26 November 2019

In Which I Have Nearly Everything Except ...

The small hoops - where are they????  I didn't really expect to have anything to actually show you for Tiny Needle Tuesday, but I thought I could at least tell you about my next project. 

About ____ years ago (I don't remember, it was so long.  My nieces were young children, so ...), I stitched cross-stitch ornaments for everyone, with the idea of attaching them to the bows on their gifts.  This was a great idea, and I got nearly all of them stitched.  Then I fail to remember what happened, but the pieces and the supplies got put away into a box and that was the end of that. 

Fast forward to now, when I realized that I could a) put the ornaments already finished together, and b) stitch some more.  Because now there are a lot of different people who might enjoy them.  I found the box, and the stitched items were safely inside.  I found more of the patterns/kits that I had to move forward, as well as needles, fabric, and floss (so much floss from my mother!**). 

What I did not find?  Small hoops.  Not a one.  Now I am not a person who can successfully "stitch in hand," as they say, particularly on really small items.  So I need the hoop.  I do not consciously remember throwing away the ones I'd had, but after looking in all the places I could guess they might be, I still came up empty handed.  Sigh.  It's like a version of "Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink." 

This is of course not insurmountable.  I can walk to A.C. Moore over the next few days and buy a few hoops.  Or at least I hope I can - I just heard on the news this a.m. that A.C. Moore is going out of business, and that some of the stores will re-open as Michael's, but not until after the first of the year. 

I think I will however, not count on doing anything for this year - I can get a start on next year because since they are small items, they don't take long to do, and would be good palate cleansers in between projects. 

But I still need some hoops.  :-)

In Larger Needle News, I did the bind off on the funnel neck of my Pabaig sweater, so there are just the sleeves left to knit.  I also received the second set of yarn that I ordered to finish it - that came in record time, of course.  Anyway, I'll knit the sleeves, and the leftover as well as extra yarn will be incorporated into a hat or something like that.  But I feel certain that I'll able to finish the sweater soon, which pleases me, since I wanted to at least be finished in 2019.

And that's the plan ... I'll keep you posted.



**Seriously, folks, I have A LOT of floss - if you need some for a project, feel free to contact me before you buy any - I'm happy to send some to you if I have it!

6 comments:

AsKatKnits said...

I am laughing at that reality cartoon... yup. Exactly! lol

Wanderingcatstudio said...

That cartoon is my life!

I could never stitch without a hoop either. In fact, when I sewed the button noses on my Tuxie love quilt, I had to use a hoop for those!

I hope you hoop quest is not too daunting and look forward to seeing these little creations over the coming year.

KSD said...

When I started cross-stitching, I did it without a hoop. I have no idea how I did it.

Shirley said...

Such a true to life cartoon! Love your idea for your small stitched works. Bet you find the small hoops once you buy replacements. :)

Araignee said...

Our AC Moore's closed last month and I am heartbroken. It was so much better than Micheal's which now caters mainly to the home decor crowd.
I am happy that I am not the only one that does that with projects. I've got way too many good intentions stashed away.

Jeannie Gray Knits said...

Great cartoon!
We haven't had a local AC Moore for years but I'm sorry they are turning into Michael's. I'm glad the stores themselves will still be open, but.... I used to be a Michael's junkie and made weekly visits,but I had such a bad customer service experience with them that I haven't set foot in one for over 3 months.
I wish you'd written this post a month ago. There's a Goodwill in Virginia with about 30 little hoops.
Happy Thanksgiving!