I have the color in my stash, but all of my Kreinik is stored in a box in the POD. When I looked this morning, that box is at the bottom of the stack in the back of the POD. I really didn't want to buy another spool so ...

 ...who knew that I'd still be doing this 20 years later? I joined Blogger in 2006 as a trial: In the beginning, I blogged about 10 times a month. As I got the hang of it, I blogged more frequently, usually 3 or 4 times a week. I did a name change after one year to more closely reflect my love of crafting with needles and fiber. I started doing month-end and year-end recaps that first year, but recap posts didn't evolve into their current format until the following year.  Books started appearing in the September 2010 recap, the month I got my first iPad and started reading digital books. I started posting for Eye Candy Friday in August of 2006. WIP-it Wednesdays started in 2008. Life interfered a lot the last 6 years and my blogging has become sporadic. I still try to post on WIP-it Wednesdays and when I complete a project. My posts for Eye Candy Friday are not as consistent anymore. So, 2,789 posts (counting this one) later, here we are: still Livin' La Needle Loca!

...and it's a cross stitch piece. This is To All A Good Night, a kit from Shepherds Bush: Specs: Started 12/24/2025 Finished 1/3/2026 Kit with button from Shepherd’s Bush This fabric came with the kit. I'm not a fan of how dark it is. The threads just fade into the fabric. This kit contained 4 shades of green and it was sometimes difficult to distinguish between the shades. I might have used the wrong shade in some places.🙄 I don't mind using Weeks Dyeworks threads as they have some wonderful colors. But sometimes the variations within the colorway make for some odd pooling. For example, the crescent moon is stitched in Olive (!?), which varies from gold to green. The gold is OK for the moon, but green? I was also unhappy with the gray used for the words. It varies from dark gray to very light gray. The very light gray is hard to read on the dark fabric. If I was using full versions of the threads, I could have controlled i...

...first one of 2026! Much like the last sunrise of 2025, the first sunrise of 2026 had no sun in it. The cats and I stayed up to greet the new year. However, we were all a little too wired to go to sleep afterwards. Typically, they are ready for breakfast at 6am, but I don't feed them until 6:30. After our late night and insomnia, we were all late waking up. They didn't want to move even after I got up and hung put for a few minutes more. With latest rainstorm, that garden has been covered with raindrops, puddles, and open containers are full of water. The nasturtiums are particularly happy. I love how the water pools in the middle of the leaves. As they fill with rain, the leaves tilt and empty the rainwater and then fill up again. I was unable to get a video of it happening, but it was soothing to watch.