Week Thirty-Six: The Longest Short Week

It felt like an entire week of Thursdays this week. As much as I enjoy short work weeks, it always feels like those weeks are the longest. I guess it's because we try to cram an extra day's worth of stuff into the remaining work days. I don't know. It just felt like a really long week. 

I finished Goliath (formerly Spider Tree) earlier this week. You can catch up on the full post and see the finished piece here. Kevin, as I affectionately refer to the spider, is awaiting framing. I love this piece and am pleased with how it turned out. I'm working on a new insect piece now (more below) and hope to move on to my "Iconic" series as my next non-stitch journal project. 

This week's entries helped connect a lot of sections of this section of the stitch journal. I still have a lot of area to cover in this section, so it's definitely going to hold through October. This pleases me as I would like to treat November and December a little differently to help round out the journal. More to come on this idea.

Here's this week's recap:

September 4: I used three strands in the same color family to connect a few sections together with back stitches. I love to back stitch.

September 5: Red stem stitch

September 6: stem and chain stitches

September 7: Who doesn't love mint green back stitches? I think this color matches the color of my high school prom dress. The 1990s were wild.

September 8: Purple stem stitch

September 9: Detached chain stitches inspired by some marigolds I have in my kitchen.

September 10: Pink back stitches. This line starts at the top of the hoop and ends near the red French knots. I did this in two sections, but it's the same piece of thread. 

WIP and Other Projects

I love cicadas. Last year was the year of the 17-year cicadas and it was amazing. I dedicated a piece to them last year. Not only was it part of the 365 project, it was also the seventh Scream. You can read about it here. I purchased a cicada embroidery kit from Rabbit Hat Designs last year and finally got around to starting it. The kit is no longer available, but you can purchase a PDF pattern if you want to make your very own cicada. 

I also tried making some things using my new Cricut Joy. I'm not saying I may have joined a cult, but I'm not not saying it. If I start hiding in dark places and calling the Cricut "my precious" in a Gollum voice, please form your own adventuring group and take the Cricut to where craft projects are sacrificed when we don't have time for them anymore (I assume this is a dumpster behind the site of the original Michaels. I don't know where the original Michaels was located, but that's part of what you'll have to find out.)

Anyway, making stuff with the Cricut Joy is fun. I've made two vinyl stickers and did a test run on the printing option. It's satisfying to watch and the designs are super cute. The Cricut Joy probably needs a name. Something really ridiculous like Irving or Walter. Any suggestions?

PSAs (Not art or craft related): Please make sure to get your flu shot, COVID booster (if eligible), and maybe a tetanus shot. If you don't remember when you last had a tetanus shot, you probably need one. Also, midterm elections are coming up so make sure you get your voting plan in order, confirm you're registered or register to vote, and check where your voting location.