Slow Stitching on Sunday, Progress, Watching Charles Dickens and More

It's growing! Jeweled Lines is growing.  This photo was taken a few days (when I thought I would sit down and write a blog post), it was just a hair short of 52 inches at the time, with one row of the turquoise section started.  Got it stretched out as well as I can without having stitches fall off the needles, so it doesn't look very even in the picture, but truly it is.  Mine concern at this point is whether or not I have enough turquoise to finish the current section and complete the last section....It's going to be close I fear.  Once again the problem with quesstimation and no pattern, but when working with yarn you have on hand and or yarn that's been donated...........well.  You play through and hope for the best.  This ghan will be donated through my charity blog, Bridge and Beyond.
Join us for Slow Stitching Sunday

For my blog friends who cross stitch, a project from long ago.  So long ago, this was a photograph, not a digital picture, lol.  Two quilted placemates basically sewn together to make an apron with a cross stitch area.  This was a Christmas Gift for my Mom.  Over the years the picture has faded...tried to brighten it after scanning, but it's still not a good photo.  Wish I had done more of design.  With today's eyes, it's rather plain.  I wonder whether or not my Dad still has this somewhere in the house.  I should ask him.

This was posted on Facebook as a teaser a few weeks ago when my friends across the pond were anxiously awaiting the next session.  We here in the US...are still waiting.  Just thought it was comical, so thought I'd share.

LOVED this yarn.  Sooooooo soft.  When my Darling Daughter was home for a visit, we naturally went yarn shopping.  She purchased 5 different types of yarn, all at 50% off.  I wasn't as lucky.  This is one of two hanks I purchased, mine were only 15% off.  This is 400 yards of hand dyed fingering weight.  It suggest a needle size of 1............what was I thinking!!!  Loved the colors, and softness, but now am in search of something to make with it that maybe I can use a size 3 for.  

This is yet another of my English viewing while knitting and icing my foot.  This was a very short mini series.  Little Dorrit is a Charles Dickens story that takes place between 1855-1857.  The story of being born and raised in Marshalsea Prison, a debtors prison.  As many of Dickens theme, it's full of many emotions;  but shows a good deal of the dark side......the hard times that people endured.  Central figure is the same as Queen Elizabeth in The Crown, Claire Foy...who was also in Upstairs Downstairs, as the very colorful and not very nice sister.  I do recommend this short series.

I don't often post political things on this blog, but felt this was very appropriate given current events.  This Holocaust Memorial by Marie Uchytilova remembers 82 children who were taken from Lidice to Cheimno, an Extermination Camp in July of 1942.  The fact there are large number of people led by extreme groups who say The Holocaust is fake news, never happened.......makes me sick to my stomach.
**Longer than normal post, catching up since it's been a bit since my last post.

Google Rankings AND

I've not blogged yet about The Crown or

Call The Midwife OR

Land Girls.  

These were all series/shows I watched earlier.........before the broken leg.  Some on girls trips and some on a winter vacation to Hilton Head while hubby was playing golf.  I'll back track to these in a few days, as I'm continuing to knit Jeweled Lines as I elevate and ice my foot.

I wanted to post rankings from Google which I found interesting.  These rankings are simply where people on google give a thumbs up or down.  I would have preferred a middle ground on a few when I did my own rankings.  I've added the links to the blog posts where I chatted about these shows if you're interested in a bit more info...or why I liked or didn't.

Tulip Fever, which I didn't care for got a google ranking of 76%.  

Upstairs Downstairs I would probably rate about the same as google 87%

The Duchess was rated 88%, I would probably agree with that.

Larkrise to Candleford I would rate higher than google did at 93%.  I was sorry to see this series end.  I enjoyed it a lot.  I liked all the characters except The Thomas Character.  He really annoyed me.  I kept wanting to say shut up to him.  I was also disappointed Robert Timmons wasn't in the last season.  I wonder if it's because filming perhaps over lapped with Downton Abbey where his character was Mr. Bates?

Poldark I would also rate higher than google did at 93%  I LOVED this series and am most anxious for the 4th season to come to the states, possible fall of 2018.

Grantchester was also rated at 93% on google, I enjoyed it...but have rated it slightly lower.  It's entertaining, but I had a hard time with the premise of a Clergy being a solver of mysteries  and such a heavy drinker.

Doctor Thorne was rated 94%.  I watched one episode and didn't return to watch the remainder so ....would definately not agree with this ranking..........then again, maybe it got better and I would rank it better if I watched the whole thing?

Victoria was also rated 94% by google.  I would not rate this higher than Polark or Larkrise to Candleford.

Downton Abbey was also rated 94%, I would rate it higher than Victoria.  

**Land Girls was rated 94%, think I would probably agree with that, once I figure out my top down ratings.

Home Fires was rated at 95% by google.  I really really like Home Fires, hated the ended as it left you up in the air because additional episodes were planned and then it was cancelled.  Debating how closely I would rank Home Fires and Downton Abbey, and Larkrise to Candleford.

The Grand...was also rated 95%.  It was good, but again don't believe I would rank it as high as Home Fires or higher than Downton Abbey and or Larkrise to Candleford.

**Google rated both The Crown and Call The Midwife at 95%.  There are new episodes since I last watched Call The Midwife, I believe one more series so, will have to think about those ratings.

The Crimson Field was rated 96%  Debating here, yes higher than The Grand, and maybe tied with Home Fires?

Manor House was rated 96%...don't agree with that at all.  It's interesting, but definately not as good as The Crimson Field, or Home Fires or Down Abbey, or Poladark or Larkrise to Candleford.

• Poldark
• LarkRise to Candleford and Downton Abbey possibly tied
• Home Fires & The Crown & Call The Midwife
• Victoria & Crimson Field & Land Girls
• The Grand
• Grantchester
• Upstairs Downstairs
• The Duchess
• Manor House
• Tulip Fever

The only one I would not recommend is Tulip Fever.  Jury is out on Doctor Thorne since it didn't entice me to watch more than one episode.

I Spy, Out The Window, Yarn and Needles, and Other Sorted Affairs

Since I'm still not very mobile (broken foot if you've not been reading my blog previously), I've spent a fair amount of time looking out the window, watching spring happen in the neighborhood.  Took this photo out of my bedroom window.  Two little girls, one from next door and one from across the street like to set up in our yard.  It makes them feel more private I think.  LOL  Seriously, how cute is this!  It took them a while to get all set up and inside their umbrella fort.  Reminded me of when our daughter was young and we would travel.  She would put up a towel between the two front seats of the car...that way her space there in the back seat was private...she was in her reading fort.  She was an avid reader even when quite young and we traveled lots of miles out west to camp and she'd read a book a state basically...all in her private fort.

Having finished the previous afghan (Learning Logs..previous post), got something else on the needles.  Picture looks a bit mauve, but the color really is more purple-violet.  This is yet anothe afghan.  Not using a pattern, so guesstimated and cast on 202 stitches.

After all the color work in the previous afghan, and counting for texture, and the constant binding off and picking up stitches, wanted something truly mindless.  Doing basic stripes........probably all garter stitch to just let it flow.  Started this ghan a few days ago and have already added the above two colors to it.  Since it's all a guesstimate...I'm not yet sure if I'll need to add another color in order to have enough yarn.  I have the one gray as above, and 2 of turquoise and 5 of violet.  8 skeins of washable wool.  Violet skeins are 197 yards each, turquoise is 277 yards, and the gray is 277; for a total of 1816 yards.  That seems a bit shy of enough to me.  Thoughts???  When I can get to the basement to check my stash, I might have more yarn of the appropriate weight etc that could get added to the mix.  For now, I'll play through.  

Latest British Series is Upstairs Downstairs.  A bit more rambunctious than Downton Abbey, perhaps with some similarities of personalities.  A much shorter series, only 2 seasons.  Focused more on the torment before The War in England with regard to Hitler...and how divided The English Government was about doing something about it.

Quite an ending!  Fun to see Claire Foy (who played Queen Elizabeth in The Crown), be so very different in this roll.  Would have enjoyed the series more I think if Edmund Stoppard as Sir Hallam had been played by a different actor.  I've just never liked him, and don't find him at all attractive or sexy...so seeing him a roll where that's an issue was less enticing.  But, with that said.......the series was indeed enticing and I do recommend it.

Two wild and crazy sisters

Wine for lunch, sure why not! We'd been busy and productive that morning. We'd gotten to the barn, took tons of photo's; toured a cemetery ...why not have a nice leisurely lunch with a glass of wine.

We had our lunch, and our nice wine downstairs since upstairs was closed; but we did venture up there afterwords. This is a waterside restaurant with inside and outside seating; as well as an upstairs more casual bar with great view of the water.


We had such a good time, we're thinking of making this a regular routine. In fact, we've penciled in another date to return--drink some wine, have lunch, and enjoy the views.

Day 1 of the year 2009

Hop back to my previous post to see the family picture. My great-great grandfather, Wilhelm Heinrich Mader, unlike many of todays immigrants embraced his new country. Embrased it's language and traditions. He immigrated to Chillicothe as a single man at the age of 20. The year 1850. He married Anna Marquerite Heinlein in 1853 and in 1856 became a proud US Citizen. His orginal citizenship papers were kept and passed down through the family. He became a citizen as soon as he was permitted to. He Americanized his name right after immigrating to this country, and was known thereafter as William Henry.

He and his wife Anna, had 8 children; though one died in infancy. He performed many jobs in order to raise his family. He was a builder of roads, and bridges, a construction worker, a drayman and a business man. He owned and operated a merchantile store. His family lived upstairs and the business was downstairs. Through my genealogy research, I was able to learn several addresses where the family lived and the buildings remain to this day.

Hubby, daughter and I went out to our favorite resturant last night and had a wonderful meal and good time. Home in good time to see the ball drop and drink our champaigne to toast the new year. I finished her hat (pictures later), and plan to make her a scarf to match, though it will need to be mailed to her; as she's heading back to Baltimore tomorrow.

I'll start focusing on 3 things for this month, charity wise. One naturally my bridge project, rectangles for Warm Up America (as thats the Homespun focus of the month), and items appropiate for Caring House a womens shelter in Michigan (the focus for the month for The Attic). I want to finish candy corn ghan because it's been in the works for far tooooooooooooo long, and I have a yarn to make a co-worker a ghan she ask me to do about a month ago...yikes, haven't even started it. And...my plan is to work several days each month on the Christmas Ghan I started this year when I realized how foolish I was being. If I work on it a little hear and there, it can be for next year.

I bought my first set of double pointed knitted needles and want to try my hand using them, and I want to get back to walking at least 3-4 days a week. Guess I sorta have goals/resolutions. I'll keep you posted how I do.

Happy New Year, stayed tuned for the continuation of The Mader story.