Maynia Round-up and Pie

It's the final day of May and the final day of Maynia.  Started in 2015 this SAL suggests you start 15 new projects in May.  Or 18 for 2018.  Or 31 for each day.  Or maybe go Monoga-Maynia and just stitch one project.

I decided to do the full 31 with 31 Just Nan smalls - a Just Nan-a-thon.  Here is the result:

The mathematically minded will have instantly spotted there are actually 32 designs there.  Day 28 was the Tiny Bunny Biscornu and there are two designs in that chart (one for each side of the biscornu) so I decided to start both.  Plus it gave me a better number for the collage.

The plan now is to return to stitching one at a time, a minimum of 30 stitches per day.  Then next year for Maynia I will stitch on each one of the remaining designs rather than have another 31 new starts!

The rest of the month I did my usual rotation with the Discworld Mappe being my main focus piece.  I completed the giant turtle head:

I also made great progress on my 10-a-Day project which is another Just Nan - Autumn in the Square:

stitched on 32 count Light Mocha linen

My Temperature SAL grew another side; it has felt warmer here but the thermometer is still reading lower than it feels so plenty of green and yellow but no more orange:

stitched on 22 count white hardanger

You can find the chart here - Stitches in Blue by Hetti

So here is how the Pie chart looks:

A 3 day course and some extra work shifts meant I had less time on Discworld than I wanted and more days where Mrs Peggotty's Alice and the Flamingo was pretty much the only measurable stitching I got done.

Stitch from Stash looks great again.

May
nothing	£0.00
Total	£0.00

A big fat zero.  I did buy some boxes to fully finish the Bande des Dragons from last month so that order (I included some scrapbook stuff) took care of my spare money for the month.

Finally, the ongoing saga of the comment notification emails:

Blogger eventually deigned to tell us that they are aware of the problem and are working to fix it.  In the meantime the work-around is to click "notify me" in the comment section of your posts and then the emails will come through.  They will be from "no-reply" commenters but if you know the person's email address you can just over type it when you reply.  Hope they get this fixed soon.

Blogger Forum Post

Finally a Solution to the Comment Notification Issues!

We received notification this afternoon that the problems have now been resolved.

As many of you are aware we have not been getting email notifications when comments are left on our blogs following the European GDPR changes.

In order to receive emails now there are a few simple steps to follow.

1. Go into your Dashboard.  Select your personal blog.

2. Click on Settings on the left hand side.

3. Click on Email and this screen will appear:

4. Delete your email address from the large box and click Save (orange box at the top right).

5. Retype your email address and click Save again.

6. You will shortly receive the following email:

7. Click Subscribe and wait for the emails to come pouring in!

8.  Repeat for every blog that you admin and want to receive email notifications.

I have heard there are issues with some hotmail addresses so maybe use your gmail address instead.  There may be unreported issues with Yahoo and aol too.  We shall see.

Please share widely so everyone knows we are back in business!

Comments have been turned off for this post as I will combine it with the previous one in the future.

Updated to add:

If this does not work, try this for step 5:


5. Click on "Choose from Contacts" and insert youremail address and click Save again.



Original Post:
Public Service Announcement:

For reasons known only to the Blogger Techies, we are no longer getting email notifications that comments have been made on our blogs.  It is assumed that this is connected with the new GDPR rules - i.e. Blogger will not share your email address with anyone without your express permission.

The work-around is to check comments on your Dashboard as they are listed there in date order.  If you post regularly this is more efficient than checking the blog itself.

I moderate comments which means I will not publish any comments until I have a chance to reply to them so there may be a delay in your comment appearing.

The easiest way to reply to a comment now is to copy and paste from the Dashboard into an email.  Assuming you already have the person's email in your address book.

I have disabled comments on this post.  I just wanted to share with you all ASAP.


Edit to add:

The work-around seems to be to comment yourself and tick the "notify me" button.  Then you get sent an email every time someone else comments.  BUT they all come from "no-reply" addresses so you still need to know the person's email to reply to them.  Also, if you moderate comments, you don't get the email until after you publish the comment!  We must be patient and wait for Blogger to fix this.

Edit to add:

Thea - Community Specialist said:

Hi all,

Thanks for stopping by.

We're currently tweaking our emailing system, but we expect it to be working again within the next week. Thank you for your patience - we look forward to getting it out soon!

Regards,

Thea

Posted on Google Forum on 30th May 2018

Any questions, please drop me an email.

May WIPocalypse Favourite Stores

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

Each month we have to share the projects we want to complete before the End Of The World.  For me, this will be my "18 in '18".  Many of them are part of SALs so I will be working on them each month.

This month I have stitched on 8 of the 18 projects.

1. Enchanted Alphabet by Lavender & Lace:

stitched on 32 count Murano in Tiger Lily by Sparklies

2. Discworld Mappe by Lyndisfarne Designs

stitched on 32 count Murano custom-dyed by Sparklies

3. Zodiac by Donna Kooler:

stitched on 32 count Millenium Blue linen

4. Happy Hallowe'en Night by Jardin Prive:

stitched on 32 count Cognac linen

5. 12 Days of Christmas by Just Nan:

stitched on 32 count Vintage Grain linen

6. Libra by Satsuma Street

stitched on 28 count black evenweave

7. Alice & Flamingo by Mrs Peggotty:

stitched over 1 on 25 count blue evenweave

8. Diamond Bouquet by Just Nan:

stitched on 28 count lilac evenweave

Measi always gives us a discussion topic:

May - where do you love to shop for stash?

Well, I'm doing Stitch from Stash for the fourth year so "My Stash Cupboard" should be my answer!

But you have to spend a little sometimes and looking back over the past year, the answer seems to be direct from the designer via Etsy.  The majority of my transactions have been PDF charts from designers such as Satsuma Street, Mrs Peggotty Arts and Jardin Prive.

Plain fabric usually comes from SewandSo and hand-dyed from Crafty Kitten and Sparklies.  I love both Dawn and Kate as well as their fabrics so I try to alternate purchases.  From Crafty Kitten I seem to buy more subtle fabrics and I go to Sparklies for the more vibrant fabrics.

I buy my DMC from Lakeside Needlecrafts as she is the cheapest place to buy genuine legal DMC.  I bought some from an eBay shop which turned out to be US imports sold illegally.  Other places buy cones and wind them onto bobbins (again illegal) so you have no idea if it's a full skein or even DMC!  Support your LNS and only buy the genuine skeins.

On the rare occasions I buy paper charts these days it will be SewandSo or Lakeside.


Finally the ongoing issue with email notifications for comments continues!  The work-around seems to be to comment yourself and tick the "notify me" button.  Then you get sent an email every time someone else comments.  BUT they all come from "no-reply" addresses so you still need to know the person's email to reply to them.  Also, if you moderate comments, you don't get the email until after you publish the comment!  We must be patient and wait for Blogger to fix this.

May Smalls SAL

The Smalls SAL is hosted by Stitching Lotus

This year I am showing my Just Nan 12 Days of Christmas blocks for the Smalls SAL and also my 30-a-day projects.  All smalls also by Just Nan.  It's a Nan-a-thon year!

Here is Block 5 on the 12 Days of Christmas:

stitched on 32 count Vintage Grain linen

Just a little bit of gold metallic sparkle in there.

I also completed one of my 30-a-Day projects; Just Nan's Charm Garden.  I need to source some charms for the centre of each of the blocks now:

stitched on 32 count Antique White linen

I have now made 25 new Just Nan starts for Stitch Maynia:

Only 6 more to go!  The plan will then be to work through them one at a time over the next year or so.  I'm thinking that next May I will work through each of the remaining projects one a day rather than another 31 completely new starts.  I still have 8 from last year which will probably take me most of this year to finish.

But they live in a folder and don't take up any more room than the charts did so it's all good.  The hard work of choosing, cutting and pressing the fabric is done.

Finally, the bad news!  For reasons known only to the Blogger Techies, we are no longer getting email notifications that comments have been made on our blogs.  It is assumed that this is connected with the new GDPR rules - i.e. Blogger will not share your email address with anyone without your express permission.

The work-around is to check comments on your Dashboard as they are listed there in date order.  If you post regularly this is more efficient than checking the blog itself.

I moderate comments which means I will not publish any comments until I have a chance to reply to them so there may be a delay in your comment appearing.

The easiest way to reply to a comment now is to copy and paste from the Dashboard into an email.  Assuming you already have the person's email in your address book.

This is a link to the Blogger Forum where people are commenting about the issue.  Hopefully Blogger will respond soon - Product Forums.

May IHSW

We've just had an International Hermit & Stitch Weekend where I didn't actually have to work but there was still a lot going on so I didn't quite manage to reach my goal of completing the turtle's head.

Here's where I was on Tuesday for GG:

Progress by end of Friday:

Current Progress:

The full piece so far, with one of my little elephant thread holders.  These were a cover gift from Cross Stitcher so I've been using them for the main colours.

The other project I've been working on is Mrs Peggotty's Alice and the Flamingo.  Here's where I was last IHSW:

And here's where I am now:

stitched over 1 on 25 count blue evenweave

The colours are much better in this photo.  I've added both arms and a large amount of flamingo!  The brown/tan in the centre is her hair around her hairbow.  There are lots of colours in the current two pages I am working on.  Which makes a nice change after all the pink!

Finally, the next IHSW will be 15th - 17th June so make sure you note the date in your diary or come and join us in the Facebook Group - IHSW on Facebook.  If you don't do Facebook then you can check in on Joysze's Blog - Random Ramblings.  If she does a post, she doesn't always do one!

Time to H & S this W

Code for International Hermit & Stitch Weekend!  The third full weekend of each month is dedicated to stitching as much as you can.

Luckily I do not have to work this weekend so I'm in for all three days, the weekend starts on Friday!  I started by stitching with two friends and managed a finish.  A Just Nan, of course.  Charm Garden was started back at the end of March and was my 30-a-Day project throughout April.  It's a little bigger than some of the ornies and I didn't finish it when I started Maynia.

Stitched on 32 count Antique White linen

Each of those diamond shapes is supposed to have a different charm in them but I will be sourcing some flower charms as it's almost impossible to get the "official" JN charms now.

When I got home I typed up the Blogger of the Week post and then picked up the Discworld Mappe.

stitched on 32 count Murano custom dyed by Sparklies

My goal for this weekend is to finish the head and then work along the top of the chart.  This is a reminder of the size of the project:

The numbered pages are the ones I have stitched.  Bearing in mind that I am not stitching the blue, the next page along the top should be a quick one then I have two very densely covered pages.  The banner the hippos are holding is just two or three colours but there is all the backstitched lettering!

My plan for next year is to dedicate two weeks every month for this design.

I've been continuing with the Just Nan-a-thon with a new small start each day.  Here are the latest six:

13/05/18	Jasmine Mix
14/05/18	Mitten Men
15/05/18	Owl Winder
16/05/18	Pansy Basket
17/05/18	Peacock Tapestry
18/05/18	Porcelain Nosegay

Quite a variety of fabric colours there.  None of which are really accurate!  Another 13 smalls to go.

Finally, I am planning my Longest Day Marathon again this year.  I am not sure which day it will be.  21st June is a Thursday this year so I have my Toddler Group in the morning and an afternoon tea for a friend's Birthday.  So it will either be Wednesday 20th or Friday 22nd.  Or both, depending on how many WIPs I have by then!   To read more about the Longest Day, check out last year's post:

2017 Longest Day Marathon

  

Gifted Gorgeousness May Link-Up Post with Added TUSAL

Welcome to the May Gifted Gorgeousness link-up.  The link-up date will continue to be the 15th and I will keep the link-up open until the end of each month so you have plenty of time if you are late posting.

The format remains exactly the same, there is a list of rules on the main sign-up page if you want to check what is required but basically anything connected to the word "gift" is allowed, whether it was a gift TO you or is a gift FROM you.

In the past month I have stitched a few gifted pieces:-

Just Nan's 12 Days of Christmas - Chart was a Christmas present

stitched on 32 count Vintage Grain linen

Just Nan's Diamond Bouquet - chart was a gift

stitched on 28 count lilac evenweave

Chatelaine's Gardens of London - a Birthday gift

stitched on 32 count Cotton Clouds Belfast by Crafty Kitten

And seen here posing with this month's TUSAL:

Aerial view:

Close-up of the head:

stitched on 32 count evenweave custom-dyed by Sparklies

This is, of course, Lyndisfarne Design's Discworld Mappe - a gift for my son.  I have managed four short days on this, barely an hour a day because of work and other committments.  Hoping to get plenty done for IHSW this weekend.  I'd really like to finish that massive head!

Now it is your turn to show us your Gifted Gorgeousness for the month. Please use your name or your blog name in the field and NOT the words "May Update" so I can easily see who has linked up this month. And link to the actual post, not just your blog. It is easier if you copy and paste the link, rather than typing freehand.

Please could you remember to link up as well as make your post.  There have been a few people making GG posts but not linking.  Which means they don't get entered into the draw.  If you have technical or memory issues, just leave a comment and let me know!

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Finally, as mentioned above, it is IHSW this weekend.  International Hermit & Stitch Weekend, where you get to kick the family out of the house and spend the entire weekend stitching to your heart's content.  Or just try squeeze in ten minutes stitching time for yourself.  Sign up on Joysze's Blog or the Facebook Group via the links below:

Random Ramblings

IHSW - Facebook

Stitch Maynia Just Nan-a-thon

Multi-start challenges are nothing new to the stitching world; there was the Crazy January Challenge, then the Ultimate Crazy January Challenge, the Year of Starts and March Madness.  I took part in the DUCJC in 2015 in honour of SoCal Debbie and also March Madness for Theme-a-licious and Theme-tas-Stitch but this is my first Maynia.  Founded in 2015, only a few months after the DUCJC, some people just could not get enough of the multi-starts!

The challenge has evolved over the years.  Some people are doing the original 15 starts, some 18 starts (for 2018) and some are doing multi-WIPs.  There are even some people turning it on it's head and doing Monogamous May.  Whatever you choose, it's all good fun.

I have decided to follow on from March Madness in 2017 and do one small Just Nan start per day.  Just one length of thread, photograph it, post on FB and move on to my main piece for the day.

Here are the first 12 starts:

Just in case you can't identify them, here's the list:

01/05/18	Butterfly Lace
02/05/18	Butterfly Needlebook
03/05/18	Butterfly Needlebook 2
04/05/18	Spring Fantasy
05/05/18	Butterfly Welcome
06/05/18	Christmas Friends
07/05/18	Christmas Memories Ornament
08/05/18	Crystal Heart
09/05/18	Garden Maze
10/05/18	Holly Berry Snowflakes Icy
11/05/18	Holly Berry Snowflakes Chilly
12/05/18	Holly Noel

At the end of May each project will live in a folder with the ones left over from last March.  I will then work my way through them in order, hopefully finishing one every 3-4 weeks.

Here are the other pieces I have been working on this week.  First up is Just Nan's 12 Days of Christmas

stitched on 32 count Vintage Grain linen

Here is the whole piece so far:

Next up was Just Nan's Diamond Bouquet:

stitched on 28 count Lilac evenweave

I didn't get much done as I was working in the afternoon but I managed most of the bottom row.  Next month I will finish that row and add the beads.  I want it completed before The Longest Day SAL.  News of which will follow in due course.

Finally, a piece which isn't a Just Nan!  This is my bathtime project, the one I stitch while the Small Boy is in the bath.  This is Alice and the Flamingo by Mrs Peggotty's on Etsy:

stitched over 1 on 25 count evenweave

I am about 30 stitches off completing the second page on the second column which will make 9 pages in total plus a good part of a tenth page (the sleeve and flamingo neck going upwards.)  To be on target to finish this year, I need to complete 2 pages per month.

Zodiac SAL - Taurus

Welcome to the  Zodiac SAL.  I will be posting on the first Saturday of each month with information about that month's sign and a linky for anyone who wants to join in.  The linky will stay open until the end of the month.

Last month we had three people link up with me, please do visit them now if you missed their posts before:

Jocondine
Tiffstitch
Leonore

Taurus, the Bull, is an Earth sign ruled by Venus and covers those born between 20th April and 21st May.

Taurus constellation by June Bug & Darlin'

The Bull represents a strong-willed character with great perseverance and determination.  In India Taurus is known by its Sanskrit name Vṛṣabha, which is occasionally given as a name for Shiva and his vehicle Nandi as well as the first of twenty-four Jain Tirthankara, Rishabhanatha.  In Egypt, Taurus was seen as the cow goddess Hathor.  Hathor was the goddess of beauty, love, and happiness, and she represented all of the riches seen in cattle as the providers of nourishment.  Roman astrologers considered Taurus ruled by Venus, the goddess of beauty, and Earth, the goddess of the earth and nature.

Source: Wikipedia - Taurus (Astrology)

Taurus by Josephine Wall for HAED

Taurus People: What They’re LikeTaurus people can be grounding, bringing a sense of ease and contentment.  Unless, that is, they’re worked up about something.  Then steam pours out of their ears.  You’ll see them pacing, muttering the same thing over and over, clenching their fists and looking like Bulls ready to charge!  But when they’re content and in the groove, there’s no happier sign than Taurus.  Lovers of the arts, you can find them composing photos, blissing out to music, losing themselves on the dance floor or preparing a feast fit for royalty.  This affectionate, comfort-loving sign can indulge in hours of deep lounging or sensual boudoir play.  As earth signs, they may love to go on walks, bike rides and hikes. Disclaimer: other Bulls think “communing with nature” means gazing at the French Riviera from the Hotel du Cap veranda, chilled rose in hand.  Never go cheap on a Taurus, because these epicureans love the finer things.  That said, they can be very down-to-earth and work hard to pay for their indulgences. (You might need to light a fire under their asses to get them going.  Once in motion though, there’s no stopping this charging Bull!)  Sure they can be materialistic, but really they just want tasteful creature comforts that last the test of time.  And, if you’re lucky enough, they’ll share the finer things in life with you, too.

Source: Astrostyle - Taurus

Taurus by Illustrated Ink for Gecko Rouge

Famous & Celebrity Taurus People:
Adele, Al Pacino, David Beckham, Stevie Wonder, Donatella Versace, Cher, Robert Pattinson, Chris Brown, Channing Tatum, The Rock, Gigi Hadid, Queen Elizabeth II, Sam Smith, Megan Fox, Meek Mill, George Clooney, Lena Dunham, Tina Fey, Christian Lacroix, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Valentino Garavani, William Shakespeare, Harper Lee, James Monroe, James Buchanan, Ulysses S. Grant, Harry S. Truman

This is a wonderful design from Bothy Threads showing some of Shakespeare's best loved plays:

William Shakespeare by Bothy Threads

I also added some lines from "The Scottish Play" to the edge of this design by Oberlin Samplers:

The Witches by Oberlin Samplers

For the stitching part of the SAL I have chosen a series of designs from the Donna Kooler book 365 Tiny Cross Stitch Designs. I am stitching them all on one piece of 32 count Millenium Blue fabric. Here is Taurus:

Here is the whole piece so far:

Now I have Taurus in place I can see that Aries was stitched in exactly the right place!

I am also stitching the Satsuma Street Zodiac and this month I picked up Libra which is my current WIP:

stitched on 28 count black evenweave

I have got quite a lot done.  I stitched all the right hand bird and it's cup as well as finishing off the base of the scales.  There is a rose vine wrapped around the scales so that will be the next part.  After I fill in his beak!  And the missing area which is a colour I need to order.

My brother is a Taurus but I have never stitched anything for him.  Sorry!  However my husband's niece is also a Taurus and I made these sugar skull designs for her when she got married:

Senor and Senorita Sugar Skull by Brooke's Books

This is the place for you to link up if you want to join in, please link to the actual blog post, not your blog homepage and include your name so we can see who has joined in.

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Finally, there's a new blogger in town.  I have persuaded and enabled my friend Sarah to start a blog!  You can find her here - The Hermit Crafter
I have to be nice to her, she knows me in real life and could tell you all my secrets.  So please visit her and say nice things to her!