March Madness, Week 2

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As I explained in my first post about my version of March Madness, I drew a piece of paper from a bowl each day in March and worked on whatever project I drew. (I was allowed to spend "dayilght hours" beading Mirabilia's Easter Fairy, in the previous post.) The end of the first week, I drew......a Chatelaine mandala design that I had just barely started. Well, it's still just barely started......but it was fun to work with the silks and just ogle the sparklies that go with this piece.

The next day I drew another project that, like the Antique Button Sampler from week 1, I have not touched since I walked out of the class. This is Seeds of Love by Teresa Wentzler. Teresa actually taught this class at a retreat in Myrtle Beach. It was a really fun time. I was thinking as I stitched this that it wouldn't take that long to finish...

I didn't get to stitch on Sunday, but Monday I drew a fun band sampler that was a birthday gift. This may be my next candidate for replacing the Easter Fairy once Spring turns into Summer. I have Fall and Winter pieces, and now the Fairy for Spring, but nothing for Summer. Hmmm...

The next day, I picked another new project to start (like Floral Fifteen the first week)!! I'm in love with Mirabilia's reindeer. I want to stitch them in order according to the poem rather than release order. But either way, Dasher is the first!I have changed the colors a little bit. The reindeer's coat and the greenery were a little too "yellow" for me, so I changed them. I still need to find a good replacement for the Umbria Waterlilies that goes with this reindeer and the seven others. So far, though, I haven't been able to find an overdyed silk with a bluer green and either a burgundy or deep purple. Anyway, this reindeer has so many sparkly beads and crystals to attach, I can't wait to get on with it!

The very next day brought another Christmas design...Star of Wonder.This is a Just Nan class piece, although I did not actually take a class. I love the colors in this one.

The final day for this week, I drew yet another class piece that I had not touched since the class (sense a theme here?)This was a fun class, because there was pre-stitching for all the hardanger kloster blocks, as well as the cutting. In class, we got to work on the filling stitches.
You can see that the first four are done. I finished the fourth one with that night's work. I could probably continue to finish one a night!

Stay tuned for weeks three and four!

JiffNotes
Week two of March Madness brought more "ancient" class projects and another new start!

Happy (Easter) Dance

I wanted to post this on Easter, but it was a very busy day; we sang at two services and then spent the day with my parents. This is actually hanging on the wall; it was hanging up the day after Spring arrived, and that's pretty good for me!
Don't forget the giveaway from the previous post. Make sure you leave a comment each time you click for me! =)

Giveaway!!

I am desperately trying to win a contest myself, so I'm going to ask for your help, and give a little something in return. I need clicks (from unique IP addresses...and if you don't know what that means, don't worry about it! =) to this URL: Harmless videogame advertisement. Only one click per day (per IP address) counts.

I'm going to have a drawing for a prize...entries are based on you helping me. Heck, if I get something good in my contest, I may get generous and draw for multiples. But I promise at least one of you will get to pick a prize from the following:
For the knitters/crocheters, your choice of one of the following:
1) Sock Sampler - one skein of Austermann Step and two skeins of KnitPicks Essential Kettle Dyed in Jay

2) Lamb's Pride - My finished Cable Sampler Bag and the remainder of the Lamb's Pride Worsted (to be honest, I'm not a mohair fan; that's why I'm giving away the bag!)

3) Swirly Scarf - one skein each Lion Brand Homespun and Moonlight Mohair, bought to make a potato chip scarf (but of course you can do whatever you wish!)

4) Crocheted Purse Delight - one skein each Lion Chenille and Caron Fling, each with a crocheted purse pattern on their labels

For the stitchers, your choice of one of the following KITS:
1) Eileen Bennett's Little Green Acorns

2) Shepherd's Bush Garden Roll AND Just Nan's Christmas Treasure Box (opened to look at goodies, but everything's there)

3) Flower Thread Company (Meg Thompson Shinall)'s Sampler Pouch

4) Indigo Rose's Stella

So, here's what you need to do to enter:

1) Click here (or above): Harmless videogame advertisement

2) Post a comment to this post only saying you clicked the link. If you're able to do it from multiple IP addresses, note that in your comment. One entry per click, per day (per IP). The "day" starts over at midnight US Mountain Time.

3) The contest runs until 10 AM Eastern Time (or 8 AM Mountain Time) on Saturday, April 10.

4) Earn an extra 5 entries by posting on your blog about this contest and linking back here. Post a comment saying that you did this.

That's it! Thanks for the help!

This contest is over; thanks for participating!

March Madness

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Glad you guys liked the Lottlympiad updates! They are fun to write. =) I think the most time-consuming part is looking up who the commentators were for each sport! (Jim is fictional, of course.) If only I wrote them down as I watched...

In past years, I've done monthly themes for my needlework, like "Strike up the Band Sampler August" or "Christmas in July". One of my favorites was always March Madness. The general rule was that I had to work on a different project every day of the month (if I worked on anything at all). I would usually plan in advance what the projects were going to be. This year, March came so close on the heels of the Lottlympiad and my birthday, I didn't have time to plan. So here's what I came up with:


I printed out all my WIPs (that I could remember), along with a few projects that I wanted to start. That turned out to be around 60 (I know, I know). I also threw in 6 blank slips...they would be wildcards! I would draw a slip of paper each morning, then work on whatever project I drew for that day only! I wasn't allowed to throw the paper back in the bowl...I had to work on that project. The only finagling allowed was on Stitch Group nights. If I drew a cumbersome or fiddly project that morning, I could draw again and do the fiddly project the next day. Or, if I drew a project the day before Stitch Group that was portable and stress-free, I could designate that for Stitch Group and draw again for that day. It worked really well!

Enough gabbing! On with the eye candy!

The very first day, I excitedly drew a slip:

This is a project that the wonderful Girl with Needles used to teach a group of us to crochet at A Stitchers' Gathering. I had done most of the top (brown) and started on the bottom (green). After my one night...

...I got the bottom curve done and am ready to continue with the "straight" sides.

The next morning, I drew a project that I literally have not set needle to since I walked out of the class:


In class, we worked on one of the buttons. Of course, my stitching has improved in the last 10 years or so, so I began by ripping some out. But by the end of the night, I had this:


The next morning brought some excitement--I drew one of the projects I've been wanting to start: Just Nan's Floral Fifteen. It's a 15-sided biscornu. I had treated myself to the kit (with silks!) for my birthday last year but still hadn't started it. These are some of my favorite silks to work with, as I've discovered while working on her Peacock Cypher.

I didn't get much done in one night, but it was fun!

The next night was Stitch Group, and I fortunately drew a stress-free project.

This is a Just Another Button Company design that was kitted by Needlecraft Corner.

And that was just the first week! More to come.

JiffNotes
March Madness at the Lottloft means a different project every day! This year, I draw for it!

Winter Lottlympiad Closing Ceremony

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{inspiring music plays}

Bob: In this, the coolest of competitions, expectations are set...

{shot of scary glaciers}

Bob: ...expectations of attaining new heights...

{shot of goats scaling scary glaciers}

Bob: ...expectations of remaining sure-footed in the face of overwhelming odds...

{shot of Mounties}

Bob: ...expectations of dedication and determination...but will those expectations be met...?

{shot of frightening, disheartening skiier crash}

Bob: ...or dashed on a pile of broken dreams...in this, the first Winter Lottlympiad!

{music crescendos}

Bob: Welcome, everyone. We're here to recap, belatedly, the final results of the Winter Lottlympiad. We started off strong, with an almost immediate medal--

Jim: BWAHAHAHAHA!!!

Bob: Jim, are you all right?

Jim: Sorry, Bob, some of the athletes' tweets are just hysterical.

Bob: Jim, can you focus here for a minute?

Jim: Yes, sorry, Bob. So to bring everyone up to speed, we had four events going during this Games: Figure Stitching, Hatpipe, Finishing Slalom and Speed Socking. We had an early performance at the Bronze medal level in Hatpipe, followed by Figure Stitching.

Bob: Did we go any higher than Bronze in Figure Stitching? Let's go once again to the Pacific Coliseum with Tom, Scott and Sandra.

Tom: Thanks, Bob. So we had some complaints about the lack of "sparkle" in the Bronze medal performance, didn't we?

Sandra: We sure did. It left me thinking, you know, there are just some things that you feel in your heart that you can't convey once you get out on the ice.

Tom: Uh-hunh...Scott?

Scott: Well, we had a great effort, but in the end, there weren't enough daylight hours to get all those beads applied to the costume.

Sandra: There sure weren't.

Tom: We did have some progress, though?

Scott: Oh, yes. But you can see riiiiiiight THERE, she just ran out of steam and couldn't quiiiiiiite MAKE IT!

Sandra: You sure can.


Tom: So no Silver medal, but a very sparkly Bronze in Figure Stitching. Back to you, Bob.

Bob: Well, I think despite not reaching Silver, that's a performance we can all be proud of. I've heard rumors that the Silver goal has been reached since the Lottlympiad ended. Hopefully we'll be seeing that soon. Jim, do we have any reports about Speed Socking?

Jim: The only report we have is no report. #sarcasm

Bob: Um, thanks for spelling it out there, Jim. Yes, we only had a few training rounds early on, then nothing. However, with a final week push in the Finishing Slalom, things went a little better. Let's go out to Tim and Todd at Whistler Creekside.

Tim: Thanks, Bob! Not a lot going on the first week, but as you said, the final week brought us all the colors we've come to expect in this competition.

Todd: Tim, it was a great effort. And like I always say, what you can't see is what's going on between the ears.

Tim: Let's take a look at the blocked Entrelac Scarf.


Todd: You can see the nice, clean lines here, Tim. It's amazing, because just a day before, this was a bumpy, uneven mess.

Tim: Is that because of all the fresh powder, Todd?

Todd: Um, no, Tim...it's all the changes in direction on the course. One way, then the other, picking up here, decreasing there. But again, the real competition is all between the ears.


Tim: So the point is to smooth out the lines for a better time. But this is a scarf...how can anything be going on between the ears?

Todd: ...

Tim: Back to you, Bob.

Bob: Thanks, Tim. A gorgeous result in the Finishing Slalom. That leaves us with just the Hatpipe. Jim, you watched a lot of that competition; what did you think?

Jim: Lots of LOLZ, Bob!!

Bob: Lulls? What I saw was very fast-paced and thrilling...

Jim: Not lulls, Bob. LOLZ! ELL-OH-ELL's. Laughing out loud? Bob...?

Bob: Jim, I think you have an addiction to social media. What are you doing right now?

Jim: I was just updating my Facebook status to "has problem doing anything but social media", why? ...Oh...

Bob: See what I mean?

Jim: Yeah...I'm going to sit the rest of this one out, Bob.

Bob: Stop tweeting, Jim.

Jim: Dang it!!

Bob: Let's go out to Pat and Todd at Cypress Mountain.

Pat: Thanks, Bob! It was a very exciting competition

Todd: Definitely a lot of ripping runs in Hatpipe, Pat!

Pat: We had a very technical run that resulted in a Silver performance. While it didn't have the complete package of the eventual Gold medal run, it had a nice precision.


Todd: Yeah, she really dailed the kinks in that one!

Pat: Uh-hunh...then the Gold medal run came soon after!


Todd: She started off a real hucker, and I thought a major crater was in our future, but pretty soon she busted it in gear and totally shredded it!

Pat: Uh...exactly what I was going to say, Todd! Let's get a closeup of that Gold medal performance!

Todd: Woo hoo! If I've ever whackered a noogie on a shing, that's got to be the rickrack of popsizz!

Pat: OK, Todd, now you're just making things up.

Todd: Hahaha! Yep, Pat, I am...or am I?

Pat: Back to you, Bob!

Bob: Well, that's it for this year's Lottlympiad! We'll be joining you for tea and scones in about two years for the 2012 games in London. Until then, you can look forward to March Madness here at It's Geek to Me. Goodbye, all!

JiffNotes
Bronze in Figure Stitching, Gold in Hatpipe, Bronze in Finishing Slalom...not too shabby!