Calendar Poodle SAL

Friday, December 2, 2016

The Third One Is Finished!

Hi friends! I finally finished Jacob's ornament. It was a challenge. It should not have been, but this WEEK was a challenge for me. ugh. I had a nasty headache for 5 days, all because I drank my chai tea latte when it was very warm, instead of just barely warm.(Drinking hot drinks and the sun cause really bad headaches)  I forgot. And I paid for it dearly. The Imitrex did not work, nothing did but time it seems. Anyways, lets look at Jacob's ornament, shall we?
This is the pattern that challenged me. Why? Because I had an excruciating headache and it is hard to focus and create at the same time. :(  So... this pattern can be found in the 2011 JCS Christmas Ornament Issue. It is just part of the pattern. The pattern is called Christmas Pine Pocket by Moss Creek Designs. My version varies a bit from the one in the magazine. I shortened only the pine needles at the very end of the branches. I worked the long stitch one over one on these, instead of  two over two the way the rest of the pine needles are done.

You may recall the stitching I did for the other side.
Of all the three ornament frames that our friend Nienke gifted me with, I will say that this little tree was the most challenging to get the linen pieces to lie flat and nice within! This is the best I can do. I tried for a very, very long time. It is very hard to get BOTH sides perfect. I usually aim for perfection. This time I am accepting a bit less than perfection.
I finished reading Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House by Stephanie Barron. I really liked this book. I have liked every book in this Jane series thus far. :) They keep you guessing!

In her sixth engrossing outing, Jane Austen employs her delicious wit and family ties to the Royal Navy in a case of murder on the high seas. Somewhere in the picturesque British port of Southampton, among a crew of colorful, eccentric, and fiercely individual souls, a killer has come ashore. And only Jane can fathom the depths of his ruthless mind....

Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House
“I will assert that sailors are endowed with greater worth than any set of men in England.”

So muses Jane Austen as she stands in the buffeting wind of Southampton’s quay beside her brother Frank on a raw February morning. Frank, a post captain in the Royal Navy, is without a ship to command, and his best prospect is the Stella Maris, a fast frigate captained by his old friend Tom Seagrave.

“Lucky” Tom — so dubbed for his habit of besting enemy ships — is presently in disgrace, charged with violating the Articles of War. Tom’s first lieutenant, Eustace Chessyre, has accused Seagrave of murder in the death of a French captain after the surrender of his ship.

Though Lucky Tom denies the charge, his dagger was found in the dead man’s chest. Now Seagrave faces court-martial and execution for a crime he swears he did not commit.

Frank, deeply grieved, is certain his friend will hang. But Jane reasons that either Seagrave or Chessyre is lying — and that she and Frank have a duty to discover the truth.

The search for the captain’s honor carries them into the troubled heart of Seagrave’s family, through some of the seaport’s worst sinkholes, and at long last to Wool House, the barred brick structure that serves as gaol for French prisoners of war.

Risking contagion or worse, Jane agrees to nurse the murdered French captain’s imprisoned crew — and elicits a debonair surgeon’s account of the Stella Maris’s battle that appears to clear Tom Seagrave of all guilt.

When Eustace Chessyre is found murdered, the entire affair takes on the appearance of an insidious plot against Seagrave, who is charged with the crime. Could any of his naval colleagues wish him dead? In an era of turbulent intrigue and contested amour, could it be a case of cherchez la femme ... or a veiled political foe at work? And what of the sealed orders under which Seagrave embarked that fateful night in the Stella Maris? Death knocks again at Jane’s own door before the final knots in the killer’s net are completely untangled.

Always surprising, Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House is an intelligent and intriguing mystery that introduces Jane and her readers to “the naval set” — and charts a true course through the amateur sleuth’s most troubled waters yet.
I am working on a bit of secret Christmas stitching right now. I will share with you gifts I received next time.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend my friends!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie



33 comments:

Анна Гончарова said...

Мне очень понравились эти елочки с вышивкой! Очень красиво и оригинально!!!

Brigitte said...

Your new ornament looks very very good, Vickie. You chose two great designs for it.
Sorry to hear that you had to stitch it under such hard circumstances.

Marilyn said...

The ornament looks great.
It's hard to find a design to fit that shape, but you did good!
Marilyn

Irmeli said...

Your ornament looks lovely,Vickie. I especially like the little bird, it's so cute sitting on the tree.

Mii Stitch said...

Your little tree ornament finish looks adorable!!

Maggee said...

You are definitely the Queen of teeny tiny stitching this year! Wow--even through many adversities, you manage to perfect these ornaments! That one sure is cute! Hugs!

Robin in Virginia said...

Congratulations on getting Jacob's ornament finished! It turned out super, Vickie. I hope you have a peaceful weekend. Thinking of you!

Jenny said...

Oh Vickie, Your ornament looks just lovely! I love both sides of the tree....your stitching is amazing and your finishing IS perfect! And all of it done with a headache! You are awesome my friend!

I am so glad you love the Jane Austen series too! It has been awhile since I read these but if I remember correctly this was one of my favorites!

I hope you will feel better over the weekend...are you stitching something new?

Hugs my friend!

CalamityJr said...

So sorry you've had the nasty headache again. I know you know this, so please remember, Vickie, that only Christ was perfect and we do best to strive for excellence. And I'd say that ornament had an excellent finish!

Lili said...

You did a wonderful job! The ornament is adorable and perfect!
Sorry for the headache.
Enjoy the weekend!

Manuela said...

Both ornaments are so wonderful in the tree.
Have a nice weekend, Manuela

butterfly said...


The ornament looks wonderful.
Hope you are feeling better now.
Hugs.

Julie said...

Another fabulous finish.
December turned out well, I still have 2 more to do to complete my set

Linda said...

Congrats on the cute finish Vickie. Sorry about the headache.

Linda

De borduurvrouw said...

I am sorry to read you suffered so much from the headache. You did a wonderfull job stitching during your illness, a true mother's love. I love all the stitched ornaments of your hand. I understand the difficulty of finding a suitable pattern, that wasn't easy. Hope your children love their gifts and hope you're doing much beter. Greets, Nienke

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

The tree frame cartainly looks tricky to fit the stitching into! You did a great job despite your headache.

marly said...

You push through under circumstances that most people could not. The ornament is wonderful.

Barb said...

Your ornament is so pretty. So sorry to hear that you had the headache again.

Margaret said...

I'm behind on blog reading again for some reason! Love your December finish from last post, and love how Jacob's ornament came out! The designs are so pretty! Sorry you ended up with yet another headache for 5 days. :( Seriously? You can't drink hot things? It all has to do with heat -- should that be a hint to the doctors? Hooray for your levels going up! Hope those levels get to normal levels soon and that you find answers to your headaches too.

Bea said...

I love how both sides of the ornament are related, but unique at the same time. Well done finding ones to fit that shape.

I'm so sorry you had another nasty headache. How frustrating that something so simple can cause so much trouble!

Sounds like another excellent story - I really MUST get to the library.

The Knitting Cross Stitcher said...

Such a pretty ornament,Vickie.I hope your weekend is more comfortable.

Angela Tucker said...

Good morning, Vickie. Both side are perfect for that tree. I love the look of the branches. And you know how I feel about that little bird! LOL

Take care of yourself, sweetie.

Shirley said...

Hi Vickie, I always enjoy catching up with you and see what you are stitching. It is hard to do your stitching when you don't feel good or you have other things on your mind. I keep praying that they find a way to really help you. Thank you for stopping by. Take care of yourself. Hugs and prayers from your Missouri Friend Shirley.

Frances said...

I love your ornament! You did a great job on it! Very nice!!!
I'm sorry to hear that your head is still bothering you!

Astrids dragon said...

Your ornament turned out wonderful, perfect frame for it! I can't imagine finishing it with a wicked headache, I hope it didn't take you too long.

stitchersanon said...

I'm sorry to hear about your headache. I think you did well to finish your ornament considering. I think it is perfect. Home made is not meant to be computerised perfect: thankfully. I love it.

Lillie said...

I hope you are feeling much better, I know how it feels with terrible headache, and yet you finished two lovely ornaments. Love the Christmas tree frame. Take care !

Carolien said...

Lovely finish!!!
Waves across the ocean ...

laceystitcher said...

So sorry about the five days of headache! That had to be miserable. The ornament is so cute. Love it. I hope your next few days are better.

Jackie's Stitches said...

You picked a wonderful stitched design for the tree! Very nice complement to the ornament tin. So sorry to hear it was a bad week with pain. Breaks my heart that you are hurting so much.

Von said...

You just don't get along with heat of any kind, do you! I'm so sorry you've had to deal with this headache, Vickie.

I love your double-sided ornaments and am amazed at how well you got them to fit in the odd-shaped openings! What a challenge that you met so well!

Sarah in Stitches said...

Your ornament looks lovely! Here's hoping you don't run into any more heat-induced headaches...

gominam said...

Love the ornaments. Hoping to see all of them on display. So adorable.