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In my quest to have completed hundred and thousands of  embroidered stitches by the end of the year, and a large portion of that by my critique at the end of the week, my poor fingers are suffering. Not only is my finger skin shredded, but my finger tips hurt from repeatedly pushing into a sharp metal object.

Oh sure, you say, “Why don’t you use a thimble?” Because I hate them. They are usually too big and bulky and I can’t get a good grip on my fabric. I have tried a million different styles and none of them worked. I had taken to wrapping my fingers in bandages, which has drawbacks in that the adhesive bits stick out and catch my thread. I tried electrical tape, and although available in a variety of pretty colors, it doesn’t have the flex and stretch I require.

Desperate last night, in pain and needing to produce, I rummaged furiously through my medicine drawer for medical tape where there was none. But owing to some poor footwear choices earlier in the year in Manhattan, I had a box of adhesive moleskin for use on blisters. I cut  two round dots the size of my thumb and foreinger, stuck them on and  VIOLA! all the grip and flexibility and none of the pain. And pretty inexpensive.

Yay happy fingers = hundreds and thousands of stitches

This is the best, easiest granola you can make (and a lot cheaper than what you buy at the store). Change the ingredients for something a little different. You can add dates or raisins or dried fruit after you bake it.

Heat oven to 350. Use the largest roasting pan you can find, the more room, the more evenly it will toast. Mix in the roasting pan:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup honey (molasses okay, maple syrup is too delicate for the expense)

Heat about 5-7 minutes until hot and honey bubbles. In a separate bowl combine:

• 4 cups oatmeal
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup wheatgerm
• 2 Tablespoon sesame seed
• 1 cup nuts (pecan, almond, walnut, cashew)
• 1/2 cup flaxseed

Mix into honey mixture. Bake for 30-40 minutes until toasted. Stir every 10 minutes or so. Let cool before storing in airtight container.

For celiac/wheat free version, substitute puffed rice cereal for oatmeal, eliminate wheat germ.

Try added coconut flakes, cinnamon, grated orange peel.

Next Batch–as you can see, I have been spending my time stitching and not posting.

I: vintage linen napkin applique, needle punch (hate it), fabric paint, chain and running stitch.

J: Applique, satin stitch and a Clean House marathon.

K: turned edge applique, stuffing

I am mostly on target with my one square every three days, and will be pushing especially hard this next week to have heaps of new work for my crit on Thursday.

C: I am so not a fan of crossstitch, but I am a fan of Abby, who lent me DMC 4050 when mine ran out, and also Audrey, who offered hers.

F: applique with silk floss. My F choice was a total no brainer, except the logos are almost anonymous. Any guesses? Hint–it’s a two-fer, I am only showing one.

Don’t tell handsome Hubbo that I completely destroyed the bathroom, but I forgot how much fun it is to dye. Working with raw silk is especially fun because it really soaks up the dye and the colors are so deep. I am using fiber reactive dye from Dharma and procion. Unfortunately, I haven’t achieved the brown I am after, so this is my first batch. Check back next week for batch two.

From the top down:

mink, dark brown, chocolate, truffle brown, rust orange, burgundy, deep purple, forest green.

Sorry I went awol, no excuses, here I am again. Thanks for standing by….

Let’s celebrate my return with an easy and delicious stir fry sauce. I usually use it on broccoli, because I love love love broccoli. But feel free to use it with your fave combo of veggies (peppers, eggplant, carrots, etc.) Don’t forget to throw some onions, garlic and ginger in the pan, and keep it real hot and moving.

Combine:

• 3 Tablespoons of hoison sauce
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 1Tablespoon orange juice
• 1-2 Tablespoon white wine

Pour on stir fry as it is close to being done, let cook for 3-5 more minutes.

Yum!

Unlike other W.I.P.s, I cannot work on this one forever, i must be finished with all of the pieces and have it assembled in a very short time. I am not sure I want to give everything away right now, so here are a few details…

chain stitch and silk ribbon embroidery

very velvet and chain stitch

satin stitch

I just received a pkg from my mother overflowing with chocolate candies and a stack of exquisitely hand embroidered linen heirlooms from our longtime friends Judy and Michelle. This cross stitch is so tiny, and so expertly rendered. I think I love the back even more.

Please forgive me for not following my schedule this week. The beauty of making my own set of rules lies in my ability to forgive myself when I don’t feel like following them. Today, I really want to share this image with you. I suspect this is some sort of mushroom growing on the jalapeno leaf.  I love everything about this, especially the ability of the camera to capture the delicate shape.

Try this sauce with stir fried broccoli, carrots, eggplant, onions, tofu, or whatever you’ve got in your wok (or saute pan.)

Combine in a bowl or measuring cup:

• 3 Tablespoons Hoisin sauce
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Sesame oil
• 1 Tablespoon orange juice
• 1-2 Tablespoon white wine

As you vegetables are close to being done, pour in sauce and stir until all veggies are coated. For a spicier version add chili flakes or hot chili oil.