Incoherent Scribblings

Is it Wednesday again already? Apparently so… and so without further ado, here is this week’s Stitching Blogger’s Question:

What is your most unique/interesting stitching quirk? (This could be something concerning the way you stitch, how you organize your stash, etc.)

Personally, I would have to say that my stitching most unique stitching quirk has to do with my floss.

First, a little background: I have my floss wrapped on bobbins and when I first came to Germany I had a small stash of only DMC floss. But at first, I couldn’t find any DMC, only Anchor. However, since many of my charts only had DMC numbers and I was so used to using them, I obviously needed a conversion chart from DMC to Anchor and Anchor to DMC.

Once I found a conversion chart, I penciled in the Anchor numbers onto the back of the already existing DMC numbered bobbins. As I built my floss stash, even though I was buying Anchor floss I kept up with this system so that all of my bobbins had both a DMC and Anchor number on them.

Since I was buying Anchor floss I tried to organize my floss by Anchor numbers, but that only lasted about a week! Eventually I had almost a complete set of Anchor organized by DMC numbers!!

Now I have finally found a shop here that carries DMC and I am slowly building up my DMC floss stash again. I am still penciling both numbers on my bobbins, but I now have my DMC and Anchor floss in separate boxes… though they are still both organized by DMC numbers!!

So… what about you?

A. and I have been going ’round and ’round on the topic of toilet paper consumption for a few weeks now. He claims that we use too much toilet paper: I claim we don’t.

As a man, I can understand why he thinks that we use too much toilet paper. After all, for a guy the only time that it is necessary to actually use toilet paper is after #2, right? But the thing is, I am home all day every day and only use our bathroom. On top of that, I am a girl and that means that every time I use the potty I have to wipe, pure and simple.

I don’t know about the rest of the population (German or otherwise), but I don’t just use toilet paper when I “do my business.” I also use toilet paper to clean up cat hairballs (at least one a day), to blow my nose, to wrap those monthly packages, and if I run out of cotton balls, to remove my makeup.

According to tolietpaperworld.com, “on average, consumers use 8.6 sheets [of toilet paper] per trip - a total of 57 sheets per day,” and according to Charmin customers “the number of days a standard roll of bath tissue usually lasts in the most-used bathrooms in the house is five.”

Lately, we have not been using Charmin, but Hakle, and on average we use a ten-roll package of standard toilet paper every two weeks.

Now, a “standard” Charmin roll contains 176 sheets of toilet paper: This would indicate that if one uses the above mentioned 57 sheets a day then a roll of Charmin would be gone in just over 3 days. (My guess is that most people that answered that a roll of TP lasts 5 days must be using the “big rolls.”)

However, a “standard” Hakle roll contains a mere 150 sheets: Therefore if I use the “average” of 57 sheets a day, (and I seriously doubt I do… I think most women tend to use just a little bit more) if I am the only one in the house using the TP, and I am only using it to wipe, I would need to change the roll every 2 ½ days.

But I’m not the only one using the toilet paper and I don’t just use it to wipe. Therefore I change the toilet paper roll about every 1 ½ to two days. So tell me, are we using too much of a good thing?

Yes, you read right. Though the picture on the left looks complete, it really isn’t. So today I almost had a little happy dance.
Over the weekend I (finally) started my Stitching Bloggers’ Round Robin and this time around I am doing things a little differently: I decided to stitch my motif first and do the borders last.

My theme is “Tea Time” and we will be stitching teapots from Cross My Heart’s book Tiny Little Teapots. Originally I was going to line everything up in one long row, but then I realized that since the teapots I have chosen don’t all face the same way a vertical layout would work better. (You can call my layout a bell pull if you want, but it will probably end up framed instead of finished like a bell pull.)

Two of the five teapots face left and the other three teapots face right. The teapot I wanted to do (The Cherry Teapot) faces right and I decided I wanted it to be the middle one. Because I wanted “The Cherry Teapot” to be the middle teapot, I came to the conclusion that it would probably be easier if I stitched it first. After I was finished with it I could then do the borders. This would ensure that everything got placed and centered properly, since as we know, I have a problem getting things centered if I don’t start in the middle.
And this is where my almost happy dance comes in. I started “The Cherry Teapot” yesterday and finished the teapot itself this evening. The patterns aren’t big (40×40) and “The Cherry Teapot” stitched up fast and easy. (In fact, if truth be told it stitched up almost embarrassingly quickly.) The only glitch that I ran into was the backstitching on the tablecloth. It originally called for DMC 841, but that is so close to the color of my fabric that it didn’t help to define the table cloth at all. Therefore, I substituted it for DMC 433.

However, I have yet to do the borders and so technically I am not happy dancing yet.

At the moment I am thinking of doing a simple one-row cross stitch for each square’s border in a color that matches a “highlight” color of the teapot that will be in the square. Currently, the border colors are as follows: DMC 322 for “The Delft Teapot,” DMC 727 for “The Yellow Rose Teapot”, DMC 347 for “The Cherry Teapot,” DMC 553 for “The Purple Teapot,” and white for “The Watermelon Teapot.” Of course, as all of my things usually are, the border colors are subject to change until they are actually stitched.
I am not sure if I will continue with the SBRR tomorrow or not… I haven’t worked nearly as much on “Passing Admirers” as I wanted to this month so I may do that instead.

You know you’re from Iowa when… (Now with commentary!)

Vacation means driving through the Amanas or going to Adventureland.

Sadly enough, yes.

“Down South” to you means Missouri.

It did until I moved to the Mississippi.

You have no problem spelling or pronouncing “Des Moines.”

What’s so tough about it?

You know the answer to the question “Is this Heaven?”

Actually, I think that is the state slogan now.

You know where all the Yoders live (or Andersons, or Van den Bergs).

The Van den Bergs live in Pella.

You know what “Hawks” and “Clones” are.

Of course! Doesn’t everyone?

All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit or vegetable.

I don’t think all of the festivals are named after a fruit or vegetable. But it isn’t like it is any different in Bavaria. I know for a fact there is a pumpkin, potato, and asparagus festival held at different times during the year here.

You can locate Iowa on the map.

Duh.

You’ve ever been on a “Geode Hunt.”

Hmm… I assume this is like a snipe hunt.

Your idea of a really great tenderloin is when the meat is twice as big as the bun and is accompanied only by ketchup and a dill pickle slice.

Without the pickle, yes.

You say “catty-wampus” instead of “kitty-corner”

Nope, I’m a “kitty-corner” girl.

You’ve never taken public transportation.

Not in Iowa.

You have boiled fish in lye for Christmas.

I had to ask my mom, but fish in lye is called lutefish and apparently my great-grandma who was first generation American (parents came from Norway) refused to make this traditional Scandinavian Christmas dish because she didn’t like it.

You know what “uff-da” means and how to use it properly.

Yes, I do. My ancestors were Scandinavian after all.

You know what “Amish Country” is.

Not only do I know what Amish Country is, I also know where it is!

The only reason you go to Wisconsin or Missouri is to get fireworks.

My dad routinely patrols the Missouri state line to bust those people.

You know exactly where “Field of Dreams” was filmed.

Not exactly, but the general area.

When someone says they are going out for dinner or supper, you know which meal they are talking about.

Yes. This has been known to confuse A. as I have referred to dinner at lunchtime (it means lunch in this case) and supper at dinnertime.

You listen to “Paul Harvey” every day at noon.

I thought “Paul Harvey” was on in the morning.

You think of the major food groups as deer meat, beer, corn, and soy nuts.

Not at all. I vehemently dislike venison and beer.

You’re pulled over and asked by the cop, “Had a little too much to drink, (your first name here)?

I’m sure that my dad (a cop) has asked “Bill” or “Linda” this very question!

You own the complete “Dukes of Hazzard” video collection.

Is it out on DVD yet?!

“Hick” is a style of clothing.

Can’t argue with this one.

You can use the words, ‘crik’, ‘holler’, and ’skunk weed’ in the same sentence.

I don’t think I have ever used “skunk weed” in a sentence.

Your Christmas gift, when you were ten years old was a shotgun (a BB gun if you were a ‘townie’).

Shit! I had a shotgun long before I was 10! (…And I am a GIRL!)

You know someone personally who is involved in meth trade or manufacture.

Does an ex-boyfriend count?

Your idea of a party is throwing cans of WD40 in a campfire while you’re drunk.

Yee Ha!

You’ve been to a rave in a barn.

Nope.

You’ve had sex in the back of a truck … amid cows.

Not amid cows.

You know that cows don’t sleep standing up.

Does anyone really believe that?

You’re concerned about the rates of corn growth in Illinois as compared to that of Iowa’s.

I’m not, but that probably can’t be said for some of my relatives.

You listen to Ag Day at 6AM … two hours after you get up in the morning.

Not me, but I know my grandpa did.

You believe that trees in Iowa lean towards Nebraska … because Nebraska sucks!

Well, Nebraska may suck, but I don’t see how that affects the trees.

You know several people who still refer to Japanese cars as “rice-burners.”

I never even knew anyone that drove a Japanese car until I moved to Des Moines… It was considered sacrilegious.

“Styx” plays a concert at the county fair, and people actually show up.

I don’t know about Styx, but my sister went to see Journey last year.

You don’t get nervous when you walk into a biker bar (unless you’re an Iowa City cop).

Of course not! They are my step-dad’s friends!

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Iowa.

Hee hee… I am sure at least two other readers of my blog (Dawn and Mom) will also get these jokes.

The following list was obtained from Blogthings.

Disclaimer: Any similarities between this list and actual people from Iowa is purely coincidental!!

Here’s a hint as to what I have been up to the last couple of days:

Last night, I had a dream that Teresa Wentzler was a teacher at Hogwarts and I was a student! ‘Nuff said…
Before I posted the teal “Tempest” conversion, I thought it might be wise to make sure it wouldn’t violate TW’s copyright and after posting a question on the TWBB, Teresa kindly gave me permission to share my conversion with you. You can find it here (a link to the conversion will also be posted on my sidebar) and you can get the free pattern “‘Tempest’ in a Teacup” from the TW Designworks website.

Enjoy the conversion!