Mysteries, Truckers, and Skeletons

Did I get your attention? No, this is not a report on the latest episode of Bones.

First, the mystery: I'm referring, of course, to the ANG Stitch of the Month. I finished the March stitch on Easter Sunday, a little past March but not too bad. I finally can see all three color families and how they work together, and I'm pretty pleased if I do say so myself. I have to admit, though, that there are a couple of layered stitches in there that seem like a lot of work for a very small effect. I also discovered that when using Rainbow Gallery Treasure Braid Petite instead of Accentuate, I only needed half the number of strands specified. I guess I should say that it was my preference. Four strands just seemed too bulky, and in one instance totally covered up the layer beneath instead of revealing a little spot of color. Okay, I just looked it up in The Thread Thesaurus and found out, it's actually a 4:1 ratio. [smacks forehead with palm of hand] Well, I'm not ripping it out now. Those layered stitches would probably look just fine with one strand of TBP.

Truckers. Yes, that's right, truckers. No, I haven't suddenly become enamored of a truck-drivin' man. It's the ones who quilt and knit who intrigue me. Not one but two people brought this Wall Street Journal article to my attention. My favorite quote:

When he's not sewing, he's daydreaming about it, he said as he ran a square of yellow cotton with little violets through his machine. "Oh, there's many a time you're just going down the road at O-dark-thirty in the morning and you just start thinking about a particular pattern."

This reminded me of Rosey Grier and his needlepoint hobby. I surfed around a bit and discovered that, yes, he's still alive and travels the country as an inspirational speaker. He was an advocate for men doing needlepoint in the '70s and even published a book about it, Rosey Grier's Needlepoint for Men.

We need a new advocate for men doing needlework in the 21st century. Know anybody we can draft? I mean, how hard can it be?

I almost forgot about the skeletons. Even though I haven't been doing any cross-stitch for a while, I was compelled to buy a new pattern the other day. Prairie Moon has a new series with a skeleton theme, and I fell in love with Merry Xmas. I'm sure you'll agree, it's irresistable. Will I ever stitch it? I don't know.

kthxbai.