Even though we just returned from vacation

Cancun does sound good

but only if it has reliable wi-fi

I know it doesn't have snow

SAL day

It's SAL day and of course the power went out earlier today.  The temps are starting to drop but no snow or rain (for now).  We still are having gusts to 50 mph or more. Part of our neighbor's fence went down, we have lots of limbs down and one neighbor's basketball hoop went down on his car.  I'm happy we got back from vacation before the wind started then again I could have used another day or two of vacation where it's warmer.

I only took two small projects on vacation therefore a small SAL.

This is the nearest SAL (datewise)  to the end of February

In case I haven't shown the front cover

a new start

a gift for a friend

Progress as of this morning

another new start

Progress as of yesterday

Note that all the red isn't filled in

I did outside edges of the blues and reds

so I wouldn't need to look at the chart

if I stitched at the airport or airplane

did neither - read instead.

Don't forget to look at the other members' great works.

Welcome to the new members within the last few weeks.

Happy Valentine's Day !

It's getting close to Valentine's day

We are suppose to get more snow today.

I'm tired of snow already.

Hari-Kuyō

Hari-Kuyō is the Japanese Buddhist and Shinto Festival of Broken Needles, celebrated on February 8 in the Kanto region, but on December 8 in the Kyoto and Kansai regions. ^[2] It is celebrated by women in Japan as a memorial to all the needles broken in their service during the past year, and as an opportunity to pray for improved skills. It is also called the Needle Mass and Pin Festival. ^[3] "Hari" means "needle" and the suffix "-kuyou" means "memorial", ^[4] derived from a Sanskrit word pūjā or pūjanā , meaning "to bring offerings".

Hari-Kuyō began four hundred years ago as a way for housekeepers and professional needle-workers to acknowledge their work over the past years and respect their tools. In the animist traditions, items as well as humans, animals, plants, and objects are considered to have souls. This festival acknowledged the good given to people by their tools. Practitioners went to Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples to thank their broken needles for their help and service. This is in keeping with the philosophy of "not wasting" or "paying honor to the small things" exemplified in the concept of mottainai.

Festival-goers gather at shrines and temples, bringing their broken needles and pins. In a funereal atmosphere, the implements are laid to rest in tofu or konnyaku (soft jelly cakes) in a spirit of tenderness and gratitude.

"A small three-step altar is set up and hung with a sacred rope and strips of cut white paper which indicate a sanctified area. On the top step are offerings of fruit and sweet cakes. On the middle step is a cake of tofu and on the bottom step are various sewing accessories.

On this day, the seamstresses take a holiday and bring their old needles to the temple to stick them in a piece of tofu or konnyaku. Threads of the five Buddhist colors were used with the needles."

First a little catch-up.

1. About 10 days ago, my basement flooded.  Only about 4 inches before we got it under control but still there was damage.  I did learn that my cat carrier floats.  That was a bright spot.  I spent about 4 hours in the water trying to get needlework stuff to higher ground.  Thank heavens for the ironing board and a couple of craft tables.  However some still couldn't be saved.  My stitching bags went thru the washer and dryer and are actually still usable.  Yea, another bright spot.  I am still going thru everything (and will be for  awhile) to see what can be recovered.  IF it isn't dry now, it's too late.
Word of warning, don't keep charts in paper boxes, don't trust those individual plastic envelopes (water goes right inside), keep things up and off the floor.  Plastic bags don't keep the water out either.

I missed groundhog day so here it is:

Happy Birthday to my groundhog (my son).

( I did call him yesterday even if I forgot the blog)

And now the SAL 

Here's what I have been trying to finish and did, the day before the deadline.

This is for a contest within DAR.

First grouping of names are my direct ancestors

2nd grouping are relatives

lastly are my parents, my son and myself as the

 current generations of veterans.

This is a WIP that I dug out and decided I wanted done.

Progress as of 2-2-2019

Gobble has not gotten a lot of attention

Not too much further.  

He was a minor distraction to the big piece above

The Lady

(actual title)

Stitching the Standard

She has not been touched for awhile due to the other big piece having a due date. 

 I will be going back to her soon .  It's mostly piecemeal areas now.

So close.

and another SAL

the TUSAL

I never seem to remember if it the full moon, new moon or what so I decided this year,

 I would do it at the end of the month and post within a couple of days.

Please check out the other stitchers in the main SAL

(the every 3 weeks SAL as I call it)

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, LucyAnn, Kate, Jess, Sue, Constanze, Debbierose, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Helen, Steph, Linda, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Catherine, Deborah, Connie, Clare, Mary Margaret, Renee, Jenny, Carmela, Jocelyn

Have a warm day !

And February has brought more new snow. Schools are closed again, now due to the snow and poor roads instead of artic air.  Not that 16 degrees is warm by any stretch of the imagination.

Active grandkids in the house is not conductive to stitching.  Maybe tonight if I'm not exhausted.  The 3 week SAL is Sunday and I will post photos then.

Back to the chaos.